This year I’ve made my normal snow shots. Kirsch & Ekko LOVE the snow, if they see me put on my snowshoes they can’t contain their excitement. While Kirsch & Ekko’s humans were recently vacationing in Budapest:

the agility equipment seemed to fall into disuse; If you can’t tell, the boardwalk is just left of the tire jump. Both the dogs and I needed to exercise,

so even though it was 2 degrees F this morning, I stuffed a couple logs into the wood stove, tugged on the snowshoes, and hoped the camera would work in this frigid cold. Since the boys had been up since 4:00 this morning barking at the coyotes, I was even able to get Ekko to slow down enough to get a couple shots of him. I don’t know at whom he is sticking out his tongue.

And of course, you can’t keep Kirsch from ending up in front of the camera.

Julie may go into apoplectic shock, but I’ve run out of excuses not to post. It was sunny and warm last Saturday afternoon(now 2 weeks), so I wandered out the back door with da boys and remembered to take the little point & shoot Nikon. The beech and ash hadn’t changed color, but the sugar maples were nearly fully turned, and da boys felt energized by the cooler autumn air.

It’s funny, so many of the the highly photographed dogs on this site are females, and my guys just look so much different.

Ekko ( Esko/Rosie) and Kirsch VP, CGC (Hoss/Zucca) love our daily walk in the woods. Chipmunks, sticks, an occasional turkey, and squirrels provide Ekko the opportunity to exercise his high prey drive, while Kirsch harasses Ekko. These two guys have such different personalities. Ekko is intense, powerful, stubborn and solid. Kirsch glides, Ekko bruises the ground when he runs. Kirsch is a goofball, always happy, small children have run up and hugged him, much to their mothers distress. That never happens with Ekko. Kirsch has a favorite fun trick to get your attention, he runs up from behind you and runs between your legs, which was cute when he was a puppy, but can be an unexpected surprise now. That’s way too frivolous for Ekko. Kirsch is laid back and relaxed, but with a unabashed joy for life, and he always finds a way to be in front of a camera. I’ve got a tire jump and elevated dog walk in the back yard and Ekko couldn’t care less, but Kirsch loves to run them.

So, a break from the way too cute puppies, to a couple of bruisers, with Kirsch at 90 pounds, and Ekko, well, he makes Kirsch look little. Retrieving sticks is always a start to the walks, to burn off some excess energy. Ekko, of course, isn’t satisfied with only one stick.

Kirsch in the trees

Sugar maples

Kirsch gets the reaction he wants.