That’s a LOT of bull!

About 5 km from my house I saw a bunch of nice looking cows in a field where there normally are only miniature horses.

On my way to a nearby town but not being in a hurry AND as always, having my camera on the seat beside me, I stopped to check them out.

They were relaxing in a grove of small birch trees and I nearly considered jumping the fence to get the angle I wanted.

Just about then….well…..just BEFORE I made that decision I chanced to see this fellow coming out from behind them.

Even though he seemed docile AND very politely invited me to come over and pet him….I declined.

Took a few quick snaps and back to the car….no hurry.

I don’t know what breed he is as there are mostly beef or dairy cattle around here and this is not a breed I am familiar with.

If anyone knows…feel free to let me know.

My best guess…..Longhorn……duh!

 

Camouflage usually works perfectly!

This little Partridge hen was crossing the road just as I was coming down the road.

She usually has little or no trouble hiding in the brush beside the road and as they stand very still….in fact you can get quite close to them and the still usually don’t move.

Apparently she saw me coming and decided that the usual and ALWAYS successful strategy is to stand still and let your coloring ‘blend’ you into the background brush.

HMMMMMMMM….didn’t work so well right away but later, as you can see, she made it to the side of the road and she is MUCH more successful.

 

Old fashioned trip with the horses and sled

I took this picture a few months ago just down the road from me.

One of the local farmers was going from his house to the barn he has across and down the road a bit.

I have to admit it isn’t a regular sight, someone out with the horses and sled but this particular farmer does it a lot….summer and winter.

A few years ago I got a nice shot of him with his sled full of wood on his way to his sugaring off cabin.

Hope you enjoy this ‘view from the past’.

 

FINE…….You go your way and I’ll go mine. ( Playin’ the field…..Duck-style ).

This was taken not long ago and not far from the same field I took the kids skating picture.

The ice had just melted in places and the little bit of open water was like a rest stop on the highway.

They came and went all day.

By the way although I’m sure you already know there are male and female Mallards.

P.S. The show-offy one is the male!

 

A face only a mother could love!

I saw this little guy, or maybe she’s a girl….didn’t ask…didn’t look…a few weeks ago as my wife and I were on our way to the city.

We saw him ( her ) on the side of the road quite some distance away and slowed down in order not to frighten him.

I wanted to see if I could get a half-decent picture and was sure he’d run away as soon as the distance would be NEARLY perfect.

He on the other hand couldn’t have cared less if I had a clown’s nose and a brass band with me, he blithely went on drinking from the ditch and eating the fresh young greens on the side of the road.

Eventually we ended up right beside him, not more than 12 or 15 feet away and got a bunch of lovely pictures of this charming little fellow.

I’m not too knowledgeable about them but I will assume they are born in the spring and he’s not THAT young so I’d put him at just a 1 year old cutie.

First time EVER I’ve been that close to a wild one.

 

End of a perfect day…………Maybe go fishing tomorrow.

Like a lot of out of the way lakes up here someone has kindly left a boat and oars for anyone’s use.

Generally the people that use them don’t steal anything and don’t abuse them and as a result many lakes have boats that have been there for years.

This particular one is about 10 Km from my house and has been at the lake for 3 or 4 years so far.

This particular evening was late in the fall after a heavy rain and the, probably leaky rowboat had settled in to the lake…looking particularly comfortable.

I’ve never used this one as I have a lightweight canoe that I prefer to put on the top of my car when I go ‘sploring.

Nonetheless it looked pretty and decidedly worth a shot.

 

Now THAT’S field hockey!

I took this picture last winter one day on my way to town.

I usually take the dirt side-road and every year I see the kids enjoying the farmer’s flooded fields as a super-sized rink.

2 nets ( always available around here ) , a group of kids ( any number or gender will do ), and the game is on.

As I was taking the shot MORE kids were arriving. The cell phone I presume has replaced the ‘bush telegraph’ of my day.

As an interesting sidelight notice only 1 person is wearing a helmet…..2 are wearing the traditional toque and one of them is a girl!