October Haze
During the October full moon, a spooky fog quickly rolled into the meadows.
We stepped onto the porch and watched as the ground cloud enveloped deer grazing in the tall grass.
Then the haze lifted as quickly as it arrived. I thought I saw the headless horseman in the distance.
It was a light fog but still made for a very eerie night.
Scavenger.
Turkey Vulture. It feeds on carcasses as well as young, helpless animals. This one is waiting for me to pass by so he can finish feeding on his meal below him. I’ll spare you the gore.
Birds
Remember Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”? Well, if you are in Macon Georgia tonight you can see it on the big screen put on by the College Hill Corridor. But if you are not in Macon, prepare to be terrified by these birds that swarmed Palmer Canyon Road recently.
Spooky Tree
Over the next few days leading up to Halloween, I will attempt to creep you out with spooky images I’ve captured over the last few months. Be prepared to be scared. oohoohahahaaa.
We went out on a photo hunt one evening and climbed up to one of our favorite rocks to look for elk. I looked over at this dead tree and saw the moon acting as the eyeball for him and then I could see his whole face. Creepy, eh?
First Flurries
The wind was wild yesterday. We could see snow in the clouds in the morning when we drove into town and I wondered if it would fall.
Sure enough, later in the evening Patrick walked in covered in snow with an armload of firewood.
Of course the flurries didn’t stick. Today the wind is still blowing strong and I see blue sky peeking through the clouds.
Walkin’ After a Rainfall
We were cooped up in the house all weekend because the influenza got us down. It was a rainy Saturday and a windy Sunday so we weren’t too anxious to get out and about. But we took a walk to enjoy the humidity after the rain and the smell of sweet sage crept into our clogged nasal passages. The wet leaves colored with autumn popped against the cloudy sky.
We fed the hounds and put out hay for the few calves and cows we’ve kept on the main ranch to wean.
I haven’t been out on this path yet to see if the leaves have blown away from Sunday’s 40mph winds. I’m glad I captured these on Saturday because winter is slowly blowing in!
Fire on the Horizon
The unpredictable weather on the Laramie Plains can make for scary situations and beautiful photo-ops. In our truck before leaving the ranch for the Plains, I like to make sure we have a winter coat, rain coat, mud boots, snow boots, scarves, spare tires, water, granola bars and of course camera. You just never know what you’re going to get.
On this autumn evening, there was huge ball of fire on the horizon.
The sun was setting in a purple sky amid sheets of rain and lightning several miles away.
Mother Nature is a wild and fierce woman. Fortunately she kept us dry on this run.
Have Hay? Cow will Follow.
Wanna know how to get cows to surround and follow your truck? Put hay on the flatbed.
Stick a cowboy up there with a pitchfork and drive slowly. Be careful not to throw him off while pressing the gas and the shutter button on the camera at the same time.
And even though hay has been pitched out for them to munch on, they continue to follow. I guess they think the next forkload will be better that the last.
Or they think I’ve got yummy cake for them to eat from my hand.
Our Four Feathers
Thank you beautiful ladies for complimenting the Monday feather image. Here is another one for you. I’m printing them on a lovely watercolor paper and they are looking quite nice I must say.
Since I’ve been knocked out with this cold, I didn’t join the cowboys during weaning this week. But the calves have all been successfully shipped from the Laramie Plains and are adjusting to a new life without momma. I’ll bring the cows back to the blog soon. I’m feeling a little better and I hope to get out there with the girls this week.
a feather for monday
I don’t have much to say so I will share an image from a project I’m working on. All throughout the summer I’ve collected turkey feathers that our gobbling friends on the ranch have naturally shed. No, I didn’t chase them down and pluck the feathers myself. Anyway, I don’t know what to do except photograph them and trick ’em out with textures. I’ve got several different styled images of an array of feathers that I’ll continue to share with you if you so desire.
Let me know what you think. Am I hallucinating that this is an interesting shot because I have a fever and terrible cold today? I’ve gotten a little feedback and it’s 50/50. One says, “it’s a feather, Leah.” The other says “I like your feathers, Leah!”
PS: I’ve had a lot of requests to purchase images that I’ve displayed on this blog. I do plan on opening a shop very soon. Just trying to work the kinks out and decide if I will host a shop on my website or go another route. I will keep you informed but for now, you can email me leahyet@hotmail.com if you would like prices for prints. Thank you for your interest!
Now, back to my tissues and hot tea. xoxo Leah
Where Did All the Babies Go?
As I mentioned yesterday, the cowboys rounded up the cattle at the home place for shipping on Monday. This is part of the weaning process and it just has to be done. They are all led into the corral and the mommas are let out while the babies stay in. The calves are then loaded into a semi and taken to new pasture. But even a day later, some mommas still haven’t left the corral in the hopes their babies will come back. If they only knew that this too shall pass. They have brand new bundles of joy in their bellies.
And then we have mommas that don’t mind that baby is gone. This one is enjoying the tall grass and frequent sips from the chilly Laramie River.
The Inconvenience of Much Needed Rainfall
It hadn’t really rained here in Wheatland in 52 days(who’s counting?). But on the first scheduled day to gather cattle off the Laramie Plains for shipping, it poured. And I don’t mean a few raindrops here and there this past Sunday, huge drops were coming down and blowing sideways.
Even still, we left the ranch at 5am with horses in tow and made the trek to the Plains in total darkness. But alas, mud puddles were forming and our tires were spinning on the dirt roads. There was no way the semi trucks were getting in there.
So we went into town, had breakfast and were home by 8am.
I took a nap and watched the rain come and go all day long. During the breaks, I did what I do best in times of ranching frustration. I went out to document this phenomenon.
Monday was a bright and sunny day on the ranch so they gathered cattle at the home place with hopes it would dry out on the Laramie Plains. Today, Tuesday, the cowboys left at 5am but once again because of overnight rainfall, the roads were too hazardous for the trucks. Needless to say, we’ve got some frustrated cowboys and I’ve decided to stay out of it and write to you guys. I’ll let you know if we ever get our cattle out of there.
Quakies
The Quaking Aspens are beautiful today. We had a very light rain last night so this morning I went for a drive to hunt them. And I found them. It was overcast but the extra moisture made them sparkle.
I love fall and I know there is a fleeting glimpse of color and tolerable temperatures before we are blanketed in snow.
I’ll be chasing quakies and cottonwoods until I can chase no longer.
Happy Friday folks! xoxo
Autumn Sky Reflection
The evenings are beautiful on the ranch with the changing of the season. I love taking walks around the property to find new spots to photograph the colorful sky. Tonight, I saw this.
–We’ll be moving cattle to new pasture on the Laramie Plains next week. I learned at Oktoberfest last week that I have a young fan of this blog that really loves the pictures of the cows, horses and cowboys. I’ll be sure to have pictures just for her posted as soon as we get them moved.
Thank you to everyone for reading our blog!
Leaves of Gold
I found gold in the Laramie River.
Was walking along and a sparkle caught my eye.
There in the river lay..
..a Cottonwood bouquet!
Uprooted Magnolia 
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