I think this is Pu’u Kaliali, southeast of Waimea, catching a patch of late afternoon sun on an otherwise cloudy day. Waimea is the home to Parker Ranch, the second largest ranch in the U.S.A – there’s a bigger one in Texas of course. The rolling pasture land in the area is home to a large contingent of cattle.
I used to live in the same town as Jim Whittaker, the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest. He duly published an autobiography titled, ‘A Life on the Edge.’ As someone who lives close to the flat center surrounded by fluffy pillows, I use that phrase as a punchline for many things.
“I think I might have another cookie.” “Ooo, life on the edge.”
“I bought new shorts that are a slightly different tan shade than my previous pair.” “Life on the edge.”
You get the idea, which has nothing to do with anything really except that, on this day, the cattle in these photos really were living life on the edge.
There are a great many deeply meaningful and insightful blogs out there, but this isn’t one of them. Instead, here’s a photo of two beef cattle in a field. The reason I like it is for the stem of dry grass sticking out of the one on the left. I imagine him saying something along the lines of, “You ain’t from around these parts, are you?”
I always look for new calves when I go past the dairy farm at Upolu, and most days I’m rewarded by seeing at least one.
This calf is black and white, like its mom, but where mom looks distinctly off-white, the calf is still whiter than white. Whenever I see this, I can’t help but think of ads for laundry soap.
This is where they get the milk to make chocolate ripple ice cream. Fact.
On my frequent trips to the coast near Upolu, I pass one of the two dairy farms on the island. As I go by I tend to look out for new calves, which I see quite often. On this day I came across this grouping and stopped to take photos. Actually, there were four new calves in the field, but the fourth was some distance away from this more social cluster.
New calves are quite endearing, especially when they first get up onto their wobbly legs, looking around as if wondering what the heck they’ve got themselves into. I’m also impressed by the mothers. It’s not unusual to see them pushing out their rather large offspring at one end while they continue to graze at the other. What fortitude!
Mauna Kea is well known for its telescopes. At 14,000 feet, with clear skies most nights of the year, it’s a perfect spot for astronomical observations. But it’s not the only space-related site on the island.
South Point Road is a narrow, 12-mile long highway that cuts through pasture land on the way to the southernmost point in the U.S.A.. It seems a most unlikely spot to run across these two dishes, in a field, just east of the road.
A little research revealed that the facility is operated by the Swedish Space Corporation’s Universal Space Network. It’s a remote operated station for space tracking and communications. I’ve never seen anyone there, but I like to think that the many cattle around, perhaps inspired by Gary Larson, plan on using the facility when they finally lift off for the moooooon.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge ‘Unlikely.’
Regardless of how lush a pasture is, cows can always be seen with head hanging over or through a fence, sampling the greener grass beyond. But what goes through the fence must return, and with great care. No cows were harmed in the making of this photo.
Posted in response to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge to be a visual storyteller.
Graham's Island 