fridays at fleming, vol 8

the  tide was low so the heron searches for food at the dock
a gull waits in the wings, pretending not to watch the hunt
those two rocks, have they always been there?

the daffodils are showing their faces to the sun, which isn't showing itself today
and a gull glides on the wind over our heads
  I follow it's path with my camera, arching my neck back
click, click, click, click

tica poses, thinks a rock is food and runs to her heart's content

the tall ship in contrast to the cargo ships in the distance

the peanut shell

the merganser rests on a log while gulls watch
the merganser leaves and more gulls arrive 
there's more going on here than we humans can figure out

the sand pile that's growing with the help of sticks and stones

Friday's at Fleming, vol 7

I arrived a bit later than S + T and they were out walking the breakwater so I wandered to the end of the dock to get some photos of them with a cute little bufflehead in the foreground as we've turned into full on bird nerds (or bird enthusiasts) in our aged years. I thought I was being stealthy for this photo op, but Tica, she sensed the disturbance in the force and knew I was around, somewhere.
​
I walked back to land, along the path and rounded the corner and Tica came a-running. I recently noticed that she often does a little tongue out as she runs and this time I caught it on camera. One of the cutest little things. 

The sun was out though it was chilly. It still didn't stop us from taking a moment to just stop and face the sun and feel some warmth on our faces while Tica felt felt the breeze in her ears.

Spring is on its way.

Fridays at Fleming, vol 6

Buddy.
This is it. The only subject of today's walk.
Why?
It was cold and rainy and I opted to only take my phone camera.

But Buddy hopped up on this bench as we walked by. No prompting, no ask on either side. 
It was the place he had to be at that moment, clearly.

He's such a funny, sweet little dude who'll be adoptable through the Victoria Humane Society once he gets his medical stuff taken care of.
xo

Fridays at Fleming, vol 5.... aka "The Buddy Walk"

A bit of a buddy theme today:
I went for a walk with my buddies,
Birds flew with their buddies,
Dogs played with their buddies,
And I got to meet an actual Buddy!
​
Buddy is a 13(ish)-year-old poodley mix of cuteness who's currently in care of the Victoria Humane Society (VHS) and is being fostered at Tica's house.
If you look closely at Buddy though you'll wondering what's up with his eyes. 
Well... after a visit to the veterinary eye doc the other day it turns out he's blind in both eyes. They suspect he may have been blind in one eye before, but the other one is definitely messed up because l'il Buddy was found OUTSIDE... in Manitoba... in -46 degree weather... in the snow... with a super fluffy matted coat... and his eyes were FROZEN. 

Through VHS's network, Buddy made the trip to the west coast where he's now in a foster home and enjoying the warmth -- good thing as he got a hair cut too.
He's a confident little guy and his lack of vision did not slow him down. He loves treats and chin and neck scritches and he has great stamina.
He also has a very active sniffer so he sniffed and sniffed and sniffed... and left his mark on all the places he felt necessary. 

Because of the freezing of his eyeballs he's got a ruptured corneal ulcer so he's getting all whole host of eye drops, and he may still have to get one or both of his eyes removed. But I get the feeling that won't stop him. He's a confident little guy and seems to be up for adventure. Just don't leave him alone. He doesn't like being left alone. At all.
​Understandable considering he's had a whole lot of change in his world.
Buddy also has a cute little snaggle tooth but he's in desperate need of a dental, so not sure if he'll get to keep it. 

Once he's had his medical taken care of he'll be ready for adoption so if you're interested watch the Victoria Humane Society facebook page!

Other highlights of the walk:
- our crow friend stopped to say hi
- yellow and purple crocuses emerging
​- a swimmer

I also took our walk as an #advocacyandart opportunity and created some adoption profile pics for him (his leash has been removed in a couple of the photos because I found them a bit distracting, he was not off leash... safety first!) as well as a short video so adopters can see though this little guy may be blind and old(er), he's got loads of spirit in him! 
Click here to see more of my Home Away from Home advocacy photography!

