Play Time

Dog Blog Post #612:

Daily Dog Challenge "120. "How Can You _____ That Way?" - Our dogs all have quirky habits. Capture your dog doing something that makes you wonder today!"

How Can You PLAY That Way?

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Seeing Red

Dog Blog Post #611: Today was another chance to combine things that had nothing in common. The Daily Dog Challenge was...

119. Seeing Red - It's Monday again, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer from the blues. Take a picture with your dog that features some red and cheer up! We're one day closer to the next weekend.

While...

Our Daily Challenge - Feb. 27, 2012 - was "Sweet and Sour"

So after spending the first half of the day trying to think of a Red object that went with "Sweet and Sour" and the boys, I finally threw in the proverbial towel and relegated it "backdrop" - opting to concentrate on "Sweet and Sour" instead.

Leaving me not much closer to idea as I was drawing blanks on "Sweet and Sour" in general. In fact, I could only think of two "Sweet and Sour" things - Chinese Food and Lemons.

And had today been a different day, a trip to a chinese restaurant for some take out might have been on order. But today was today, and take out wasn't an option.

Plan B

Lemons...
Lemons...
Lemons...

I don't have any Lemons.

I looked over the Scavenge Challenge list for any additional ideas. I did finish the month (yeah!) but perhaps there was something there to trigger an idea, which it did, as there's an item there about taking a picture showing a number.

A lemonade stand?

A lemonade stand with a red background?

I suddenly pictured ever-busy Zachary setting up a new business and building a clientele, while Henry is willing to share what little he has with any and all.

And while I didn't have any lemons, I did have some Raspberry Lemonade Crystal Light, which proved to be an adequate (and tasty!) stand-in.

I took just six pictures, then realized when I got on the computer that I had the stands too high (lighting is uneven) and the camera was probably too close as well (focal length rather close for a my liking).

Oh well, it still makes me laugh. :P

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us! © 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Goldens in Red

Dog Blog Post #610: Yet another artsy challenge - this time from Daily Dog Challenge...

118. "Wall Art" - Take a photo that you could hang on the wall as art today. Play with it however you like!

Which, when combined with...

Our Daily Challenge - Feb. 26, 2012 - "Red"

... produced the picture (above) that I would never have dreamed up on my own.

Good?

Bad?

Would I actually hang it on my wall?

Who knows - but it's different!

Today also saw me going back redoing my "Mud" picture. Remember this one...

... well the group admin decided that peanut butter isn't "mud" and sent me out to find some dirt and water. During one of the driest winters on record. (sigh)

Fine. Here it is. Hose Water + Dusty Dry Dirt = Mud.

Let's hope that one flies.

Speaking of flying - I also decided to retake my Leap Year shot. The first time around I got this...

Well, actually, I got THIS...

... and cropped.

But I got a grumble from a fellow scavenger that it wasn't a REAL leap - all feet off the ground. Grrrr. Do they have any idea how tricky that shot was to time out? Not to mention to call Henry and NOT have Zachary budge.  FWIW, camera remote is in left hand, cookies are in right, and Zachary is fixating on (what else) the Lacrosse Ball. (Love his expression!)

Besides, the challenge didn't say "airborne",  is said "feet off the ground", and Henry did indeed have feet (plural) off the ground. But wanting to put February to bed once and for all, I decided to try again.

So I gave instructions...

The boys seemed up to the task, so we went for it!

Seriously, Henry?

Plan B

Into to the house we go, and son volunteered to man the remote so I could concentrate on the jumper.

We had quite a few misfires...

... a bit of attitude...

(Mischief, thy name is Henry)

... some close shots...

... until I finally gave up on Henry and brought out the power hitter.

Go Zachary!

He jumped the first time, every time - and it took quite a few takes until we FINALLY caught him mid-flight.

What a good boy!

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

A Little Soul

Dog Blog Post #609: Today's Daily Dog Challenge was...

117. A Little Soul - Our dogs all give us "those" looks -- the ones that say so much about how they're feeling and often reduce us to mush. Capture one of your favorite expressions your dog gives today!

... and for the B&W versions, I was also going for...

Our Daily Challenge - Feb. 25, 2012 - "Art"

My favorite "art" shot is the one above, but my favorite DDC shot is the color version of the shot of Zachary.

Three guesses what I was holding in my left hand. :)

OR... in color...

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us! © 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

The Nose Knows

What have we here?

Sniff Sniff?

Snuffle Snuffle Snuffle

Gulp!

Slurp!

Dog Blog Post #608: Today's Daily Dog Challenge was...

116. The Nose Knows -Show us those adorable noses! You can make it artsy or sweet, just feature those noses today!

Which I hopefully (but, alas, not too hopefully) combined with...

Scavenge Challenge February 2012 - "4. You may have to make your own. The subject is mud! Make it look good."

... in hopes the admin will give it a pass, as it's one of the driest winters on record and I can't even remember the last time we had measurable rain.

Sooooo

Since she said we can make our own, and according to Webster, we have:

mud (noun) - "a slimy sticky mixture of solid material with a liquid..."

... and peanut butter is slimy, sticky, and a mixture of solid material (peanuts) and a liquid (peanut oil).

Ta-da!

Mud!

At least you have to admit, they do look good! :)

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us! © 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Achievement

Dog Blog Post #607: I was so tickled with yesterday's Magazine Cover, that I printed it out, taped it to another magazine, and used it for today's Daily Dog Challenge

115. Seeing Things Differently - Try taking a picture from a perspective that you don't normally use today!

PLUS

Our Daily Challenge - Feb. 23, 2012 - "Seen From Above"
112 Pictures in 2012 - "#13. Achievement"

The boys were over the moon about getting their picture on the cover of BZ Dogs magazine. It wasn't until Zachary finally nodded off that I was able to slip it away from them.

