More Cape shots

Just hangin' out, enjoying the breeze...
Grazing with birds...did you know they can find good stuff out in the salt marsh?
Maybe because I'm still a child at heart, I love being chased by waves, and then watching--and listening--as the water recedes and leaves bubbles behind.

Baby Daddy

Yes, this is my equine baby daddy ;D Isn't he quite handsome? Yup. And he knows it.
I shot these just Tuesday evening...when the sun was just right. Ladino wanted to be sure I caught his good side.
After I'd been shooting a few minutes he decided to show off for me...I just love a good action shot!

Wading Ashore

Runnin' thru' the Surf

Fun in the Sun

We went out in the boat today. Over the course of the next week or so I'll share some pix I took. We went over to Cape Lookout and enjoyed wandering around. Here's a little sand piper busily pecking morsels out of the surf.
What bounty is washed in by the endless waves.
Inspired by Pioneer Woman, I've been having fun with some close-ups...
What a beautiful place, eh? There aren't that many places you can see wild horses on your way home.

Comin' at Ya'

Here's the youngest filly at the barn in action.

Happy Memorial Day

Okay, so it's late in the day, but I'm hoping everyone had a happy Memorial Day. I'm sure that many, like me, enjoyed a day off work, fun in the sun, grilling out. Above all, I hope everyone took even some small part of their day and thought for a moment what a great debt we owe to all service-men and -women both past and present. I know I did. And if I could reach out to every one of them, I would want to say: "Thank You!" Words are not enough, but it's a start.

Here's Lookin' at You

We and our Shadows

Seeing Red...

...but in a good way ;D

Things That Go Bump in the Night...or Day

One of the funniest quotes about horses I've seen is this:  "Horses are only scared of two things: things that move, and things that don't."  If you've dealt with horses much you understand the wisdom of this.  If not, think of it this way:  these huge creatures evolved as prey animals.  Their species has survived with its fight-or-flight instinct strongly intact and more often than not, the message any individual horse's brain sends is "RUN!"

I'm not sure which category this falls into but another thing horses are scared of is things that you make weird noises, only you can't see them...the goats!  The kids are in one of the spare horse stalls with the bottom half of an outside door open so that they can go out into a fenced-in run.  When the horses are in the barn, they can hear the kids without being able to see them. Let me tell you, these kids are vocal ;D  This makes for some spooky times in horse minds.  Ears prick up, they leap to attention; there was even some snorting!  It didn't help matters that the wind was blowing a gale this weekend which adds to the category of things that are moving. At the end of the day everyone survived the spookiness...I did have to walk Solana up to the stall door and let her stick her nose in and check out these funny new neighbors.  What a hoot!

Shark Attack

Okay, this one requires some set-up: There's a house on the outskirts of Oxford, England. It seems the gentleman who owns it wanted to build some sort of deck, but had to get permission from a town commission/building committee (I may not have the terms right, but you get the point). Even though what he wanted to build was something he considered tasteful, it wasn't allowed by whatever regulations governed these things. Not to be deterred, the resourceful fellow studied all the rules and determined that there was absolutely nothing that prohibited him from placing a large shark through the roof! Here's the result. It's been there for years and has become quite the tourist attraction. I understand you can buy postcards of it. I took this photo as we drove by.

Cuteness...both Feline and Canine

Is there anything cuter than pink cat toes? Don't tell me I'm the only weirdo who thinks these things just beg to be played with!
And then there's the whole toes and nose thing...Oz is really working it here...he's cute, and he knows it!
Changing gears. Here's Wolfie. He lives with the people who own the barn. He's a big dog. No, really...he's a great big sled dog, just ask him! He recently got these goggles to help keep the sun out of his eyes. Pretty cool, eh?
What a profile!

More Goat Pix

Blogger only lets me put but so many pictures in one post...I wanted to be sure you got a good look at Annie's markings. Doesn't that look just like a head with horns and one eye???

They've arrived!

They're finally at their new home! Yesterday the baby goats, now completely weaned, arrived at their new home. Just slightly nervous at first, they quickly settled in and were game to play and check out their new environment. Here's Michael investigating a Jolly Ball donated (reluctantly?) by one of the horses.
They were quick to help with chores...here are all three helping with the hose. What hard workers!
This just slayed me! How cute is this little guy on his knees? And that's Fawna moving in to headbutt him ;D Girl power!!
And just because I can, I throw in one of my "artsy" shots.

Community in the Face of Tragedy

Occasionally, amidst the silliness and the joyful photo posting, I'm prone to turn to serious thoughts. Our small community recently lost two beloved members in a tragic wreck. Hundreds turned out to pay their respects ...standing in line for hours just to share a hug, a kind word, a prayer with the grieving families.

Having always lived in the South, I sometimes don't think too much about the way we rally around a family during a time of loss. I just assume that the rituals are the same everywhere (at least, until I'm reminded that they're different in other places). I take for granted that people will materialize with platters of food--enough for an army; that folks will come and just sit a spell with those left behind, sometimes sharing a tender memory, a laugh, or maybe remaining silent and simply being there.

There are times I think about what it means to be a part of a community. I wonder if those who grow up in big cities have that same sense of connectedness to a smaller group of people...a connectedness that is very much tied to a locale, a collective history. When I was younger I never thought of these things. Surely the immortal youth are immune to such musings...thoughts that come with time and realizations of mortality. I never understood that some day it might mean so much to me just to be able to take part in these rituals...to stand together.

And while this may seem an odd segue to some, today is a day to celebrate community within the smallest circle--the family--centered around Mom. I believe (no disrespect to Dads intended!) that Moms are the ones who lay the foundation for our sense of community. They lead us by example through the complex world of social expectations and instill in us (even us late bloomers!) our sense of connectedness. So to my Mom and all you Moms out there: THANKS!

Spring is in the Air

Well hello again. So sorry I've been MIA for over two weeks now. Work's been a bit crazy. You know work, that place I have to go to earn money to buy dog treats and try to maintain the cats in the manner to which they've become accustomed? I still have not yet found an employer willing to compensate me for reading, watching movies and surfing the internet. You'll be the first to know if I do. Also, I confess that with the small bits of free time I've had in the past few weeks where I could jump online, I've been obsessively catching up on Pioneer Woman. If you haven't already, please go check out this fabulous blog! And thanks again to Lythrum at Goblins in my Garden for turning me on to PW.

That said, today there will be multiple postings catching you up on some of my recent photography and musings. This time of year around here turns into a riot of color. We have a fence that we've allowed climbing roses to take over. There are several different varieties, with different colors...I had fun taking some close-ups the other morning after a rain.
In addition to the flowers, spring means babies...of all sorts. Apparently a mother bird recently decided that the ideal place for her nest would be in the wreath on my mother-in-law's front door! I snapped this photo of the cute little babies just hanging out. Not sure what they think of it when we forget and use this door, swinging their whole world into the house and back out!