Our little visitor

It was going to be a lazy day on Monday - I had a few errands I could run, but the weather was iffy (rain, stop, rain, stop, rain, stop) so I didn't plan any great adventure with Maggie and figured I'd mostly just putter around the house.  And then the phone rang. 

A woman who lives in a nearby condo, someone I only know as I see her often while walking the dog, had been awoken at 7:45 to a fire alarm - a very, very loud fire alarm with a very, very high pitch.  How do I know? Because it was ringing while she was on the phone with me.  Ye-ouch!

But not to worry - there was no fire.  The condo was going through some fire inspection which was going to take all day, with the alarms going off every 20-30 minutes as the inspectors went into every unit to test and adjust them.  The problem was that the noise terrorized a certain little dog who was at that moment quivering in her furry little boots. 

Fortunately, we had exchanged phone numbers for emergency help with our dogs.  So.....could Capri, a sweet 12 year old bichon frise (like my Mitzi - remember her?), could Capri come and spend the day with me?  

Well, now you tell me - could you resist spending a day with this little floofball?

I sure couldn't!  And Maggie didn't mind.  Capri was an excellent guest.  She checked out each room, tested each of Maggie's dog beds, settled on the one by the fireplace for the morning, then decided my recliner gave her a better sight line to wherever I was.  

We had a little walk about noon, then she curled up on my lap in the recliner while I read for the rest of the day until it was time for her to go home. 

Thanks for the visit, Capri!  See you again soon. 

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

I've been told that today, August 28th, is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day.  Those who have followed my blog since its beginnings may recognize these beautiful faces - all dogs who brought me much joy and are greatly missed. 

Top row:  Emma, Shiloh, Oliver
Middle row:  Eddie, Belle, Mitzi
Bottom row:  Caleb, Charley, Sadie

In addition to those nine, also running free at the bridge are those who lived with me before the blog:  Brandy, Shamrock, McDuff, Muffin, and Sam.  And right there with them are my three cats Pusskin, Goose and Allie, and foster dogs Petey and Pepper, and foster pigs Scotch and Soda.  I hope to see them all again one day.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of The Rainbow Bridge, here's the story that inspired it or perhaps was inspired by it (there is some speculation the concept is rooted in Norse mythology):

THE RAINBOW BRIDGE

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

(The story of The Rainbow Bridge was written by Paul C. Dahm, a grief counsellor from Portland Oregon USA, who is said to have penned it in 1981, and later published a book by the same name in 1998).  

Horsing around with horses and dogs

Way back in March, when I went to the mainland, I spent a day with my good friend, Luanne.  Luanne is one of my favourite people to visit.  In addition to having worked together for twenty-something years, we also share an interest in social issues, a love of the outdoors, a similar sense of humour, and, of course, a love of animals.

Luanne has HORSES

Haven, approximate age 27-28

Lofn, age 14

Avatar, age 13

Ættingi, age 2

and DOGS

Shtiya, Oola, and Sadie

and CATS (several cats, very timid - only two allowed me even a split second to photograph them!)

Lincoln

Legaless

As soon as I arrived, my first stop was the barn.  I have great affection for Luanne's horses - their actions reflect the great love and attention they have received from Luanne, and will receive for the rest of their lives.  As soon as they heard me, Haven and Avatar stuck their heads out their windows to say hello.

Oh, look - we got company!

But it was THIS fellow, Ættingi  who had me in stitches.  Only two years old, I hadn't met him before, and with his stall next to Avatar's, he wasted no time in grabbing my attention.

Hey, Avatar, who's out there?

Hiya  Lady, Nice to meet you! 

Got treats?

Not only did he photobomb Avatar's shots, but went on to steal the show with his hilarious facial contortions.  Class clown, that's Ættingi:

Peek-a-boo! 

Ha ha, made ya laugh! 

We spent some time with the horses, taking a few more shots of each, chatting about them and with them, and laughing some more at Ættingi's antics (and his hairdo - I love that hairdo!!!)

You laughin' at my toupé?

Avatar

Haven

Haven's hindquarter.  Next time someone calls you a 'horse's ass' just remember
even a horse's ass can be unique, strong and beautiful! 

Lofn getting her winter coat brushed out.

Then, a cup of coffee, an introduction to the cats,  and a bit of time introducing Maggie to Shtiya, Oola and Sadie in the garden, and we were off for a walk.

Maggie:  Whoa!  You didn't tell me there were polar bears here!

I swear Samoyeds are always happy! 

Maggie: They're okay.  They're actually pretty nice dogs.  I'll relax now. 

And off they go! 

Luanne is lucky enough to live near some great trails along a river, It was a perfect March day - sunny, dry, comfortable temperature, and the dogs were in great form.