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us! © 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

BZ Dogs - Sports Issue!

Dog Blog Post #606: Daily Dog Challenge "114. Take a picture of your dog that you'd see on the cover of a magazine. If you are so inclined, you can create your own magazine cover, too, but the photo is all you have to take. It can be Footloose Fido or Canine Couture, just have fun with it!"

Ok... I admit it. I had waaaaay too much fun doing this. :)

I threw in the "Sound Mind Sound Body" article so I could satisfy...

Our Daily Challenge Feb. 22, 2012 - "Sound"

... and added it as a spare for

Scavenge Challenge February 2012 - "9. Photograph something from an ethnicity or culture which is NOT your own."

... as in Canine Culture. :)

It was created using My Memories Suite v3 (yes, I liked my free version of v2 so much I upgraded when v3 came out!)

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Stop Thief!

Zachary: "Stop, Thief!!!"
(That's Zachary's below Henry's chin, and Henry's tail on the far right)

(Slow-motion play begins)

Zachary prefers to play upside down!

Zachary has the ball again... 

.... for now.

Dog Blog Post #605: As these sorts of shots invariably seem to upset someone, I will break from Wordless with the comment I added to the original in flickr -

Keep in mind this is all for show and is performed in super-slow motion over the course of many seconds to minutes, showing lots of teeth but with the gentle mouths Goldens are famous for.

I can freely stick my hand in the middle of this - and often do - tickling whosever belly happens to be reachable at the time.

BTW: I get a kick out the Golden "rules" for playing - paws, legs, ruffs/necks, and muzzles are fair game. Ears are allowed, but are treated especially gently. Below the belt (those dangly bits) are completely off limits, as are tails.

It seems puppies don't come knowing the rules, and it's incumbent upon the elders to teach them.

Beau (my first golden) who was about 4 1/2 years old at the time, spent the first 3-4 months of Zachary's puppyhood with his thick, plumey tail firmly tucked between his legs while playing,in order to keep the dangly bits safe from puppy teeth. He was a very confident, outgoing dog, and that's the only time I ever saw his tail there.

Zachary did the same when Henry was a pup.

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

King for a Day

Dog Blog Post #604: Thank goodness Daily Dog Challenge lobbed us an easy one today!

112. King or Queen of the Couch - Most dogs think they're the King or Queen of their couch, so show us what they reign over today!

PLUS

Scavenge Challenge February 2012 - "2. Easy one - just find something starting with "Cr..." (yeah, like "Crow!")"
Our Daily Challenge - Feb. 20, 2012 - "Empty"

Zachary wanted to have a Crown shot, too, only his crown is empty.

In truth, I spent eight hours photographing the second and final day of my son's Eagle project, and this was as much effort as I could muster. After just a moments thought, I decided to revisit the sofa, only this time without building the "wall".

What wall?

This one...



... as if I don't build it, I get this:



But while the "wall" (my standard cardboard backboards clipped side-by-side, then to a sturdy object behind the sofa and the bookcases on the right, then covered with fabric) is too time consuming to build, having NO wall wastes much photo potential in an otherwise pleasant location.

Must think on this problem.

Finally, here's the results of son's Eagle project...



Owl boxes (6 - back row)
Kestrel boxes (3)
Hawk platforms (6)

Taken in waning light of a very long day.

Many thanks to the scouts and adults who helped make it possible! :)

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Quirky Frogs

Dog Blog Post #603: Whew, I'd forgotten what a challenge it is to get out and about with a dog, a camera of size, a tripod, and no helpers.

Daily Dog Challenge "#111. Local Interest - Take a picture of your dog at a point of local interest near you. Note that local can be some place that you visit near you, and that it doesn't have to be a huge monument. It can be something quirky or fun that's unique to your area."

No mountains, no oceans, a few arroyos (fancy word for "gulch") but no rivers, no forests, no monuments, no historic buildings that have any visual interest… Yup, I living in a rather uninteresting corner of the world.

112 Pictures in 2012 - "#49 - Statue or Sculpture"

BUT we do have a large pair of fat frog sculptures that delight the local children, and I thought might fall under the category of "quirky".

Scavenge Challenge February 2012 - "2. Easy one - just find something starting with "Cr..." (yeah, like "Crow!")"

The frog prince and princess wear CRowns.

The cheekiness of the top photo aside, Henry was being a good boy, so I decided to see if I could satisfy...

Scavenge Challenge February 2012 - "11. Emphasize the sturdy, solid construction of a subject."

... while I was out.

What a good boy, Henry!

But once again, the biggest Mischief Maker this weekend appears to have been me...

The clip is from my big photography bag, and they are used to hold various and sundry things.

Today, one is holding a cookie, much to Henry's dismay.

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us!

© 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved

Day Spa

Dog Blog Post #602: The boys spent the day at the spa, and I spent the day taking the pictures needed to document the work being done for my son's Eagle project...

... and never the twain shall meet?

Well, we did all meet up eventually, but it was a hardly a day spent with enough togetherness to warrant an honest reply to today's Daily Dog Challenge...

110. "Saturday" - Show us how you and your dog spent your Saturday!

At least, not if you assuming the question is asking how the time was spent together.

So I didn't. :)

I showed how I imagined the boys spent their day...

Zachary: "It's WHAT day???"
Henry: (groan)

Zachary: "Maybe if I close my eyes it will all go away."
Henry: "Fat chance."

(whisper whisper whisper)

Me: "Sorry guys, 'let sleeping dogs lie' isn't one of the Ten Commandments."

-- Like the idea of a daily prompt? Click on Daily Dog Challenge and join us! © 2011 BZ Training - All Rights Reserved