I like cows, but they can be nervous creatures. Escapees from the local dairy farm are quite common and not a big deal (unless I stop to consider the very large bulls sharing the same fields these cows escape from so easily). The cows rarely get into trouble, in part because they have to travel more than a mile before reaching the main road.

On this day, I was walking down the dirt road to the coast when this cow galloped around a corner, a quarter-mile distant, headed in my direction. She’d clearly been panicked by something and I knew that when she saw me, she might panic again.

The road widened just ahead so I eased up to that spot and hugged the fence line, hoping the cow would carry on past without becoming alarmed. She loped along, up on the bank on the far side of the road. Then, about 100 yards from me, she stopped, ears up, eyes staring. Clearly, I’d been spotted. I didn’t look her way, turning around and pretending I hadn’t noticed. The last thing I wanted was for her to head back the way she came with me walking along behind, stoking her fears.

Luckily, her existing anxiousness got the better of her and she thundered past along the bank, which is when I took this photo. What generally happens is that, eventually, someone from the farm sees the cow or cows on the road and rounds them up. The cows are inevitably relieved to be back in their pasture and all is well – until the next time.

This calf is probably half-an-hour old. Mom was busy cleaning him while he got some nourishment. Then he decided to try out his very wobbly legs while mom followed, still cleaning.

Newborn calves look like they’ve stepped out of a laundry detergent commercial – crisp and clean, and brighter than bright.

One warm afternoon I came across this scene. This pasture is one of several irrigated by water from the Kohala Ditch. The irrigation nozzles throw a fine spray over a considerable distance, but when the flow is turned off, the water in the pipes continues to drain down the hill before exiting in a gentle arc through the lower nozzles.

I’ve seen cows use the spray from these nozzles as water fountains. This one has figured out that such a flow makes for a nice, cooling shower on a warm afternoon. She stood there for several minutes, letting the water splash against her, before ambling off into the field.

For more information about the Kohala Ditch, go to fluminkohala.com/the-kohala-ditch.