Category: Photography

The power of community

Despite the gloom and real stress for many people it’s not wall-to-wall pessimism.

The reason I was prompted to write about this was a couple of connections made in the last few days and the power they have to keep this elderly chap still bouncing along.

Recently on the forum Ugly Hedgehog there was a gentleman who posted some photographs of some dogs that he had seen at the dog park. It was in a post called Today at the dog park.

They were lovely and I thought what a good idea it would be if I was able to republish them for next week’s Picture Parade. So I asked!

Well I was not disappointed and indeed said gentleman emailed me with a short bio and a photograph of him and his dog by way of an introduction. This is what he wrote:

I was born on Long Island and spent the first 60 years of my life there except for my Naval service for four years during the Vietnam war. I was a Naval Aviator, and after my active duty was over I returned to Long Island and got into a career in law enforcement that lasted 31 years. I made thousands of arrests during my career and many of those who were incarcerated threatened to “get me” some day, so I would prefer that you don’t use my real name.

When I retired at age 60 I moved to Tampa, FL because my daughter lived there and I have two granddaughters and now my son lives here too. It’s great for photographing flora and fauna all year round. My love for dogs has worn off on my kids as my daughter has two of them and my son three! Photography has been a hobby of mine for over 60 years. Here is a casual photo of me and my buddy Ollie (a three year old golden doodle).

You will have to wait until Sunday to view his photographs!

At the end of November Jean and I wanted to join the local camera club. It was clear that I had a camera, a Nikon D750, that was way more advanced than I thought and, frankly, I didn’t know my way around it.

So we joined the Caveman Camera Club in Grants Pass, Oregon. Although at the moment the pandemic puts a halt on physical meetings, twice a month ‘zoom’ meetings are held. Also mentors were available. I took advantage of the opportunity to work under a mentor and last week I went the short distance of nine miles to meet with Gene. Gene had so much knowledge and had regularly taught photography for a number of years. I came away very inspired and very motivated to become better in my photographic and composure skills. Gene’s area of interest is landscapes.

What was clear was that for my whole life, and I have been taking photographs for a very long time, I had been taking pictures and not composing photographs.

It’s going to be a long journey but one that fills me with delight

Here are some of my very first attempts, taken yesterday along the Rogue River in the rain and mist.

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The Rogue River looking upstream from the same point.

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Looking towards the top of the opposite bank.

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Well it’s a start!

But I just wanted to reiterate that staying local both literally and virtually is very rewarding.

Picture Parade Three Hundred and Sixty-Seven.

But first this amazing photograph!

A lightning strike over the province of Batangas during the eruption of the Taal volcano in Philippines, January 2020 (Credit: Domcar C Lagto/Pacific Press via Alamy)

From the BBC:

Eruption of Taal Volcano in Philippines, January 2020

Volcanic lightning occurs when fragments of propelled ash (including glass, ice, and rock) spark against each other in the violent plume that rises above an erupting volcano. The First-Century Roman writer Pliny the Younger is credited with recording the earliest-extant account of a so-called ‘dirty thunderstorm’ after witnessing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. “A dreadful black cloud,” Pliny observed in a letter to Tacitus, “was torn by gushing flames and great tongues of fire like much-magnified lightning.” Photos taken in January 2020 of a similar display near Manila, Philippines when Taal Volcano erupted captured the world’s attention. The intense gnashing of darkness and light preserved by the images recalls the cataclysmic beauty of The Destruction of Pompei and Herculaneum, the Romantic artist John Martin’s 1822 painterly recreation of the ancient dirty thunderstorm that Pliny the Younger saw with his own eyes.

This is a copyrighted photograph and I may have to remove it pretty damn quickly.

So on to dogs!

Again taken from Pexels.

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That’s it, good people, for another week.

Picture Parade Three Hundred and Sixty-Six

More beautiful dogs!

Once again, taken from Pexels.

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Aren’t they gorgeous!

I don’t know how long I will be able to republish these photographs but until I reach that point I will keep them coming!

Happy Birthday Jeannie

It is Jean’s birthday today.

This photograph was taken on the 8th January, 2008. Jean and I had met for the first time late in 2007.

