The first was of a gift from the wife.

She knows how I enjoy the "Mudflap Girl", which may be alien to many of you off the North American continent, or those not living near an interstate. But you can probably google her image. So when the wife found this bumpersticker for a "Librarian", well she had to get me one.

The second image occupied most of my late afternoon and evening.

No, I didn't take that shot. One of my wardens, flying a winter survey for deer, found this huge herd of elk where we don't really expect elk to live.

But they apparently do. At least, for the winter.

So I counted them. All 382.

The third image of the day was a satellite capture off Google.

In preparation for the meeting in the Town Hall immediately after lunch.

The meeting organizers acted surprised at the attendance. They had to pull out the cheap chairs from storage to find room for everybody (excluding those hidden behind pillars, I guessed 35-40 people).

One of the latest energy projects to hit our piece of country, a huge electric transmission line, is supposed to cross right across that river in the photo above.

And about a dozen homes. The only homes for at least six miles in any direction (really). And an historic site. And, according to the residents, at least one, and maybe two, bald eagle nests.

Nests they never saw fit to tell us about before this.

Hence my satellite map, so they could point out where I should look for nesting balds in a month or so.

The bad news?

Both the company reps, and the one from the feds, patiently, politely but obstinately explained to all gathered that it is pretty much too late. They're only a few months into planning the route for this huge powerline (needed to carry the juice from all our planned wind farms and gas plants to Las Vegas and California), but are too committed to their next interim deadline of June to change their minds.

No way they want to delay a few months to look at another route that doesn't pass over homes.

They promised to "analyze" a route that wouldn't go over someone's homes, but when pressed, refused to say they would "consider using" an alternate route.

Just that they would analyze it, two steps later down in the process.

And yeah, if I find bald eagles nesting there this spring, it'll be too late for their analysis.

To top it off, the company rep blamed this route over those homes on their trying to avoid sage grouse leks.

There isn't a lek within four miles of those homes.

I shoulda stayed quiet.

Yeah, you know.

My comments were on the front page again this morning.