V. 2011 | starvingiguanas

[219] "Smitty, the peacock" (Elberton, GA - 2011) Smitty, our male peacock, sits on a 'tour-mobile' (for the tours of the farm we had almost every month). A beam of sun shining on the 'eyes' of his beautiful tail.	Planted for our Bunnies We had 15 'American Chinchilla' Bunnies (their fur was incredibly soft!) Each bunny had it's own 'Hare-raiser'... a good sized floorless mobile home that I moved onto this delicious grass/flowers every day so they could get new stuff to munch on daily. Every day I moved the 'Hare-raisers' onto a new space through our orchard, helping to fertilize the area in the process. All this clover (and other stuff) was planted there specifically for the bunnies to munch on.
Dilly Bean Finds a Secret Nest (Elberton, GA - 2011) Dilly Bean, still under a year old here, finds a 'secret nest' of chicken eggs, laid by 1 of the dozens of 'rogue chickens' that wandered the farm. Most the chickens stayed together (we had about 700) but, sometimes they liked to go off on their own ...& we let 'em.	Sycamore, the baby goose (Elberton, GA - 2011) Our geese weren't always the best 'nest sitters', so when little Sycamore showed up, we were all VERY excited!
Fat Albert, in all his Glory (Elberton, GA - 2011) Fat Albert is a 'large black' or a 'floppy eared' pig. He was the largest pig we had on the farm. He lived with his lady pig separate from the Ossebaw pigs. Albert always made me laugh, because every morning when I fed him, he would come running so happily my way, his ears flopping back & forth across his face, like shaggy bangs... it always reminded me of an overweight, emo kid in gym class!	Fat Albert's 1st piglet! (Elberton, GA - 2011) I happened to show up, just as Fat Albert's lady was giving birth. All our female pigs were very friendly & didn't mind us being around or even handling their young (though I never held them for long... cuz you never know!)
Fat Albert's new family! (Elberton, GA - 2011) Lunch time! Within the first hour these little piggies all found the buffet line. Fat Albert sat 10 foot away looking proudly over his new family.	Hot Chicks Inside! (Elberton, GA - 2011) One of our farm cats slinks along the top of our 'brooder', a barn where we kept heat lamps on young chickens until they were old enough to be with the adult chickens.
Clyde stickin out his tongue (Elberton, GA - 2011) Clyde, for whatever reason, always stuck his tongue out while he was young! It was hilarious!	3 types of pigs (Elberton, GA - 2011) Pig breeds from Left to Right: Berkshire, Ossebaw and Floppy Eared (Large Black). We mainly has Ossebaw, about 90 of them. We preferred them for many reasons: A. Ossebaws were native to Georgia. B. they were GREAT mothers (the best of the 3. The moms still made 'pig nests' on the ground, like pigs do in the wild.) C. They had dainty feet, doing less damage to the ground. D. They were much better at 'rooting up' food for themselves, unlike the others.
RZA (Rusty) takin a whey bath (Elberton, GA - 2011) We made cheese on the farm, a lot of it! One of the bi-products of making cheese is whey. We fed the whey to our pigs for extra protein (they loved it!) Well, This time, there were no other pigs around when I dumped the whey into a trough, except RZA. He drank a little, then decided it was so hot that he'd rather lay in it the whey instead! Silly Pig!	Colorful Ossebaw Piglets (Elberton, GA - 2011) These piglets all were from the same litter! Such amazing color differential! The dry leaves directly behind them is part of their 'pig nest' that their mom, Elvyra, made for them before they were born.
Lulu & Chrissy (Elberton, GA - 2011) Lulu (the youngest) & her mom, Chrissy, were our 2 donkeys on the farm. They were great 'watch dogs' for the sheep and other grazers they lived with.	Happy Little Muddy Pig (Elberton, GA - 2011) This is over in the female pig paddock. We separated our male/female pigs at a young age, because we were 1 in 4 farms in the US that DIDN'T castrate our pigs. But, we had to keep SEVERAL fences & a great distance from the males & females. The pig paddocks were usually along the edge of the woods (so they could go into the trees for shade, they also had grass & when it was hot they would shove their water until it began splashing, making a small mud pit to cool off in.
Dilly Bean, Gouda & Cassie (Elberton, GA - 2011) These 3 young Jersey cows were always together... usually being hoodlums and crossing fences or getting into stuff. They sure were cute though!	Arnold!!! (Elberton, GA - 2011) Arnold, was my favorite sheep on the farm. (He had a twin sister named Acorn.) Arnold lived & hung out with the dairy cows, instead of the other sheep. When I called the dairy cows in to the milking parlor, he followed too, walking underneath them & between their legs as I hooked the girls up to our milker machine. He liked getting pet too... if I stopped petting him, he would head butt me!
A Bee Swarm (Elberton, GA - 2011) We had 7 beehives on the farm. Occasionally, one would swarm (when half the hive leaves with a new queen.) If you noticed when this happened & saw where the swarm landed (like in this picture) it was usually fairly simple to catch the swarm & then create a new hive with the pile of bees. The queen is in the direct center of these bees. If you could 'knock' her into a box, the other bees could smell her & they would all begin walking into the box as well. Bees are amazing!	Fleshing a rabbit pelt (Elberton, GA - 2011) Though I refused to slaughter any of the rabbits (or chickens... because I 'don't kill what I don't eat'.) I did help process the bunnies after 'the deed' was done, because I wanted to learn how to properly eviscerate them, in case I was on my own sometime. Here, I 'flesh' a rabbit pelt, preparing it to be dried & tanned.

