A Much Needed Break (Original Photography)

in #photography5 years ago (edited)

Howdy,

It's been a long, long week but I finally got a break in. The "Minnesota Safari" is not open, so I went for a walk around the lengthy bison enclosure. This involved trudging through mud and flooded areas and I discovered my waterproof boots are no longer very waterproof!

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No. We do not "moo"

When I did come up on them, the bison were right next to the fence! So close, in fact, that one of them was sleeping with her horn poking through the wires. The lady in the above photo watched me warily, while chewing on the twigs within her reach.

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Old Windmill Sans Fan

This 1800's windmill was broken beyond repair a century ago. The area of the park is only reachable on foot from about October through April so, with the flooding and mud, I had the place to myself.

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Spring is here!!!

While walking through a warmer stretch of trail, I heard a continuous noise of leaves being disturbed. It turned out to be not one, but several garter snakes! These harmless snakes used to be all over where I grew up, but were displaced by the much nastier fox snakes. Garter snakes aren't venomous and their fangs are very short. Having been on the receiving end of many bites, I can attest to it feeling much like someone pinching your hand with a piece of sand paper.

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Tummy rub?!

Sorry that last one's a bit blurry. I wasn't expecting her to do that and the shutter speed was a bit slow for it.

Well, it's time to get back to work. I've got to create and record a 15-minute presentation, translate some stuff, and get my taxes done before Monday. On the bright side, I managed to complete my capstone project (pending review and revision). That's a huge load off of my shoulders!

Thank you for taking a look! If you enjoy my work, please click the upvote button. Comments are also greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

@fotosdenada

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CONGRATS on completing your capstone!!!
That doesn't matter that the tummy rub is a bit blurry, that is priceless!!

Thanks! I have to do the defense at the end of the month, then maybe I'll even get to graduate...

You have been infected by the King of Disease!

Will you quarantine yourself?

Or will you spread the plague?

King Of Disease

I haven't seen a enake, of any kind, in years! It doesn't seem like it would be warm enough for them to be out yet! That windmill is beautiful. And of course the bison are, too!

Thanks! The garter snake were trying to keep warm under the leaves, but you're right... It seems too chilly, yet. I haven't seen one in the wild for about twenty years! Of course, my vision may play into that to some extent.

I've lived in this house, on the river and with a creek running through the yard for 18 years and I have never seen a snake here.

That seems odd. They seem to like drier grassy places, so maybe it's too damp by the creek. I bet you get turtles and salamanders, though!

Beautiful photographs.

Thanks @scorpiodragoness! How are things up in the cities?

Very pretty pictures. I'm glad you found some time from your busy schedule to take them. Really like the one of the snake. !sneeze

Thanks! This month will be difficult, but the end is in sight.

Howdy sir fotosdenada! dang I missed this one as far as the voting time frame! What a sight those buffalo are. Buffalo are the same thing as bison right? Anyway I'm glad it's finally thawing out up there, love that shot of the old windmill too.

The difference between bison and buffalo isn't well known. What we have in the Americas are technically bison, though. Buffalo have larger horns and are native to Africa and Asia. They get used interchangeably so often, that the only people who would notice are probably biologists.

howdy tonight sir fotosdenada! oh that's interesting, I figured they were the same! thanks for that.
How's school going?

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