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Grevillea superb.
It is easy to see how this exotic flower came by its common name.
I saw this specimen in the Australian section at Kew Gardens,England . I was immediately transfixed by its curious beauty. It is a compact evergreen shrub, a hybrid with long lasting flower clusters.
Click on image to enlarge.
Jasper: What are you doing back there, Dad?
Todd: Trying to take your portrait.
Jasper: Seriously Dad! Put down the camera and let's play frisbee.
Orders received. Will comply.
It's important to Jasper that both of his humans are engaged in playtime. So he waits and waits and waits while Mom finishes something or other in the kitchen. A more considerate human would wipe the counters AFTER playtime, right Jasper?
This gorgeous dress from Mirage.NA is available at this months round of Shiny Shabby!
Dress: Mirage.NA @Shiny Shabby (Jan. 20)
Hair: Doux
Pose/Hat: IDK
Location: Aussie Shores
Jasper plops down in front of the fire with Betty Bunny and sulks because his humans have stopped playing. Poor Jasper only gets about 14 hours of play per day. 😜
We're still in Wisconsin visiting family, so a photo from a while back of Jasper enjoying the neighborhood early morning sun..
Jasper can sometimes be a little underwhelmed with our playfulness. Betty Bunny seems to have the same attitude. Jasper will keep his eye on me just in case I decide not to be totally lame.
I think Jasper looks right at home her exploring the Old West. I'm glad he's showing his mustache in the shot to kind of fit with the theme. Those sun-kissed mountains in the back are the Superstition Mountains. In the first comment I've shown the real set of explorers - a phone pic that my sister-in-law's husband took of us on the trail
When patrolling the neighborhood a dog must remain vigilant. Jasper and I did a nice walk around the neighborhood this morning soon after sunrise. Be calm, we found nothing awry.
Jasper is playing the sympathy card here, looking up at me with his puppy eyes. Pleading for play. Which of course we did. Jasper brought out Lemur the other day. Lemur's neck is broken and he can't hold his head up, but he remains in good spirits, always ready for a little rough and tumble.
Jasper commiserates with Betty Bunny after the humans stopped playing. Poor Jasper never gets any attention!
Here's an example of how Jasper is ignored and lives just a horrible existence. On a typical weekday morning I do a workout while Jean walks Jasper. Yesterday I got done with my workout and came downstairs to find Jean on the floor massaging Jasper. I said, "Hey, how come you never massage me?" She said, "You're not soft and furry and fluffy" True, none of those adjectives fit Todd. But if Jasper isn't getting a massage when they get home from the walk, he's getting play and fun and love. What an existence.
If I'm sitting back on the couch and Jasper his failing to get my attention, he'll sometimes poke his head over the arm of the sofa to peekaboo me. Next he'll place a toy on the arm of the sofa. Then comes the none too subtle move of putting his front paws up on the couch and placing the toy on my lap. He's a playboy for sure. And a cute one at that so he mostly gets us to play. (BTW: if you're wondering what that angular black mass is on the right of the frame, it's just my iPad with keyboard sitting on the arm of the sofa)
Jasper inspects the shrubbery troops. A perfect line. Tops high and tight. Polished roots. Everything is ship shape. Inspector Jasper gives them a paws up. And he knows where to go in case he runs into the Knights that say , "Ni" (Monty Python reference)
Here's Jasper doing his impression of a barrel cactus, like those behind him. Nice try Jasper, but you're just not prickly at all
With very pleasant weather, we've been playing in the back yard quite a bit. But at some point I have to tell Jasper we've got to go in. Got stuff to do, you know. But Jasper always gives me this totally disappointed look, like, "what do you mean we have to go inside? We were just having fun!" Well, kiddo, life has a few disappointments along the road. Took this shot blind as Jasper looked me in the face to communicate he wasn't ready to go in.
Well looky here, Jasper bagged himself a rooster. Rebel Rooster that is. Poor Rebel, face down in shame. But, such is the life of a dog toy
I think his coat is looking particularly full in this portrait. Poor guy suffers a bit when its hot. And it's very hot this week. Highs through the mid week are 117ºF (47ºC) and last night the low only got to 91ºF (33ºC). Jean said he was a trooper on their walk this morning though. A few stops to crunch on ice cubes, then soldier on. We don't bother with his after-dinner walk this time of year. Instead, we play in air conditioned comfort.
Jasper came with us to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch on Saturday. This is a 110 acre park about 15 minutes from our home. It features 7 recharge ponds that are stocked with fish for the birds. There is also a fishing pond stocked with fish for humans to catch. The park is free and ebird.org typically lists over 300 species of birds that have been spotted there. The park is a real gem in our community. Jasper has been birding with me his whole life. Fortunately, he's never chased the birds. Only watched them with interest.
A shot of one of the ponds in the first comment.
Taking on a rather serious expression, Jasper investigates rumors of lizards at Boyce Thompson Arboretum
Jasper at the riparian preserve wondering why Mom took his leash off and told him to stay. Humans are so weird!
Jasper turned 12 on Friday, July 21st. So we celebrated in grand style this weekend with toys, and treats and play. Such fun. A couple of new friends have joined the fray. The orange fella on the left is Mr. Gecko. And on the right is Mosely the Marvelous Moose, but his friends call him Moosey . Jasper is doing quite well for a 12-year-old. He maybe takes a few more naps but still has energy and playfulness.
The weather was really delightful this past weekend. Normally, after Jasper eats his dinner we take a walk around the neighborhood. But Sunday Jasper had play on his mind. We started on a walk, but he did his "business" right away and then started pulling us back home. Once back home, he grabbed Betty Bunny and stood at the back patio door. Oh, we had such fun with Betty and frisbees and running and flying and jumping and tugging and challenging. [pant, pant, pant...] I'm getting tired out just typing about it 😀
One good thing that has come out of the pandemic is that the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix have opened their gates to dogs more often. This month, you can bring your dog every Sunday morning. Jasper seems to enjoy it. Especially these shady respites where he can relax and do a bit of people watching.
"You will play! You will play! You will play! " broadcasted Jasper through the powers of his mind. Then suddenly, inexplicably, I got up to play. Amazing how we fall victim to the powers of a dog's telepathy
Jasper keeps an eye out for lizards and ground squirrels and whatnot. All those creatures that inhabit the rocks and scrub of the desert
On Sunday we went to Boyce Thompson Arboretum. They open at 6AM starting in May so we took advantage of the cooler early morning to check out some desert blooms. There were lots of these purple flowers about and Jasper agreed to pose for a shot or two.
Jasper likes to sniff around some of the neighborhood shrubberies. Sometimes we see bunnies. Or sometimes we see kitties. All very exciting
Ideally Jasper likes both his humans involved in play. Jasper and I had been playing alone, but then he heard an advertisement starting on the TV and looked to see if his human mom would join us. She did
Boyce Thompson Arboretum has some mini canyons to explore. They're full of cactus and lizards and other interesting bits. Jasper likes to explore them.
Having herded all the cattle to the back 40, Jasper surveys his ranch, proud of the work he's done. It's the life of a working dog breed
A field full of dry grasses and these tufty thistly weeds. Those are containers in the background because this is Port Adelaide, where containers live.
Who would have thought that we had a resident pod of Orca here in Australia. Located in the Southern Ocean, about 80 km south of Bremer Bay in Western Australia is the Bremer Canyon. This is home to a large pod of Orca. During the summer months the tour operators guarantee sightings. A great day out, as long as you don't get sea sick!