I left my parents’ house this morning and just ran all over the place with no particular destination in mind. Keeping yesterday’s safety tips in mind, I told my parents that I would be running one of two favorite routes, and I ended up doing a little bit of both.
My first stop was to visit these Holstein (and is that a Guernsey or Jersey?) heifers…
Then I ran up a long gradual hill that KICKED. MY. BUTT. until I stopped to turn around, and take a quick rest and picture of these two handsome Angus bulls…
The downhill return was delightful, but I had to stop to take a picture of this old brick silo that has been like this since I can remember. When we drove by it when I was a little girl, I dreamed of playing house cowboys and Indians in it!
And just beyond the silo I ran past this shelter for feeding grain to cattle (I think that’s what it’s used for)…
Next I came upon this young groundhog. At first I thought he was dead, but then I could see his sides moving up and down. I assumed he was injured until a truck came by and he jumped up and ran off the road. Had I known he was healthy, I probably wouldn’t have gotten so close to take his picture!
I think this was an old tobacco barn where the freshly cut tobacco stalks were hung upside down to dry out until it was time to sell it in December…
My favorite encounter of the day was coming upon this salamander. He was in the road, but very near to where water was standing from last night’s rainfall. He seemed to enjoy having his picture taken!
After heading up past the farmland, I turned and ran along the river for a little while. This swinging bridge has been here for as long as I can remember. It kind of goes to nowhere these days, but the bridge is still there…
When I was little my church’s Sunday school class used to have picnics here. The water was just deep enough for an excited little kid to have lots of fun!
And finally just before I turned back onto my parents’ lane, I saw this spearmint growing wild beside the road. Now I’m craving a mojito!
- Questions:
- Salamanders… “Eeewwwww!” or “Oh, how cute!”
- Do you run on very many hills where you live?
- Do you like mojitos? I’m thinking next beach trip…
Was that a run or a safari you went on? If my dad ever got that close to a groundhog it wouldn’t still be around!
HaHa! Your dad and my dad sound a lot alike! 🙂
Such a bright colored salamander!! Maybe the groundhog was sick and that’s why he was acting weird? Our prairie dogs in Colorado get the plague and rabies, which makes them act odd sometimes.
I love all the random structures like the brick silo and the bridge to no where. I love finding hidden treasures like that!
I did hill repeats this morning on Massachusetts Ave by all the embassies. It was a LOONNNG hill. Even though it’s a gradual climb…nothing too killer or anything…it’s 1 mile long, so even halfway through your legs are burning and you are counting down the steps until you are done, ha.
Love mojitos. I like strawberry flavored ones.
I wondered about the groundhog’s health, but when he jumped up to run away, he seemed fine.
My favorite restaurant makes blueberry flavored mojitos! Yum! 🙂
Hmmm looks like a Jersey to me, except it’s face and brisket area are a little dark… so maybe some kind of cross breed?
Groundhogs are so funny. They always look fat to me, no matter their size, and they look ridiculous when they run. That salamander (and salamanders in general) is so cute!
You know I run a lot of hills 🙂 And I despise mojitos… but I’ll take a whiskey sour, please! Oh or one of those drinks you invented with the Fuze peach mango juice!
I just checked with my dad and he says it’s a Jersey. I’m not sure why I didn’t ask him earlier, since he’s a retire dairy farmer! 🙂
We call the groundhog that lives under our deck Fat Bastard, because he’s so fat! He waddles when he runs, but he’s surprisingly fast!
I actually think that salamander is kind of cute.
We don’t have hills where I live. I have to run on bridges if I want any kind of elevation.
LOVE mojitos. They have to be made right, but they are so delicious.
I thought the salamander was really cute, too!
I don’t order mojitos out anymore because I don’t like them as much as the recipe my friend gave me. 🙂
Thanks for taking us along on your run. Great pics. The brick silo & swinging bridge are so cool. I cannot escape the hills where I live, so they make an appearance in all of my runs!
Daily running on hills are making you wicked-strong! 🙂
I have loved your posts about running at your parents, it reminds me of some of the adventures I have had running back home on the farm at my parents.
I love mojitos! Just went on a beach trip and took them with me to the beach, I highly recommend!
Thanks! It’s fun running with such a change in scenery every so often. We’re headed to the beach in a few weeks so I’ll have something entirely different to look at then!
Salamanders: When I was a kid – YAY
Salamanders: Now: Stay aWAY!
That one was cool, however. Very bright!
It looks like you had a nice run today… lots of sights and company 🙂
Cruiser cows, a Cruiser groundhog, and a Cruiser salamander!!! 🙂
How pretty!
Thanks!
[…] then I see the old swinging bridge that I posted pictures of when I wrote about Running With a Salamander, a Groundhog, and a Lot of Cattle. In fact it was on that run that I came up with the idea for my Picture This Run […]