Thursday, November 29, 2007

Neighborhood Pests

Growing up on the East Coast, my Mom always complained about rabbits eating flowers out of her flawlessly manicured British Garden. Built on a wooden swamp, the neighborhood was always full of wildlife that drove the neighborhood association mad. Personally, I enjoyed the wildlife and even my Mom eventually grew to love the rabbits. I figured they had a right to be in our gardens, as they were there first. This thinking never got along with the neighborhood association and I still don't! That was just one of many reasons I left the East Coast and eventually ended up in Colorado. Here there are still neighborhood associations, but the wildlife is a little bigger and pointier (12 to be exact).

A few weeks ago, I was dropping off the Bullet Camera BJ let me borrow for the White Rim Trip (expect a clip soon) and came around the corner to see this guy standing on the sidewalk.


He was spectacular! Completely ignoring me, he was perfectly content enjoying the manicured grass of BJ's neighborhood. He stood about 2 feet taller than me, which I know because I took this picture from about 6 feet away!


Across the street these two were in a mid rut, antler wrestling match. Unlike deer, Elk retain their antlers throughout winter, shedding them in early spring. Antler wrestling serves two purposes, it establishes dominance and attracts females.


Plus, to my fiendish pleasure, it scares the hell out of the neighborhood kids and destroys the neighborhood association's landscaping. Perfect!

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