A Spiked Evening out...

For our anniversary weekend we didnt make pizza like we did the last Saturday night...

(yep, he can flip, mold and make that dough FLY!)

and Ebony didnt get any leftover desserts either...

(like he needs desserts, pffft! Doesnt he look like a Percheron? )

We got into the truck and drove 44 miles to TOWN!!

And we passed the safflower fields of yellow...

Because no siree, we werent going to have any healthy Safflower oil tonight!

Instead we were going to go behind this ivy covered door...

and have the most wonderful dinner you possibly could have in Montana!

Right here in Broadus, Montana -

WE HAD ELK MEDALLIONS!!!

with Blackberry Sauce!!!! 

YUM!

On the way back home, our bellies were so full...

That we didnt even mind when the cow ladies and kids took their time to cross the road-

Because it was that kind of good end of the day meal.

I had a content smile on my face too....

(this cow's for you, Buttons!)

We didnt even mind when Mr.Muley Deer didnt want to pose for a quick shot -

We were that content...

Soon the day was ending, and the sun let us know -

even the Southeast Montana wind was going to bed for the night...

Good night sun, thanks for the wonderful Day!

But then we were ambushed! ELK! EEK!

They were armed with SPIKES! SPIKE ELK!

And the head honcho Momma and her gang watched us slowly drive by -

they even lined up in ganglike formation -

but then for some unknown reason decided to seek revenge some other day... 

We are gonna have to watch our backsides out here!!!!

(but darn do they taste gooood!)

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The following facts brought to you by The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation located here 

We found out later that Spike Elk are usually yearlings to three year olds, and they hang around their mommas until the big Bull Elk show up in the fall to round up their harems. The antlers on the Elk in my pictures are as big as they are going to get this year; hence thats why they call them "Spike Elk" - they look like spikes (that last fact is for blondes - like me. Gingers and Brunetties need not apply). The antlers grow for about 140 days from early spring on, with a "velvet" coating protecting them because blood circulates through them for growth, due to the increase of the hormone testosterone. These antlers will then harden up, stop having circulation, and lose that shiny velvet in the Autumn - kind of like me at age 48 (this last fact is not listed on the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation website ; but it should be - pay attention you 39 year olds). Since these are basically teenager Bull Elk, they will not compete with the big boys in the fall until they reached full maturation a few years ahead.

We also found out that Cow Elk choose which "harem" they want to join with in Autumn, when the big boys come a callin' - the bigger the antlers of a Bull Elk, the more popular he is with the ladies and the bigger his harem -  those ladies be after the healthy, strongest Bull Elk by the size of their rack, ahem! Bull Elk can have up to as many tines on their antlers as nature allows as they mature, since its based on health, environment and genetics combined, not to how many years old they are. 

and so concludes our "Elk Medallion on the hoof"  brief tutorial...

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Thank you for reading!

:)

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