Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
A few days ago I took Bear on a short hike in dog shoes to see how he’d do, it took him a couple of tenths of a mile to find his stride but then it was full steam ahead. Whenever we hike this trail he stops for a while to watch the metallic animal sculptures placed in the desert, the mountain lion in particular confuses him as the shape suggests danger when his nose is clearly telling him there is none.
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony-Zeiss 24mm f/1.8
🗓️: November 25, 2023
Trixie snoozing in Bear’s bed in the spring of last year.
Bear last summer as he was trying out a new dental treat. Needless to say it was a big hit.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70mm f/4
🗓️: August 28, 2022
Bear sandwiched between two saguaros on the Latigo Trail. The other day while making the long gradual climb back to the car on a western leg of this trail, he was so tired he let me take the lead, a first I think! Yesterday on a loop I stopped after a mile and doubled back to the car since he was flagging, so today I’ll give him a rest day and we’ll go for an easy walk in the neighborhood.
📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 24-70mm f/4
🗓️: October 31, 2023
📷: Sony A6600 | Sony-Zeiss 55mm
Date: August 6, 2021
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70 f/4
Date: December 4, 2022
A few years ago I traded my beloved Crosstrek for a Lexus hatchback as I wanted something better suited to my commute and it’s worked a treat, I’m almost embarrassed by how much I love the little UX. I didn’t know then we’d be adopting this giant goof years later, the hatch is a little small and with a high entrance but thankfully it didn’t take Bear long to figure out how to jump in and get comfy. To watch him sprint to the back of the car when we’re getting ready to go for a hike is to see joy made manifest, pure and unbridled. Here we’re getting ready to leave my favorite trailhead, Brown’s Ranch, after one of our many hikes there. A few weeks back one of the stewards called us over and gave him a couple of treats and ever since he’s on the lookout when we pass through.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70 f/4
Date: October 22, 2023
Boo in January curled up on my feet. Which is where he is now, though in a less photogenic pose.
One of the best parts of my leave of absence is I get to take Bear hiking on weekdays as well as weekends. He’s had a few health issues that have kept me from taking him every day but I’ve enjoyed getting him back into hiking shape after the summer layoff. I started him on shorter trails since he was tiring quickly when it was warmer, and then choosing trails that let me easily extend the hike by half a mile or so based on how he was doing. Pretty quickly he was back to hiking our regular trails, even if he still tires a bit by the end, here he’s enjoying the view at The Amphitheater (real name, not one I made up) with saguaros and Cholla Mountain as the backdrop.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70 f/4
Date: October 22, 2023
Ellie in 2013 in the dining room of our house in Portland. Old homes are equal parts charm and challenge, it was built in the 1920’s so would be almost a century old now. We were there for 16 years, a pretty special time in our lives, one of the many families it sheltered over the years.
📷: Canon M | Canon 22mm
Date: September 8, 2013
Boolie 