A Photo Day at Fort Warden

Simon, Temperance, and Caleb on the wall at Fort Warden State Park...

On the way up we found this coin operated horse, hahaha... I haven't seen one in years. Simon had a blast with this.

Again, all at Fort Warden...

Tempe is really picking up fast on keeping a pose while I shoot! She's an amazingly smart puppy, wow. She's also asking to go out on her own -- hmmm, I have to say, I like that even better! ;) So does my living room rug. ;)

Tempe had to try out the horse too, but she was kind of tired by this point and wanted to just nap in the sadddle. ;)

Simon, of course, started showing off and playing to the crowd. He totally stepped up there on his own and balanced himself; I just was like "sit back down" and he smiled at me like "but everyone ELSE likes this pose!"

Temperance was a bit overwhelmed by the ocean. She would put her feet in it though, after a few minutes. She's pretty darn brave, all things considered this was the first time she'd seen something like this... the boys were up to their necks in fourteen seconds, and covered in stinky sand. ;)

And Caleb, being Caleb and watching... no, not a bird! A kite, this time. He was fascinated with it, the people were dipping it around us when they realized he was staring at it and wagging.

Fly, Simon! Fly!

Boat dog! Hold that pose, Tempe!

So you want to be in pictures, baby...

Well, first you need to take advice from Simon... which is -- always show your best side.

Then take advice from Caleb. Know you're a supermodel, and work that rock like a runway.

Think you can do those things at nine weeks, Tempe?

Hmph, you have to ask? I know how to go to the back door and ask to go out, and I carry my own leash, so, this is just a cakewalk. Is this my best side? I think so...

Hmmmm...  Caleb's right. You work it like you own this park. The Striped Zoolander might know the Blue Steel look, but I'm working on my own catchphrase, thanks!

And I'm spent. Talk to my agent about next week, thank you. I need to go freshen up.

Sometimes it's the photodographer...

Who gets caught totally enjoying the day with awesome friends, adorable puppies, and gorgeous sunshine. (I also can make the joke I'm the token brindle out in the sea of blue.)I actually love this shot of me for some funny reason - you know I'm in the grass and probably have puppy poop somewhere embarrasing, but hey, I'm good with that!


Photo courtesy of Mark Thorson --

I had a great time - but I always do, talking dog with Nancy and Kim and Mark. It's funny... I had all these years in Shepherds where I wasn't part of the cool kids, but Cardigan people ARE the cool kids, and I... I just enjoy a community where we worry about each other. Where we know each other. Where we know our dogs by their call names and love other people's dogs and admire them as much as our own. Where the dogs are delighted to see you and know you and crawl into your lap.

I think I should be paying all these people out there with puppies to photograph their puppies; it teaches me so much about lighting and framing... :) I LOVE photographing puppies, it's such a neat thing to watch them, you have to work fast and you have to work quick, and you try to get those shots that are downright adorable. You can see the shots that I took on their blog Samhain Cardigans

Also, hahah, I love the little face staring at me from over her brother. "Hey, crazy lady down on our level, get my best side!!!"

Without these little short dogs, I wouldn't have gotten into photography so much, and I LOVE it. It's a hobby that I can relax at, and I love taking the dogs out for photo sessions... it lets me spend so much time with my crew that's fun for all of us.

Man, Simon's just a muscle-bound critter. Not the best pics, but holy moly does he gets some serious air.

Down at the beach...

Caleb and I went to Point No Point today for a photoshoot (and just chat) with Nancy, from Galena Cardigans and the lovely gentleman Nugget.

So, of course... gotta show the photos! ;)

One thing I love about Cardigans -- here's two young adult males and... hahah, totally cool with the whole thing. Not a grumble- well, not a serious one. Happy as could be, romping down the beach together, sniffing at things. There's a whole bunch of the pictures of Nugget over at Nancy's blog, so... I'll just toss up the ones I took of Libbers. Honestly, I LOVE shooting other people's dogs -- I admit, I get lazy since I know all the settings for my own, haha. ;) This was great fun and good practice and Nugget is SO well behaved, it was great. :D

Handsome boys! :D

... and soaking wet boys.


Caleb, the wet and dirty...

Hey, I see another dog!

Now I see... a bird!

And another bird!

And... another bird! (there's a pattern here.)

The end! (You can't catch me to put me back on those logs, wheeeee!) ;)

Cats and dogs, living together...

Today is let's see if I can shock anyone on the blog here, haha.

