A woman's view of hunting…with men
guns, dogs and birds
It snowed overnight, about one to two inches, not much but it is wet heavy snowball snow. Orso was so excited that he ran around with his head down scooping up snow like a steam shovel. Goofy dog. But we had enough to grad my camera and take a few pictures.
Orso hunting for frozen goose poop, gross
Charlie hunting for field mice under the snow covered Johnson Grass
He kept going farther and farther down the rabbit hole
He backed out without anything. I’m not so sure that was a bad thing.
For Christmas Mitch gave me a camera body to go with my other cameras and lens. He explained that this way I would always a camera ready if I wanted to use a different lens. That to me was a wonderful loving gift, one that I am not worthy of, but will spend a long time trying to live up to the ability of the camera and his love and thoughtfulness. The day after Christmas we took my new camera and the dogs out for a hike to practice with. The day was chilly, cloudy about 45 degrees and thoroughly enjoyable. We put colored bandannas on them just in case there were any deer hunters out and about and not mistake them for a wayward buck.
Dead cattails in the small pond
Orso up high trying to play mountain goat
Orso playing in the bog
Charlie and Orso checking out the local scents
Charlie in his blue bandanna
Today started off with early morning storms and the afternoon was cloudy and humid. A perfect day to take my camera and the dogs for a walk. A few late summer wildflowers are blooming away.
The neighbor’s car watched us go by without looking too concerned
Another neighbor’s bumper crop of peppers, I never have this kind of luck with peppers
Their tomatoes are doing even better, I am so jealous. They have a green thumb, I have an Orso.
We’re having the usual August heat wave, which seems so much more miserable because this summer we have been very lucky to have had very pleasant temperatures in the eighties instead of the usual nineties. But just in case we’re feeling sorry for ourselves and wishing for some cooler temperatures I just want to remind everyone of what is coming sooner than we want.
Just saying, it may be hot now but way too soon it will be cold and miserable.
I was playing with my camera and took some quick photos trying to get as close as I could to some blooms and plants with just my 18-55mm lens and came up with a few pretty nice shots. One of these days I want to get a macro lens and really play.
A daylily with an ant wandering around
Another shot of the same daylily
This a wildflower that I found, dug up and transplanted a few years ago, I keep forgetting what it is called
An Echinacea just starting to bloo,
A close up of a hens and chicks
Back in April I wrote about “The House that Nobody Loves”, an abandoned house that sits overgrown with weeds and tree saplings growing out of the gutters. Bushes are growing up the side of the house and working their way under the shingles. The house has fallen in disrepair waiting lonely for someone to love it again. Well today as I drove past it, I noticed something new in the front yard. A giant backhoe was parked waiting patiently for someone to come and start it up. Next to the backhoe sits an equally large dump bucket, according to Mitch, but I think it looks like a giant pair of grabbers. Grabbers with huge fingers ready to rip through the failing roof and rip it apart.
It looks like the end of the little abandoned house is eminent. I understand the need to tear down the little house because it now looks like a blight on the street overgrown with weeds and broken shingles, but a part of me is a little sad for the house and the memories it holds. I think about the ghosts that walk the floorboards from room to room, retracing the steps of children running through the house playing tag. Memories of a mother and a father hugging and loving the children, making them eat their vegetables and tucking them in bed at night. I can only imagine the love and tenderness that once flowed through the walls of the house.
Maybe I’m way off base, maybe there was no love in the house and that’s why it sits empty. Maybe, but I would rather like to think that the house was loved and that someone besides me will shed a tear when it is finally torn down.
We had a cold front come in with temperatures dipping into the mid to low thirties yesterday morning and this morning, setting so records. No thank you, I have had my fill of cold weather for a few months. This morning I took my camera on our morning walk to catch the mists coming off the water. The water is much warmer than the early morning air creating some really cool photo ops.
This one is a great shot of a tree at the water’s edge off of a point and if you look closely right off the point a goose is standing just offshore in the shallow water.
It gives an ethereal view of the early morning, almost like I was deep in the bayous of Louisiana.
Poor lonely dock waiting for someone to come and sit a while.
The sun just coming up to burn off the morning mists.
Photos taken with my Canon Rebel
The dogs and I went for a short walk and found some signs that Spring is finally here.
Orso enjoying lounging in the sun
Charlie likes the playground equipment too
We found a goose setting on a nest
We found another nest sans Mom
Then Mom showed up to let me know not to come too close.
We even found a turtle sunning himself
Photos taken with my Canon Rebel
We had another play day with Eddie and bonus everyone survived.
Eddie waiting as patiently as a puppy can
See how handsome I am
Eddie encouraging Orso to play
Eddie and Orso
I have the drop
Orso giving Eddie the look
I’m a tired puppy
This is the best tasting water ever
Here are some photos from a play day with a new friend, Eddy, and because I’m not feeling very creative.
Eddy and Orso face to face
Orso
Eddy checking out Orso’s pearly whites
Charlie looking happy
Who wants to play stick – come on let’s play stick
Eddy and Orso winding down
Two tired puppies
Photos taken with my Canon Rebel
A woman's view of hunting...with men 