Tag: photo friday

Photo Friday, No. 468

Current Photo Friday theme: My Favorite Location


Crappy cell phone photo shot from inside the car for the win!

This time last year, Tom and I had signed the contract that meant we no longer owned The Compound. It was a leap of faith, because we hadn’t found our next home, and our needs were specific. I knew we wouldn’t be homeless; once the sale went through, our buyer would rent to us, but it wasn’t our home anymore.

Around the third week of October, our realtor (George, we love him!) called and wanted us to look at a house. It was an easy commute to Tom’s work, not too far from the rescue clinic, which was great for Tim and me, the yard was good for dogs, and it had an additional building behind it. I think we were supposed to view it on a Saturday, I can’t remember, but since I was in the area for transport day on Thursday, I decided to get an advance look at the house.

I remember sitting in my car and shooting this photo with my phone. The neighborhood felt good. The street was nice. And I thought the house was adorable. There were still a lot of unknowns, but somehow just seeing it made me feel better. After all, even it didn’t turn out to be The One, it gave me hope that there could be others like it.

All three of us went to that first appointment. I was still charmed by the outside of the house, and once we were inside, there was so much I liked and so little that I knew I’d want to change. While George talked to the seller, I whispered to Tom and Tim, “There’s nothing about the inside of the house that I don’t like. But whether it could be ours depends on the size and layout of the apartment.”

Now it’s two apartments: the Fox Den and the Fairy Cottage, and two of the people and some of the dogs I love most in the world live there. We’ve made the changes we wanted to the house, and I appreciate the layout and space more all the time. I know our future here will offer more happy times with family, friends, and dogs.

When it comes to my favorite location, there’s no place like home.

Photo Friday, No. 467

Current Photo Friday theme: Family


I can’t believe our rescue group is coming up on 10,000 dogs and cats rescued from the streets and pulled from kill shelters to travel to adoptive homes in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. TEN THOUSAND. I’ve photographed almost every one of them, but this little family who I met when only a few more than a hundred had been transported has never left my mind or my heart.

If you saw Adora, a staffie mix, on the street, you might have crossed to the other side. She’d lived a tough life as a homeless survivor. Her patchy hair and a few scars made her look a little scary. But when I greeted her and her three newborns, I discovered that she was the sweetest girl and proudest mama ever. She seemed to understand the busy scene around her on transport day was good news for her family.

As it turned out, Adora had a serious illness, and I believe she stayed strong as long as she did to make sure her babies were safe. Once they were all living in a caring home in Colorado, she was able to let go peacefully, knowing her three little ones would never know the hardships she’d endured.

If I photograph ten thousand more dogs and cats for the rescue, I will wish for each of them families like Adora’s, who’ll provide them long lives filled with love, and gentle goodbyes graced by dignity and compassion.