Holiday Delights

Misty and I

 Our house has been exceptionally busy the past few weeks.

Last Saturday, December 13, we adopted two rescued dogs after being without any dogs for nine whole years. Needless to say, our lives are much changed and enriched by these two and made busier than usual. 

Max and Misty are Labrador Retriever/German Shepherd mixes - and maybe a little something else mixed in. They are brother and sister, thirteen months old and very well behaved. Someone did a very good job in teaching them basic manners although Max sometimes jumps up on us. He's WAY too big for that!

My husband and Max

Max is a very big boy, currently weighing in at around 76 lbs and still on the skinny side. Misty, on the other hand is petite at a mere 46 lbs. They are brother and sister. They are both very quiet dogs but love to wrestle with one another and have been enjoying their play time in our large dog pen outside. 

Misty

Molly the cat was not at all impressed when we brought them home, but she's getting better and doesn't hiss at them nearly as much anymore. They are very good with her. That was one requirement we insisted on with any potential adoptee. 

We are very grateful to Max and Misty's former owners who turned them in to Animal Control when they fell on hard times and lost their house. We're told they cried when they left the dogs. Animal Control turned the dogs over to a local rescue group who put them up for adoption. They wanted the dogs to be adopted together since they are so tightly bonded to one another. And, to my great shock, my husband was the one who wanted both dogs. 

So, Misty and Max will spend their first Christmas with us, and we will all celebrate the joy and peace and love of the season as a new family. Our grown up kids are coming, and they can't wait to meet their new "siblings". 

Max and Misty wrestling

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and a Joyful Holiday to one and all!

A Day at Horse Shows By The Bay

I didn’t go to the Olympics, but I did go to Horse Shows By the Bay two weekends ago to watch the hunter/jumpers and shoot the Grand Prix event of Week Three in the big ring. It was hot. It’s always hot at HSBB, but not as hot as many areas of the country are experiencing in this record breaking sweltering summer.  So, I went prepared with sunscreen and a floppy hat that wouldn’t interfere with the camera. It’s become my photo shoot hat for any outdoor excursions. 

At any rate, I arrived a little early and had time to wander around doing some random shooting in the various rings (there are five) and in the barn area. Much to my disappointment, the small and medium ponies were all done, and the leadline class never materialized. But I did witness the awards photo op for one of the pony divisions, apparently a tie. (see above) Aren’t these two little girls cute? How about that hat? One can only guess that the co-winner was not too keen about sharing her award as she’s looking pretty glum. Such is horse show life with kids, I guess. 

A well turned out hunter on the way to a class. I'm a sucker for these types of head shots. 

Get a load of this tiny girl on her big horse. I took lots of photos of her in the warmup ring, and she was having the time of her life, grinning from ear to ear the whole time. Was it her first show? Did her big sister let her ride her horse? Whatever the situation, she handled that big guy with no problems. 

Now to the other extreme. I like a flashy pinto as much as the next person, but this girl is "going to need a bigger horse" next year. 

I'm always on the lookout for dogs at the  horse show and always find a few. This is one photogenic dog of the day. 

The warmup ring can get quite crowded as this one is. They all manage to get around without any crashes, all doing their own things. Did you know that the rules of ring riding are similar to rules of the road for cars? 

Betsy Van Dyke did a dressage demonstration before the Grand Prix event of the day as she has in past years. Here she and her mount are demonstrating the piaffe, a trot in place. 

Having solved the camera problem of the dressage show, I was ready for some fast action, and that’s just what I got in the Grand Prix ring. In fact, more than I bargained for. Here are a few jumping shots for you. 

Over the "water jump" with a high vertical. 

I'm not a jumping person, but I believe this is called a triple oxer. 

Jumpers tend to be hot and show a lot of intensity and "go". 

This may have been the most challenging combination on the course, an in and out with only one stride between jumps and over an oxer.

It happens sometimes. As horsemen, we all know the risks and choose to take them. On this day one of the young riders lost her balance over a jump and had a bad fall; bad enough that the ambulance had to be summoned. It took forever to arrive as she cried and screamed in pain. It was unnerving to all of us spectators. Since I felt myself beginning to fry in the sun, I chose to leave when they loaded her in the ambulance. I found out later that she had broken her arm. 

The camera performed perfectly in its inaugural debut at a horse show, and I got one killer shot during the jumping. That makes the day very worthwhile in spite of the fallen rider. 

Guest Artist Thank You

“Tall, Dark and Handsome” 11x13 pencil drawing - prints available

I’d like to make a special announcement today and send a big Thank You! to Kelli Swan. Kelli is a phenomenal pencil artist who invited me to be a guest artist on her blog this week. Kelli is an expert at drawing a variety of subjects but mostly draws dogs and horses in her unique style. She sells prints and notecards as well as originals and can do custom artwork for you. Be sure to look around her blog and enjoy her wonderful art.

Pencil Art and Drawings

The drawing above is one which is included in the guest blog.