East to South to West and Back Again

Frosty, Rowdy Girl Sanctuary, Angleton Texas

Oh, the Places You'll Go! Wisdom from Dr. Seuss that I recall as July finds me writing to you from San Francisco. Back in the middle of May I traveled south from my winter abode in Pennsylvania to Full Circle Farm Sanctuary near Atlanta, experiencing the beautiful new property to which they moved. Driving through southern parts new to my eyes, I trekked west in time for the New Orleans VegFest to bring some sanctuary love to NOLA, a city of many people who needs must travel 6-8 hours to find the nearest farm animal sanctuary. Then it was south of Houston to Rowdy Girl Sanctuary located in Angleton, Texas. My Prius got some long overdue doctoring before I headed northwest to Santuario de Karuna in Tijeras, New Mexico, very near Albuquerque. Afterward I trekked in to my home state to celebrate at Oakland VegFest.
    June passed in a beautiful SoCal fog of newborn human baby time as I stayed in Ventura, California and helped my best friend as she birthed my newest niece. The festival season is just ramping up though, so back on the road I go!
    I will be wrapping up my Northern California travels with a stop to visit Sweet Farm in Half Moon Bay this Friday. NorCal has seen a sprouting of new sanctuaries, and earlier this week I visited Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary in Santa Rosa, Flip Side Sanctuary in Sebastopol, and Rancho Compasión in Nicasio, all very near San Francisco. I hope you enjoy the first photos of these visits in this blog post!
    Thank you for your continued support, and if a sanctuary resident's portrait can fit in your life or the life of someone you love, visit my Etsy page or send me an email at Cameron@YogaAnimalia.com. May so much joy find you!
    Cameron

Joon, Rancho Compasión, Nicasio, California

Ryan Gosling, Full Circle Farm Sanctuary, Warm Springs, Georgia

Hondo, Santuario de Karuna, Tijeras, New Mexico

Betty, Flip Side Sanctuary, Sebastopol, California

Noll, Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary, Santa Rosa, California

Beatific Emma: From Broken Beef Calf to Blessed Bovine

Emma, Farm Sanctuary, Orland, California

One of the highlights of early 2015 was this beauteous young lady who came into my life while road-tripping on a separate Farm Sanctuary-related quest spearheaded by my besty Alicia. Half way home from Vegas, the call about a calf in need arrived, propelling us to drive into the late hours. We stumbled into a hotel room, slept (maybe), then drove to the rural vet where Emma was supposed to be cared for overnight before we took her to UC Davis. That vet is not high in my estimation to put it mildly, having left her outside in a cold lean-to with barely enough straw for warmth and no pain meds. Alicia and I miraculously kept our tongues in check, got Emma pain meds, and got her loaded for the trek across Utah, Nevada, and into California for proper vet care.

Emma ready for travel

I became instantly obsessed with this big-eyed girl, and wrung my hands a fair bit while we waited for positive word about her condition. Receiving that word brought a relief to my whole body and tears to my eyes. Though at that point she wasn't out of the woods totally, she had a fighting chance, and a beatific presence conveyed through those large eyes.

Tongue acrobatics not hampered by the pain in her leg

More than a year later, after trekking from New York to Florida to Pennsylvania and then flying back to California, I got to see Emma again, thriving at Orland. This young lady has endured months of hospitalization, surgeries, humans fretting, and yet she still carries serenity in her eyes and her being. She is such a magical friend I feel so blessed to know.

Yoga Animalia: Bovine - Emma

Farm Sanctuary, Orland, California

Emma was found on the side of the road in rural Utah. Her mother was standing protectively by her, and the concerned human who saw them in the same place a second time realized something was wrong. Emma had likely been hit by a car and was unable to walk. The woman contacted the rancher who owned the herd, but his solution was to shoot her. The woman got him to release Emma to her, but sadly could not get her mother. She contacted Farm Sanctuary who raced up to take the calf immediately to UC Davis. There life-saving vet care was provided to Emma, and it was determined her leg was infected and would need to be amputated. After many surgeries, much waiting, and many months, Emma is starting to settle into her three-legged life of love and devotion at Farm Sanctuary's NorCal shelter.