[220] "Ever Lurk" (Philadelphia, PA - 2011) West Philly has changed a lot since I first went there in 2006! It used to be all hood... now it's got lots more artists & hipsters.	[221] "Slowly Claiming Back" (Providence, RI - 2011) Nature will win. I see it all the time.
[222] "Against All Odds" (Providence, RI - 2011) A traveler hauling all his belongings on his back over rough terrain, ultimately reaching the glorious summit that awaits him at the top! Ever persistent, undeterred & against the odds he carries onward ...with a smile that only comes after the full acceptance of free spirit & universal love!	[223] "Notta Trash" (Providence, RI -2011) Cities are gross.
[224] "Here Lies the Lorax" (Providence, RI -2011) Cities are REALLY gross.	[225] "Railway to Heaven" (Providence, RI - 2011) Following a long train bridge out over the river, I'm suddenly shadowed by a huge track of railroad rusted into the sky, frozen long ago to allow continued passage for barges below.
[226] "Such Colors" (Providence, RI - 2011) Between the spray paint, the rusted steel rivets & the grime of the bridge... I couldn't leave without capturing the magnificent color combination being provided for my visual pleasure... free of charge.	[227] "Lookin' Out" (Providence, RI - 2011) A quick peak back to land, before I venture further out towards the 'Railway to Heaven'.
[228] "Riveted Graffiti" (Providence, RI - 2011) I love the simplicity B&W brings to photographs that would be otherwise 'too color stimulated' & take away from what I meant for the viewer to feel/see.	[229] "Under the Railway to Heaven" (Providence, RI - 2011) Whether they were in a boat or standing in the water... I give props to this type of devotion to graffiti (whether or not I like the actual art.)
[230] "GoGo Dancers Backdoor Smoker" (Providence, RI - 2011) I was about to walk away from this photo, thinking it was missing something... then he came out of the GoGo Dancer's backdoor & lit up a smoke.	[231] "Crooked Corner of Congdon" (Providence, RI - 2011) A couple construction cones congregating on the crooked corner of Congdon, as the Capital quietly creeps in the corner.
[232] "Humbled by Brickwork" (Providence, RI - 2011) Masonry done on a grand scale to produce such blandness can only be presented in B&W to the naked eye.	[233] "The Cleanest Grimey" (Providence, RI - 2011) The cleanest dead end alley in Providence!
[234] "Fire Water" (Providence, RI - 2011) The dancing fire on the mirrored waters of a downtown Providence river.	[235] "Fire Water II" (Providence, RI - 2011) If you are in Providence, I recommend finding out if/when they will be lit!
[236] "Rusty Sunset" (Providence, RI - 2011) I really liked the math of this & the glowing radiance of the sunset.	[237] "Rusty Sunset & Gear" (Providence, RI - 2011) Who doesn't like MASSIVE old gears that used to move thousands of pounds of steel that now sit uselessly rusting?
Barley to the Center of the Earth (Ogunquit Beach, ME - 2011) Barley loves digging in sand! Dig 'Em up Barley!	Barley is a whiz! (Burlington, VT - 2011) The coolest thing about the Burlington hopout spot is that you can chill barefoot on a beach as you wait for your train! (It's Lake Champlain's beach.)
[238] "Clocked In" (Norwich, CT - 2011) Barley mesmerized & hypnotized by the seagulls, frozen in his own imagination.	[239] "Sketchy at Night" (Norwich, CT - 2011) This isn't somewhere you wanna be at nightfall. ...For that matter, better include most of Norwich.
[240] "Gothic Impaler" (Norwich, CT - 2011) Gothic pointed silhouettes against the last few seconds of daylight? Yes please.	[241] "Smooth Sailin" (Newport, RI - 2011) A great place I found to watch the fading sunset...
