My wife pinged me from the river trail where she was walking Freya to send me this: Otters!

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

My wife pinged me from the river trail where she was walking Freya to send me this: Otters! In the canal!

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

I raced over but not in time to see them myself. 😅😭 Apparently Freya stopped stock still on the trail and just stared at the canal, and then my wife saw the first otter pop up. 🥹

[artcollisions@vis.social]

@handmade_ghost sweet!

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@artcollisions We've only seen them twice before in the wild/river like this, so it was such a thrill and a delight!

[rejinl@masto.nyc]

@handmade_ghost Aw! 🥰

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@rejinl The best soft reset this morning. 🥹🥰

[icooiey@mastodon.green]

@handmade_ghost what a delight!

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@IcooIey Yes! It has remade my whole day. 🥹💚

[idzie@kolektiva.social]

@handmade_ghost wow!! Though sorry you missed them 😭

Hopefully they'll be back again soon...

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@idzie I hope so! I've only encountered them twice before (I've lived here 20+ years), and they give me so much joy.

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@nightdream They really are 🥹

[ohweh@climatejustice.social]

@handmade_ghost 😍

[ranjit@friend.camp]

@handmade_ghost canal critters i have seen

✔️ manatees and alligators, Tampa Bay, Florida
✔️ live crabs and dead rats, Gowanus, Brooklyn
✔️ dead bicycles, Amsterdam
❌ never seen an otter :(

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@ranjit Manatees!!! 🥹

[ranjit@friend.camp]

@handmade_ghost just a glimpse! but it was a good glimpse!

[artcollisions@vis.social]

@ranjit @handmade_ghost No otters??? They are like little water puppies. Unlike manatee, which are just ginormous sea cows.

[ranjit@friend.camp]

@artcollisions @handmade_ghost I've only ever seen 'em in zoos!

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@ranjit @artcollisions I love sea cows!! 🥹

[handmade_ghost@sunny.garden]

@ranjit @artcollisions I have some learn-to-draw books I love by Joy Sikorski, which taught me to draw a manatee as basically a little rounded hump above the water. It was labeled, "If this you see, / it's probably / a manatee," which is what I think whenever I see one (only ever in photos or once in an aquarium).

[artcollisions@vis.social]

@ranjit @handmade_ghost I think you have to go out West?