Freedom and Justice for all

I am a bit late today, but wanted to thank all of our brave soldiers who have sacrificed so much, for so many that they don't even know..Thank you ! To you and your families..from the bottom of my heart..
Let Freedom Ring!

Updates and changes

Well, I thougth that it was about time that I let Hawk have the day off and fill you all in on what has been happening in our lives. Summer is finally here, but in NW Wyoming you wouldn't know it. We have had a very wet year and it is beautiful and green. Woke up to snow a few days ago(what's up with that?) This morning we are once again fogged in..I like to say I am just waking up with my head in the clouds. I have been working on a new Photo gallary, and for those of you who would like to check it out, just click the yellow meadow lark on the right, or visit www.staceyhuston.com Still have a long ways to go, and many more pictures to upload so please check back often. If you don't notice your favorite shot in the gallary, drop me an email and I will see what I can do.Again I want to thank Klaus for the beautiful header, if you need web design work, Klaus is the guy to talk to. We have also been recently introduced to a new social media tool, called Twitter. I know that you have all heard of it, but for those of you who aren't using it, I will caution you. It is just as, if not more addicting than blogging. (to follow me~ see other new link to the right)
I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy...

Racing Stripes.

Chipmunks are adorable, quick, agile, and fun little rodents. They have the ability to climb, jump and even swim to get what they want. Like all rodents they store whatever they can find in preparation for lean times. One has only to see them with their cheek pouches filled to bursting, in route to their burrow in order to have a good chuckle.. I have, on more than one occasion been severely chastised by one of these furry balls of energy, while stalking the forest. They will not let up until you, or whatever danger or threat, has passed. I am always amazed by these little warriors and their bravery, their perseverance and their speed. Their little legs can outrun even the fastest predator and their agility is legendary. I have witnessed them racing around on a two thousand foot cliff face with no worries, and been amazed as they scurry across small twigs over a precarious drop off. Yes chipmunks are cool, fast, and brave.. So next time you enter into the wilds and encounter one of these little warriors, listen to their scolding whistles and watch in amazement as they move through their landscape. And you may just find yourself transfixed by one of the true wonders of the forest, complete with racing stripes and a whole lot of attitude. ~Mike "Hawk" Huston



This post was made in honor of my Twitter friend @campwildgirls..Chipmunks are cool!

Learning...

Tall grasses sway in the Wyoming breeze. The afternoon sun is casting shadows across the landscape while insects dance on the wind across the lush creek bottom. A field mouse noses his way through the dense grasses, his small feet carrying him along with lightning quick speed toward his burrow. He stops to pick up the grass seeds littering the ground. His cheeks are already full of the small seeds, yet he still crams more into his mouth. He has no idea that death stalks the long grass. On silent feet, a mother fox slips up on the unaware rodent. She moves slowly and deliberately, every muscle taught as she closes the distance. With practiced precision, she leaps into the air and comes down in a graceful arc upon the greedy seed hoarding rodent. His squeaky cries are stifled in an instant as she mouths her catch and points her nose to the west. She is hungry, but this small catch will be taken to her pups. Several small mouths await her catch, and rely on her skills as a hunter for survival. Twenty mice, thirteen rabbits, three ducks and one stray cat have fallen to her hunting skills in the last two weeks. She and her mate hunt relentlessly, day and night, to feed the pups and themselves. Every kill brings an assurance of survival for her and her family.

The pups can smell their mothers scent on the wind near the den. Every head comes up and awaits the food their mother will surely bring. All but one, he sits alone near the den scratching his red fur with black stocking feet. He has discovered something today, he has become a hunter. The grasshoppers near the den are easy prey. All he has to do is stalk and pounce. His young belly is full of the tasty insects. Tomorrow he will try for something bigger, maybe one of those distant antelope or one of the cows in a nearby pasture. Yes, he is a hunter, a predator, the future of his species is secure, he, will survive.

Speed

Life in the fast lane seems to be the norm for most of our civilized world. Why must we strive for more speed? What could we possibly gain by moving at a faster pace? I admit that the rumble of a big block under the hood and the vibration of the shift lever in my right hand brings forth some sort of euphoria. The sight of any of the American muscle cars from my youth make me desire the days of old, when a lead foot and youthful ignorance could allow for speeds that I would never even consider now.

