Auntie B's Wax

It’s November now, but the Halloween spirit is still with me.  Maybe not the “Halloween” spirit, per se (trick or treat), but the lingering sense of the spirits, the other-worldly…they linger, and remind me of what I saw on my last visit to Door County, WI.

Husby and I took a jaunt to Door County again, which is, of course, something we love to do at least once a year.  The countryside is lovely, the sea air (sans salt) is invigorating, the local food and wines are delectable no matter what the season.  However, I was a little bit creeped out when we arrived at our usual motel.  It was a scene from some Hitchcock movie.

Turkey Vultures.  At least that’s what Husby and I determined them to be.  The photo shows just a smattering of them.  Seriously, I was afraid to go out and take a picture from many yards away.  They ruled the pier and shore.  There was no way we could go out and sit on those benches to take in Lake Michigan as we normally do.  I warned Husby, “if we go out there they’ll peck our eyes out!”

At some point during our stay the vultures weren’t inhabiting the pier, so we walked out.  I, the one who points out all things creepy, noticed something we’d never noticed before.  Lots and lots of bones.  This one was laying there, right on the pier.  A miniature femur bone?  Like from a leprechaun or fairy?  Obviously it was picked clean.  And creepy.

With further investigation, as the vultures were fewer but still circling, we found more evidence of evil.

Bones everywhere!  Picked clean.  Creatures washed ashore, left to die, only to be culinary fodder for some other species.

Ah, it’s the circle of life, right?  Within two days of our stay the vultures had vanished, having gotten their fill, and Husby and I could venture out to the pier without the risk of getting our eyes pecked out.

It was creepy to me, and that’s the word I used when describing the scene to Husby.  He laughed.  He knows I have a love/hate relationship with creepy stuff.

I’m not sure what caused the fish to wash ashore in the first place.  Perhaps it was a natural thing, cyclical?  Perhaps it was a result of human interference?  The vultures got their fill of delicious Lake Michigan fish, and I got my fill of creepy.  I hope the lake is clean, and no matter how much big fish scare me, I want them to thrive in their natural habitat.

And if the fish don’t wash onto the shore I hope the vultures don’t peck my eyes out for lack of food.

Photo credit – ack, I don’t know, it was taken from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds.

Happy belated Halloween.  And always remember, natural phenomenon can be deadly.  And human interference with natural phenomenon can be catastrophic.