Friday Photos

 

I love this photograph.  

All of our family, except the grandchildren - who were too young at the time- were vacationing in New York City.  It had rained early in the evening, and afterward, we ventured out for some pizza at Joe's Pizza, followed by pastries from Pasticceria Rocco.

As Glen stood on Bleecker Street, I loved the glow of the lights behind him and the reflection of the lights on the road.  It was a wonderful trip, creating so many wonderful memories, and this photograph seems to capture the mood of them all.

Tuesday - All Things Ellie

 

"Ellie at the schoolyard

When Glen and I talk about the beagles we have had over the years, one thing we discuss about our first beagle, Grunt, is how athletic he was.  We have a double driveway, and Grunt could fly over it with room to spare.  He could do a vertical jump and look you directly in the eyes.  He was a muscular, powerful dog.  He was definitely the most athletic of our dogs. Ellie, while smaller than Grunt, is athletic, too, but not on Grunt's level.  

Ellie loves to walk.  The longest walk she has done was 10 miles.  It was in Virginia on the Virginia Creeper.  She had previously done an 8-mile hike with no problem.  We watched her carefully for signs she was overworked, but she actually looked like she was ready for more when we finished.

Ellie also loves to run.  When we go to the nearby school, she knows she can run more in the huge, fenced-in part.  Once we go through the gate, she takes off flying.  I am always amazed at how fast she can go.  We keep her on a 30-foot leash, and I am at the other end of it, running to keep up.  I would just drop the leash, but I know there are places where she could easily fit under the fence, and one has a pretty significant drop-off near it.  But I do love watching her run.

Well, not one time.  We were walking in that field, and she spied, or smelled, something in a tree about 30 feet away from us.  She took off.  She went so fast that it pulled the leash out of my hand.  As she neared the tree, a squirrel in the tree jumped down and ran away, and the cat that had been at the bottom followed.  So did Ellie.  

They were headed for the corner of the lot.  I didn't know what else to do, so I shouted, "Ellie, STOP!"

I was totally surprised when she stopped, but she had also reached the edge of the lot.  Both the squirrel and the cat had easily scaled the old fence and escaped whatever Ellie was planning to do if she had caught them.

I was very pleased that Ellie had stopped, and very displeased at myself that I had let the leash get out of my hand.  And I was surprised at the speed our beagle could obtain when chasing something.

Another thing Ellie loves to do is play Tug-of-War.  She will bring a favorite toy several times during the day and drop it at my feet.  I know what will ensue next.  As I pick up the toy, she will try to get it from me.  If she succeeds, she is headed to the den.  If she doesn't, she is still headed to the den with me leading and holding the toy in my hand.  She expects us to chase around the chairs a few times and likes it if we change directions in the process.  Then I sit in the chair, and we tug on the toy.  She shakes it on her end and tries to get it away from me.  I usually don't manage to get it away from her!  Then I will give her the "Drop it!" command, and she will obey.  Mainly because she knows what is coming next.  I will toss the toy across the room, usually on the couch or a chair.  She will effortlessly jump up and grab her toy, and then the process starts all over.  She loves this game, and I love playing it with her.  I wish I could play with her like this all day.

Friday Photos

This was a surprising picture.  

My husband had just brought me some beautiful tulips (my favorite flower), and I wanted to take a picture of them.  I placed one in a vase on a stool and put it in front of a wall I had just painted a textured red. I put a flashlight on the stool aimed upward at the tulip.

When I looked at the picture, I couldn't believe the halo around the tulip.  It was not a special effect.  The wall had previously been yellow, and somehow, that showed in the picture.  This is one of my favorite photos of all time.

Tuesday - All Things Ellie

 

Ellie Jean

There is something about Ellie you might never guess, especially since she is a hound.

Ellie rarely howls.

All our other beagles howled.  Actually, they howled more than we would like.  We could get Sparrow to howl on demand simply by howling ourselves (which looked and sounded pretty unusual).  

But Ellie almost never howls.  I think perhaps she might howl a little when we leave her at home.  If she sees something outside her window, she will bark, but not howl.

Her lack of howling might have been because we brought her home at five weeks of age.  Perhaps she didn't get the chance to learn how or when to howl from the older beagles.

But she can howl.  

Today, I had taken her for a walk and stopped by a neighbor's house to chat for a minute.  Mary Beth was outside talking to a neighbor whom Ellie and I see often walking her two dogs.  Ellie was quite clearly on guard in front of this woman.  The three of us chatted and then Ellie began howling.  A full throated, beagle howl.  She did it several times until I finally decided it was time for us to be on our way.

I was quite surprised to hear Ellie make the woeful sound, complete with the beagle head tilt.  Perhaps Elliie felt threatened in some way and was trying to protect me.  Whatever the reason, I wanted that sound to end as quickly as possible.  Maybe it is a good thing she doesn't howl very often.