Barns...Really?

If you were to ask..."Danny, what did you do this Sunday?" I would probably upset you by the high concentration of "nerdery" that existed in my life yesterday. I did not hang out with a single human being that I knew personally...unless you count the girl at the McDonald's drive through window who's voice I might date. Instead, my life consisted of going out with my new camera and taking pictures.

If you were to then say "Danny, taking pictures isn't that nerdy?" You would be right...kind of. If I went out and took pictures of Saber Toothed Tigers, and people engaged in Swordfights, then it may be acceptable. I however, did not accomplish this task. I went out to take pictures of Barns...yup...Barns...deal with it. Barns may not interest you, or the other 99.8% of this universe, but I personally (along with numerous horses I spoke with today) think they are cool. So here are the pics from today, I hope to go out and take pictures of more interesting things soon, but for now this will have to do.

Hope I made you feel better about your life.

Cougars

Cougar (As defined by the Dictionary): A large, powerful cat, Felis concolor, of North and South America: now greatly reduced in number and endangered in some areas.

Cougar (as defined by our ridiculous society): An old, powerful woman, Femalis cradlerobber, of Los Angeles, New York, and or Las Vegas: now greatly increased in number due to stupid shows like Desperate Housewives, and people like Demi Moore.

In my travels today I was lucky enough to have located both of these "cougar" species in the state of Montana. The specimens although well preserved had both been hit by a car within the past 24 hours, this is more visible on the picture of the woman.

North American Cougar/Mountain Lion:

North American Cougar/Creeper


The above photo of "Societies Cougar" is somewhat innaccurate because this poor creature has been hit by a vehicle going at least 80mph.

For the record: In no way am I trying to make light of the fact that an actual cougar is dead because of a vehicle, and I apologize to anyone who I may have offended (you know who you are).

I saw this cougar today, and had to see what one looked like up close, and I was stunned by its size, and beauty. I was strictly trying to speak to the ridiculous fact that cougars no longer refer to the powerful, and beautiful animal that I drove past today on the side of the road. And also to point out that Barbara "wa wa" Walters is Creepy.

Chasing Tail

The four hour drive from Great Falls, MT to Kalispell, MT is one of my favorite drives. I frequently feel like I am in a car commercial on this highway due to the winding curved roads, scenic views, camera crew filming me, John "Cougar" Mellencamp's "This is our country" blasting on the radio (truly the most overplayed and annoying song on television) and the weird asian guy from the Mazda commercials waving at me at each mile marker.

Those of you with eyeballs may have noticed that it has snowed a ridicuolous amount this year. This snow has created a wall on the sides of many of Montana's Highways. This wall of snow has also created an inescapable corridor for wildlife, and in turn a very fun game that I like to call "Chasing Tail."

Now the term "Chasing Tail" often refers to a male who is on a conquest to become physically involved with a woman in an episode of heavy petting and various other unattainable goals. In Montana, and my life in general, no such game exists. Instead I choose to cruise this highway in search of a hopeless animal that is afraid of Black 4Runners.

I was victorious this past Wednesday night in finding a 2 year old female mule deer trapped in the white corridor of entertainment. I slowed down in order not to hit the deer and end the entertainment prematurely...and because I have a deep rooted love for wildlife, beauty, the movie the notebook, and furry animals...(ladies?)

She (Bambi) and I made eye contact, then her ears went straight up, and she licked one of her nostrils which in deer language directly translates to "Chasing Tail....Game on." She started sprinting. I gave her a bit of a head start because I had to put on my helmet, racing gloves, and fire retardant suit. I chased her for about a quarter mile before she threw on the brakes and gave me the Mighty Duck "Triple Deke." But I snapped a picture of her as I raced past her at well over 100 mph. Pretty good for leaning out the passenger side window and trying not to crash.