Posts Tagged ‘Farm’
One more from the farm
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just a few more shots from our visit to the Carter Farm in McDonald, and that’s a baby cow pictured above, wondering where all the people who had just been petting it were going.
Critters, huh?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
We had a pretty decent drive ahead of us to get back to HQ. A change of shoes was required, and I had prepared the car with a plastic garbage bag to throw our cow pie contaminated footwear into. We each had a clean pair of kicks in the car to change into, of course.
I’m still getting used to having the car as a carrying option, rather than just transporting everything on my back as I used to in NYC.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I kept on thinking about that Wyeth painting when looking at the Carter Farm’s driveway. Good news is that this is also the very first time that I used the Mobile Oppression Platform’s (a Toyota) ‘trail’ setting for the transmission.
Back tomorrow with something different.
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“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Bovid Ungulates, & the Sus Domesticus
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As mentioned yesterday, Our Lady of the Pentacle announced that she wanted to hug a cow and that she had purchased tickets for an AirBNB experience to do that very thing. We drove about 45 minutes to the Clark Farm, where the cows awaited. They host small groups of ten at the farm, and have a waiting list. It’s a ‘thing.’
As is the case with any ‘tour,’ a liability waiver needed to be signed and a safety talk given. When our host warned that cows often step on people’s feet, my eyes grew wide in horror.
At no point subsequently was I closer than ten feet to one of them. Not ankle safe, cows, is the message I ‘grokked.’
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This critter is a member of a special breed, the Scottish Highland. Our host handed out large metal combs to all the attendants, excepting myself. I had no intention of putting my still gamey ankle anywhere near these literal beasts, and I had the camera in my hand. Zoom lens, zoom lens.
Everybody else seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I decided it would be appropriate to wear a smile. I had to stop smiling because there were a lot of flies.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This cow was – apparently – incredibly pregnant, and would be dropping her calf soon. That made me even more ‘ankle nervous.’ This was difficult ground to walk around on as well, muddy with hidden cow pies and deep holes where the cows had left footprints. I was being ‘ultra’ careful.
Glad I wore an old pair of Merrells though, I tell’s ya. Straight into the trash when I got home, and we both brought a clean pair of shoes with us for the ride home after anticipating the poop walk. Yuck.
Nature is gross. There’s a reason our ancestors paved over everything.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This one was a baby cow. Everybody loved petting the baby cow.
I loved taking a picture of people petting the baby cow.
I tried grinning again, but it scared the baby cow.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There were other, adult but not incredibly pregnant, cows hanging around in a patch of shade offered by their barn, and they were busy yelling about something. Mooing, and such. ‘Not ankle safe’ thought I.
I’m not joking, I actually think like this now.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Just as we were gathering around the gift shop and preparing to leave, a pig (the Sus Domesticus mentioned in the title) appeared and seemed quite unhappy about the general situation.
Back next week.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Old McDonald, and a farm
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
McDonald, Pennsylvania, where Our Lady of the Pentacle wanted to go recently, in pursuance of hugging a cow. The farm where such interspecial contact would occur is called the ‘Carter Farm’ aka ‘Hickory Hearth Highlands’ in the Washington County municipality of McDonald. Washington County is to the south and west of Allegheny County which is more or less synonymous geographically with ‘the City of Pittsburgh.’
McDonald is a very interesting place, to me at least, despite it being somewhat rural in character. I say ‘somewhat’ as it’s not terribly far from the titular center of the region at Downtown Pittsburgh (about 45-60 minutes of mostly highway driving). Also, I have nothing bad to say about rural, it’s just that most of my focus is on post industrial zones at the center of cities… so…
Last time that I mentioned McDonald here at Newtown Pentacle was in connection with walking a section of the Montour Trail, right before I broke my ankle last year. Matter of fact, I don’t even think this was McDonald we were in but that’s what came up with the address on the GPS… so…
– photo by Mitch Waxman
There’s a whole range of hydrocarbons under the ground in McDonald. Sure, there’s coal veins, it’s Appalachia and the border of West Virginia is only about a half hour’s drive from here. There was an oil boom here, starting in 1890. According to historic signage markers, The McDonald and nearby Bradford Oil Fields were amongst the most profitable and productive in the world for a while. Just like in Oil City to the north, the industry moved on, to Texas and California in its early days before it all became ‘Standard.’
Good news is that the oil guys are back, and hydrological fracturing is now the name of their game. What could go wrong?
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Tomorrow, you’ll get to see the cows. Personally, I would love to set up the tripod and do some long and loving landscape photography here. Lovely.
The Farmer Lady who was our host told me that the planted stripes of different ground cover were laid out with water conservation in mind. It seems that the State of Pennsylvania invests no small amount of time and resource into encouraging this sort of practice amongst farmers. Bigger picture watershed stuff. This is a grain farm, commercially speaking. soybeans, and the sort of corn you grow for animal feed.
The cows and other critters are extra.
Back tomorrow with the moo cows.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 