Oh, Happy Day!

My daughter's wedding in Portland, OR was the most beautiful setting for a ceremony I've ever witnessed. Yes, some things went wrong, but there are so many moments we'll be laughing at later. Like the judge who was late because he was stopped for speeding; then his iPad died while he read the script my daughter had so carefully written. However, my daughter--planner extraordinaire--made two hard copies just in case.

Our connecting flight home was missed because Alaska Airlines had a mechanical malfunction in Portland. The first two days home I slept more than I've ever slept in my life. So here are the only two photos I've been able to edit. Hope you enjoy!

Jason and Autumn - 9/5/2015

Trillium Lake near Mt. Hood - 9/6/2015

A HUGE "THANK YOU" to my dear friend, Bridget for watching our precious Izzy and spoiling her rotten while we were gone. This was an image that B made up for Autumn's wedding day, along with a blessing. Sweetest thing I've seen in a long time. I am so happy to have a creative and caring friend like B!

I'll be 'round to make the rounds soon!

The Lodge and an Oopsie!

Our time at Hickory Hills Hunting Preserve was absolutely glorious. Our stay was very pleasant. The lodge owners prepared three meals a day and their son took us around to three different ponds on their 12,000 acre estate. I did learn something that made me feel better about this type of hunting: each hunter is accompanied by one of the family members. Deer under a certain age or size are not allowed to be killed, so they all live longer lives at Hickory Hills than they would in the wild. They are well taken care of with plenty of acreage to make the hunt a challenge.

This was my favorite photo. This is Chief. He's an 11-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback.
He insisted on accompanying me while I ate and got a big slurp of my soup!

The lodge was decked out like Cabella's. All of the animals had been hunted by the owners
at different places around the world.

This was the view off the large, covered patio.

Dining area where Chief licked my soup, that corner table to the left.

An entrance gate to one of the properties named after a daughter, Linden.

Our fishing hole. I caught five bass and Daddy caught two. We threw them back because they were too small.

The lodge.

The biggest excitement took place after we left Hickory Hills. My dad was poking along I-55 in the left lane when suddenly a gigantic SUV came out of nowhere, right on our bumper. My dad moved over as soon as he could, but then he became really angry about it. So he flipped off the SUV making a mean face and shaking that middle finger violently at the driver. I swear; I do not lie. This is what my dad does. Next thing we know, blue lights and sirens come on. It was a Mississippi STATE TROOPER! Daddy pulled over and after rolling his window down, got the dressing down of his life. The only thing I could say in our defense was that the sudden appearance of the SUV scared me. The trooper was shouting at my dad like a drill sergeant, telling him to keep his butt out of the left lane, how dare he treat a fellow officer that way, blah blah blah. Mr. Trooper Man said he had a call to go to and had bigger fish to fry. Before that he threatened to throw my dad in jail. I had visions of how in Hades I would negotiate with these backwoods cops. Oh, Lawdy, my heart was beating 90-to-nothing. It's always an adventure with my dad. I have so many stories to share. But I'd have to have an R-rated blog to tell the whole truth.

Well, y'all have a great week! I'm doing laundry today and catching up on my blog reading.

Owl Bayou Canal

This post wraps up our July 4th afternoon. You can thank me now for not taking photos of the alligator that had to be "disposed of" because it was hanging around the canals. *shivers* I felt sorry for him, but we just couldn't risk the safety of the youngsters. Besides, it wasn't my call to make. Anyway! These are random shots of the day.

This is the highway marker for a community of camps situated along the bayou.
A "camp" in Louisiana is a modestly built home, usually elevated on tall posts due to frequent flooding.
Most are accessible only by boat. Many people have them as a weekend get-away for family and friends.

My uncle's party barge--wish it wasn't blurred.

Dragonflies were everywhere and they seemed particularly smitten with Uncle Bubba.

YUM. Simply angel food cake, whipped cream and berries.

Double D was mighty proud that he was the first person Cowgirl allowed to pick up and pet.
Look at her winking at me like, "Haha, stole him from you." Saucy little tart!

She soon warmed up to me too.
Look at those eyes! Have you ever seen a chihuahua with such blue eyes and a blue merle coat?

She appointed herself Patrol Captain of the bayou, barking at all the watercraft that went by.

