Jim's Eclectic World: Lunar eclipse from Bozeman

About Me

Location: Bozeman, MT, United States

Hi, my name is Jim Macdonald, and I have an odd assortment of interests. In no particular order, I love Yellowstone, I am an anti-authoritarian activist and organizer, and I have a background in philosophy, having taught at the college level. My blog has a lot more links to my writing and my other Web sites. In Jim's Eclectic World, I try to give a holistic view of my many interests. Often, all three passions show themselves interweaving in the very same blog. Anyhow, I think it's a little different. But, that's me. I'm not so much out there, but taken together, I'm a little unusual.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Lunar eclipse from Bozeman

I couldn't help going outside and taking photos of the lunar eclipse. Before Genevieve and I became a couple, a lunar eclipse from a friend's house happened on one of those nights that brought us closer together. It's a special symbol for us. We watched it tonight in the dark with little River.

It's not my normal kind of post, but it does keep me in touch with all the things that give rise to everything I write.

Here are some pictures.

4 Comments:

Michael D. Barton, FCD said...: Patrick really enjoyed looking at the lunar eclipse.... "Moon" is a newer word for him, so tonight was fun:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7230309@N05/sets/72157603954461697/; 2/20/08, 9:57 PM
Tom Rice said...: Ya know, Jim, Mike McCord might dispute your photos, claiming they are close-ups of a marble.; 2/21/08, 7:26 AM
Mike McCord said...: You know, I wasn't going to say anything, but now that you mention it, those pictures there do look like the blotchy head of a bald man. With all of the things you can do with Photoshop nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if ol' Jim isn't pulling another fast one on us here.

Speaking of which, and a little off topic, I was in Yellowstone this past Sunday, going to Cooke City, and I saw all kinds of bison hanging out between the Roosevelt Arch and the Heritage Center, plus a bunch more between the arch and the ranger shack there, and you know what I saw? Or rather, do you know what I didn't saw?

I didn't see one bison being bulldozed, harassed, shot at, or otherwise disrespected in any way, by any park employee. Not outside, the park, nor inside the park. Matter of fact, I didn’t even see one snow-plow. Not one.

Granted, even though it was snowing a little bit, the roads were basically clear, but still, between Mammoth and the northeast entrance, there wasn’t one plow to be seen. Now that I think about it, I didn’t even see any rangers except for in Mammoth. What do you make of that?

Tell you what I did see, though. I saw a bunch of foreign tourists by the Arch trying to get up close and personal with them shaggy critters, until their guide said something them. I saw a bunch of idiots, between Mammoth and Cook City, stop in the middle of the gol’ dern road to gawk at a bison here, and an elk there. Some of them animals was just off of the road, and some of them was way out yonder.

Meanwhile I’m to get somewhere. And here’s the kicker, most of these boneheads had Montana and Wyoming plates! So you know they’ve seen elk and bison before.

Now, I’m not against wildlife watching, mind you. I personally enjoy watching environmental activists (particularly the BFC), myself. But that’s what the turn-outs are for! They want to stop and take a look-see? Fine. Pull over! Or go to a zoo. I don’t care which. Just stay out of my way. The road is for driving, not stopping.

So tell me, Jimmy, where were the rangers and the snow-plows then? I don’t believe those snow-plows you talked about were bulldozing bison, they were after these morons who stop and block traffic.

And oh yeah . . . nice pictures of the moon. Sincerely.; 2/27/08, 2:12 PM
Michael D. Barton, FCD said...: Your blog has been memed:
http://thedispersalofdarwin.blogspot.com/2008/03/another-meme-favorite-historical-figure.html; 3/12/08, 10:18 PM