Posted on December 15, 2010 in Animals, Black and White, People, Pet Photography
…safe & secure in my master’s arms……so comfy and so happy!
Posted on December 14, 2010 in Animals, Pet Photography
If you have pets, you’ve seen this look just about a zillion times. Your dog or cat is sitting at your side, attentively waiting for a crumb to drop or for you to share whatever it is that you’re eating. In my case, the cats stare at me whenever I eat anything in the white bowl with a spoon. Oh, it doesn’t matter what’s in the bowl…they just react to the sound of spoon hitting bowl. Cereal, ice cream, red beets…they don’t care. After a couple minutes they realize that they aren’t getting any handouts and they go back to whatever they were doing before the sound of the bowl entered the room. At this time of year, when we tend to have more festivities in our homes involving food, it’s important to think about our pets and what foods can harm them. Below are links to spots on the Doctors Foster & Smith website that outline foods that are poisonous to dogs and cats and the reactions they will have if eaten. If your pet is a counter surfer or a crumb nibbler, take a few minutes to read the articles. I always feel it’s best to tuck pets safely away in a bedroom and close the door when company is coming so that they don’t accidentally get out or eat something that they shouldn’t. Have a safe holiday season with your pets!
Dogs: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1659&aid=1030
Posted on December 13, 2010 in Flowers, Lensbaby, Macro, Nature
It’s been a year since I visited Longwood Gardens. I bought a membership last December and only used it once…up until today. I thought I’d at least get one more visit in before the membership expires later this week. As much as I have always loved Longwood, I was a bit disappointed today. I’ve been to their holiday display many times and this year was lacking some of the creativity that I have seen in years past, at least in my opinion. I was actually having trouble finding things to photograph. Maybe I’ve just visited too many times and my interests have changed. I must admit, I did spend a bit of time trying to find some of the Longwood cats to photograph when I was really getting bored! The blog image is a Gerbera Daisy photographed with the Lensbaby Composer and macro attachment. I think I’ll go back to photographing dogs and cats – much more fun!
Posted on December 12, 2010 in Animals, Landscape, Nature, Painting Effect, Winter
In my neck of the woods there are a LOT of Christmas tree farms. In fact, the tree that graces the White House this year came from a nearby farm. Pretty impressive! Many of the farms offer more than just trees…some have gift shops, petting zoos, snack bars with hot cocoa, and this one has a horse drawn wagon to take folks out to select a tree. It was as quaint as quaint can be! The only thing missing was a bit of snow! Being at the tree farm made me think about the last time I had a live tree….as best as I can recall, it was 1971. Yes, that’s a long time ago! The scent of Blue Spruce took me back to my childhood because that’s the type of tree that my family always brought home for the holidays. The tree, the train, the lights, the glass ornaments…..the needles sticking in my socks…..ah the memories! 🙂
Posted on December 10, 2010 in Animals, Pet Photography
One of the most stylish dogs is the Yorkshire Terrier. Of course, rigorous grooming is required to maintain their beautiful coat, right down to straightening their fur with a flat iron! Yep, I’ve seen that done at the dog shows and I must say that I was a little bit surprised the first time I saw it! I’m not the only one because when I was buying a snack at The National Dog Show last month near Philly, the girls behind the counter were commenting on seeing dogs having their fur straightened, too! I guess as spectators we don’t realize and appreciate all of the preparation and grooming that is involved in readying a dog for a show. I remember seeing a Komondor at the show [beautiful large white dogs with a corded coat – they look like a giant mop!] and the owner said that when they bathe that dog, it takes 24-48 hours for the fur to dry! Can you imagine? Wow!