It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Happy Autumn everyone!! My most beloved season is finally here!! YAY!! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous-cooler, but beautifully sunny. It makes me so happy to watch the turning of the leaves and the changing of the light.

It's been a busy time in the last week or so. I met with my new cohort, my 4th for the UBC Interprofessional Health Mentors Program on Monday night. This time my students are from medicine, nursing, OT and kinesiology. They are a lovely group of young women and I am excited to be working with them. My 3rd cohort has two more session and then they are done. Hard to believe we're at that point already!

We have been sticking pretty close to home as my husband is still recovering but we've managed to take Indy for a dip in the lake from time to time. He is never so happy as when he is swimming and retrieving. Now that the summer drought is over and we've had a decent amount of rain, the lake has been fairly high which makes for better swimming for him.

Thanksgiving is next weekend. I am going to be baking pies this weekend in preparation. Turkey is my favourite meal, so I am looking forward to it. Our best friends and our son will be joining us. This year has been really rough, but we still have plenty to be thankful for-we are all still alive and together and before the month is up, we will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. That's a pretty big deal. 

In case you missed it, there are zines available in my Etsy store-issues #3 & #4 of Manual Dexterity. Issue #3 is Hallowe'en/Autumn themed and includes my secret recipe for THE BEST pumpkin pie! You can find them here.

Happy Fall Y'all! 

New Digs!

The wall of overwhelm, (studio stuff) which I have since eliminated.

Creating:

We moved over the last week, downsizing as empty-nesters do. It was an interesting exercise in letting go-letting go of too much space and a ton of stuff we really had no need for. From this point on, I will be more mindful of what I buy and bring into our home. Fortunately, we were able to give a fair amount of useful things to friends, donated alot to charity and recycled everything we could that couldn't be re-homed.

Indy smelling all the smells.

I am now in the process of unpacking and creating a new space for us to live in. Our new home is on a green belt. We look out onto a courtyard filled with mature trees (ornamental cherry trees, magnolias and others) and we're surrounded by old growth evergreens. We have a covered balcony which Indy is really enjoying. He can lie out there even on a rainy day if he wants and smell all the good smells. It's very quiet and it's really like living in a park. We love it here.

I am getting some art ready to submit to the MS Society BC-Yukon Division's MS Expressions art show which will showcase visual arts created by people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO). The exhibition will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2015 in the Lower lobby of Metrotower III, 4730 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC (Connected to Metrotown Mall) with a reception from 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm. The event is free and everyone is welcome. If you'd like to attend,  please RSVP here.

Reading:

Since I've been so busy with packing to move over the last 3 weeks, I haven't had alot of time to read. I've also been having some issues with my vision, so some days I can read and some days I can't. I did just finish Jonathan Kellerman's latest novel in the Alex Delaware series, Motive. He remains my favourite author.

Watching:

I've been viewing quite a few documentaries. The most recent one was K2: Siren of the Himalayas which is about a 2009 attempt to scale K2. I also saw Tell It On the Mountain-Tales From the Pacific Crest Trail which follows a number of hikers along the trail. Both were really interesting. I am waiting for Inspired to Ride which is a new cycling film to come out. It's by the good folks who created Ride the Divide which I loved.

Listening:

Songs I am currently obsessing over:

Carrying A Torch-Van Morrison

Honest Songs-Noah Gunderson

You Won't Find Me-Amelia Curran

Slow Kind Light-Zaac Pick

Zaac Pick has a new album out on April 14th called Constellations. I can't wait. He's a local artist and one of my favourites. The Indigo Girls also have a new album out shortly and I am waiting {im}patiently for that one too!

Anticipating:

I had a pretty interesting invitation in my email the other day. As per usual, I can't say too much about it right now, but it's something I am really excited to be asked to do and I hope to have a positive impact. I'll share more when I can!

Dreaming:

Right now, I am looking forward to celebrating my birthday which was on the 22nd. We were so busy with the move that I elected to postpone it till after we got settled. There's a Keg dinner and a trip to the theatre to see The Second Best Marigold Hotel involved. I also have a birthday cheque to spend. It will either go towards art supplies or art books...I just need to decide. The kids are coming over for Easter dinner on Sunday. It will be our first family dinner in our new place.

Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday to my sweet boy, Indiana Jones! Indy is 7 years old today! 

To celebrate, I got him a buffalo bone that he will be enjoying after a swim up at the lake.

Catching Up!

Hello again! I know it's been some time since I posted. Life has been hectic and intense the last while. Sometimes, you just have to go with it.

I ordered more Moo cards. This time I decided that I wanted to use some of my photography of graffiti to make them. All but the pink "face" were taken in various locations in Whistler. The pink "face" was taken a few years ago of a set of doors on a building in Vancouver that was one of my favourites, but  sadly, is no more. The rest of my Moo cards from this latest set are piece of my art that I like and that I've had printed as Moo cards before. 

I was completely out of cards and wanted to make sure I had some for my trip to LA in two weeks. Moo always has excellent customer service and they were made and shipped lickity split. I LOVE Moo!

If you've never ordered from Moo before and would like to, you can get 10% off your order by following this link.

Here's a gratuitous photo of Indy getting dried off after being out in the rain. He cracks me up. I've never known a dog to love being towelled off as much as he does. He'd stand there all day and let you do it, if you were so inclined. I love his smile. It's too bad it was late at night and so dark when I took this.

If I've been kind of quite the last while, it's because I am dealing a number of things right now. One of those things is an eye issue. I am having significant pain and blurriness in my right eye. I've had my neuro opthamologist look at it and it's not optic neuritis. I trialed a drug and we know if the drug worked that it's exactly what he thinks it is. Well, the new drug did work for the eye pain, but it also created persistent intense headaches as a side effect.  I am unable to stay on this particular drug long term because of that, so I ended up getting off it. It was pretty miserable.

Then, because dealing with my eye wasn't enough, I had an accident last weekend. I got my foot caught getting out of the car and hit the dirt hard. I scared my husband-all he could see was my legs and I wasn't moving. He came flying around to my side of the car in a panic until I said "I am okay." Only it turns out, I wasn't okay-I have badly injured my ribs and am now on morphine while it heals. It hurts to breath, to lie down, to move...fun times! So, I am a bit broken at the moment.

I did my yearly interview with a UBC med student two weeks ago. It's always interesting to meet new medical students, tell them my story and then hear what questions they have. I just realised that I've been with this particular program now for 7 years. How time flies! My next meeting with my Health Mentor students is to prepare for the annual symposium which takes place at the end of April. 

I am flying off to Los Angeles tomorrow morning to attend the annual NMO Patient Day put on by the Guthy-Jackson Foundation. I will be speaking about my advocacy work as a Community Rep for the MS Society of Canada and as a UBC Health Mentor. I am looking forward to hearing what's going on in the world of NMO research. I am also looking forward to poking around LA before I have to fly back. I had plans with a good friend, but she had to cancel due to a death in the family, so I'll be adventuring on my own. 

Okay, I'd better go throw some stuff into a suitcase! Catcha on the flip side!

The Best Intentions...

A whole week has whizzed by and I didn't get this posted, despite my best intentions. I had errands to run on last Saturday, down town. When I got back to the car, my husband pointed out the graffiti/murals in the laneway near where we were parked and then proceeded to drive down it slowly, so I could snap some photos. It was really cool! I'll have to go back sometime on foot and take better photos.

Some of my errands were at Granville Island. We had lunch there and did a walk about. This kind of amused me-graffiti outside Emily Carr. Those darn art students are *so* destructive! I actually enjoy finding their art work here and there around the campus. I purposely look for it.

I shot this photo of Indy eating peas fresh out of our garden. It cracks me up! Blur, crazy eye and teeth! It must be said though that Indy is the gentlest and most polite dog and no fingers are ever hurt when giving him treats. He's so good I've let babies feed him cookies or freeze dried fish. 

It really was a busy week-I delivered friends to the airport so they could fly off to Iceland (envious!), I had a Won with One board meeting and I also watched the episode of TV show I was on. This is the show I spent 5 days shooting last year-it finally went to air. I was very nervous about it because it was "reality" TV and it was a very odd experience. I can officially say I've been there, done that. 'Nuff said.

