Lens Cleaning

Coulee is worse than me at keeping a clean lens.  I was constantly having to wipe it off.

Me and Lacey

Another photo by Coulee.  She is learning how to straighten the horizon by having it in the middle of the frame.  I did have to straighten the image a bit though because the camera was at a bit of an angle.

Me

Photo by Coulee

Water Silhouettes

Thanks to A Tale of Two Cardis for the idea to try silhouettes in water!

I'm going to have to try this again as I love the reflection but I didn't notice it when shooting and kept cutting it off.  I also love the way you can see the movement in the water still.

Yay.  Finally Lacey silhouettes!

Smile

Freaky

I photographed a sweet 10 year old rescue dog named Lucky yesterday.

Doesn't she look like my sister's dog Micah (who was also a rescue dog from the area)?  Aside from being a little heavier, and a little whiter around the face, they are awfully close!

It would be pretty freaky if they were actually litter mates!

Mira, Mira on the Wall

Mira's human sister was having her first birthday party today.  So instead of getting stressed out by a whole bunch of people, Mira came to hang out with the girls for a few hours.

We had a plan... take them all for a walk right away so that they would all just hang out peacefully for the rest of the time.  It totally worked.  I have no idea where Jack is hiding, but I'm pretty sure Mira hasn't wandered around enough to even know he exists.

Mira is an expert at the crazy face.

But also a pretty good poser.

It was funny to have the three different dogs on the walk.  For the most part they were all doing their own thing - Lacey gopher hunting, Coulee wandering and hoping we'd throw something and Mira sniffing, sniffing, sniffing.  She even managed to sniff out winter.  :)

On the Hunt

You never know when one is going to scamper across the path.  You need constant vigilance.

Finding the Balance

The issues with Coulee's feet come and go.  They've looked pretty good these past few months, but recently have cycled back to a painful stage.

They've looked worse, but at the moment, she tends to be quite tender after walks.  She doesn't show much limping (if any) during the walk, but after we get home she hobbles around the house. I don't for sure if the hobbling is caused by pain in her feet, or if it is joint pain, or muscle stiffness or what, but the state of her feet always coincides with the hobbling at home.

As always, I'm struggling to find the balance between enough exercise and too much exercise.  Part of the problem is that she doesn't act sore while out on a walk so sometimes I don't even think about the potential consequences later.  When she cycles into this stage, it always seems to take me a few weeks to get back into the groove of what is a good amount of exercise and what is too much.

I'm also trying to figure out what Coulee would prefer - doing what she loves and be a little sore later, or having an OK time and being less sore, or doing nothing and not being sore at all.  I guess it comes down to whether she'd like a life with highs and lows or one that is just kind of OK - nothing too fun, but nothing too painful either.

The age old question - Should you live life with gusto, despite the consequences or play it safe?

I don't think life is that black and white.  For me, even if I try and live life with gusto there are always responsibilities that keep me grounded whether I like it or not.  Things like paying the bills, maintaining my relationships, looking after those who are my responsibility, etc. Whether I like it or not, getting older seems to mean getting more grounded.  I'm know there are people who avoid that "trap" - people without kids, or pets, or mortgages who can literally get up and go at the drop of a hat, but I also know they are trading off stuff for that lifestyle too.

I think the key is finding a balance.  Having fun and living life to the fullest, without compromising your future happiness.  In Coulee's case, life is a little more black and white, but for now it will mean a little less fun on walks in the short term, so hopefully she can continue to have fun in the long term.

More Mud

I didn't actually intend for the dogs to get all muddy again, but they both went running down to the water and I thought "What the heck".

Although I do admit to regretting this throw....

We both got a little dirty handling the frisbee.

Thankfully it washes right off.

Lacey was doing her own thing.  LOL

Another oops throw...

But again, the mud just washed right off.

I love the dirty water swirls coming off her front feet.

Lacey finally decided to join in on the game.

Coulee always intimidates Lacey away from the toy, even if she gets there first.

Lacey never seems to care though.

I have two very tired and happy dogs.

Gopher Hunt

Lacey LOVES to gopher hunt.  (It is actually Richardson Ground Squirrels that she hunts, but they are normally just called gophers around here - less of a mouthful).  It is the only time on a walk that she is a) out in front, b) running full speeds) and c) oblivious to what Coulee and I are doing.  It is such a weird change to see her go into hunt mode.  I can even tell in the pictures that she isn't in play mode anymore.  If she keeps this up, she is going to be in great shape in a few months.

The gophers came up a few weeks ago and started chirping.  The small amount of snow we got the other day didn't seem to slow them down.

She's only ever caught one once - in Kelowna.  They were probably groggy from the heat or something and weren't moving very fast.  Since then, it has been impossible to walk by gopher holes, without her losing her mind. When she is on leash it is horrible!  Off leash, it is just entertaining to watch her try and catch them.  She never digs at their holes, just runs from squeak to squeak.  They keep her zig zagging all over the field.

Video

Here is a short video from yesterday that Amanda took.  If you don't want to hear a whole lotta barking, don't watch!  LOL

Extra Muddy, Extra Fun

When Amanda and I made arrangements to meet for a walk this afternoon it was overcast, but dry.  By the time we finished the snow was pouring down and we were all wet, cold and muddy.  But the dog's had fun.  Lots of fun.

This is Boone.  Isn't he cute?  I'm only showing this photo so that you know what he should look like. Because by the end, he looked like a drowned rat.

It's been a long time since we torrtured Coulee with Vito.  He HATES her being in the water.  He barks, and barks and barks.  This makes everyone else bark, and bark and bark.  Amanda has some video.  I'll post it later.  The sound was deafening.  Good thing the park was deserted.

Boone only gets a little excited while waiting for the toy to be thrown.

There is no doubting Vito's border collie genes... just look at that obsession.  :)

It has been a long time since Lacey had a tail to bite!  The expression on Coulee cracks me up.

Fetching, glorious fetching!  With Vito waiting on shore barking of course.

Lacey is eyeing up her next targets.  And no, I'm not joking.

Could he BE any cuter?

Boone is always the picture of grace.

Coulee decided to try a mud facial.

This was funny.  She was walking along with the toy and suddenly dropped it.  Apparently she didn't realize that gravity always brings the toy down, because she jumped up to try and catch it.  LOL

Have I mentioned how much I love Vito?  I mean really.  How could you not?

They should all sleep good tonight!