Margo, over at her blog, That Little Voice, posted a black and white photo for a challenge. It reminded me how much I enjoy black and white photography, and I said as much. We both mentioned that we don’t do many these days, and I suggested this week we each try to post one black and white image.
So I went out with Penny looking for an opportunity.
For me the thing about black and white is finding simplicity. I like images that aren’t busy, trending toward modern art.
I didn’t exactly find that on this search. But as soon as I took this shot I knew it could be interesting in black and white.
This is Penny exploring a boat ramp at a local lake when the lake was mirror smooth. I was letting her decide if she wanted to get her feet wet. She wasn’t excited about the chance, the only one with wet feet at the end of the day was me. She was curious about the water, hence the ripples around her nose.
I think I’ll keep an eye out for another black and white image when Penny and I are exploring. You never know when you’ll spot something cool. Thanks to Margo for inspiring me to go out and look for black and white!
Mom says I talk too much. You should hear me talk when she’s emptying the dishwasher or opening the tinfoil drawer! But I just had to tell you about mom making me march walk down a park path for a whole mile!
This was the beginning of my 1 mile walk!
OK, maybe she chose the time and day to go to the park because she figured not many other people with dogs would be out there. We have a lot of Canadian wildfire smoke right now and mostly people are staying inside.
Ok, let’s get this party started!
We have been staying in too, but when you stay inside too long certain doggies get slightly insane impatient. At least that’s what mom says.
Look mom, I found you some flowers!
I have no idea who she is referring to.
Mom says it’s important to look both ways before you cross the road.
Mom was going to take me to a different park, but it was further away and I started complaining as soon as we were in the car. Mom and dad took me to the vet this week and I was certain she was taking me back there, so I told her I was not happy.
Ok, I’ll sit pretty mom, but don’t expect me to do it again!
She decided we’d go somewhere closer and prove to me that not all car rides end in a vet visit.
Mom’s artsy-fartsy image from this walk. Boring, mom.
This was was my very first time walking on a bike path! Good thing hardly anybody was around cause I did not stay on my side of the path. At all. But I had fun.
I am NOT sitting on this bench, mom!
We only went to the half mile mark and then turned around. Mom didn’t want to overdo, she’s old you know. Plus it was warm and smoggy.
I’m not sitting at the turn around mark either, mom!
On the way back I decided it would be fun to play with the leash and leap around a lot and generally get in trouble.
I don’t know why mom doesn’t think this is a fun game.
Cause I’m a puppy, and that’s what puppies do. So I’m told anyway.
I got all tangled up in my leash. We took a break in the shade.
We had fun, mom got some pictures and I got to see some things I’ve never seen before. The teacher in my puppy class says it’s mom and dad’s responsibility to introduce me to 3 new things a week.
There were great chewing sticks under the bench!
Let’s see. I saw a lawnmower, a guy on bike, and a bench! Not to mention the crosswalk and a lady driving a golf cart. I think mom’s homework this week is done!
What the heck is that thing, mom?
I hope next week’s homework assignment includes more wonderful treats experiences!
Not sitting near these yellow flowers either, mom!
I’m going to help mom plan more trips. I think I like checking out new places.
Well OK, if I get to eat some I’ll sit here.
But since I’m just a little puppy, I need ideas. Where do you think we should go this year?
One more artsy-fartsy image. Sigh.
I’ll get mom to make a list. I’d do it myself, but she doesn’t let me on the laptop very often. Something about getting dog hair in the keyboard.
I search for her outline through the foggy glass during this morning’s shower. She’s a youngster still, and she could be doing anything, most likely chewing on something. I remember how Katie used to sleep against the far wall every morning for years as I got ready for work. Penny doesn’t sleep while I shower. She investigates.
But this morning she is lying on the rug, her shape and size familiar yet different. At 7 months she’s about the same size as Katie was as an adult but Penny has a few more months of growing to go.
As I step out of the shower she licks the water from my ankles. I close my eyes and remember the delicate butterfly wing kisses Katie used to give while doing the same thing. Penny is not nearly so delicate but tickles my feet in her own unique way. I smile, in rememberance of what was before and in appreciation of what is now.
Later in the morning Penny comes to find me in the office and pokes me in the hip. She wants attention. Or a treat. I remember Katie doing the same thing when she felt ignored. I smile and take Penny outside, though clearly what she really wants to do is play.
So we come back inside and I sit on her big pillow in the middle of the living room and reach for her brush. She lays down beside me and lets me manipulate her into position for brushing. And when her tummy is done she stretches deeply and curls up against my legs, letting me brush her ears and then her long sable back, over and over, as I remember how Katie hated being brushed, how it was a chore that we both avoided.
I smile down at this little/big dog who is loving the long smooth strokes down her back, neither of us in any hurry to move. She props her nose up on the pillow, glances sideways at me and closes her eyes in happiness. I kiss her nose and silently thank her for beginning to heal my broken heart.
