This was a different kind of year in the garden as we moved all kinds of stuff around. Crop rotation I guess you would call it. Interestingly, tomatoes flourished and corn did not, even though both did well where they were at last year. But maybe that had more to do with the sporadic rain we had here all summer. Whatever the case, tomatoes are coming out of our ears and corn looks like it belongs in a wok.
But the big project for me this year was the crop circle! Well, with time crunch as it was in May, it was more like crop semi-circle, but I do plan on finishing it this fall. I took a stake and drove it into the ground, tied a piece of string to it, then put a spray can of white paint on the end of the string and made a template for the circle about 15 ft in diameter. Then, of course, came the real work of getting the sod up and the earth turned for some planting.
So this year I planted it with sunflowers from the seeds I had harvested last year. The seeds were from a dwarf variety that only got about 2 feet tall, but as plants will do, they reverted from their hybrid traits and I got plants from 2-5 feet tall. That was kinda cool as I think it looked more natural than when they were all the same height. There were plenty to cut and give away to friends and neighbors, which everyone always appreciates. It’s nice to bring a little of the outside inside.
I’m not sure what I’m going to do next year. Maybe a whole circle of sunflowers. Or maybe plant some perennial grasses in it like pampas and other tall varieties. I like ornamental grass and it usually looks good year round.
The sunflowers have peaked and are now starting to wane. But I really like that time of the year, and I always like the look of sunflowers that are a little spent. The texture is awesome, the way they kind of wither gracefully. But, I really like to contrast of old flowers and new ones. In a couple of months, all of them will be dried up and I get to explore the seed pods, which really is one of my favorite things to photograph.
But for now, the bees are buzzing and things still look like summer. But in a few weeks, the leaves will start to turn and things will settle down, and we’ll all be ready for some football weekends and maybe a trip or two.
So here are a few shots from the crop circle this morning. It is hard to photograph bees with a macro and no tripod, but one or two turned out like I wanted. Boy, did I ever need a little personal shoot time. All work and no play was making Kemper a dull boy.
Energized….CHECK!!!
Went up to Camp a few weeks ago to open things up and get the place cleaned. It was a working vacation for me cause I had to get some weddings edited and finish a new marketing piece. No internet cause I’m too cheap to pay $ 70 a month for an air card so I had to book it to the little coffee shop in the village every morning to get my mail and upload some galleries. One morning I just couldn’t make it so when I got there they were closed! Went on a rather hilarious venture into Amsterdam (the city in NY…not the one in The Netherlands) and quickly learned that this is a city far behind in the times. No coffee shops, not even a Starbucks which is utterly amazing.
So I stopped at a little computer store whose owner told me that he had heard if you sit in the parking lot at the old Best Western you can sometimes get a signal. I went fishing there for some broadband and did indeed stumble upon a spot where I got enough for a five minute download/upload session and was outa there.
Of course the highlight of the trip was watching Jack explore Camp for the first time. Needless to say, he was in doggie heaven with the woods, the lake, and a field full of tall grass and lots of smells all within a few feet of the front door. In order to prepare him for the water, I had been taking him down to the river for a month before the trip, having him fetch sticks from the deep part. He caught on fast, so by the time he got to Camp he was an expert paddler with no fear. He could easily swim out about 25 yards with us and stay out there with no assistance. But most of all I think he enjoyed digging in the beach where he made ample progress turning over all of the sand so that it looked fresh and new.
By the time we left to come back to Roanoke, Jack was tuckered out and slept the entire 10 hour trip. He is a joy. The best $129 I ever spent.
A little over a month ago we went to see our friends Liz and Mackie and stay at their place out in the wild hillsides of Albermarle Co. Jack was making his first overnight visit doggie style and there was less anxiety knowing that we were being hosted by a forgiving animal lover. So all went well and we had a great time. But I’m not sure that Max and Bill, their two dogs, ever really got to lovin’ some Jack. Especially Bill, who laid down the line and dared Jack to cross it. It really was hilarious watching Bill defend his territory for most of the weekend. Max of course, being the older and wiser of the two was much less bothered by the young pup invading his space. He was more or less a spectator to the standoff between Jack and Bill, just enjoying the day and probably saying things like “Bill, Bill, Bill….why are you so uptight, dude”.
