Family Planning

Posted by dkrashb on March 23, 2013

Tisen’s collection of squeaky toys seems to have grown quite a bit since October

This was the majority of the collection in October–the family is getting out of control

There’s a reason people recommend planning your family carefully. I believe it’s because after so many family members, it becomes difficult to fit everyone into a camera frame.

While we successfully kept the human side of the family to plan, the canine side didn’t go quite how we expected. Our plan was not to have any more dogs until we had settled down somewhere. Our goal was all about mobility.

Tisen inspects the family portrait pose

But as things changed and we exercised our mobility less and less, I found myself home alone way too much. Working from home is not the same as actually being around other people, even on days when I’m on conference calls for 10 straight hours.

Black and white Hipstamatic version using the D-Type film

Not wanting a long-term commitment, I decided to foster dogs for a local shelter. Tisen was my 3rd foster dog in Chattanooga. I am what is called a “foster failure.” That’s what it’s called when foster mom and dad adopt the dog they’re fostering. I can live with that kind of failure.

My boy kept stealing family members–Baby Beaver had to be omitted from the group shot to get Tisen to settle down

But, having failed to plan the permanent addition of Tisen to our family, it follows that I would be equally less deliberate about planning the additions Tisen would bring home. It started with the discovery of his love for squeaky toys. For the first year we had Tisen, he had no interest in treats. Only squeaky toys.

Tisen licks his nose after being reunited with Snake makes him sneeze

As a result, we kept getting him more squeaky toys. Soon, it became a tradition every time we went to PetsMart, Tisen gets to pick out a new toy. He carries it so proudly through the store with the tags still hanging off it. Usually, he tries to prance straight out the front door with it. He hasn’t quite gotten the “we have to pay for it” concept down yet. So far the store manager has been very understanding and hasn’t prosecuted Tisen for attempted shop lifting.

A more traditional image of the family yielded a pile of jumbled colors

Today, I decided, was the day to find out just how large the family had grown. I haven’t attempted a family portrait since October, when Cow Ball joined the family. I was a bit shocked when I gathered up all the family members and piled them on the sofa. This actually took two trips!

Tisen isn’t quite sure what he’s supposed to do with the huge pile of toys on the sofa

I got out the last inventory list I’d made and checked off the toys as I found them. Each and every one of them was accounted for, plus about 10 news ones added since October. There was even one extra–White Ball. White ball doesn’t belong to Tisen. He “borrowed” it from Twiggy, his girlfriend. It’s probably some ploy he’s using to try to get her to come over–she likes to play it cool.

Close up of Big Dog, Red Dog, Artie (the Armadillo/’Possum), and Puppy Luv cuddling

I had a little trouble fitting the entire family into the frame. I’m a little worried they’ve started multiplying on their own–how did we end up with 3 bears? Last time I checked, we only had Minnie and Eddie Bear. Now we have Flat Bear, too. This is why family planning is so important.

Had great fun with an overexposed shot–after much adjusting, it ended up reminding me of a crayon drawing

Dog Walk

Posted by dkrashb on March 20, 2013

The “Happy Puppy” face comes through even in the Hipstamatic blur effect

I discovered something about my dog last weekend. At least I think I did. I’ve always suspected he thinks he’s walking me when we go for our spins around the park. He has good reason to believe this. I take the approach that as a dog with no yard, his walks should simulate the experience of wandering around the yard amusing himself.

An urban dog’s lot in life is to enjoy the outdoors while attached to his people

Instead of expecting him to heel, I let him pick where he wants to wander within reason. If he meanders off the sidewalk and into the grass because he’s suddenly caught a really good scent, I follow.

Is it time to go? Are we going? Now? Now?

If I get impatient, I whistle to him and say, “Let’s go this way,” in my high, happy puppy voice and move my body in a way that suggests play. I hope no one has ever caught this on video. Usually, he will come with me.