In the wild, there are usually only two reasons for speed, flight or chase. When one’s life hangs in the balance, I would think that speed and stamina would become second nature. I have seen elk scale sheer rock, in a bid to outrun and outdistance predators bent on their demise. From a high ledge in the back country of Montana, I watched a mountain lion try in vane to catch a two day old mountain goat kid, only to be ousted by the mother and nearly fall to his death. One has only to watch the majestic pronghorn antelope race across the landscape at speeds seemingly impossible, to realize that we humans are sloth compared to our animal brethren.

So, maybe our desire to go faster stems from some ancient chase, a race that more than likely we lost at the hands of some far superior opponent in a bid for survival.

I will be thinking of that the next time my wife says I should slow down. What if the race were for survival? Would she or the officer in my rear view mirror understand then? Probably not, but you can be certain that I would run! Like my animal brethren, I would fly like the wind!

Solitude

Quiet solitude is something that we humans crave. To witness nothing more than silence, and nature’s raw beauty every day of our lives, would be a true Eden for some of us. But the reality of the natural world is that freezing winter temperatures, constant worry over starvation, and predation would render us modern humans extinct in a great hurry. Our ability to survive the great outdoors, for extended periods of time with only what the wilderness provides, has depleted over the last centuries. Our connection as a species to the wilderness, has fallen to the wayside and been replaced by technology and so called progress.

My wife and I stand on a windswept ridge; she takes pictures of this majestic warrior foraging among the alder and red willows. His snow covered body and long tined antlers are a stark contrast to the snow and northerly winter winds. Yet somehow he blends in with the surroundings. He just seems to belong to the land, not an intruder upon the landscape like we are. I close my eyes and say a prayer for the old warrior below us. He will face many long cold days and nights, many challenges way up here in the frozen inhospitable wilds. We will be snug in our cabin through the long winter and wet spring, while he braves this place he calls home.
Come September when the first bugles echo across the land announcing the rut, this old warrior will proudly stalk the dark timber. I will be there too, a longbow in my left hand and an arrow of wood, nocked to the string, hoping for a chance at a bull like the one before me. I finish my prayer and hope that he and I never meet in the age old dance of the hunt….. but a close relative of his would be just fine by me.

~Hawk

(For those who are wondering, this photograph was taken last January. No we do not still have that much snow, spring has finally arrived, though they are calling for more snow by the weekend, just not that much snow..)

Weather

Trees in fog and snow


Cow elk through the snow
It was really coming down

More trees in fog

Mule deer herd along the skyline

Hawk is gone today, so I have decided to make a post without his beautiful words (wink)

Went for a drive last week up on the mountain to take some pictures in the fog. Success! It was beautiful and dream like.

To answer those that have asked, we did not get the book deal. The publisher said that the sales on photography books are to slow with the economy right now...But that is ok, when the time is right it will work out.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday..

Stop in to Skywatch Friday and see what is happening all around the world!

Attraction

Attraction. We as humans deal with our natural instincts and urges far differently than our fellow animals. You would never catch a teenage male, of the human species, staring blankly into space in a trancelike posture, strutting around a beautiful female adolescent like the male sand hill crane does.
A silky coated female deer, in perfect health with long sleek lines and those big eyes, will attract the attention of every adult buck within miles, simply by her sweet scent alone.
No human female would ever consider attracting a mate with intoxicating scents and graceful feminine movements.
Human males in their prime would never posture or show off, while in the company of other dominant males and available female counterparts.
No! We humans are far removed from our animal brothers and sisters. Our attractions lie dormant, suppressed by social boundaries and the unspoken rules of being better than the animals that we share this great circle of life with.
I would never be caught admiring the graceful curves, lines and flowing hair of a fellow female human, nor would I allow sweet scent or bright intelligent eyes glancing my, way to draw me into their captivating gaze.
As I sit here writing this post, the temptations of the female nemesis is ever present around me. I see her moving through the house, her intoxicating perfume has captivated my senses, her curves and lines… surely I can try and resist….. But… those brown eyes are looking my way. …
Yes! Attraction is alive and well! I am nothing more than a wild animal, a disgrace to all those who have tried for so long to suppress the animal instincts in all of us. I however will allow myself this one moment of bliss, to simply sit here and stare at my one and only real attraction, and contemplate the instincts that have brought me to this state of mind.
A wild animal? Today, my brothers and sisters, I guess I am…
~Hawk