The Haggin Museum And Victory Park

"Come said the wind to the leaves one day, 

Come o're the meadows and we will play.

Put on your dresses scarlet and gold

and the days grow cold."

~1880's Children's Song

For the first time since moving to Stockton, in 2015. I ventured out yesterday to see, and photograph the outside of the Haggin Museum! It sits in the middle of the GORGEOUS Victory Park, and too my delight, provided me with a lot to enjoy, and photograph! It is definitely one of my favorite places, now, because I need the amazing comfort it brought me! All the colors of the trees, kissing autumn goodbye, and amazing pond, with some very cooperative and photogenic ducks, and water fountains, and several folks walking adorable dogs, on leashes of course, all decked out in the finest holiday sweaters! Is the anything more fun then seeing a dog, rock a really great sweater? 

The sun was perfect, by the way, warm, but not summer oppressive, and not winter cold. It was one of those perfect autumn days! Alan and I sat on a bench, for about 45 minutes, just drinking it all in, then I walked around, and just lived in the moment, with my camera, preserving forever, a day I really needed! As beautiful as it was, I hope I will be able to see it again, through the lens of my camera, on a nice foggy day, before autumn is officially gone. Autumn trees take on a sad beauty, that helps me let go of the one season, I truly live for. The color of the remaining leaves, at the end of a year, gives me a strange kind of hope for the year yet to come, even with it's uncertainty!

Years can take some odd twists and turns, but I can get through it by focusing on the last season of the year, and my hopes for the next new start! I will be visiting the Haggin Museum and Victory Park again, hopefully in December, but maybe when January rolls around I will venture in to see the variety of exhibits! It has quite an eclectic collection of art, exhibitions, and it even touches a bit on the history of Stockton. For now, at least until January, I want to focus on the incredibly beautiful park surrounding it! I have to hold onto every last minute, of the autumn of, 2017!

 I will be featuring a different set of pictures from this photo shoot each day this week, so be sure to check back!

Lady Walking Dogs In Sweaters

Autumn Tears

Little Lady Bug Friend

#11 Leaf Of The Day

December 11th 2017

Victory Park/Haggin Museum

Stockton, California

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Alone On A Beach

"Outside of a dog, a book is man"s best friend.

Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

~Groucho Marx

The Essential Groucho:

 Writings For By And About Groucho Marx

As I get ready to begin some autumn blogging, I have been tip-toeing through my archives to see what inspired me in years past. All the usual suspects abound... leaves, sunsets, butterflies. The colors of autumn in the natural world and in decorations. What I don't have a lot of are the creatures you happen upon. The ones you can't really plan for. I have so many memories of the odd dog or cat doing something super interesting, but that I had failed to photograph, because it was more fun to just stop and watch them, then it was to get the dream shot. It's always a difficult choice for the avid shutterbug. Do I grab my camera and document this extremely interesting moment to share with my followers and friends, or do I put the camera down and just have the quiet moment all to myself?

As you can see by the technical errors in the photo above I had a moment of indecision. It's not perfect, but fortunately it is interesting, if not a little whimsical. Here I was, standing on a cliff in Montara, watching this beautiful pup running around in the sand, barking and enjoying his life. I stopped to watch him, then he stopped to watch me! I wonder what his picture of me would have looked like, had he had a camera and been able to use it! Would there be an interesting light behind me? Would he have zoomed in closer? Zoomed out? Would he have struggled with the rule of thirds? We will never know, but he and I made eye contact, and starred at each other for about 2 solid minutes. I wish I knew what he was thinking. The next time I have an opportunity like this one, I think I will also take a photo directly behind me so I can see the full picture, from all perspectives.

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Steven's Feline & Furball Friday: Elvis And The Boy Next Door

"Our perfect companions never have fewer then four feet."

-Colette

Have I told you about Elvis's canine pal Mac? Mac is a beautiful bulldog mix who lives just over the fence that has the beautiful Morning Glory growing on it. Mac and his human, Oliver, moved into the neighborhood almost a year ago. Since that time, Elvis has had the same routine. Each morning Elvis wakes me for his regular breakfast, consisting of two cans of Gourmet Chicken Fancy Feast, then it is on to picking out his clothes for the day, followed by cuddle time with mommy, as we watch Live with Regis & Kelly.

It seems Elvis isn't a big fan of The View, no offense ladies, but the minute Regis and Kelly go off, he walks to the back door and asks to go out, so he can play with Mac. So far the cat and dog haven't been in the same yard, but they seem to enjoy chatting about neighborhood gossip through the fence. :) Sometimes, Mac will bark late at night, as if to say, "Hey, can Elvis, come out and play?!" I am pretty sure this is true, because as soon as I let my boy out, Mac always stops barking, and then sits down by the fence, quietly, and politely. I am proud of my boy, and his ability to make friends. It doesn't matter if you have paws, claws, legs, or fins, Elvis will consider you a his friend. Friendship seems to be the most important thing to him. :) What a boy!