And then a squirrel leaps onto the deck with a thud and Penny is instantly on alert and streaks off to inspect the perimeter of her home.
Katie’s shift has ended, and Penny is more than ready to assume the responsibilities. Different girls, different silhouettes, different personalities, but the same love.
Hey everybody! It’s me, your Adventure-girl, Penny!
It’s a new adventure!
Guess what, guess what, guess WHAT! I got to go on my very first adventure (that wasn’t a trip to the vet) and let me tell you, there’s a whole world out there.
I can’t wait to see it all!
This is the farm where my grandma grew up.
I personally think I’m going to be very popular with the world, but enough about me. Oh wait. There’s never enough about me!
This image took mom about 15 tries to get. Mom should practice more.
ANYWAY…this week mom needed to get some photos of her (huh, that’s different isn’t it!) so she made arrangements with a photographer to meet her at the family farm down in Ann Arbor. And she took me along with her!
Mostly she got pictures of me getting up and moving. She needs to practice being faster.
I rode in the back seat of the car wearing a harness and a seat belt instead of being in my crate. So I got to watch stuff out the window and you know what? I didn’t throw up even once! Mom says I might turn out to be an awesome traveler!
This is mom’s favorite image from our farm photoshoot. I think I look good too.
After mom got her picture taken near the pretty red barns she took a few pictures of me. She says it’s a challenge, whatever that means.
I know how to pose for mom. But don’t tell her, I like to make her sweat a little.
But I’m getting the hang of it. As long as mom has treats in her pockets and patience in her heart, we get it done together.
Hey mom, are we almost done here? I’m getting tired and hot.
Mom said she was very happy with me even though I didn’t always want to look at her when she was taking pictures. Geeze mom, there was a LOT to look at and I needed to make sure we were safe from anything lurking around the backside of those barns!
Did I hear something over there?
Mom told me some stories about when she was a little girl and spent time at this farm. It sounds like she has a lot of good memories.
Just getting a little nap in on the ride home.
And now she has a new memory at the farm that includes me!
So this is the pond Katie always got her picture in front of.
I bet you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to, and since mom is off doing dishes or laundry or some other boring thing I thought I’d tell you about last weekend when I got to visit my sister Katie’s park and I walked all the way around it for the very first time!
Is there something back there?
I’ve been telling Mom I was a big girl and I could walk around that park, but for some reason she’s never taken me. I think she just wasn’t emotionally ready to handle it, you know?
It’s really nice here, mom!
I know this is Katie’s park and it’s not like I’m asking her to rename it or anything. But sometimes mom is a little slow to move forward. So I waited patiently (I’m really good at patient) for her to be ready to share the park with me, her new little girl.
We stopped at the memory tree. Mom didn’t have to explain it to me. I understood.
Well. Let me tell you it was worth the wait! Though I am not thrilled about sitting on some rock in the parking lot. Apparently Katie would pose for her there. I don’t see what the point is, so I declined to pose.
Tell me again why you want me up here, mom?
I am my own girl. Mom said that was OK, I’m allowed to be me, and she loves me just the quirky little girl way I am.
Mom says she always takes at least one artsy-fartsy image. I guess this is it.
Anyway…mom put a long line on me so I could wander further away from her. But she kept calling me when I wasn’t paying attention.
Did you call, mom?
I’d turn right around and run back to find out what she needed. And to get a snack.
This is a pretty fun game, mom!
Mom says I’m very good at something called distracted recall. She says that’s a very very important skill to have. Whatever mom, if you bring the snacks I will do recall all day.
Are you coming, mom? Katie says you lag a lot on walks.
The park was pretty the day we visited, and mom promises to take me back again real soon. I can’t wait. I liked this park a lot because we weren’t in the deep woods and I could see the sky.
Is there something back there?
Mom is figuring out I like to be in open places the better to make sure there aren’t any monsters around.
Sometimes mom focused on stuff that wasn’t me! Incredible. Katie told me to get used to it.
It’s possible to be an Adventure-Girl and also a little nervous all at the same time. Mom says that’s OK too.
I think I’ll get braver and braver the more adventures we go on. Mom’s going to put up another tent in our back yard after it stops raining. She says it has a little window down near the floor and maybe I’ll like it better. I don’t know, mom. Right now I’m thinking daddy has the right idea about camping.
Mom got a lot of pictures like this too. Tee hee.
I guess I’ll have to trust you, mom, and check out the new tent when you put it up. Maybe I’ll turn into a camping dog eventually. Dad reminds mom that I’m still just a baby.
I took a nap when we got home. Mom woke me up when she took this picture. I was not amused.
Penny here. Mom says she has more star pictures and camping pictures and barn pictures to show you, but I told her you’d rather see me! Cause I have to tell you about my date with Lance!
My friend Lance
Yep, my mom and Lance’s mom arranged a play date on Tuesday. Lance turns 1 year old tomorrow, so he’s about 6 months older than me. Isn’t he handsome?
I was smitten as soon as I met him. We hit it off right away because we both love to run! All four of our folks sat in chairs in the shade and talked and watched us play.
