June 8, 2015
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Alex Fouliard
Throughout 2015, photographer Catherine Frost will be traveling to Maine farms all across the state, visiting those with their own special livestock. From alpaca to water buffalo to turkeys and rare breeds of horses, each month will feature new faces. The best will be featured in a show at the Maine Farmland Trust Gallery in January and February of 2016.
I arrived just happy to be there. Spring in Maine, a new place I had never been, new animals I had never seen. After chatting with owner Sara to get the lay of the land, she cut me loose to wander as I needed. The sun wasn’t quite right on the horses, so I went to see the Cashmere goats. Then comes Enna, all ponytail, nail polish and Bog boots. She ended up being my tour guide, assistant and instant inspiration for why we should all just love life.
She knows all the goats by name. Her faves are Thunder and Lightning. When I asked about the mallards who lived next to the goats, she told me “they look like mallards, but they are not mallards they are meat ducks and they can’t fly that’s why they don’t fly away, but they do look a lot like mallards but they aren’t because they are bigger and this one has a sore foot but he’s ok.”
We started walking toward the horses and pass a small building – The Hopping House. I can’t pass anything called The Hopping House without popping my head in. “Are there bunnies in there?” I asked her. I got no words, but a happy bobbing nod and a face full of smile. “Can we go in there?” I asked her. Same response. Inside I met Ginger and Cinnamon and watched Enna carefully and masterfully catch Cinnamon for a snap.
Ok – onto the horses. She knows them all and loves each one. She is fearless among them and very knowledgeable. We got talking about their coloring (dun) and their manes that have a contrating dorsal stripe. She talked about the pure white Norweign Fjord, the one that’s “all white all over no other color just white.” I asked her what color a pure white horse’s stripe would be. “Whiter than white,” she said. I believe her.
See the full photo shoot HERE.