Bellowing!

It’s a beautiful gorgeous Sunday this June 3rd of 2012, not so on the Thames River in London kicking off the Queen’s Jubilee. It would be considered somewhat soggy here in Canada. However with a stiff upper lip the Brit’s carry on with their 1000 float flotilla parade on the Thames. Here a couple of colonist are considering a “Fish Fry” in our very own scenic setting of La Riviere. Now as an outing on a world scale this for all practical purposes just doesn’t cut the mustard at all, but there are always surprises in life, and this would be one of them. As me and my bud Ron stand in line, we finally get seated, we devour our fine pickerel dinner, topping off the dinner with ice cream. Well it doesn’t get much better than that, for two fellas approaching the so called “Golden Years”. We tour around the streets of the tiny hamlet for a while, when I ask Ron if he’s ever been to Suicide hill he response, No! well we are going there now, Ok! he response. Now it’s a wee bit of a drive south on the broken up asphalt road #242. Just before reaching Snowflake I turn east on a municipal road and after 3 or 4 kilometers we arrive at the top of Suicide hill overlooking the Pembina Valley. It is quite a view to behold, before our steep decline straight down to the bottom of the valley, thank goodness the road is not wet like in London England. As we travel south 1.6 km, then east for 1.6km, then north again 1.6km we come upon a very large herd of cattle crazing in a pasture. The largest I’ve seen in these here parts as they say! Ron and I take guesses at the herd size and stop at the side of the shale road. Then to my complete and utter surprise Ron lets out this bellowing calf/cow call, a few more bellows and every cow and calf has lifted their heads and are looking directly at my van. The cattle all of about 200 started coming towards the fence and are walking and running from as far away as a as ¼ mile. It was an incredible sight to see and experience and I was awed by the sheer magic of the entire event. It was a total You-tube event/experience never to be recreated. again. I know Ron is gifted in mimicking every Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters known, and every accent he comes across from Icelanders to Hutterites to Chief Inspector Clouseau of the French Surete. But to attract cattle by bellowing as he can, even amazes a farm boy like me. What I’m trying to say here is: I would not have traded that moment, for the very best view on the banks of the Thames. Thank you Ron Warkentin for that memorable moment in time.