It was close by in San Carlos, Mexico. Jean then lived in San Carlos!

Picture Parade Three Hundred and Sixty-Five

Still more from Pexels!

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There!

And another set of fabulous photos in a week’s time.

Happy Thanksgiving wherever you are!

Have a very happy time!

Jean and I send you our love!

Picture Parade Three Hundred and Sixty-Four

There’s a theme to this week’s Picture Parade.

First of all I must again thank Pexels for providing these photographs. They are from a grouping called Man’s Best Friend.

This is the theme. That dogs are our closest and longest animal companions by far. Indeed, the era that humans befriended wolves is so long ago that an exact time is far from settled. Here’s a piece in the August 2020 issue of Scientific American magazine:

In the 14,000 to 40,000 years during which this domestication process occurred, wild wolves were probably doing better than dogs in terms of numbers – after all, our dogs were probably another food source for humans when times became lean. The first written record of a wolf hunt was recorded in the sixth century B.C.E., when Solon of Athens offered a bounty for every wolf killed.

So in all these photographs today there is a human with the dog!

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Fabulous even though I say it myself!

Picture Parade Three Hundred and Sixty-Three

Still sharing more photographs of dogs!

The next wonderful batch of free photographs of dogs.

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They continue to be so beautiful.

That last one, for example, is truly a work of art!

Dogs are smart!

Yet another tale of smartness!

We have to be so careful here at home when we are speaking of anything to do with the dogs. For they listen even when they don’t appear to be so doing.

So, for example, me saying: “Jeannie, shall we let the dogs out?” is a no-no because almost before the sentence is finished they are up on their feet and crowding towards the front door. And there are plenty of other examples.

That requires speaking in code or sign language in an attempt to communicate something without the dogs cottoning on to what we are speaking about.

All of which is my introduction to yet another story from The Dodo to be shared with you.

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Dog Fakes A Limp Every Time He Sees Stairs

“He is a great actor!”

By Caitlin Jill Anders
Published on 11/11/2020

Titan was adopted by his family from Furry Friends Animal Refuge in Iowa at the end of August. His parents have had so much fun getting to know him over the past few months, and have learned that he’s pretty much the friendliest and most stubborn dog they’ve ever met.

“He has to say hello to EVERYONE when we go out,” Natalie Bretey, Titan’s mom, told The Dodo. “Everyone is his friend. While he does love being a big, friendly baby, he is also severely stubborn. He will frequently halt on walks until we go the way he has decided, or to stop and watch cars and people go by. We knew he was loving and friendly, but we had no clue how stubborn he was.”

Titan’s favorite thing in the world is going on walks, and his least favorite thing is when it’s time for his walk to end. He frequently tries to make his walks last longer, and he and his parents have already had many standoffs in the short time he’s been in their lives.

“He walks as if he has never had a walk before in his life,” Bretey said. “Which at first, may have been the case!”

Titan is 7 years old and does have a few health issues, including chronic ear ulcers, mild hip dysplasia and allergies. While his parents are actively addressing his ear issues, his hip dysplasia hasn’t acted up yet — but they were worried it might be the very first time Titan encountered stairs.

“We realized he wasn’t a fan of stairs the very first day,” Bretey said. “We got back to my boyfriend’s apartment, and quickly realized that Titan had no intention of walking up the stairs. We started panicking; was this because of his hip dysplasia?!”

Titan’s parents were worried that his aversion to stairs might be because he was in pain — but quickly realized it was just because he didn’t feel like climbing them.

Now, every time Titan encounters the stairs, he tries to convince his parents to carry him up them. Sometimes he’ll even fake a limp, but as soon as his parents reach the top of the stairs and put him down again, the limp magically disappears and he runs down the hallway like the most athletic dog in the world.

“Titan pulls his limp trick at least once a week,” Bretey said. “This past week, he tripped on his new jammies going up the first step and stumbled back. He held his paw in the air and looked at me with the most pained look he could muster. I called his dad to come carry him up the stairs. Since he had stumbled this time, I was worried he wasn’t faking it for once! His dad came down and said, ‘He’s probably faking it again’ and hoisted him into his arms and up the stairs. Before we even reached the top, Titan was wiggling his way out of the set of arms and onto the floor. His limp was gone, and he jogged to the front door. We just laugh. He is a great actor!”

