The first photo is Odin on his first birthday, June 6, 2002. He was gangly, not quite shed out and growing like a weed. I still had no idea what he’d look like as a grown horse.
In the early winter of 2002, I went to a horse auction, and outside were these people with a box of purebred Australian Cattle Dog puppies. I had never seen that kind of dog before, so I wandered closer. Of all the squirming and yipping puppies, Jake sat still and looked right into my eyes. That did it. I bought him. The next day, I snapped this photo.
I took these photos in early 2002 with the Nikon. My son Tim had already started avoiding photos of him, so I had to covertly snap a shot whenever I could. I will cherish these two photos forever as they capture Tim’s incredible ability to bond with animals. His “touch” is amazing.
From the archives of photos taken with my first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix, this is a wintery photo of Gunner playing with a young Odin. Gunner was 2 years old, and Odin was a long yearling. A friend bought Gunner from the same farm in North Dakota that Odin came from, and it was like the two horses knew it. They bonded immediately and were inseparable. Scenes like this one happened often, and I was glad to be able to capture the two at play.
I took this photo years ago with my first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix. I went as nuts with that camera as I am with the one I use now, and I am so thankful that the technology has improved so much. That little, 1.2mb Nikon did a pretty good job for what it was.
It’s that time of year. Folks spread their cheer by decorating just about anything for Christmas. Beebe found a great use for an old fire truck that is a sight to see, even without the lights on.
