Observations of a Wolf

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Wolves are a lot like you and me. When they’re out of regular wolf stuff to do, like running down a buffalo, or snarling at somebody who gets too close at the wrong time, or they’re out of sorts because their kid didn’t make the honor roll, but they’re not at that point where they have to go bite something, they find a quiet place to sit and think and  watch what other folks are doing.

That’s what Rodin is doing at the moment. He’s part of the Fishing Wolves* pack at the Wolf refuge in West Yellowstone and he’s already caught his rainbow for the day and got to eat the entire thing without having to share it with the alpha male. That’s a stroke of luck he hadn’t counted on because the alpha usually takes it away from him before he gets a chance to do much more than hold it in his mouth for a moment.

HIs stomach full and his work done for the moment, he gets to go to his favorite place, the high grass in the boulder field and watch what every one else is doing. The alpha is picking on another young wolf today, running him through his paces, teaching him who the bull duck in the pond is, or in this case who the alpha male is in the wolf pack. That cute young grey is looking at him again. He has to play it cool though so the alpha doesn’t notice. Since they’re in an enclosure it’s not like they can sneak away or anything and right now the thought of the beating he’ll get if he returns her interest doesn’t make him feel very amorous.

Stellar jays have been squawking over something, hopping from the lower branches to the ground and back up again, agitated enough it’s causing the pine cones to fall off the branches and rattle around on the ground. It’s drawing in the magpies who’ll make short work of running them off. Whatever it is it’s outside of the fence so it doesn’t affect him.

It’s a perfect day in the neighborhood. The sun’s out but because it’s mid-September it’s not too hot and the wind is just enough to move the grass back and forth a little. It feels good rubbing up against his side. If nobody notices he might just lay down for a nap, something he doesn’t get a chance to do very often. Maybe he’ll dream of running over the long rolling hills up in the Lamar or setting off with the young grey to find their own territory. After all, the skies the limit when you’re dreaming.

* http://www.bigshotsnow.com/2013/05/05/

RainbowNomics

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click on image to see it larger

Since everyone is budget conscious these days I’ve decided to indulge in a little RainbowNomics. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, it goes like this. Its very simple really, whenever you order a rainbow make certain that the little box called “make it a double please” is checked and you get two rainbows for the price of one, thereby doubling your investment and your enjoyment at the same time. Why settle for one garden variety rainbow when you can have two spectacular, incredible, stupendous rainbows just as easily and for the same amount of effort. It just makes good sense. Any questions? OK then, Let’s everybody do it and really help the economy.

This picture is actually a panorama of 18 separate images taken one after the other from the left to the right then stitched together in Photoshop to make one very wide picture. A panorama shows the entire scene much closer and clearer than if you took a single image with a wide angle lens. How come? well in the wide angle lens image the subject, the rainbow, would be further away due to the magic that happens inside the lens and you wouldn’t be able to see the rainbow as well as it would be smaller and kind of puny looking. If you read my authors page then you know that I told you that occasionally I would sneak some technical stuff into these posts and there it was. National Geographic will do it sometimes too, take panoramas and then tell you about it. I want to give you the same quality information here. This scene was shot from our deck looking out over the plains right after a small rain storm went through. We frequently got rainbows before only they’ve always been the single ones, but since we began practicing RainbowNomics we now get these fantastic double ones absolutely free. Isn’t it great to be an American.