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Shady Oak

If I lived in a pasture, I’d spend most of the summer sitting under the shade of an oak, and that’s no bull.

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Shady Oak
A cow escapes the summer sun in Florida

I took this on a drive through the country here in Florida. Contrary to popular belief, most of the state is agriculture. All you have to do is drive from one coast to the other to see what I mean. The drive takes about two hours and passes through a lot of cattle country. It’s no wonder rodeos are big here.

more trees in the gallery

I’m an indoor weeny, depending on air conditioning to make it through the summer. If you lose your air-conditioning here, you may as well live on Mars or, under a tree.

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Horse Head in Profile

On Christmas day, we did something out of the ordinary and headed over to a nearby horse ranch for a picnic and bonfire. The horses there spend days in their stalls or with riders out on the trails; however, in the evening they are free to roam the property. As it was a holiday the horses came and went as they pleased. That meant they would come up to the picnic table looking for handouts.

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Horse Head in Profile
Horse’s head illuminated with an iPhone

At night, the only light was from the bonfire so when I stood up and turned around there was usually a horse looking right at me. Someone turned on their iPhone flashlight and I snapped this profile. It might look staged but it was just luck on my part that I was able to get this shot.

other animal photos

I’m an animal lover so I’ll jump at any excuse to hang out on a ranch. In addition to horses there were sheep, goats, pigs and at least one ostrich. It was a fun way to spend an evening and if I’m not mistaken, the horses thought it was pretty cool too.

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In the Bubble

In The Time Bubble
In The Time Bubble at Château des Baux de Provence                                    Click here to purchase a fine art print

Château des Baux de Provence is a medieval structure overlooking a valley of farms and vineyards. There is a lot to take in from the scenery to the village and all it contains. This is only halfway up the hill, the fortress and ancient armaments are further up on the left.

Click here for more landscape photos from the gallery

For whatever reason I had a lot of energy and limited time. I climbed past this and further up to the very highest tower of the castle ramparts. It was an amazing climb with some sections of the path resembling a ladder. A little winded and heated I was glad for the cool breeze at the very top. I could see for miles in all directions and took a bunch of photos. I then began the climb back down. As I entered the village about halfway down it was warm and people were walking around with ice cream cones. I almost stopped for one but continued down back to the car where my friends were patiently waiting.

There really is no such thing as time when I’m taking photos. It’s wonderful for me but maybe not so much if I’m with others. I suppose that’s true about most artistic pursuits. Time melts away and the moment is like a bubble. Fortunate for my friends the bubble popped and I showed up in just enough time for the next adventure.

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Piggly Wiggly

This is from a dairy farm a few months ago. This little fellow was so friendly and interested in what I was doing he followed me everywhere. He was probably looking for a handout but I could help but be smitten with his charms. I'm one of those people that believes animals have personalities and generally know more than we give them credit for. Call me naive but I think that presents a world quite different than the one we think we live in.
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This is from a dairy farm a few months ago. This little fellow was so friendly and interested in what I was doing he followed me everywhere. He was probably looking for a handout but I could help but be smitten with his charms. I’m one of those people that believes animals have personalities and generally know more than we give them credit for. Call me naive but I think that presents a world quite different than the one we think we live in.

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Dakin Dairy

I spent the afternoon at a Dakin dairy, which is a sustainable farm in Manatee County. Next to the dairy they have some farm animals as well as a few calves. This is Luck, she was curious about what I was doing so I managed to hold her attention for a few seconds. Spending the afternoon on a farm with all manner of animals was refreshing food for the soul. I have to get out of the city a little more often.

I spent the afternoon at Dakin dairy, which is a sustainable farm in Manatee County. Next to the dairy they have some farm animals as well as a few calves. This is Luck, she was curious about what I was doing so I managed to hold her attention for a few seconds. Spending the afternoon on a farm with all manner of animals was refreshing food for the soul. I have to get out of the city a little more often.

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