Labradoris

This was taken in late April, 2008.  Almost a year ago, Joel dramatically broke his foot running a long-distance race - an 8 person, 80 mile run.  He was forced off the road by a driver of an extended-mirror truck who went barreling down the old country road that the race was being run on.  Joel decided to dive into a ditch rather than take a side mirror to the face, and when he landed in the ditch, his foot broke.  He got back up, and continued to run on it for a mile and a half to finish his leg of the relay.  Once the swelling went down over the next few days, it was painfully apparent that he had broken bones.  X-rays confirmed those suspicions.  He spent the next 8 weeks in this ugly, heavy boot.  Needless to say his running (and mine, as his running buddy) took a backseat.

We've signed up for 5k Fun Run in a month at a conference, and I am NOT looking forward to this event.  I'm struggling to keep up motivation after just a mile.  I've got to hit the pavement quite a bit over the next few weeks in order to manage to make it through a 5k.  I'm all, is it okay that I look like Homer Simpson running right now?  Huff, puff, huff, puff. 

Fresh-picked wild blackberries.  Made the best cobbler I've ever tasted.
Taken 6/2005.

It's not even mid-March yet, but I'm already clamoring for late spring, early summer.  Just slide right on past rainy April and slide right into the hot sticky months of summer...

Days filled with winery trips, nights of barbecuing.  Friends.  Dogs.  I've gained a lovelier appreciate of summer as I've grow older. 

Plus, your friends can always pretend to be covering up fart sounds with the slap-slap of palm against thigh.  Always blaming those mosquitoes. 

Beautiful puppy.  She's about 4 months here.

It's a pleasant, albeit windy, night tonight, and I thought I'd post a video for you.  No, wait, two videos! 

These were recorded on Tuesday when we went for a nice water retrieving and hiking session.

This is Cosette at about 3.5 months. 

The summer that I brought her home, I was preparing to defend my masters thesis.  It was an odd summer, full of possibility and a close to an amazing program.  I was house-sitting for a dean at the time, and by house-sitting I mean I actually lived in her house for a year, and so Cosette and I would spend lackadaisical summer afternoons sitting outside enjoying each other's company.  I'd sit outside with my laptop and work on my thesis, Cosette at my side, quietly keeping me company.

I love the curves of this neat flower.  The outward curve of the hardy petals, and the delicate curve of the stamen.  As you can tell from the pollen nestled on the petals, the bees/bugs were already busy. 
Taken May 2007.

I've done absolutely no editing to this photo.  Look how it whited up at the top naturally - that's how cold looking the sky was yesterday.
And of course miss Cosette is down there at the bottom doing her thing.

Cosette is about 4-5 months old here, recorded in August 2007.

Cosette was driving me bonkers this morning.  I can't blame her too much, as she's got a good case of cabin fever.  It's as if some portion of her brain becomes overloaded and her synapses just start neurotically twitching, and screaming, "MUST JUMP AROUND AND ACT LIKE A LUNATIC" which then is transmitted to her back, her head, her paws, you get the drift.  Basically she's a whirlwind of black and energy if she has not been out for a good afternoon of activity. 

After I emerged from work, I determined it was HIGH TIME to get out of the building and get out to a trail.  The wind had calmed down, and although it was cold enough to still freeze nipples off, it was pleasant enough to venture out.

Quiz:  Can you spot the 5-year old?