Helllllooooooooo....
Uhhhhh....I am pretty sure that the birds aren't feeling very welcome here.
Yes, you are keeping the squirrels away...and doing a bang up job, I must admit!!!
But the birds are scared of you too!!!
Sweet chubby Shelbster, look at her chunky girl sitting posture!
Good dog!!!
Okay, so those are my official photos for today!
I was going to write a whole big something but then remembered I hadn't shared my horse day with you.
My facebook friends have already gotten an eyeful and most of these pictures will be the same, but I must share here as well.
And...I know I said I might be scarce this week and I haven't been! Don't worry I am putting time in on my drawing, in fact this whole afternoon is dedicated to it.
Yup, as soon as the dryer sends off the signal that the last load is complete I will be on my way!
Frankly I can't draw too early in the day anyway because I am still coming off of my caffeine and tend to have a bit of a tremor!!!
Call me crazy!!
No, this doesn't make me think I need to give up my daily Joe!!
If coffee is my worst vice (which it is), then...so be it.
I am gonna change the subject now, back to horses...
...on a ranch, in Texas!!
Usually it is easy to spot where the horses are hanging about, but not this day.
They were waaaaaayyyyyy down a path, in a meadow fenced in by thick tall trees.
I was not ready to really take in what greeted me when I got beyond this line of trees.
I mean, I knew there were horses back there, and I knew there were newborn foals but...
I wasn't prepared as to how it would effect me emotionally.
At first glance, I was immediately wrapped in the effect of the dazzling cover of sunshine on the backs of horses; all of their heads bent to the ground undisturbed by humanity.
I quickly spotted the babies and quietly crept in for a closer look.
There is just something stunningly breathtaking about brand new life.
A baby, of any kind, so new to this world is such a wonder to behold.
They are an amazing mixture of delicate innocence and untested strength.
I think human babies are this way, but there was just something about seeing these foals standing and walking about, yet still gangly and awkward.
I really did have to stand in this lonely field with my camera tightly grasped against my chest as I gathered my wits and steadied my hearts jumping.
I needed to focus and get busy...who knows how long I had to capture some special moments.
I tried to move slowly with gentleness, but with courage.
Horses are big and can tend to make me a little uneasy.
See the momma to the left?
She was super low key, letting me eventually get within an arms length of her baby.
The other momma...well let's just say she was eye balling me with great suspicion!
I walked over slowly, taking deep breaths and trying to be a relaxed confident me, without seeming to be threatening.
I had to push my long lens as far as it would go in order to zoom in closely to harness the greatness of the newness in front of me.
For once I was thankful for blazing sun, highlighting all the best parts of these amazing beasts.
I was squatting here ready to dash, should mama decide to charge at me. Oh how I wish she had looked up for just a second.
Ha ha ha, come to think of it she may have and I just missed it by being wary!!
Do you ever turn your face to the wind and close your eyes to capture all the goodness of it.
You know how it feels to shut them tightly and feel the pleasure of it drift over and past you.
Baby horses do that too!!!
Somebody, help me it was so captivating!!!
I swiveled back and forth between these two babies. Close to the one and keeping my distance from the other.
Suddenly the sensitive momma turned, looked right at me, shook her head with an aggressive whinny and stomped her hoof with purpose.
It didn't take me long to figure out that this was my one and only warning that perhaps she had had enough of me.
Very shortly after that, she encouraged her baby to get up and they hustled off in tandem.
I raised up from my position in the grass and tried to furiously take pictures of them walking away. Momma was very pointed about keeping her body between me and her precious baby.
That was okay by me, I get the protective Momma thing.
Not to be discouraged, I turned my camera back toward a more willing subject.
Oh my...look how scrawny and new this little fellow is.
All bone and muscle awaiting nourishment from momma!
I think this is my favorite image from my time with them.
This baby had been pretty active and seemed to suddenly get tired.
It walked around its momma and gently leaned in to her closing its eyes.
Sigh!!!!
There is really so much more I wanted to say about this experience that I just can't seem to make come into words.
I will just have to say God's creation is amazing, and leave it at that.
