A Trip to the Country

A hot humid hazy day in the country...


My mind wanders and wonders what this looked like years ago when this was all wild prairie.





There are fields of sunflowers, then there are fields of ANDEFLOWERS. These poor things can't stand the bright sunlight. So they had their heads down.



Trees are not natural to this part of South Dakota. Most of the trees you see out in the country either are or were shelter belts for homes and farms. Years ago before the land was settled, the government was giving the land away - one requirement was to plant a certain number of trees. These were called tree claims. If you notice as you drive, many trees are leaning from the strong wind and many are dead, dying or unhealthy. Just outside Luverne Minnesota, Jim Brandenburg is trying to bring back the praire with his Touch the Sky Prairie Foundation


How many dreams were trod into the dry land during the dustbowl? Many failed at farming and simply left everything behind. Maybe this was a family that did that...


The cows are quite cliquey. I tried to get in on the conversation, but they would have none of it.

Those laying down did stand up when I said, "Say, Cheese! Show the world that South Dakota cows are happy cows!" I don't think they liked that.



This is the photo that I took before the second one from the left made moves to charge me. I think the cow on the left is his wife and she is not nuzzling him, but trying to hold him off. Before we left (I wish I would have had taken that photo) she had to put her whole body in front of him.
Aaah...the country...