{these moments}

These moments. A take off on a Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama

(Glenn and Christian are NOT holding hands, it just looks that way!)

Un-wrapped

As you can see, unwrapping a lot of presents is clearly exhausting.  

Good thing the pups helped me clean up...

I can't resist

OK, OK!

So I'm supposed to be taking a break! And, my instincts tell me it isn't good to broadcast when one has left her house and dog-girls with sitters.

But I just can't resist posting this photo taken Christmas morning which, of course, gives away that Glenn and I traveled to the east coast to spend Christmas with Erika and Christian and their dog-children.

While a "turducken" roasted away in the oven, we headed for Slaughter Pen Farm for a Christmas morning photo shoot with the new camera and tripod Christian gave Erika for Christmas. We had a great time tromping around the barns and other crumbling buildings at the farm and later in the day, my niece, her husband and my sister-in-law joined us for s delicious dinner that I didn't lift a finger to prepare! (I did do my share of kitchen clean up.)

The other five subjects of the photo are still snoozing away, and I'm here savoring the memory of a lovely day, missing those who couldn't be with us, and feeling grateful for all the many good things in my life.

Merry Christmas from Virginia!

Merry Christmas from the whole gang!

Merry Christmas!

Are you ready for Christmas?  I am!

I'll be taking a break for a few days -- and the timing is perfect -- it seems Blogger is having a hard time finding photos that I've uploaded recently.  How frustrating!

I hope that those of you who celebrate Christmas have a lovely one! Pumpkin, Darby and I will be back soon!

Merry Christmas!

Made you look!

Darby:  "I can see what you're doing, Pumpkin!   Can't you tell that The One who Feeds Us is trying to get a picture of me with the tree?  Stop trying to make me look away! I love The One Who Feeds Us and want to do what she says!"

Darby:  "I really mean it, Pumpkin!   I don't believe you that there is a dog bone up in the tree! Stop trying to make me look away! Get out of the picture!"

Pumpkin:  "OK.  I'll leave you alone and go around over there and get that dog bone all for myself!"
 

Pumpkin:  "Ha!  Make you look, Miss Goody Two Shoes!"

We're still here!

We're still here!  The world hasn't come to an end -- at least not yet!

For some reason I haven't been picking up the camera much this week.  It's been rainy and cold -- cold by Southern California standards -- and we've been spending lots of time snuggled up on the sofa -- all three animals and me -- watching fires in fireplace, reading or watching TV.  Well, I've been doing those things, the animals have been sleeping!

If the world doesn't end later today, I'll be back tomorrow with some photos of the girls.

In the meantime, here's a pretty very up-close photo of some Christmas lights. 

 

Slaughter Penn Farm Photo Shoot

I dropped off the last of my Christmas presents to be shipped to California on Monday.  I paid my arm and my leg, got in the car, and realized I had a good portion of the afternoon left.  So I packed up my new camera, and the pups, and headed out to Slaughter Penn Farm.

We walk here a lot.  There are almost two miles of grassy trail that wind through the fields beyond the farm and the train tracks.  The signs politely ask us to keep the four legged ones on leash, but we're rebels so we often get out to the middle and go off leash.  

There are several abandoned out-buildings on the property that allow visitors to walk.  Nothing is fenced off, and like the on-leash signs, they trust you will use some common sense.  

This makes me laugh because a place like this in California would be fenced, patrolled, and probably wouldn't allow dogs at all.   

Bonnie and Bailey were good sports as usual.  Bonnie gave way to some grumbling as I asked her to lay down and stay for the 100th time.  I am positive she would have preferred exploring on her own.  Bailey appears disinterested and somewhat bored but because he seems to like to appease me he tolerated the most positioning. 

I'm still learning but I really like the way these photos turned out.  

Yet again I had to take an astronomical amount of pictures to find these few that I liked the best. 

I hope you enjoy them too. 

"Gimmie Some Tongue Bailey"

If tongue was what I was looking for on this particular photo shoot... I sure got it :)  

Thanks for a laugh Bailey Butt.

And the lion shall lay down with the lamb...

... or something like that. *

* Did you know that is one of the most misquoted verses of the Bible?  Isaiah 11:6
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

When will it be okay again?

After the horror of the September 11th attacks, I remember people asking when it would be "okay" to do certain things again -- okay to go on with Broadway shows, okay to have a party, okay even to laugh.

It seems to me that the best way to beat whatever darkness causes September 11ths and massacres in kindergartens, is to go on with our lives as quickly as possible.  The darkness can't win.

But, it just doesn't feel right, yet, to post cute pictures of my dog-children.

It does feel right that it's raining today.