Titan’s parents are pretty sure he’d never encountered stairs before he came to live with them, and just never developed a taste for them. They’re very careful to listen and watch for any signs of actual pain and carry him up the stairs frequently — even though most of the time, it’s just Titan being Titan, but that’s OK. They love him enough to carry him anywhere.

When Titan was first adopted, there was a lot he had to learn about being a dog. His parents have absolutely adored watching him come out of his shell and explore the world around him. They want to give him the best life they possibly can, and are more than willing to put up with a little stubbornness along the way.

“We try not to think about all the things he went through, but have had fun watching him learn how to ride in a car, enjoy pup cups from coffee places, go on walks, and interact with everyone,” Bretey said. “His big heart has made every hard moment worth it.”

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It’s very true. Dogs can be stubborn. It often comes from their early days when they were unloved and had to decide what to do and what not to do.

I would like to think that over time Titan will display less stubbornness and, as was written at the end, learn lots of new things to do and, above all, to be loved.

This gent loves Pit Bull dogs!

I don’t think his route is near us.

But I wish it was.

I am speaking of a UPS driver who has a love for dogs and, like my Jeannie, loves Pit Bulls. The breed have got such a bad reputation for being aggressive and always fighting but the truth is that men have used a few of them as fighting dogs and trained them to be the way they are.

There’s more about the breed on WebMD and I just quote a small piece from the article.

Doberman pinschers, rottweilers, and German shepherds topped lists of dogs some considered dangerous in the not-too-distant past.

These days, pit bulls often make headlines and it’s rarely good news. If it isn’t about an attack on a child or a shooting by police, it’s a tale of neglect or abuse. The heat of such reports has forged a frightening image of the pit bull as having a hair-trigger temper and a lock-jawed bite.

But pit bull advocates and some experts say the dogs get a bad rap. They say the dogs are not inherently aggressive, but in many cases suffer at the hands of irresponsible owners drawn to the dog’s macho image who encourage aggression for fighting and protection.

Indeed, the ASPCA web site gives the breed an endorsement that could fit a golden retriever. It says, “A well-socialized and well-trained pit bull is one of the most delightful, intelligent, and gentle dogs imaginable.”

So back to that UPS driver. This is his story.

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UPS Driver Has The Sweetest Relationship With All The Pups On HIs Route

“I know most, but not all, of the pitties by name” 🥰

By Caitlin Jill Anders
Published on 10/16/2020

For as long as he can remember, Scott Hodges has loved pit bulls. He used to have a pittie of his own, Sheba, but after 15 years she passed away in 2004.

Luckily, Hodges has been a UPS driver for the past 32 years, and gets to see pit bulls every single day as he goes along his route. He sees lots of animals on the job, including a very friendly pig, but he’s always had a particular soft spot for the pit bulls. He’s gotten to know them all over the years — and they love him just as much as he loves them.

“I know most, but not all, of the pitties by name,” Hodges told The Dodo.

Every day, as Hodges does his UPS route, he stops to say hi to his pit bull friends (and all the other dogs, too). They know who he is by now and are always waiting for him, because they know Hodges can always be counted on to give them love and treats.

“All the pitties on my route are friendly and I give them biscuits every time I see them,” Hodges said.

In order to keep track of all the pitties he sees, he takes lots of pictures …

… and probably has at least one picture of every pit bull on his route by now.

The pitties are of course always happy to see him …

… and some like to ham it up a little more than others.

Sometimes he takes pictures of the other dogs along his route too …

… but the pit bulls will always and forever be his favorites.

Hodges is lucky to get to work a job where he can see pit bulls every single day, and he never gets tired of stopping to say hi to all of his friends.

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Scott has been a UPS driver for 32 years!

My guess is that he was pretty quick at welcoming pit bulls and one can presume that he has been kind and generous to these dogs for most of the 32 years.

I think this is a delightful story and one that I am so pleased was carried by The Dodo.

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Dog Fakes A Limp Every Time He Sees Stairs

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UPS Driver Has The Sweetest Relationship With All The Pups On HIs Route

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