A hot summer day means a relaxing day at the beach for some or a picnic at the lake. But for some, it means the perfect day for haying. Sometimes here in Maine a field is mowed and baled more than once in the summer, if the weather is right. I think Sunday was one of those perfect days for haying as it was hot but yet not unbearably so and there also was a breeze. Hay usually is baled either in compact rectangular bales or rolled into giant round bales; at least that is the way it is done here in Maine.
Here you can see the rectangular bales are stacked on the trucks and are then brought to a barn or where ever else they are being stored.
Then there are the round bales. Sometimes these are wrapped in white plastic and they look like giant marshmallows in the fields. The round hay bales in the photo below almost look as though they are relaxing under the shade of the trees.
Haying is a lot of hard work and is definitely a process. First the field is mowed. After that it is teddered, which is kind of like fluffing it up, after which the hay rake is used to arrange the hay into rows for baling.
This picture shows a field that has been teddered and then raked and is now ready to be baled.
Hay is not normally what one would consider working with as a material when thinking of art. But this year, at the Northern Maine Fair in Presque Isle, Maine, in Aroostook County, HAY was ART! http://www.northernmainefairgrounds.com
Yes, those are round hay bales you see in the above picture! The Northern Maine Fair had a hay bale decorating contest. You can tell by the following pictures that a lot of work and thought went into these bales of creativity!
This one was quite colorful and groovy!
Using paper plates for scales was a good idea for this fish!
Looks like someone already had a slice of this giant watermelon!
This cute little puppy is ready to play ball.
How about making a smore around the campfire?
This owl is so simply done but is one of my favorites.
This cow can be “spotted” from afar, it’s so bright!
This farm tractor is just waiting for a rider.
And this hay bale coach is right out of a fairy tale.
These two brought their own rides!
I hope you enjoyed this post about HAY and HAY ART! You never know what you can make when you use your imagination!
I think these works of hay art, if nothing else, should make you smile! I know that I did.
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I really enjoyed your hay art post. What wonderful creativity!
It’s amazing what was created out of an ordinary hay bale!
That was really cool! I never knew they did stuff like that with them at the fair. I really enjoyed seeing this post. Thanks for sharing!