Photopotamus: a Blog: Cutest Little Bandit

One of my favorite animals as a kid was the raccoon. They are quite common around here, though I rarely saw them in our yard. However, almost every time we vacationed at my dad's cousin's cabin on Lake Cushman in Washington, at least one or two raccoons would show up on the property, often in the morning or evening but quite bravely coming up onto the deck as we gawked from the other side of the window. I was always disappointed that my mom required us to stay a healthy distance away from them. If I'd had my way, I would have invited them into the cabin to join us for breakfast.

Although my husband and I live in the suburbs, we are only about a half mile from the end of suburbia before it turns into the rural farmland and woods that surround the Portland Metro area. I would say it's a safe bet that there are lots of raccoons in the area, however I hadn't seen any live ones since moving back here in May 2014. Until last summer! We have a giant oak tree with an age that varies depending on which arborist you ask. They've thrown out estimates anywhere from 150 to 350 years old. Either way, it's old. Our back yard, where the oak is, is completely fenced all the way around with a 6-foot solid fence that goes into the ground. Despite that, a juvenile raccoon decided it was worth the effort to enter, and made its way into the big oak tree to spend some time lazing around high in the branches. It was a beautiful sunny morning and I had stepped outside to take in the fresh morning air warmed by the sun, when I happened to glance upward and see a little bandit in the branches up above. I'm lucky I saw it because they are good at blending in. While it hung out, I was able to observe it and snap a few photos of it from the ground. It snoozed, moved to a different branch, snoozed some more, and also occasionally watched me as I watched it. And the whole time it was incredibly adorable. Feast your eyes on this fuzzy little morsel!