Here are a few token photos from the 5 day shoot. I didn't take too many because our schedule was pretty hectic.

The Producer on the bus PA giving us the break down of what the day's shooting is going to look like.



One of the locations we went to had this beautiful old barn. You can't tell from this angle, but I did get some pretty shots from the front, which I am saving to use in a project at some point. I adore old barns.

Selfie on the bus on the way home. I think this had to be day 3. We were all exhausted. I was suffering through a steroid treatment (pills) which was pretty awful. I must have been out of my mind to be doing tv while having an attack and taking major amounts of steroids which made me quite sick, but when I want to do something, I *DO* it. By day 4, I just wanted to be home in bed and on day 5 I spent the whole day reminding myself it was almost over.

I am about to launch into working on a secret project, which I will share more about in the fall. Meanwhile, speaking of steroids, I'll be spending 3 days next week at the hospital having infusions again. Not pleased, but if I want to keep using my hands and my left leg, I have to go do it. My summer is being taken up with hospitals and specialists and tests. Fun times! It is what it is. Autumn can't get here fast enough!

The Ides of March

Happy 6th Birthday to my beautiful, sweet boy, Indiana Jones. 

You are my heart walking around on four furry legs. xox

September Long Weekend 2013

         

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! We decided to spend most of Saturday at Spanish Banks in Vancouver. There's a huge stretch of beach there and if you drive right the last segment of it, there's a dedicated dog beach.

      

When we arrived at about 10 a.m., the tide was way out, which made me happy because I love to walk on the sand. We could get a fair way out and still only be ankle deep once we hit the water.

Here's a short video clip of Indy having a great time with a Husky he made friends with. You can kind of get an idea how far out we were and he's not even chest deep.

         

I shot this from where I was standing, mid-shin deep. I didn't go out further because I had my iPhone in my pocket and with my lack of proprioception didn't want to lose my balance, fall down and get my phone wet. If I'd had a ziplock bag to keep my phone safe, I would have walked out as far as I could go, just for fun. I'll know to be better prepared next time!

We had a picnic lunch and after lunch went back down to the beach. In the short 1/2 hour we were eating, the tide had come in and it was finally deep enough for Indy to swim. He had a great time retrieving his water Kong and shooting the waves. 

I'm ready for Autumn now!

Scenes From the Weekend

On Sunday, we got up early to take Indy to check out a new (to us) park along the Fraser River. He loves anywhere where he has the opportunity to swim. 

This particular park is across the water from YVR (Vancouver International Airport) so we got to watch lots of planes coming in, which I enjoyed. I even spotted a seal swimming along.

I kind of love this silhouette shot of Indy playing in the waves.

The nosy nose that knows.

Plus a quick selfie, just for good measure. It feels good to be shooting with my Rebel again. I've been neglecting it of late, in favour of getting familiar with my iPhone camera and a bunch of photography apps. It's good fun, but really, my DSLR is my first love. There's just no comparison.

In case you're wondering, the apps I am enjoying are:

Over 

A Beautiful Mess 

Afterlight

Kaleido Lens

Typic Pro

 They are all good, but Typic Pro is my personal favourite of the bunch!

If you have some photography apps you love, please comment & let me know what they are!

A Moment of Personal Triumph

So today, We decided to hike Quarry Rock. It's a part of the Baden Powell Trail, located in Deep Cove. It's a punishing, steep and winding 8 km hike to a view point. The trail is a mass of roots, loose rock, slippery sections, rough stairs (some of which are hip high!) and bridges. Conditions are such that if you're like me and have no proprioception (& therefore, no balance) you cannot allow your attention to stray from you feet for a single second.

The trail head begins with a climb that is 45 degrees straight up. I stood looking up at it and thinking "WOW!" and wondering if I was out of my mind. My second thought (the one that usually gets me into trouble) was "Well...as long as I'm here..."

