Monday, July 27, 2009

CrackerJack & Friend - Watercolor on Aquabord

Crackerjack & Friend

This was one of those quiet summer afternoons. It was fairly late and I decided to walk to the far corner of my place to check on my horses. As I walked down a path lined with tall pine trees and entered the lush open pasture, I came upon what must be one of the most peaceful scenes on this earth.

My small herd of five was lazily grazing in the warm sun with their backs to a slight southern breeze. In the corner, by the creek, stood Crackerjack, my oldest and wisest by far, being about 25. The rest of the herd was only a few feet away and I noticed that they were followed by a small flock of what I guessed to be starlings. When I looked back at Crackerjack, I saw that he had only one feathered friend and it seemed to be fearlessly hoping along beside what must have seemed to be a mammoth size nose.

Undisturbed by my presence, I quietly watched as these two moved slowly along, side by side. I could only guess that as Crackerjack pulled at the grass, cropping it close to the ground, sometimes pulling it up by the roots, that his little pasture buddy would pick at the bugs and grubs that had been unearthed by the pulls.

Everyone seemed very content so I turned to make my way back to the house. As I walked away I was left with the feeling that I had been viewing a long-term relationship which probably occurred every day. And that for Crackerjack to be so tolerant, I guessed that he too was benefiting. His small friend must have been keeping the pesky bugs from lighting on his nose and face as he grazed.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Dex in Jeep

I have been in court the past few weeks so decided to do something fun for a minute. This is Dex, a dog pounder. He belongs to my son, Mike, and has grown to have many of the same personality traits so I usually call him Mini-Mike. He goes everywhere with Mike and is often seen in his jeep while attending duties around the duck hunting lodge. My kitty-cam came in the mail today so I let Dex wear it on his rounds. Below are a few of the photos he took.

Dex Photo of Car Tire

This is his first stop when he goes outside.

Dex Photo of Mike

Here, Mini-Mike is taking a photo of his favorite person, Mike. You can see Dex's chin and whiskers at the top left as he views Mike working on a CD player in a car.

Dex Photo of Maggie the Horse

Dex Photo of Mose the Horse

Dex Photo of Sam the Horse

Dex Abstract - Splashes of Light

I actually couldn't figure this one out. My son was looking over my shoulder and said thats' the light coming through the tree leaves, of course. Anyway, he is right. The photo that was taken immediately before this one was taken at the base of a very large gum-ball tree looking up into the limbs and leaves for squirrels... one of his favorite spots. This one was taken a second later so I guess no squirrels were spotted and he was turning his attention elsewhere.