Sadly, we learned just a couple of weeks ago that Max died suddenly just a couple of weeks after our visit. Apparently he had a seizure and was unable to recover from it. Liz and Mackie are of course heart broken, what else can you expect when you lose a constant companion who was nothing but a joy. But apparently Bill is taking things even harder. It is indeed sad to watch a dog pine for someone they loved and cared about.
While I was up there, I did get a few shots of the dogs as they hung out with us. Liz called and said that she really appreciated the prints I sent her because they didn’t really have many good ones of Max in his old age. I was looking at some shots that I have taken of Jack over the last few months and my mind couldn’t help but wander to the future which will most likely see me watch Jack get older and eventually leave us. I really don’t want to dwell on that, but I looked at the shots of him when he was just a pup, barely able to climb the stairs, so stocky and cute.
I wouldn’t trade those for a million dollars.
So here’s to Max, a loyal and dear friend.
And Bill…….hope you get to feeling like your old self soon.
Just back from the VPPA (Virginia Professional Photographers Association) convention in Portsmouth and once again I took so much away from the experience of getting together with other photographers to share, as well as participate in presentations from some of the most talented professionals in our business. Personal and professional growth is so important in any business, but particularly important when you are in a business where fresh creative energy is so vital in delivering the very best to your clients. There are some pretty awesome photographers all over the world, and it is so cool that we can all share through internet forums and blogs etc. But, there is really nothing like the face to face that you get when people convene from all over our state to share what is going down in our very own neighborhood. There is some amazing talent out there and we are well represented in our little part of the state, too. Talented people who are committed to their craft, what a fun business this really is!
Now, I am also proud to report that Jack did very well while I was away, too. It kinda made me sad knowing that he would not have anyone to play with all day and have to spend extended periods of time in that place from which he thinks no dogs return (the crate). BUT, as with my own personal growth, Jack was able to grow as well and will now go into the crate on command and actually lay down without so much as a whimper. In fact, he spent about four hours in the crate yesterday without incident. Amazing! Good boy, Jack! I’m so proud of you.
So now, all that Jack has to fear is… er…. well…. the CAMERA! I can’t really say it is fear because he doesn’t really get that wild eyed look like he does when he hears a fire engine. But, it is clear that Jack is quickly becoming impatient and annoyed when the camera comes out and he is interrupted from his comfortable lounging on the bed or sunning on the living room floor. He is obviously NOT a poser. But he is so cute and I love him so much, how can I resist??? I mean I can hardly go get a cup of coffee without wanting to curl right up with him for a mid-afternoon snooze.
Oh well. Jack, you’ll be happy to know that pretty soon I will be too busy to annoy you. You’ll be lucky to get in that morning romp in the park, much less the after lunch one, too. So suffer me now for you will be able to rest later when the dog days of summer are upon us.
Good boy.
Well, he’s been here almost a month and I really cannot believe what a great dog he has turned out to be. I would have to say that Jack ranks right up there with the world’s best. He is just about completely house broken and uber intelligent. He can already sit and lay flat on command and knows the meaning of just about all his other commands. He can retrieve already, a feat it took my Golden about 6 months to learn. But best of all, Jack is a constant companion and loyal to the nth degree. He doesn’t chase people but makes every effort to befriend them all. He loves my friends and they love him. What else could you ask for in a dog.
Jack’s only issue is that he hates the crate. It is his most dreaded word and once you say it, his eyes droop down, his shoulders fall, and he will usually make a slow move trying to get out of your reach; an effort, usually in vain, to stay out of the dreaded land from where he thinks no dogs return.
