Summer Home

"Summertime and the livin' is easy."

Well, it's easy if you're a cow, I suppose. We visited the "ladies" and their brood at their summer home at the Ninnescah near Sylvia last week.

That bluesy ballad from the musical "Porgy and Bess" was drifting through my mind as we checked the pasture and its occupants.

I think I was just along for the ride, rather than bringing any particular skills to the excursion. One of our main jobs was to make sure there were still three bulls in the pasture with their entourage of ladies and babies. They are supposed to be hanging out, doing what bulls do.

Here is one of the bulls. We did find all three of them, by the way.

This bull looked like he was less than impressed with having visitors in HIS pasture.

Randy knows that eagle-like eyesight is not in my skill set, so I don't think he was really expecting another set of eyes to hasten the job. But it was a nice, cool morning, and it was a great day for a ride perched on the back of the four-wheeler.

This pasture along the Ninnescah has a spillway. Who needs Colorado this summer?


Who says Kansas isn't beautiful?


Just a short distance from the water was this mama, who looked like she was providing "child care" to a whole group of babies. Randy joked that she had quite a babysitting job lined out for the morning.

When people are zipping by on Highway 50, just a mile or so away, they wouldn't know about the beauty just down a dirt road and a four-wheeler ride away.

A meandering tributary ...

Flanked by cattails ...

Contented cows and growing babies under a clear, blue sky ...

Equals a perfect morning on The County Line.