Froggies, Family, and (tongue) Flappies

I'm happy to report that the day of my birthday dawned with a couple of quick, sweet, happy, nervously-loving kisses from Lamar.


They were fleeting moments of sweetness, which of course transformed into nervous displacement ear scratching once I got out the camera. 


But I couldn't complain--what a wet, wonderful start to the day.

Many joyous moments ensued. There was the nature dog walk around the lake with my sis, in which we got to see tons of tiny froggies who must have just transformed from the tadpoles we saw wiggling at the lake's edge. 


We even saw that elusive transitional stage, a little creature hopping around but still with a tiny tail. 

There was a brief rain and then a rainbow, and a drive with the whole family and some belly laughter shared between me and my sister as my folks got lost trying to caravan. A delicious veggie meal at a taco joint (veggie tostadas and jicama slaw) and then my sis and I kidnapped my mom to give her some time with us wacky girls in my sister's car. 


I rewarded Georgeo when we got back by reminding him of the fabulous hot tub, and we enjoyed a good soak. 


A walk on the beach with my sister and the dogs, and Lamar got to chase seagulls--one of his absolute favorite activities.


Then a delightful evening sunset with Mom, enjoying the sky and the almost-Equinox. 


A return of our spooky friend who helped us enjoy Science Hour with a tantalizing glimpse into the amazing world of arachnids.

Love getting Mom and Uncle Johnny together to talk about Science. They are both so bloody smart--Mom is a student of life, absorbs everything she observes or reads about natural science and especially botany. 

Johnny knows everything about stars, planets, the atmosphere, clouds, and Messier objects--the galaxies we glimpse from our own Milky Way. They appear as little smudges, visible from a small telescope or good binoculars, and were catalogued by Charles Messier in 1771 as he searched in vain for a new comet. Who knew?

Dinner was champagne, cake, and more ridiculousness.

Then one last chance to catch Lamar kissing me on camera. 

Miserable failure. Not even tasty carrot cake could induce a birthday kiss for his poor old Mom.

Fortunately, now that I am reading Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide, I find Lamar's spectacular calming signals as fascinating as his kisses are delectable. 

And then I put the camera away, and climbed into bed to listen to the crickets and cuddle with my anxious, silky-coated, expressive-eared, Anatolian Shepherd New Mexico Brown Dog, my very first foster failure and my devoted companion for more than ten years.