But when an urban dog is at home, life can be pretty luxurious

Interestingly, he rarely pulls on the lead. When we’re in motion, we walk together like he’s been expertly trained. The lead hangs so loose, I have to loop it to keep it from dragging and tripping one of us. He walks at my side content until the next great scent piques his interest.

So, while on the one hand, he could have the impression that he is walking me, on the other hand, he stays with me nicely much of the time. It’s a win-win and I’ve never really worried much about it–he and I seem equally content in our style of walking together.

Cuddling in a blanket next to Mommy seems to be the highlight of the day

When we went for our little hikes in the Prentice Cooper State Forest this past weekend, we let Tisen off his leash when we were on trails where we were unlikely to run into anyone and far from ATVs. Because Tisen is the kind of dog that wants to have his people in sight all the time, we don’t have to worry about him running off (unlike an Akita we once fostered who seemed to think he needed to run 10 miles a day and that being let of the leash was an invitation to go do so).

Hey! Where’d everyone go?

Tisen sometimes gets lost in a scent. He forgets where he is, who he’s with, and goes blind as all of his brain becomes occupied with deciphering what message was left for him. When we hike, we just keep going, figuring he’ll catch up after a bit. If he doesn’t show up before we get very far, we call him. Then, he usually panics and comes galloping back to us like he’s just had the daylights scared out of him.

The blanket is supposed to protect the sofa from Tisen–a point he seems to have missed

This isn’t new behavior. But, for the first time it dawned on me that he’s shocked to realize we can get away. He forgets we’re not on a leash. He expects to look up and find us standing next to him, waiting for him to finish. I feel certain his panic is proof that he really does think he’s walking us.

This photo may be blurry, but it still cracks me up–Tisen is so determined to hide his face, he sticks his head in the crook of Daddy’s arm

Not Snoopers Rock

Posted by dkrashb on March 19, 2013

Looking back up the trail, parallel to the cliff wall that makes up the bulk of Indian Rock House

On our weekend adventure, after going the wrong way and ending up at Signal Point, cowboying our way down a road made for ATVs rather than mini-vans and nearly removing our bumper trying to turn around, we headed towards our initial destination: Snoopers Rock.

We made our way slowly back up the ATV-friendly road back to the long gravel road that traverses the Prentice Cooper State Forest. At some point, I got a signal on my iPhone and looked up a map of the park. True to the rest of the day, I realized we had passed the trailhead for Snoopers Rock and we turned around. But, curious about what appeared to be a fire tower along the way, I asked Pat to stop, back up, and pull into the park headquarters to check it out.

Not the fire tower stairs, but still a little dangerous

When Pat put our trusty mini-van in reverse, something drug on the gravel road. Pat got out and discovered the radiator shroud was hanging far lower than it should be. I don’t know what a radiator shroud is, but was relieved that Pat thought we’d be OK for a few days as long as we stopped running over things with it.

The fire tower was open to the public with an ominous sign at the base of the terrifying stairs stating that if you enter, you have to assume responsibility if you get hurt. I made it up the first two flights of steep, narrow steps (less than halfway to the top) before a strong wind shaking the tower reminded me just how afraid of heights I am. I took what were, I’m sure, my best shots of the day of the tower. However, they mysteriously disappeared, making me slightly less enamored with shooting with Hipstamatic on my iPhone instead of my DSLR.

Side wall of Indian Rock House shot with the color verison of tintype in Hipstamatic

We headed back to the trailhead, parked, crossed the road and headed down the trail, expecting to arrive at Snoopers Rock in less than half a mile. Eventually, we saw a sign that said Indian Rock House was .9 mile away and Snoopers Rock was a couple of miles beyond. I was quite perplexed. We decided to head on down to Indian Rock House–we were nearly there. Our day was destined to be a day of detours.

