Pika!

I'm having some guilt for not updating my blog more over the last two weeks. Life has been pretty slow here, E has been traveling a lot for business, and I'm feeling pregnant and tired. That said, I am very very excited for my baby shower on Saturday!

So, because I don't have much to post about, I thought I'd post one of my favorite photos from Canada that hasn't yet made it on my blog - E's pika photo!

Pikas are small animals that live on rocky hillsides in the mountains. They are kind of like squirrels, but live underground in little dens. One really neat thing about pikas is the fact that they gather their food (grasses and such) in the summer and fall, and dry it on rocks and boulders in the sun. When the grasses are dried, they gather it and store it for the coming winter! Each pika can gather and store up to a bushel of food each season! Isn't that interesting?

Anyway, along the Moraine Lake viewpoint trail in Banff National Park we saw these little guys, and we just adore them. The make the funniest noises, and the fact that they gather and dry their food is just so neat. Anyway, E was able to capture this little guy on camera. His mouth is full of gathered grasses, and I swear, doesn't it look like he is smiling? I laugh every single time I see this photo. Haha! Too cute!