Riding Herd

last weekend, as i was driving away from my home in the mountains, i came across my friends, the sheepherders, herding their sheep towards their winter grounds. wolf and i jumped out of the car to talk to them, then i got back in the car and slowly drove through the herd, shooting some of these photos with one hand as i steered with the other. in the distance can be seen the traditional basque sheepherders' green and white wagon. when we first moved here, at least half of the sheepherders were basque, but within the past few years, all the basque left, and only chilean and peruvian sheepherders are still here. almost none of them speak english, so i really have to struggle to remember my spanish. i love their australian sheepdogs, btw... it's a joy to watch such amazingly intelligent dogs doing their job.

October, 2005

increased contrast some. car window acted as a strange color filter