Tag: art

Double Dragon

Our dog Ellie sits beside the dragon statue at Irvington School in Portland, Oregon on a sunny day in December 2017

These pictures may look the same but the top one is from Saturday, the bottom Sunday. We’ve had a spate of sunny and cold weather and Ellie was up for unusually long walks both days, slightly over an hour and a half on Saturday and slightly under on Sunday. She wanted to go past Irvington School on the way home, normally we don’t go that far south and east, she likes it because people walk their dogs in the grass field and I like it because I can photograph her beside the dragon statue. She wanted to go Friday as well, trying several times to get me to go past, but school was in session.

This pup is the best.

Our dog Ellie sits beside the dragon statue at Irvington School in Portland, Oregon on December 10, 2017. Original: _DSC7121.ARW

Forest Gnome

A gnome statue peers out from a tree cavity

When I first got started in wildlife photography, when I’d come across a hole or a cavity I assumed that if you waited a while, you’d see the creature that lived there. I learned long ago that you often don’t see the animal, and maybe nothing is living there at all, so when I saw this creature greeting the morning sun from its tree home I approached cautiously and respectfully, took a few pictures, then continued on my way.

January to December

Our dog Ellie sits beside the dragon statue at Irvington School after a heavy snowfall

I took the top picture of Ellie by the dragon statue at Irvington School this January after an unusually heavy snow, the bottom picture this morning in a more typical gentle rain shower. I’m deeply thankful for the year we’ve spent together and that she has been in good health (for her age). Longer walks have returned with cooler weather and new medicines, even if not quite as long as before. She walks more slowly and stiffly, gets out-of-breath much faster too, but still charms everyone she meets. You are my heart and my joy, pup, my heart and my joy.

Our dog Ellie sits beside the dragon statue at Irvington School during a gentle rain shower

Thanksgiving

Leaves sit on artwork of flowers in a sidewalk

Ellie and I came across this example of life imitating art imitating life on our walk on a rainy November morning. I’m thankful for this old neighborhood we’ve lived in for over fifteen years, for the pup who’s led me out to explore it for nine, and to all those who’ve installed art around their homes for us to enjoy. We’ll likely have to move as I look for a new job but there is still some hope we can stay. Regardless I’m thankful for our time here, we’ve been blessed.

Two Good Pups

Our dog Ellie sits beside a mural containing a dog named Pepper in the Irvington neighborhood of Portland, Oregon in November 2017

With the cooler weather of fall, Ellie doesn’t tire so easily and has been up for longer walks. Anti-inflammatory medicine and pain pills help with her advancing arthritis too. Since I’ve been home most mornings after getting laid off a few weeks ago, I’ve been able to take her on lots of long walks, a real treat since who knows how many more we’ll get together. She still enjoys going to see if her buddy Steve is out on his porch, as he gives her treats, but he’s only been out once. He mentioned that he was the caretaker of a man who just died and they weren’t sure if they were going to move someone else in for him to look after, or move him somewhere else and do some renovations on the house. Fortunately Ellie can’t hear well and thus is unaware her buddy might be moving.

Not far from Steve’s house is this mural on the side of a dialysis center that I frequently walked past on the way home from the train, so I was pleased to be able to get a picture of Ellie next to the perpetually smiling Pepper. I wasn’t sure if I’d get the picture even though she wanted to come down this way on multiple days (mostly I think to double back to give him Steve a second chance to be on his porch), as the blinds in the window above Pepper were open and I didn’t want the people inside getting treatment to worry about why someone outside was taking pictures. On this day though the blinds were drawn and I got my picture of the two good pups.