Ollie and the bird nest

Ollie is a Treeing Walker Coonhound and he is ALL hound so you can guess what he does when he sees a bird nest. This morning at 6:30am, he spied one. The mama bird was flying back and forth from the roof of the house to the bird nest. Baby birds have to eat breakfast too, right? I could hear the baby birds chirping and I know Ollie could. I'm not sure if they were chirping because they were hungry and waiting on mama or if it was because of Ollie. He was mesmerized and I'm sure he wished he had springs in his feet so he could reach the nest. When I'd first let the dogs out this morning, he didn't have his "barker" collar on but once he spied the nest, I had to put it on him. It is on a low setting and he gets a warning sound first before it goes off. He has been trained on it and he's a smart guy. He knows not to bark and when it is on, he doesn't. Ollie spent the better part of the morning (and I was there for over an hour), staring at the bird nest.

While Ollie was fixated on the bird nest, I took some pictures of Sunny and Fozzy. Sunny is always great for photo opps. If he had to choose a career to earn a living, I think male model would be a good choice from him. I'm just saying. Can you disagree? Look at that handsome face!!

Sparky

I was at Sparky's house pretty early this morning so I tried out my newest lens with her. Its a Nikon f1.8 50mm. It's better in low light situations. For those who know Sparky, she LOVES LOVES LOVES to be outside. She has to run around and sniff everything to see who came to visit her yard overnight. Or at least that what I think she is doing. I often wonder what Sparky likes more: food or being outside? Perhaps food because if I open to door to let her out first thing in the morning, she waits until I feed her before she goes out. But, perhaps she knows that she gets to be outside all day so that has something to do with it? I don't know. I would like to ask her. I'm guessing the answer would be that food might win by a nose.

It is great weather and I love being outdoors in it too!

Ursa and Luna

Luna is quite the talker. Even after I fed her, she was talking to me! I'll take the camera tonight and try to get some pics of them both.

TBT

This is my first TBT post and I know I'm a day early but 8 years ago today I was in the Grand Canyon with Sam and Sloan. For those who don't know, I lived in southern CA for 3 years: June 2004 - May 2007. On May 19, 2007, I loaded up Sam and Sloan in my rented SUV and we started the drive from Corona del Mar, CA to Charlotte, NC. May 19th is the birthday of my next door neighbor from CA. We still say in touch and as I was wishing her a happy birthday yesterday, it occurred to me that 8 years ago yesterday I left my most favorite place in the whole world. It still makes me sad to think about that day but when I get sad I remember this quote: Don't be sad that it is over. Be happy that is happened." And I am so happy that it happened! Prior to moving to CA, Sam and Sloan didn't get very regular walks. My house in Charlotte had a nice, big fenced yard and that's where they spent most of their outside time. When we moved to CA, the weather was so perfect all the time and the views were so nice, I started a tradition that I still do to this day. My dogs get walked every morning before I go to work. (and now they usually get 2 walks before I go to work. :))

My professional life while living in CA was not ideal and didn't provide a lot of happiness. I'd been in accounting recruiting for almost 20 years. I was burned out and starting over in a job environment that was less than ideal. Where we lived more than made up for it though and I knew we wouldn't be there forever so I tried to take advantage of it every day.

I still go back and visit every chance I get. The last time I was there was May 2014. I wish I could've gone again this year but so far it just hasn't worked out. This girl loves southern CA and I miss it every day.

So the first picture below is my TBT pic. Sam, Sloan and I are in the Grand Canyon. I'd not seen it before (neither had they - hehe) so we took a little detour on our road trip. 3000 miles.... adding a few more wasn't a big deal. The other pics are of Corona del Mar. Now you see why I miss it so. Here's to TBT.

the paparazzi in Charlotte NC with Chloe not Khloe

This cutie pie Chloe spells her name in the traditional way unlike some popular (or unpopular depending upon how you look at it) other female with the same name. I'm spending some time with her for a couple of days and this morning she provided me with a lot of entertainment and laughs. Yesterday when I stopped by, I interrupted her nap so this morning she was definitely well rested and ready to play! I wasn't sure what she was playing with at first and then I realized it was a rubberband. She reminded me of a toddler who likes playing with the pots and pans. Apparently, she doesn't need any fancy toys to play with and keep her occupied. She wasn't trying to eat it at all, she was just flipping it around so I wasn't worried about her. She was hilarious and I was able to capture a few images that I absolutely love. Thanks Chloe for the good times on an early Saturday morning!

Harley and Special K Photography in south Charlotte

When I mention Harley and Special K you probably think motorcycles and cereal. Wrong. These are kitties although if the truth be told, if I went into the garage I could photograph a motorcycle. Harley and Special K's mom is a friend of mine and she owns two Harley's. One has 4 legs and the other has 2 wheels. :) Harley has been a little under the weather lately. I think he has enjoyed spending his time looking out the window. You can see in the 4th photo that he seems to be holding his left paw up too. Today is the first day I've noticed it and luckily his mom will be home later today to check on him. He seemed very happy to pose for his portrait and I got some cute shots of him.

Special K was most interested in eating and then roaming around. I wish I would've had an assistant with me to play with Special K so I could get some photos of that. She loves to play... she is still all kitten! Fun times the past few days with these two!