Twins

Somehow, I ended up with 2 black geldings - both of them found us, we didn't go shopping for them. I also have two other horses that are light chestnuts with flaxen manes. They found us also. I also had a pair of dark chestnut mares that now have a great home with my friend Molly. They are the same size, the same exact color and both have white blazes on their faces and white stockings. Both of those mares found us as well, coming from completely different places. It's just funny - the little quirks of fate in life.

Anyway.... I went out on Saturday to play with my black boys, Buzz and Bo, (I also didn't name either of them) and they were napping flat out on the warm sand. They looked like twins - facing the same way, looking like the same horse - twice.



They were really out - for prey animals, especially. They obviously feel pretty safe in their own pen. I wanted to ride, but I didn't have the heart to get them up.



So I putzed around the yard, putting things away, taking pictures.... until they finally noticed me.



And even after they woke up, they still looked like twins.

After a few minutes, they got up and started following me around. They're bored and would rather play with me than hang around doing nothing. So I rode one and led the other and had a lovely outing around town on a gorgeous, coolish, March day. Aaaaah, 50 degrees, my favorite weather.

What a blessed life!

The Ultimate Christmas Gift

Brynn gave Jaxon a wonderful gift for Christmas this year. It was so touching, so heartfelt, so willingly given:

Her generosity is overwhelming.

My First Cover!

I haven't blogged about this yet, but this spring, I got a new job opportunity. The imagery department at the sanctuary (the Best Friends Animals Sanctuary where I have worked as a horse trainer for over 14 years) called and asked if I wanted to work part time for them as a photographer. I only work 2 days in the horse department, but I've been working up to 40 hours a week at home with photography of some kind or another for the last several years. I've done a little freelance work for the sanctuary in the past and they were down a staff photographer, so they asked me to fill in a little.

Now, I've worked at the Sanctuary for 14 years, but the horse department is so separate from the rest of the animal care areas that I've always felt somewhat out of the loop. But most of the photos that I would be taking would be of the dogs and cats, so it was a great opportunity to get to know people and animals in the main part of the Sanctuary. So I've been taking "cage card" (the portrait that every animal has taken upon arrival) photos for several months now and it has been really great. I've met some wonderful people, gotten to know my way around our maze of a wonderful facility, and I get to meet all the new dogs and cats (and sometimes bunnies and birds) that come in.

I play a little game with myself when I meet the new animals, dogs, usually. The game is called, "You're not going to be here long!" And I'm usually right. Often, the cute new doggies that come in are adopted in very short order. Sometimes, they have a few medical or behavioral issues that need some work before they can go to their forever homes, but sometimes it's pretty obvious to me that they are going to get snatched right up.

Like I said, usually it's dogs that I say, "You're not going to be here long!", mainly because we adopt more dogs than any other kind of animals. But one day I was in a cat run taking cage cards and met a cool little cat named Lorraine. I was there to take a cage card photo of one of her run mates, but she caught my eye because she was lounging in a blue bucket in a sunny corner of the run. She looked so completely relaxed and comfortable and was so stinkin' cute - a siamesey type kitty with white spots, and her eyes were the same color as the bucket. I wanted to take her photo, but she was laying in a harsh, patchy spot of light. I thought, "This looks like a way mellow kitty, I wonder if she'll let me drag her and her bucket into some better light." And she did, and I took a bunch of photos of her. She was so funny and mellow and happy. I got one photo that I was pretty pleased with and showed it to my boss's boss that night on FB.

She liked it so much that she used it on the cover of the current issue of the Best Friends magazine that just came out.

And I said to Miss Lorraine, "YOU're not gonna be here long!" and she wasn't. She was adopted very soon after these photos were taken. Do see what I mean? Isn't she cute?



So here it is, my first cover and my first photo cover credit. Cool, right?!

I love my job. Thanks Lorraine!

Our Halloween 2012

So my LAST post was about last Halloween, and this post is about THIS Halloween even though Christmas has already gone by. Christmas later... hopefully.

As if we didn't have enough parades in our little town already, this year a few ambitious gals decided we needed to have another. I don't know how I feel about this. On the one hand, it was cute and fun. On the other hand, we already have an elementary school costume parade that is a long standing tradition here. And really, do we need even MORE to do around this time of year. Nevertheless, it was fun for the kids (and Molly) and we participated and I, of course, took lots of pictures.

Jaxon had a monk's robe that we'd gotten him for his Friar Lawrence part in the play. He slapped it on and called himself a Jedi. Easy.

 
 Brynn wore her "hippie" costume which was pretty cute on her. We actually found her some sandals at the thrift store with a peace sign carved into the wedge heel, that went perfectly with this get up.

 And here are a WHOLE BUNCH of fun parade pics. You know me, I'm all about the pics.

Isn't it amazing what horses will put up with?!


 















 
 





 
 
Ramona thought is was all an awfully good time. She's such a smiley, happy little poochie. She's just sure that EVERYone is there just to see her. And she really took a shine to Harley, and Harley to her.

 

And this is Luke in the school parade - rockin' his Indie look.

On Halloween, the big kids were having their last night of play practice and didn't get home until way after dark. Every single year, we've taken pictures of them on the front lawn right before they trick or treat. Well, this year we had to figure something else out for cool costume pics. I took them in the doorway with my bounce flash and the dark, dark night behind.

Jaxon won the most creative costume award at school with his mom-made Gandalf look.

Luke's hat was my dads - Grandma had given it to him when we were at her house in October and it was the springboard for his cool Indiana Jones.

Brynn's colorful, shiny hippie costume was pretty much just right for her.

And Molly was Korra from Avatar. (That's her bathroom door wrapped around her waist - held on by my robe belt.)

And I had to add Jenna because she had the BEST costume I saw this year - she looked so authentic and cute as Rosie Riveter. Her grandma was a real Rosie and Jenna has always loved this time period. (Molly took this picture and it turned out great.)

So that's it - the whole big hairy deal of Halloween 2012. Yay for photos of people in costumes.

Retroactive Halloween Post - Halloween 2011

As I was looking back through some old photos today while working on year end projects, I realized that I never blogged about last year's HALLOWEEN! Oh my goodness, it was the funnest Halloween ever. My little sister brought her fiance Charlie clear from Missouri to have some bridal portraits taken and they happened to be here over Halloween.
Since they weren't married yet, and since Charlie is a REALLY good sport, he agreed to let Sharon dress him in any way she wanted to. If our mom had been here, she never would have let Charlie debase himself in this way, but since she wasn't......



Yup. He was the bride and Sharon was the groom. And even though Charlie is quite a handsome man, he really made a hideous woman. SOOOO funny.

We went around town and let Sharon and Charlie knock on all the doors. Watching the reactions on everyone's faces, just never got old. They'd do a happy "greet the trick-or-treaters" face, which immediately turned to a shocked, "what in the world!" when they saw Charlie face, which then turned into a "oh yeah, it's Halloween and that's just a man dressed up as a really ugly bride" face. Too rich.

We also had Molly - our oldest, adopted, child - who has been with us for Halloween for several years. She's always a character from Avatar: The Last Airbender. This year was Zuko? I think?

The younger kids were a Captain Jack Sparrow, a Japanese lady, and Wolverine - respectively.

Except when Luke spent a few minutes as a Wolverine-Bride. Bride of Wolverine? Hmmm.

We had a little pumpkin carvin', some trampoline jumpin', and a whole lot of fun.

I'm getting to where I'm liking Halloween more every year. Especially this one!