Still here!

I've missed blogging and I've missed my blogging friends. A huge THANK YOU to those that checked in on me in my absence. I did not mean to be gone so long, but life suddenly became a bit overwhelming and I needed a break from just about everything, only doing what was absolutely necessary.

Chance is still with me, but the Vestibular Disease has taken a toll on him and us. He wouldn't eat anything for a while so I cooked chicken and rice for him. He tried to humor me, but soon after, threw it all up. My next move was offering canned food. He gobbled it up like there was no tomorrow and most importantly it stayed down. We took him in for follow up blood tests and learned that his liver is severely compromised. He also has cataracts and hearing loss. The vet said Chance is on borrowed time...he's 14, after all. She said to give him all the canned food he wants and keep him comfortable. I pray the Lord will take him when it's time, to spare me having to make "that" decision. Ooops, here come the tears.

My beautiful and loving Chance in 2011.

Let's see...what else have I been doing? I worked for my former boss for ten days which left me very tired. But it was so nice to talk to some of my clients. We have the nicest customers!

I also enjoyed a few fishing excursions with my dad. Caught a 5 lb. bass, which made my dad so proud he took it to the taxidermist to have it mounted. Exactly an hour after I caught the 5-pounder, Daddy caught a 6-pound bass. It was one of the best fishing days we've had so far.

A couple weeks ago Double D and I purchased new bikes. We have been riding around our neighborhood every day. I love riding so much better than walking or running. The most distance we've covered in one ride is 5 miles; the goal is to get up to 10 miles. I installed an app called Runkeeper that stores all the details, such as average mph, speed, distance, GPS coordinates and calories burned. It's a great way to get us moving.

One more thing I'll mention is another app called Day One. I use it to journal my prayers. Often I find that my thoughts are so easily distracted that I can hardly put one coherent sentence together in my head. However, writing my prayers helps me focus. I figure God must love the written word since he gave us the Bible. I think doing this has finally solved my prayer problem.

Well, I've prattled on enough. If you're still here, below are images of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail that visited my lantana on August 8th. Surprisingly, I really love the black and white versions! I will catch up with everyone this week!

Lake Des Allemands

Friday, July 25, 2014 at my cousin's camp. Fun times.

There are several of these jetties around the campsites. Each year
erosion from hurricanes and other storms whittle away the land.
They have tried to protect them by reinforcing the borders.

Oops...'scuse me!

Some type of algae maybe?
Eggs from the Apple Snail.
Thanks, Wally!!!!

All along the banks are piers with each one hosting its own little garden.

Close up of the cypress knees.

I hope you enjoyed your trip around the bayou. There are more photos, but I don't know when I'll get around to posting them.

Chance Update:
Chance is back home after being hospitalized for possible Vestibular Disease. His progress is slow, but we're hoping for continued improvement in the coming days and weeks. The doctor explained that he will have a permanent head tilt which we can accept. However, he is not the same happy dog following me from room to room. He sleeps most of the time because I suspect it's too stressful for him to get around. Even trying to stand up from a lying position is difficult and he becomes very shaky. Yesterday he tried to turn around too quickly and fell completely over. Scared him AND me to death! But he has begun to eat and drink a little, which is encouraging.

Due to my limited time with Chance and working from home next week, I will be taking a short blog break. Probably just a week, maybe a little longer. Thank you as always for your kind comments and visits. It is truly appreciated! I'll miss you guys, but will see y'all soon!!!

Choo choo and Chance

After visiting Cat Island and Grace Episcopal cemetery, my friend B and I drove to the town of Jackson, LA to see the Greater Baton Rouge Model Railroaders club. B's husband and son have been involved with model trains for years. I didn't know what to expect and I was truly impressed! There are some talented folks out there. The following photography is out of my wheelhouse, but I thought they turned out pretty cool. What say you? If you're not a fan, it's okay to say so. I take constructive criticism pretty well.

On a sad note, my sweet Golden Retriever/Chow mix is in the hospital. Last night he collapsed in the hallway, his eyes darting quickly back and forth, drooling from the mouth. I flung myself over him, crying hysterically, thinking that was the end. "DON'T LEAVE ME, I'M NOT READY" I sobbed. Then hubby gathered him in his strong arms and placed him in the car for the trip to the vet. Thank God there's an emergency hospital within a few miles of us.

Chance will be hospitalized for a couple of days getting IV fluids and medications. They found elevated liver enzymes in addition to the collapsing issue. They think the inability to walk or focus his eyes is due to Vestibular Disease, which should resolve itself in 5-7 days.

Chance is my shadow and wears the title of Best Friend most days. He's 14 years old, so I know our time together is limited. It's so hard, y'all. Sorry to leave you on that note, but it is what it is.

I had a plan

Oh, yes I had a plan; however, as with most of my plans, it went horribly awry. My idea was to take Christmas pictures of the dogs. I had the props, a fully charged camera battery, the Christmas tree decorated, and a fire blazing. Have you ever tried to pose three dogs at once? I'd get one situated and the other two would wander off. Reminded me of my three toddlers from long ago. So I got the bright idea to lure them with treats. Lawdy, lawdy, Miss Claudy! All they were interested in was my hand and pocket. I tried outside shots and inside shots. Outdoors I was rewarded with muddy knees and shoes and nothing to show for it. Inside I was clean, but just as frazzled. Well, see for yourself how all this played out.

