Wishing I were there

There are a few photos that make me wish I could trade places with the people in them:

(Photo from Tom Dempsey's Antarctica)

Isn't that the coolest thing? (No pun intended.) Curious Gentoo chicks will approach humans and even lie on them for warmth. Can you imagine being the human? I think that would be such a wonderful experience!

(Photo from Cute Overload)

This brings back memories of childhood. I would love to be that girl, both because of the cow and because of her age.

I am reminded of my first summer in Norway and with it, my first encounter with cows. I was 8 and so a young human female and my grandpa's brother's cows were young bovine females. My first introduction to them, separated by a fence, taught me my first lesson about cows: They have very long and very strong tongues. I found that out because when a heifer decided my flower-print mini-dress (ah, the crazy fashions of the late 60's) was edible and tried to get the whole thing in her mouth. She darned near succeeded. I had to use force to get my dress out the hold of that heifer's tongue. Lesson no. 2: Wear something else besides a flower print around cows. With that lesson learned, I discovered Lesson no. 3: Cows love to be scritched. I scratched and petted the heifers on their foreheads, rubbed their soft noses, and discovered what soft hide and incredibly beautiful eyes they have. I've had a thing for cows since. Not cow patterns (or patties), but cows themselves. And the girl's skinny legs and her still-growing body remind me of myself at that age. What a wonderful time! Still all the world to explore and all the time to enjoy doing so - without any other responsibilities than homework and cleaning your room. (Still have those, come to think of it. The responsibilities, I mean, not the skinny legs.)

Finally, the person I would have liked to trade places with is not the one in the photo but the photographer, my friend Ann. Look what she sent me from Mexico:

Ann is obviously a very good friend. Very good.