Run Run Run

It is a gorgeous day out and I took advantage of the sunshine and took the gang out back. 

(This post is photo intense.)

There is a pathway in the evergreens and they love to chase one another along the tree line.

Cocoa looking for whoever is behind the spruce...

Ferocious Foo!

Foo and the blues!

Miss independant Rehannah.  I said the last time I took them out that she wouldn't ever come again as she does her own thing and goes off where I can't see her.  I forgot and once again I spent ten minutes calling for her.  She came out from behind the barn, quite satisfied with herself...the stinker!

Poodle herding

Victor having a ball!

Emma is never far from Foo

Snarling Trix who had just been bitten in the butt earlier...

Trying to keep up with Foo



At the Feeder

This is our first year feeding the birds over winter and it has given us hours of enjoyment.  After I let the dogs out, I fill up the bird feeder and have my coffee and watch from every room in the house as the birds come to feed.

 

Common Redpoll visit daily, as do the chickadees, juncos, and goldfinches. 

 

Less frequent are the pair of cardinals.  It took a few weeks for them to find the feeder and I'm obsessed with taking their picture! They are a shot of colour in our muted palette of winter.

 

It is tough to get any shots of them because as soon as they see me, they fly off.  I would love to get a photo of them both together, so I'll keep trying!

 

The male from the kitchen window...

 

A little competition...

 

The woodpeckers are bold and we have a small one (this guy...a flicker maybe?) and a bigger one.

 

The chickadee's will let me get close...this was taken standing about 10 feet from the feeder.

 



Who doesn't love these little happy birds?  They are like a cup of cheer on a cold winter day!

Winter Sports

It has been a wild winter so far.  This week we had lots of snow, then a thaw so it melted a bit and then freezing cold.  This was on Monday...we got about 5 or 6 inches of light snow.

I took the gang out for a run in the back during a break in precipitation.

They had a wonderful time blazing trails...

I'm glad we got out as later on the freezing rain started and then it turned to rain on Wednesday.

Cocoa and her daughters...little Audrey doing some snow shovelling...

Wednesday it rained and then yesterday a cold front came through with very high winds, leaving ice in the driveway and out in the fields.  This afternoon was -14 C and sunny so we were finally able to go for a walk.  Twiggy managed to stay upright while "skating"...

 Zooey was wondering why she couldn't drink from it...

Steeplechase games up on the hill...a fallen log is a fun obstacle.

 Jenny

They went back and forth, up and down the hill...

Zooey, who is looking prettier every day.

Baby Audrey trying to keep up

Following her 'big' sister Jenny...

Victor over the bank jump...

The race for home!



It's Been a While

2012 was a year of great trips, fabulous meals and good times. Although as a breeder, I will probably remember it most as a year of loss.  Loss that was inevitable, and loss that came from out of the blue and left me numb.  It isn't something you ever get accustomed to, and when it happens in waves it can rock you to your core and make you wonder why you subject yourself to it.  In the process I lost my voice; hence the lack of posts.  I think slowly by putting one foot in front of the other, things have gotten better and I am ready to face the world again.  I've even picked up the camera and started capturing the gang on their romps in the back fields.

 

 

Rehannah loving the fresh snow we had in December

 

A chickadee and nuthatch being fed during the deep freeze of last week.

 

I was amazed at the clarity of these pictures as they were taken through my dirty window with the 70-200 hand held.

 

Hope for the future..."Hilton", who will be formally known as Laureate Be My Guest.  We are delighted to share this beautiful boy with Gisela and Phil Aston, who lost their boy "Pirate" last year.

 



In Memoriam: BISS Am/Can Ch Laureate Louisiana

 

 

"LuAnne" was special from the start. Our smallest puppy that ever survived weighing only 2 1/2 ounces at birth, she was also our first blue. I stayed in the whelping area for three days making sure she was nursing. We both thought she was the most beautiful puppy we had ever seen with a long elegant neck, and her beautiful structure was evident. We were so in love with this new baby and yet knew she was fragile we didn't take any photos of her until 7 weeks of age.  Above was the first photo we took of her.

 

 

Pictured at 8 weeks old

 

At my Mom's cottage...she loved to cuddle. :-)

 

 

After winning the ASSA over 12 year Veteran's class and Award of Merit ASSA 2009

 

 

 Our beautiful girl at 14 years old...

 

 Just before her 16th birthday

 

LuAnne grew up to be a breeders favourite and had an enviable show record at Specialties and was a Canadian National Breed winner and ASSA Best of Opposite. Not only was she a successful show girl, she was most importantly our constant companion.  

 

 

 

It's hard to believe she is gone...she has been such a huge part of our lives for over 16 years.  It is still too close to bring up memories without tears, so this post is rather shallow.  However I didn't want to let it go without some sort of tribute, no matter how small.  We want to thank all our friends from around the world for their kind e-mails, cards, flowers and acknowledgement of our special girl.  While there is a huge void, we feel so lucky to have shared our lives with such a beautiful gentle soul.