fozzyb

No – the one I was thinking of was on the other side. As you turn off Central onto Whisman take an immediate left. There is an apartment complex, then after that used to be a small farm – it’s a building site now. I don't know if they ever managed to harvest any Walnuts as you could barely move down there for squirrels running all over the place. Used to go down there when my son was about 3, he loved watching the baby ones running about like mad chasing each other.

I tried streetview's historic views settings - looks like they started clearing the trees not long after we left (see pics)

I am – it’s not fair.

Before coming on this trip I had just about convinced myself that moving to the US was a daft idea and that staying put was better.

Saturday I called up an older couple we knew out here, they have since retired to Santa Cruz. So had a drive down Highway 17, a barbecue in their back yard and watched the sunset over the pacific.

Then on Sunday I went to visit another family, their son and my son were best friends back when they were both 4. Had a great time playing catch at the park yesterday afternoon and dinner with them.

I just know that when I go back to the UK it’s going to be grey and rainy and I'm going to be left wishing I could just pack up everything and move back right away.

ottotheboar

Our house is surrounded by oak trees and usually we can look out of the window and see a squirrel.
While hunting in the woods they are easy to spot and hear. They are very noisy a squirrel will make as much or more noise than a 200lb buck.

Pulaski

Ours make a loud chattering noise, and sometimes almost a growl. Thirty feet up a tree they are safe from all but hawks and guns, so you think they'd shut up and not draw attention to themselves, because while I can tell they are agitated, they certainly aren't scaring me! Is there a Darwin Award for squirrels?

N1cky

I know where you mean now.

It's grey and rainy here today, I can send you a photo if it helps Let me know quick though, I can see the blue sky starting to poke through already.

fozzyb

Thanks for the offer , but I already have the backdrop on my iphone set to a view of Togo's parking lot in the rain - don't know if you can do more depressing than that?

WEBlue

Now the oak leaves are falling everywhere like rain here, but STILL no acorns to be seen. I asked a local pundit about this, and he said the oak trees in our part of New England are "different"--they only produce acorns when the winter that follows will be especially severe.... Thus we may get a good acorn crop every 3 to 5 years, but rarely more often.

Apparently the last bumper crop of acorns fell in the autumn of 2012, the year before we moved here. So perhaps no acorns for a few more years. Very strange!

Lion in Winter

Meet the squirrel cooker.

N1cky

The only more depressing sight in MV is my rental statement

fozzyb

Pulaski

We get bumper years, and not so big years for acorns. I used to think it was roughly every other year, but we've had two consecutive bumper crops of acorns. Certainly some years we get very few though.