Oola was only 5 months old at the time I visited, and photographing puppies is always fun.  They are so full of curiosity and mischief and trying new things.  Oola was no exception: 

Hey, there's a dog in the water, smilin' back at me! 

I thought Luanne was going to have to rescue Oola - the log kept rolling and rolling.
But Oola managed to clamber over it eventually! 

What's in there? 

One more round of the horses, and it was time to go home.  As I took a last look at Haven, I saw him silhouetted  in his stall with only his whiskers backlit by the sun, and I had to grab one more photo of him.

Thanks for a wonderful day, Luanne.  Next time, I'll try not to leave it so long!

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A note for my readers: Over the next week, I will be busy preparing my ninth annual Canada Day  tribute, using my favourite photos from the past twelve months.  Come back to the blog July 1st and celebrate with me!

A new camera, an old friend

Right around Christmas Day, my well-used point-and-swear camera died irreparably. I love having a small pocket camera for hikes and walks and everyday use, and so it became a priority to replace it. The day before yesterday (having finally got my car back from being repaired where someone backed into it while it was parked outside my home in early December), I headed into Nanaimo and bought a new point-and-swear.
Those who remember my frustrations with the last one when I bought it two years ago (yeah, I'm hard on cameras - stuff them in my pocket full of dog cookies and sand, take a zillion pictures every couple of days, never use a case for them......two years is a good run for me!), may be surprised to know I bought exactly the same kind (despite the swearing), just a newer version of the same model. I now own a Sony DSC-HX80, to replace my 2016 Sony DSC-HX60.
This is my third Sony, and I stuck with Sony for a few reasons:
1. I have test driven several other point and shoots over the years (Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, Fuji) and never liked the results as much as I do with the Sony.
2. Sony has the best frames-per-second for continuous shooting [for capturing moving dogs or birds or whatever] of any compact point and shoot out there, by far. I liked the Canon point and shoots very much - nice sharp pictures, bright colours , extremely compact size - but their frames per second sucks at a lousy 2.5 fps compared to Sony's 10 fps.
3. This time, Sony hasn't changed the basic features as much as last time, so there should be a lot less swearing.
4. The changes they have made are awesome - a flip-screen for capturing things low down without lying on your tummy and which also can be used for selfies, and a pop-up view finder which I have been wanting point and shoots to add for years! Last time around, there was only one compact camera on the market with a view finder, and it was so big it wouldn't have fit in even the biggest pocket of my oversized clothing. Despite adding a view finder, Sony has also made this year's model a little more compact so it fits in my sandy, dog-cookie-filled pocket even better than the old one.
So, buying another Sony was rather like welcoming an old friend who just gets better with age.
I welcomed another 'old friend' today - my ever-so-talented artist friend Deb Strong and her dog Lily, on their way to visit family. Deb's work as an artist blows me away, and I was once again thrilled to receive a copy of her calendar which brings me great joy every month of the year.
Even though I hadn't had time to set up the camera just how I like it, I had to take it along with me when we took the dogs down to the beach.
So here are a few preliminary shots with the new camera, based on the factory settings and right out of the box. I'd say it's a keeper - just like my friends Deb and Lily.

Deb offers Lily a little gift from Maggie and me.

Lily carried her new ball all the way to the beach, where the ball-obsessed girl was happy to chase it. 

Maggie found Lily's actions with the ball fascinating, and thought she might like to join in too - or at least run run run as far as she could.
Sorry, Maggie, no off leash time for you on that beach yet.

It was a gorgeous day, and the mountains across the strait
showed their snow-covered caps.

Lily, waiting for Deb to throw the ball......again.

I got it! I got it!  Here I come!

Hopefully, over the next week I'll find time to adjust the settings a bit and then it will be time to get serious about photographing our new community.

Just putting these here....

...so you don't think I've moved to another planet.  I haven't finished selecting and editing the Saratoga photos (though I've whittled the 400 or so down to about 40), and I've been busy getting ready for the move (9 more sleeps), and Allie is not doing well right now (kidney failure, may be in final stage now), but I did pop over to a friend's place for a Thanksgiving lunch (Pat and the Poms - they served a stew baked inside a pumpkin that was both seasonal and delicious!) and spent an hour photographing Parker, the newest addition to their family.  Since those photos weren't as numerous and really didn't need any editing, I'll post them here to give you something to look at while you have your morning coffee. 

And in case you wondered what that stew-in-a-pumpkin looked like, here it is:

I'm very thankful for friends like Pat, who make me laugh, listen to me babble on about moving, come on mini vacations with me, hike with me, and share my love of dogs.....oh, and feed me great food and send me home with leftovers!  Thanks, Pat.

And I'm thankful for my blog readers, who tolerate my long absences and who give me a welcoming audience for my stories and photos.  Happy Thanksgiving!