Friday, August 31, 2007

Oh .... Hai.


Oh look who it is! Three Woofs And A Woo!!

Okay, don't get too excited - my camera is not yet back. I still feel like I am missing an arm. In desperation, today I borrowed the camera from work and ran home with it giggling like a schoolgirl. I really REALLY needed to take some pictures.

The camera I borrowed is something called a Canon Elph, or a Powershot SD700 IS. It's a "point-and-shoot" camera, and it's really lots different from my 300D, which looks, feels and acts like a regular camera.

It's so tiny
I don't really have giant man hands - I swear, it's just the angle!

It's difficult to explain the difference between shooting with my DSLR and shooting with a point and shoot. It's kind of like if you had always driven a sports car and you woke up one day to find a Yugo parked in your garage. It puts me in mind of an article I read in a car magazine advice column one time (what? yeah I know). Someone wrote in and said "Is there any way I can make my Yugo faster?" and the columnist said "Absolutely. You can drop it out of an airplane."

It's kind of like that. I still can't get a feel of where the camera is looking and what I'm trying to frame by looking at the LCD screen, and the camera is the size of a deck of cards so I feel awkward when (with my apparently giant man hands) I put the eyepiece up to my orb. I don't have that symbiosis with the camera that I have with my 300D so either ir or I are slow to track the action.

I ended up with an awful lot of shots like this:

The Wootie smackdown was really funny, by the way. I've never seen a dog SLAP another dog, but this little terrier was like the angriest ex-girlfriend you ever had:

The camera is so small and it takes photos from angles previously unknown to me. Like this one, which actually makes me feel physically nauseous when I look at it:
But doG, do I love those ears :)

So we tootled off to Kits Dog Beach this evening. What is neat about this camera is how much stuff you can get in one shot when you zoom out. I don't like to change lenses at the beach, because of the wind and sand, so when I shoot with my zoom lens my frame is quite small. With this little peanut, I can show you more of where were we hang:

AND such CUTE puppies!!

"Okay, listen ... this beach isn't big enough for this much cuteness. One of us is going to have to grow up, FAST."


Cookie Uncle (aka Adrian) was playing "Grab The Flamboyance" and Woo was getting mighty pissed off. He finally stood back and sassed Cookie Uncle. I think he was cussing him out.

Meanwhile, Lars was trying to figure out how he felt about a Mastiff.

And Red Dog, well, he just really did not understand why the ball was just sitting there. But where are his hind legs? And his chest?

There were lots of Mad Teeth (tm) but I didn't get any of them, because of the tracking action problem. But when Dogs Collide, you get this:

"oof"

"Seriously. Dude. That camera is lame. Put it down and throw the ball."

Anyway.

So I'm doing my best folks! I will continue to borrow the "Elph" from time to time and try and keep you sated with photos, even if they aren't the quality you're used to. And I'll try to think of other ways to keep you amused as well. I really appreciate all the emails you've sent to tell me how you lurk on the blog and how much you enjoy and miss it, and I'm really glad that I can help you enjoy my woofs as much as I do :) Seriously, it gives me the warm fuzzies. I'm trying to respond to you all as quickly as I can.

Jane, this one's for you.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Who Needs A Stinkin' Camera??

So I posted this in the comments section originally, but realized that I should probably just post it so more people get a chance to see it.

While surfing the web (you know, with one hand on the keyboard, the other wiping tears from my eyes) I found some veeeery interesting information on the Canon Rebel (AKA the 300D) which is what I shoot with.

Apparently the problem is well documented. I am not the first person to have the dreaded "black screen" problem by any stretch of the imagination.

And again someone else notes the same problem. Several someones, if you read the comments.

I am a tad peeved by this. When I called Canon, the friendly man on the telephone said "Hmmmm, sounds like a sensor problem." Clearly, it is no sensor problem. Clearly, Canon knows this. I am so disappointed in their lack of response to a well documented problem. Hopefully, the repair will fix it for good, but I have lost faith in my camera! Which, BTW, I miss a lot.

And I'm not the only one who misses it! All of your posts and emails have been really great, serving to remind me daily that I have no camera. Just kidding! You have all been wonderful and I love the fact you all enjoy TWandAW so much. And that you complain. The most complainy of all the McComplainersons has definitely been Jane. Jane misses The Flamboyance and doesn't hesitate to tell me how much, and often.

So there's not much I can do ... except for this. Jane, this is for you!
This rendition of Woo and the Flamboyance courtesy of TexasOddity!




This rendition of Woo contributed by deavlynn!



DO YOU HAVE AN 'ARTISTIC' INTERPRETATION OF THE FLAMBOYANCE SO WE CAN ALL MAKE JANE SHUT UP??

If so, please
email it to me and I will post it here!!

This interpretation of Woo was contributed by Kat's Dogs!




This interpretation of Woo inspired by zillibean but done at Big Huge Labs!




This interpretation of Woo contributed by Vinds!



This interpretation of Woo was contributed by Sweet Ceana!





This asci rendition of Woo contributed by Barbara!




This rendition of Mr. Woo was submitted by Brandon M!





This rendition of Woo was contributed by RaisingRiver!




This interpretation of Woo was contributed by Alaska!