This week's instalment is a video, all shot on my phone. 

I generally welcome constraints on my photography and embrace experimentation of what can come out of having to 'work with what you've got'.
And today was one of those days.
It was so cold. The wind felt like ice hitting my cheeks. If I had my hands out for too long they'd start to freeze and stop working. 
And I'm getting over a case of shingles so lugging around my camera wasn't going to happen.

The experimentation can help me see and think about my subjects in a different way and it also presents a new opportunity with how I want to translate what I see.
Photographs, photo collage, movie.

So welcome to a beautiful, but very cold Volume 4 of Fridays at Fleming and thanks to Tica for being so camera ready and for coming back when we call her.

if video above doesn't work, it's also on my youtube channel: ​https://youtu.be/YzSlhBicFnY

Fridays at Fleming, vol 3, aka "why do seagulls stand on one leg"

For this week's Fridays at Fleming, I actually went on a Tuesday as my Friday buddies weren't going to be available on Friday. 
No matter. 
When you go on different days, you see different people.

It was very cold and icy this day.
Frost covered the docks, and while I watched a crow work away at something I almost wiped out on a nice patch of ice.

The ice made some beautiful patterns in the puddles, though it confused Tica to the point she had to bite at the ice as it cracked under her feet.
The wee robin that watched us.

Someone's been building a collection of bottle pieces in one of the bunkers.
A rock that looked like a duck, and then an eye was put on it and it turned into a dog.
And then we met a new dog. I got his name but didn't write it down. He was very friendly and very drooly and had incredible head tilts.

Though the sun had melted the frost from the docks, something in the water off the beach caught Tica's eye so we didn't do our usual walk on it.
A blue recycle bag was bobbing in the water. 
She just couldn't understand what it was... and she wanted to know... but there was no way she was going to go get it.
So I did.
Because throwing rocks at it didn't work and trying to reach out to grab it with a bit stick only gave me a soaker. 
So off came the shoes and I walked on my winter feet -- not the tougher feet of summer when I walk around barefoot -- over the cold rocks and into the water a few inches up my leg.

And the answer to the question "why do seagulls stand on one foot" became clear.
The water wasn't so bad really.
I'd do it again.

The rain had been starting and stopping.
And then drizzling.
And then stopping. 

We met a wee pup. An Icelandic Sheepdog.
And then a dog in the distance. Shannon wondered if she knew it. 
Lacy maybe?

Almost. Her name is Rainey.
She was out for a walk with her cousin Flaka, a transplant from South America who seemed to only care about one thing. Her stick.

The light drizzle was getting my camera a bit wet. Trying to keep the lens mostly dry, we ventured to the marker where a gull was hanging out. 
It flew away when Tica arrived, but clearly wanted back because as soon Tica wandered away, the gull swooped back through my frames as I was trying to photograph some Common Mergansers out on the water.

We hit the beach to explore for a few minutes then it was on to the dock because Tica was feeling brave today.
I watched the haze of drizzle with my eyes 
and then through my camera.

Thanks for stopping by!
​~w

Being the first Friday in February, I've decided it's the official, unofficial start of Fridays at Fleming, a weekly photo essay of my visit to Fleming Beach/Macaulay Point here in Victoria.

I've been going for about a year now with my friend Shannon, her dog Tica and sometimes my dog Mr Coco joins us. Sometimes my husband comes too. Recently I've started bringing my camera again because even though I know this place well now, each time I visit it's a bit different and I want to try to capture that same, yet differentness. Translating what I see and feel.

​Here is installment one:

It all started with two seagulls just sitting on the boat ramp,
but then dogs were headed in their direction so that moment of peace was short. 
The water was so calm -- literally the calm before the storm as the wind gusted up to blow-the-lid-off-a-garbage-can level in the afternoon.

