This week, I got to the Del Mar Fairgrounds/Racetrack early and went in search of live animals. I found some in the cattle barn.
At the end of an aisle between two pens of cows was this birthing pen. Someone said the calf was only a couple hours old. He (I didn't get a definitive confirmation of his maleness, but it helps to call him a "he" so I can call the mom a "she" and avoid confusion) was still wet, and his mom repeatedly licked him.
After a short time, he started testing his legs and gave a wobbly scamper, but it must have scared him, because he didn't try to scamper again while I was there. Instead, he began looking for some supper, nosing along his mom's ribcage toward her front legs.
When that didn't prove sucessful, he worked his way back and eventually found what he was looking for, but my picture of that was too blurry to post.
That was all the time I had there, so I washed my hands (they had hand-washing posts by all the exits with signs saying we were required to wash when leaving the barn), and reported for work at the other exit from the one where I worked last time.
For my break I went to the stands nearby and watched some of the motorcycle-jumping exhibition. Unfortunately, I was facing into the sun, but I captured a couple of the jumps.
I made sure to stop at the ladies restroom that has the swallow's nest on the ceiling. The baby faces are toward the left and their tails are to the right.
Their mom flew in one time, and all the beaks popped open in unison, but I wasn't quick enough to get the picture. Here they are, though, waiting for more.
It was a pleasant day, not nearly as hot as last time, and my sole co-worker had the same first name as mine! Very unusual, but it sure made it easy to remember her name.
Next week, I work twice as long on the Fourth of July and finish my shift about an hour before the fireworks should start.
4 comments:
The "coolness" of Barn Swallows is only eclipsed by that of Purple Martins... If you hate mosquitos.
Nice pics.
I'm so ready for the fair...although ours is on a MUCH smaller scale. (And I avoid all motorcyles and related things.) LOVED the pictures.
Chris,
We don't have purple martins here, probably because we don't have enough mosquitoes to keep them well-fed.
Bekah,
I don't normally do motorcycle stuff, but it was there, and my 15-minute break didn't give me time to see anything else.
In Southern California, our fairs are held in succession, so most of the carney rides travel from one to the next. Del Mar (San Diego County) is June through the weekend including or following July 4th. The fairgrounds end almost at the ocean, so it has the most comfortable weather and cooling breezes.
After July 4th, the Orange County Fair opens in Costa Mesa (next door to the O.C.'s Newport Beach) for about a month or so. Comfortable weather, too, but a bit warmer than Del Mar.
Then it moves to L.A. County for August & part of September, and they hold it in Pomona, which is so far inland it bakes in the sun incessantly (temperatures near 100) with no ocean breezes to cool you. Why anybody ever goes to the Pomona Fair is beyond me. (Early September, by the way, is usually at least as hot as August.)
Enjoy your fair. Smaller ones are probably nicer than the big productions they have here.
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