Sunday was butchering day on the farm. The hog had been slaughtered and cleaned on Saturday. The different cuts will be soaked in brine and then placed in the smoke house to cure and add flavor.
three amigos
Zach, Jane and Maggie enjoy the sun. Zach is incredibly social and doesn't know that he is not a horse. So, he runs with the big dogs.
sisters
Jane and Maggie enjoying the sunshine at the farm.They just closed their eyes and soaked up the warmth.
threading the needle
the red door
In yesterday's frigid 18F cold, I visited the farm and checked on friends both two footed and four footed. The cold was too much to endure for long. I originally had plans to run by Huffman Park to check on the cormorants, but the cold got the best of me.
Bundled up, I can handle the thirties and upper twenties for quite a while. Not the teens. They seem to seep through all of my layered winter armor. Still, I am glad I went. This cheery red door was worth the shivers.
mule team
A three mule team is not a sight that you see everyday. When the farmer was putting the harness on his animals, I wonder if he thought to himself, "I got to get my ass in gear?" No? Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Enjoy your Saturday.
pig pile
One of my fascinations is the origin of different phrases. This one is pretty straight forward. However, I wonder how many people use the phrase "Pig Pile" everyday and have no idea where it came from or have never actually seen one.
And so, for those of you that have never seen a Pig Pile, now you have. Have a great Wednesday everybody.
testing prime
Sunday, I began using the new 50mm f1.8 prime lens. What better test than to find someplace dark & in which I could never shoot hand held in the past? Sounds like the bottom of the barn to me.
In the winter, the sheep and young pigs are moved to the barn so that they can stay warm. This is a dark area and in the past, I've always needed a slow shutter speed and a tripod due to my Len's wide open aperture of only 3.5.
With the new lens and its aperture of 1.8, I could shoot hand held with shutter speeds fast enough to get nice crisp images. It's amazing what an extra couple of stops can do for you in low light situations.
dirty window
Yesterday, I was in the botton of the barn at Carrige Hill and looked through a small dirty window and noticed just how dirty it was.
When focusing through the dirt to the farm yard beyond, the effect was to soften the image. It felt as though I was seeing through the haze of a dream. Who would have thought that dirt would be such an interesting filter.
Have a woderful week folks.
tree lines
Mid December and the late fall cold has arrived. The wind has stripped the branches of the last of thier colorful leaves. Leaving nothing but bare, dark lines in the sky. This is not outside weather. Instead, we light a fire in the house and stay warm. The season of long naps, on the couch, under soft comforters, has arrived. The season of grey skies and creeping cold. Snow and ice can not be far away.
tim mcmurdo 