As our runs are increasing in length it gets harder to fit them in before the mornings get too warm, so we have taken to hooking up teams in the dark now.
This is a few of the scenes from the yard this morning (it wasn't quite as light as it looked. The skies just appear blue from the long time exposures!)
The morning was cool and the teams were keen to run!
Once up 'the sand hill' and to the end of the driveway we turned north into the highway ditch. It became obvious that this was going to be one of 'those' days when about a half mile along the ditch a herd of LOOSE horses came out of a neighbour's driveway and started headed towards the team (sorry, no pictures - I was alittle preoccupied with the 'what ifs'). 'Thankfully' all the traffic on the highway (which they stopped) worried them and they eventually turned around and headed home.
I had young Meg in lead with the amazing Jinx. Meg took a LONG look at the horses, but kept moving along with Jinx. Mark's leaders, Dasher and Bang barely even glanced the horses way!!
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| Mark's team on a water break |
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| TopDog |
We stopped in the ditch to water the dogs. Unfortunately it seems I picked a spot where one of those 'sorry excuse for a rodent' porcupines had met it's end at some point. There was no actually bits of 'Quilly Willy' left, but some hair and a number of quills. I had to pull quills out of the tongues and mouths of a few dogs. Luckily the ones acquired via 'remains' aren't usually as embedded as ones from a live, pissed of porky!!
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| Bang and Dasher leading Mark's team |
As we passed one of our neighbour's houses I noticed a cute little sign they had posted that said "WHOA for horses". As a large, dark object burst out of their yard I thought "Whoa, they weren't kidding" - only it was a moose, not a horse.
He stopped a couple times to glare at the team as he headed across a hay field and for the woods, but that was all!
We rolled through the 'booming metropolis' of Meanok (okay, not so 'booming' but a cute little town none the less) and back across the mighty Tawatinaw river (okay, not so mightly but still quite charming) before stopping for another water break.
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| Snert enjoying the rest stop |
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| Rocky wondering why he always has to run next to the 'team clowns'. |
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| Rocky |
Then it was back into the ditch headed for home.
As it was Saturday, we drew alot of attention (the weekday commuters seem pretty used to us by now). Just as we were coming out of the ditch a couple ladies pulled over and asked to take a picture of the team with a lifesize cardboard cutout for a contest they were participating in for a local country radio station.
It was far from the weirdest thing I've been asked to do, so why not???
CFCW Contest
I didn't get any pictures, but I'll watch to see if any make the radio website.
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| Mark and his team waiting in the ditch while I did my 'impromptu' photo shoot. |
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Mark's team passed mine on our road as I was straightening out a few small tangles, "What's up next?" he asked, "Juggling bears??"
Around here you just never know!!
Karen
