Love, Life and Puppy Dog Tales

True to an earlier post, I have been living my life out. My partner and I have simply been us... where we go, we hold hands. We interact with the general public, retail and otherwise, holding hands, arm in arm, or some form of ritualistic together symbol. To be sure, we aren't making out in the street or the middle of Wal-Mart, but we are together nevertheless. Often, no one seems to notice. They are either oblivious to our presence in its entirety or they just simply don't care. Occasionally, people try to stare without being noticed, and when I make eye contact and smile, they tend to whither away, turn away, or suddenly realize the lint on their sleeve is the most important thing in the world to them right then. Last night was a little different. We walked into our regular Subway last night, hand in hand, as usual. And we were received with snickers from a small table. Two guys and one gal. I hesitate to call them boys and girls because they were older than that. B

Didn't realize how much I would miss noise. To be sure, the riot that was exiting the house, isn't missed.... The demands for breakfast RIGHT NOW and dinner RIGHT NOW.... also not missed... But the tap tap tap of the feet behind me everywhere I went.... the sighs of disgust or pleasure as she laid on her bed... the cute little howl she would sometimes make.... the 'whispers' she tried to please me with... the harumph as she finally gave up following me around and would lay in the middle of the room to track me anyway.... All that noise... I miss it. There is so much more I miss. I know I grieved the loss of her working life a few years ago, but even that is feeling fresh and new again. Time. It will take time. I know that. But still, the tears fall.

There comes a time in every dog handlers life when you must say goodbye. Sometimes it is sudden, sometimes it is not.... but say goodbye you must. They give us so much... their heart, their dedication, their love, their work ethic.... they teach us so much.... and they are never around long enough. 3 years.... 13 years... it is never long enough. We ask them to do so much for us.... and they gladly do it... just show me how, they ask. And if you do your part, they do you proud. They want nothing more back from us than love, protection and care. From beginning to end. She came to me at 6 weeks of age... I had watched her from the day she was born to the day I took her home... I was going to make her into a SEARCH DOG. I had been down the road before, and had made my mistakes. Now, I KNEW what I was doing. So she was going to be IT. At 6 weeks of age, we were up at 5 am playing ball, so she had play drive. We were doing puppy run aways at 8 weeks old to instill in her

Often time life presents opportunities for us to laugh and Friday night was no exception..... We walked into a restaurant, gave our name to the hostess and sat down. There was a woman and her child of about 3 or 4 standing next to the lobster tank. The child was STANDING on the bench, whining something to the mother. The child was looking at the lobsters and wanting to hold one... The mother was trying to tell her they weren't creatures you could hold, but the child was getting louder and more persistent. Then an employee enabled this child by coming along and actually scooping one up and bringing it over to the mother and child. While the room of people waiting for their meal watched, the mother explained very matter of factly to the child that she could not hold the lobster, she could only pet it. The employee turned the lobster over and said "you can pet it's belly". The little girl reached out and petted the belly of the lobster - ONCE - and pulled away. As

There is a civil rights movement going on. In a country where the declaration of independence says that all men are created equal, there is, once again, a civil rights movement going on. Years ago, women didn't have the right to vote. People fought, people got hurt, people died. After many years of struggle, women gained the right to vote. Years ago, black people had no rights. People fought, people got hurt and people died. After many years of struggle, black people gained their civil rights. Or some of them. And they had to fight again for more, like marrying the person that they loved, regardless of 'color.' Now people are deciding, almost square acre by square acre, across this country, my civil rights. It seems as though the question of my civil rights has come up a lot in the last year. I find it interesting that all the other people in the nation have a say in my basic civil rights. One might think that in a nation where civil rights struggles have o

What do you get when you combine a wonderful trip to Portland, night time, a drive to a high point called Rocky Butte, and forgetting a tripod shoe for your camera? You have a beautiful view of a wonderful city, with a fantastic camera and an excellent tripod.... with no way of getting them together to steady that phenomenal night shot you had in your head. Most would say ... that sucks, cuz you don't get pictures. Which is initially what I thought too. I had gone to Portland, hoping for a few nightscapes of a big city. Funny, my friend up there said she didn't think Portland was a big city.... I guess it's all in your perspective. Never the less, I persevered. I tried using the cement borders of this landmark in the city, only to discover that none of them were flat. Didn't make for good photos. Then I just decided to go this route: I also discovered that trying to photograph waterfalls in the rain, especially when the rain included very low lying clouds, proved

