GRACIE'S SUMMER

 

My favorite room in my house is my study/studio.  With slider doors, it’s light and airy.  I can see out and watch the birds while I work, write, and paint.  The room also houses my comfortable recliner, perfect for afternoons reading.   

It’s Gracie’s favorite room too.  Besides being where I hang out during the day, she can spend hours watching the outdoor world from the large windows.

 

She goes on high alert when she sees people walking their dogs on the backside of the loop.  Rabbits and squirrels send her in a frenzy too.  She also loves watching the small birds that inhabit my feeders.

 

You’d think being half Golden Retriever, she’d go after more birds, but she mostly just watches, especially the smaller birds, like this Robin, a rare visitor to my feeders.

 

Gracie also enjoys sunbathing and snoozing by the sliders.  She can get too hot and begin to pant but rarely does she move herself out of the sun.  Silly dog!

 

Mid-to-late-afternoon, weather permitting, we head outside to the deck to read and have dinner.  Shade has come over the back deck, and it’s comfortable then.  Gracie loves being outdoors, smelling flowers, looking for rabbits, scaring away the Mourning Doves, and playing.

 

And that’s where Gracie’s summer turned really exciting.  She got a little fenced-in-yard that goes off the deck.  It allows here to “go” without a leash, and with the deck included, it gives her a much larger play area.

 

We can once again play Chuck-it Frisbee, something we’ve not done since our Northport days, when we had a large fenced yard.

 

Gracie also loves playing catch with her “holey” ball.  It’s easy to catch and hold onto from any of the openings.

 

She’s also learned the faster she drops her toy, the faster I can send it off for her to catch again.  It’s a joy having room for her to play again.

 

Gracie is, undoubtedly, my favorite photography subject.  I have hundreds of pictures of her, and she’s really good about sitting and posing.  I took this series with my iPhone 11.  Sometimes it’s fun to be spontaneous and not haul out all my fancy photography gear.