Steps

Frost on Grass

Frost on leaves

I took 66 pictures with my new close up filter.
While Tito wandered looking for bunnies
and eating goose poop (tummy ache later)

Nights with Tito

Tito starts out the night in her designated spot on the bed - the corner by my feet. But during the night she migrates up the bed, until by the time Dan leaves, she is right next to me. In exchange for tummy rubs, she will let me sleep longer.

Some nights, if she has spent part of the day eating goose poop, she has an upset stomach and needs to go out several times. If only she could make that connection - goose poop = tummy ache...
Last night (5am) she was up pacing until she coughed up ... a rock!

Photography Gear Test

My photographic training requires me to do a test on all new equipment.
Which piece of equipment took which picture?



answer - this was was done with my "point and shoot" with a close up filter.

Animal Magnetism

Tito loves her job with Gordon - testing the new puppies. (That's her snout - on the right.)

Historic Day

Dan took a picture of the tv when Armstrong walked on the moon, so I took one of Barak Obama being sworn in.

Tito did not appreciate the significance of the historic event.

Foggy Morning

Sun!

Hey...

...that guy looks familiar

Doggie Daycare

I finally got to see Tito at Doggie Daycare and meet her friends.I thought I'd get a photo of Gordon. See? There he is - under all the dogs.

Mysterious Night on the Water

Green light follow us...

...and the top of the Space Needle is missing...

Art Demonstration

Duffy watches Darell's painting demonstration.

Tito notes

Our neighbors, meeting us on a dog walk, commented on how cute and frisky Tito is - entertaining herself in our yard with her flattened soccer ball. If only all of us could be so easily entertained...
Dan borrowed my car and just noticed for the first time that Tito had chewed up the paneling on the inside of one of the doors. Yeah, but that was back when she was a puppy. Also it happened because her bones slip down next to the seat and are hard to retrieve.

Morning Escape

If the morning walk doesn't happen soon enough, Tito gets antsy. I wanted to read the paper and have some coffee, so I attached her to the rope outside. I've been rather proud of myself for outsmarting her in the rope design. At first, I just used a long rope, but she chewed through it close to where it attached to her collar, so for the last 6 months she has stayed connected because the first 12 feet is cable.
I realized I gotten all the way to the comics without hearing from Tito and looked outside. No Tito, and the rope is broken at the cable connection. I call her and she comes running happily from down the street with a 12 foot cable trailing behind.
When we finally did our first walk of the day, I was not pleased to see that the osprey nest was being removed from the top of the cell tower. I was reassured by Dan at Parks & Rec, who said they would be building a platform up there for the osprey who has been rebuilding the nest every year.

The Dog Bath

On a walk with Julie (that required only a minimum of trespassing) Tito rolled in something stinky on the beach. Usually it is week-old crab. Julie has an interesting theory about why dogs roll in stinky stuff - to mask their scent. It's a dog disguise!

When I get home, I set up the bathroom with three big dog towels before I bring Tito in the house. After the bath, I dry her off with a towel, but she still insists on shaking herself, getting water and black hairs all over the walls. She runs off while I clean out the tub, clean off the walls and floor and gather up the towels, along with other dog towels, her collar and harness to start a load of laundry.

I go in the bedroom to change out of my stinky wet clothes and see that she has rolled around on the bed! Bad! Now I have to do three more loads of laundry - the comforter, the sheets and the mattress cover!
Warming up by the fire after her bath.

Tito & Me - the pin cushion

Two days ago, I checked on Tito because she was being suspiciously quiet on her bed in the other room. Sure enough, there between her paws, were the remains of a pin cushion (the one that was proudly hand-made by daughter when she was in elementary school, therefore, irreplaceable). The stuffing was pulled out and the fabric was ripped. Moving closer, I saw that her bed was covered with pins and needles. Did she manage to pull them all out? With her mouth? Without sticking herself? Did she swallow any? We'll never know. I watched her all evening for signs of sharp stomach pain. But she is fine.

New Book Idea

I've decided to write a book entitled, Tito & Me all about the mischievous antics of my dog, Tito. Her rascal-ly behaviour will appear endearing to everyone else. (and will become a best seller and movie.)

Seagull

Hostessing

Tito Romping in the Snow

Stormy Seas

Pioneer Square

A photo I took with my new iPhone and enhanced in Photoshop

2009 - A New Year - which means ...

Resolutions!
My New Year's Resolution in a nutshell ... don't spend money.
Dan took me to the movie, but he paid for that. We also went to the grocery store and he bought groceries.
The movie we saw was Marley & Me - about a dog that is quite a bit like Tito. In fact, when we got back, toy animal stuffings were spread out on the carpet and she had once again chewed on the stacks of photo paper in the bookshelf. AND chewed on the corner of a canvas that I'd recently painted.
(Marley & Me production still)