Colors and Critters on Saturday

I was prepared for rain this weekend. When the sun made an appearance some time around two, it seemed like a gift to be used right away. I ran outside with Black Jack and took a picture of the glow over my neighbor's garden. I hoped to capture some of the chirping birds, so I went outside the gate, leaving Black Jack to observe through the slats. She wasn't impressed and I'm convinced her expression scared every bird away. Not a one in sight, once I left the yard.
I came back to find the sun gleaming across this shrub, and took one last photo before Black Jack convinced me we really needed to go for a walk.
This was my favorite picture of the day. Just tree knots and a branch with a couple of leftover leaves. The muted tones and shapes drifted gracefully.
More grey tones and intricate patterns. The transition to Winter wasn't a bad thing after all.
The sun was long gone, but the rain held off, and by now, I was looking for muted tones. This city scene behind the trees caught my eye.
I've always loved rocks, and enjoyed the mottled greys of this one, nestled among rich browns.
Speckled textures caught my eye too.

Just when my walk was to be about greys and browns and textures, yellow/orange/green combinations reminded me Autumn wasn't ready to bow out entirely.






Brilliant reds, not to be outdone.


And even some pink!
When Black Jack goes on the alert, I always know critters are near by, even if i don't see them right away.
Sure enough, I looked way up to see this fellow.
And then this one, with the lovely bushy tail.

Back in our own yard, I was going to enter the house, when Black Jack again went on the alert.
I couldn't see a thing, and was almost convinced she was, just this once, wrong.
I moved closer to the fence, and then saw with her eyes...
.. a pair of yellow eyes staring back at us.

This cat's real interest was the birds, but he kept an eye on Black Jack too. Finally, he faced me, wrapped his magnificent tail around his body, and posed. Perfect ending to a good walk.

Time

I am time-management challenged. This week, that resulted in two all-nighters, one on Sunday and one on Tuesday. At 61, I pay a greater price for the lost sleep than used to be the case. Sadly, it also meant that I missed the live version of Obama's speech. Nevertheless, I felt the energy, as Obamania traveled the world. Interesting, this capacity and need humans have to raise one above the others, and then begin looking for reasons to enjoy their descent. The quote below is on the wall at The Foundation. I snapped it Sunday evening, while we watched the kitchen staff work efficiently and harmoniously to prepare our delicious meal. A well-coordinated dance is the way Bill described their performance. The quote seems to connect to my thoughts about Obama, and my hope that we can let him get on with the job I think he is well-equipped to do. I like to think his election indicates a shift in the direction of enlightenment.
We both forgot the time change until an hour or so after we woke up on Sunday. It was lovely to have an extra hour dropped into the day. Here, Black Jack checks out the polls (well, actually the movies), while Bill sets his watch back. We finally chose Happy Go Lucky, and as Bill said, "It had its charms."
Each time I post Autumn pictures, I think they'll be the last for this season. I've been wrong twice. This one was taken on Sunday, through the truck window, as we drove along tenth.
Bill mentioned this yellow blanket on Saturday. It seemed still untouched on Sunday.
Golden decorations, almost star-like.
I like the details in this one close up.
This squirrel raced across Black Jack's path and took a flying leap for the tree, as she lunged forward. Secure on the highest branch, it taunted her. I didn't succeed in capturing the branch shot, but had fun trying.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go. In the rain:)

A good rainy Fall day

I began this blog with the notion of recording my daily bike commutes from Point Grey to North Vancouver. I still do that, but finally have to admit it's really just a fun way to keep a diary. It's even more of an admission to add that the fact the diary is public gives it a tad more appeal. Maybe, we all like to think someone out there might be interested in the small (or momentous) events of our lives.

Yesterday was a dull, rain-on-and-off day, but it was enjoyable. There was only a light mist in the morning when Black Jack and I went for our walk. The colors were still beautiful. Amazing to me that this season has lasted longer than any I can remember.

