Monday Moose; Anchorage, May 2017
Anchorage is a Moose Town, inhabited by maybe 600-700 moose (Alces alces) that browse through town more or less wherever they want.
The yard is a popular birthing place, and one prospective mother has made repeat visits in the past week. She may be sizing up the place as a neo-natal ward. She has drifted in and out in recent weeks, but on Monday she was here, circling the house, sampling the browse and the cotony asters for several hours. The next week or two may see a race between the expectant mom who will be trying to have babies and the lawn service that will be trying to do the annual cleanup. As they say, only time will tell.
In the meantime, here is the Monday Moose. Probably about 600 pounds, with some distinctive coloring that implies past trauma. Placid now (no calves yet), but determined to browse. Everyone knows a moose's nose is one of its cosmetic -- and facially defining -- features. The lips and mouth are prehensile, grasping leaves and branches. Closeups reveal the versatility and flexibility of the nose and lips, and isolate eyes, ears, and long eyelashes.
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.