[242] "Magenta Slider" (Newport, RI - 2011) Whenever you see one of my photos that is angled like this, please know that you are NOT supposed to turn your head to 'see it correctly'. (I know it's hard.)	[243/244] "Opposited Reflections" (Newport, RI - 2011) These 2 photos are actually reversed from their natural order (L is on the R & vice versa.) But, I liked them better shown this way.
[245] "Newport Pier" (Newport, RI - 2011)	[246] "Cottage with a View" (Newport, RI - 2011) Neat little cottage looking down to the water's edge.
[247] "Sailboat Lounge" (Newport, RI - 2011) So mellow & manicured & filled with WASP's.	[248] "Manicurio" (Newport, RI - 2011)
[249] "Beginning of End" (Connecticut - 2011) Another small town in Connecticut, as with most small towns, as you cross over the tracks, the hood begins & so do my photos.	[250] "Old Squinty" (Connecticut - 2011) Another photo taken specifically to be used as a 'background page' for a 'zine.
[251] "Haddam Falls" (East Haddam, CT - 2011) A beautiful place that one of my favorite friends took me to.	[252] "Less Pilgrims, More Boats" (Plymouth, MA - 2011) I really liked the tree more than anything else.
[253] "Decrepit Pipeline" (Plymouth, MA - 2011) It smelled just like it looks... like dirty fish water.	[254] "B&W Pier" (Plymouth, MA - 2011)
[255] "Plymouth Island" (Plymouth, MA - 2011) Nice little island that has it's own walkway to get to it.	[256] "Red Light Church District" (Plymouth, MA - 2011) Hahahaha! I love mixing 2 things that have nothing to do with each other & are then suddenly forced to be in the same frame together forever!
[257] "Wormy Burny" (Plymouth, MA - 2011) Tar on pavement looking like roots next to trees reaching up to the heavens.	[258] "Ice Cream Terrorists" (Boston, MA - 2011) I usually try to avoid using other people's art in my photos... but for this, I HAD to make an exception.
[259] "Mossy Mausoleum" (Boston, MA - 2011) Such beautiful greens! So much time is shown by just wear & moss & mold.	[260] "Crooked Path to the Grave" (Boston, MA - 2011) I commonly stitch photo 259, 260 & 261 together as a set... since they are all from the same graveyard & compliment each other nicely.
[261] "Dying to Get In" (Boston, MA - 2011) Bad pun, but a beautiful door & structural design.	[262] "Seagull & a 90 Lb. Chain" (Boston, MA - 2011) Downtown Boston in the harbor.
[263] "Victoria" (Boston, MA - 2011) The shapes! The colors! The textures!	[264] "Wall Foliage" (Portland, ME - 2011) Beauty will always find a way!
[265] "Sunbeam on GTI Tracks" (Portland, ME - 2011) A nasty section of the now abandoned GTI train line. The neat thing about these tracks is that they have 'dated nails'. When these tracks were constructed, they drove nails into the railroad ties that had a 'date' stamped onto the head of the nail. Train dorks, like me, think that these 'pieces of railroad history' are really neat & try to collect a few to keep. I got a few 1949's & a couple more from the 1950's.	[266] "Abandoned GTI Tracks" (Portland, ME - 2011) I really like how the tracks run straight into forest now.
[267] "Top of the World" (Portland, ME - 2011) Local kidz call this place 'Top of the World". This was during the first week of Occupy Wall Street. I volunteered at Portland's Occupy & helped them organize & set up their kitchen.	[268] "Drizzle Port" (Portland, ME - 2011) A light drizzle fell apon us as we enjoyed the weather & sipped our wine by the edge of the water.
[269] "In the Moment" (Portland, ME - 2011) Even Barley didn't mind the drizzle...	[270] "Faux Observatory" (Portland, ME - 2011) I like the angle to the moon & the mysterious orange light source in the bottom right corner.
[271] "Broken Brick Beach" (Portland, ME - 2011) Don't walk barefoot here.	[272] "Back Door Textures" (Portland, ME - 2011) So many great textures & colors. Not to mention urban decay & time shown through the inevitable breakdown of all that is manmade.
