Sami

Sami 1998-2012

Last Thursday I left for the Mystic, Connecticut art festival.  I was very excited and I had stopped at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and made my way to Essex to photograph the steam train.  First have to say that the weather in Connecticut was so humid I had a hard time dealing with it.  Photographing while in Connecticut was difficult and disappointing.  I did get some shots, but not much.  The show was good and I will attend it next year, and hopefully the weather will be more cooperative.

But while in Connecticut my dog Sami was fading away.  When I had left she didn't seem to be showing any signs of problems, but over the weekend Mom had told me she was having a hard time getting up and eating.  We thought she was just being stubborn.  Sami had always been a stubborn dog.  2 years ago Sami was diagnosis with diabetes and like a trooper took her insulin without issues.  She also had arthritis in her hips and was gradually getting worse.  I came home from Connecticut and we decide to take Sami to the Vet and to our surprise she was shutting down.  The Vet said maybe a month.  When she stops eating and can't take her insulin it would be time.  Well that time came 2 days later much too soon.  Sami struggled with walking and was becoming disoriented and we knew as did she it was time.  Just 2 months after my dog Ben had past now Sami.  I know in my heart she is in a better place and feeling no pain and is with Ben. 

We now have 1 dog left Blu and she is the oldest and the last of the 3.  It feels odd to be walking and caring for only 1 dog.  We will someday adopt another, but in the mean time Blu has all our attention and I know she will take every bit in.

Sami had always been a happy dog.  I called her wiggles because she was always wagging that beautiful tail.  She seemed to always have a smile. 

This happy wiggly dog will be truly missed.

I love you Sami!

Take some time and hug your pet!



Ships Ahoy!

HMS Tremendous/HMS Grampus

HMS Tremendous/HMS Grampus

Last weekend's WLBZ2 Art Festival was a slow day.  I think the heat had alot to do with it.  I did however make expenses.  This weekend I will be heading to Mystic, Connecticut for the Mystic Outdoor Arts Festival.  I'm very excited about heading back to my old stomping grounds.  I used to work at the Mystic Seaport and it is always great fun to go back and visit. 

Often times there would be wooden ships visiting the Seaport and I would pull out the camera (if I had it with me) and photograph them coming into the harbor.  The ship above is the HMS Grampus.  When I photographed this ship I was using black and white film which would explain the graininess of the photo.  It took me a while to figure out which ship this was.  So now that I know I did a little research on her and discovered that she was originally the HMS Tremendous.....now your history for the day......The HMS Tremendous was a 74 gun ship in the Royal Navy, built by Wm. Barnard at Deptford, London in January 1782, launched in October 1784.  She fought in several battles between 1794-1809.  She was reduced to a 50 gun ship and renamed the HMS Grampus in 1845.  She was sold in 1897.  Just an FYI these photos are not the original ship.  That is my tidbit for the week.

So anyway I'm hoping the rain is minimal Thursday through Sunday.  Thursday and Friday I expect to be heading to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and then to the Roger Williams Park to photograph the carousel and then to Essex, CT to photograph the steam trains.  Weather permitting I'd like to hit the Roger Williams Zoo.  Then Saturday and Sunday are the Festival days.  I generally don't photograph in the rain so I think I will have to challenge my photographic skills and see what I can photograph in the rain.  I will persevere over the rain!

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Mourning Doves

Here are a couple of Mourning Doves who frequent the bird feeder.  They're a beautiful bird and are very common throughout North America.  Some people say there cooing sounds sad, but to me it is calming.

The Mourning Dove is a very fast flier being able to out maneuver their predators like the Peregrine Falcon if they know their being watched.  They will also play the injured wing routine to deter predators for their nest.  Also when you see 3 of them flying together in a group you are seeing a male and female pair and a rival male.

You can tell the difference between the males and females by the blue gray coloring on the head and the pinkish color on the chest of the male, females are tan on the head and chest area.  The photographs here are females.

Just some tidbits of information on the Mourning Dove.

Yesterday I went to orientation at the college and boy did I feel like a fish out of water.  So many young people....I thought there might be some people close to my age, but I didn't see any.  Oh and can I say....I really really dislike having my picture taken.  I had to have a picture taken for my college ID and just like my drivers license HORRIBLE!  In fact I think my drivers license looks better!  Anyway overall it was informative and made me feel better and less nervous.  Classes start September 4th and as of now my classes are Business Law I, Writing Workshop, General Psychology and my fav Algebra.  So far I only need 2 books and thank God for that, they are super expensive.  Doing some research on where I can find them cheaper.

The month of August is just about to get real busy.  This Saturday I will be in Downtown Bangor, Maine at the WLBZ2 Sidewalk Arts Festival.  It's a 1 day only Art Festival from 9am-4pm. If your in the area stop on by.  It's a great event and lots of wonderful artisans.

Next week I will be posting on Wednesday, because I will be on the road Thursday.  I'll tell you more about that next week. 
In the meantime have a Wonderful Weekend!