Monthly Archives: March 2012

Apple Blossoms

Posted by dkrashb on

A bag of trash sits tied and waiting to be carried out to the dumpster.  I grab it and Tisen and we head out, back towards the dumpster.

This takes me into view of the street behind our parking lot lined by trees.  The trees look odd.  For a moment, I can’t process what’s so wrong about them.  Then, I realize they are covered in frost.  But that doesn’t seem right.  I look again.  It’s not frost, it’s blossoms.  I look away and look back again to make sure I didn’t imagine it.  No, they really are in full bloom.

I’m pretty sure they didn’t look like that yesterday.

We head towards to the park and I realize the trees that line our lot are not far behind, partially blooming as well.  I notice the shapes of dozens of mourning doves roosting as I look.  The birds are unperturbed by our presence, but then it takes a lot to roust a roosting mourning dove.

As we make our way through the park, I hear the brown thrasher I’ve been seeing lately.  A small group of yellow-rumped warblers flit by, landing on the ground in front of us before scattering into shrubs.  As I look for the warblers, a large flicker flashes his big white rump as he crosses the path.  Colorful rumps is the bird theme this morning.

Tisen does not appreciate the birds.  Although he is occasionally entertained when they land close, tantalizing enough for him to take a run at them.  I keep telling him he doesn’t chase birds; he keeps assuring me he does.

I notice the fruit trees in the park are also blooming.  It seems a month early to me, but who knows when the trees normally bloom down here.  I hope they aren’t too far off from their normal timing.

It’s a long work day, but since the sun is setting later, I manage to carry my tripod and camera down to the intersection near the blooming apple trees before the last light disappears.  I set up and shoot across Market St.  This makes for some interesting photos as traffic whizzes through my frame during long exposures.

I decide to get a shot of the hill beside the trees.  Getting a decent angle requires setting up in the middle of the crossroad.  Since there isn’t a lot of traffic on this road, I go for it.  I set up and, of course, several cars come my way almost immediately.  One lady stops to ask if I’m shooting the apple trees and remarks on how pretty they are.  A man glares at me, clearly thinking I’m crazy.

I suppose it’s a little crazy to set up expensive gear in the middle of a road when it’s getting dark and I don’t have so much as a reflective jacket.  I shoot quickly and get out of the road.  I carry my tripod home feeling like I’ve just completed some rite of passage for a photographer.

French Kiss

Posted by dkrashb on

I wake very early feeling like I’m in a straight jacket.  I realize Pat is pulling on the blankets on one side and Tisen has them pinned down on the other.  I wiggle my way to the top and crawl out, trying not to wake either of my boys.  I am sweating under two comforters in weather that feels like a summer night.

As I get comfortable and nod off, Tisen makes his way to the top of the bed, laying his head on my pillow.  I am soon awakened by a dog licking my arm.  There is just something disturbing about the notion that my dog has decided I need to be groomed in my sleep.

I roll over, tucking my arm under the cover and attempt to fall back asleep.  Tisen continually changes position, pushing me further and further over.  I decide tonight is the perfect night for him to learn to sleep in his crate.

I get an early start on work while Pat takes Tisen for his morning walk.  When Pat returns, he tells me he tested our new leash–a Wacky Walker.  When Tisen pulls, the leash stretches like a big bungee.  This is surprisingly nice.  There’s no jerk on your arm or shoulder and the leash springs back, teaching the dog that when he pulls, he gets pulled back.

The only problem is that I picked a leash that is only rated for up to 50 pounds.  What can I say?  The color went better with Tisen’s collar.  But, Tisen now weighs 60 pounds. When he encountered an aggressive dog at the park, he lunged at the dog and Pat was sure it would have broken if he wouldn’t have grabbed the non-stretchy end.  So much for fashion.

We move on to crate training in preparation for tonight.  Pat comes up with a great idea.  We call Pat’s phone from my phone and then leave his phone sitting on Tisen’s crate.  We put the phone on speaker and voila!  We have a dog monitor.  We’re gone 10 minutes and Tisen whines only once.  We repeat at dinner, but we’re gone nearly 40 minutes.  Once, I startle a few other diners sitting at the bar when I pick up the phone and shout the “Neh eh eh!” in it, but Tisen gets quiet and settles back down.

After dinner, I take a little time to play with some shots of the “French Kiss” chair (that’s what the designer named it).  Tisen walks through my shot several times, carrying a different toy each time he goes by.  He’s teasing me.

I have a lot of fun manipulating the French Kiss chair shots in Photomatix.

When at last I sit down to write, Tisen curls up next to me and dozes off.  10 minutes later, he wakes up, jumps off the couch and runs across the room.  This is not unusual.  I’m convinced he has awakened from a dream confused.  I hope he sleeps well in his crate tonight.

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