I posted a few shots (here : https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1255248/2247#14073608) from the remote village of Xi Kan, up in the mountains of Zhejiang, a couple of hours from the lovely region of Li Shui. Here are some portraits of some of the inhabitants. Mostly aged folks looking after children as most of those of working age, not tending to farms, will gravitate down to the cities for the higher pay packets and less strenuous work, as well as the livelier lifestyles.
All A7rii and Zony 55/1.8.
It's all about the pipe !
Such a friendly, and talkative, lady ! And beautiful embroidery.
These pictures have a brief story attached to them. On Monday evening, I came home from work after dark. As I pulled my car into the driveway behind my son's car, I saw two small very young raccoons lying side by side, like logs in a fireplace, looking out at me from under the other car. When I got out of my car, they retreated, but as I stepped back they returned to the edge of the car and began to chew on rubber parts of the car. I looked around for their mother, but could not find her. I worried they had become orphaned. So I went into the house to get some dog kibble and also grabbed my camera on the way out the door. By the time I got back out, one of them was climbing all over the brief case I had left in the driveway, but retreated as I approached. I put down the dog kibble and some water and stepped back. They came forward and began to eat. I took some photographs, which they let me approach near enough to do, and then I left them to go inside. The next evening, Tuesday, they reappeared. I worried that I was accustoming them to human contact, but there was still no sign of an adult raccoon, so I fed them more and provided water, but kept far away from them. They ate heartily, washing the kibble in the bowl of water I had provided. Meanwhile, I tried to read up on raccoon development. It turns out that baby raccoons stay in the den until about 8 weeks, when they begin to forage with their mother. At about 12 weeks, they do a very interesting thing--they forage for a couple of nights on their own without their mother, but then return to her and forage with her again--sort of like children camping out in the backyard for a night or two. I think that I came across these young raccoons on their nights-out-without-mother. From photographs I have now seen, these two appear to be about 12 weeks old. Since the two nights they were here, I have not seen them again--they are back with their mother, I assume. Here are some photographs from that first night.
