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.

Tales of Houdini and Mooch

The other day, Maggie and I went back to Parksville with Pat and the poms.  Two unexpected stories emerged from the photos.  The first story I'll call "Houdini", the second one "Mooch".

I.  HOUDINI

It was a beautiful day, perfect for a beach walk.  We headed out to the water, all dogs on leash.  Maggie and Cosmo raced ahead and happily pranced into the water.  Lexi was complaining bitterly because Pat didn't bring the stroller.  She does NOT think princesses should walk.

Pat's attention was focused on Maggie, who was happily barking up a storm.  She wanted to make sure everyone in Parksville and beyond knew just much she loves The Beach.

Arwoooo-ooooo-ooooooo

My attention was on Cosmo, as I attempted to get some action shots of him running into the sea.  But look closer at this photo - much closer. (You'll need to be looking at this on a real computer, not on one of those itty-bitty smartphone things).  Do you see a problem?

Here, I'll help you.  Do you see it now? In the background?

Lexi, aka Houdini, has just slipped her harness! 

And then....

She looks at it......

She checks it out again .....

And at that point, she took off like a bat out of h*ll, straight back to the car and the road!  THAT part I don't have on film, because it was then we realized what was going on.  I grabbed Cosmo's leash from Pat, and Pat took off like an even battier bat out of h*ll after Lexi.   I don't think either of us have ever been so scared - Lexi was racing away at top speed and paying no attention to Pat's calls.

Fortunately, a kind woman and child managed to divert Lexi's attention just before she reached the edge of the sand, giving Pat time to catch up to her,  and all was well that ended well.  Mags had both her martingale collar and her harness on, so with a bit of ingenuity and using Maggie's martingale collar as a cinch around Lexi's harness , we jury-rigged a double-clip, non-slip, you-won't-escape-this-Ms-Houdini harness for the troublemaker. 

Needless to say, Pat went shopping for a better harness the next day.

II.  THE MOOCH

Maggie likes food.  No doubt about it.  Oh, there are some things she won't thank you for - like fruits and veggies, or anything with peanut butter (what dog doesn't like peanut butter, for gosh sakes???). But most other things, she is quite happy to help you consume.

At home, she doesn't get fed from the table.  After a meal, I do take the plate to the mat in the kitchen where she is only too happy to be the pre-wash cycle before it goes in the dishwasher.  But on an outing like a hike or a day at the beach?  Well, that's a different matter.  I will share a little of my lunch with her if she sits politely and quietly.  Apparently, though, some people are oblivious to big, pleading eyes:

Auntie Pat, is that a POTATO CHIP in your hand? 

For ME? I'm being so Po-lite! 

Noooooooooooo!

See if I ever talk to you again, Auntie Pat! 

Oh, wait, there's more?
I love you, Auntie Pat.   

The End.