See, I have this deep, dark secret. I hide it. I really do. But...

I'm a cat person. There. I said it out loud. I'm probably going to be voted off Cardi Island. ;)

Really. I- I love cats. In fact, I am more of a cat person than a dog person, hahahaha. I've been showing cats and into cats since I was a four year old kid, and growing up, I totally liked dogs (and my dad paid me five bucks to wash and groom his OES - full show coat. I realize later in life how much you jipped me, dad, but dang, I think grooming corgis are a snap!) I've trained a lot of dogs, worked with dogs since college, and yet... a cat never fails to melt me.

So, here's a little cat story for the day.

Parker is one of our Korats. Born and bred in our house, he's sure not a show cat. In fact, he's uh, rather um, p-e-t quality, I'm afraid. He's never been a cuddly guy either with people. Which is just his personality, and has been since day one. All the other kittens were people, people, oh boy people. Not Parker. He'll sit on my lap, and a few select folks, but... nope.

However, he's been in love with dogs since he was a kitten. His first cross-species love was my fantastic, wonderful German Shepherd Ali. He slept with her, ate with her, slept on top of her, loved her, and she adored him back with all of her heart. What always made me laugh is whenever I picked him up to cuddle him for a second, he always smelled of - well, of dog.

.... and then she died, and he was very, very lonely.

So, then he figured, what the heck, and moved in with my big male Shepherd, Gabriel. And then he died, suddenly.

Now we had no dogs that would tolerate a cat sleeping with them. The Pembrokes just didn't get it and would stomp away and roll an eye. How dare a cat try that, so rude!

Poor Parker. He tried sleeping with the other cats, but... it just wasn't the same. And then his favorite cat passed away of a blood clot, totally unexpectedly. So, like all sad boys, he moved back in with his mom, I guess. Then sadly, his mom died two weeks ago of heart failure, and... poor Parker was once again very lonely.

And then... he started sneaking over by the Cardigans; and oh, hey! Cardigans LOVE cats, unlike those bossy Pems. So, once again, he's happy, and this made me smile to see him cuddled up next to his favorite thing in the world - dogs.

So, hey, I have the best of both worlds. Cats that are dog people! ;)

Simon, of course, knows how to cuddle with cats.

Caleb, on the other hand, kinda doesn't have it down yet. ;)

Photodump #4

Zoom zoom Caleb!

The D-Cat, he is lounging. Dusty is juuust that cool.

Sophie's in her Sofa-fort...

Chomp!

HEY! That's actually ME you're biting, you brindle doofus!

Photodump #3

Aw man, so much to talk about.... and just kinda out of it tonight. Here, have some photos of the boys. Also, a note to Caleb, dude... I know girls are awesome things, but man, turn your brain back on before I make a HAT out of you! ;) Goofball. PS: Simon says girls are okay, but only if they can fetch a ball. He's a gentleman. ;) So funny, they're two totally different sort of guys. Simon's the sort of fellow that totally pads up, smiles, asks a girl to go out for a soda, and opens the door and drives her home and calls to make sure she's safe and sound. Caleb's got the whole "I'm a hot supermodel," thing going, and fully expects that girls just dig him because hey, that makes sense to him! Who wouldn't!

Photodump #2 (Faces!)

My dogs do come up with some grand expressions. ;)

Photodump #1

Yeah, yeah... I know. I've been bad on not updating too much... mostly because I've been up to my ears in retail work. I know, it's not an excuse. ;) But I'll try to get better this year, and one of the things I'm going to do is -well, hahah, a photodump. Which is putting up photos without a whole lot of writing.

(Besides, I know most of you here totally are like - "Quit rambling, photos please." ;) )


On the sea wall, over in Eglon Beach (this was my last 52 Weeks shot from last year. I do love how my blue dog looks in blue.)

Hmm, what's that!

Sophie -- growing up nicely. Well, okay, she's a naughty girl. Totally just does what she wants how she wants it. She rules this place with a tiny iron paw.

But she loves her Simon and her Caleb. I like to call them her harem. Every girl needs a good looking pair of bodyguards. Even if they do need an ear cleaning sometime.

Caleb's two! Man, he's maturing. (Physically. Not mentally. Sorry, he's um... never going to know higher math. Luckily Simon can do it for him and does.) Finally, wow. In the last six months, he uh, has a big dog chest, I think. He's looking like a boy dog all of a sudden. ;)