We took our time, taking lots of little breaks because as I was climbing, I was loosing feeling in my legs. (That's the fun part of having spinal cord damage!) It made me a bit dizzy, but I sucked it up and kept moving. There was no way I was going to give up.

An hour and twenty minutes later, we were looking at this:

Deep Cove (left) and up Indian Arm. (right)

We stopped to cool off, down some water and a snack. Indy found a mud puddle and wasted no time plunging into it up to his armpits. That's a Lab for ya!

See? He's smiling, right after he did it. I noticed some fixed points in the rock. I think if you have the right equipment, you could take a shortcut down. That would have been cool! I'd like to repel at some point in my life-not necessarily there specifically, but just to try it once, for fun.

This is my favourite photo from the day, an old dead tree used as a sign post.

The hike back was equally as challenging, especially since my right hiking shoe was eating a hole in my heel and my knees were screaming. Every step down was painful, but I got through it. The view was *so* worth it and I am glad I did this hike while I am still able-bodied enough to manage it. There's a certain satisfaction in pushing yourself to do things that are hard. It feels just that much better when you persevere and succeed. 

I am proud of myself today. 

Anything is possible!

*****

P.S. Click on any of the photos to view them larger.

All & Sundry

Time for a catch up post! I am still having a blast experimenting with my Gelli plate. I made this print the other day. I still haven't had time to shop for more paint colours to round out my pallet, but I'm hoping to fit that in soon.

The weather here has been spectacular. Over the weekend we hit highs of 30C. We took Indy to Davison's Pool, a hidden away swim hole in the Alouette River my husband grew up swimming in. Indy loves it. We had our first picnic of the year afterwards and I played around with the camera in my iPhone. I was aiming for sun flare and I got it! Still looking for great photography apps, so if you have a favourite you think I should get, please comment and let me know!

I took this shot after Indy got out of the river. Something about the intensity in his eyes make me think he looks kind of wolfish when he stares like this. People who don't know him are very cautious of him because he's big, black and lean like a panther. Thing is, he really is the sweetest boy. To know him is to love him.

He was completely tuckered out when we got home. He crashed on the futon in our spare room. It always cracks me up how he has to lie with his head on a pillow. When he lies on our bed, for some reason, my pillow is the pillow of choice. Dogs really are creatures of comfort.

Like my sexy new splint? For just $115 this too could be yours! Seriously, while I am not thrilled about having to wear it, it is making the wrist fracture easier to live with. I finally managed to get a referral to a hand specialist and it looks like I am going to need an MRI and a referral for a plastic surgeon to take out a tiny floating bone in my wrist (the pisiform) that is causing me grief. It's impinging my ulnar nerve and making my ring and pinkie finger numb, cold and when the swelling is really bad, change colour. It's not carpel tunnel, but sort of similar. It's very uncomfortable and has become a chronic problem. I've fracture my wrist every year for the last 4 years and as much as I've tried to ignore it and just carry on, it's time to do something about it. No telling how long this will take, but at least it's in motion.

In the good news department, I've had two really cool opportunities come up. The details are still being worked out, but I'll share as soon as I can! Lots of great things in the works!

Birthday Boy

Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet, sweet boy!

You are my heart walking around on four furry legs.

xxx

Psst! Indy has his own blog, Left Coast Lab. 

More updates coming soon!

Project 365: January

It's been interesting shooting a self portrait every day. I was kind of worried that I may run out of ideas, but so far, so good. It's easier on days where I am out and about, but it's also a good creative stretch to shoot at home too.

Although there are a few more days left in the month, these are my favourite shots for January. I've been enjoying seeing what the rest of our group has been shooting. It feels good to be connecting with kindred spirits and sharing our stories with one another through photos and sometimes words. (When the spirits move us.) I am grateful to Amy for the invite.

Meanwhile, I've been busy firing up the sewing machine for a secret project. Can't say anything more about it, until the intended recipients have them in hand, which could be awhile. It's good to have a project 3/4 finished, well ahead of the deadline for a change. (Usually I like to work under pressure.)

