Where Them Cows At?

Where Them Cows At from Volt on Vimeo.

 I hear he is looking for a wife....

Deerfield, Logging Boots, and Spotted Swine

I <3 fair season. 

I set my clock around which fairs I can hit on which weekends. 

Last weekend was Deerfield Fair in Deerfield, NH. 

It was pouring rain. 

My friend Nicole (who is just as crazy about cows as I am) went anyway. 

We walk through the gate. 

My heart starts beating a little faster. 

There is an overabundance of boys in Carhartts and logging boots. *sigh*

Smells of steak and cheese, french fries, and fried dough are EVERYWHERE and I immediately gain 5 pounds.

Our first stop was to find our academic advisor Pete Erickson who raises North Country Cheviot sheep and brings the best of the best to the fairs every year. Here are his prize winners: 

The swine barn was next on the list. You know me, a big sucker for anything that snorts, squeals, and has curly tails!

For one (brief) moment I thought about buying one of these and trying to hide in our backyard:

The oxen barn is another must see. Some of these beasts are taller in the back end than I am tall. Prime example:

Seriously?

Oh boy. 

Even though it was pouring rain, we managed to have a blast.


We ate. 


Lots of food. 


Junk food. 


We watched some good ole' horse pulling. 

Saw ginormous pumpkins that people spend their whole lives growing. 
Well, maybe not, but you get the point. 

I had my fill of fried dough, boys in logging boots, and pretty looking cows...for now. 

Fryeburg next weekend!!!

Poisson/Martin Wedding

I know that I have been absent from the blogging world for quite some time, but one of my new goals is to MAKE THE TIME everyday to blog about my photographs, my cows, and my life in general.

A few weeks ago I had the incredible opportunity to shoot a wedding at the Atkinson Country Club in southern NH.  The weather was perfect, the bride was stunning, and the day was perfect. Here are a few of my favorite picks of the day:

The boys getting ready. 

The dress was simply gorgeous. 

 

Feather flower. 

 

Coming down the aisle. 

 

Flowers. 

Boys will be boys!

 

So happy. 

Vintage inspired. 

THE kiss. 

Break is Nearly Here!

Winter break is so close I can smell it...I have one final left to take tomorrow at 10:30 and then I will have successfully completed by first semester at UNH, woo-hoo!

Though, I am really not going to have that much of a break...

For 2 weeks I will be here:


Taking care of these guys:



Then I will be spending a week on a dairy travel course (for school credit). We will be traveling through the state of Maine visiting various dairy operations, taking to farmers, and getting real life, first hand experience. I'm really looking forward to that! This is one of the place we are going:

It is on top a mountain. The views are breathtaking...on a clear day even Mt. Washington is visible.

Then, once I get back from that....I'm going to spend two days getting certified to do this:

Psst....for all you non-farmer types, this guy is breeding a cow...artificially, that is.

Are you all still with me? By now I feel like I need a nap! Whew! But we're not done yet...

THEN, two days later I am getting on one of these:

And going here:

This is a map of Mali for those of you who are not quite up on your African geography.

I'm going with this funny guy:

I know that he is wearing a turban and riding a camel, but please try not to judge. A trip to Africa would just not be complete without my buddy Keith...I did after all set him up with his wife.

Then it is back to studying this:

And this:

If nothing else it should be one big fat adventure! Are you coming along for the ride???

Backlog

I'm pretty backed up in the photograph department. I was cleaning up my computer and found images from this summer that I just haven't had time to get to yet. But, man oh man, the Midwest sure has some gorgeous sunsets:

V-v-v-vitamins!

I'm attempting to study for my nutrition test in the morning...it is all on vitamin functions and deficiencies. To help me study I am going to post some information here (I'm dragging you into my college study session!).

Okay here we go:

First up are the fat soluble vitamins. Their storage capacity is significant and deficiencies may not immediately occur. Their absorption is very similar to that of lipids and triacyglycerol.

Vitamin A is high in carotene and pure forms of it can be found in animal sources such as liver, milk, eggs, etc. Supplemental vitamin A is generally sold in a dry, gelatin coated form to which antioxidants have been added. Because vitamin A is extremely susceptible to oxidation, the gelatin coating and antioxidants prevent complete destruction. It is good for your night vision and healthy epithelial cells and is also important in glycoprotein synthesis.

Vitamin D can be acquired from UV light with the exception of fish. D2 comes from plant sources, while D3 comes from animal sources. Poultry and fish poorly utilize D2, so their diets must be supplemented with D3. Vitamin D is important for the mobilization, transport, absorbtion, and use of Ca (Calcium) and P(Phosphorous). Deficiencies include disturbance of Ca and P absorption, rickets in young animals, osteoporosis in adult animals due to decreased mineral content of the bones, and milk fever in cows, because calcium requirements were not met immediately following parturition (calving).

Vitamin E can be acquired through vegetable oils and supplements. It is important for normal reproductive functions (both male and female), is a biological antioxidant, which can be defined as a mutual sparing effect, which basically means that a deficiency in Vitamin E can reduce the absorption of other vitamins and minerals (such as selenium). Deficiencies include muscle degeneration, anemia, liver problems, digestive disorders, impaired immune function, and even sudden death.

Vitamin K is formed from bacterial synthesis in the gastrointestinal tract of animals, but the amount synthesized does not generally meet the requirement, especially in monogastrics. Vitamin K is used in the body's blood clotting mechanism, so deficiencies can include reduced ability to form clots, which can then result in unchecked internal hemorrhages. Antibiotic therapy can also result in a Vitamin K deficiency.

The other kind of vitamins are known as water soluble. I only know about the B complex series, and there's a lot of them, so I won't go through them here. The interesting thing is though, that ruminant diets do not need to be supplemented with B complex vitamins, because the microorganisms that inhabit the digestive tract of ruminant animals have the ability to synthesize enough to meet the requirement for the animal. Monogastrics almost always need some form of supplementation in their diets. Pretty cool, huh?

Whew, see that wasn't so bad, was it? And now you are all kinds more smarter and know what to look for when you are deficient in certain vitamins.

--L

P.S. Humans are monogastrics. :)

Courtney & John

This is going to be a long one guys, but hang in there, it is worth it...promise!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to shoot the wedding of one of my closest childhood friends. I was blessed. It was a great day of fun and celebration. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day,

I grabbed these great shots while the guys were getting dressed:

Groom and Best Man


Best Man. There was lots of laughing...among confusion. I was the only female in the room and often called upon for buttoning buttons and straightening collars and ties. Oy!


Groom adjusting his boutineer.


Handsome boys.


Ring Bearer getting his flowers. This is possibly my favorite shot of the entire day.


Guys coming up the ramp wait in the back room.


Gorgeous bridesmaids. I tend to go for the unconventional shots. :)


Simply beautiful. Theme of the entire wedding.

da dum da dum. My version of the wedding march, sorry! Music is playing, last minute adjustments.

As soon as the doors opened I captured this:

I think this one is just breath-taking.


The married couple left in a limo after walking through a sea of bubbles.

And just because I love black and white so much:

First dance together.


Dancing with Dad.


Brother and sister.

Flower girl from the back, on the dance floor.

Happy, happy day Courtney and John! I wish you both the very best and thank you for letting me be able to celebrate your special day with you!