A more realistic image of the entrance to the stone door shot with the Camera! app

Indian Rock House has a stone door much like the one at Savage Gulf, but on a smaller scale. The gap in the rocks leads down narrow, steep steps that rivaled the fire tower for hazardousness, but felt far more secure with the ground much closer.

The Rock House is a large indentation in the cliffside that provides a roof if you stay close to the rock wall. I wouldn’t call it a cave, but it did provide shelter to indigenous people at some point in history. It was pretty cool in any case.

Pat pointed out a “whale” in the end wall of the rock house–can you see it?

By the time we hiked back up to the trailhead, we decided we’d better call it a day. Some day, we’ll make it to Snoopers Rock.

I’m not sure why, but I find this image interesting with Pat blurred in the background and the foreground rock in focus

Nearly the same shot as above, only with Pat in focus instead

Nearly the same shot as above, only with Pat less blurred

Crater Lake, the Second

Posted by dkrashb on March 18, 2013

Crater Lake really is almost this blue. Shot with the Color version of tintype “film” in Hipstamatic.

From Signal Point, we loaded back into our trusty min-van, found directions to Snoopers Rock on Google maps, and headed back down Signal Mountain to drive around the base along the Tennessee River. The drive was mostly beautifu–there were views of the river and the gorge much of the way.

Snoopers Rock is in the Prentice Cooper State Forest. It is not only not near Signal Point, it is not even on Signal Mountain (see yesterday’s post). But, it was a lovely day for a bit of exploring in any case.

The longest part of the drive was the gravel road from the entry to the park to the trailhead. We happened to arrive on a day when ATVs were over-running the place. We originally thought there must have been some kind of event there, but in retrospect, I suspect it’s just that popular to go driving around in an ATV here.

I’m not sure if I was shooting the plants in the water or plants above, but I kind of like the patch of sharpness in the midst of blur. Need to figure out which Hipstamatic lens does this

Along the way, we saw a sign for “Crater Lake.” Thinking of Crater Lake in Oregon, our curiosity was piqued and we decided to take yet another detour. We turned down a road that was clearly not designed for mini-vans. We drove slowly, going up and down bumps and through muddy puddles that spoke of the popularity of ATVs here.

We made it to a grassy parking area and I suggested we were at the lake, but Pat thought we needed to go further.

The road got bumpier, rootier, and muddier the further we went. Of course, we had no cell reception to try to figure out where we were, either. I had a vague feeling we were going in a loop, however, and suggested we turn around.

This one was shot with the Camera! App and was only slightly adjusted–this is what the lake actually looked like.

By this time, we all three needed to use the facilities. Having quite a bit of experience with natural facilities, I worked my way through a few brambles to a bit of cover from view of the roadway. I was glad I did when, just as I was finishing up, I heard an ATV approaching.

Pat was in the middle of turning the van around when I got back to the road. He was also dragging the bumper over the roots at the base of a tree. Fortunately, our van suffered more harm than the tree did. But, tree-hugger that I am, I yelled “Stop!” as soon as I saw the bumper drag on the roots. This was a good thing–I’m not sure our bumper would still be attached otherwise.

Pat posed for me in front of the lake.

We eventually made it back down the road in the direction we’d come. Although the couple on the ATV seemed to think we might be close to Crater Lake by going the opposite direction, neither Pat nor I thought trying to turn around again was a good idea. As we arrived back at the grassy parking area, from this direction, the lake was visible through some underbrush. We looked at each other and laughed. I managed not to say, “I told you so.”

Tisen wasn’t sure if he was hot enough to go wading in the strange looking water

Signaling Spring

Posted by dkrashb on March 17, 2013

Looking up the walk from the Signal Point Overlook to the parking lot

Ahh, spring. Winter teased us with warm spells followed by cold spells that seemed to get colder just when we thought it was almost over. I found myself counting on those surprise warm spells about when they stopped coming. While it’s premature to assume the cold weather is over, it sure was nice to have a sunny day in the 70’s on a Saturday for a change!