Indy went to the vet yesterday and got his stitches out. He was not thrilled and was shaking like a leaf, but he let them minister to his wounds and he's much happier now. The biggest wound on his neck (which was the worst one) still needs to do some healing, but the rest have all closed up nicely and it's unlikely he's going to have any visible scars. He's been in contact with other dogs in the park recently, including a pittbull and seems completely unfazed. I am glad the attack didn't damage his spirit. That's the beauty of dogs-they live entirely in the moment. 

On The Mend

Thank You to everyone who posted a comment, sent an email or called to wish Indy a speedy recovery. He was very quiet the first couple of days, but perked up a bit yesterday, especially when his faerie dogmother Lisa came to visit him and brought him a giant cookie. He was extremely happy to see her.

His wounds are starting to heal, but are still quite tender and he's on antibiotics twice a day. He's been very good about taking them, mainly because I slather them in peanut butter, so he thinks they're a treat.

He's been trying to scratch at his stitches off and on, so we've had to put a pair of baby socks on his hind feet. I've got them taped on with washi tape-such is the life of an artists' dog. It's pretty silly, but it works. He can't wear the cone of shame because he has wounds on his neck and the cone would rub them raw. He gets the stitches out in 10 days. His fur is thick enough that I think once it grows back, we won't be able to see any scars. I'm grateful for that.

The emergency vet's office called to check up on him and the girl kept saying how everyone there thought he was such a lovely dog and how badly they feel about him being attacked. They've been very kind and helpful.

Family Emergency

 

Last night I went into the city to meet with my med students. I didn't have my phone because it's pretty much on its last legs and I need to replace it. Anyway, when I got home, my husband and Indy were out. Indy's leash wasn't hanging on the back of the door, so I knew they had gone for a walk.

I wasn't home more than a few minutes when my nephew came to the door, asking if they'd come back yet. His questioning was so odd, I asked him what he was talking about and he said "They didn't call you?!" I told him no, because I didn't have my phone and than asked what was wrong. He explained that they had been attacked.

I immediately got on the phone and called my husband. They were at the vet. He'd been walking Indy and out of nowhere, a pitbull/mastiff cross who was being walked by a woman on the other side of the street they were on went nuts and broke free of his owner. The dog crossed the street and attacked Indy. Pete had to kick the dog continually to try and get him off Indy and at one point he fell down and was lying on the ground. Eventually it stopped. He called our son who came to pick them up and take them to the vet.

Pete called a friend of ours who works for a vet because he didn't know what else to do. She came over and was a huge help in helping him deal with everything. She even dashed home to get him tea and some cookies because he was in shock.

Indy had puncture wounds to his ear, cheek and chin. Our friend said the fact that he has such a thick coat and ruff helped him escape worse injury. I know that it's because my husband defended him that it's not worse. They had to sedate Indy and then stitched him up. He came home very groggy and with antibiotics. He was pretty shaky, which broke my heart. I hate seeing him in distress. He'll get the stitches out in 14 days.

The owners of the other dog were horrified. I am sure they are not bad people. They immediately stepped up and gave the vet their credit card info to cover all the costs of Indy's care. I am extremely grateful for that. We would not have needed the added stress of having to go after them for it. The vet said that usually people do not take responsibility. The bill was over $500.

Pete brought Indy home and I stayed with him while our son took my husband to the ER to be checked out. I made him go because he is still recovering from major surgery and I wanted to make sure he didn't have any internal injuries. His right arm is extremely painful. He has to go back later this morning for an ultrasound to see if he's popped his bicep. I think he has. It's very swollen. 

He's very sore and stiff this morning. He didn't sleep well. He feels terrible about what happened, even though it wasn't his fault-it's just one of those things. He was mostly upset because he knew I'd be upset. He knows Indy means everything to me. I am just glad they are both going to be okay eventually and that it wasn't worse.

Indy is still pretty quiet. He slept most of the night. Hasn't eaten anything yet, but at 8 am, I have to give him antibiotic pills, so I will make him an egg, which he loves to get him to eat something so he takes his pills. 

  I'm running on about 3 hrs. sleep and my head is pounding. We didn't get to bed till 1 a.m. Everyone's going to be lying low today after we get back from the hospital and probably trying to catch up on sleep. Last night was pretty traumatic.

