They are young ducks. They will "ugly up" with age.

I love the center one with the nifty shadow. As a child, I loved ants, and at one time I was probably the world's foremost 9 year old expert on ants. Just last week, I learned that ants are one of the handful of animals that recognize themselves in a mirror. Dogs and cats don't, but octopi do. Ya gotta love the internet.

The front cow is definitely a Hereford and not the mother, as she has not developed an udder. She could be pregnant, though. The cow in back is a beef cow, but she is too long for a Hereford. Her length and strange spotting indicate she could possibly be a Beefmaster. Neither look like they have any dairy cow in them.

I buy it at my local Safeway store. I use it on my hair to strengthen in, on my nails for the same reason, in my garden -very sparingly, but never in my laundry.

A ham sandwich at a Bar Mitzvah.

The horse is a Fjord Horse. They are a small breed of draft horse from Norway. They are used for both riding and harness. They are all pretty much the color you see or lighter. The cut mane with a black stripe down the middle of it is a dead give away.

I lived within a few miles of the border with Southwestern Virginia, near Princeton and Beckley. We were about an hour and 15 minutes from Charleston in the other direction.

Since I lived most of my 78 years in California or Massachusetts, I wasn't familiar with Southern expressions (or accents!) so there was a bit of culture shock. But I liked it there. It is a very beautiful state. But "Bless her heart" does not mean bless her heart.

I lived in WV for 12 years. Very often, instead of creek or stream, they say 'branch'. Before I figured that out, I was very puzzled by the town named 'Jumping Branch'.

Just guessing, but I think a gumband would be a rubber band.

Nice picture, BTW.

I am not surprised that it is outside. The lighting looked like outside light, but the texture you used fooled me into thinking there was a rug under it. There still could be, in an alcove.

I knew it had a story!

This one made me stop and look again, download and look some more. I find it fascinating. It has a story to tell. Why is this chair, still in good condition, cast aside? It's inside, but the room is open somehow to the outside. This is not the birds first visit, so it has been sitting there for some time.

From a photographic point of view, it is well balanced between the light and dark areas, and the white dots of bird poop make it more visually interesting. If I had this photograph, I would use it for a creative writing project and have everyone write a story that the photograph would illustrate. Alas, I don't have the photograph and I don't teach creative writing. But if I did, I would.

My favorite is No. 1. I don't know where it is, but it has a mystical, magical, medieval air about it.

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html takes you directly to the virtual tour.