Looked good on paper

“Seriously, do I look like a turkey?” (Helmeted Guinea Fowl) Nikon D300, 105mm, F/9, 1/250s, -0.7EV, ISO 640

The plan seemed foolproof:

In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, it would be brilliant to get a great shot of the pair of white turkeys I had seen roaming the pens at Russell Orchards in early October. So, while our turkey was roasting in the oven, we piled into the Jeep and headed off to the orchard.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a flock of white geese who decided immediately to surround and attack Jim. (No worries, he’s scrappy and quickly got away). We then made a bee-line for the animal barns and pens but only found ducks, goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens, roosters, horses and guinea fowl.

Hmmm, where, oh, where were the turkeys??

I looked at Jim. He simply raised his eyebrows and waited for it to sink in.

Processing…wait…no…c’mon…you don’t think…they wouldn’t…really??

Yep, a female staffer confirmed it. Figures.

Well, you can’t say I didn’t give it my best shot!

H A P P Y   T H A N K S G I V I N G !

Back in the orchard

Nooooo, I didn’t go back to the orchard today. I’ve just been slowly going through the images I took and picking out the best ones. There are several horses at the farm, but this golden beauty grazing in the field in the afternoon light was clearly my favorite.

“Rapunzel” (Norwegian Fjord Horse at Russell Orchards) Nikon D300, 105mm, F/25, 1/200s, -0.3EV, ISO 640

I have no idea the gender, but to me, she just feels like a girl. For a long time I watched her graze, hoping she would raise her head. She didn’t. 😦

But no bother. I love this shot for its serene, fairytale-like quality where the ending is always a happy one!

Road Trip

Took a ride out to Russell Orchards in Ipswich to enjoy the gorgeous summer-like weather (and to pick up some of their yummy cider donuts hot off the fryer!) The resident greeter feline was slacking off a bit, soaking up the late afternoon rays and ignoring all the attention from passers-by.

“That’s My Name” (Russell Orchards’ Resident Orange Tabby), Nikon D300, 105mm, F14, 1/500s, ISO 400, SB900 w/Gary Fong Lightsphere Cloud, -3.0EV

Several people took photos of the sleeping cat, but I can guarantee, none got this shot! 🙂