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.

A FAVORITE PLACE FOR DEER WATCHING

 

When I was in Empire last weekend, I visited a neighborhood where deer are known to live.  Fruit trees, wild flowers, gardens, and long grasses make this an ideal deer habitat.  I’ve not seen many deer this year where I’ve been shooting near TC,  so I was looking forward to seeing some.  I wasn’t disappointed.  Several does, two fawns.  One fawn was a bit older but both tried nursing from all the does, often at the same time.  They were a delight to photograph and a wonderful cap-off to the weekend.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AN END-OF-SUMMER SUNSET

 

I hadn’t been to Empire beach all summer, so I decided it was the perfect time to head there and capture an end-of-the-summer sunset. 

As I turned from the village onto Niagara Street towards the beach, I noticed parking was backed up all the way past beautiful South Bar Lake.  Not surprising for Labor Day Weekend, but not a good sign for me to find a shooting spot.

 

 I followed the crawl of traffic into the park and could see the beach was packed with folks enjoying the beautiful day against the backdrop of Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dune.

 

The sun was getting pretty low in the sky, and I wasn’t having much luck finding a parking spot.  I snapped a few pictures as I inched along and waited for something to open up.

People were changing their activities from conversation and games to focusing on the approaching sunset.  Smartphones were up and folks were snapping the spectacle unfolding before them. 

Time was running out to find parking as the sun neared the horizon.  I’d driven forty-five minutes to capture this sunset, so I did what others were doing in desperation.  I pulled onto the sidewalk and parked.

It was just in the nick of time too, as the sun seemed to melt into the waters of Lake Michigan, with the sky pinking up the scene.

 

It sank lower.

Lower yet.

 

And then it was gone.  Even with the drive and parking hassles, it was a perfect end-to-summer sunset.

A MORNING DRIVE

 

I’m a morning person, just not an EARLY morning person.  So it was about 8:30 when I headed out to take pictures of an area I usually see in the evening.  It was different seeing scenery with the sun coming from the east instead of the west.  It was very quiet and the green and golden hills and fields were a delight.  It was a much more peaceful morning than the ones I usually spend at home on the computer.