New Website and Blog!

My new website has just gone live It's a new spiffy Flash site from bludomain. I'll be keeping the html portal too for dial-up users. Still has some "funnies' to be ironed out but I'm getting there slowly.
Also have a new photo blog on the site. linked from the front splash page
www.muddypawz.net

Obedience at TTH

Was photographer at the Ottawa Vally Golden Retriever Club trial at the Training Hall today. Lots of new titles. Always pleased to have lots to photograph :-)
Here's Linda & Penny who got their MOTCH on Saturday and took High in Trial on Sunday

TTCC Trial

It was the Tibetan Terrier Club of Canada's CKC Agility trial at Dreamfields at the weekend.
Power was off on Sunday morning so all the jumpers runs took place outside. Weather was gorgeous! So pleased they ran outside because it meant I could take photos and not have them grainy as hell with a colour cast.
Here they are http://www.muddypawz.net/ttcc_1008
I am also trying out a new service at photostockplus. They have some really nice items at a reasonable price. Shipping's a bit steep for small items, but a bargain for the larger stuff. Here's the same trial on photostockplus
http://muddypawz.photostockplus.com/event_231660

I also took a few head shots of Carol's Stoney. He's 11 and has an oral tumour. Such a handsome boy.

Tyra ran in excellent and get 3 Qs. Two JWW and one Std. She would have had another standard Q if I hadn't been so sick with this cold. First run of the day, I couldn't beat her out of a straight tunnel and got a refusal on the chute :-( . We did all the hard part on course too!

Been Busy

Working again for a couple of weeks until the beginning of November. Back at Kaben, which is nice.
Tuesday was election day. Got to vote for the first time! Off I went to the Carp fairgrounds to cast my vote like the good citizen I am :-)

Lots of Ribbons!

It's been ages since I updated the blog and lots has happened over the summer.
The biggest news of all is that Tyra got her ATChC in July with a tremendous performance at AARF. She didn't just get the 3 standard Qs needed for her ATChC that weekend but came home with 4!


Then, we drove to New Brunswick in August for the AAC National Championships. Had a great time and did fairly well on all the courses. The icing on the cake for us was reaching the Steeplechase finals!
Latest news is that Tyra did it again and achieved her Bronze award of merit on Friday again at AARF. Obviously her lucky venue!

The new gazebo

Paul bought a gazebo for the deck. He and Catherine assembled it on Saturday. Looked pretty good.


And then came the storm






Oh yes, and the internet has been down at home since yesterday afternoon. Damn the weather.

It's June

June already. Time's just flying by! I've been so busy I forgot to write up all the recent happenings.
First there was the Ontario Regional Championships just outside London. Both the girls managed to qualify for Nationals. It wasn't pretty - especially Tanja's runs. But we made it and we're off to Sussex, New Brunswick in August!! Highlights were a 6th and a 4th in Jumpers for Tanja and a 10th in 26" Jumpers for Tyra.
Then there was my advanced judging assignment at Dreamfields on 30th May. Seemed to go ok. Courses all ran well and no unforseen traps, which I was pleased about.

Barbeque season

It's barbeque season again. Today, Collonade, the building managers held a barbeque for the tenants. Pretty good actually. The usual fare, burgers & hotdogs, but also fries and for afters, and ice cream sandwich. Guess I'll be going to the gym tonight after all :-p

Happy Birthday Tanja!

Nine years old today!

BDOC HiT of HiTs

Today and tomorrow are the Bytown Dog Obedience Club obedience trials at the Fred Barrett arena on the corner of Bank & Leitrim. New place from last year.
Tonight is the prestigious HiT of HiTs (Competition for High in Trial of all the Highs in Trial from 2007). I'll be there all evenin taking candids. The light's not brilliant but it's always fun to watch.

Happy Birthday to Ivan!

One year old today!