[273] "Sandy Solitude" (Ogunquit Beach, ME - 2011) It's so easy to become that lone person walking on this beach. I hope it's that way for you too!	[274] "Waves Crashing onto Street" (Ogunquit Beach, ME - 2011) The waves were strong enough that they crashed against the rocks & splashed onto the street & passing cars!
[275] "Zagging Waves" (Ogunquit Beach, ME - 2011) A guy that gave me a ride while I was hitch hiking, took me out of his way to show me this beach (I told him I was a photographer). He eventually took me to my destination too, but he showed me all the spots in Ogunquit Beach that I visited.	[276] "Rollin' in, Washin' Back" (Ogunquit Beach, ME - 2011) Simplistic beauty. Another reason why Maine is in my top 4 favorite states! (also includes: NC, AR & VT)
[277] "Where Land Meets Sea" (Ogunquit Beach, ME - 2011)	[278] "Through the Grainer Ladder" (Massachusetts - 2011) A quick shot taken from the 'porch' of my grainer (a grain car). We hopped a freight train out & ended up in Palmer, MA.
[279] "Train Scoop" (Palmer, MA - 2011) I have NEVER seen any type of train scoop apparatus like this before! I'm not sure if it's for snow or cows or what! But it's brilliant rusted greens against the sky caught my eye.	[280] "10 Seconds of Train Voyage" (Massachusetts - 2011) I'm not sure how some people do it. You put someone on a train that has NEVER been on one before & they fall asleep!? I have been on countless trains & I STILL GET EXCITED EVERY TIME! To me: the voyage & the scenery IS the excitement! To others: ...it's just another other ride.
[281] "Holding Up America's Freedom" (Boston, MA - 2011) Occupy Boston taking back the streets! This is during the 2nd week of Occupy Wall St. It took me a long time to get this shot lined up so you could see the protesters & the statue appeared to be holding up the American flag. I had to work quick to get the marching protesters!	[282] "Their Presence Felt" (Boston, MA - 2011) The full title is "Their Presence Felt Everywhere". This is also from Occupy Boston.
[283] "Politicians Spine" (Connecticut - 2011) A neat forest that some of my Occupy New Haven friends took me to one day.	[284] "Cotton Candy Pine Trees" (New Hampshire - 2011)
[285] "Orange & Streaky" (New Hampshire - 2011)	[286] "Power Outage" (New Hampshire - 2011)
[287] "Choppy Waters" (Burlington, VT - 2011) A small piece of Burlington's Lake Champlain.	[288] "Lilypad Hoppin" (Burlington, VT - 2011) Lilypad's growing on the overflow from Lake Champlain at the train 'hopout' spot.
[289] 'A Stone's Throw Away" (Burlington, VT - 2011) Waiting & watching for my train, enjoying the nature to pass the time.	[290] "Fixed Gaze Across the Lake" (Burlington, VT - 2011) One of the many statues on the edge of Lake Champlain.
[291] "Pier's Gettin Away!" (Burlington, VT - 2011) The only thing holding this pier from floating out into Lake Champlain & disappearing out in the middle... a small string.	[292] "Closin Down" (Burlington, VT - 2011) A man begins taking down his sailboat's sail on Lake Champlain.
[293] "3 Waiting under the Sun" (Burlington, VT - 2011) Vermont really is quite a pretty place. The people are great & there are beautiful mountains & nature everywhere.	[294] "Earth Calendar" (Burlington, VT - 2011) I found this Earth Calendar while exploring the area around Lake Champlain. Having created my own (less complex) Earth Calendar a little over a year earlier... (photo in '2010: Secret Cabin' portfolio) ...I was very interested in how this one was made & I studied it & took many photos.
[295] 'Burlington's Stone Henge" (Burligton, VT - 2011) One of the things I like about this Earth Calendar is that your OWN shadow is part of it! Standing in the middle circle, shown here, your shadow points to the hour of the day.

