These Boots were Made for Walkin'

I've had the pleasure of having my niece, Mindy Jo, hang with me a couple days last week.

Having raised boys, I'm not a fan of Barbie dolls, or all things "foo foo".

With Mindy Jo, not to worry.

She's tough, she's 10, she's thoughtful, and she's one of a kind.

Both days we were together, she sported cowboy cowgirl boots.

Clomp clomp, shuffle shuffle.

And she loved every minute of it.

While finishing a quick lunch, in the nearby town of Gaylord,
I thought I'd show her the town's best kept secret.

Elk.

Lots of 'em.

Free for the viewing..

They were happy to see us.

As we pondered what to feed them, 

I remembered the stop we had made earlier at Sara Lee, 

for livestock {deemed animal} feed.

We had bread items.  

Lots and lots of bread items.

Hot dog buns were the choice of the day,

for their convenient shape,

sliding through the fence.

Excitement ensued...

With every bite.

It was clear we had to make a plan, 

so the smaller elk could get the tasty, and desired, treats.

Mindy tried to head near the youngsters,

while I kept feeding the oldsters.

Out of the woodwork they came.

Curious, and wanting in on the action.

All sizes, and shapes.

OK, someone tell me how they can be spotted AND have racks!
Mystery solved ~ SIKA DEER!  Who knew?
See comments after post to see who solved the mystery.


Mindy was resorting to tossing buns over the fence, which she did with ease.

They loved her...

And who wouldn't?

By the end of our visit,
she was getting very good at pin-pointing who should get what.

After a while, we were winding down, having fed several bags to all
.

 

It was an enjoyable stop, seeing new life..

Mamas and babies.

And I was reminded of the bible story of Jesus feeding the multitudes.
John 6:1-14

As we prepared to leave, they hugged the fence as if to say farewell.

And once back on our "40", Mindy opted for feeding something much smaller.

But just as excited to see her.

Thank you for sharing our day with us.

We are truly blessed by life's simple moments...

Until tomorrow, God willing.