Deleted scene from “Titanic”

Being that my fascination is with squirrels in particular, and animals in general, I don’t really post much about humans…. unless it’s to show just how stupid they can be sometimes.  But as The Bloodhound Gang taught us, we ain’t nothing but mammals, so I figured it was about time I gave the two-footers their due.  I delved into my massive Photobucket account and dredged up some of my favorite people pictures I have saved up.

The above picture is one my Mom took of my youngest sister on a bizarre trip the two of them and one of my sister’s internet friends took to Colorado Springs last year.  She’s standing out on the edge of the road leading up Pikes Peak (I believe it is punishable by death in the state of Colorado if you try to put an apostrophe in Pikes Peak), in the middle of what looks like a typical mountain blizzard, and nothing but a several thousand mile foot drop behind her.  Quite the daredevil, she is.  I had a bad experience on my only trip up the mountain in 1996 involving my intense fear of lightning and stupidly trying to run at full sprint 14,110 feet above sea level.  I’m still trying to catch my breath 16 years later….

Next time, try Keystone Light.

Here’s another one of my sisters, and much like the “Who Me?” Squirrel, this picture was a total accident.  This was at a ballgame we both happened to be at in September 2011, and she was returning from a concession stand with drinks for her and her then-fiance.  This is the only game in St. Louis I ever took my camera to, and since I was documenting it with one of my silly photo essays, I decided to take a picture of sis, and this is what I got.  I had no idea she was making the face until I saw the result on the camera’s display.  Ahhh, I miss those old “bitter beer face” commercials….

I’m just a squirrel trying to get a nut!

Unlike me, my Mom always takes her camera to the ballgames, and enjoys taking pictures down by the field during batting practice.  This has to be the absolute best shot she’s ever taken.  I believe this is from July 2008, and that’s then-Astros outfielder Lance Berkman not caring that the whole world is watching him adjust the junkpile.  Baseball players have no shame when it comes to fixing groinal issues.

Maybe I need to loosen my belt just a bit more…

Now here’s a picture where the decency issue is on the other side of the body.  This is a shot I took of my then-neighbor back in the Spring of 2010, sporting the low-riding pants that all the young homies seem to think is so damn cool.  Hey, what good are boxers if you can’t show them off to the world?  Nice drawers, dude!  Your car isn’t the only thing that leaves skidmarks….

Welcome to Cleveland, cornholing capital of the world.

When I went to Cleveland on a baseball trip back in September 2009, I managed to get lost trying to find Lake Erie (Hey, it’s only as big as a handful of New England states, anyone could make that mistake), so I backtracked my way to downtown and passed the time before the ballgame just walking around and taking pictures.  I caught this guy playing what seemed like some really bad carnival game, only without the stuffed possum prize.  I found out from some of my message board friends that this is in fact an actual activity called…. I am not making this up….. cornholing!

The only image that comes to mind at the mere mention of this “sport”….

So if someone asks if you’d like to partake in a bit of cornholing, don’t necessarily be offended, unless they don’t have any beanbags.

He cleared the way for President Taft to stretch during the 7th inning.

I visited Pittsburgh in September 2010 (Yes, I made sure to stop by Squirrel Hill!).  Yes, like almost all of my vacations, it was for baseball.  For the first of the two games I saw there, this guy was the stadium usher for my section.  He had to be in 80’s and had probably been working for the Pirates since the days when they were actually a good baseball team.  That thing hanging off his belt… that’s for if he falls and can’t get up.  He was doggedly determined to make sure everyone was sitting in their ticketed seat, though, and tossed out a couple of local ruffians who tried to get a closer view of the game.

Climbing that ladder was hard! Let’s take a half hour break!

Finally, here’s one of my favorite pictures I have taken that doesn’t involve squirrels or cats.  I even gave this one a title, “Hardly Working”.  I came home from work one morning in the Summer of 2010, and this roofing crew a couple houses down was sitting on a bundle of shingles not doing much of anything, despite the fact that it was just after 7 AM, and they couldn’t have done much before I came by them.  So I snapped this photo of the world’s hardest working roofers.  As it turned out, their hard work was all for naught, because just a few months later, I snapped this picture of the same house…..

The lady who lives there was alright, and the house was eventually rebuilt better than ever… including the roof.  I don’t know if the Hardly Working crew was invited back or not….