Grassy Shores, Saturna Island ,1997

I experienced once a mass of high energetic exuberance and waves of organized unison. Their fur was in all different colours, with little paws grabbing at front and over to top and back and down and up again. This went on for around half an hour and then they cuddled and rested and their daily exercise was over. That tornado of excitement took place in a cage in a pet store by around twenty-five little sleek bodied ferrets. I was in shock at the force of all that running and cage shaking; if the door wasn't locked properly they would have shot out and squeaked in ferret, "We're free". This painting of the seashore grasses on Saturna Island brings back fond memories when a family of six river-otters were near me and I was soon aware that a well worn-down path in the grasses near me had been used by them for years. I moved over, as not to stress them. And they were weary, but slinked on by to feed and play. They're part of the martens family, like those ferrets.