"Oh boy, a belly rub!" This is part of our nightly routine, so Elvis will be able to let go of the seperation anxiety he has been feeling lately. We have lots and lots of quality playtime before bed. :) Good for the cat, and for me too. :) He was just starting to giggle as I took this picture. Everyone loves a good giggle. ;)

Medical Update: Elvis is doing awesome as far as we can tell. His nose has stopped bleeding, and his eye infection is completely gone. And the best news of all... he is eating enough again, to be able to tolerate his insulin, and last night he ate some fried chicken for the first time in 6 months. He can smell his food again!!! And if all that wasn't enough, he has let me sleep through the night, for the last 2 nights in a row!

Have you got a feline or furball? well then, you should play along with Feline & Furball Friday. Drop by Steven's blog for all the info.

-OndineMonet
"Elvis And The Boy Next Door"
Berkeley, California
August 19th, 2008
Afternoon

Those Summer Days...

"The followed that beautiful season... summer... Filled was the air with that dreamy, magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in the freshness of childhood."

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Some summer days, have wonderful summer moments...

"Summer is the time when one sheds one's tension with one's clothes, and the right time of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all is right with the world."

-Ada Louise Huxtable

-OndineMonet
"Montara In Summer"
Montara, California
August 9th, 2006
Late Afternoon

The Puppy Song In February

"I've seen a look in dogs eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."

-John Steinbeck

Have you ever looked at your pet, be it dog, cat, hamster, opossum, parrot, rabbit, goldfish, ostrich, cobra, otter, chimpanzee, and noticed them looking back at you, with an expression on their face that seemed to say... "Just what exactly is wrong with you?" LOL. Sometimes, I will be sitting here at my computer, writing an email, which I tend to say out loud as I write, or maybe editing some photos, when I will feel the strangest sensation that I am being stared at. Some might think their house is haunted, but not I, because I know when I turn around, there will be Elvis... contemplating the wonder that is me.

He always has this, somewhat perplexed, yet completely loving look on his face when he is looking at me, as if he is thinking, "I don't get it, she is weird, but she is mommy, so I love her." LOL. And he does. We are best friends, and over all we do understand each other, still, there are those times when I think both of us wonder about each other. Cat, unlike dogs, do not have to love you if they don't want to. They are much more discriminating when it comes to love. Dogs will pretty much love anyone who feeds them. For the most part. When you have been gone all day, a dog will run to the door to welcome you home, a cat will shoot you a look that says, "What took you so long?" Again, not all dogs and cats are the same, Elvis usually meets me at the door, because he wants to be fed, always, and he is not afraid to tell me the minute I come home. :)

Sometimes I miss having a dog. Cats don't like the beach, and sometimes, I miss playing on the beach with a puppy. I spotted the dog in the above photo at Baker Beach, in early February, when I was there to photograph the arrival of the Queen Mary 2. I had a blast watching him running in and out of the surf, playing in the cold winter water of the San Francisco Bay. Actually, I suppose at that particular point it is actually the Pacific Ocean, as it is just outside the Golden Gate. But he was a happy camper all the same. I could imagine him on his own surf board, riding the waves to shore, barking happy thoughts, and wondering to himself, why his human companion doesn't go to the beach every day. How nuts is it, to not go to the beach every day? :) There is nothing like a warm, sunny day in winter, sitting on a California beach, listening to happy noises, and having your own happy, nutty, thoughts.

The Puppy Song
By Harry Nilsson

Dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream, you wish would come true, woo woo

If only I could have a puppy, I'd call myself so very lucky
Just to have some company to share a cup of tea with me
I'd take my puppy everywhere, La, La La, I wouldn't care
And we would stay away from crowds, and signs that said
No dogs allowed
Oh we, I know he'd never bite me, whoa la, la, la,
Oh we, I know he'd never bite me

If only I could have a friend to stick with me until the end
And walk along beside the sea, share a bit of moon with me
I'd take my friend most everywhere, La, La, La, I wouldn't care
We would stay away from crowds with signs that said no friends allowed
Oh we, we'd be so happy to be whoa, la, la, la
Oh we, we'd be so happy to be together

But dreams are nothing more than wishes
And a wish is just a dream, you wish to come true
A wish to come true.

-OndineMonet
"Wishes In February
Baker Beach
February 4, 2007
Afternoon