fox squirrel

One morning I was out riding in the dark and I saw three animals on the cart path ahead of me. I slid off my bicycle and rushed to see them, but the darkness and their swift tree climbing frustrated any closer view. I thought they must be small raccoons. Yesterday I saw the same animal perched on the back of a bench in a yard. Long tail. Black mask of a face. Far too small to be a raccoon, but not a fox or a beaver. Marmot? Wrong state. A few minutes later I met a man who introduced me to the idea of a fox squirrel. This is a beautiful animal.