2009.0926, Beaver Lake, Part 3

And lastly, though certainly not least, is Xena, a Japanese Chin + Pug...  What a beauty!

2009.0926, Beaver Lake, Part 2

Numerous others were also at the park yesterday, including Sam (Chow + Lab), Bandit (English Bulldog), and MayMay (Border Terrier)...

2009.0926, Beaver Lake, Part 1

Apologies for the late update to yesterday's photos, but there were so many wonderful shots...  Part 1 features Ernest (Australian Cattle Dog) and Ruby (Border Terrier)...

For some reason, they loved being together with fangs bared, and yet tails wagged high and it was obviously all in fun...

2009.0925, Beaver Lake, Part 3

and finally, we come to Hailey, an English Pointer with an incredible amount of energy, and a dance you can imagine just looking at her photos.

2009.0925, Beaver Lake, Part 2

Beaver Lake Park is definitely THE place for dogs late in the afternoon...  Among the regulars are:

Max

 Joey

 lovely EllaDiamond, and

an unnamed Boston with a mouthful of entertainment...

2009.0925, Beaver Lake, Part 1

not sure who this dog is;  he's one of the few where I didn't get breed or names.  however, he's wonderfully-expressive at rest and at play...

Time and Happiness Posters Available Today

Two new posters are now available here at the Park Gallery:

• Happiness, an anonymous quote with a beautiful (and obviously happy dog as a photo), and
  
• Time, with a Terry Pratchett quote adorned by a bubbly baby

These images, as well as all of the preceding Quotes, are for sale as physical art you can put on your office or home walls. Our examples here are available in 12x18" and 20x30" posters. Feel free to email me if you'd like to own these pieces of American Pie(ty). Be the first on your block to be the first on your block.

and

All rights reserved, © caren park.

Beaver Lake Park, 2009.0922

A few of my new friends, playing at Beaver Lake Park this sultry afternoon...

Seems BLP has more than a few Bernese Mountain Dogs:  this one is Rio...

These two friends are Jersey and Buster, sharing some well-deserved water...



Here is Coco. Her human says she's a "bagel": Beagle, Basset, and Corgi :)



and Ace, an old acquaintance from Marymoor Park earlier this year...



Finally, we have Mouser, a full-of-joy Australian Shepherd...

Autumn. Already?

For the first time in not long enough, sunshine is funneling directly through my office window, within days of making use of my office desktop difficult...

While I love the season, it's also a bit disheartening.  As the sun's position progresses through the seasons, eventually the shades must come down, causing me to lose my beautiful view for hours each day.

Juanita Bay Park, 2009.0918

Gorgeous day at the park, with temperatures closing on high 20sC (mid 80sF).  Still not finding the Western Screech Owl, though people are telling me it was still in the area just a few days ago...

Among the interesting:

• Western Wood Pewee,

• Coots are starting to return (where did they go?  anyone?),
• Two male Wood Ducks were seen with spanking-new breeding plumage,
• a Downy Woodpecker,

• What I believe to be two Common Mergansers.  The difficulty is that they aren't in breeding plumage, and while we probably have a couple here, they both look too much alike (female-drab) to tell apart... UPDATE: Experienced birders tell me these are Hooded Mergansers, not Commons...

• One River Otter, which disappeared almost as soon as it was found, plying the shoreline of the bay just outside the inner JBP cove...
• Finally:  Kayla, an Icelandic Sheep Dog.  Cute as the day is long...

Enjoy!

A Young Man and His GPS

a fun, if subtly fantastic idea regarding a young man and his GPS device...

Simple Cream of Broccoli Soup

Here's the original recipe for "Simple Cream of Broccoli Soup" from FoodNetwork.com...  I decided to change things just a bit:

• exchanged two 15-oz cans of chicken and rice soup plus 1.75 cups of water for the recommended 6 cups of chicken broth
• omitted the onion (i'm allergic)
• exchanged garlic for the nutmeg
• added one extra cup of chopped broccoli to the recommended three

it was magnificent.  the soup was thick, with relatively easy prep.  i could probably have gotten away with chopping just the largest florets, as the blender handled the puree easily at just 5 seconds per portion...

give it a try;  let me know what you think :)

Tricks of the Trade

from Photopreneur.com:

Brooklyn photographer Izaz Rony believes that he has found a way around those formulaic images. Rather than bringing subjects into his studio, or even standing them in a suitable outdoor location, he asks his clients to tell him where they’ll be at a certain time of day then shoots them from a distance. His $500-an-hour service provides clients with paparazzi-style shots that look natural and unposed.

I love candid photography, especially for portraiture.  While I have my own methods for achieving this, I think this particular method is fabulous and, provided the subject is relaxed (and on-time), simple.

Bach on a Möbius Strip

I've always loved Bach.  Though I believe Mozart was the more natural genius, here is an example of Bach's incredible talent...

Wireless Electricity

A fascinating technology that appears to be possible today.  At least one source believes this will be a normal delivery system within 20 years, possibly even 10...

2009.0904, Beaver Lake: Callie - Rat Terrier

A little dog with a feisty personality, allow me to introduce Callie, a Rat Terrier...


She seems to love Mia, though it may be difficult to tell :)

2009.0904, Beaver Lake: Mia - Bernese Mountain Dog

Please meet Mia, a Bernese Mountain Dog...

2009.0904, Beaver Lake: Tina - St Bernard

Tina, the St Bernard, is a huge and docile lover...  Here are a few shots of her from this afternoon, before the sky started leaking:

2009.09 Desktop Calendar

This month's calendar shows a Wrinkled Hornbill eating what looks to be a fig or a dented grape. The photo was taken more than a few years ago, so given my advancing years (grin), I'm sorry I don't have a memorable story to tell.

It's a gorgeous bird, though. Can you imagine having a hornbill in your home?

Really? :)

Please feel free to download this photo for personal use on your computer's desktop. To download, just click once on the image, which will bring up the enlarged image on a new webpage. Then, right-click on the image and follow your operating system's instructions for pictures / images.