Stuff we love

Have you all fallen in love with Google's new personalized themes? My favorite one is the Tea House which features an adorable fox who lives in a quaint tea house with surrounding peach tree-filled Japanese garden. He particularly inspires me with his industrious habits that he performs on a hourly basis, such as trimming his bonsai tree, feeding his ducks, practicing his calligraph on a scroll, and fishing in the nearby pond.  Occasionally he will even invite his monkey friend over to have a tiny cup of tea, which is a charming scene to say the least. One night while working late, I discovered that even while our little fox sleeps, you can watch the ghost foxes play board games outside. The scene changes according to the current time of day complete with sunsets (and possibly sunrises, although I have never been up early enough to check). 

At first, I was reluctant to choose a cartoon-based theme, however,  as I spend a good deal of time on email, the fox has won me over with his lovely world and calm demeanor.  As our world becomes increasingly virtual, it's nice to have a cozy background to my daily work.

Lara

www.houndstoothphotography.com 

Should we be scared?

I've never been one to be nervous around animals, but this article in New York magazine about a cat attacking a mall Santa Claus made me a little nervous.  Also, these pictures of cats on a leash made me laugh at first, but then I clicked between pictures 3 and 4 and I understood why they not be allowed to roam freely. 

Even this picture of an adorable red panda seemed more aggressive than normal.

Are animals feeling our collective stress right now or are we just putting them in environments where they don't belong? Most people I know don't like going to malls during the holidays, which makes me think maybe we should spare our animals. 

Lucky for us, we get to photograph sweet cats like Mr. Moochie (pictured above). He was excited to show off his tarantula costume and then eager to get back to his my friend Catherine's room with all his cat toys. So much for ferocious. 

Mesmerizing

Look at this site to see people who take dog grooming to another level. My favorites are the camel and the ninja turtle.

Eight cats a leaping...

Gracie jumps!

Our session today with a this 12 week-old kitten named Gracie raises our collection of animals named "Gracie" featured on this site to a grand total of three (four if we include human animals who spell their names with a "y"). Like the others, this Gracie comes from a rescue background--she was discovered in a storm drain when she was 3 weeks-old--and now spends her day enjoying treats, naps, and the occasional patch of sunlight. However, this Gracie distinguishes herself by her unparalleled leaping and jumping skills, as well as her overall endurance to play throughout the entire photo shoot without resting once. Feline Olympics look out!

Gracie with her lovely and resourceful owners, Krista and Matt.

The other side of the camera

Gracy (left) with Mongo, Lara, and China (on the grass)

The very talented DC wedding photographer Michael Bonfigli took these pictures of Lara and I (with sweet Mongo and China) the other day at Meridian Hill/Malcolm X park. He did such a great job of capturing both us and the animals that we are now officially considering him competition (just kidding Michael--we would be so lucky). Check out his website and be prepared to drool over some great documentary wedding photography.

Song of the lyre bird

Check out this YouTube clip of a lyre bird imitating camera shutters and chainsaws, in addition to his bird neighbors. David Attenborough is a pretty neat animal to watch as well. Nature, when are you going to quit amazing us?

Beagle-mania!

Oliver (left) and Gracie.

It was a happy assignment for Lara and I to photograph Gracie and Oliver, two seasoned and adorable beagles. We had a bit of frolic at Rock Creed Park with their owners, Katie and Damon, and got to hear a bit more about Oliver's astonishing history.

The story goes like this. Oliver was picked up as a stray when he was two years old. They think he was a hunting dog who wandered away from the pack or was left because of his shy nature (he remains terrified of of all loud noises, and intelligently groups balloons and some toddlers into that category). When the shelter picked him up, he had been surviving alone in the woods for at least a few months and was so underweight that his spine and hip bones protruded through his sandy fur. When Katie and Damon found Oliver on petfinder.org, he was already past due for euthanization date. They immediately hopped in the car and drove two hours to pick him up. Once home, it took three baths before they found out that his fur was really white in places, and another week before he could keep down solid food.


Katie and Damon with Gracie (left) and Oliver.

Now weighing in at a lean 37 lbs, the only reminder of Oliver's past are the fine scars on his face, which I think he wears with a quiet dignity. And he's an awesome pet, Katie attests.

She writes:

We've had Oliver for six years now, and he is the sweetest dog I have ever known. He sleeps under the covers with us every night, sometimes waking us up with his loud snoring. He loves to roll around on his back on the carpet or drag his belly across the carpet to scratch an itch. Gracie likes to groom him and Oliver will patiently sit while she licks his face and ears. Unfortunately he has the typical beagle food-obsession and curiosity; some of the things I've caught him eating include socks, a battery, a dollar bill, a lightbulb, several pairs of shoes, 2 lbs of Oreo cookies, and countless amounts of cheese and crackers he's stolen off the table at parties. He fiercely protects our house and bravely attacks the mail as it comes through the mail slot.

Hearing Oliver's heroic tale further confirmed our idea of beagles as the ultimate underdogs, as demonstrated by Uno's victory at Westminster and the great beagle escape. Beagles teach us that tenacity and weathering hard times is more important than fancy tricks when it comes to really succeeding. They are the role model that we all need to have right now, and if only they didn't have all that dander, I'd say a beagle would be the perfect first dog.