Tag Archives: photography

The Many Colors of July

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Matt and I bought our house in the Winter of 2011 and when our first Spring rolled around I was disappointed to discover that there were very few flowers planted around the house.  I decided that I wanted this Spring and Summer to be much more colorful so we’ve been hard at work digging new flower beds, planting dozens of bulbs, making our own compost, and starting flowers from seed.  We’ve been rewarded with some gorgeous blooms so far this year and I’m excited to see how everything will continue to grow!  Here are some photos that I took on Tuesday:

This lovely bright pink zinnia is growing in the new bed that we dug outside of  our front door. I’m especially proud of it because it is one of the plants that we started from seed back in February.

We also started these painted daisies from seed. The bee landed on the flower as I was taking the photo.

These colorful little “superbells” are growing in a lime green container along with some pink blanket flowers and white Asiatic lilies.

I bought a few bags of Dahlia bulbs at Home Depot in the spring and about half of the flowers are this rich, deep red color. The other half are “peppermint” Dahlias… keep reading to see what they look like!

We planted this small purple-flowered tree in a container last Summer and, although it was supposed to be an annual, we kept it inside over the winter and it’s blooming again. I can’t remember the exact name of the plant but I think it might be in the Solanum family.

This clematis was one of the only flowering plants that came up in Spring 2011. It is planted under an overhang in a very shady spot and it’s “dirt” is a bed of river rocks… I don’t know how it survives without any water, sun, or soil but it seems to be doing well!

Last but not least, here’s a peppermint dahlia!

Oh… and on another note, I ate my first Red Tomato today!!  It was delicious!

Dockdogs Eastern Regional Championships

Posted in Bailey, Trips by

Last weekend Dockdogs teams from 15 U.S. States and Canada converged on the WISP resort in Garrett County, Maryland for the first-ever Eastern Regional Championships.  This was the biggest Dockdogs event we’ve ever attended and it featured two pools, nightly social gatherings, and the best Big Air and Extreme Vertical dogs in the country.  The goal of the event (besides having fun and hanging out with friends!) was to earn an invitation to the Dockdogs World Championships that will take place in Dubuque, Iowa in November.

You may be wondering… did Bailey the Little GSP make the cut and earn a World invite?  Did she hold her own against our friends and competitors from all over the east coast?  Did she thrive in the 90+ degree hot and humid temps?  I’m happy to say that the answer to all of those questions is YES!!  After a long weekend of more than 20 competition jumps Matt and Bailey placed fourth in the Elite division.  Watch out Dubuque… We’re going to Worlds!

Bailey’s jumps weren’t stellar — actually none of the elite competitors were jumping the types of 23+ foot jumps we’re used to seeing out of them — but her 22’6″ qualifier jump with Matt was good enough to earn her a spot in the Elite finals.  Bailey also jumped a respectable 22’3″ for me which would have qualified us for finals if she hadn’t already been in the line-up with Matt.  (Matt and I always have a friendly competition going on to see who can get the biggest jump out of Bailey… I’m still ahead for the season with Bailey’s 23’1″ jump from Hog Dog a few weeks ago!)  🙂

Here are a few photos from the event:

Remember Baxter? We last saw this high-flyin’ Malinois at the event in Virginia Beach a few months ago. Baxter again showed everyone who’s boss by winning Super Elite Big Air, Iron Dog, and Speed Retrieve.

And here’s Rocket, another top-ranked Malinois. Rocket is from Pennsylvania and he’s one of Bailey’s friends.  Also… Rocket is sponsored by Precise Pet Products, go check them out!

An odd thing happened to our friend Tim during Elite finals. Tim thought that his black lab Boo looked a little slow running down the dock so he leapt in front of him at the last moment. Needless to say, physics took over and Boo slammed into Tim, sending him straight into the pool. Tim took the fall in stride and was able get out of the pool in time to complete Boo’s “real” jump… good enough for 3rd place Elite and a World Invite!

Here’s another shot of Bailey. She’s twisting mid-air in an attempt to catch her toy. Not her longest jump but it looked pretty cool!

This is Twister from Baltimore, Maryland and yes, that stick is about to hit her on the head. (Don’t worry though, she’s a hard-headed Chessie!) Twister rocked the dock earning second place Elite with her handler Steve and first place in the Youth Handler division with Steve’s son, James.

This weekend Bailey was jumping best with the “place and send” technique, meaning that we throw her toy into the water first, then take her to the back of the dock and release her. Here’s Matt chasing her down the dock during a qualifying round on Friday.

To see more photos of the Dockdogs Eastern Regional Championships, you can visit my Flickr photo album of the event.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck to all of the teams who are going to World Championships!

The Tortoise and the Shorthair

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Bailey made a new friend!  Well, I don’t know if friend is the right word, but after several unsuccessful attempts at trying to eat the large box turtle that she found in the back yard Bailey came to a tense understanding with the creature.