Our first nose touch.
Of course they made us take breaks pretty often, but we still played a lot!
Our first run together.
And Lance told me lots of secrets about how to get what you want from your parents. After all he has six more months of experience than me. I appreciated the intel.
He gave me lots of good advice.
But mostly we were just two crazy dogs having a wonderful time.
You can’t catch me!
And in between runs we got treats! What a wonderful day!
An excellent break from all that running!
Neither of us could believe our luck, to have a nice sunny day and a big yard to play in and four people to pay attention to us and provide drinks and treats!
Lance has the biggest water dish ever!
I’ll tell you a secret. I think Lance sort of likes me.
I think he’s blushing.
And I sort of like him too.
Whispering sweet nothings in his ear
Then of course the moms decide they should get a picture of the two of us sitting together.
Hey Lance! Let’s make them work for it!
Why do moms always do this? Does it seem like a good idea? I haven’t even graduated from puppy school yet, why would I want to sit and stay?
What is this stay thing you keep asking for?
Yep, it went about as well as you could expect.
OK, get the shot quick, cause I’m not sitting here one more second!
And just to add another little wrinkle to this photo shoot idea, they brought out Payton, Katie’s half sister, and decided they wanted a picture with all three of us!
This should be interesting.
Well. Payton is an old pro and sat stoically while all sorts of shenanigans went on beside her. It helps, I guess, that she’s deaf.
Stay means jump really high. Right?
I’m sure she was tired of sitting there, but finally mom got one shot of the three of us.
Payton was pretty disgusted by then.
We weren’t exactly all sitting. Ahem. But I did the best I could.
Mom ended up just taking pictures of the other two….
Handsome brother Lance and beautiful sister Payton.
…and then just of Payton, because mom says she looks so much like Katie, she couldn’t help but take a bunch of pictures of her. Mom was really glad she got to see Payton again.
Mom’s eyes leaked just a little bit.
And I got jealous and decided maybe I did too want my picture taken with my sister’s half sister.
Hey! Maybe I’ll pose for a picture after all!
And then Lance and I went back to playing!
Hey Lance! Wanna PLAY???
We played and played, and I started a lot of it!
I think we’ve met our match!
I couldn’t resist jumping on him to see if he’d run with me.
Come on! Let’s PLAY!!
And then the folks said we should go for a walk! A walk? Are you crazy? Lance and I just ran about a gazillion miles!
This was the perfect way to end our first date!
But their property was so pretty and shady that we all had a wonderful time exploring. Next time I expect I’ll be able to be off my leash and explore even more, just like Tally, Lance and Payton’s really big sister, and Payton.
Meet Tally. She’s such a good girl!
Isn’t she beautiful?
And then, after our walk when I thought we were going home, Lance’s mom and my dad got my loose ear glued down again.
What the heck, people!
And then it was time to say goodbye for now.
Three little shelties all in a row. Then mom said one had to go.
Boy I had a wonderful time.
Bye for now, Lance!
Today I sat by one of my windows and watched the clouds go by and dreamed of running in a big field with my friend Lance.
Saturday morning I walked in one of Katie’s parks along with 10 other people and an expert guide, to see the wildflowers blooming and tour some of the projects the township is working on to make more of the area open to the public.
One of several steep hills we climbed.
It was two plus miles of hills and wetlands, lots of little things blooming, and a cold, sunny day. I was very glad I’d worn waterproof shoes, and three layers of shirts!
Our guide told us what this was, but I can’t remember the name of it now.
I had just driven back home Friday afternoon, after five days of camping near the Sleeping Bear Dunes in cold, sometimes rainy, weather. I was kind of tired and thought about skipping this guided walk. It would be so easy to sleep in.
Tiny little white lady’s slippers just beginning to bloom.
But we were going to explore parts of the park I’ve never been to and I didn’t want to miss that, so I went. And I’m glad I did.
A lone trillium.
There will soon be so much more of the park available to explore, and I think it will be nice to have areas of the park that are new, without memories of Katie, that can be Penny’s alone.
Wild germanium
I can’t wait to show it all to her. They say the bridge from the parking lot to the new sections should be ready this fall. I don’t know, it seems like there is still a lot of work to do. But our guide, who is in charge of all the township parklands, says he’s confident they’ll get it all done.
Lupine
Meanwhile I’ll probably take Penny over to walk the trails Katie and I used to wander. The last time Katie and I were there she had a really good walk. Where before she had often refused to walk down the big hills, on this last walk, in the fall of 2021, she was eager to go.
I don’t know what this is, but it was pretty!
She walked much further than I expected her to, and even jumped over a tree branch that had fallen over the trail.
How fun! We got to go down trails that were normally off limits!
So I have those good memories to ease me into sharing her park with her new little sister, Penny.
Remnant.
The guided walk helped me, too, to see the park without Katie, but to realize she’ll always be there with me, just like she is in so many places.
Change Is Hard 