We decided we’d try something new and go to Snoopers Rock. Reportedly, Snoopers Rock has the best view of the Tennessee River Gorge from Signal Mountain and it’s a short walk from the trailhead parking lot. These were both pluses–my husband’s joints are suffering and he still isn’t up for more than a mile or two.

Revisiting Signal Point during the worst time of day from a lighting perspective called for Hipstamatic’s Tintype kit

Since Snoopers Rock is in the same park as Signal Point, we started driving towards Signal Point while I found directions on my iPhone. We soon discovered we had passed the turn to Snoopers Rock. Since we had most of the day, we decided to keep going, grab some lunch and make a detour up to Signal Point before heading on to Snoopers Rock.

Slightly different version of the same scene as above–I can’t decide if I like it better or not

I switched apps to the Urbanspoon to see what food was available nearby. We discovered the Southern Star Take-Out Cafe was right down the road. I’ve heard of the Southern Star cafe–it’s supposed to have very good down-home fare. The “Take-Out” is a second location that has foods designed to go. We decided to give it a try.

We grabbed a couple cups of stew, a Waldorf salad, some sort of pea salad, and some of the sweetest sweet tea (even though we mixed it with unsweetened tea) we’ve ever tasted.

Leaning over the overlook rock wall, swatting flies, and shooting with the iPhone, I was happy I didn’t drop my phone

At Signal Point, we sat in the car, overlooking the park, with the windows down eating our lunch. The wind blew through the windows keeping us cool. I smiled to myself as I ate, thinking how nice it was to need the breeze to keep from getting too warm.

Once our bellies were full (the food was yummy), we walked the 50 yards or so from the parking lot to the overlook. I, of course, whipped out my iPhone, switched to Hipstamatic, set the “film” to D-Type Tintype style in black-and-white, and planned to take my time getting some images of the gorge.

In this shot of the steps up the hill, the steps in the foreground disappeared in the blur created by Hipstamatic

This was about the time we discovered we weren’t the only ones enjoying the spring weather. I’ve not been able to identify them, but they were something between a fly and a gnat and they were swarming everywhere. They stuck to my clothes, in my hair, to my sunglasses, and even to my iPhone. Tisen turned in circles chasing them and was quickly ready to go.

Pat and Tisen moved up to the gazebo in the hope of getting away from the bugs, but they were everywhere. I ended up rushing my shots after all. Tisen looked relieved when we headed back up the hill to the parking lot.

The Hipstamatic “lens” created a very shallow depth of field–only Pat remains in focus (with his hair blowing in the wind)

Thrown a Curve

Posted by dkrashb on March 14, 2013

Getting crazy with the Aperture curves feature

After playing with my Hipstamatic images for the past several days, I finally remembered that I’d taken a few shots with my DSLR the same weekend. I pulled out the memory card and downloaded the photos.

I seem to have had some difficulty switching from the square frame of Hipstamatic back to the rectangular frame of the DSLR–there were many extraneous things in my DSLR images.

I thought about talking about how the DSLR images were technically better images than the Hipstamatic images, but really, they’re not from an execution point of view. If you want to compare megapixels and talk about sharpness, well yes, they are. But, that’s not better execution; that’s better equipment.

A more conservative adjustment

In any case, instead of trying to prove you can take technically better photos that still don’t look as appealing as what might be considered a flawed photo, I thought I’d try taking one image and doing a lot of different edits with it. I chose a DSLR image because of the better resolution and because it’s in RAW, both of which help images stand up to more edits.

This is the Hipstamatic image that I spent about 30 seconds creating:

Hipstamagic

By comparison, this is the original image from my DSLR (no adjustments/edits):

It’s not quite a fair comparison because of the differences in composition, but it’s the best I can do.

Now, what can you do with a not very exciting image of a treehouse? Well, Hipstamatic has already done a lot of editing for me. But I decided to push Aperture a bit to get a better idea of what kinds of things can be achieved in this relatively simple editing tool.

