Category: Pets

Not a Junkyard Dog

Our dog Bear looks into the distance while standing in front of a water tank covered in graffiti on Service Road No. 4 in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona. Original: _ZFC8970.NEF

“Not a Junkyard Dog”

This old tank covered in graffiti is my favorite reminder this once was not preserved parkland. I think Bear was watching some hikers over on the Whiskey Bottle Trail, he’s generally not one for looking in the camera and that’s OK. Most of the park is lush with plants and animals and doesn’t resemble the entrance to a junkyard but I do enjoy photographing the tank whenever we’re in the area.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 6, 2024

I’m Not Mad, Just Disappointed

Our cat Trixie looks a little angry as she relaxes on the futon on December 23, 2023. Original: _A672440.ARW

I forget why we had the futon laid out as a bed, but back in December I took a quick snap of Trixie relaxing on it, even if her expression says otherwise.

📷: Sony A6700 | Sony-Zeiss 24mm f/1.8
🗓️: December 23, 2023

Time to Move

Our cat Trixie relaxes on a pillow in front of the window in my office on March 29, 2024. Original: _Z727637.NEF

The other night Trixie was sleeping on a pillow in front of my office window when a flash of light and a loud bang sent her scurrying from the room, without even looking I knew she’d be hiding under the bed. The thunderstorm raged for a surprisingly long time, rattling the windows and one tortoiseshell’s nerves. By 1 a.m. with the weather calmed she finally emerged to wake us up and let us know it was long past time to move back to Oregon.

📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70mm f/4
🗓️: March 29, 2024

Water Break

Our dog Bear stands beside his water bowl at the overlook on the Jane Rau Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 19, 2024. Original: _ZFC9205.NEF

Bear and I take a water break in a spot where perhaps neither human nor dog has ever set foot before. I so miss being able to take him hiking every day! We were back here yesterday, I didn’t think we’d have time for this short trail at the end but he charged around our favorite loop so fast that even after stopping to watch a herd of deer we still had plenty of time to come up here and take a water break before heading home.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 19, 2024

New Horizons

Our dog Bear stands near saguaros on the Axle Grease Trail in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 16, 2024. Original: _ZFC9192.NEF

During my time off I’ve loved taking Bear to trails I normally avoid as they are crowded on the weekends, stepping aside to let people past is the most common way he steps on something painful. Here we’re taking a water break at the junction of the Axle Grease and Rock Tank trails, it was a Tuesday so we only encountered a few people. I’m not sure he cares but I enjoy seeing him discover new places.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 16, 2024

On Top of the World

Our dog Bear looks out from atop the big boulder at Balanced Rock in McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 26, 2024. Original: _ZFC9268.NEF

A couple of weeks ago as Bear and I had Balanced Rock to ourselves I was forcefully struck at how I was happier than I had been in a very long time. Not that there hadn’t been plenty of happy times in the years prior but that after several months of leave my mind had finally unwound and let me stay and revel in each little moment. Surprisingly rather than the euphoria slipping away with the realization my leave was about to come to a crashing halt, it stayed with me as we hiked back out through this stunning land.

📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 26, 2024