52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 39/52 - apple harvest...sort of

Since moving to the Northwest, we are constantly amazed by all the natural beauty that surrounds us, and we've been enjoying all the interesting flowers and plants everywhere, some which are new to us. We spotted these cute little miniature "apples" on one of our walks this week and we had to do something with them! Since posting on Flickr, I've learned that these are crabapples--usually not harvested for consumption due to their sour/bitter taste and the trees are ornamental, producing beautiful white/pink flowers in the Spring...something to look forward to!

they look just like regular apples, except for the tiny size!

Submission for 52 Weeks of Misty: 39/52

Perfect for my miniature wheelbarrow! 

12 Months of Misty & Jasper: September - "Hold my paw, I'm scared of the dark!"

My submission for the 12 months group. This was a tough shoot--trying to keep the headlamps on the dogs while balancing the ambient light and the headlamp light for the right exposure proved to be more difficult than I initially thought. At the end though, I was able to salvage a couple of photos which I really liked, especially the one of the two of them with their touching paws.

On a side note, we really like these headlamps and I promise to do a review post soon!

"One of the adjustments to a city life is having to walk the dogs three times a day, rain or shine, and now in darkness as daylight gets shorter and shorter. Safety trumps vanity, and headlamps are now our new favorite gadget! :)"

touching paws...so sweet :)

submission for 52 Weeks: 38/52 - "I can see you~"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 37/52 - strike a pose

Submission for 34/52:

"As New York Fashion Week gets underway, Misty complains, "I have nothing to wear!"

Misty looking like a diva!

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 36/52 - "what is this?"

Yay, looks like I'm just about caught up to date on all my posts! I still have some old stuff which I hope to revisit and include, but at least I'm caught up on syncing my Flickr group photos. Hopefully from this point on, I can be more on top of things and devote more time to some new stuff. Anyways, here's my Submission for 36/52:

"We see these tomato-like vegetation growing happily everywhere in our neighborhood--I have yet to taste one, but Misty is not too curious either way."

Since posting the picture on Flickr, some of the members of my group have identified the mystery fruit as rose hip and I have also since learned that there are many beneficial uses for these. According to Wikipedia, rose hips are very high in vitamin C, and are used for herbal tea and jam and syrup, to name a few. Ha, who knew?! It looks just like a miniature tomato to me!

12 Months of Misty & Jasper: August - spa time!

This was our first "structured" photoshoot since our move. We're now living in a much smaller place, and the limited space does pose a pretty big challenge, but what we lost in square footage, we made up in the amount of natural light we get. Overall, it was such a cute session and the photos constantly crack me up. The only mistake was in not checking my camera setting beforehand and my ISO was set way high for no good reason, resulting in some degradation of quality...live and learn.

For August submission to the 12 months group:

"Inspired by jjimjilbang, a Korean sauna/bathhouse that I see sometimes on the international channel, I just had to figure out how to make those cute sheep-shaped head towels and of course, to put them on my dogs! I think I could've done without the draped towels though--they remind me of Princess Leia! LOL"

ready for the sauna...or the star wars audition

submission for 52 Weeks: 35/52 - Girl's gotta lamer herself!

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 34/52 - a good day

Submission for 34/52:

"After couple weeks of feeling weak and resting, Misty started to show signs of improvement towards the latter part of this week and today, she felt good enough to go for a little trail walk which she absolutely loved...it was a good day. :)"

posing in front of this amazing tree

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 33/52 - waiting for the rain

Submission for 33/52:

"We got to experience our first Seattle rain this week since our move, although with all the thunder & lightening, it felt more like the east coast summer storms. Nonetheless, Misty enjoyed watching the dark sky, strong winds and heavy rain for hours."

right before the storm...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 32/52 - resourceful...

Submission for 32/52:

"Misty wasn't feeling her best this week, so we limited her activities to just a quick walk in the morning only. She didn't complain too much and figured out how to maximize this rest period."

