Farm Sanctuary

this post is a bit lengthy, because there were just way too many good photos to weed through. that and the entire 3 day experience was just too incredible not to document well.

last month nux, my friends Jaime and Ashley, and i headed down to Watkins Glen, NY for the Farm Sanctuary's annual Hoedown. any other week throughout the season people can go down and stay in one of the few cabins on the property (which is what jaime and i and some other folks did last year), explore the giant farm, keep all their stuff in the community kitchen, and have access to all kinds of really amazing information about the lives of  animals in less than wonderful surroundings (ya know, the ones that arent cats and dogs...). its a great environment, the only rules are not drinking in the animals areas (obviously), and that you bring only vegan friendly items for the weekend (beef jerky's not a great snack idea).

the Hoedown is a bit different in that its a fully regimented weekend with seminars, guided edible nature walks, speakers who are animal rights activists of all sorts, fully catered meals, a barn dance, campfires, and everyone just puts up tents in the yard to stay in. 

it was fucking incredible.

this guy is Brooklyn. he escaped from a live market in, yep you guessed it, Brooklyn, and ran the streets. he enjoys long walks, hitting things with his head, and not being halal meat.

im not sure what this ones name is, but i remember him from last year when jaime and i nicknamed him the satanic vagina goat (or something close to that). he's absolutely gorgeous, but his horns come out and up so that their tips touch,making what stupid freud would consider an abstract vagina. the unfortunate part for him, is that without the space and means to file them, they grow against each other and cause massive pressure on his skull.

needless to say, he's very happy now.

ever pet a turkey? no? well i have.

 he is white because of the bleaching process which takes away that "undesirable speckling" on their skin. apparently no one likes to eat things with spots. he also has a hard time walking, because growth hormones have made him too big for his legs to carry well, and his snood was ripped off shortly after he was born because they would fight with each other and grab on to them while confined in tiny cages. he was super excited to have all the attention, and kept puffing up while making this bizarre sound. kinda like when you shut off a subwoofer.

his head looks slimy and gross, but it actually feels really neat, i swear.

fois gras ducks who somehow made it out. if you dont know what fois gras is, look it up. canada's factories have been in a lot of shit recently over shady stuff. not that having it "controlled" is practicing anything even remotely humane anyhow.

these pigs sort of communicate with each other by nibbling each other's lips. sorta like morse code i guess, haha. its cute none the less, all their grunting and stuff.

the giant bum with and "X" on it was quite grumpy. some of them were on restricted diets after being overfed for so long, so they were marked for people to steer clear of, as they were mighty pissed.

it was hard to spend time with some of the animals because there were so many people at once. they got cranky, but they didnt mind the belly rubs. last year i could actually "dead beaver" them, and they'd just make room for me.

this was the bonfire on the second night, during/ after the dance. i wish i had a better picture of the guy with the guitar, because he looked like a perfect cross between Perry Ferrell and Dave Rave from the Talking Heads.

bustin' up the dance floor, with FREE kegs, and wine.

Jaime lulling the female turkeys to sleep.

Success!

Ashley and Carson

This guy, Norman was nux's and my favorite cow. he escaped/was rescued from a veal crate, but im not sure exactly what his story is. either way, he is the world's most perfect cow, and friendly as well.

i found his good scratchin' spot under his chin.

the view at this place is phenomenal. there is nothing around, except the racetrack, and a tiny downtown, with a liquor/wine cellar, a handful of vegan friendly restaurants, and a couple convenience stores, a state park, and a market. tons of baby deer (though i fuckng HATE when they run on the road in front of our car) and while i was peeing in a bush away from the campfire, i looked over to find a deer poking its head between the bushes, eating right beside me. it scared the shit out of me, and i peed on my shoe, because i didnt want to move :/

every single one  of the speakers were brilliant, and the four of us seemed to take turns tearing up, with a couple moments of full out bawling. nux and i both fell in love with the world's new age version of "pirate", Capt. Paul Watson. everyone should check out some of his speeches online, its truly moving.

i could go on forever, but i always end it in "you should just go next year, just do it, vegetarian or not", because i just cant explain it.