This rendition of Woo was submitted by Holly's Mum!




This rendition of Woo contributed by Odin's Momma!



Keep 'em coming folks!!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Life Is Merrier, With A Terrier

Harriet is as cute as a button! If you're into buttons, that is.
(I like buttons!)

This terrier was also cute and had a serious case of the Always-Zoomies

I think I have mentioned before that Greyhounds are very dignified, poised, polished etc?

VOILA!

So Parker ^^ has a little problem with swimming - she can't. I don't know if it's a greyhound specific thing, or a Parker thing, but whatever it is, it's really damn funny.

First her mum takes her out into the water ...

...and Parker treads water for a while. Then Jackie lets her go, and it's like Parker is trying to pull earth down from the skies to stand on, because her ass immediately sinks, and her front paws come way up out of the water. It's a perpendicular (and peculiar!) sort of swimming.
It's also much funnier in person. One day, I will get it on video.

So I don't know what was going on at YOUR dog beach this afternoon, but at our dog beach ...

EVERYBODY WAS KUNG-FU FIGHTING ...

Ha ha. Piper kills me.

So I hope you enjoyed these photos, because they are the last ones you'll be seeing for some time to come. Because today, my camera broke. Now when I try to take a photo, this is what I get:
I am of course referring to the GIANT BLACK BAND across the photo, and not the Scary Monster Woo in the background.

After some foot stomping and crying and feeling sorry for myself and general bad-moodedness, I googled the issue and I *think* it's a problem with springs and mirrors (hoo boy, that takes me back to my youth! But I digress).

So my camera is now dead to me. And you. I can send it in for repair, and hope it can be fixed. If it can't, we will hold a funeral for Three Woofs And A Woo (the blog, not the actual dogs) because I'm poor and can't afford another camera. Are there no pledge drives for photographers who are down on their luck?

*sigh*

Woe is me.

So I bid you farewell the now, devoted fans of the Border(and-line) Collies, and we hope to see you again some day.

If you would like to get in touch with us, please drop us a line at reddogphotos@shaw.ca

WE WILL MISS YOU


Thursday, August 23, 2007

BITEY FACE SMACKDOWN

THE ARENA ... Food Lady's Bed.

THE GLADIATORS:

MR WOO - 24 lbs of hidden fury:

PIPER - 28 lbs of not-so-hidden fury

THE RULES .... NONE

1. Try To Out-Crocodile Your Opponent

2. Intimidation

3. Go For The Neck

4. Go For the Feet

4. Narrowly Avoid A Take Down

5. End In A Bitey-Face Draw

Mr. Woo adds that sucking up to the Fun Police doesn't hurt:

Really, these two are super friends. They can wrestle nicely for hours without it ever turning ugly.

Not so when it comes to Tweed. For reasons I don't understand, after approximately 22 seconds of Bitey-Face with Tweed, it turns ugly and Piper does her best to kick the living shit out of the big red meathead.

"I dunno?"

I don't suppose it has anything to do with the fact that Piper is a complete bitch. Albeit a very cute one.

Angry Donut thinks she can kick all their asses, once fortified with human flesh:

Round Eye is just disgusted with all the hooliganism. Funny, coming from a cat that climbs windowscreens and broke my camera.

Gratuitous Red Dog Photo Alert!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The Amputation of Spiny Norman

Meet Spiny Norman.

Spiny Norman was a happy little squeaker.

But it's a rough world out there. Spiny Norman joined the Red Dawg gang, for protection like. Spiny Norman had a gambling problem.

Spiny Norman owed some kibbles and wasn't paying up. He was hiding from the long paw of the dawg

But Spiny Norman's smug countenance and squeaky voice soon got on Red Dawg's nerves. He ousted him from the gang.
After beating him up a little.

Sadistic Piper was waiting for this opportunity.

She taught Spiny Norman a harsh lesson in economics.

Spiny Norman is not so smiley now, is he? And he doesn't squeak anymore.

The moral of the story? When you have four border collies, buy cheap squeakies because they just shred them in no time at all.

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I am home sick with a wicked flu. A little while ago I shuffled to the bathroom (AKA Catland) to blow my nose. The bathroom is off limits to dogs, and they are insatiably curious about what goes on in there.

"Oh hai, whatcha doin' in there?"

"Ha ha, I bet she's going potty. Ha ha ha."

"Okay, I really want to know what you're doing in there. What are those honking noises? Can I please come in? I promise not to eat the cat food."
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When I shuffled back out, I found these sitting on the hallway credenza. I had forgotten all about them.
^^child sized sunglasses

Mwa ha ha ha. More stuff on my dogs.

Mr. Woo really hates it when I play this game.

Tweed is usually pretty good about it.

But even he has his limits.
He really doesn't understand why I would put cowboy boots on a dog.

"Why, Food Lady? Why?"
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KITTENZ INTERLUDE!!

Angry Donut

Round Eye is being a bit of a diva these days.

Another rare Toilet Kitty sighting.

BTW, Toilet Kitty does NOT play the stuff-on-your-pet game.

He was completely unamused.

I, however, was still amused, and moved onto hats.

He looks rakish and sexy doesn't he?

Woo was still not impressed.

And made his opinion quite clear the second time I shuffled off to blow my nose.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by.