Yes, I know that this is a turtle, not a tortoise…  He’s pretty cool looking, right?

Bailey discovered this box turtle in our back yard while she was patrolling for squirrels and groundhogs.  I could hear her yipping and barking from inside the house.  Bailey hardly ever barks so I knew something exciting must be going on and rushed outside with my camera.  Sure enough, she was straddling the turtle (who was safely closed up in his shell) and alternating between smelling and barking at him.  After hearing horror stories about snapping turtles biting peoples’ thumbs off I was a little worried when Bailey put her nose up against his shell but he didn’t seem too concerned.

I shooed Bailey away and spent several minutes watching the turtle in the yard until he eventually started to poke his head out.  His eyes were very intense and we stared at each other for a while.  This must have been a very amusing sight for our neighbors who probably couldn’t tell that there was a turtle on the ground in front of me – to them it must have just looked like I had taken a break mid-Zumba-workout and dashed outside in my hastily-donned Sperrys to help Bailey watch for squirrels!

All in all, it was pretty neat to see such an “exotic” animal in our yard.  He was very patient with me as I took his picture.  When I was done he stuck out his head, legs, and tail and marched off into the woods.  What a cool encounter!

Have you ever found a strange animal in your backyard that took you or your pet by surprise?  What was it?

June Bloom at Hog Dog

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Last weekend we packed up the Subaru and took Bailey down to Millersville, Maryland for her third Dockdogs event of the season.  Dubbed the “June Bloom,” this event was part of the National Sanctioned Facilities Series and was hosted by Hog Dog Productions.  Although Bailey started off a little slow she picked things up for the Extreme Vertical (high jump) competition with a 6’6″ grab and then ended the weekend with her best long jump score of the year – 23’1″.  This was good enough for third place in the Big Air Pro Finals!

After a long day of competing on Saturday we enjoyed a crab feast at the event site with our Dockdogs friends.  I had never eaten “real” crab that was “in a crab” (as opposed to in a crab cake…) but after a lesson from our Maryland friends Matt and I were cracking and picking our crabs like pros.  The crabs were steamed and coated in old bay seasoning… the perfect ending to a fun day of Dockdogs!

Enjoying a Dockdogs Crab Feast on Saturday night. (Photo by Steve Sozio.)

Saturday night we stayed in a La Quinta in nearby Glen Burnie, MD and experienced our very first hotel fire evacuation!  We were sleeping soundly when suddenly a strobe light and alarm started going off in our room.  I leapt out of bed and started to gather up our most important belongings (the camera, my Phillies cap, and my iPhone?) while Matt checked to see if other hotel guests were evacuating.  Oddly enough, Bailey was completely unconcerned by the piercing noise and barely bothered to stand up before curling back up on the bed, oblivious to the mayhem around her.  After convincing her that it WAS necessary to get out of bed we shuffled outside with the rest of the La Quinta guests and groggily watched as five fire engines worth of first responders responded to the call and searched the building.  Lucky for us there wasn’t a fire (just a crazy lady who pulled the fire alarm) so after about 20 minutes we were allowed to go back inside.

On Sunday every one of Bailey’s Big Air jumps was better than the last.  She went from mid-21-footers to a 22’7″ on her final qualifying jump… just enough to squeak into the Pro Finals in the #4 spot.  In the finals she eagerly jumped another 22’7″ and then, on her very last jump, soared to a season-best 23’1″ distance which was good enough for third place overall.  Woohoo!

Bailey looks like she’s smiling as she launches off the dock in the finals.

Here are some more photos that we took at the event:

Gunner, a male GSP from Annapolis, soars through the air as his “brother,” a Wiemaraner named Butler, cheers him on.

Rusty, a handsome Lab from Tennessee, floats through the air in the finals.

Bailey took a nap Saturday afternoon before the Extreme Vertical competition started.

Marcie, a black lab from Ohio, sports a snazzy pink vest when she competes.

This is Marcie’s daughter, Penny. Penny just learned how to compete in Extreme Vertical and she ended up winning that event with a 6’10” grab!

This is our fellow Delmarva Dockdog member “Rain,” a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Rain and Bailey both grabbed 6’6″ in the Extreme Vertical competition (pictured here).

Bailey catches her red “wubba” toy in mid-air during this practice jump. Nice throw, Matt!

Overall, we had a great weekend.  We spent time with our Dockdogs friends, watched our Little GSP enjoy herself on the dock, and ate fresh Maryland crabs… what could be better than that?  🙂

Vote for Bailey in the Dockdogs Photo Contest!

Posted in Bailey, Challenges by

Guess what?  I entered this photo of Bailey and Matt in a Dockdogs photo contest on Facebook.  The contest is based purely on the number of Facebook “LIKES” a photo gets so I’m humbly requesting that you consider voting for it.  All you have to do is click on the photo below which will automatically bring you to the photo’s page on Facebook.  Then click “LIKE” in Facebook — it’s that easy!

