Last contractions

Holy... More trouble, again. Hopefully these will be the final contractions of my little adventure...

Apparently I used my seat on a flight from Toronto to Atlanta (planned for the end of next week), already, way back in April, coming back from Boston to NYC. Good thing I know I had been rebooked or something like that... Found this out when I was trying to lengthen my stay in Canada for a little bit.
Now I'm happy I was supposed to be flying over Atlanta, don't even want to know what would have happened without a transfer. Probably had to book a brandnew ticket. And happy to find out now, and not next week at Toronto Airport.

This way, the only result is that I will be seeing more states in America. Twenty two hours and twenty minutes in the bus... Or 890 miles. Or 1432 kilometers. Bus transfers in Detroit, Michigan and Nashville, Tennessee. What a joke. It's almost Texas down there. Guess I could go and drink some Corona's in Mexico...

A very happy birthday

This morning, there was not a single square bale in this barn.

Today, I enjoyed my birthday, very much. After morning chores, Jim, grandpa, Johnny and me 'did hay', out in the fields. Clear blue sky. Turkey vultures circling around high up. Close to 30 degrees. Eating sand while riding on the empty or full hay wagons, to/from field or barn. Lunch at grandma's, with the humming birds enjoying their feeder outside. More tossing square bales around. And more. And more. Best drinks of water ever. After that, a beer, or two, and Sam's company, during milking. Pork chops for supper. Ice cream in Seaforth, just minutes before they close at 22.00, for desert. A hot shower. A report to you all.


Show in Stratford.

They actually spray paint on cow feet... (Plus Melissa's boots, and my Converse)

Drove about 700 clicks to visit Jake and Annie VanderMeulen in their new home, for a couple of days.

My bed, there. Mhmmm.

Grandpa, driving the John Deere, with the baler, and Jim, picking them up.

Between milking, and also at night, the ladies enjoy some fresh air, exercise, flies and sun.

Good night!

Parr Line, Varna, Ontario.

Lazy ladies.

The first sqare bales.

Grandpa, in full swing.

The oats.

Good thing, about the rain, is that the corn grows nicely.

Three minutes old.

Couple of hours later.

Cutting hay.

Lake Huron.

Nobody tried, but I'll tell you anyway. It's corn flour, from the feed cart.

Interview.

Life at Jaspar

It's already two weeks ago, since I arrived (safe and sound) at the train station in London, where Tammy was waiting to drive me to Jaspar Jerseys. Guess time flies when you're having fun...

And everything is at least as good as I remember, including the chips to top the burgers, and all. Only two years further down the road, and a different season.

There's 33 cows being milked at the moment, and we should be doing hay ever since I came, but it keeps raining too often. And too much. Still I'm never bored between morning and night chores. Extra jobs at the farm, European Championship, run/bike to Lake Huron, my own 'stuff', work in the garden, drive somewhere for some thing (like ice cream, J.J.'s ballhockey game, calf starter and lime stone, groceries, a party), it all keeps me busy.

There's seven white kittens...


Can you believe it? They named one of the cows after me...


:)


Jep. That calf of yours just came falling down from the sky. Uhu...


Jim on his way to milk some cows.


Rambo getting some dirt out of the way.


Dreamy girl.

Guess.

Found them again... :)

Tammy's garden.

Melissa with her 4H-heiffer, and Sam with his ball.

Katie with her 4H-calf, and the farm.

Little more

On my last night on Prince Edward Island, while my farm clothes are tumbling around in the dryer, I managed to get some pictures online. (This tiny size takes about 15 minutes, per piece.) No need to say that I'm gonna miss it. This all. Everything.

At the front lawn of the farm. Emigrated in the 90's.

Our neighbours.

Our backyard.

Less than 10 minute drive.

Aron, and in the back, Peter, clipping some dry cows.

Aron and Josh, in their golfcart, during the rain. Jennifer and me were in the other one. What a sport...

Doing donuts with the carts on the slippery field. Smuggle lots of beer on the golf court. Those are the fun things about golfing :) Kidding. It was nice, and I enjoyed myself a lot, in many ways. Actually hitting a ball, a kind of, right, and most of all, far away, is a challenge.

Holding area, before the parlour.

Yeah. Those tracks in the field? Are mine :)

I'll be in the bus from Summerside, PEI, to Moncton, New Brunswick, tomorrow morning. From 5 pm at night, till 7 pm Saturday I will be travelling from Moncton, by train, to London, Ontario. iPod's are charged and loaded, I can't wait to see more of Canada again, and I need to catch up some sleep. Which makes me ready.

Except for the fact that I still need to start packing my bag...

Have a look around

U.S.A., as seen from the train. The train stopped every once in a while, in the middle of nowhere, just to wait, or at tiny train stations, to let one person in or out.

Sunset. First night. Taken from the front porch.

The big barn, with the milkhouse in front. Took the bottom picture while standing at the far right corner.

Sunrise.

My view, for many hours in a day.

Have already seen 5 foxes, not too scared at all.

About 500 animals in this barn. Milk cows, heiffers, dry cows, calves and two bulls.

"Home sweet home"

This is Aron, at the heiffer barn behind the house.

The ocean!