I played just a little ball with Black Jack, her first game since the incident with her back knees. With so many leaves around, the ball didn't bounce; a good thing. And the colors made a beautiful background. Here, she is telling me to hurry up, stop clicking the camera, and do what all humans were designed to do, throw the ball.The fallen leaves, before the heavier rains, and before people walk through them, are as beautiful as the ones on the trees.
Rain drops highlight their color.
We met this beautiful dog, Dali, just before entering the woods. When his humans told me they had only had him for two weeks, and that he was adopted from a rescue near Prince Rupert, I asked if I could take a picture and post him here. A good news story for sure. Just three years old, he is handsome and good natured too. Every time I tell someone about my blog, I seem to blow my photo ops. It seems to take me forever, fumbling around with the camera and trying to do justice to my subject, and I always feel a bit of a failure. Here, I've cut off a bit of Dali's magnificent tail.
Here, I've offered a treat, and Black Jack is determined to be included. She likes Dali, because his personality is about as good as it gets - active and curious, but respectful. Still, food is food, and she gives him a little glance to remind him she gets a piece too. He's fine with that.
Dali is getting a bit concerned with all that clicking and fussing. When will he get that treat?
Ah, finally!
Here is the still Autumn-flavored entrance to the trail we take most often.
Back on the street by the golf course, this struck me as a possible art shot.
Surprising how much light comes through, even on dull days.
I love when the tree is surrounded in leaves, but still has enough left on it to play a duet.
It struck me yesterday that the first Christmas tree decorations may have been inspired by Fall.
From one minute to the next, the shades and tones changed dramatically.
We took 10th avenue for two reasons. Being a last-minute sort of person, I still hadn't bought a card for Bill's niece. We were going to her baby shower in just a couple of hours. This dog, tied at the entrance to one of the stores, sniffed out the treats in my pocket. How I resisted those eyes and that paw, I'll never know, but some dogs are on special diets, so I regretfully continued on my way.
My second reason for taking 10th, was to go to a store called Changes. Now, I hate shopping for clothes. Usually, when I go to Ottawa, my sister takes me in hand, and finds enough clothes to last me until the next visit. That's the way I like it. Someone trustworthy says, "This works. Buy it." No time wasted and no thinking required. But, a couple of months ago, I dropped in at Changes, just before the school term was to begin. I had Black Jack with me, and she was welcomed. Next, this lovely employee filled exactly the role my sister has for so long. She listened carefully, and then brought me clothes that fit and felt good. While I tried them on, she played with Black Jack. The only reason I had to come back again yesterday, was that all my clothes were at school, since I bike there and change before class. Emma found me a couple of perfect additions to my original wardrobe, and again, turned the whole experience into a feel-good one. She even gave me posting permission! I left a happy camper indeed. I highly recommend any woman who hates shopping (or loves it, for that matter) to try out this store. If they're lucky, Emma will be there to help them out. You can see that Black Jack entirely approved of my shopping stop.

Finally, off to the East End for the shower. This dog was unaccompanied, but pretty clearly a neighborhood resident. I have serious problems with people who turn their dogs out and don't accompany them, but have to admit, this dog appeared to be confident and secure. I fumbled again, and failed at the pictures, but wanted to record the moment. Beautiful, beautiful head.
He wasn't worried about the camera, but after I missed several glorious opportunities, the dog decided enough was enough. More important business was at hand.
The food was as picture perfect as it was delicious.
One game was to guess the number of smarties in the jar. I didn't win, but if you care to take a guess, I'll let you know how close you were.
Another game was to have several people draw pictures of babies, and cut a hole out where the head should be. The artist then held the poster with his/her own head peeking out. A blindfolded parter had to feed a jar of baby food through the hole. The first pair to finish the jar was the winner. The clever people at this party practiced "right, left, up, down" instructions before being blindfolded, so it wasn't as messy an activity as anticipated, but still great fun to watch. Wonderful friends and a whole pile of work went into this party. And there were as many fathers as mothers, and a whole ton of kids. My idea of a great shower!

This gift was made for the baby in the 1960's. The baby's great-great-grandmother was someone who really thought ahead. It came with a beautiful letter. One of many warm moments in a good day.