A Surprise

So this morning I went painting. It's a sunny warm morning and I finished my painting around 10:30 and began walking back up the dirt road toward my car - about a quarter mile away. It's kind of a steep road and I was wearing my big brimmed hat and kind of looking down at the road as I walked.  So I couldn't see too far ahead, maybe 4 feet or so.  Suddenly I realized there was a black object hurtling toward me down the road, just a few feet away. First thought: What's a cat doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Second thought OMG it's a SKUNK.

 It stopped right in front of me looking menacing. I backed up immediately, pretty fast I might add. It turned away and went racing on down the road the way I had come, vanishing around a corner, as fast as ever. What was it doing out in the middle of the day? And why was it racing around?   There are some rabid animals in the wild here and there, foxes, skunks,  maybe it was one of them. If so I was glad it continued on it's way without harming me. But it was really amazing to see up close.

Here's the painting I did last Sunday right before sunset. Red Willows, 8 x 10.