Black and White Photos

Today's focus for the Summer Blog Challenge are black and white photographs that I've taken.

These are some pictures that I've taken over the past few years that I like - either for reminding me about nature walks that I've enjoyed taking at state parks, that capture the spirit of living at the farm, or of special memories that I have of Sophia and Olivia.

One of the state parks that I like visiting is Interstate State Park. The rock formations and glacial potholes there are beautiful and intriguing.

April 30, 2008

William O'Brien State Park is another park nearby that has a variety of nature trails - some are wooded, some are in the prairie, and others go by a lake and river. The picture below is on a wooded trail. The sunlight was peeking in through the trees and a plant cast a shadow on a rock.

June 1, 2008

Living in the country has given me some incredible views of sunrises, sunsets, and cloud formations.

August 21, 2007

It also has given me a better understanding about the hard work and sacrifices that farmers go through each year to provide food for other people and animals. Seeing large tractors and farm equipment on the roads and in the fields is common.

May 3, 2008

A highlight of living at the farm has been having both domestic animals and livestock. I like being able to provide space for the dogs to run and explore. One of the dogs we adopted is Gretel. The picture below was taken four days after she had been at home. It was a brief moment of rest for this high-energy puppy.  

Gretel was born on a reservation in Minnesota. She was in a litter of six. Two made it to Northwoods Humane Society at 4 weeks old. She and her brother went into foster care for a little over four weeks. Then, they went back to Northwoods to be adopted.

 March 28, 2008

Montague came here via St. Francis Animal Rescue. He's a Golden Retriever who was a runaway. He was very underweight when he was found and brought to the animal shelter. Since no one claimed him, he was going to be euthanized. St. Francis intervened and placed him in foster care until he was adopted in November 2003. He was about 1 1/2 or 2 years old at the time. This is Montague:

September 29, 2007

Periodically, I photograph the girls in black and white. They prefer color pictures, so there are few black and white ones.

One of my favorite ones of Sophia is when she and her pony, Bailey, were spending some time together by the barn. Bailey had just been recently adopted after coming from a neglect situation at another farm. She was adopted through the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation.

August 13, 2009

When the girls were younger, we would go on walks down the road and they would look for "precious gems and stones." Anything that sparkled or had unusual markings would go in their pockets or container they carried. Olivia is five years old in the picture below and is carrying a little cone made from felt that she would place the stones in.

Notice the summer dress and heavy winter boots. These were the boots that were most comfortable for her to wear when she walked...despite the warm weather.

June 1, 2008

These photographs give a glimpse into what I love and what surrounds me on a daily basis.