Spring Sheep Shearing

Susan has been raising sheep for most of her life. She breeds Teeswater Sheep which are known for their intelligence and long wool ringlets. Susan started selling a few fleeces back in '75, and her love of fiber led her to opening and growing Susan's Fiber Shop just north of East Bristol, WI. It's one of those well kept secrets behind her farm house on County Road A just north of East Bristol, WI. An inviting and extensive shop full of yarns and fibers for knitting, spinning, and weaving.

Susan has her Teeswater Sheep sheared each spring and fall. When I called to inquire about photographing the event, she told me they were in the middle of shearing and to come out asap.  I quickly put myself together, grabbed my camera bag and jumped in the car.

When I arrived, Laura the shearer was in the middle of working on a sheep. Laura owns Psalm 23 Farm and is in her 2nd year of shearing having learned the craft from a well known sheep shearer from New Zealand. She prefers hand shearing instead electric. It's quieter, doesn't take that much longer, and leaves more wool on the sheep, which is important for warmth during our cold springs.

I was impressed with how Laura was able to wrangle the sheep to the ground. They generally weren't very cooperative at first. She explained that once you get them on their rear-ends, they turn docile. And after being in that position for a bit, they assume they can't even get up, so they don't even try.  They will just lay there until she gets them back on their feet.

Once the wool is removed, Susan takes the fleece to a large flat rack where she inspects it, picks and shakes out debris, weighs it then bags it.  She also keeps a record of the fleece weight and a strand of wool of each sheep jotted down in a notebook.   She sells them through E-bay and in her shop.

  

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Gene - Over The Road Trucker

Gene is an Orlando based over the road truck driver for a small trucking company out of Marshfield, WI. Gene stopped in at the TA Truck Stop for a quick visit on his way to Kansas City from his company's home office in Marshfield, WI.

Observation on Travel - Oaxaca, Mexico

As with many people, I love going to public markets when I travel.   It's a great way to get an insight into the culture since food plays such a significant part.  It's also a place to mingle with the locals.   Taking my camera with me is always fraught with a little anxiety and hesitation.   There are so many wonderful images that I see, but I also want to be respectful of the people and not view it all as just novelty.  I think this image below illustrates so well. 

I happened to be leaving the market just as a tour bus arrived.  Without so much as a simple greeting, they snapped their photos with cameras dangling from their necks completely ignoring the chapulines vendor. It was pretty obvious that she wasn't enjoying herself.  I feel when traveling, one needs to put the camera down and actually see and interact with what or whom is in front of you. 

Sometimes it can work in your favor, and you are invited to make some photos, like when I started talking and purchasing some wonderful food being prepared under a tent next to the cathedral.   The women where selling their freshly made food to raise money for the parish. I showed some interest, started asking some questions and before I knew I was being given the grand tour of all the vendors and what they where making.  It was a great interaction and they insisted I get in the picture with them.  Of course, I had to try some of the chicken empanadas too!

A Wedding - Rachael & Carol

I don't photograph many weddings, but when I do it's often for friends or small intimate ceremonies. Rachael & Carol's wedding ceremony was one such intimate and touching event. It was simple, but beautiful at the cozy Gates of Heaven Synagogue in James Madison Park. A snowy day, but the light inside was soft and warm. I like it when a ceremony is more about the relationship than the show. It was quite evident and moving with Rachael & Carol. Rachael's mother gave the most heart-felt tribute to them at the end of the wedding.  There were tears all around. All lgbt children would be so fortunate to have such love and support from their parents.

 

 

Amos - Over the Road Trucker

Amos stopped to have lunch with me at the TA Truck Stop while on his way to Minnesota from Indiana.   I've been chatting him about doing some work together for my trucker photo project.   Connecting with these guys is difficult given their transient and constantly changing schedule.   It's kind of like fishing, I keep casting out my line, wait, get a few nibbles and finally get a bite. I'm itchin' to get out on the road again.

Lake Superior Ice Caves - Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Extreme cold temperatures this winter has created a glorious display of ice formations along the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore at the northern most tip of Wisconsin. Only accessible by boat in the summer, the lake ice is thick enough this year to access the Lake Superior Ice Caves on foot. It's well work the journey, the single digit temperatures, and the 1.5 mile trek on the ice. Mother nature at her best, the Lake Superior Ice Caves are a true natural wonder.