Hay There

This morning I was privileged to sit in on a meeting of local photographers. REAL photographers with real cameras! Several of them have their own business and are paid to do what they love. It was great to hear their experiences. I have no idea what they were thinking to invite me but I'm glad to have been there. Maybe I can sneak in next month and some of their magic will rub off on me!

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On the way home from the meeting, actually on the very road where we met, I passed the field seen above and had to stop for some pictures. (The truth is I noticed it on the way in but thought it was a little pretentious to stop and take pictures half-a-mile from the meeting place. What if REAL photographers saw me out there pretending and then I showed up at their shindig?)

The last two weeks have been the time of year when all the local farmers cut hay. It is an interesting process to watch as they mow and rake and form it into giant rolls. Since last week I have stopped in two different areas of the county to snap shots of the newly harvested crop. All over Lamar and surrounding counties you will see these giant bales perched on hills like fat marshmallows floating on steamy hot chocolate, except in this case more like floating on a greenish, soy latte. It is Middle Georgia at its pastoral best. Eventually most are lined up in rows at the edges of the fields. Some will be wrapped in plastic and stored for local use. Others will be sold and carted away.

The one thing that is impossible for me to pass along via blog is the actual smell of freshly cut hay. No doubt allergy prone readers are already sneezing at the thought. But standing next to one of these giant rolls was like putting on a brand new straw hat, fresh and sweet and natural feeling.

The two shots above were taken near our meeting on Piedmont Rd., west of Barnesville. The two below were taken on Fredonia Church Rd., east of Barnesville. The sun was on the wrong side of the field for great photos on these last two, but you get the idea here of the raking and baling process.