Davisville, Sept. 9, 2024: Watching wildlife in Davis, plus listening to a voice from a previous pandemic

Davisville

Late summer offers a few particular attractions in Davis. The heat fades a bit, if only because the days are shorter, and evenings outdoors are mild. It’s an inviting season to look at the full moon if it’s up, and to think about another year passing. And swat some mosquitoes.

Here on Davisville, early September is a natural time to talk with someone who has spent a lot of time outdoors: Jean Jackman of Davis. She writes the “At the Pond” column in the Davis Enterprise, has taken some serious bike rides, and a quarter-century ago recorded local people talking about Davis history ("Down Home Tales of Davis"). We talk about a variety of things today, starting with the wildlife and birds she writes about in Davis. Later we hear Jean's recording of Jane Van Sant, who lived in downtown Davis, died 18 years ago at 94, and tells us in her own voice what Davis lived through during the flu epidemic of 1917-18.

The photo shows the full moon of August 2022 over north Davis.