The Ottawa Dog Blog

Featured on the Ottawa Dog Blog!

http://ottawadogblog.ca/2008/05/02/dog-photographer-profile-wendy-beard-muddypawz/

Ivan's new trick

He learned to climb up onto a corn pan. Two paws up first, then the back two, then he sat

Boris goes to the groomers

And he still looks like a farm dog!

CAPPDT Conference

Today and yesterday, I was at the CAPPDT conference at the Travelodge, Ottawa. I also had a table there at the market place to promote my services.
Speakers Friday were Bob Bailey and Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, workshop was run by Dee Ganley. Saturday speakers were Phil Arkow and Don Hanson, workshops by Edie Jane Eaton (Ttouch) and Eddie Beltran (dark field microscopy)

New Job

Started a 10 week contract at Kaben Wireless today, analog layout. The drive back home tonight wasn't fun. The queensway on a hockey night - 4th game in the playoffs at home. Total hell!

Almonte

Had a ride out to Almonte to look round the village and see the falls

Snow's Melting

And we have a little river running through the property

Tulips

It appears spring might actually be here at last. I celebrated by buying some tulips.
Gallery is here:
http://www.pbase.com/wendybeard/tulip

Lady of Leisure

So I officially finished work on Tuesday. Today I'm off to Baton Rouge for a farewell lunch - hope I'm not paying :-p
(aside: It's snowing again)

Yet Another Title!

I would have like to have made it another three titles, but best not get greedy :-)
Thursday saw Tyra and I heading down to Syracuse with Deb & Flyer to the Salt City Cluster show. It was a 4 day agility trial indoors on maxtrax - not the best footing in the world (probably the worst). Anyway, they had Standard & JWW all 4 days and FAST on Thursday and Friday. Thursday, Tyra ran in Novice FAST and Qd with a first place for her title. It was a tricky send for novice, I thought. Jump to the far end of a c-shaped tunnel. Anyway, she did it ok, racked up loads of points (71) in just 26 sec.
She had a nice jumpers run, unfortunately clipped the top bar of the triple and it fell after bouncing in the cup a few times.
Friday, Tyra moved up to Open FAST. A fairly straightforward send, but as Marcia coined it, a terv nightmare. Double, tyre, triple. There was one other tricky part to the run. The design of the course and the position of the finish jump made it almost impossible to do the send at any other time except as a closing sequence. That meant the timing of the run had to be impeccable so that you didn't run out of time during the send. Luckily our timing was good and Tyra kept all the bars up. First open Q.
Saturday, nothing. Wasn't feeling well either so couldn't concentrate. Sunday the same but she had a really nice jumpers run again. Pulled off a jump towards the end. Disappointed we didn't earn a Q but she did really well.
She was just an idiot all weekend in Standard.
Despite the slippery surface of the maxtrax she handled it really well and seemed to adapt, being a little cautious at times rather than trash the course.

First Exhibition

Last weeks saw me running around like a mad thing trying to get things organized before leaving for Syracuse Weds eve/Thurs am.
Hana called on Monday to let me know the wall was clear at Natural Pet Foods in Carleton Place and I could bring my photos to hang. I had to make sure I did it before I left as there was going to be two talks at the weekend and wanted to have as wide an audience as possible. Went up on Tuesday evening with all my plak-mounted art. Did our best to hang everything straight :-)
Realised after I left I hadn't taken a photo of the wall and that there was nothing there to say who the artist was. Went back Weds lunchtime to add a small pic of my Animal Wellness cover with photographer credit - and to take a picture of course!

Another Title!

Tyra now has her MTRDC title - wahoo!! Hoping the success continues. Only 3 standards to go for the ATChC

I AM Canadian!

We went downtown today to sit our citizenship test. Had to arrive at 8:30, which we did despite rush hour traffic on 417. Sat around for 3/4 hr while our documents were looked at. Went into a room and were given a clipboard and a laminate questionnaire. Balance clipboard on knee and answer 20 multiple choice questions. We had half an hour to do this. I was out of there in 5 minutes, max. Big surprise of the day - if we waited around they would mark the test immediately and if we passed could come back in the afternoon to be sworn in!
We both passed - Natch
So by 2:30 pm we were both officially Canadian citizens!