That's my aunt and uncle's camp in the background. Two bedroom, two baths and two huge living areas. Very spacious.
This photo was taken because the people on the boat unknowingly left their little yorkie on the dock.
As they obliviously zoomed away, several of us were yelling and waving at them to come back.
Finally, they realized what they had done and were so grateful to us for rescuing their little dog.

One of the hosts with her granddaughter walking onto my Uncle Bubba's deck.
This will have to do for Tex's Good Fences meme. Sorry, I know I've been stretching the rules lately!

Can you believe I went a whole week without posting a bird photo? I can't either!

Have a good weekend everyone. Catch you next week.

Smoke on the Water

We had a great day at my aunt and uncle's camp on July 4th. The star of the show was their golden retriever, Smoke. He's named after Nascar driver Tony Stewart, whose nickname is Smoke. If by some bizarre happenstance you meet my aunt, never, ever mention the name Jeff Gordon or you will get the stink-eye. Anyway, Smoke had surgery on his hip last year, and at 110 pounds, it's painful for him to exercise. So my uncle bought him a life vest since water is buoyant and easier on his joints. This was Smoke's first day to try out the new gear. He wasn't too sure at first, but he eventually caught on and liked it.

Oh, I'm not sure about this!!

Oh, wait...I can have a drink while I'm here.

Dad, are you sure about this?

My uncle tossed a rubber chicken into the water several times to get him going.

Rubber chicken! Must retrieve!!

Got it!

Neighbor Maggie looks on with excitement.

The handle was used to help Smoke out of the water.

More to come about our July 4th adventures. Stay tuned!

Happy Mardi Gras!

It's Fat Tuesday, y'all! Time to fatten up and eat our fill before the season of Lent comes to restrict our diets. :) I don't really participate, but it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement since we're inundated with parades, king cakes, and parties right now. Below are more photos from the CAAWS Mystic Krewe of Mutts parade in downtown Baton Rouge.

This image cracked me up.
Looks like the dog is reading the sign and is none too pleased about it! LOL

This is totally not sexual. I have no idea what is going on.
Seems the white dog just wants to protect the brown dog, keep close tabs, or show who's boss.

Carnival Time, Part II

More photos of the CAAWS' Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade. What a blast!

I don't know why, but whenever I go to a public place with my camera, there is always a little boy tugging on my sleeve
begging to have his photo taken. I loved the way the dog jumped up to sniff his face and the expression on his little brother's face. It certainly appears the taller boy had been eating something good by the looks of his shirt. :)

Dyed and doodied-up poodles

Blues Brotha

This was the only dog there that did not seem to enjoy being dressed up and pulled along the route.

Dorothy and Toto

This one didn't care for the Mardi Gras theme, insisting on a Hawaiian costume instead. 

Breed a pointer with an Irish Setter, you get a Pointsetter. A traditional Christmas pet!
Good Dog! Magazine

Carnival Time, Part I

It's that time of year in Louisiana with parades in full swing. This was our first time to attend CAAWS' Mystic Krewe of Mutts Parade, which benefits the Capital Area Animal Welfare Society. Animals (and most dog owners) were dressed in traditional Mardi Gras costumes, throwing beads and candy to children, and dog biscuits to dogs who were watching from the sidelines. Everyone was in a good mood, all the dogs behaved like angels, with some even appearing to have wide smiles. Next year we will definitely be participating with one or more of our pups!

I decided to take my 100mm lens because I wasn't sure how close I could get to the action. There was a newspaper photographer kind enough to give me tips on where to stand, encouraging me to get out in the middle of the road to get my shots. That's part of my problem with photography: I'm too timid around people. But I overcame that pretty quickly, shadowing the reporter for a good portion of the parade route. Whatever shot he took, I got right beside or behind him to do the same.

Because of changing light conditions throughout, I shot on Aperture Priority, setting it at f/8 and the ISO at 800, 640 or 400, depending on the situation. I'm wondering now if I should have shot with a wider aperture to get a faster shutter. Only a few people stopped and posed for me; the rest were going by in a blur. Any tips on shooting an event like this?

I want this dog AND the owner's shirt!

This lady was kind enough to pose for several shots

Chia Pet

I LOVED the name of this organization :)

This is Bowie, a long-haired dachshund. He is deaf. What a sweet little dog
who happily watched all the parade shenanigans from the sidelines.

One of my favorites of the day. Cute dog, cute outfit, cute tongue!

More photos of this event are forthcoming until I can get back out in nature again!