Today's Lens (06/23/14) - An Iconic Celebration: Murti-Pratishtha Mahotasv

On Saturday, June 21, 2014 Brookvalley Farm was once again honored to be a part of a celebration at Shree Swaminarayan Mandir on Prescott Avenue in Scranton: Murti-Pratishtha Mahotasv. We were a part of the celebratory parade that took place that evening. Below are a few photos of the event, and a video.

Aside from being a wonderfully fun event, this is a true testament to our horses, and to my husband who has trained and worked with them. The music is loud, the people are energetic, and the dancing continues for blocks. The horses, April and Molly, were incredibly calm and took it all in stride.

If you would like to comment on individual photos, please use this link:  Today's Lens (06/23/14) Photo Library.

Enjoy the celebration with us!

Everyone gathers, as we wait for our honored guests to arrive.

He's here! Let the parade begin.

The women are absolutely gorgeous in all of their vibrant colors.

And we're on our way. The men lead the way, and sing, dance, clap, and celebrate in the street. In the video at the end of this post, you can see it live. At one point, they circle around the horses and carriage.

The dancing, singing, and celebration continues for blocks as we make our way to the Temple.

Such beautiful work!

Fun along the way!

This is a stressful day for the horses, but they handled it like pros!!

So pretty.

I always get a kick out of the young girls with their cell phones as they celebrate. For some reason, it seems like such a contradiction. But they were not alone, the men had theirs as well.

Beautiful.

I tried to capture the full parade, but it was impossible. What a great celebration, attended by many!

I was so proud of our girls, and my husband - very professional and very well trained! Well, my husband was very professional, the horses were well trained - still working on my husband. LOL

The view from the wall of William Prescott School. You can see the Temple tower (brick) in the distance to the right of the red house..

Did I mention the vibrant colors?

This is a very iconic event for the Hindu culture - Murti-Pratishtha Mahotasv

So patient!

A job well done!!

Click here to see the video.

I hope you enjoyed our journey and the celebration! If you would like to comment on individual photos, please use this link:  Today's Lens (06/23/14) Photo Library.

Join me again next time for more "Today's Lens."

Thanks for viewing!

Laura

Today's Lens (06/19/14)

I must say, I've been a bit lazy these last couple of days (with the exception of yesterday which you can read about in my blog post, Just Kidding) and haven't made the trip up to the third floor to sit down at the computer and upload/share any photos. Well, now it's time to get caught up. We'll begin with a view from the bottom, and work our way up, so to speak.

A view from the bottom of the valley up at Brookvalley Farm's Bank Buster on the hill. (06/17/14)

A man, his tractor, and his dog. What more is there? (06/13/14)

From the top looking down, I caught a glimpse of this sweet little family. (06/13/14)

It had just rained, and the vegetation was exceptionally tasty - or so I assume. (06/13/14)

 I'm not good at identifying moths, but this one is in the Geometridae family. I can't seem to get much closer than that. A Mocha and Wave (Sterrhinae) perhaps? (06/16/14)

Flight training! No, I'm not joking. The two resident Canada goose families have joined forces for what we like to call "flight training." They waddle down the road, and then race back as quickly as they can to get the goslings moving their wings and lifting off the ground a bit. It's quite comical really, and we look forward to it every year. What we don't look forward to is all the mess, and the large amount of grass they consume from the pastures. (06/16/14)

And, once the training is done, it's time for a leisurely swim in Powell Pond. This is the smaller of the two families; only three goslings in this one. (06/16/14)

More lazing in the sun the next day. (06/17/14)

And, yes, there are fish in there! Very small ones, and very many, but fish nonetheless. It may be time to get my nephew out fishing more frequently! (06/17/14)

What would a photo blog post be without a shot of our cutest little members? This is Mia. Isn't she just adorable? (06/16/14)