Meltdown

Funny how stress creeps up on you and makes you do strange things. We had an agility trial at the Quarryplex Soccer Dome in Kingston this past weekend. Not many Qs but some fairly important ones.
Tanja was recruited to run with Trudy in team. They had earned 2 Qs together at Dreamfields in November. Trudy just needed one more for her title. They had three chances to get it on Sunday. First run, both dogs not very fast, but clean Trudy wouldn't go back in the box for the exchange so that ate up time and we ended up 5 secs over time. Next run, Trudy ran first again. Same thing, wouldn't go back in the box. Finally Michelle caught her and shouted "Go, Go! Go really fast!". Well, we tried. Really stepped on the gas. Unfortunately didn't make up the delay and finished up over time again. Third run. This time Tanja was running first so Michelle wouldn't have to catch Trudy at the end of her run :-) . Well we did it! Michelle happy to have her title at last!
Next tale - Tyra and Keya were partnered in team. Neither dog had any Qs, both needing three for their title. First run, Keya clean, Tyra knocked a bar. Thought we might have been fast enough to make up the fault but didn't dare celebrate until we found out for sure. Turned out we were ~20 seconds~ under course time!! Next run was fast and clear for both teams. Batting 2 for 2 with one to go. Well, the stress was too much. The course looked brutal on paper and we were far from confident. Heather & Keya ran first - the pressure would be on BIG TIME if she ran clean - after all it was for our titles and Keya's ATChC. Stress won out. Heather crossed when she shouldn't have and sent Keya into the wrong end of the tunnel. Game over, pressure was off. It didn't matter how Tyra ran our half of the course. So we ran it with a big smile and threw in some faults of our own along the way :-)
We'll get another chance in April. Stocking up with valium in advance.

AADC

YaaaY! Finally, Tyra got her advanced standard title at Guides Canins trial, St-Lazare on Sunday.
Worth braving the weather for.

Happy Birthday to Me

And some flowers

Spoke too soon

Makes a change from snow, I said.
At least Boris doesn't care!

Rain

Makes a change from snow. YUK! Freezing rain is horrible!
At least it makes for pretty pictures on the glass.

On a happy note, the van went in for its Drive Clean emissions test today and it passed!

Camera's Back!

I got a call from Home Hardware in Almonte at Friday lunchtime. There was a Purolator delivery waiting for me there. I could only think of one thing it could be - the MK3 coming back from its repair. Incredible service. A total turnaround time of one week. Despatched one Friday and received back again the following Friday. It snowed most of the day today so didn't take it out to give it a workout - maybe tomorrow. Have to settle for one pic of next door's playhouse taken at sunset from the deck.
Actually, was busy finishing off entering expenses for 2007. Been putting it off for long enough.

Coffee at Starbucks

Networking with a potential employer - informal chat over coffee at Starbucks next to Chapters at Pinecrest. Very pleasant. Couldn't believe Chapters wasn't open - how shortsighted of them was that! I would have gone in and done some browsing. It was 9:30 am when I left and there were a few people waiting outside so presume they were waiting for a 9:30 opening and not killing time until 10

Camera Woes

The 1Dmk3 went back to Canon on Friday. They recalled it for the sub-mirror fix.
Went out on Sunday to take some frisbee pics and found that the mk2 was showing the same fault I sent it in to be fixed for in September last year. Shutter speed unpredictably shoots up too high resulting in underexposure. Not even that, but the underexposure in more obvious at the bottom of the frame. Has to be tied in with the shutter somehow and they messed up when they replaced the shutter. Looks like I'll be Canon-less for a few weeks :-(

New Bins

Paul got his new bins today. Picked them up over lunch. He told me they were Reg Holdsworth style but they turned out to be quite conventional and boring :-p

Interview

Went for an interview today. Went ok, I think. Must have been my new clothes. Spent about 1.5 hours in Mexx yesterday, hating everything I tried on. I didn't hate the clothes, just me wearing them I didn't like.
And I wimped out on going to the gym today so I've only myself to blame for looking like a blimp.
Time for a chip butty.

