Time for that Traditional Autumnal Pastime: Photographing Hot Babes with Gigantic Pinecones

A few years ago, I headed out my back door to dump my recyclables and noticed that my neighbors (or perhaps an errant woodland elf) had left a couple of gigantic pinecones on the steps out there. I spend most of my time indoors, like a penned calf, so I'd never seen a pinecone that big. I was incredulous.

I snapped a quick photo and posted it on Flickr. The next day, I awoke to find that some pals had started up a whole conversation about giant pinecones, and that the photo had inspired them to create a Flickr group called "Hot Babes with Giant Pinecones".

A brief but memorable Internet sensation was born (OK, pretty much only in my mind). Since Tess had gone to the effort to create a group called "Hot Babes with Gigantic Pinecones!", I thought I should get totally dolled-up and add some more photos to the group. Because that is what any normal person would have done, right?

The whole thing cracked my shit up. I've been a Flickr member for many years now, and have seen firsthand the way fetishists will seek out and drool over the most seemingly innocuous stuff on your photostream. I've had to block several clog lovers (yep, the clunky wooden shoes) who favorited one too many of my pics. So why not a women 'n' pinecones group?

Tess and I started exploring Flickr to try and find more photos of ladies and pinecones to help flesh out our group (no pun intended). We started getting campers, hikers and all kinds of random folks adding stuff to the group. It was awesome! We'd find a photo and invite them to add it to the group by using this graphic Tess created:

Despite people's initial reaction of "WTF is this group?!?!", we started to get photos of women in bathtubs clutching giant pinecones, smiling girls dangling pinecones from a string, even guys pretending they had big pinecone weiners (guys can be "hot babes" too, we decided). It was super, super fun.

Alas, the group has lain fallow for far too long. I haven't sought out new members for the group in ages, and haven't taken any new pinecone pics myself, either. This needs to change! There's a crispness in the air, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are BACK at Starbucks -- what says "Autumn" more than a hot babe and a giant pinecone?!

I'm making a public pledge here and now to renew my commitment to this ridiculous Flickr group, and I encourage you guys to be a part of it. Grab your nearest pinecone, get to snappin' and JOIN US! Don't have any pinecones handy? You can usually find them at your local craft store, or you can order them online via (where else?) Pinecones.com.

This post was brought to you by the changing seasons, the desire to start new traditions, and the fact that I am sick as a dog and totally messed up on Nyquil Cold & Flu right now.