The Remarkable Moxie of Old Lady Goats

Molly & Maria - two peas from very different pods, Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres, Acton, California

moxie, noun

1. vigor; verve; pep.

2. courage and aggressiveness; nerve.

I created the above image pair the other day because I missed my Acton crew. I had found a batch of photos from my last few visits to my former home-away-from-home (Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres) that I had set aside for later perusal and found the delightful image of Maria; I love how it mirrors the photo of my beloved departed Molly.

I worked with both old lady goats for five years - Maria is the kindly, grandmotherly type that will bake you cookies (not really, but she will gladly eat any vegan cookies you make!), and Molly fell more on the cranky spinster side. Maria helped Elle, both rescued from the same backyard butcher case, raise Cocoa and Nilla who were born to Elle at the sanctuary; we sometimes speculated that Maria could be their actual grand-doe. Molly on the other hand only put up with a baby Prince because she was so savvy she realized baby goat = treat payday. Maria is one of the greeter goats at Acton. Molly's greeting was a contemplative cud chewing with her back to you and her gaze yonder up the hill. Maria got pushed around by the other goats; Molly did the pushing.

Thinking about these old lady goats got me remembering some of the others I have met on this journey, and I am excited to introduce you to them. But first, a close-up of Maria's perfect, beautiful, old lady goat eye:

Maria - about those cookies..., Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres, Acton, California

When I visited Animal Place I met Charlene and Laura - two old lady goats who have had the rare blessing of growing old together. This loving couple arrived from separate neglect and abuse cases in 2004 and bonded with each other at the sanctuary - twelve years of love! Watching them nuzzle, Charlene intently snuffling Laura's coat while Laura regally stood ruminating, it was clear how much these two ladies care for each other. All of the many times I visited Animal Place and I never once got a Charlene nor a Laura snuggle because these girls were too busy snuggling each other!

Charlene & Laura - excuse us human, we are busy, Animal Place, Grass Valley, California

I spent at least a third of my photographing time whilst at Green Acres Farm Sanctuary trooping around the goat pasture, ostensibly capturing portraits of the gaggle of goat friends, but really just following Fauna. In several ways she reminded me strongly of Molly, who had passed just two months prior, but Fauna is uniquely her own independent spirit. I hung out with her and crawled about, capturing her portrait (a challenge since she is a pygmy goat and not that high off the ground), and hoping for a modicum of attention from this wee old lady. I managed to snap a lot of photos of her eating, which she did intently, seemingly ignoring the movements of the rest of the goat herd, content to let me trail after her and make ridiculous gushy noises of endearment, while we forged our own path into the acres of green grasses. At some point her belly filled and Fauna then deigned to let me snuggle her and capture her radiance in proper portraits.

Fauna - ready for that close-up, Green Acres Farm Sanctuary, Silverton, Oregon

Fauna - the grass was greener until the goats got it, Green Acres Farm Sanctuary, Silverton, Oregon

Curly Sue wasted no time in making sure I knew she was the most important caprine to be photographed. I have quite a few close-up and much-too close-up photos of this gregarious old lady of Sanctuary One. Vying for greeter title with the brothers Freddy and Friday, Curly Sue has them beat however in my book due to the ineffable charm that comes to the refined and experienced goat gal. I also just learned that Curly Sue has since my visit been adopted into a loving home with a private individual who was owned by a lonely old goat girl, and so now Curly Sue has a sister-in-crime with which to live out her twilight years.

Curly Sue - coming in for the extreme close-up, Sanctuary One, Jacksonville, Oregon

Curly Sue - posing for her good side, Sanctuary One, Jacksonville, Oregon

These elder caprine beauties are powerhouses of personality, charm, and attitude, from the elegant to the intense to the aloof. Moxie - these old lady goats rock it.

Molly - the old lady goat that started it all for me, Farm Sanctuary's Animal Acres, Acton, California