We spent a fairly quiet day the other day at a meeting with some government research folks in the morning, and our own offices in Tacuarembó in the afternoon. We’re making good use of the office since the internet either doesn’t work at the house, or does work but crashes when you try to upload or send any files.
We’ve already been stopped on the road by multiple herds of livestock. The cows are surprisingly brave, or just dense, because they refuse to move off the road until the truck is literally right in front of them. The sheep on the other hand are a little more skittish, but it takes them a moment to get up from their nap positions in the middle of the road before they allow you to pass through. Some sheep have a wooden contraption around their necks, supposedly because they’re notorious at getting through fences. They don’t seem to be bothered by them, and amble around with the rest of the herd.
When we returned to La Corona after being at the office, we were welcomed with an Asado, which we could smell cooking from the road at the bottom of the hill. Kike was cooking enough meat for 17 dinner guests, plus a bunch of leftovers. Because all the other guests were local Uruguayans, they all knew each other and were telling some very animated, fast stories in Spanish. I decided it would be more relaxed to hang out near the Asado with Sonia and Kike, and Sonia then ended up bringing a plate of appetizers and a glass of wine out there while we hung out. It was actually pretty fun, and it made me feel like we’re really bonding to the Uruguayan family.
It looks like some of the sheep have a red mark on their neck. Is that an injury (possibly from a fence that was smaller than it looked) or is that a marking from the owner, like branding?
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's a little concerning if you're just scrolling through this post to see the pictures. First: cute little sheep looking all innocent. Next: a big flaming grill.
I totally thought about that right after I hit the "publish post" button. I should say that we didn't actually eat lamb that night. On the asado is chorizo, thymus glands (beef), chicken, beef ribs, and beef steak. Oh,and eggplant.
ReplyDeleteThe red mark is most likely paint that different ranchers use. We see a lot of blue sheep near the house.
Do you know what the paint represents??? ;0P
ReplyDelete