happy (birthday) dog

249/365: rocco in motion

Wednesday was Rocco’s 1st birthday! so we squeezed in a quick trip to the off-leash dog park to celebrate. We are blessed with a cadillac of a park nearby – huge and forested with hiking, swimming, and plenty of running for our pony of a pup.

While he has been a challenge at home, he is universally good-natured at the dog park: he loves everybody. Rocco’s favorite thing is finding another dog to chase him. My favorite part is the way the terrain brings out the mountain dog in him. He’s genetically predisposed to navigate the steep, rocky hills with ease.

It is a happy place for him. And it’s contagious.

what’s holding you back?

235/365: sorry pooch

A humorous, yet powerful illustration. Perception is everything.

If you believe the shackles hold you, it doesn’t matter how flimsy they really are.

family portrait

Only wish Sawyer had been along for the walk so our shadow yoga family portrait was complete…

From left to right: Zola, me, Brad, Rocco.

209/365: three in tree + one down dog

dispatch from up north

Since I have a lot of catching up to do, I decided to break with form and put all my daily photos from our week at the lake into a single post (mainly to spare my email subscribers a total barrage of Terra).

We had a great time, as always. Memories were made, wildlife witnessed, great food consumed. Cold beer, boat rides, fishing, a grand parade. It was pretty much everything you could want from a week at the cabin (except, maybe, another week).

180/365: rocco, nearly 10 months (happy dog)

181/365: goofballs (sawyer & zola on the boat)

182/365: bubbles, side lake 4th of july parade

183/365: wild daisies @ the sand pit

184/365: luna, international wolf center, ely, mn

185/365: bobber, pickerel lake

186/365: birch bark

all smiles

I was kind of a lazy photographer on this trip to the cabin. Saturday was so gorgeous, so uncharacteristically warm & sunny for mid-May in northern Minnesota, I just soaked it up and sat near the water as much as possible.

These shots were taken near dusk when our 8-month-old puppy, Rocco, decided to take a seat next to Brad and join us at the picnic table after dinner. He not only got away with it, he seemed to fit right in.

141/365: brad & rocco at the lake

family photo

It’s about time I introduce the newest member of our family! Meet Rocco.

20/365: rocco

He’s a 4 1/2 month old mix of Great Pyrenees, Spanish Mastiff, Polish Tatra and Maremma. He is working on getting very big.

09.09.13 doggie in the window

I grew up singing ‘How much is that doggie in the window?” and wanting to buy every one I saw.  I’m not sure that puppies in windows even exist these days – a good thing, no doubt. But I can’t wait to find the one with just the right waggly tail.

And I do hope that dog is for sale.

252/365: ceramic dogs

07.05.13 i love a parade

One of the highlights of Fourth of July at the cabin is the Side Lake parade. It’s got everything: waving princesses in convertibles, families on floats, marching bands in full regalia, and plenty of candy flying through the air. People line the streets with camp chairs, cars, and coolers. Everyone’s decked out in red, white, and blue. It’s a tradition that reinvents itself every year but always remains true to our memories of parades past.

186/365: sweet pea

05.19.13 constant companions

We spent Saturday at a favorite local art festival called Art-A-Whirl that happens all around our old neighborhood – Northeast Minneapolis. The festival has evolved over the past decade from a small open studio tour to an all-out party. There is still plenty of art to see but now there are food trucks and craft breweries and live music, too. We spent most of the day outside the new Indeed Brewery listening to old timey, feel-good music by the Roe Family Singers and the Como Avenue Jug Band.

In the midst of all the merriment, I glanced up just in time to capture this pensive street portrait.

139/365: woman with dog and cigarette