I think we've officially reached our limit on just how much bad stuff we can handle, thank you very much. Enough already!

Thank you to everyone who has sent emails of support and good wishes for Indy & Pete last night and this morning. Much appreciated. xo

365 Self-Portraits

The other day I got an email from a friend, inviting me to join her and some other photography kindreds in a 365 day self-portrait project. There is nothing more cheering then an invitation from an artist friend to collaborate. It's one of my favourite things. I said yes, immediately.

There are so many things I like about self-portraits:

-I do not have to wait for anyone to participate. I get to show up for myself. 

-Digital  photography allows me the freedom to shoot endlessly, so I can experiment as much as I want to and it costs absolutely nothing. Experimenting=learning.

-It allows me to see myself differently which is pretty powerful.

-I can tell my story in a way that is authentically me. (This is the thing I love best about doing them.)

-A self-portrait can be a small glimpse of me (like today's photo, pictured above) or something that represents me.

We're only two days in, but already I am enjoying getting back into the creative groove of shooting every day. I am excited to see how this unfolds over the course of the next 363 days. I imagine at some points it might become challenging, but I will just look to the amazing women who I'm collaborating with for inspiration and that will give me the push to keep going. (Okay that and the fact that I am an Aries and therefore always finish what I've started.)

And by the by, do you remember the word I mentioned I'd chosen for 2013? 

VISION

I put it out there and the universe validated it immediately. This invitation could not have been more perfectly timed.

Magic Mailbox: Lab Love

Yesterday there was a surprise package from my friend Maria Lamb in the magic mailbox. I had no idea what it could be. When I opened it, I saw this:

A hand felted mini Indy! Maria has been creating tiny dogs of various breeds for some time now. She begins with forming a wire structure and then builds the body from batting and wool on top, making the dogs poseable. Here's a link to her needle felted animal collection.

What I love best about the Indy she created is that he's blackish brown, which Indy is-his mum was a black and his dad was a chocolate, so he has a brown undercoat. You can usually see it best in his summer coat which is less thick. The summer sun brings out the brown in his fur.

Maria is so talented and especially good at creating dogs. She did portraits of Indy's little brother Dexter for my best friend Lisa & her husband Lance which I gave to them as thank you gifts a few years ago.

THANK YOU MARIA!! I adore this gift more than words could say. It was a lovely surprise and I will treasure it always. 

xox

Home Again

Wednesday morning was quite intense. It's no easy thing sending someone you love so very much off to have a major organ removed. I was working really hard not to let my mind go to dark places. Fortunately, my best friend was with me the entire time, which made things so much better. The surgeon is very happy with the surgery and my husband came through just fine. I am extremely grateful.

He's recovering slowly, but surely and his incision, which is epic (a foot long) is healing nicely. He's was in a fair bit of pain in the beginning, but with good pain meds, it was manageable. He was also dealing with nausea any time he got upright, but they also gave him meds for that.

Indy was completely baffled as to where his dad was. Every day at 4 pm, he held a vigil at the window, expecting him to come home from work. When he didn't return, he resorted to lying so he could stare at the back door. It was sweet, but kind of sad, really. Thursday night he must have been lonely because at 2 am, he came into my room and asked for permission to come up on the bed. He curled up at my feet. I didn't mind. The house was far too quiet for both of us.

Surprisingly, good dogs who are well behaved and quiet can visit at our hospital, so on Thursday, I surprised my husband by bringing him with me. At first he though I'd snuck Indy in. (He had no idea where  his room was in the hospital or he would have realized that was impossible.) Indy was so happy to see him and anyone who crossed our path wanted to meet my sweet boy. Indy got to visit twice.

My husband came home yesterday, but not before he was kicked out of his room and into the hallway for a night. I won't even comment on that because I have nothing polite to say about it. Neither of us was impressed. He'll get his staples out in about a week and we'll find out what the scoop is. His pain level is improving, which is good.

