Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi
View allAll Photos Tagged aussie
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.
Jasper often prowls the shrubberies in the neighborhood. He likes to see if he can find kitty cats. He really wants to meet them, but their posture when we do encounter a cat seems to indicate that they don't particularly want to meet him. We get the classic Halloween cat pose with arched back, tail up, bared teeth and a hiss. But Jasper is always kind, wanting only an inter-species encounter.
There is a lot of ground that needs patrolling. You have to use your nose to find out what animals have been around and what other dogs have been here. Jasper is on it.
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
Betty Bunny was mysteriously flying through the air when Jasper snatched her in-flight and brought her safely back down to Earth. What a hero!
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 settling in nicely to the Ranch he acquired (see first comment). Happy, happy cowpoke. Now, time to go tend to the cattle. Mooo
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)
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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
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 😀
Jasper at the riparian preserve wondering why Mom took his leash off and told him to stay. Humans are so weird!
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.
Jasper likes to sniff around some of the neighborhood shrubberies. Sometimes we see bunnies. Or sometimes we see kitties. All very exciting
This is not an uncommon sight around our house. We were finishing up dinner and I looked over to see Jasper patiently waiting for the next phase of the evening (which is his after-dinner treat, then play, then tricks, then more play, then...)
Jasper keeps an eye out for lizards and ground squirrels and whatnot. All those creatures that inhabit the rocks and scrub of the desert
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.
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.
A nice afternoon walk at the Riparian Preserve found us at Pond 6, Jasper greeting folks from a safe social distance.
I was just messing around with the new sky replacement feature in Photoshop CS 2021. Apparently you can also replace a wall with a pretty sky. So here you have a very real Jasper on a fake sandy (or carpeted?) beach at sunset.
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!