Tica had her first treat on the picnic table.
Mr Coco wanted to be carried for a while.
We trundled along and happened to meet up with our friend from a couple weeks back, Rowan, who stopped in for treats. There were more dogs, crow friends, a face in the rocks.
​A sky that tells a different story every time I visit.
Little surprises along the way and a seagull who could strike a pose.
A very happy dog and her stick, little Uncle the Schnoodle puppy and then Sophie, who was one of the friendliest dogs I've ever met, stopped by to say hello.

Then we were back at the docks where a little one checked out the scenery and then the geese flew overhead.

I had my first real and true Galgo at the studio today. Her name is Lili and she's a recent transplant from Spain after having ended up as a discarded hunting dog at a shelter.

I've been following the plight of the Galgo (Spanish hunting dog) for a few years now. They remind me of my sleddie friends... used and then discarded. Those who survive the hunting season but are no longer wanted can find themselves set loose to fend for themselves, dumped at shelters or tortured and killed. Those that make it into a rescue and eventually a home then have to learn to navigate our random domestic world. But they can do it with bells on and become beloved family members. 

With rescues in Spain overwhelmed with the volume of dogs in need, they are doing all they can to fit them into their past-capacity shelters and keep them safe, fed and cared for. Sometimes they can adopt directly, but they often need the help of other rescues like Extraordinary Galgos & Podencos (EGP) and  Extraordinary Galgos & Podencos of Western Canada (EGPWC) to help them find loving homes.

Which is how lovely Lili made it to Victoria. Although this young girl was pretty nervous of being in a new space and me moving around with my camera, when it came to treats she had no issue! And I discovered she liked the sound of a cat meow! She was super gentle... and calm through it all. The cutest thing is that she's apparently quite a lap dog at her foster home and is quite connected with her foster human, looking to her often for reassurance and ear and face rubs. Together they're working on her confidence and in the month she's been in Canada, she's come a long way... though she's apparently still not a fan of this west coast winter!

I'm thankful EGPWC reached out for a photographed with love advocacy photo session and look forward to the partnership and meeting more of their rescues. They may be a small group, but they're a committed one!

Here's what Lili's adoption profile says:
"Lili is a 4yr old galga from Fundación Benjamín Mehnert (FBM) in Spain. She arrived in Montreal on December 17th and travelled to Vancouver Island as a foster while we search for the right home for her.
Lili is very shy but once she gets to know her people, she’s a very sweet girl that loves affection. We believe she would do best in a quiet detached home with another calm dog and patient people to help her feel safe in this new world of hers.
If you feel that your home would be a good fit for Lili or you’re interested in learning more about her, please get in touch!"

And also like the sleddie community, there's a great sighthound support group locally who meets regularly for walks. It's adorable.
For adoption info on this LOVELY LILI: https://www.facebook.com/egpwesterncanada

#freethegalgo

Tica wore her peace beads on our walk today.

Some may just think they're wooden beads strung together by her human, but they're actually magical.

Not only did Tica make friends with a giant bear of a Bouvier named Bizou, she also decided today was the day to walk all the way down to the end of dock.

We've been walking at Macaulay Pt for about a year now and though Tica always wants to walk onto the dock on the way to the parking lot, though she only ever makes it a little ways. Sometimes 10 ft, sometimes 5, once she made it about 20ish. 
We do offer treats to see how far she'll go, but her fear always ends up overriding her love of treats and she lets us know she's had enough and will turn herself around to walk nervously back to shore. Not today though. There was no turning back. With some soft milk bones on offer, she put her bravest feet forward and made it all the way to the end where she got some "Yay Tica!" treats and I got a couple photos in and then she realized where she was and decided to head back.
​So we did.
It was a big day.

Along with Bizou, Tica also met little Leeroy the Boston and Bodhi with the balls (the built in kind), who she flirted with. She also spotted Sidney, the seal who hangs out there too.

Throughout all this dog-ness, the sky and clouds made for an intense backdrop for this Friday adventure at the point.