Here’s some more information on the photo itself if you’re interested…

  • Taken by me on July 3, 2010 at the Big Butler Fair in Butler County, PA
  • The toy is not in fact attached to Bailey’s nose with a string… the rope-ended duck toy that Matt was using just happened to twist in the air that way at this particular moment.
  • This photo is the original version of the image that I use for my WordPress “gravatar” icon and it is one of my all-time favorite photos of Bailey.
  • Bailey ended up getting 3rd place overall at this event behind a Dalmatian named Lance and a Black Lab named Marcie.

Thanks for reading and please consider voting!  🙂

Bailey turns five!

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Last Friday was Bailey’s fifth birthday so I thought that a post about my energetic four-legged friend might be in order.

Matt and I first met Bailey when she was four weeks old.  She had nine litter mates but choosing her was easy because, unlike her brothers and sisters who were only interested in eating and sleeping, Bailey was constantly bouncing around exploring her surroundings.  Bailey still continues to be an, ahem, “independent” dog (which is a nice way of saying that she’ll completely ignore us if she’s doing something that she deems more interesting) and that bounce in her four-week-old step has translated into a spring-loaded “pop” off the dock when she jumps at Dockdogs competitions.

Bailey at 7 weeks on her first day home with us.

How can you resist that puppy face? Click here to read more!

Gardening Update – One Month Later!

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You may remember that back on St. Patrick’s Day I prepared my little garden plot for the new year and planted spinach and beans.  I posted several photos of the signs of Spring at that time (crocuses, our first daffodil, cherry buds, etc.) and, as one would expect, everything has continued to bloom, bud, and grow since then.  I figured since a full month has gone by it’s time for a new garden/yard update so here goes!

Last Fall Matt and I planted close to 200 daffodil, tulip and crocus bulbs. Since the first daffodil sighting in mid-March we’ve had dozens of these cheery flowers blooming at any given time. I think the key was to buy a mixed variety pack because as one type of daffodil starts to wilt there always seems to be a new type of flower coming up to replace it!  You can also see one of our tulips blooming in the background here.  (Photo from 3/30/12)

The beautiful weeping cherry tree in our front yard surprised us this year by blooming about a month earlier than last year.  This photo is from about 2 weeks ago so by now the blooms have already been replaced by tiny green leaves.  (Photo from 3/30/12)

Even our vinca is blooming!  This groundcover vine literally holds our front yard together — we have had some major erosion and the water has cut paths in our front lawn.   Luckily this vinca is the last line of defense before the road and it seems to withstand the gushing currents of rainwater pretty well.  We’re going to try to divide it so that it covers more of the front yard.  (Photo from 3/30/12)

We have two flowering bushes near our patio that smell absolutely wonderful.  I did some searching on the internet and I’ve concluded that they are most likely Viburnum Carlesii (but if you think otherwise please let me know!!).  The bushes have clusters of sweet-smelling flowers that start out as dark pink buds and then open up to pale pinkish-white blooms.  We may try to find and plant more of these fragrant bushes around the yard.  (Photo from 4/7/12)

OK, OK, I know that this is not technically a photo of the garden and I know that Bailey’s face is completely out of focus here, but I think that this photo captures the feeling of Spring at our house very well.  The grass is getting greener, the sky is nice and blue, the trees are budding, and Bailey is spending most afternoons lounging in the sun.  When we’re outside (and she’s not busy hunting squirrels) Bailey loves to play catch.  In this photo she was scooting towards me in the grass on her side.  By this point she had pushed about 10 feet and she REALLY wanted me to throw that tennis ball!  (Photo from 4/7/12)

Last Saturday we braved the crowds at the Home Depot Garden Center in Glen Mills, PA and picked out several container plants including these two mint plants.  The one on the left is “Chocolate Mint” (so named for its chocolate-brown stems) and the one on the right is “Sweet Mint.”  (Photo from 4/15/12)

While at Home Depot we picked up a flat of Marigolds and I planted them in a large container with a Day Lily, Onion Chives, and Sweet Marjoram.  On our drive home a huge bag of potting soil fell on the Marigolds but they seemed to have recovered from this traumatic experience and are doing quite well now.  (Photo from 4/15/12)

And here’s my garden!  My spinach is coming up nicely and we were even able to use some of the thinned spinach shoots in our Sausage-Corn Scramble on Sunday morning.  The bean plants were much slower to sprout (I guess they don’t like to be planted in March??) but now they are above ground and growing fairly quickly.  I just planted moonflowers and morning glories in the bare strip in the back there so hopefully they’ll be working their way up the trellis soon!  (Photo from 4/15/12)

Last but not least, here’s a photo of our front yard.  We have cherry, crab apple, and dog wood trees and they were all in full bloom this weekend.  Beautiful!  I think mid-April is quickly becoming my favorite time of year simply because of these gorgeous trees.  🙂  (Photo from 4/15/12)