Making Friends Along Country Roads

"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second."

- Marc Riboud -

This past Saturday, the weather was remarkable. It was mild and sunny and very uplifting; a delightful and welcome sign that spring is headed our way. It’s only a matter of time before we shed all that tiresome winter gear (boots, coats, scarves, gloves, hats, and so on) and start enjoying all the joyous activities that the warmer months of the year have to offer. I, for one, am chomping at the bit in anticipation of it all.

With such a beautiful day that we were blessed with, how could we spend it indoors? We didn’t. We decided to pack up the photo gear and hit the country roads. And every now and then, we’d pull over and I’d get out of the car to take images. I snapped an assortment of them, but today it’s all about friends. The furry and four-legged kind.

The first three images were taken by the most amazing man in the world, my beloved husband.

"So, tell me a little about yourself..."

I struck up a conversation to get to know him (or her).

We were having a grand old time together, and I asked if I can take some photographs. I was given the green light.

"This is my good side..."

This beautiful animal was extremely friendly, and not in the least bit camera shy.

He really enjoyed posing for the camera.

Maybe even a little too much...

What would country roads be without the bovines? We discovered some along the way.

This dude told me to beat it. He wasn’t having any of this.

"Get lost, city girl."

I looked to this couple for some photos, and although the female looked rather annoyed, the male looked receptive.

And I was right. The male enjoyed having his photo taken.

"I could use a new picture for my Facebook profile."

He even showed off some of his talents...like eating.

"Nom...nom...nom..."

Until the female stepped in and put a stop to it. She didn't look happy, but she was very photogenic.

I snapped quickly and took off!

"You'd best be moseying along, now, if you know what's good for you."

Further along the road, we noticed some more horses and stopped to take a look. One (obviously curious) critter sauntered over to say hello.

Right up to the camera...

And he got closer...

...and closer...

...and closer.

This horse was very sweet, and not in the least bit shy. I petted him, and promised to bring carrots next time. I decided to name him Cinnamon.

The next beautiful horse was a little timid. No matter how much I begged coaxed, he wouldn’t come close.

I decided to take some photos from a distance, and as I did, I could have sworn I heard mumbling like  "Exploitation...paparazzi...model release...sue...” I must be going mad, I thought, because horses don’t speak.

"You can kiss my..."

What? Did I just hear...? No way...horses don't speak...

Anyhow.

I really enjoy visiting with these animals whenever we travel along country roads, and making friends wherever I go. It’s one of my favourite things to do.

All in all, it was a wonderful outing, and I look forward to many more of them in the upcoming months. Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing some winter photos. I didn’t take as many as I’d hoped in the last few months, but I’ll post a few. It’ll be my small tribute to winter --- and a farewell to it, as well.

Nature...my favourite place to be.