Billies Blog: Insects, animals, and funerals….

So, if this month has a theme, it had to be “Animals Animals Animals”.

I love animals, always have….we always had at least four dogs in our home growing up. A few horses to ride, a turtle and rabbits, geese, mice I caught in the barn, and what ever creature I could manage to capture out in the desert with my box and string traps. Many a quail made it in there only to be released since I couldn’t figure out a way of keeping them in there once I lifted the box up. I also used fishing poles to catch Lizards. Sometimes they lost a tail if I wasn’t fast enough to lasso them around the middle. Then I remember a rolley polley pill bug farm I developed over a few weeks, complete with swimming pool and golf course. I did grow up in Palm Springs so that makes perfect sense.

So animals have a soft spot in my heart. Most that is. But I met my match this month. It started with two adorable Jack Russell Terriers.

They were so cute and I was excited to shoot them and their owners. I never realized just how much energy they have! I’ve chased a lot of things around trying to get a good shot, but I think these two little dogs have to be some of the most energetic I’ve ever tried to capture.

Then we move on to insects…….mosquitoes to be exact! Somewhere out in the fields of Othello on a family farm, we all got attacked as the sun was setting and we were trying to get a great shot of this adorable family.

We all got eaten alive! The father came up with a dance to keep the mosquitoes off each time I would pause to adjust my settings. It was so cute to see this father and mother and four small children dancing like crazy then freezing each time I took a shot. Im so surprised I didn’t fall off my ladder from laughing or swatting bugs while trying to hurry and get the shot.

Now that brings us to funerals…..

My 13 year old had a Chinchilla that she just adored. We have been enjoying him for a year, and he seemed the perfect pet for her, and for us, since I like animals, but not animal smell in my house. Well, we came home the other day and he had passed away. We really don’t know why, he just did. She was really upset and announced to us a couple of days later that there would be a wake the following day for him. She even invited a few friends. We all drove to a small hill we like to climb with the dog. Each of us said a few kind words and made a nice place for his box to be placed. It was decorated with wild flowers…