These lush photos are by Matthias Heiderich.

via behance network

Found this at “The Secret Museum of Mankind” which has amazing images and some cringe inducing captions. The straw boys are a centuries old tradition in western, rural Ireland. They crash weddings and wakes to sing, dance and commit acts of “buffoonery”. Straw boys continue to crash wedding to this day.

This bona-fide city girl moved from Boston to a commune, on a farm, when I was seven. I have a vivid memory of the smell when we got out of the car and walked down the hill to our new house (next to the little barn). Where two horses, one wild pony, one cow, and one bull lived. I learned to love those animals. The horses, mellow Winnie and high-strung Trigger, from a respectful distance. Sweet and gentle Black Beauty, one of the cows, stole my heart. She let me lay on her and read for hours. Stanley, the bull, was goofy and playful when he was young. Then good and scary when he got older. I liked hanging out in the barn with the other kids. We’d pick the corn kernels out of the sweet feed to eat. We’d take turns trying to ride the pinto. He was tiny and hated it. He would buck wild. I fancied myself tough and rugged. Dare I say it, fierce.

From SMU’s Cowgirl Collection

By Barbara & Michael Leisgen.

via colt + rane