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The Life-Changer

A close-up of our gray tuxedo cat Templeton resting in the grass in our backyard in Portland, Oregon on July 30, 2006. Original: _MG_1847.CR2

Templeton in our backyard in Portland, I was playing around with the macro lens. I have a number of pictures of him but I wish I had an order of magnitude more, the charming little fellow changed my life.

📷: Canon 20D | Canon 100mm macro
🗓️: July 30, 2006

Precious Cargo

Our dog Bear looks out from the open hatch of my Lexus UX with the Four Peaks mountain range in the background, taken at the Granite Mountain Trailhead in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 9, 2024. Original: _Z721078.NEF

Bear towering over Four Peaks after our hike to Balanced Rock. I’ve been trying to take a variety of shots to help me remember my leave of absence as I gird up to get through one last year of work, I’ll never step far away from him but by now I trust him enough to move a few feet away for a picture, as long as there’s nothing of interest nearby.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200mm
🗓️: January 9, 2024

Flooded

Looking down at flooded trees from the overlook on the Horsetail Falls Trail in the Columbia River Gorge, taken on May 7, 2017. Origina: _DSC4598.ARW

A wet image for today as we’re getting much-needed rain in the desert, a look back while looking down from the overlook on the Horsetail Falls Trail in the Columbia River Gorge. This location certainly triggered my fear of heights so it was a crawl out, quick picture, crawl back, start breathing again. I was never in any danger, just my brain thought I was.

📷: Sony A6500 | Sony-Zeiss 55mm f/1.8
🗓️: May 7, 2017

Señor Oso

Our dog Bear yawns on our couch on December 29, 2023. Original: _A673100.ARW

Being able to spend time with Bear each day these past few months has been such a delight. Our work on his daily walks paid dividends yesterday when we came across an unleashed dog in the preserve. The trail was narrow and the dog started barking as soon as it was beside us. Before I could respond Bear de-escalated and led me down the trail, turning around for a treat when we were far enough away. I was so proud I would have given him a handful but after chomping down the first, Señor Oso was back on the march, culminating in his first visit to the Basalt Ridge Overlook (and only my second).

📷: Sony A6700 | Sigma 30mm f/1.4
🗓️: December 29, 2023

Savannah Stretches

A savannah sparrow stretches while perching on a cattail at South Quigley Lake in Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington on October 1, 2017. Original: _DSC0640.CR2

These pictures remind me of spring as I so loved sitting beside a lush meadow and listening to the savannah sparrows sing. They were taken in the fall though, the green backdrop courtesy of the wonderland that is the Pacific Northwest.

📷: Sony A6500 | Canon 500mm | Canon 1.4X
🗓️: October 1, 2017

A savannah sparrow perches on a cattail at South Quigley Lake in Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in Ridgefield, Washington on October 1, 2017. Original: _DSC0610.CR2

Festive

Our dog Bear on his dog bed with one leg wrapped in red gauze and a colorful rope toy beside him. Taken on December 9, 2023. Original: _A671506.ARW

While testing Bear’s hiking shoes I ramped him up to longer and longer hikes, while he easily got the hang of them I noticed they were rubbing and creating a sore on one of his feet. My wife gave him a red wrap over a bandage to keep him from licking it and while he was waiting to be fed, with one leg tucked underneath him and his colorful rope toy out front, it looked like he had one festive leg and one FESTIVE leg. I’ve been taking him without his shoes on a mix of neighborhood walks and trails that don’t have many rocks and are wide enough that he’s less likely to step on something prickly. That has worked well and I’ll keep that up for the next month while I can still hike with him every day.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony-Zeiss 24mm f/1.8
🗓️: December 9, 2023