Right smack dab in the middle of the town of Radium Hot Springs what do we see? A beautiful big horn sheep looking for berries:
It was evident that he knew exactly where he was going...I think he's been here before!
The locals didn't seem to give him much notice. I reckon for them seeing this guy was as mundane as alligators are in Florida.
My trip west started with a flight to Calgary. We rented a car and drove to Banff...about 90 minutes west. After we got situated at our B&B: Odenthal's...highly recommended, by the way...we set out on foot to dinner.
We took the scenic route along the Bow river and spotted a family of elk in the water: two female adults and two youngsters. I walked to the shore to take a shot and as I approached I spied dad. Quite a treat and a good start!
A note on Odenthal's: it's a quaint little B&B in the heart of Banff run by a German couple. Breakfasts are feasts that include (but certainly not limited to) to-die for home made pastries and granola cereal.
From Wiki:
The Belted Galloway is a rare beef breed of cattle originating from Galloway in South West Scotland, adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of the region. The exact origin of the breed is unclear although it is often thought that the white belt that distinguishes these cattle from the native black Galloway cattle may be as a result of cross breeding with Dutch Lakenvelder belted cattle. Belted Galloways are primarily raised for their quality marbled beef, although they are sometimes milked and purchased to adorn pastures due to their striking appearance. In the US these cows are often informally known as "police car cows,""panda cows" or "Oreo cows" after the Oreo cookie.
Also known as Belties, are currently listed as a "watched" breed, which means there are fewer than 2,500 annual registrations in the United States and a global population of less than 10,000. In 2007 they were formally removed from the UK's watch list, having recovered sufficiently from the devastation of the foot and mouth crisis of the early 2000's, to have reached in excess of 1500 registered breeding females. Many Belted Galloways can be seen in Fearrington Village, in Pittsboro, NC where they are the village's official mascot.
I saw mine at Aldemere Farm outside of Camden, Maine.
For some time now we've been discussing acupuncture for Shaynee. In addition to losing her hair, she's lost muscle strength and we've been thinking it would help to get some chi flowing to help. that...and who knows, maybe help with her disease. Her first acupuncture treatment took place while I was in Maine. Judy told me how well it went...both the session and the after effect from it.
Her second treatment was today. I got to watch this one. The vet...Dr. Anna Simms...comes to the house to do it. She's a veterinarian who specializes in acupuncture. Here's some background on her that I extracted from a Floyd Humane Society newsletter:
Dr. Anna Simms DVM is a slight, elfish woman with a soft voice and gentle manner that puts pets and people at ease. This belies her inner and physical strengths.
Graduating VaTech in ’00, nurturing a keen interest in acupuncture as “complimentary treatment”, she completed the latter training in ’01. It remains her “main focus”. 2004-05 found her studying animal chiropractic. These skills enable her to, foremost, practice in “the animal’s best interest”, “to do no harm” while relieving discomfort, AND to work with “a wide variety of species”.
Dr. Anna has been covering Floyd, Montgomery and Roanoke counties for 6 years, happily accommodating animals who cannot travel, seeing it as a continuation of her important rescue work. Be aware, she offers no routine care, such as vaccines. She prefers her patients’ families retain their close, cooperative relationship with their primary vet. Her acupuncture and chiropractic are used as strong adjuvants to traditional care. Compassion has guided her to be available for home euthanasia, including non-regular clients.
Living in Floyd since ’02, Dr. Anna has become one of our best, and most cherished, natural resources. Everyone in the FCHS thanks her for such joyful, steady, generous support. She approaches all of life with those qualities.
I can attest that she's got a wonderful energy about her. Caring, kind, and sweet are all adjectives that come to mind.
Shaynee waited patiently while Anna took some notes as Judy's updated her on Shaynee's behavior since the last treatment...
Then Anna went down to the floor and examined Shaynee...touching her, talking to her...relating to her...gaining her trust.
I didn't take too many pictures. For starters, I didn't want to get Shaynee excited. This was a time for calm. Too, I thought snapping a picture when needles were in might cause her to flinch and by doing, cause her pain. But now I realize that wouldn't have been a problem. Shaynee moved some on her own...seemingly without any discomfort.
A total of eight needles were used today...some at points that address the bladder; some at points that address endorphins and overall energy; one at a point that addressed the stomach. Shaynee seemed to know it all was something that was going to help her. She didn't resist or object at all.
While Judy was working in the shed and I was taking pictures, our sweet little Shaynee ...content to have us nearby...enjoyed the afternoon breeze at Blackberry Ridge. We love her SO much!
One of the things Shaynee loves to do while here is "help" us when we're gardening. She helps by finding herself a spot of shade near where we're working and then proceeds to monitor our activity...that is, when she isn't napping with her nose buried in the grass.
If the mower gets started she still musters up a rash of barking, runs around a bit until it gets going, then follows it. Last week she followed it all the way down the hill. Of course, getting back up the hill is out of the question for her these days, so Judy picked her up and cradled her in her lap for the return trip. That started something. Now, she loves riding on the mower...and for short little trips around the property we let her have that fun. I'm not sure you can see her smile, but she is smiling...loving being part of it all.
I know when I'm on the mower and she's on my lap, it's a great feeling...you know...a girl and her dog sort of thing...together. She's happy for saving her strength while getting to be very important. I'm happy for helping her to feel that way and for how good it feels to hold her. I've got to get Judy to take a picture of us like this.
Shaynee loves being here at Blackberry Ridge as much as we do. She's a country dog for sure!
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