Every summer Miles and I love going to the beach at low tide. This summer has been hot and bright. The day I took these photographs, Miles was squinting quite a bit. I should have taken that as a hint, because the next day I was sunburnt. When the tide pulls away across the inlet enough for us to traipse across the shallow water and sand, hours pass like being in a dream. It is just me and my buddy melting into the warm, glowing blue expanse. The city hovers in the background to remind me that real life is out there, but in those hours, is just a colourful decoration.
Miles always enters the water with the sole aspiration that he can keep his beard dry. This never happens, and his ritual of shaking the second his beard begins to get wet only seems to finish the job of throughly wetting it! It is a summer ritual.
Miles takes such great pleasure in being around so many new dogs and people. Often everyone is too busy to actually say “hi” to each other, but you can see the happiness Miles feels just orbiting around all of these new friends.
As our time at the beach came to a close, a bald eagle stopped to collect his freshly caught crab before he headed into the nearby woods. Miles was off doing zoomies in the sand behind me, so I was able to get close for some pictures.
Wow, simply stunning and amazing (the eagle!!) photographs! So artfully composed, so bright, so clear., so filled with Miles’ emotion. The perspective from dog’s eye view picture perfect. Pure joy. Pure adventure. Pure summer. My favorite summer memory is of George sunbathing on our balcony. I treasure a photo: he sits lazily in a corner on the shaded wood-tiled floor with head titled ever so slightly downward and eyes closed, dreaming happily, leaning simultaneously into the warmth of the sunshine and against the coral-colored wall of our building, the outline his little body and a curl in his beard framed by a perpendicular wall of lush ivy, a reflection of a cloudless sky in an adjacent window, warm golden afternoon light washing the entire scene, casting shadows of the balcony railing upon a nearby silvery table and chair, the coral wall, and George—summer orange, green, blue, silver, and that unmistakeable Welsh Terrier black and golden reddish tan. I love him so. ❤️
Oooh you really experienced these photos the way I did in real life, I feel so happy the moments translated so well! Thank you for the lovely comment. I’d love to see this photograph of George. The pleasure we get from our dog’s joy is just endless. How lucky we are.
Emma and Miles.. what a lovely summer dreamscape memory. I love the photos of Miles’ wet beard shake and the Bald Eagle! Amazing. Such regal birds. Amazing you got so close! Sally and I do a lot of “property minding” in summer. We take care of the garden planters and pots at my daughters house while she’s on Martha’s Vineyard for summer. Sally loves sniffing out new chipmunks or rabbits while we’re watering. She waits at every vegetable or fruit for a taste… she likes green beans, baby carrots and raspberries.. maybe cucumber too. She gives me the “are you kidding” look when offered cherry tomatoes. We both always look forward to checking out the property, and making sure all’s well! Sorry to see summer leave…. Darcy and Sally
Darcy, your comment really painted a picture in my mind. This year at Agility Nationals, which I will go over soon, I saw a lady rush out of the ring with her little Boston Terrier, saying “are you excited for your tomato?!? You did a good job!” She then opened a tiny Tupperware container, and out came a little plump home-garden grown cherry tomato. The dog gulped the little tomato in one ecstatic motion! I couldn’t get over it!
Your wonderful photos of Miles, and the eagle !!!! as usual made me laugh and smile. The closeups of the eagle are amazing. It’s really heartening to see nature and cityscape together. You show this city at its astonishing best.
Thank you so much. The eagle moment was truly amazing. I couldn’t believe it!
Your photos are nothing short of spectacular!! Each picture is captured perfectly. The joy in Mikes face is priceless. I can only dream of my Stella being so well behaved on the beach, lol. And what an experience to see the eagle and get such magnificent pics! Nat Geo would be jealous. Thanks for sharing this day with us all. A real treat.
Thank you for your kind words Susan! What would Stella do?? I must know!
Love this so much! I was cracking up at all the photos with his beard just touching the water. What a gorgeous spot, so jealous of the northern beaches.
Thank you so much. Your comment is making me laugh! You should come and experience it yourself!
Just so breathtaking Emma. I finally got some quiet time to sit and enjoy all your pictures of Miles and the beautiful surroundings. I actually felt that I was there on that very beach. Your talent amazes me.
Thank you for the sweet comment Jean, that means so much to me! I am so pleased you enjoyed the photographs so much!
Those are beautiful photos Emma! Welshies always look so great in those orange life jackets and the contrast with the blue water and sky is so amazing. That’s funny about Miles shaking his beard – I don’t think Oliver cares about his beard being wet, but now I’ll have to test it out the next time we get to a beach. The eagle pictures are also amazing – particularly the one where it’s staring directly at the camera. Thanks for sharing!
After reading other comments, it’s so funny how different dogs have different food preferences. Cherry tomatoes are one of Oliver’s favorite treats and I can reliably recall him from the yard if I show him one. But any tomato really – even from a room away, he can tell when I’m slicing tomatoes by the second slice I make, and he’ll be at my feet in a flash.
My favorite summer memories with Oliver are simple – sitting on the steps, watching him lay in the green grass, always in the sun, sniffing the breeze, relaxed but ready to pounce the moment a squirrel dares to enter the yard. So happy with such simple pleasures!
Hi Danielle! Yes, I agree that orange looks really great on Welsh Terriers. Miles isn’t a big water dog, although he seems to not mind rain or the beach. Will Oliver walk up to tomato plants and pick his own tomatoes? And I would love to see a picture of Oliver lounging on the steps, watching for the “treat man” to go by, or one eye slightly open waiting for unsuspecting squirrels! 🙂
Wonderful photos so clear & your Miles is one handsome dog. That bald Eagle wow.
Unfortunately I lost my little girl in May 15yrs & 7 months old Papillon.
Mary Ann, first of all, I am so, so sorry to hear about your loss. 15 years is amazing for a dog, but still, not nearly long enough. I can’t imagine how you feel. I am thinking of you. Thank you for the kind words about the photographs. Hugs