Since we have had Cooper we have had so many questions about what breed(s) he is, Goldendoodle, labradoodle, cockapoo etc. But we get some advice when people find out he’s a purebred standard poodle… A tired Poodle is a Good Poodle.  So, everyday Cooper gets lots of exercise.

My husband was racing a 50 mile race today, so Cooper and I hiked Pack Monadnock to meet him on top. Cooper did remarkably well. He has now completed a 2000 ft mountain. And one of the peaks on the New Hampshire fire tower quest list.

Cooper on South Pack Monadnock

I love Googlemaps satellite view. And I love finding odd places to take pictures. Even if the location is so far away that I will most likely never photograph it. My latest interest is in ship graveyards. Having done high school near the Welland Canal I have a fascination with big boats and the rotting boats must be big to be that visible from satellite views.

This is a ship Graveyard in Adelaide, Australia.  (There’s a lot more listed on the website to look for on Google Maps)

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=&ie=UTF8&t=k&ll=-34.811623,138.529905&spn=0.001321,0.001609&z=18&output=embed&w=300&h=300]

How about the extensive fleet of abandonned ships in the bay of Nouadhibou in Mauritania? I guess for years the local officials let companies abandon their ships in the harbour for the cost of a bribe. It got a little out of control.  There are hundreds of ships rusting in the water and on the beaches. Basically a giant trash heap. Is it sad that I would love to go out there for photography sake?

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This one is in Staten Island, NY.  Road trip anyone?

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I have plantar fasciitis, badly.  I’ve had it for at least three years.  I’ve seen podiatrists, done physical therapy, spent too much money on orthodics that ended up breaking. I used to be a runner, I used to do 30+ mile long backpacks and now I feel trapped because I never know when it acts up how badly it will act up.  It can be crippling to a point that I can barely walk.

I need new orthodics, I’ve been putting it off because the last ones broke and still didn’t seem to help that much. They cost the cost of my deductible so I’ve been putting off finding a new podiatrist to make new orthodics for me. The other day I came across an article that claimed that running shoes can actually be harmful to your feet. I had been looking into the biomechanics of barefoot running for a while and the article made a lot of sense to me.

So I bought myself a pair of Vibram FiveFingers as an attempt to strengten my feet and hopefully reduce my foot pain by allowing myself to walk in my natural gait.  They are pricey, but so far I’ve really enjoyed them. The FiveFingers are basically just a piece of vibram rubber protecting your foot from the environment. You can flex and spread your toes in a natural fashion and the shoe does not encourage you to run in a specific motion (as in striking heel rolling to toe).

There are people who run with them, but I think I’ll just start off with walking and maybe eventually some hiking.

I’ll keep you updated the progress of my experiment. Worst comes to worst I’ll go back to the podiatrist and get orthodics again.  And in the meantime, I’ll get lots of comments about my shoes.

This is my eye. In high school I used to draw eyes all the time. I thought they were the hardest thing to draw so I practiced constantly. It’s so hard to catch the expression of eyes. I think I’d like to do a whole photo series of closeups of peoples eyes.

What colour are my eyes? It’s something I’ve often debated. I usually describe them as brown. And the center definitely is. But the outside is a lighter color that goes from light amber to a yellowish green. Would the outside be considered a hazel?

I have plenty of pictures I want to post and stories to go with them I’ve just been too tired when I get home from work/whatever was going on to get motivated enough to upload everything and write a blog post about it.  Maybe I’ll find some time to do it tonight.

In some good news we are getting a Standard Poodle puppy at the end of the month. So we are pretty excited about that.

In the meantime, I do update Twitter quite frequently.  So if you’re on that be sure to friend me.

IMGP8342, originally uploaded by mbarsalou.

I’m so excited about this octopus necklace that I bought from the Etsy Seller Debb’s Designs. I got earrings to match the gem the octopus is holding at Originals by Lynnette.