In a smallish town well known for it's party reputation and it's big Labor Day Float down the river, we decided to join the night life. We watched as we saw police everywhere on look out for idiots (there were plenty) and drunks (more of those too...) We then decided to look beyond the people and reach for what the city had to offer.... We saw the sights... and I decided to capture it on "film". (OK... Memory Card, but that doesn't sound as romantic!) This is a sample of what we saw last night. This is passing Casa Ramos on West East Avenue (don't ask, my opinion on street names was never sought.....) Look for more to come....

This is my boy saying "IT'S HERE" and in the next moment, as we were rowing away, he was saying "BUT WAIT!! IT'S BACK THERE!!!" He truly loves his job.

Tell your dad he is important to you Even if he is far far away.... Tell your mother you love her. Even if she yelled at you this morning. Tell your best friend she means the world to you. Even if you haven't had time to talk in weeks. Tell your coworkers how much you appreciate their help Even when it is so busy you don't have time to breathe Hold your partner close at night And don't forget a kiss goodbye in the morning.... And if you see any or all of these people every day, if you interact, hug, talk to, love, touch and share with any or all of them..... Take the time to tell them what they mean to you.......... Today is here and now.... there is no guarantee of a tomorrow. No guarantee. http://deputyericchristopher.blogspot.com/

That is the title of a Melissa Etheridge song. And she's right. If there is one thing you can count on in this world it is that things change. Seasons change. The economy changes. The world changes. People change. All of that is constant. All of that change.... That said, life for me has changed. That which I knew, is no longer. Indeed, things that have changed in my life have been my choice. That doesn't mean it was easy. Sometimes, the choices we make create big changes in our lives. Sometimes, the choices made by those around us create big changes in our lives. And so, she goes her way. And I go mine. What was, is no longer. It had changed. I had changed.

Watching paint dry? Watching the pot that never boils? How about watching water freeze??? This is water freezing!!! We recently spent some time at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. This was one of the coolest things we saw. I couldn't help but take pictures of it!!

This is long and involved, and really, not even complete. If you are interested in the whole adventure and have the time, I encourage you to read the whole thing. If not... the moral of the story is (I hope): Have courage, and persist. Do not give up until your safety is assured. Reach out for all the help you can. The help does exist. ABOVE ALL: DO NOT BE ASHAMED TO FEEL YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE TRAUMA YOU SUFFERED! It was a real event or series of events. You must work through all the fear to get to the other side a stronger, healthier person. Does anyone deserve to be hit? Over and over? In my past, many years ago, I was beaten up in the street. The woman who did it was my partner at the time, and she was drunk. She hit me over and over again, yelling at me that I will never hit her, even though I hadn't even made a move to hit her. When all was said and done, I had a bloody lip, bruised face and ended up having to have dental work done because of the blows to my mouth

Nearly a week has gone by and while the ride had some twists and turns, and some pretty scary moments, now that I kept my hands and feet inside the car at all times, I have indeed returned safely to the station. Both dogs are doing well. Please is having to deal with not being able to have any NSAIDS for a bit yet, but she's a trooper and is handling it well. We thank you for all of your support in this. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming!!!

My Red Wing Hawk got an Honorable Mention at the Silver Dollar Fair. The Icy Windshield got an Honorable Mention at the Silver Dollar Fair. And my Foggy Canyon got a First Place at the Silver Dollar Fair! Small town fair, but it felt really big to me... thanks to those of you who have supported and encouraged me!

