Our Old Ladies

Fiesta sleeping

Camy sleeping

It's been a while since I've posted photos of the dogs. Fiesta is 14 and Camy is 13. They have had their share of health problems but are hanging in. This is their favorite thing to do.

Fiesta in the Snow

The beast is back!

It finally snowed and we were here to enjoy it. Fiesta and I went for a walk -- the first walk we had taken together in a while. Her health has been declining and in late December she could barely walk. We had to carry her to go outside, not an easy task at 95 pounds. Our new vet, put her on a series of medications and through the miracle of modern vetinary medicine, she is back on patrol!

Over the shoulder

Fiesta walks home with her stick

Clean Dogs

Camy, fresh from her bath

And Fiesta too!

Snow Day!

Our old lady, enjoying the snow

First Light 2011

Good morning and happy new year!

Wildebeast?

No, just Fiesta running in the woods

Hot and Humid

Fiesta resting after a swim

Bone Digger

Not what you might think

Now that the ground is soft again, Fiesta has been busy rehiding all of her rawhide bones. There is always a pile of mud on the end of her nose that I am constantly wiping off. Silly girl!

No Power Today

This is how Fiesta spent her day

This is how Camy spent her day

Here's how Peter and I spent our day -- the power went out at 6:30 this morning. Peter trudged through the snow to light the kerosene heater in the studio and I loaded up the wood stove. We were told that we would be without power through Sunday night so after we dug ourselves out we went out and bought some more basics. I spent the afternoon melting snow on the top of the wood stove, it was surprisingly satisfying, and Peter scanned his crank radio for any news. After the sun went down we lit some candles and settled in to play some cards when all of a sudden the power came back on. What a relief and a surprise! It was a winter miracle. I was starting to feel very 19th century. We were only without power for 12 hours, but it was enough to make us stop and appreciate the magic of the wires.

Treasure

Fiesta running away with Camy's rawhide

Dusk

Fiesta chewing on a stick

Sleepy Dogs

Fiesta napping with her favorite bud, Buddy

Walking the Dogs

Winter Walk

Fiesta, looking like a wild animal, rests after our walk

A jawbone lying in the hollow of a tree

Wet Dogs Playing

Fiesta and her little bud, Buddy

Peter and I spent Saturday afternoon relaxing lakeside with our friend's Mary and Rob. We both took a ton of photos of Fiesta and Buddy playing, but this one shot by Peter summed it all up perfectly!

Sleeping Dogs

Sleepy nugget of joy

Other, giant, sleepy nugget of joy with her rock collection

I've been busy working on a new illustration project for MSN's City Guides about Karaoke. It's a fun one and I'll share the link when it goes live. Lots to do around here and the dogs keep living their dog lives. Sometimes we try to imagine Fiesta cooking dinner, standing at the stove flipping burgers, but she always eats what she has made before before she can serve it! Ooops she says and she starts the whole process again. I guess the old expression holds true -- best to let sleeping dogs lie.

Fiesta and Camy

Our lady of the couch, Camy

There seems to be a lot of animals appearing on this blog! I've been spending a lot of time updating email lists and websites and learning how to use blogger (and feeding deer baby). So other than preparing for the launch of Landscape a Day, there's not a lot going on right now. Here's a little bit about our 2 dogs; Fiesta and Camy.

Fiesta is 85 pounds of pure dog. Although she's slowing down, she still has what we like to call, personality plus. We adopted her from the ASPCA when she was eight months old. I had fallen in love with her online and had no idea what we were in for. She spent the first night circling my NYC apartment on the tops of all my furniture. When I tried to get her down, she bared her teeth and growled at me. I cried. I had never met a dog that didn't like me! She finally came down and peed all over my magazines. I didn't know what to do with her. I thought I might have to take her back, an idea that was inconceivable 12 hours earlier.

The next morning, I took her for a walk in Central Park. This was it, her last chance. She walked quietly beside me and was startled by the dirt under her feet and the birds overhead. She was curious and interested in everything. After walking for a while, we sat down on a rock and she leaned against me. That was it. She was ours. Underneath all that craziness was a sweet dog. She's been a lot of work, but it's all been worth it. I can't imagine life without her.

Camy is a 13 pound (sometimes 14 depending on how many snacks she's had) dappled dachshund. When Peter's daughter Lisa was 10 she wanted a dachshund. "Oh Daddy, can we have a dachshund. Please Daddy can we have a Dachshund" And so, we have a dachshund and I can't imagine life without her either. Camy, aka the zen master, is very sweet and sometimes a bit stoic. She lives a simple life. She likes full body massages and sleeping on the couch, usually under a blanket. That's her zen den.

Winter Walk at Sunset

Fiesta's favorite past time, mulching sticks

This afternoon, I went for a walk beyond our property, across the ravine and onto our neighbor's land. There's a thick layer of ice on top of the snow that made every step an effort. Step. Crunch. Step. Crunch. Step. Step. Crunch. Our dog Fiesta is a real snow beast and even though she is getting older and sometimes moves like a table sliding across the floor, she always wants to go. She kept up with me despite the fact that she too broke through the snow every few steps.

As we crunched along, we sent the deer running. I'm sad that we disturbed them but it was exciting to see how quiet and graceful they move. They stood on the ridge and eyed us suspiciously. We scrambled up the slope following their tracks and sent them further into the woods.

It was a beautiful sunset and I took some photos, perhaps some images that will inspire Peter; weeds poking through the snow with the distant hills illuminated by the setting sun.

We received a nice email from one of Peter's former workshop students, Grace Hopwood. She wrote, "I just came in from taking pictures of a winter sunset over a farm at the top of my drive and I thought of you two. I have lived here for 22 years and have never painted a winter scene, and probably never would have if it weren't for Peter's gorgeous paintings."