For different reasons, I hadn't been able to get out much lately to do any shooting, and of course Sunday came along and was picture perfect, the moon and stars were all aligned, but **THE** hockey game was starting at 3:00, so I didn't want to stray too far. The dogs were feeling the benefits of such a lovely day, too, and it didn't take very long before they forgot about me and the big black thing sticking out from my face and turned to some serious fun. Dogs being dogs, sometimes the most fun comes from simple things, like chewing on a stick, or on a plastic table leg, or a little game of tooth-to-tooth combat.Here's Rustle gnashing away on a stick.
And Nash doing the same on an upturned piece of deck furniture ... 
He stopped long enough that I could get this prettier photo of him.
Rustle giving Meena the evil eye ... 
... and gnashing it up with his two best buds.
Taking a break inside, Meena and Nash continue their pretend fighting games ...
Rustle ... all this gnashing fun has made me sleepy ... time for a break.
This is "Nash", the puppy we're keeping from our litter born early December. He's our newest hopeful, and is the most darling puppy to live with; we think he's quite the cutie! The head-only picture was taken last weekend, and we did the body shots on Saturday. Nash was a very wriggly fellow, and we never did get just one good photo. Chelsea is my right-hand everything, and we've been doing photos together for a long time. It has not been the easiest dog/puppy-related thing that we do. My instructions from the "taking" side of the camera are, apparently, not always clear ("My left, not your left ...!!") and can sometimes result in very animated differences of opinion. We decided to try things another way, and agreed that it worked out really well. We didn't get the exact pictures that I was aiming for, but it was a very acceptable attempt with Chelsea behind the camera and me positioning the puppy. And I have to remind myself from time to time, this blog is supposed to be FUN, and not necessarily perfect; in fact, imperfections are something we can all identify with, and are part of what make us interesting and different. I'm pleased that Chels has discovered a fun side to the picture taking, and I'm glad for the chance to share another interest with my daughter ... as long as I don't take it too seriously :)
We are really fortunate to be living within a couple of hours of three of the five Great Lakes. One favourite spot on Lake Erie is Port Stanley, which boasted "in the day" a famous night club, The Stork Club, and a booming fishing industry. The Stork Club was destroyed by fire in early 1979, and the fishing boats are nearly extinct. But the beach is still there, and is a thriving attraction, not only during the summer months, but as I discovered, even year round.This view is just one portion of a huge oil container of some sort, I don't know the right word for it, but the fence in front is a good 10 or 12 feet high, and the trees to the right look dwarfed. Some of the other structures are just black and ugly, but the two that are on the beach have this much more attractive art work.
Continuing to the right of the oil storage tank, in a line directly toward the lake, is a break wall that extends at least 100 feet past the shore. In the past, it was a favourite stroll, when the weather allowed, but despite posted warnings and various safeguards, a few accidental drownings and near-drownings did occur, and so now the wall is totally off limits.
This couple is not actually on the break wall, but on the snow and ice that is banked there.
The shore line is totally obstructed by the mounds of snow and ice. There were still a number of people who were on the beach, or more likely standing on the iced-over lake, and some intrepid younger souls still attempted to build castles, of a sort. The jagged ice and frozen snow were quite unforgiving, and no one stayed too long at it.
It was a very pleasant surprise to find that the beachfront restaurant and Port Stanley landmark, "Mackie's", was open even in the off season. Mackie's orangeade is practically world famous, well, at least to those of in this part of the world!
Some time before Christmas, I had ordered a special gift for Chelsea. I took one of her favourite photos of her and Rustle, and ordered a fleece throw from Black's with the photo screened onto it. I've never done this before, but hoped it would turn out and that it would arrive for Christmas, as promised. Well, it didn't get here until just a couple of weeks ago! Such a disappointment, and to say that wishing my daughter a Merry Christmas with her "special" gift almost a month late was anticlimatic, to say the least. I'm so glad it was VERY well received, and Chels really loves it ... I think it meets Rustle's approval, too!Here's the original photo ... 
And here is the blanket, thrown over the love seat ... 
Rustle isn't sure what to think ...
I love Chelsea's new look!
We gave the puppies their first baths on the weekend. Puppies are kind of unpredictable as to how they're going to react when "under the suds" for the first time. Some puppies try to scramble out with all their might, some are just frozen in place, not daring to move, and some just take it all in stride after the initial shock of having warm water gently hosed over them. Often the actual bathing is not as traumatic as the drying. We have a really good system; I bath and Chelsea dries. If it's not outdoor weather, then she parks in the kitchen with the hair dryer, on low of course, and towel dries first then uses the blower to finish the job. Sheltie puppies can be very dramatic, and some do protest loudly, but Chels turns up the TV and before you know it, the job is done, the puppy is back with it's litter mates, and it's on to the next one.
Of course no sooner do four clean feet hit the floor, and they're off and running again, like nothing ever happened.
After all that play, naturally they've worked up an appetite.
All right, a warm bath, a little play time, then a full tummy ... bet you know what comes next! :)
Since I'm still playing catch up, I have to wish my most special girl a Happy 11th Birthday!! My Cady (Ch Laureate Cadence) turned 11 years old two weeks ago today, and I still can't believe how quickly the time has gone! She's still such a puppy in so many ways; she still loves to show, and has more energy than most dogs half her age. She was born to steal my heart, and she knows it.Thank you Kim, for my Cady and for your wonderful friendship over the last 11 years!