I don't know much about plants. I care for those plants and trees that were at one time someone else's, and so far I seem to be mostly successful. I saw this particular plant at the edge of a colossal canyon. It was all alone. That is a solitary blade of grass right next to it. It is tiny compared to the massive surroundings, that include tremendous cliffs, gigantic trees, and impressive brush. It is probably a weed. It doesn't know that - the idea that a weed is less desirable than a true 'plant' is not a part of it's make up. It is surviving. It has taken what it was given... a place to live, an environment to survive in, proper nutrients to grow on.... and it is living and growing. And I think it's kind of cute. Is that courage? Taking what you have around you and finding a way to make it work so that you can flower and become what you were meant to be? Standing amongst others surrounding you that are bigger and in many eyes 'better'

I manage a veterinary hospital. Day in and day out, I hear all kinds of things that are similar in nature to one another. What vaccines does my pet need? How much will this cost? My dog is a genius. My dog is really dumb. When should my cat get spayed? My dog hates my mother in law, what can I do? I, and my staff, do a fantastic job in responding to these questions or statements. But every once in a while, what a client says will throw us, and sometimes, render us speechless. Here are the top three things I have heard that in a million years I never would have expected to hear at a veterinary hospital. 3. Upon exiting the office after scheduling an appointment: "What day is Mother's Day?" 2. If you have read my blog before, you know about this one: Asked by a very concerned father: "Be honest with me.... does she match?" Referring to his very young daughter who was insistent that her clothes didn't match that morning. And the number one statemen

When the day is done can you say that you had fun? Can you say that you made a difference? Will you have accomplished all you set out to do? Have you told someone that you loved them? When the day is done can you say you saw something beautiful? Did you tell someone that they were beautiful? Did you laugh? Did you cry? When the day is done And I mean really done And there is absolutely nothing more Will you have any regrets?

On a small beach below a fantastic restaurant, I spotted this Sea Lion. I was actually quite sad when I first spotted it and its companion, because I thought they were dead. I sat far away from them, trying to catch some pictures of the waves in the cove. Periodically I would look over their direction and sigh, feeling saddened by their loss, even though I had no personal connection to them. I decided to go to the other side of them to get a different angle of the surf, and as I came close.... VERY close, I realized they were breathing. I know that Sea Lions can inflict great injury, so I had a moment of visualized panic... I visualized Sea Lions moving faster than I could ever imagine they could move on land and me having a nasty bite or two or three that wouldn't feel good. So I tip toed. And then I spoke. I just said I was sorry to have interfered with their napping space, but since I was here, could I please take a picture or two. One of them just kept on napping. The

For those of you that know the area, that's Sawmill Peak in the background. I took this from the Skyway. Friday after work. Very long week. Driving home. Thinking about the weekend and the fact that there is still so much to do. Immersed in thought. Driving is a bit meditative for me. It probably shouldn't be because you are supposed to be paying attention to the world around you and how your actions affect others and how theirs affects you. But so much is rote. And so often my mind wanders. Around the corner I go and POOF in front of me is this PIECE of a rainbow. Due to all the things that make a rainbow happen..... light, moisture, refraction etc, because of where the sun and the clouds and the rain are, this all I get. BUT WOW! It is so beautiful and it takes my breath away. I HAVE to pull over and take a picture. Is it JUST another rainbow? Or is it a reminder to keep eyes open.... to pay attention... to realize that there is beauty in so so so many things out t

Quick learners are humming birds.... I watched several of these come in for an evening feeding and then decided I would go get my camera . After two pictures (and yes, the flash went off, I needed it!) they figured out that when I lifted the camera up, I was going to make it flash, so they zipped off. I was able to catch this one mid flight.

Nothing philosophical to say tonight. Just wanted to share a picture I took tonight. 2 hours, 147 photos, and this is the best one, I think.

When I saw this boulder, the resting place for this fallen tree, I got a clear image of the past. This tree, vital and strong. Then laying across the rocks, perhaps as a climbing post for small creatures scurrying up to the top of the rock. Rainstorms. Snowstorms. Sunlight. Time. Now, slowly broken down, piece by piece, bit by bit.... until it is a skeleton of its former self. Is that what will happen to me? Will my death, at some unknown point in the future, tell a story of my life?

I liked the bridge. There is a nice sign off to the side that names all the people that helped to build the bridge. There is a woodpecker that really likes one side of the bridge. This covered bridge is out in Oregon City. Which is in California. Its near Cherokee. Kind of near Oroville. But the road really doesn't go very far from here. There a school house near here that is an historical monument. I wanted to take a picture of the historical monument sign , but someone had a "For Sale" sign duct taped to the monument, selling their car that was parked up the road a ways. Which should tell you something about this place that is in the middle somewhere. Nowhere I'd like to live, but somewhere to visit.

