You may have noticed the delay in this entry loading, and deduced it is another picture-packed entry.

You'd be right. Which means, of course, that it will probably be a little light on actual substance. Sorry. (Even more so since this machine fell asleep (yes, asleep... that's what it said) and I lost this entry once already).

Today was the opening day for rifle seasons in four antelope areas south of town. Three of which are mine, and the fourth a responsibility of a neighbor. So the heeler sisters and I spent the entire day (and then some) here.

As I noticed last month, our highway guys have again decided to use my pullout as a place to store their chips for the next chip and seal of the road. And I do mean my pullout. Nothing there but weeds when I first pulled off the shoulder of the road to shut down hunters 24 years and 355 days ago.

At least this time they left me plenty of room to park the truck. The piles came in handy for pee breaks, too. And breaks in the boredom. The heeler sisters and I charged to the top of the piles more than once

and even managed to use them for a game of hide-and-seek or two (once I got the trash, beer bottles and most of the broken glass picked up).

But the morning was s-l-o-w. Four antelope checked in the first five hours. If it hadn't been for each of the wardens stopping by for short breaks (And the head of Road & Bridge, too. With his ever-present tub of homemade cookies. Oatmeal this time.) the morning might have been unbearable. Back to the old days when I used to count trains and train cars to relieve the boredom.

Traffic on the highway was brisk, however, in more ways than one. Construction traffic for the coalbed methane projects, and the new reservoir south of town. A handful of tourists. Also had three or four rigs from our outfit go whizzing by. Without stopping to say "Hi." That would never have happened "in the old days." Presumably these were the crew poisoning the brookie and rainbow trout out of some of our streams to make room for the our native cutthroats.

Couple people stopped just to visit. And to ask questions about CWD. Expect that to be more and more a topic of discussion as deer season approaches.

Business picked up quite a bit after noon, as did the temperatures. Had to drape a coat over the dash to shade the heelers, and rotated the rig at least twice to keep the sun off my face.

Wife came out to retrieve the sisters a little after work. And updated me on both doctor's appointments.

Last warden headed into town about a half hour before sunset, explaining her work hours are already nearing the maximum. But to call if any enforcement problems showed up.

She didn't even make it the two miles into town before dispatch called, with a violation report 25 miles to the south.

So I decided to stay open until she got back. And, as it turned out, the violation wasn't a violation at all. Some people just don't know where the Continental Divide is.

But I got to watch a nice sunset (although had a heck of a time getting a picture, since truckload after truckload of hunters with game came out right at dark).

And a nicer moonrise. One hunter called it a "harvest moon," but I believe that has to be in October.

And then I waited.

And waited.

Warden finally showed up as I had given up and was taking my signs down. But before we could get out of my gravel pile lot, one more truck pulled in. (Yes, I've got most of them trained to pull in, even without the signs up. Sometimes wonder if any of them automatically pull in even when I'm not there.)

You can see how late we were working. But it was the nicest buck so far this year.

And now I need to get some sleep, so I can do it again tomorrow (or today, now).