Dogs
What our pets teach us: Sunday Stills
We don’t always pay attention to what our pets teach us. Here are a few things my pets have taught me.
Sometimes you need to pause and smell the flowers.
It’s nice to share what you have with those you care about.
Our pets teach us it’s okay to explore strange new worlds.
Sometimes you need to tune out the distractions and focus on what’s right in front of you.
You can get along with those you have nothing in common with.
It’s okay to take a break and pamper yourself.
Giant tumbleweed in my yard: KOB
I found a giant tumbleweed in my yard after a big wind storm earlier this month. I took a photo of it, but it didn’t really show the scale.
Can you tell how big it is when I put my medium-sized dog, Shelby, and my large-sized dog, Tesla, in the picture? They were glad it didn’t tumble on top of them. 😀
How about if I stand behind it? I’m 5 foot 4 inches tall. Can you see me?
Finally, I decided to show the tumbleweed in front of my little blue Subaru. I wouldn’t want this thing rolling in front of me when driving down the road!
Can you guess how big this giant tumbleweed was? 7 feet 6 inches across. A whopper!
Fall walk with friend: Wordless Wednesday
A husky pocket pet: First Friday Art
Here’s a husky pocket pet I painted on a rock. This breed can sometimes be a handful.
But in the right hands, they’re great pets. Here it is curled up in a cozy blanket.
My first dog, J.C., was part husky. One of the things I remember most about her was her thick undercoat – a common trait of huskies.
After brushing her, I understood how people such as the Coast Salish once made blankets from dog fur.
Do you have artwork you would like to share? If so, include a First Friday Art tag on your post.
The inventor of Velcro: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Music from my singing dog – Happy Howl-idays!
My dog, Tesla, loves to sing along to music. She especially likes harmonica music. Here’s her version of Jingle Bells.
You may not be able to hear it very well in the background, but here’s who Tesla was singing along with. This talented musician plays 10 Christmas carols in 5 minutes.
May music find its way into your holiday celebrations.
Where words fail, music speaks.
Hans Christian Andersen
Sheepdog & pine basket: First Friday Art
To help celebrate the holidays this year, I’m sharing two pieces – a sheepdog & pine basket. I painted this Old English sheepdog on a rock for a friend. Doesn’t it look comfortable? This breed’s fluffy coat makes them appear much bigger than they are.
I’m portraying this rock on a small pine needle basket that I usually display on a wall. Though I’ve made pine needle baskets before, I didn’t make this one.
This piece was in an antique store so I don’t know its history. I love the pinwheel pattern in the center. Some unknown artist put a lot of time into creating this basket. Its delicate center, surrounded by the strength of the bundled pine needles, is tied together with radiating lines of tiny stitches.
Hope you liked my sheepdog & pine basket artwork this month. Do you have artwork you would like to share? Include a First Friday Art tag on your post.
Rockridge Park – Trails & More: LAPC
Rockridge Park, in northeast Bend, is a nice place for walks and more. Bend Park and Recreation preserved features of High Desert habitat in this 36-acre park and added a few unique activities. It’s one of 82 parks in the city.
You’ll see a “forest” of juniper tree trunks near the small parking area. This play area for kids includes black “talk tubes” that connect underground. Primitive cell phones. 😉
I’ve been keeping an eye out for fall foliage and this park had several colorful trees. The maple trees are beginning to turn red and the paper birch leaves are turning a lovely shade of gold.
The trails in this park include a paved one-mile+ trail and more than a mile of unpaved bike trails. The beginner and intermediate bike trails include boardwalks and other obstacles.
Encouraging words on my walk: Monochrome Monday
I saw these encouraging words while walking my dog in a local park. I shared words seen on another walk on Hopeful words seen on my walk.
These words were drawn onto a curving section of the path. In these times of uncertainty, it was nice to see that someone took the time to brighten our days.
Do you wanna play?: Monochrome Monday
Monochrome Monday
Friday Flowers with a Friend
I’m treasuring Friday flowers with a friend before the weather changes. It was warm and sunny here yesterday but snow is predicted this weekend. The weather in the high desert is always interesting. 😁
Friday Flowers
Peaceful pets at rest: LAPC
This post shows peaceful pets at rest in our home. Yes, they can be very active, but these pictures focus on their time asleep.
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.
Anatole France
Taking a little cat nap
Our cat, Motor, was very happy to see I bought a new dog bed. He was the first to try it out.
Dog Art+ in Bend, Oregon
This mural is by husband and wife artists Paul Alan Bennett and Carolyn Platt. Can you see why I titled this post Dog Art+? One of those “dogs” looks a little different.
Here in Bend, we are into dogs so it only makes sense they are featured in our public art. We have many dog-friendly businesses and plenty of trails to hike with your four-footed friends.
Flower Border at Old Mill: Friday Flowers
Flower border in full bloom
It’s been a while since I walked one of my favorite short trails in Bend, Oregon . The flower border along the Mill A Loop trail is spectacular right now. Even my dog had to stop and smell the roses.
Friday Flowers
Sweet mutt
A sweet story
We adopted our dog, Tesla, a year ago and she is a sweet mutt. She was at a local Humane Society shelter as a young puppy as part of a litter of ten. Each puppy in this litter from Warm Springs, Oregon was given a temporary name that started with a “C.” A loving family adopted her and gave her a new name. Unfortunately, they had to return her due to their circumstances. We drove an hour through a snowstorm and walked into the shelter in Madras a half an hour after she was dropped off. She was stressed out and nervous when we met her but we knew she was the one for us.
She is a Heinz 57 mix of breeds with a very sweet personality. Tesla was a star student in her obedience class. As you can probably tell from the photos, she is kind of goofy. She likes to play with her toys while standing on her head. Her ears are sometimes up, sometimes down, or sometimes one is up while the other is down. Tesla still loves to chase her very long tail – even though she is almost two-years old.
Friday Flowers with my Furry Friend
Saw lots of beautiful flowers while out walking my dog this morning in the Old Mill District of Bend, Oregon.