This railroad called me back to it. It made me stop along the highway and walk along the bridge above it. In it, I could see a promise of a journey. It goes on, around the corner, just beyond my sight, but the journey is there. The path is before me, if I choose to follow it. It may curve along my way, as well as go up or down, but the path is there. Even if I can't see where it goes, I have to trust that the path is indeed there, taking me to the next stop along the way.

My wife threatened to out me by telling everyone I liked flowers now! I am, generally, not a "flowers" kind of gal. But I have decided to come out now. It might be nice to get flowers every once in a while. Mostly however, I like the vibrant colors that a lot of flowers come in. Also, I am fascinated by just how fast nature makes things happen. Less than a week ago, that red flower was barely a bud on the bush, and yet I swear I turn around just once, and *poof* there is a bright red flower! And the little bitty leave just trying to become a big leaf wasn't there last Monday! I have taken enough photos of flowers to now warrant a folder on my external hard drive labeled flowers. So... there you have it. I am out. I like flowers.

We moved into our house in May of last year. And frankly, aside from the lawn, I paid next to no attention to the plants in the planter boxes. Until now. We have some pretty cool flowers. Don't ask me to name them... I have zero clue what any of them are. But these are just a couple of the cool flowers we have. Enjoy!

"Gone, yet not forgotten, Although we are apart, your spirit still lives within me, forever in my heart." This is the same overlook where I have taken numerous pictures and where, no doubt, I will take many more. For as many pictures as I have taken there, well over 100 that I can count, I had not seen this marker. This day, I finally saw it. I was amazed I had never noticed it before. I am not sure of the significance of the jar of pennies that was once intact. If you look at the background, you can see that this marker hangs over at least 200 feet of cliff below it, if not more. I don't know who this marker is written for. Given where it has been placed, it could be for any number of people. There were, rare, rescues of live people and, many, recoveries of deceased people. I took part in many recoveries from this place. At times I was involved in making sure there were no other victims. Often in the dark, more than several times, I skirted poison oak and pra

In CA, I know there is a law about talking on a cell phone while driving (you must be hands free) and there is a law about texting (you can't do it...) but I don't think there is a law about taking pictures and driving.... which is what I did last night. (I suppose there probably OUGHT to be a law about it... and I am not recommending it to any one else...) I know the photos aren't 'correct' or have technical merit, but I sure like the results

These are the types of moments I live for. That moment in time where the world presents itself and says "photograph me now!" I was actually taking pictures of my dogs in my truck after a search, because they were being so cute. And then I looked up and saw Mt Shasta. I abandoned my dogs in favor of taking pictures of this mountain. I love traveling up this part of I5 when the weather is clear. Mount Shasta becomes so much of your view for a while on your journey. So close to something so huge and majestic. Too bad I don't ski.

The day I was waiting for the moon to set so I could take a picture, a day too late I might add, I took this picture of the canyon below me. I love this canyon. I see so many new things each time I look, like this road with many roads off of it. It feels very symbolic of life. If you could look at your life from this perspective and see the many choices that will present themselves, maybe you would make different decisions. Or maybe it would just help to know that a new choice was coming up just a few hundred yards away. Or maybe it would make life more confusing.

He is never happier than when he is dirty. It is not a good search training unless nearly all of his white is some shade of brown.... This is actually cast off he is subjected to as he runs behind Kaeden through the muddy creek near our search and rescue headquarters. Oh to run for the pure joy of running. To do windsprints just because it feels fun and good. To not care about mud or water or cold or wind... to just run for the fantastic fun of it. My dogs are fanatics about it.

A good man died today. I don't know enough about him to say all that could be said about him. I do know that he was thought of highly by all who knew him, including me. He was a constant, a mentor, and a friend. His actions, over the course of a lifetime, touched thousands. He helped those who were sick and in pain. His skills were unquestioned, and his abilities passed on to many. From diagnosis to passing, barely six months went by. Through it all, he still tried. He still fought. He still smiled. Reality check. There is only so much time before the sand in the hour glass runs out. And you never get to peek at the hour glass to see how much sand you started with. Or how much is left.

