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| Several | years | ago, | my | husband | and | I | were | "fox-hunting" | in | the | many | gifts | shops |
| in | the | tourist | town | of | Estes | Park, | Colorado. | | One | shopkeeper | told | us | we | should |
| visit | the | Grand | Lake | Golf | Course | outside | the | town | of | Grand | Lake, | on | the | other |
| side | of | Rocky | Mountain | National | Park. | Several | years | before, | a | fur | rancher | had, |
| for | one | reason | or | another, | shut | down | his | business | and | turned | loose | his | "golden |
| foxes" | to | fend | for | themselves. | (I'm | unfamiliar | with | what | kind | of | fox | a | "golden |
fox" would be.)
| The | freed | foxes | took | up | residence | around | the | local | golf | course, | and | invented | a |
| game | of | their | own | -- | pilfering | golf | balls! | Golf | balls | that | rolled | too | close | to |
| the | rough | were | sometimes | snatched | up | and | carried | off | by | the | playful | critters. |
| Amused | rather | than | annoyed | by | these | antics, | the | golf | course | ended | up | adopting |
the foxes as their mascots.
| (During | an | excavation | for | a | house | in | the | area, | a | fox's | den | was | accidentally |
unearthed. In it was almost 500 golf balls.)
| Hearing | about | such | a | vulpine | haven, | my | husband | and | I | headed | for | our | next |
| destination | -- | Grand | Lake. | The | Yellow | Page | ad | for | the | golf | course | announced | that |
| it | was | "open | to | the | public" | for | breakfast | and | lunch, | so | the | next | morning | we |
| headed | out | for | breakfast, | hoping, | of | course, | for | a | glimpse | of | the | foxes. | | A | sign |
| decorated | with | a | friendly | fox | pointed | the | way | from | the | main | highway. | Another |
| sign | outside | the | clubhouse | featured | a | fox | from | the | Preston | Blair | animation | book |
| sporting | a | chef's | hat | and | pointing | the | way | to | the | dining | room. | The | dining | room |
itself, overlooking the green, had wallpaper with a fox motif border.
| Asking | about | the | foxes, | we | learned | that | the | best | chance | to | see | them | was | the |
| twilight | hours | around | dawn. | We | settled | for | taking | photos | of | the | foxy | signs, | and |
| -- | a | clever | touch | -- | the | fox | hand | puppets, | such | as | those | put | out | by | Country |
| Critters, | that | were | being | used | as | golf | club | covers. | It | was | certainly | "grand" | to |
find a place that appreciated our vulpine friends so much!
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