Cody Loves Looking Out the Window

A Man Walked Into a Bar...

And he took pictures of some great people:

New Camera

Well, I've finally made the leap from a point and shoot camera to an SLR. I've been wanting to up my photo game for some time now, and after carefully considering all of my available options, I settled on the Canon EOS 7D.

I understand that the 7D is capable of producing professional level photos, assuming the photographer knows what they're doing. Unfortunately, I've never learned the mechanics of photography, and because of that, I've always relied on my camera's auto settings.

To prepare myself for this new era in photography, I took a two week course in basic photography at the local community college, which I hope will help me to improve my photos.

Here are a some sample shots from the new camera:

The subject of the first one won't surprise anyone who knows me. It's my favorite dog Cody!

The second one comes compliments of an adult Cicada who has shed his skin and entered the final stage of his life:

In Search of Deer

Just before dusk yesterday, Michele, Cody and I went in search of deer at our favorite walking spot:

We walked the wide groomed trails, and even ventured into the deep thicket:

All in all we spotted about a dozen or so deer. Some were startled by us, which made them difficult to photograph, but there were others, like the one below, that didn't seem to be bothered in the least by our presence:

Nature Walk

Michele has been telling me for a month or more that she sees deer almost every time she goes for a run North of town, yet whenever I take Cody out to walk at the same location, we never encounter any deer.

So today, we headed out together to the same location, with Michele insisting all the way there that we were going to see some deer. I made sure to bring along my camera just in case she was right, and it's a good thing I did, because she was right. We did see deer. Lots of deer:

I'll bet we saw a herd of 25 or more deer. It was amazing. The one pictured above stared at us for about a minute or so which gave me plenty of time to get an amazing picture.

I also got some very nice photos of Cody and Michele:

Cody in the Great Outdoors

The great outdoors is beautiful, but it sure looks much nicer when used as a backdrop for Cody.

Alex Surprised Us

Alex decided to surprise us by popping in for the weekend, and even accompanied us on a nature walk with Cody.

Wow, what a photogenic group.

Nature Walk

Michele discovered an awesome nature area North of where we live, and so today we took Cody out there and we let him have the run of the place.

Cody looked like a kid in a candy store. We'll be returning to that nature area again. Often.

Hanging Out Just Like in the Old Days

Andrea stopped by to play cards and hang out. Naturally, we had to get the camera out and take some photos, both serious and silly:

Julie is in Town

Julie flew all the way from New Jersey to hang out with us for the weekend.

Cody Just Can't Take a Bad Picture

How does he do it? Could the photographer have something to do with it? Nah, it's all Cody.

Cody is a Living Masterpiece

Cody is Photogenic

I almost wish it were Fall year round, because that's the time of year that I get the best pictures of my favorite dog, Cody.

Our Beloved Cody

Come On Cody, Show Some Love

Andrea wants to cuddle with Cody, but Cody isn't cooperating:

Standing Tall and Proud

Cody has changed in many ways since joining our family, most noticeably, he has become what I would describe as more confident.

Initially, Cody had a difficult time looking people in the eye. Whenever his eyes met with a person's, he would immediately look away, then look back, and then look away again. This behavior was so noticeable, that we often referred to Cody as Mr. Eye Darter.

Over time, as Cody apparently began to realize that in our pack, everyone is an equal, the eye darting behavior gradually went away. And the eye darting wasn't the only behavioral change we've observed, we've also noticed changes in his posture. Cody not only gazes longingly into your eyes now, but he stands taller and prouder with his head held very high.

What an amazing transformation to see the insecurities dissipate from this beautiful creature.

Love That Dog

Who couldn't love that face? Cody is the best dog in the whole world, and that's no exaggeration

Cody Loves the Snow

Snow has been falling on and off for about 15 hours now, and it's predicted to continue for another 6 or so. Cody and I decided that a little bit of snow was not going to keep us from the great outdoors, so we headed over to our favorite walking spot.

Holiday Break is Over

Been an interesting month for our son Alex.

He came home from Missouri State for the holiday break, and on his first night back, he and his friends were the victims of an armed robbery. Then about midway through the break, he found himself saying goodbye to one of his closest friends who was leaving for the Air Force. And now it's time to make the six hour trek back to school, which starts a new semester on Monday.


Alex and Cody

Michele saying goodbye to Alex

Already looking forward to having him back in the spring.

Fall Senior Photos

Took advantage of a beautiful fall day to shoot some photos of our newest senior. Cody even got into the action.