Shadow Pioneer

No photos, sorry… But, I saw the first official sign of spring today. Nevermind the fact that we are supposed to have sub freezing temps still… When I came flying into work this morning, and whipping around the corner on the side of the building, I had to slam on my brakes. Why you ask? *Waits for everyone to say “Why is that Taubin?”* I’m glad you asked. There, walking across the parking lot on the side of the building, were two ducks! One wood duck, and one mallard duck. I of course didn’t have my camera on me, seeings that I was coming to work and all, but, I do have a photo of what they would have looked like had they been in water instead of on land…

That’s right, that’s exactly how they would have looked!  Precisely!  So, there you have it, the first signs of spring, I’m excited!

And, since I have been accused of “grabbing a stock photo off Google Image search” for the above photo, I feel the need to defend myself, and the photo.  If you have me on flickr, as a friend of family, you can see the exif here:

This was sent to me by a co-worker, and I wanted to share.

Michigan Winter Poem

It’s winter here in Michigan
And the gentle breezes blow,
Seventy miles an hour,
At twenty five below.
Oh, how I love ole Michigan
When the snow’s up to your butt.
You take a breath of winter
And your nose freezes shut.
Yes, the weather here is wonderful
So I guess I’ll hang around.
I could never leave my Michigan
Cause I’m frozen to the ground!

Don’t worry, this isn’t about killing birds, or any other animal, this is about a group of crows (which is called a murder).

Read more…

Today, I went to the coolest place on earth.  At least the coolest place I’ve ever been to.  I went to Cabela’s.  Man, that place is sooooooo freaking cool.  And, it’s HUGE.  My dad took me, since my car is in the shop.  When you get there, you are greeted by a statue of two HUGE bear locked in combat over an elk.  It’s a sign of things to come.

We spent the first hour or so just walking around in there.  The thing that makes that place so awesome is that there is a pretty good size live aquarium.  There are fish of all kinds in there, that are all found in the great lakes.  Not only that, but, there are trophy’s from all kinds of animals.  (heads on the wall in other words) that line the entire place.  There are displays from Africa with a trophy elephant as the centerpiece, displays of deer of all kinds, and fox, and wolves, and elk, and moose.  The most awesome thing though, is the ENORMOUS mountain setup in the middle.  It’s effing sweet!  You can see more at the photo gallery on their site.  If you ever make it near Dundee, Michigan, check it out.  But, go early, because the place fills up pretty quick.  Not only is there all that cool stuff, but, everything from their catalog is in the store!!!  Man, talk about awesome.  I just wish I had brought my camera, oh well, next time