Daddy tried to help, but he only has two hands. Okay, two will do. He got the squirmy worms posed as best he could and I metered the shot all wrong. I had to rescue in Lightroom which caused major grain, so I imported to PS and added this lovely texture by Kim Klassen called Word.

Now Chance decides to enter the frame, but the settings are still all wrong. Then I got the giggles because nothing was going right which resulted in camera shake. You see? I cannot shoot indoors. I hate it. I suck.

Let's try outside! Light is too bright, creating harsh shadows. No matter, my precious babies are not cooperating anyway.

I gave up on the chihuahuas (temporarily) and decided to work on Chance. "See boy? I have a treat!"
He only looked at my hand from there on out. :/

Finally! A pose. But the sky is blown. Jeepers, what's a mother to do?

Okay, let's return to the chi chis and try the patio chair. Where's Izzy? Oh, never mind, I can at least get one dog to pose, right? Sigh. I guess not.

I know! I'll lure Sparky with the treat by putting it in the angel statue. Chance, unfortunately for Sparky, figured this out much quicker. And he's much taller. :/

"PLEASE MAKE HER STOP. I BEG OF YOU."
IZZY!!!! Where'd Izzy go? Oh, there she is, hiding in the monkey grass, hoping I won't find her. Ever. I think she's pretending to be a lawn ornament.

Oops, Chance discovered her hiding place, too.

Back in the house we go! Let's try a more controlled setting. "Nah, ma, I don't feel like cooperating. If you don't give up that treat, I'm going postal on you. Doggie style!"

I just want one shot with your face and the antlers in focus! Just one, dadgummit!

Aaaaaannnddd! That's a wrap. This is good as it's gonna get. Notice that I did not put my watermark on a single one of these. Heh.

Okay, I need a nap now. I think reliving it added to my exhaustion. Hope y'all had a more productive afternoon than I. Or is it me? My English Major daughter will know. I'm off to make dinner, so I'll be back later to catch up.

Has anyone else had trouble with my blog pics downloading? Only one person has mentioned it so far, so I don't know if it was just her or if everyone is having that issue. Thanks!

Muddy Dog

Last week I was contacted by Jim at Muddy Dog Coffee Co. in Morrisville, NC about using one of my photos for a coffee label. Did my post title fool you? :) Intrigued about which photo it might be, I called the number as soon as I got the email. Jim explained that a Google search had turned up my photo of a Tabasco barrel. He thought the picture would be great for a limited edition brand of coffee they had experimented with called Pepper Cask-Aged Sumatra Lintong. He couldn't pay me, but offered to send some coffee. Hey, the bartering system works for me! Besides, Double D LOVES coffee and I have reluctantly become a convert in recent years.

Today I received the special delivery just in time for my second cup. Tearing open the box, I was excited to see not one, but THREE bags of the special coffee sporting my photo on the labels! Of course, step 1 was to document my prize.

This is the photo they wanted. Taken at Avery Island with my iPhone and processed in Photoshop!

As if on cue, Chance decided to sniff the coffee as I was photographing the bags. Good boy! 

Used Pioneer Woman's Heartland action in Photoshop

Used Shadowhouse Creations Antique White action in Photoshop

Anxiously awaiting the first cup.

As soon as I finished the photography phase, my next step was to sample the coffee. It smelled very strong, so I was a little worried that it would taste bitter, but HOLY COFFEE BEANS! This stuff is smooth as silk with an exceptionally pleasing taste. This is huge for me because I drink coffee for the caffeine mostly, not for the taste. I was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed this so much. Jim, you should make more!

Note: Jim did not ask me to do a review on his special coffee, but since everything turned out better than I expected, and he kept his end of the deal (plus some), I thought it would be a nice gesture. Jim, you made a fantastic batch of coffee! I thank you for sending three bags so that I can share. I also thank you for your honesty, for you could have just used the photo without telling me, and I'd probably have never known. Hope it's a big seller for you. :)

Chance

Against my better judgment, I hiked in the woods behind my house today. Confession: before planning any type of outing, I first think of the worst thing that could happen. Scenario 1: A serial killer follows me into the brush where I meet my demise and won't be found for days, or years. 2: I fall down and break my leg and can't get home. There are more scenarios, but you get the idea. My mother taught me this destructive way of thinking back when I was an impressionable young child, so it keeps me from doing fun things sometimes. But today I had a strong urge to get out with my camera, and thought if I took Chance, my dog, I'd be okay—he'd be my protector. Chance and I are extremely close. I often refer to him as my soul mate. Shadow would have been a perfect name for him. Or Velcro. We are like peas and carrots.

Our three dogs are like our children, really, so I think I'm going to start talking about them more on here. And they're getting older, another good reason to document their antics. Our chihuahuas have their own blog, Dos Chihuahuas Caliente, but I haven't updated it in over a year. Guess I'm a one-blog woman.

As Chance and I hiked today, I noticed the look of sheer glee on his face, being off-leash, free as a bird, and it occurred to me that Chance would make a wonderful photographic subject. So here is Chance in all his glory. He was difficult to photograph because he was in a state of perpetual motion, but these are good enough.

Coming out of the thicket. Wish the branch hadn't obscured his eyes.

Hey, Ma! Look at me! I'm freeeeeeee!

My boy finally starting to show fatigue

Ma, c'mon! Let's go home.

These are the fields directly behind my house. As you can see, not a hint of fall anywhere. :(

Happy Friday to everyone!