Meanwhile, we're dealing with the stress of applying for medical Employment Insurance. Normally when you apply, there's the mandatory 2 week waiting period. On Friday when I delivered the last of the paperwork, I was informed that there's a 4 week processing backlog. This means 6 weeks without a single pay cheque. I honestly do not know how our government can get away with this. I am angry and frustrated. I think anyone who is facing a catastrophic illness should not have to wait 2 weeks, never mind 6! How do they expect people to survive? It's the kind of stress we do not need right now, on top of everything else.

I think the stress of the past week has caught up with me. I am not feeling very good-I think I'm coming down with something. I'm trying to rest as much as possible.

Thank you to everyone who has showered us with prayers, positive vibes and good wishes via email or phone or who stopped by the hospital to visit. The love and support has been very much appreciated. 

Farewell September!

October is here! My most favourite month of the whole year! I celebrated the last day of September by donning jeans, a sweater and my hiking boots and heading for the woods.

Truly. I always feel myself relax when I am hiking. It soothes the soul.

Indy was happy because he got to play in the ocean. He's got his water Kong in his mouth in this photo. You can't really tell, but the rope is badly frayed. It's almost time to retire it for a new one. He goes through two a year, which if you saw how hard he plays with them, you'd know they stand up to alot of abuse. Sometimes he has two or three dogs playing tug with it. The rope is really meant so that the humans can wind up and lob it waaaay out into the water. It's really not meant as a tug toy. Someone forgot to mention this to Indy.

I came across these really cool sculptures. This one is an Eagle. There are eagles in the area, but we didn't see any yesterday.

We did see a Blue Heron, though. (A real one.) There was one sitting out on a piling near the dog beach. It always amazes me how such large birds are so graceful in flight. There's a place near Stanley Park where they nest in large colonies. The nests are pretty impressive. I've tried photographing them there, but alas, I need a zoom lense to do it properly. They are too high up to get good photos with the lense I have.

On our way back to our car, we crossed a set of train tracks. They are very active ones and I just happened to look down and notice that there were a bunch of small metal disks scattered around one of the tracks. I knew instantly what they were and bent down to pick them all up. Someone had left coins on the tracks to be flattened. There were 5 and they came home with me. I can't believe no one else noticed them!

It was good getting out with my camera yesterday. I am looking forward to my most favourite holiday, Thanksgiving which is coming up this weekend. It always seems to sneak up on us! But first, I have to get through a busy week. I have a City Council Advisory meeting tomorrow night and then an orientation for the UBC Health Mentor's Program on Wednesday night. I am excited to meet my students! I'll share more about that, soon. It's an amazing opportunity!

5 Shot Friday

My friend Greta and I are playing a game of photo tag. She's posted 5 shots from her week for Friday and this is my response. 

Wanna play along? Post a link in the comments if you do!

Dog Days of Summer

Summer has finally arrived on the west coast of Canada. Truth be told, I'm not a fan of the heat and this past week has been pretty hot! Indy's taken to lazing in the back yard any time the back door is open to help cool the house. (We get a nice breeze coming up off the river.)

Last night I was running in and out of the house, keeping an eye on our dinner on the BBQ and Indy was rolling around in the grass being his adorable, so I grabbed my camera. I like taking candid shots of him just being himself.

 Here he's gazing up at the crows in our cherry tree. If they are on the ground when I let him out, he leaps off the back porch, missing all 5 stairs to charge at them. Being a bird dog, he wants to catch them. It's a good thing they can fly because he's fast! It's funny that he has such a hate on for crows and yet when we're at Granville Island having lunch, a bird (usually a sparrow, pigeon, seagull or starling) can come within mere inches of his nose and he'll ignore it. I don't even have to say "Leave it." He has the best manners.

Goofing around in the grass with his favourite ball. He chews it like it's gum. It whistles when you throw it and he'll retrieve it until you think your arm is going to fall off.

 He looks like such a grown up dog here. He's gotten really good about his Mumaratzi shoving a camera in his face. He still thinks it will steal his soul, but if I set the shutter speed to the sports setting and move quickly, I can get shots like this.

I took this one on Sunday, when we were out at Davison's Pool. Indy had just come up out of the river after a good swim. It's an odd shot, but I like it.

The dog days of summer are here!