So, if I had to choose, I suppose I would rather have a dog that loves you so much he can’t stand to be away from you, rather than one who is crate obedient. But I’m not quite sure how it is all going to work out when the time comes for him to be in there for an extended period. We’ll see next week when his first day crating challenge takes place. He really is so well behaved that he may even get to stay out by himself all day. His fave place now is lounging on the bed, although for the first three weeks he would be napping by your feet or otherwise following you around the house. He still will move from room to room with you unless he in his fave spot. He naps most of the day, but when it’s time for a walk out into the park, he is a bundle of energy. I suppose it’s all pent up and after about a 10 minute turbo-romp, he’s completely content.
So here’s Jack’s two favorite places. The bed…. and the park. Hard to believe it’s the same dog.
and I have to show off his “official portrait” …
or two…..
I’m doing a little housekeeping on the ole ‘puter and I came across my “Projects” folder. Funny how I made this folder to hold my “projects” like I was SO organized. Funny how I forgot all about it until I was moving everything around. Just so you know….I have MANY project folders. Of course they’re not all named “Projects” because, well, they won’t let you do that in computer land. Or maybe you could, but you couldn’t put them all in the same little squirrely nut storing place that I keep everything.
So anyway, I came across the “Projects” folder and started going through it. Of course that means that my whack right-sided thinkin’ brain (isn’t it funny how creative people, who from my life experience tend to lean left, think with the right side of their brain) once more becomes obsessed with something that catches my eye. Indeed, my mind wanders back to the fall two years ago when I was watching the now defunct maple tree (see previous blog entry) drop its helicopter seeds all over the sidewalk. Ok….who here is not fascinated by maple seeds? I mean, as a kid it was always fun to throw them up in the air and watch them helicopter down to the ground. Something that kept me entertained for at least a minute or two.
So I see all these files where I took the maple seeds and scanned them with my flatbed scanner. Then I started to think about how the seed actually helicopters down to the ground and what if you could capture that. So the mind wanders and we experiment, and sometimes you get some really cool stuff.
I think I need to clean house more often.
It’s the pitter patter of little feet around my house these days. Four of them!
Jack arrived today via the Roanoke Valley SPCA and he promises to be the most awesome dog. Of course, you can never tell when they are only 2 months old but there are signs that I think point to what I value most in a dog.
- Attachment and loyalty - he cannot hardly stand to be out from under your feet and curls up right by them when you’re sitting at the desk or at the table.
- Affection - he loves to be cuddled and to have his ears and neck rubbed, and he will give you an occasional lick on the hand as a token of his appreciation. He fell asleep in my lap this afternoon and guess what - he snores just like me!
- Submissive -one sign of a good dog is whether they will allow you to hold them on their back….kind of like a baby. I’ve always been told it is a submissive behavior that dog experts look for when selecting guide dogs and service dogs. He loves it.
- Trainable - even at this young age it is pretty clear that he learns commands such as “sit” and “come” very quickly.
- Cross-Bred - ok, I love purebred dogs, especially labs and Goldens, but one benefit of having a beautiful mutt is that they often don’t suffer some of the recessive gene traits such as hip dysplasia that are prevalent in purebred dogs. Jack’s parents were pure-bred dogs, but one was a Weimaraner and the other a German Wire Hair Pointer. Both are great dogs and he seems to have gotten the best traits from both breeds.
I can’t thank the folks at the RVSPCA enough for the great care and love they show all of their animals. If you have never seen this facility, you really should trek out there, especially if you are contemplating getting a dog or a cat. It is a great place to find the perfect pet and you are doing your community a great service by starting there when you are in search of an animal companion. They also have a foster pet program which is what Jack was a part of. Caring people take these animals in and host them in a loving home until they are ready for adoption. I don’t know all of the specifics of what the RVSPCA does (and it is A LOT) but they are another reason that Roanoke is such an awesome community to live in.
So, like any proud new dog parent, I have a few pictures of the pup. I’m sure there will be MANY more to come.
