THE CHOCOLATE MOOSE -- NO, HE WASN'T A MEMBER

Elder Parker and I drove into the parking lot at the mission office two or three weeks ago, after talking with the bookkeeper at a local car repair place. We were talking to each other in the car when I realized we had a visitor meandering around our parking lot, looking for food (he may have been looking for a stray cow). I ran into the office, grabbed my camera and at the same time announced to everyone that there was a moose in the parking lot. EVERYONE went after a camera and followed the big boy around from door to door, taking pictures. Stupid me! I was outside (keeping my distance) and taking pictures like crazy.

He was a young bull (probably a yearling) with a small rack. What he lacked in rack, he made up for with size. He stood higher that the mission van -- the van is taller than I am, and I'm 6' 4". Since it was/is rutting season, I wasn't about to give him reason to charge. I hear that the bulls full of testosterone are pretty mean.

Here he is at the back of the parking lot.

snoop, snoop

looking - looking

I used the zoom lens on all of these.

Munch!

Keeping a wary eye on the humans.

small rack -- BIG BODY!!!

West side of the Strawberry Chapel.

He liked our bushes.

More breakfast.

Here he's walking to the front of the Church. I thought he'd 

just depart the premises.

But, no, he came around the building looking for more nutrition.

You can believe that whenever I go into the parking lot now, I survey the entire area to make sure that there isn't another bull, or a cow with a calf in the parking lot. We have a giant parking lot and no place to hide if one is dumping garbage. Somehow, an announcement that I was gored to death by a bull moose while I was emptying garbage at the mission office doesn't sound too heroic.