I don’t advise this exercise be started within 2 hours of bed time. It’s addictive.

This is what happened when I started playing with the separate RGB channels in the curves feature

For most of the effects, I used only one adjustment: curves. I tweaked a bit in saturation, highlights, and levels. But I literally spent an hour playing with dragging a curve around into crazy shapes just to see what would happen.

By the way, I didn’t sit down thinking “I think I’ll play with the curves feature tonight.” This idea all started when I was adjusting an image and I accidentally pulled the curve too far in one direction. The photo did something interesting and I liked it.

The curves feature is truly like coloring. Maybe scribbling is more accurate. Whatever it is, it’s fun. I don’t often say that about photo editing.

Tisen cuddles Skunk on the sofa after a walk

Tisen has resurrected Skunk from the bottom of the toy bin lately. This may be my doing–sometimes when he wants to take Big Dog or Squirrel on a walk (both of which trip him when he carries them), I make a quick substitution. I think he had forgotten he had Skunk. I like that the two of them together make a stripe pattern against a swirl pattern, but both in black and white. Tisen seems to have discovered Skunk also makes a great pillow.

Hipsta Park

Posted by dkrashb on March 13, 2013

I like the rocks Hipstamata-sized. The first time we saw these rocks, a guy had just fallen off of them and broken his ribs.

Sunday afternoon, looking for something fun to do, we decided on an easy, short walk that Tisen could accompany us on. Pat suggested Signal Point, but I felt the distance we could walk and the view we could see without any physical strain was too limited. The easily accessible overlook is less than 50 yards from the parking lot.

Coming back up the steps from Ochs Overlook toward the New York Peace Monument

Coming back up the steps from Ochs Overlook toward the main loop

I suggested we head up to Point Park instead. Point Park has what is probably a half-mile loop that’s flat and affords views from many directions. Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama are all visible from Point Park. The view of Moccasin Bend is hard to beat. And, there are monuments, canons, and interesting rock formations that would all allow me to continue my Hipstamatic spree.

Pat agreed and we headed up to the mountain. The one disadvantage of Point Park is that they do charge an entry fee. I don’t mind paying the entry fee–I want to support the park–but it does add up throughout the year given the number of times we take visitors up there. When we got there, I stopped in the Visitor’s Center to ask if they have an annual pass. The volunteer on duty didn’t know of anything specific to the park, but told me about the $80 annual pass to all federally managed lands. He told me it included access to Yellowstone and gave me a pamphlet.

Looking down the trail at the museum at Ochs Overlook

While it was tempting to get an annual pass for all federal land, when we started trying to come up with a list of places we would use it in the next year, we couldn’t really think of $80 worth of places we would get to in the next 12 months. We decided to wait and went to the park entrance to pay. When we got there, there was actually a ranger staffing the ticket booth. Usually you pay a machine.

I mentioned to him we’d thought about buying the park pass, but had decided to wait and he informed me that there is a $20 annual pass for just Point Park. He called the Visitor’s Center volunteer for us and sent us back to pick one up. When I got back to the Visitor’s Center, the volunteer was still on the phone with the ranger who was giving him instructions on where to find the pass. We made it through the process, got our shiny new pass and headed back to the entrance.

View of Moccasin Bend from Ochs Overlook

The same ranger was still on duty. When I handed him the new pass he had facilitated, he looked at it, looked back at me, and said, “We don’t take those here.” Gotta love a ranger with a sense of humor!

We took a nice spin around Point Park, walking out to Ochs Overlook at the point and enjoying the spring weather. The bright sunshine created an interesting haze in Hipstamatic.

Mocassin Bend doesn’t actually fit in the iPhone frame from Ochs Overlook. This is the “bend.”

Afterwards, we headed home. After a shower, Pat did a little more work on the computer with assistance from Tisen.

