Beaver vs. Hawk Owl

This weekend we dragged our unsuspecting toddler on a 2 hour "drive to nowhere" (from his perspective). Actually we drove an hour west to Center Harbor, NH to see a Northern Hawk Owl that has been hanging out there for a few weeks. We did warn Aiden that we were going to see a "Hawk Owl" and he just looked at us and said, "Hawkowl, Momoo?" "Hawkowl, Dadoo?," with his head tilted as if to say, "Really?! Is this necessary?" And it was.

We noticed the group of birders standing there with their scopes and cameras pointed before we saw the Hawk Owl, and then we got some satisfying looks at the bird (usually a species found much further north, a lifer for both of us), as well as some unsatisfying photos (the light was terrible).

Is it a hawk, or is it an owl?

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But don't feel sorry for Mr. Fussabud Aiden-Aiden-Poop. He spent the afternoon in the garage with Dadoo building a new toolbox, just like Beaver Carpenter's!! Ever since HaPa and Grandma gave him the book "Beaver the Carpenter," we have read it umpteen times per day and Andy has been promising that the two of them would build a toolbox together like Beaver does, from the actual plans in the book. Only one problemo: Beaver is Canadian (he IS a beaver, after all) and his plans are in millimeters. Andy made a valiant attempt to convert all the measurments to inches to coincide with our only shop ruler, but gave up shortly and just fudged the dimensions a bit. Still a very nice finished product if you ask me! All the tools Grandma Chris gave Aiden for Christmas fit nicely, with room to spare (more tools, Grandma?)

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If you ask Aiden what he did this weekend, do you think he mentions any Hawk Owl?

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