Just Do It

You know how, sometimes, when there is a big messy job to do, you just put it off and put it off because you don't know where to start?  Well, that's what my month of blogging has been like.  I've been going on hikes and walks (beyond our usual daily walks around town and on the seawalk) several times a week for the past several weeks.  Different people.  Different dogs.  Different places. Most times I take the camera.  Most times I come home too tired to do anything more than post a few photos on facebook.  And then I stare at computer as the days and days of photos pile up and think "How the heck am I going to weave these into a decent blog post?"

Well, sometimes you have to scrap the big picture and just do one tiny piece.  So, instead of going with my original plan to integrate a bunch of hikes, I'm just going to start where I'm at right now - and maybe we'll get back to the others and maybe we wont.  Sometimes ya gotta "Just Do It".

Yeah, mom, cuz your readers wanna see my HAPPY face!

So... today Pat and the poms and Maggie and me did an easy walk at the Cowichan Bay estuary - a flat trail of a little over a kilometer each way, dogs allowed on leash only (most obeyed, though we did see a handful of people who sadly hadn't learned how to read the many signs).  It is a refuge for birds, and there were many there this sunny day.  The first to welcome us were the redwinged blackbirds - harbingers of spring, vocal chatterboxes, calling for their mates.

Then there were various ducks and geese, swallows and kingfishers, and of course the pretty little hummingbirds that stay on our island year round:

Maggie is quite a serious little dog, so it always thrills me when I capture her happy face, and I did that twice today - the photo that started this entry, and this one which caused me to laugh when it came up on the screen.  I swear we must have been sharing a wonderful joke!

Didya hear the one about the sheltie and the two poms who went into a bar?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Just wait......
Darn, I forgot the punch line!

I always love walking near water - creeks, rivers, the ocean - any kind of water - as the magic of nature is echoed in the reflections on its surface.  Today was no different, with  blue sky and fluffy clouds both above us and below us:

It was a lovely day for a walk with the dogs, a beautiful day on my beautiful island.  I hope you find some time this week to enjoy the great outdoors.
Till next time....

Spring!

In my garden, this first day of spring.
Early tulips, late crocus, daffodils, periwinkle, lavender.
And there are cherry blossoms just down the road. 

Maggie says.....

My mama has been too busy hiking with me (or too tired afterwards) to blog.  That means I'm more important to her than you.  So there!  Love Maggie. 
(Mama says that was rude, and to tell you she'll post sum pictures of our outings soon). 

The new dog in town

I've been too busy lazy to work on a post lately, though I have lots of photos and adventures to share.  But here on Vancouver Island, spring keeps beckoning me - get outside and enjoy nature when the sun is shining, stay indoors and spring clean (or at least declutter and organize) when it's raining. 

My plan yesterday was to put together a post on our rather unstable weather of the last couple of weeks, and what we did and where we went in rain, sun, snow and wind.  Instead, I went down to the park in the sunny but cool weather and did a photoshoot of a good friend's newest family member, Blaze.

Blaze is an American Cocker Spaniel, nine years old.  At one time he earned his championship.  Not all dogs who are adopted at an older age come from shelters or rescues.  Breeders, even the best breeders, age like the rest of us, or succumb to serious illnesses, or both.  And sometimes that means they can no longer look after the dogs in their care.  When that happens, the breed club often steps up to the plate, arranging fosters and eventual adoptions.  Working through breed clubs is a good way to find an adoptable older dog of a breed that isn't often found in shelters in Canada - or at least, not in my area of Canada. 

Through asking for recommendations of responsible breeders, then networking, being patient, and engaging in phone calls and emails asking and answering questions, my friends were able to find the kind of dog they wanted.  And I was able to have a new subject to photograph on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Welcome to Crofton, Blaze.  I hope I'll get to see you (and your new mom, of course) a whole lot.  Maggie and I know some great hiking trails you may enjoy!