After today's emotional roller coaster, a night in the woods next to a soft fireplace sounded good. No one to ask me yet another question, no one pulling me in six different directions only to discover I needed to go a seventh. Only a quiet dark evening, with a fire beckoning me to sit and forget it all. This was a fire from a back packing trip my wife and I took with good friends back in July of 2007. Just for a moment today, sitting by this fire sounded like a welcome relief from all that a hectic, crazy emotional day can bring. Staring at this quietly long enough I can hear the surrounding wildlife and feel the light nip in the air on parts of my body not directly facing the fire. I can feel each of my dogs next to me, sighing contentedly after a day filled with hiking, swimming and other fun activities. I can feel the happy calm that the atmosphere brings.... ahhhhhhhhhh.....

A Dyson, at least the model I have - the Animal - cannot pick up wood chips. Or wood splinters. Or wood pieces. Okay. Actually that is not entirely true. For the most part, it can indeed pick up the majority of those things. What happens though, is they get stuck in one of the cute little curvy parts, and they don't make it to the canister. What happens when you don't realize that the pieces are getting stuck is you continue to pick up as much wood as you can. When you realize the suction is mostly gone, you begin investigating why. That's when you take off one of those curvy parts - the one on the bottom - rather proud of yourself that you figured out just how easy it is to take your Dyson apart.... and suddenly you have a neat pile of wood chips, splinters and pieces on the floor you just tried vacuuming up. That's when you realize you need a shop vac. But I suppose we should start at the beginning. The very beginning... Love, Life and Puppy Dog Tales. It'

An opportunity has finally become an actuality. Given that all the paperwork is in order and the licensing gods smile down upon me, I will have an opportunity to sit for the state boards to actually get my Vet Tech License some time later this year. I have been studying throughout this time frame, hoping that this opportunity will indeed happen! This process has been a roller coaster over the last 10 months or so. Will this possibility come to fruition? As the state board mulled it over, I anxiously awaited the minutes from their meetings. Vote now? No. Vote now? No. Vote now? Yes. Result? YES. Yippee. Except. The DCA (department of consumer affairs) had to sign off on it. I was assured that they would, but they had to meet first. Remember that budget issue?? It is amazing how many things that affected.... the DCA couldn't meet again in 2008 due to budgetary constraints. So they didn't sign off on it. Until this month. Mind you, nothing about the time constr

There is so much I like about this picture. The contrast between the snow covered land and the land without snow. The trees or brush that has the red hue. The rows of pine trees far off in the distance. The light haze of clouds to one side. It makes me want to explore so many pieces of that photo in the real world and it makes me wonder how I can get to all of it. If you observe life from many angles, from many perspectives, you can see so much more. If you focus too intensely on one thing, you will lose out on all that is out there to explore. And another day is done.

The patterns that form on my truck windshield never cease to amaze me. These two photos were taken the same morning on the same windshield, just different sides - passenger vs. driver. Neither of these photos came out perfectly. The shape and angle of the windshield makes getting good focus and depth of field difficult at best. But never the less, I still am fascinated by these images. I can look at them over and over again and still see something different or something more. I suppose that's kind of like the people in our lives, particularly the ones who are closest to us. The more you look, the more you see. And the more that is shared, the more that you reveal the intricacies that make each of us unique. The unique is not hard to find, particularly if you take the time to look.

The fence between us and the neighbors has a slight tilt to it... and snow sticks like this. I love it. I woke Friday morning and didn't even notice that it had snowed. Funny how stuck in your routine you get. I had made at least three trips across the house, crossing in front of the sliding glass door each time, but never looked outside. It was only after reviewing a voicemail on my cell phone from a coworker in which she stated it had snowed, and the problems that might cause her, that I looked out the window. And I saw snow! So I got my camera out and snapped a few pictures. I even stopped at lookout point to get more photos because you could see just how far down the canyon it had snowed. And so, creature of habit that I am, I now have a new habit.... every morning I look outside when I get up.... just to see what's there.