Harley

Had a photo session yesterday with a couple and their very bouncy black lab, Harley. He managed to sit still long enough for a snap or two :-)
It was also the new "Family Day" holiday in Ontario. Just what the doctor ordered. A nice day off after a long weekend :-)

Silver!

We were at the Club Canin Chomedey AAC trial Friday, Saturday & Sunday. First standard run of the day, Tanja got Std Q number 25 and earned her Silver Award of Merit! She got her ATChC and Bronze AOM at the same trial last year. They have wonderful ribbons!

Be My Valentine

Winterlude

Went along to Confederation park today to look at the Winterlude Ice sculptures. Some of the sculpures were under cover, presumably to protect them against the elements but they didn't look very impressive during the day. I suspect when they are lit in the evening it will be a whole different tale. While we were there, there was an ice carving contest. We arrived just in time to watch three sculptors put the finishing touches to their art.
More pics in my pbase album http://www.pbase.com/wendybeard/winterlude08

Dare I say it?

It's snowing again.

The drivethrough

So typically North American

Snowing again

Yet another blog post with the title "Snowing Again".
That's because it is.

Just Playing

Oh yeah, and I signed it with my new wacom tablet pen :-)

Studio Session

Went to Ed Shapiro's studio to learn a bit more about lighting and have Natalie take a publicity shot of me, Tyra and camera :-)
Not convinced the short lighting works well for dogs. Also struggled somewhat with the ratios when person and dog posed. Dog perfectly exposed and human too brightly lit or dog underexposed with good lighting on human. Photo above is of Alika. Fairly decent one, I think, but could have done without seeing part of the chair behind her. Processing of all the other files may take a while due to the lighting and exposure.

Lots of Snow

Lots of snow again on Friday. Boris loves it.
Went down to Kathryn's place in Mallorytown for Janet Lundy's handling seminar. Lilly & Luke came down in the van with Tanja & I. Had a good time & Tanja actually wanted to work! Called in to see Janet's new house on the way home. Keith had made up some bottle crunch tug toys and Janet gave one each to us. Ivan loves it!

CV

Posted my updated CV on monster.ca this morning. It's also available here in word document format. Pass it on :-)

Matthew's Birthday

So why the picture of the stovetop?
Well, it's Matthew's 20th birthday today and we bought him a new camera. A Canon S5. Had to try it out to make sure everything was in the box and working :-)
Going out to the Baton Rouge to eat for his birthday and will give him his present there.

An expensive day

Indy went into the vet for her spay today. I dropped her off at 7:30, she was scheduled for 9am. Just got back home from dropping her off when I spotted blood drops on the floor. With 3 dogs milling round the kitchen it was hard to see where it was coming from. Finally realized Tyra had gashed her carpal pad. Rang the vet "weren't you just in?" and took her in. Vet ended up keeping her in for stitches - cost estimate was as much as Indy's spay! Hopefully the insurance will cover some of it.

Lazy Sunday

Processed a few files. Ran out of ink so had to make a trip to Henry's. Visited a local store to see about exhibiting some artwork. Went training with Deb & Helen

I'm Your Fan

CERF

CERF certificates arrived yesterday for Indy & Ivan. None for Tyra, of course, because of her pannus but still made sure it was recorded in the database.
Went to step class for the first time in ages. Glad it was only 45 minutes long. Plenty tired afterwards! Discovered Quizno's Honey bourbon Chicken sandwiches. Mmmm - and only 7g of fat they say. How can that be :-)
Indy went for vaccinations in the evening. Decided to book spay - vet was free on Monday! A little sad but think it's for the best.

Brr Cold

Again.
-18C this morning and the van ALMOST didn't start

Redundant

Sort of.
I've been told I'll be terminated at the end of March. That gives me just over 2 months to find something new. Actually, I'd rather just take the summer off but cash flow might not allow that. Plus long periods of out-of-workness are not good.

