photo52

Afternoon Annie

My little personality-packed Boston Terrier, Annie, has been a favorite of editors and FotoWeek DC volunteers for some time now. Her welfare, not mine, is the first question I get from many of these admirers. “Hi Hannele! How’s Annie??”  I don’t mind at all, in fact I love telling people about her. It makes me happy. She has this ability to make grumpy people smile and children scream with excitement. It’s good to be a dog. Especially a quirky, cute one. For Annie’s photo story, go to her gallery on my website.

Thank you rain and warm sun, the garden isn't dead yet!

So back in March I decided I wanted to start a vegetable garden. My first. I’ve always done some container tomatoes and herbs but this year, it was time to dig in the dirt and get serious. I started my seedlings and watched them grow about 2-3 inches high and then stop. Nope, they were not going to grow anymore. They were done. Ok, fine. So I headed off to the farmer’s market and spent less than $20 for tomato, pepper, nasturtium, mint, and basil plants. Hooray. The rest I’m growing from seed and seems to be going pretty good. Well, except when a little Boston Terrier named Murray gets in there and steps all over the broccoli.  I could have done without that….

The summer squash plant that will likely take over the entire garden and the nasturtiums.

Couldn't get rid of my containers, tomatoes and basil. yum.

An empty playground on Lake Champlain

You really can’t beat the view. Burlington, VT sits on the shores of the enormous Lake Champlain. It is the “greenest” city I’ve ever seen. It has awesome restaurants. People ride bikes all over the place. It has fun, eclectic shops. It has pretty much everything a girl like me could want. Maybe a move is in order :)

A very happy dog races towards his owner at the waterfront park.

Boat moorings on the end of the pier

It's still a little too cool for the boat moorings to be full.

Scoping the yard for kitties

Well, Murray has certainly made himself at home. Over the past 2 months, he has taught me that my life is all about him. Yes, that’s right, I was put on this Earth to play, massage, feed and walk him. I can’t sit in a chair without instantly having him in my lap. He yodels. Yep. It’s a sound I’ve never heard from a dog before. He’s a little stinky. He’s constantly hungry. He apparently wants to eat our neighbors cat. He doesn’t really know how to run. He hops instead and it’s hilarious. He can tuck himself in the bed better than I can. He thinks it’s ok to be on the bed. He has de-stuffed every one of Annie’s (my other Boston Terrier) toys. Worst of all, he has terrible gas. But then he looks at you with those great big goofy eyes and you can’t help but giggle. He has a big heart and can put up with Annie’s moods better than any dog I have ever seen. He’ll be your best friend in a matter of seconds. Best of all, he can make me laugh on even the toughest days. I’m in love.

Yodeling

feed me.

yum. that was good.

This set of favorites is of my  little furball, Annie. I adopted her from a rescue group a few years ago and have been photographing her ever since.  In December, I adopted another Boston Terrier named, Murray. Check back in 2010 for brother/sister photos!

Annie

Too many balls, so little time.

pool time

Playtime in the fresh snow

To continue on the “favorites” theme, here are some of my people photographs from 2009.

Samba dancers at Artomatic in DC

Bonfire in Takoma Park, MD

Demolition derby driver: Michael Howe

Horse caravan in the Grand Canyon, AZ

Ice cream social

Summertime in Maine

Demolition Derby driver: Christopher Knight

A waiter on a New Orleans street

A rainy night and the demolition derby, Maine

Walking the dog

Girls fishing on the boardwalk

Donald Robertson showing off his home-made shotgun

Well, I can not believe 2009 is over. The year went by so fast it’s hard to remember everything that happened. So, in an effort to remind myself what I did this year, I decided to go through everything and pick out some of my favorite photos.  I’ll post several for the next few days so be sure to check back and let me know which one is your favorite!

Here we go:

President Obama's Inauguration

On the canal in Georgetown

The Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ

Prescott National Forest Park, Arizona

A rusty, antique car in Jerome, AZ

Meditation maze in Georgetown

Gold King Mine owner, Donald Robertson

Dog fight in a Cleator, AZ bar

Street light in Arlington, VA

Murray: the new dog in town.

Well, we did it. Yesterday David and I drove to Tennessee to pick up our second Boston Terrier from the rescue. Annie (our first and the one in the background in the photo above) is not necessarily happy about the new member of the family but she’ll come around.

Murray (full name: Paddington Murray) is about 6 years old, well trained and a total goof ball. I love him already. Don’t worry, I’ll post more photos once everyone is settled in a bit more….

I would encourage anyone looking to add a dog to their family, to consider adopting a rescue. There are so many wonderful dogs out there that need a home and a second chance at a happy life. Puppies are great, but rarely do they come housebroken!

some things are worth getting wet for...

These seem to belong on greeting cards…..

French & Engilsh Bulldog cross - male - 8 weeks

French & English Bulldog cross - female - 8 weeks!

David and I took a break from the weekend chores to check out some of the cutest puppies ever! They’re a cross between a French bulldog and an Olde English bulldog and are about 8 weeks old. We’ve been looking for a companion for our Boston Terrier, Annie. However, because our summer plans are a bit hectic, we decided to wait until fall to pick up a pup. I just wanted to share some puppy love.

By the way, if you can’t resist them, contact Elizabeth at varcliff@hotmail.com. She still has about 5 left!