Cow barn...Guernsey? Woodstock Fair, CT 2006

The cow barns and other animal barns have been rebuilt recently. The fair is tidy feeling, and clean...with just enough oddball stuff and old funky buildings to keep it real. Do you see the cow chewing? She is chewing her cud. A cud is a wad of grass that she ate earlier in the day. It had been kept in her first stomach for awhile, then passed to her second stomach where it got softened up even more and formed into lumps called cuds. Later when she felt relaxed and lays down she will "burp" it up to have a second chew. Then she will swallow it and it goes to her third stomach and on to the fourth!!! All these stomachs are needed because grass is really hard to digest. We can't digest it. Animals called ruminants can. Ruminants are cows and sheep and goats and camels. There are probably more but I can't think of them right now. (Look it up!) Now you know why I say you look like you are chewing your cud when I catch you chewing gum in art class...

Woodstock Fair 2006 Duck or Goose

I forget what this is! Big duck? Little Goose? Whatever it is you see it doing the water bird thing of getting some waterproofing oil from the gland at the base of its tail then applying it to its breat feathers. Waterbirds take a lot of time in the day to keep their feathers in good codition. It is a matter of life or death!

The cow barn at the Woodstock Fair - Woodstock CT 2006

more cows at the fair. We could nt get in to the barn...I forget why but no one was allowed in so this was peeking in through the windows.

Cool chicken at the Woodstock CT Fair 2006

I took zillions of photos and movies at the Woodstock Fair to share with students when we do projects that could use some reference materials. I live near the Fairgrounds and go there often over the 4 days of the Labor Day long weekend.

Summer blogging...

I'm blogging...it must be summer.

Just to get back into the swim of things I'd like to share this photo with you.

My neighbor, Gordon, brought me a bluefish.

When I was cleaning it I noticed the ad on the newspaper laid out on the counter was doing funny things with my fish!


Dinner was a summer feast...fresh bluefish, with just picked green beans and tomato, followed by vanilla ice cream topped with raspberries from Rachel the Goat Lady.

YUM!!!!