Tisen helping Daddy on the computer

Hipsta-vising Old Haunts

Posted by dkrashb on March 11, 2013

Looking up the slope from the North Shore end of the Walnut Street Bridge

I may be suffering from Hipstamatic addiction. I started thinking about all the riverfront scenery we haven’t been frequenting this winter and how great it would look in the tintype style. So, Tisen and I took a longer walk than we’ve taken in a while and headed over to the Walnut Street bridge. It was the perfect day for it. The warmth and sunshine caused a growth spurt in the tourist population roaming the bridge. Had I not been walking Tisen, I would have blended right in taking pictures with my iPhone.

The Walnut Street Bridge has been a frequent subject for many-a-photographer. I’ve shot it so many times from so many angles, I keep thinking there aren’t any images left to capture. But, I had never shot it with Hipstamatic!

Looking downstream from the North end of the bridge provides a nice view of the Delta Queen

According to Wikipedia, it’s “one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world,” but when I tried to verify this, I quickly found 2 longer pedestrian bridges within the united states and 3 in other countries. So, maybe it’s within the top 10 or so, but I couldn’t find an official list in the amount of time I was willing to spend searching.

According to my GPS, it’s about a half a mile long, which is consistent with Wikipedia’s measurement of 2,376 feet–264 feet shy of a half mile. It’s historical significance is more interesting, but part of it is quite sad. I’ll skip the gory details–those of you who are interested can find more information here.

Lookout Mountain looms in the background behind the Tennessee Aquarium

The happier state of the bridge began when a group of citizens in Chattanooga decided the bridge should be saved when it had been closed and abandoned for so long that it was a dangerous eyesore (this is hear-say information). Now, it’s an awesome walking bridge.

As we made our way gradually across the bridge, greeting the occasional neighbor and exchanging smiles with strangers, Spring suddenly struck me. By this, I mean I was suddenly overcome by that special joy that only happens when you get out in the sunshine on one of the first really warm days that kick off the season and know that winter is almost over. Exhilaration. That’s the word.

Looking through the bridge trusses toward the bluff and the Hunter Museum

One of the unique aspects of the Walnut Street Bridge is the slope. The North Shore end is just above the river while the Downtown end is up on the bluff, so it’s a pretty steep climb.

Tisen definitely felt the climb. He seemed very happy to stop and let me shoot for once. Every time I paused to shoot, he paused to pant, standing perfectly still. I guess this means I can’t blame him for my misfires.

At the risk of falling once more into the “Always Perfect” pitfall of loving my subject so much I think every photo of him is worth sharing, I took this late last night:

Tisen and Daddy napping on the sofa (Daddy with a pillow over his head)

Photo Fails: Part II

Posted by dkrashb on March 10, 2013

Continuing from yesterday’s post, here are a few more examples of obvious photographic failures and how to avoid them.

Foreign Objects in the Frame

Holding Tisen’s toy while shooting downward resulted in a blue blur in the frame

How many images have you seen with someone’s finger in them? This is especially a problem with smart phone photography–it can be challenging to hold the camera steady while tapping the screen without getting a finger over the lens. Using an app that allows you to use the “Volume Up” button to take the shot on the iPhone 4S or 5 is a great help with this. In this example, I was shooting with my DSLR while holding Tisen’s toy, Jack. Lesson: don’t hold a dog toy while shooting at a downward angle.

Choosing a different angle kept the toy out of the frame (as did setting it down on the ground while shooting)

Bad Angle

Tipping treehouse with corner of railing in the foreground doesn’t work

This could have gone in the Hipsta-Tilt post I did a couple of days ago–the tree house is not vertical. But, not only is the tree house looking like it was built on the side of a hill, but I managed to get the end of the railing in the frame as well. Particularly because the rail is very light compared to the rest of the image, it immediately draws the eye away from anything you’re intended to look at. The fix here is pretty obvious, but with an iPhone, it can be hard to hold still. Setting the phone on the rail might have been a good way to avoid this (and might have added a really cool element to the image if it captured the rail running towards the treehouse diagonally).