Starving Iguanas:

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2011: Nature's Harmony Farm

Elberton (GA)

This is also a collection of snapshots, shown to further explain the history of Starving Iguanas.

I found Nature's Harmony Farm through a very good friend that was already working & living there. I visited her a few times (in 2010). While there I worked alongside the interns & other apprentices, Tim Young (the owner of NHF) saw that I was a hard worker & offered to let me apprentice there if I ever wanted to. The next spring, 2011, I returned as an apprentice. When I started as an apprentice, I was the animal caretaker (and groundskeeper) caring for the 1200+ happy critters on the farm.

I returned the next season (2012) & was then the only farmhand NHF had that year. Milking the dairy cows was added onto my daily chores, along with the everyday animal caretaking & groundskeeping.

2011: Eastcoast Shoreline & New England

Philadelphia, Providence (RI), Newport (RI), Norwich (CT), Plymouth (MA), Boston, Ogunquit (ME), Portland (ME), New Hampshire & Burlington (VT)

After my time working at NHF, I finally had saved enough to buy a decent SLR camera again! I was determined to make it up into Northeast for the changing fall colors ...but Northern Georgia is a long way from New England (especially mainly by hitch hiking!)
This is some of my journey up the Atlantic coast, as well as parts of New England (not included in the 2011: New England Foliage collection... because they aren't photos of foliage, obviously. Hahaha!)

[219] "Smitty, the peacock"

(Elberton, GA - 2011) Smitty, our male peacock, sits on a 'tour-mobile' (for the tours of the farm we had almost every month). A beam of sun shining on the 'eyes' of his beautiful tail.

Planted for our Bunnies

Dilly Bean Finds a Secret Nest

(Elberton, GA - 2011) Dilly Bean, still under a year old here, finds a 'secret nest' of chicken eggs, laid by 1 of the dozens of 'rogue chickens' that wandered the farm. Most the chickens stayed together (we had about 700) but, sometimes they liked to go off on their own ...& we let 'em.

Sycamore, the baby goose

(Elberton, GA - 2011) Our geese weren't always the best 'nest sitters', so when little Sycamore showed up, we were all VERY excited!

Fat Albert, in all his Glory

Fat Albert's 1st piglet!

(Elberton, GA - 2011) I happened to show up, just as Fat Albert's lady was giving birth. All our female pigs were very friendly & didn't mind us being around or even handling their young (though I never held them for long... cuz you never know!)

Fat Albert's new family!

(Elberton, GA - 2011) Lunch time! Within the first hour these little piggies all found the buffet line. Fat Albert sat 10 foot away looking proudly over his new family.

Hot Chicks Inside!

(Elberton, GA - 2011) One of our farm cats slinks along the top of our 'brooder', a barn where we kept heat lamps on young chickens until they were old enough to be with the adult chickens.

Clyde stickin out his tongue

(Elberton, GA - 2011) Clyde, for whatever reason, always stuck his tongue out while he was young! It was hilarious!

3 types of pigs

RZA (Rusty) takin a whey bath

Colorful Ossebaw Piglets

(Elberton, GA - 2011) These piglets all were from the same litter! Such amazing color differential! The dry leaves directly behind them is part of their 'pig nest' that their mom, Elvyra, made for them before they were born.

Lulu & Chrissy

(Elberton, GA - 2011) Lulu (the youngest) & her mom, Chrissy, were our 2 donkeys on the farm. They were great 'watch dogs' for the sheep and other grazers they lived with.