Heath Ledger died yesterday. How very sad.
It was 5 years since Dad died (on 20th). Of course that makes me sad too. Especially at certain times when I think "Dad would love to hear about that", like when our house was being built.

Feeling reflective today.

Dentist Again

Ugh. Had to have my temporary crown replaced with a permanent one. Fortunately wasn't too painful and was over fairly quickly. Finally got to see the end of the Incredibles. Despite the mammoth 2 hr session when they removed the old crown, I didn't get to see the end of the film. Now I have :)
Almost didn't make it to the appointment. -22C and the van wouldn't start. Luckily the power pack was still in the garage so managed to give the battery a boost. The Jeep and Catherine's Neon both have block heater connections but the Caravan doesn't.

Sam

Last night I went to photograph a 16 1/2 yr old border collie mix called Sam. She's pretty sprightly for her age but slightly deaf.

A Company of Fools

Last night was Paul's Works Party at the Brookstreet. Entertainment was provided by the troupe "A Company of Fools". They performed short bursts of Shakespeare in an "alternative" fashion, for example, Mackers the Musical and the love scene from Romeo & Juliet entirely in rap. Highly recommended.

Bees Arrive!

Finally, my Alien Bees Ringlight has arrived!
UPS tried to deliver it 3 times last week but they never managed to call when someone was home. Managed to get the parcels redirected to work and they arrived today. Well, 2 of the packages did. There were supposed to be 3. Hoping they got put onto a different truck and I'll see the other one soon. Apparently my channel weaves are on their way too and there's money to pay to the driver (there's a surprise!). I have the light and the moonunit softbox so can get going tonight. Only thing missing is the box with gels which won't be a showstopper. Getting new toys is always exciting!
Oh, and it's snowing again.

Fun Match!

Spent today at an agility fun match at Redgate. Paul ran Indy then had a go at running Tyra. Didn't do half bad! I tried to run Indy but she was more concerned about where Dad was!. Hmm. Will have to try a bit more training with just her in future.

Do Not Fold or Bend

What more can I say. That's Canadapost for you.
Indy's HT and Tyra's HT and AGI certificates from the CKC arrived today. Sadly, it happens all the time.

New Citizen

Not me, Paul.
Paul was sworn in as a Canadian citizen yesterday. Catherine and I remain "in processing" despite having sent in our application 4 weeks earlier than he did. Typical government random bureaucracy. No logic. No sense.

Fog

Still thawing and very foggy. Graduated to raining hard. Whooppee!

A Busy Day

Started the day with a visit to the opthamologist for Tyra and Indy. Indy had her CERF exam. Everything fine. Just ppm iris-iris as before. Should get a number when I send in the form. Tyra's checkup went well. Cloudiness due to pannus has gone down in her right eye but it seems there might be some cholesterol build-up due to the prednisolone drops. Vet suggested cutting back to one drop per eye per day.
Dogs home, my turn for a visit to the dentist. Chipped a crown about 6 months ago and have been putting off replacement. Finally bit the bullet and had a 2 hr session removing the old one, and getting moulds made for a new one. Now have temporary crown until the proper one comes back in 2 wks time. Ugh.

Brr

Cold.
-22C this morning and the van nearly wouldn't start. Set to warm up next week - could get up to +14C !
Dropped Indy off at the vet clinic this morning. She's having her hips & elbows checked for OFA.
She should be ready for pickup soon. She'll likely be a bit groggy. Spoke with the vet-tech and she said all looked good. OFA get the final say as to the ratings. Don't know how long the results take to get back.

Biking is Dangerous

It must be. They put a sign up.

Happy New Year!

And it's snowing again. It snowed all day until about 4:30pm. Still managed to get out of the house and do some training with Deb. Had a lazy evening watching Coronation Street (Tracy found guilty of murder!), Casualty and an episode of 24. Called mum this afternoon after coming back from training but was distracted by Tyra throwing up on her bed.