: I play 'hide 'n seek' with a beaver when I paddle in town - it
: dives, I try to predict where it'll surface, and beat it there -
: lots of tail slapping (his) and laughs (only mine, I tink),

: and in a small town, we're always looking for a lil' entertainment.
: But not neutering! Gotta draw the line somewhere!

Sounds familiar. They're nosey little bighters. I was walking my 2 dogs alongside of the river some years back and came apon a beaver family, a pair and 3 kits. I stood on the bank watching them playing and eyeing us, rolling over and obviously having a great time. They edged closer and closer eventually got to about 5 or 6 feet from the bank (you never have a video camera when you need one) at which point my normally well trained retriever just couldn't stand the temptation any more and leapt in to do what retrievers do best. That was pretty much tht for beaver watching. I think they were relocated later as they and their dam disappeared.