Happy Little Muddy Pig

Dilly Bean, Gouda & Cassie

(Elberton, GA - 2011) These 3 young Jersey cows were always together... usually being hoodlums and crossing fences or getting into stuff. They sure were cute though!

Arnold!!!

A Bee Swarm

Fleshing a rabbit pelt

[220] "Ever Lurk"

(Philadelphia, PA - 2011) West Philly has changed a lot since I first went there in 2006! It used to be all hood... now it's got lots more artists & hipsters.

[221] "Slowly Claiming Back"

(Providence, RI - 2011) Nature will win. I see it all the time.

[222] "Against All Odds"

[223] "Notta Trash"

(Providence, RI -2011) Cities are gross.

[224] "Here Lies the Lorax"

(Providence, RI -2011) Cities are REALLY gross.

[225] "Railway to Heaven"

(Providence, RI - 2011) Following a long train bridge out over the river, I'm suddenly shadowed by a huge track of railroad rusted into the sky, frozen long ago to allow continued passage for barges below.

[226] "Such Colors"

(Providence, RI - 2011) Between the spray paint, the rusted steel rivets & the grime of the bridge... I couldn't leave without capturing the magnificent color combination being provided for my visual pleasure... free of charge.

[227] "Lookin' Out"

(Providence, RI - 2011) A quick peak back to land, before I venture further out towards the 'Railway to Heaven'.

[228] "Riveted Graffiti"

(Providence, RI - 2011) I love the simplicity B&W brings to photographs that would be otherwise 'too color stimulated' & take away from what I meant for the viewer to feel/see.

[229] "Under the Railway to Heaven"

(Providence, RI - 2011) Whether they were in a boat or standing in the water... I give props to this type of devotion to graffiti (whether or not I like the actual art.)

[230] "GoGo Dancers Backdoor Smoker"

(Providence, RI - 2011) I was about to walk away from this photo, thinking it was missing something... then he came out of the GoGo Dancer's backdoor & lit up a smoke.

[231] "Crooked Corner of Congdon"

(Providence, RI - 2011) A couple construction cones congregating on the crooked corner of Congdon, as the Capital quietly creeps in the corner.

[232] "Humbled by Brickwork"

(Providence, RI - 2011) Masonry done on a grand scale to produce such blandness can only be presented in B&W to the naked eye.

[233] "The Cleanest Grimey"

(Providence, RI - 2011) The cleanest dead end alley in Providence!

[234] "Fire Water"

(Providence, RI - 2011) The dancing fire on the mirrored waters of a downtown Providence river.

[235] "Fire Water II"

(Providence, RI - 2011) If you are in Providence, I recommend finding out if/when they will be lit!

[236] "Rusty Sunset"

(Providence, RI - 2011) I really liked the math of this & the glowing radiance of the sunset.

[237] "Rusty Sunset & Gear"

(Providence, RI - 2011) Who doesn't like MASSIVE old gears that used to move thousands of pounds of steel that now sit uselessly rusting?

Barley to the Center of the Earth

(Ogunquit Beach, ME - 2011) Barley loves digging in sand! Dig 'Em up Barley!

Barley is a whiz!

(Burlington, VT - 2011) The coolest thing about the Burlington hopout spot is that you can chill barefoot on a beach as you wait for your train! (It's Lake Champlain's beach.)

[238] "Clocked In"

(Norwich, CT - 2011) Barley mesmerized & hypnotized by the seagulls, frozen in his own imagination.

[239] "Sketchy at Night"

(Norwich, CT - 2011) This isn't somewhere you wanna be at nightfall. ...For that matter, better include most of Norwich.

[240] "Gothic Impaler"

(Norwich, CT - 2011) Gothic pointed silhouettes against the last few seconds of daylight? Yes please.

[241] "Smooth Sailin"

(Newport, RI - 2011) A great place I found to watch the fading sunset...

[242] "Magenta Slider"

(Newport, RI - 2011) Whenever you see one of my photos that is angled like this, please know that you are NOT supposed to turn your head to 'see it correctly'. (I know it's hard.)

[243/244] "Opposited Reflections"

(Newport, RI - 2011) These 2 photos are actually reversed from their natural order (L is on the R & vice versa.) But, I liked them better shown this way.

[245] "Newport Pier"