Misty loves to rest her head on a pillow nowadays

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 31/52 - "there's no more..."

Submission for 31/52:

"To help cool off during the heat wave this week, we made some homemade "pupsicles" for the dogs--very basic banana and peanut butter. Evidently, it is beneath Misty to lick the last remaining bits on the floor...spoiled!"

not interested in licking the floor...

ice cream = happiness

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 30/52 - Photobomb

A new challenge for the 52 Weeks group this was, "photobomb"...too easy of an assignment for Jasper!

"This was relatively an easy challenge, as photobombing happens all the time with Jasper getting in the shots somehow, especially on walks--it's always fun trying to balance a camera in my hands while trying to control him from pulling me all over the place!"

"Oh, am I in your shot?"

the intended shot...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 29/52 - "beauty sleep"

Submission for 29/52:

"Immediately after taking a bath, Misty made herself very comfortable on the couch--happy and relaxed, she didn't move once until dinner time. :)"

taking a bath makes me sleepy...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 28/52 - "in search of tranquility"

Submission for 28/52:

"On a trail walk this week--we logged close to 3 miles which is the longest Misty has done since her injury last summer! She enjoyed it very much, but did pay the price for it afterwards and took full 3 days to recover. Taken at midday under a harsh lighting and picture did not come out the way I wished...oh well."

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 27/52 - "morning by the lake"

Submission for 27/52:

"The oppressive heat wave this week has been really tough..even in the early morning, Misty was struggling pretty bad and we had to cut our walk short...we contemplated letting her loose in the water, but she seemed too exhausted and I feared having to go in after her...maybe next time! Well, we're all hoping for some cooler weather this week!"

cool water looks nice...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 26/52 - "I don't like you..."

Submission for 26/52:

"Finally got around to giving the dogs their much needed baths! I know Misty looks unhappy here, but she actually really enjoys taking baths. It was also a great way to cool off from the record breaking heat wave we've had this week. We learned that most people don't have A/C here in Seattle due to the mild summers...something new for us to get used to!"

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 25/52 - morning walk

Submission for 25/52:

"Unpacking has been a slow and tedious process...we did get to start the day with a walk by the water which was super nice!"

Elliott Bay Trail

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 24/52 - tired...

Submission for 24/52:

"Misty has been adjusting to her new life in a new city...trading in a backyard for the urban landscape, we're walking her 3-4 times a day--a huge change in her routine. She loves it, but it's definitely hard on her old joints... On a side note, our stuff finally arrived late this week...I'm so ready to regain some normalcy back in our lives!"

adjusting to a new routine of city life is tough...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 23/52 - Sleepy in Seattle

Submission for 23/52:

"We made it safely to Seattle! Dogs did amazing being in the car for 7 days, but are definitely tired and in a recovery mode. Our stuff won't arrive until next week, so we'll all have to try to get by until then, but we're so excited to be here!"

"Moving hard..."

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 22/52 - "Come on, let's go!"

Submission for 22/52:

"Today was the 4th day we've been on the road. Dogs are doing great so far and seem to be enjoying the road trip. We've also been very fortunate with the weather and somehow managed to avoid the terrible rain and flooding that's been happining in the mid region of the country."

Misty enjoying the road trip...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 21/52 - boxes, boxes everywhere!

Submission for 21/52:

"Boxes are popping up everywhere and the dogs are rather confused by all these strange objects. Taken with late afternoon sun behind, I didn't bother cleaning up all the dust spots created by lens flare. Next couple of weeks will be a challenge as we'll be on the road with only my camera, phone and tablets...and the dogs, of course! :)"

guess we're really moving...

52 Weeks of Misty 2015: 20/52 - packing up!

Submission for 20/52:

"We've been in a full time packing mode this week, but couldn't resist a little fun time with some bubble wrap. Didn't quite get the shot I wanted as I had to work quickly to avoid getting Misty overheated under all that padding! :)"

ready for shipping...