fun stuff | Change Is Hard

October 30, 2015
by dawnkinster 14 Comments

I’m impatient

Katie here.

Psst! Listen up!

You know, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. My parents need to stay home and pay attention to me. Sometimes I don’t even know why I put up with them, other than they give me supper. Which I guess is a pretty good reason to stick around. But frankly I think I deserve a lot more attention, and since they’ve been home from Washington DC I’ve been making my point.

Loudly. And often.

They are busy all the time and I just want to play. Mama and Dad keep asking each other if they brought the wrong sheltie home from camp, cause I’m a lot more vocal than I used to be. Well. That’s because they are ignoring me! What’s a princess to do?

Good catch!

So I tell them off regularly, and then when they tell me to go lie down I bring them a toy. Yesterday my dad threw my pink elephant for me a lot until I put it over on the other side of the room. I get to decide when it’s time to stop playing, not them. Right? You all have the same kind of rules don’t you?

Got it!

I even got my mama to get out my tunnel yesterday and I sort of played “PIGGY IN THE TUNNEL!” with her. But not really. I’d either bring her the piggy but run outside the tunnel, or run through it and not bring the piggy out. She tried to play the game with my cow, and my lambie, my elfie, my pinkie, and my squirrel, but she should know you can’t play “PIGGY IN THE TUNNEL!” with anything except a piggy! Geeze mama!

Sometimes you embarrass me.

Anyway, my mama says that I am at least sleeping until a little later in the morning some of the time. She is not sure how that ‘fall back’ thing with the clock is going to work out this weekend though. She’s pretty sure shelties do not ‘fall back.’

Get it!

I think I have almost gotten my folks back into sheltie-shape now. They’ve been home a week and they are talking about maybe taking me to the park if the wind dies down and the sun comes out. My mama is a wimp. She says she already doesn’t like winter. Yesterday it was only 42F (5.55C) and very windy so we came back inside very fast whenever I made them take me out.

Which I did regularly because I was bored.

Mine!

A sheltie-girl has to do what she has to do….right? If they caught on faster that I need a lot of attention I wouldn’t have to parade them out in the cold so often. I think it’s pretty obvious, but I guess they are a little slow. Meanwhile, now that I’ve got them up and about I probably need to go catch a nap so that I’m ready for them when they think they’re going to sit down and read.

After all, I’m an anti-reading dog, and I’m always on duty.

Happy girl.

October 28, 2015
by dawnkinster 8 Comments

Wordless Wednesday

(You can click on an image and view them all larger)

October 25, 2015
by dawnkinster 33 Comments

Walktober

Sunday afternoon stroll.

Robin over at breezes at dawn challenges us each October to take a walk and then share it with all of you. Here it is October 25 and I haven’t shared a walk with anyone yet. It’s not that I haven’t been walking; certainly we walked a gazillion miles on our Canadian trip and another gazillion in DC last week. I just didn’t do all that with Walktober in mind.

So this morning I headed out into the October sunlight and visited one of my favorite places – the place where I always find something beautiful to photograph – Kensington Metro Park. My plan was to head out on the nature trails and see what I could see, but I was sucked into the incredible beauty along the bike path that circles the main lake so I stopped and walked there for awhile.

Right next to the parking lot was a family of sandhill cranes. Mama and Papa are on the left, this year’s child is on the right. They seemed unaffected by all the people snapping their photo. I think they will be on their way south very soon.

Family of three.

I love fall colors reflected in water and I wasn’t disappointed today. This shot was actually the reason I pulled over and parked earlier than I had planned. It’s a little bay area, with picnic tables under big oak trees.

I’ve had a picnic lunch out on this little spit of land in warmer days.

I used to run on the bike path every weekend, around the beautiful lake. As I walked today I was remembering other times, running with friends, running alone, things I’ve seen on these hills and curves from many years of visiting this beautiful park.

Willow and water.

Along the path I came across some bittersweet. I know it’s invasive, but it’s something my mom used to like to decorate with in fall and I don’t see it very often these days. As the weather cools the orange berries split and fold back, showing a yellowish center. Mom used to dry it and tuck it along the fireplace mantle. I always think of her when I find a bit of it on my wanderings.

Orange berry memories.

I headed over to the nature trails to see what I might find. The sun was warm on my face and I was enjoyed being in the woods listening to the birds, watching chickadees and nuthatches flit about.

Nuthatch stops for a fleeting moment to say hi.

There were lots and lots of chipmunks running around in the dry leaves. They always sound so much bigger scrambling around under those leaves than they really are. I stopped and watched three of them chase each other around.

If I stay still you can’t see me. Right?

The nature trail led through the woods and then opened up into a pretty little meadow with a couple of surprise maple trees still in full color.

A surprise punch of color.

I’m always happy when I see a bit of color that stands out.

Most of the maples are done, and now it’s the oak trees’ time to shine.

This park has an amazing array of wildlife habitats, you can walk in rolling hills or around the lake or near wetlands. Everywhere you look there is something beautiful. No matter what time of year you visit.

More cranes out in the marsh.

New vignettes will catch your eye each time you walk through the park. It’s best to always have your camera handy.

Two trees.