While not perfect, the railing running diagonally and the nearly straight treehouse come closer

Bad Timing

My subject is over shadowed by the finger of my husband trying to catch a marble that rolled out of the frame

The end result isn’t so different from Foreign Objects, but the problem is different. Rather than a finger slipping over the lens or something I’m holding hanging into the frame. this is a case where I captured the motion of my husband’s hand instead of the motion of the marble. This particular set up required trying over and over until figuring it out. But, when shooting a large object moving from left to right (or vise versa), the best solution is to find the subject through the lens when it’s still pretty far away, pan with it as it approaches, and take the shot when it’s in front of you. I haven’t tried that with my iPhone yet–maybe that’s what I’ll do tomorrow?

No finger in the frame and a marble in motion was what I was shooting for

Always Perfect

My blurred and under-exposed baby still looks perfect to me

My final photo is perfect. This is called “always perfect” because sometimes we are so emotionally attached to our subject that we think every shot of them is perfect. There’s nothing wrong with that, but maybe we shouldn’t make our friends look at 500 pictures that are out of focus and mostly look the same. 🙂

Better exposure (right eye visible) and more in focus (at least the eye is sharp) make for a better image, although the background is distracting

Got Cravens?

Posted by dkrashb on March 8, 2013

One end of Cravens House with a leafless tree against background clouds–can you spot Pat and Tisen?

After our little adventure at the Nature Center (yesterday’s post), we drove up Lookout Mountain a couple of miles to Cravens House, part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.

Cravens House is not spectacular from an architectural perspective, but the history of the place, the view, and the fact that it’s a trailhead for many great trails more than make up for the lack of creative design.

We thought it would be a good destination to walk around with Tisen for a half hour or so, expecting to walk through the woods until we tired and then turn around and come back. We were not dressed for serious hiking. I had on my typical casual outfit, including a winter coat perfect for going to a casual dinner. The exception was my hiking boots and rolled up jeans–just in case there was mud. Pat also was dressed in his casual gear meaning a T-shirt, sweatshirt, and corduroy jacket that isn’t exactly warm.

This is only one of many monuments commemorating units who fought in the civil war, many of them from the Union

When we got out of the car, the wind blasted us, immediately making it feel 15 degrees colder than lower down the mountain. Snow flurries started falling from the gray, gray sky. Tisen gave us a look when he hopped out of the van that seemed to say, “Really? We drove all the way up here for this?”

We made our way across the wind-blasted lawn, the only ones out and about at this elevation. We made a circular lap past Cravens House, then past the giant monument in the lawn and over to an odd looking half-modern, half-historical log cabin. We paused behind the cabin, seeking shelter from the wind while Tisen sniffed.

The more historic looking end of the log cabin

Tisen has a funny habit. Well, he has many funny habits. One of them is quite funny to watch, but has been very challenging to catch on camera. He backs up to a bush, hunches up his back like he needs to heed the call of nature, and then sways his rear end back and forth under the tree branches, giving himself a good scratch. He decided the shrubs behind the cabin represented the perfect opportunity for a good scratch.

A little more of Cravens House with a more visible Pat and Tisen

This was about the time a car pulled into the parking lot and a man and a dog got out of it. They’d come for a game of fetch. The man was even less prepared for the cold than we were–he had no jacket at all.

The man didn’t see us until his dog came running over. He apologized profusely, but the dogs greeted each other with proper dog etiquette and hit it off. We asked if it was OK to let Tisen off his leash and soon, the dogs were chasing each other around the yard. It made me sad that we don’t have a yard for Tisen to run around in. He got the most exercise of all of us and completely stopped noticing the cold.

A less happy Tisen won’t hold still for a picture when we took him for a post-romp bath

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