I'd promised one of my game wardens I'd run up the east side of our hunting areas, on this the last weekend of some of our hunting seasons. Just as soon as I got the comments on yet another in situ uranium project and yet another huge natural gas pipeline done and in the email.

Didn't get done to almost three o'clock.

Not really much point in going out, but a promise is a promise. So the heeler sisters and I made a quick run over the mountains to the river and back.

And we actually found some hunters.

Unsuccessful hunters, but still hunters.

Otherwise, it was just a pretty evening for a drive. Watching tourists watching deer...

Watching pronghorn that have survived yet another hunting season.

And enjoying the scenery.

I'm sure somewhere buried in the archives is mention of the male deer's penchant for sampling the female deer's urine, to see if she's in heat. A behavior known as flemming.

What I didn't know is that does sometimes also check out the buck's equipment before courting commences.

Apparently she was impressed.

We got home well after dark. But before the heelers' dinner time.

And, quite literally, at most a minute before wife and youngest son. I was still in my truck shut-down procedure when they backed into the driveway.

The heelers were thrilled, naturally. But I was surprised, after these 12 long days their greetings were fairly brief.

Dinner was almost late, you see.