This was the perfect place to visit after our busy week in Washington DC. I am grateful to Robin for suggesting Walktober. Just like last year I’m thinking I need to do a Walkovember next month.

A good spot for contemplation.

Care to join me?

Last of the maple color.

October 22, 2015
by dawnkinster 1 Comment

WordPress photo challenge: (Extra)ordinary

Here it is Thursday night. Tomorrow a new photo challenge will arrive. Time to get back in gear! Since I was in Washington DC this week and since I love the metro system there so much I will use it as an example of something ordinary that is extraordinary.

I love that you can see the people inside on this shot.

Everybody on the trains has a story, and most of them are interesting. Everyone I talked to while riding to and from meetings was engaging; they were all people I enjoyed talking to. There wasn’t a rude one in the bunch. In fact the metro was indicative of the way people were all over DC.

Red pants on escalator.

Even later at night, when there were fewer people around I found the stations underground to be beautiful. What the natives see as ordinary I found simply extraordinary.

You can go to the original post, up in the link above, and see what other ordinary things people found extraordinary.

Feet were made for walking.

October 10, 2015
by dawnkinster 20 Comments

Another shot missed

Sunshine, crisp golden light, maple leaves turning red and gold…how could I resist grabbing the camera and the dog and heading out over the frost covered lawn to the pond across the street. The trees in my neighbor’s yard were stunning in the sunshine.

Morning glow

And those across their pond were beautiful as well. Katie and I moved along the road looking for a spot to capture them.

Morning calm.

I was focused on catching the light and the water while standing on the dog’s leash and listening for cars when I heard a soft, short grunt off to my right. I didn’t look right then, didn’t look until there was a rush of wings and a loud squawk.

A blue heron was lifting off of a submerged tree limb about 10 yards away. He’d probably been sitting there as Katie and I got closer and closer. He gave me a warning grunt and I didn’t listen.

So this is all I got:

Flying away.

I’ve been trying to get a great shot of a blue heron for years. Years. And there he was standing there next to me and I never even noticed. If I had glanced over at the first grunt I think there would have been an amazing shot. But I’ll never know.

Back at home moments after Katie and I came in four young deer crossed the road we had just been standing on. I don’t have a picture of them in the morning glow either. I was too busy trying to keep Katie from flinging herself against the windows to grab the camera.

Silly us.

Missed another one Mama!

October 9, 2015
by dawnkinster 16 Comments

WordPress Photo Challenge: Happy Place

Any time I can get near one of our Great Lakes I’m in my happy place.

You can see other people’s happy places at the original post. It’s very early in the week…so I haven’t selected any favorites yet. You’ll have to go check them all out.

Meanwhile…where is your happy place? I’d love to see it!

Wordless Wednesday

October 7, 2015 by dawnkinster 12 Comments

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October 3, 2015
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

WordPress Photo Challenge: Boundry

Darn fence!

You can see other interpretations of ‘boundry’ at the original post. Or you can check out a few of my favorites so far here, here and here.

This is an intriguing photo challenge. What boundaries do you see around you? Care to share?

October 2, 2015
by dawnkinster 8 Comments

Play date!

Peep and me meeting this morning at the park.

Katie here! Guess what? Remember when I told you that my mama was gone all the time, and then she took me to the kennel and left me there? I was thinking maybe she didn’t love me anymore or something. But today she proved she loved me cause she took me for a long walk in the woods. And even better we got to do it with my friend Peep and her mom!

Peep and I had so much fun! We especially liked foiling all our mamas’ attempts to get cute pictures of the two of us together. We talked about it before we set out on the trail and decided one or the other of us would always turn away when either of them pointed a camera at us.

Got our plan down. Onward!

It worked great.

They hardly got any good pictures of us together while we went on our long walk. After awhile they just gave up. Score one for the dogs!

What’s over there?

We got to walk through the beautiful woods on a very pretty day. And it was cooler too, only in the 50s (10s in Celsius) which I like a whole lot better than the hot summer days when my coat is just so hot!

Want to come to the park with me next time?

Most of the time I got to be off leash, though when we got near a road my mama put my leash back on cause you know I like to chase cars. There wasn’t anyone else out there though, it was wonderful. The whole place was just for us!

This is my good friend Peep!

Peep and I decided that once we got back to the beach we’d let the moms take pictures of us sitting together, as long as they didn’t make us sit too close.

We did this for the moms.

We like each other and all, but we still like our own personal space, you know?

So then after we posed for them my mama was talking to Peep’s mom about calling us so she could get pictures of us running to her, and I heard her say ‘call’ and figured that was good enough, so I took off for her, leaving poor Peep in the dust.

Coming mama!

Peep says the only reason I got ahead of her was because I cheated. I think it’s my due as a princess.

Either way we had a wonderful time out there in the park for a couple of hours. When we got home mama had to comb out my furs to get all the bits of leaves and stickers out of me. I was sort of a mess. But I’m a good girl and stood quietly on my table till she was done cleaning out my armpits.

Then I took a nap. Cause that’s what a princess does after a big day. I heard mama and Peep’s mom talking about when we can go again before hunting season. I’m pretty sure we’re going to get one more long walk together soon.