Monday, August 6, 2012

Los Perros Del Camino

What???!!!  Dogs???  On your blog????  Really???  Okay okay...let me explain myself.  It's really a double bonus post with cute dogs.  For the Park Rangers out there:), I wanted to show you Mt. Lemmon 10 years later.  Look at all the growth around the dead trees in the pic below. Fire is a good thing when people, structures, and animals aren't hurt. Yeah, it's pretty exciting:) And second, this is for my hiker friends:)  Hiking with dogs that is.  And I have a special surprise on the bottom of this post from last night:)
Hikes are great.  On this particular morning, a dear friend of mine took the puppies for a walk.  We were up early before the tourists hit the trails at around 6 AM.  I realized a couple things.  Hiking with dogs is a workout:)  There is no stopping.  And the birder in me had to be put aside to keep up with these active pooches.  My camera was slung over my shoulder and I shot pics whenever I could:)
And at the end of it all, humans and dogs alike have gotten a good workout.  But after we came back to the cabin, I grabbed my bird lens and took off birding alone:)  I am a cat person.  We have 5 of the feline variety:)  But I love all animals and these dogs are like family:)  When the owners are out, we dogsit for the crew.  My favorite thing about them?  Well there are 5 of these guys as well:)  In the morning, I'll get them up for their bathroom routines and in a pack mentality, they bound out from their cage and attack my other half(who is sleeping) and give lots of sloppy kisses.  I have a good evil laugh:) 
The trails are open on Mt. Lemmon.  It had been a year since I last visited.  Within one year, a trail that was wide open has now grown in with vegetation.  It was exciting to see. There were lots of wonderful birds and animals in the area. And of course the hikes are brilliant.  Afterwards, stop at several of the local eateries for a nice breakfast or lunch.  I'll just say this.  It was great getting out of the desert heat and hiking once again. If you love dogs, this may be the last time you see them on this blog:)  Of course, wolves and coyotes can and may show up down the road.  I see coyotes often but it's always on my way to work and I never have the stupid camera!! And speaking of work, I begin today(which is good...I need the money).  It also signifies a new fiscal year and several interesting and exotic trips this year.  Anyhow, enjoy your day wherever you are.  And the surprise?
Last night was a wonderful thunderstorm event full of dangerous lightning, rain, and power outages.  Thank you Gaelyn for your tips on getting that lightning shot.  This isn't my best work, but it signifies the beginning of ideas.  It's a lot harder than it looks and don't worry....I did it safely and that's why it's hard to do:) And I'm not sure dogs or lighting go well together. If you live with a dog, you know what I mean:) More tomorrow....

27 comments:

  1. The dogs are exceedingly cute :) Love your last shot of lightning - well done for managing to get a photo!!

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  2. bit dim me, why is it dangerous to photograph lightning? It's over there.
    I still remember the Swiss weatherman telling us how to keep safe in a thunderstorm. Hunch yourself up into a foetal ball, and he climbed on a table to show us. Someone later asked if they have to take a table along when hiking?
    Um, the camera is set up, so the weatherman had to be where the camera was looking - he explained.

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  3. I love dogs and your friends dogs are cute. My dog is a little older and walks slower so I am still able to bird as we walk. Great capture of the lightning. Have a great day!

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  4. A wonderful shot of the lightening. I'm envious.

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  5. Nice to see Mount Lemon 'coming back'. And the dogs, fun diversion. Nice final photo, Chris!!

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  6. Nice capture on the lightning.

    I can't believe you're already back to school. Seems way to early in August for that.

    Cute puppies.

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  7. It's always a pleasure to visit your blog, we never know what to expect... and today is not an exception!

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  8. Cute dogs! I can only imagine what it's like living with 5 dogs and 5 cats..even for a few days! ha!

    Fantastic surprise!

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  9. I also don't know how to shoot lightnings, haven't tried it yet. Maybe you should pass along the tricks you got from your friend, haha! And, again, it is lightning, not lightening...remove the e! haha

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  10. the pups are adorable and look worn out. :)

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  11. The lightning shot is awesome! The dogs are so cute.

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  12. Hi Chris, I am very much a dog person, I adore them! I love the first photo of that gorgeous spaniel, at least it looks like a spaniel to me.

    Great photo of the lightening although I'm no fan of thunder storms....and my dog is terrified of them ;-)

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  13. Nice , so on photo #2 what is the regrowth understory there ? Looks to be Gambel Oak from what I see next to the dog. Maybe some New Mexico Locust.

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    1. Wow!!! Nice eye again. The shade intolerant oaks and aspens are coming back nicely so they get that much needed sun. The Ponderosa Pine is a bit slow....and I did see a few of the Locust. They are offering cabin owners free trees to place around their areas. To be honest, it's a real exciting time up on the mountain. Lots of renewal effort with our rain, help from mother nature, and people.

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  14. I'm glad you got one last mountain hike in before school started. I'm so happy to hear about all the new growth on Mt. Lemmon. My daughter will help with Freshman orientation tomorrow and then her year starts on Wednesday.

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  15. Oh, I love the puppies..little cocker spaniel..cute! And great lightning shot. Guess what? We finally got a real monsoon storm about 11 last night - wind, thunder, lightning, rain - the whole works! I sat on the patio and enjoyed it until it stopped about 30 minutes later. Please send more!

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  16. Haha!!! Lightening vs. lightning. I done learn something new today:) Thanks for your polite corrections OR your straight out correcting me(love you Andrea:). That's seriously how this blog operates. If you catch a mistake, let me know anyway you want and I'll do my best to correct it. That's part of the fun and that's how it works on my dry erase board in the classroom. I write/type so fast I mess up a word. So extra credit to those of you who caught it:) I did get more lightning shots and they'll be coming down the road:)

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  17. Cute pups, and love the lightning shot!

    Gaz: Alternative Eden

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  18. Jak idę z moim psem na spacer też nie mam szans zrobienia zdjęć. Szczenięta są słodkie, a koty z pewnością też, tak myślę. Gratuluję zdjęcia pioruna. Pozdrawiam.
    As I walk with my dog ​​for a walk or have no chance of the imagery. Puppies are cute, but cats will also, I think. Congratulations pictures of lightning. Yours.

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  19. Okay, a couple of things here...
    Yeah!!! You got the lightning shot. Love it!
    Dogs vs cats: you put two dogs together that don't know each other and they will regard each other, sniff and make friends. Do the same with cats... Well, you know. I still prefer cats.
    And last but not least, I never leave the house without a camera. Many of the shots you like are made with a Canon Sure Shot. No you won't get those professional masterpieces but documenting life is fun too. I'm looking forward to more lightning.

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  20. Enjoyed the dogs and your lighting picture is great.

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  21. It's good to know that nature can rebuild, now, if it can only rebuild what humans destroy... I'm on Team Cats myself :) (indoor cats that is, the outdoor ones snatch too many of my favourite birds)

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  22. Very cute dogs and yes quite different from your other posts I have read. I like the lightning photo. Quite a challenge to take that I would think.

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  23. A completely innocent dog who is standing alone, which increase its cuteness. I love him and wish to carry him in my hand. What a cute puppy!

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  24. Like you, I am a cat person but do like dogs too. Yes, fire does have it's place in nature. Most humans don't like to acknowledge that. :)

    I've never caught a bolt of lightning. I'm jealous!

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  25. Fabulous shot of the lightning! And the dogs are so cute! :-)

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