Epilogue: About All Those Sheep
October/23/2008 Ireland Journal
Jim and I are now back home from Ireland, and we had to wait to get here to post the rest of the blog articles I wrote while we were in the western part of the country, as well as proof everything which is hard for me to do on a laptop. At some of our stops, I couldn't find an Internet Cafe, and even cell phone service was spotty. But that wasn't a bad thing: no email to answer and no calls to return. Now that's a real vacation!
It was a spectacular trip, and I'm so thankful to all the photographers, B&B hosts, and pub friends who made us feel so welcome.
Now about the sheep: Somewhere along our journey, I became addicted to photographing sheep. I'm not totally sure when it happened, but I have to admit I'm hooked.
Maybe it occurred when I was out there in the rain with all those perpetually wet sheep in Donegal. I really admire the way they never seemed to fret about the rain.
Perhaps it had something to do with seeing how loyal they are to their friends from other species.
Maybe I was impressed with how giving sheep are because of all that wool I saw at the Leenane Sheep Museum . . .
. . . or how patient they were at the Ram Fair.
Or perhaps it was just a matter of learning that some sheep really like to pose for the camera. Honestly they do. Granted that most sheep will run off when you approach them.
And some who are munching away on grass may not move, but they won't look into the camera even if you set off a firecracker to get their attention.
But some sheep REALLY like to pose.
Some, in fact, look positively blissful when they pose.
Some like to look directly into the lens . . .
. . . while others prefer to show off their distinguished profiles.
Many are most comfortable while posing in their natural environment.
And in case you are wondering about the different colors sprayed on the sheep . . . this is a branding technique. When it come times to round up the sheep, their ownership can be sorted out by their colors. Some sheep are sprayed with a single color, others with two, and some truly border on the psychedelic.
Whatever their colors, some sheep like to pose all by themselves . . .
. . . while others prefer group portraits.
But occasionally, one is so shy that he will do anything to avoid the camera.
Posers usually have a way of making themselves known; just look for the one sheep in the group who pays attention to what you are doing. I find they like to hear you talk to them.
Some will be so happy to have human companionship that they'll come right to you . . . and bring their friends with them.
So as you can see, I've become pretty invested in this sheep thing, and I'm really looking forward to hitting the road again next year in Ireland in search of posing sheep. Of course I couldn't have found so many without Jim's expert driving ability and willingness to sit by the side of the road while I was sheep hunting. From the photo below, I'm not certain whether he's laughing at me or at the sheep. Either way, I'm grateful for his help.
I'm also grateful to everyone who has written to me about enjoying my blog posts on this year's adventures in Ireland. I'll be taking some time off from the blog to get caught up on the vacation backlog. But I'll be baaaa . . .ck!
It was a spectacular trip, and I'm so thankful to all the photographers, B&B hosts, and pub friends who made us feel so welcome.
Now about the sheep: Somewhere along our journey, I became addicted to photographing sheep. I'm not totally sure when it happened, but I have to admit I'm hooked.
Maybe it occurred when I was out there in the rain with all those perpetually wet sheep in Donegal. I really admire the way they never seemed to fret about the rain.
Perhaps it had something to do with seeing how loyal they are to their friends from other species.
Maybe I was impressed with how giving sheep are because of all that wool I saw at the Leenane Sheep Museum . . .
. . . or how patient they were at the Ram Fair.
Or perhaps it was just a matter of learning that some sheep really like to pose for the camera. Honestly they do. Granted that most sheep will run off when you approach them.
And some who are munching away on grass may not move, but they won't look into the camera even if you set off a firecracker to get their attention.
But some sheep REALLY like to pose.
Some, in fact, look positively blissful when they pose.
Some like to look directly into the lens . . .
. . . while others prefer to show off their distinguished profiles.
Many are most comfortable while posing in their natural environment.
And in case you are wondering about the different colors sprayed on the sheep . . . this is a branding technique. When it come times to round up the sheep, their ownership can be sorted out by their colors. Some sheep are sprayed with a single color, others with two, and some truly border on the psychedelic.
Whatever their colors, some sheep like to pose all by themselves . . .
. . . while others prefer group portraits.
But occasionally, one is so shy that he will do anything to avoid the camera.
Posers usually have a way of making themselves known; just look for the one sheep in the group who pays attention to what you are doing. I find they like to hear you talk to them.
Some will be so happy to have human companionship that they'll come right to you . . . and bring their friends with them.
So as you can see, I've become pretty invested in this sheep thing, and I'm really looking forward to hitting the road again next year in Ireland in search of posing sheep. Of course I couldn't have found so many without Jim's expert driving ability and willingness to sit by the side of the road while I was sheep hunting. From the photo below, I'm not certain whether he's laughing at me or at the sheep. Either way, I'm grateful for his help.
I'm also grateful to everyone who has written to me about enjoying my blog posts on this year's adventures in Ireland. I'll be taking some time off from the blog to get caught up on the vacation backlog. But I'll be baaaa . . .ck!