For years we've been
teasing the Island King about being scared of large animals.
He denies it but...
He's always had to “work”
if we went horseback riding.
Swimming with the manatee?
While all of us were in the water he claimed “someone needs to stay
in the boat.”
Swimming with dolphin?
Again, “someone needs to stay in the boat.”
The donkey at Tower Camp?
“Don't get too close to the fence – he might bite.”
Well, the other day he had
a photo shoot in Ponce de Leon and I decided to ride up with him so
we could explore some after his shoot.
The first thing we saw
when we left the shoot was a pasture full of cows.
Or maybe they were bulls?
Steers? I don't know. They had horns but I understand that doesn't
necessarily mean they're males.
Anyway – cows.
I love cows!
So we stopped and got out
to take some pictures.
As soon as I walked up to
the fence they came running from all across the pasture.
The Island King stepped
back and didn't have much to say while I was taking pictures.
They came up close to the
fence but wouldn't come right up to it so I stuck my hand over the
fence to try and get one to come up so I could pet it.
The Island King grabbed my
arm and yanked me back away from the fence and said “Stop that!”
This fence won't hold them in there if they decide to plow through it
and get you!”
What? I seriously don't
think they're planning to storm the fence and "get me."
Well, this one might
because it had been giving me some serious stink eye while I was
standing there but the rest seemed quite happy to see me.
I was laughing but he was
dead serious and said “I'm telling you that fence won't hold them
if they decide they want out. It's just a suggestion for where they
should stay.”
I agree they could have
stormed the fence if they really wanted to but I think they just
wondered where their hay was.
But he was so serious and
I didn't want him to have a heart attack so I stepped back and didn't
pet the cows.
When we got home I was
telling the kids about it and they cracked up because they know his
history with large animals.
He got a little indignant
and said “Listen those cows could have broken through the fence and
stampeded your mother to death! AND after her funeral I'd have to buy
the farmer a new fence.”
We were laughing so hard
and he turned around, opened the freezer and pulled out steaks to
cook.
His last words on the
subject were “Beef – it's what's for dinner.”
He can deny it all he
wants but we know the truth.