"It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood.."

I arose to brilliant sunshine, blue skies, and a skiff of frost on the ground.  As Eddie and I took our morning walk, I found myself humming the theme from the old TV show, Mr Roger's Neighborhood.  It was indeed a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

We wandered along the beach, chatting with others enjoying the day, slipping and sliding our way across the seawalk  which was covered in black ice (Eddie and I did not like that part much!).  We said hello to the gulls and crows and ducks, checked out the almost-finished sea walk extension, paused to watch the ferry come in, and breathed in the crisp morning air.

Then off to doggy school.  Eddie still has four weeks to go, but has now successfully passed 27 of 29 tasks.  The two remaining ones are both distance commands - 'down' at a distance, and 'settle' (go to your mat and lie down) at a distance.  He's a velcro dog who prefers to lie down right next to me, but he is getting the idea.  And he did some awesome 'stays' and 'heels' (off leash) today.  He is such a good boy!  For a dog like Eddie, mental exercise is as important as physical exercise, and I swear he puffs his chest out with pride when he finally figures something out.  He loves school - starts twirling and barking the minute I get out his training backpack and has a big happy face when we arrive at the training facility. Good job, Eddie!

I'm such a smartie-dog! 

Backtracking to  Thursday, Gail and I took Sadie B and Eddie to Chemainus Lake park, an offleash park with a trail that encircles the lake.  It was an overcast, almost drizzly sort of day but I took my sister's camera along - this was a place I know she would have enjoyed, and it seemed appropriate to lug the bigger camera on the anniversary of her death.

I took several pictures of the lake and on the trail, but it wasn't until I got home and downloaded them to the computer that I noticed something really strange. Three photos in a row, smack in the middle of all the photos I shot,  contained something I could not identify.  There was no fog or anything in the way,  and nothing in the shots immediately before or after these:  Yet look:

In this one, Sadie B looks like a spirit dog - there is something white and ethereal between the camera lens and Sadie B.

Now I might dismiss it as a fogged up lens (though I didn't wipe the lens between this shot and the next ones), or an unnoticed wisp of fog, except for the next two shots:

What the heck is the white blur and the two bright orbs, like eyes, on the right of the photo?????   Eddie was just behind me doing his business when I shot these, so it wasn't him - I was snapping shots of Sadie B while I waited.  And Sadie Be is VERY in tune with any critters like squirrels or bunnies on our hikes, so it wasn't likely another animal. I have zoomed in and zoomed out and stared at it until my eyes crossed.

I do believe there was a spirit in those woods, and she is messin' with my mind!  Just the sort of thing my very mischievous sister would have done!