And, of course the matronly Belle. When Mia first arrived, Belle wasn't too sure about her, but they became fast friends, and Belle really watches out for Mia; it's so precious. (06/16/14)

If you saw my Today's Lens post from 06/05/14, you saw what I will swear was this same blue bird - mocking me again, just like he did then. The little smart aleck! (06/17/14)

Another moth - and I didn't even try to identify this one. If someone knows, please post in the comments, so I can update the image. Thanks! (06/17/14)

Nature's flower arrangement. This is a little meadow down near my grandmother's house. It looks so pretty when all of the grasses are gently blowing in the breeze and the flowers are in bloom. (06/17/14)

A handsome Mallard family swam peacefully in the creek. (06/17/14)

That is, until Harlee jumped in. She even managed to stick her tongue out for the camera - smarty pants! (06/17/14)

I know I've identified this guy in the past, but time is short right now. I'll have to get back to you all on this one. (06/17/14)

My mother's peonies are in full bloom; they were always one of her favorites. I picked a few and took them over to Nana to enjoy on her coffee table. I do it every year. (06/17/14)

(06/17/14)

An iris plant has managed to find itself at the edge of the pasture. I'm not sure how it got there, but it's nice to see the burst of purple and yellow amid all of the surrounding green. (06/17/14)

A silhouette of a tiny, fascinating creature. (06/16/14)

A little more color to the same tiny, fascinating creature. (06/17/14)

(06/17/14)

Harlee takes a break as I watch for the humming birds. She was smarter than I was; she sat in the shade, and I sat in the sun. What's that they say about man being the more intelligent animal? (06/17/14)

Foxglove. (06/18/14)

Tiger Swallowtail on Crown Vetch. (06/18/14)

(06/18/14)

The calm before the storm, and a view of our little piece of paradise from the porch looking up the valley. (06/17/14)

I think the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band said it best: "Crickets are singin' and lightning bugs are floatin' on the breeze. Baby get ready." After the storms on Monday night, the lightning bugs came out in full force! (06/16/14)

And the fog rolled in. I was hoping to catch some lightning shots, but I was too late. The sky still offered some pretty neat viewing though! (06/16/14)

(06/16/14)

I hope you enjoyed our journey up and down the valley. If you would like to comment on individual photos, use this link:  Today's Lens (06/19/14) Photo Library.  

Join me again next time for more to "Today's Lens."

Thanks for viewing!

Laura

Today's Lens (06/19/14) - Just Kidding

Wow! Time flies when your having fun - and kids. No, not me, silly. Yesterday afternoon at approximately 2:27:10 PM ( I was too excited to note the exact time) our Boer goat, Ann, had a kid; a doeling to be exact. Of course, the artist side of me wouldn't allow the camera to go idle while this was taking place (it did note the exact time). Here are some progressive shots of the birth.

It's almost time. Ann was very uncomfortable at this point; up and down, up and down, standing, pacing. She has shown the first signs that kidding is near. Now we wait. I wished there was something I could do to help her out, but she's done this before and knew what was best (1:25:44 PM).

I see feet and a nose (2:24:49 PM)!

Baby on the way! (2:26:08 PM)

Wriggling its way out, and looks healthy (2:27:08 PM).

Bleeting and starting to look for Mama (2:28:47 PM)

Let the clean-up begin (2:33:01 PM) 

I stuck around for a while after the hard part was done to make sure the doeling nursed, and that Ann was in good shape, but then I had to leave for a doctor's appointment (nothing serious, just follow-up with the endocrinologist for my thyroid issues - that's a whole other blog, or maybe it should be). I left Mama and baby in the very capable hands of my brother and 4-year-old nephew who were the first ones to meet the new kid on the block!

Ah, finally home from the doctor's and Mama and baby are doing great! Still a little wobbly, but cute as a button and taking her first steps in this crazy little thing called life (5:09:51 PM).

"This being born stuff is tiring business! It's time for a nap" (5:18:33 PM).