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The grandkids are right.

You know, we have 8 1/2 grandkids. 4 1/2 of them live next door, though the 1/2 doesn't really count just yet. And their Grandpa is the biggest tease alive! He forgot. It had been so long since he had teased anyone this mercilessly that he forgot that that was his specialty.

How does he do it? He tickles them. He makes funny noises. He suddenly roars and scares the bejabbers out of them. He pretends to cry and boo hoo. That always makes them giggle. He gives them outrageous answers to innocuous questions. He tells them a giant rat is behind the cupboard door. A dragon. A gargantuous caterpillar...whatever.

At first they looked like they believed him...but now I see a knowing smile creep across their faces. Then they turn to me and say: "Grandpa, you are funny." and "Gramma? Is there really a.......?"

Later they express their disbelief, saying "we can't shake the truth out of Grandpa" and they walk off, knowing there will be another such conversation tomorrow. Hoping to hear some more hilarity and ridiculousness. And I am absolutely sure they will.

Happy Birthday Richard Howe!

Wow! That sounds so weird, doesn't it. But, well, Richard, I think you've earned it. You have officially been hanging around us now for 25 years! Voluntarily! Some people are stuck with their families...but you chose us. And I think that counts for something. Perseverance, for one thing. A genuinely warped sense of Howeness seems to have enveloped you. You've got our backs. You're our very own Daddy Warbucks and more. So, now that you are in this far, you aren't ever getting out!

Happy Birthday to you...all the monkeys in the zoo....and people dying everywhere...Happy Birthday.

See what I meant by warped Howeness! I blame Grover.

Let's Go to the Movies....

Remember Annie? Remember the scene where Daddy Warbucks buys out the evening show at the theater so they can view the movie alone? Well.... we had that kind of experience the other day, only we didn't have to buy out the show. We just picked the right day and the right time of day. We had the theater all to ourselves. We put our feet up on the chairs in front of us. We talked all through the show, and laughed and screamed out loud when we wanted to. Just like we would do at home.

The movie? THE PRINCE OF PERSIA. What a fun movie! It had everything going for it. It had action, suspense, drama, larger than life visual effects, animation, a love story, heroism, the struggle of good over evil, the dark side of greed and power. It had just about everything you could want in a blockbuster!!! Besides that, Jake Gyllenhaal does an excellent job at being a daredevil, roguish and sympathetic. Not exactly an easy assignment.

I think you should go see it. You will like it. I promise. Oh, and get there early in the day. Maybe you can have the theater all to yourself!!!!

Let's go to the movies....let's go see the stars......

Going to the Dogs...

Hi Everyone! That's right! We're going to the dogs! Literally. It's a funny expression. I wonder where it came from and what it means exactly. I have a feeling it's a negative expression...so maybe I don't want to know. Ha ha!

Well, you probably know already, since I don't have a lot of people in my blog circle who I don't also talk to regularly by phone, but if not, here's the scoop. We're photographing agility dog shows. Grover is patiently sitting outside the ring, in the bright sunlight waiting for a dog to run his prescribed 30 second course. In that moment, trying for a one of a kind action-packed "I gotta have this picture" shot.

I have the task of doing a quick edit of all of these fine shots and getting them ready to sell. The second day I spend talking to people about their dogs as they come looking for a photo of their favorite pup.
We shoot all kinds of dogs; big furry ones, lithe speedy ones, teeny dogs and everything in between. Soon I will learn all of their names and breeds. I tend to favor the little scruffy dogs and the lovely collies. The collies remind me of Lassie, a favorite old tv show I watched weekly as a child.

Last week Richard drove down from Ventura (4 hours) and spent two days with us at the dog show in Chula Vista, bringing us those little powdered donuts and orange juice and cereal and milk and other snacks. Then he went out and brought back more food for lunch! Thank goodness he came along. We were all tired and sunburned by the day's end.

Today's event is in Oceanside, just 10 minutes from our house. I'll try to get a photo of our booth and our brand new GHOWEPHOTOGRAPHY banner to post, so you can see how official we look. Wish us luck!