But after being bugged by my friend Ann to post something, I did realize that I have a few images of koi I wanted to share. (Have always loved koi.)

And they say goldfish have no memory
I guess their lives are much like mine
And the little plastic castle is a surprise every time
And it’s hard to say if they’re happy
But they don’t seem much to mind… ~ani difranco

Yes, I turned my vacation into an assignment – what of it?

One of the groups that helps out is called Save A Gato in Old San Juan. The 100 or so cats in the managed colony are all trapped, neutered, ear-tipped, and returned to the city, free to roam the quaint cobblestone streets and sun themselves on the rocks by the ocean. Feeding stations are hidden just out of sight, and volunteers work around the clock to fill bowls, tend to veterinary needs, and help out with the kitten adoption program. They are doing such a great job; why don’t you check out their website?

In the bitter cold of New York City in January, enter a dilapidated orphanage for the city’s unwanted animals. Cage doors and dogs whining in tandem; in protest. Hopeless. Homeless. These dogs have known little love in their lives; they are society’s unwanted and will quickly be disposed of.

A few volunteers, calling themselves the Compassion Program, have resolved to take care of these dogs on the ‘kill list.’ A walk, a gentle pet on the head, an extra blanket and a biscuit – anything to make the dogs’ last days more comfortable.

Please help. Many of the dogs appearing in this slideshow never made it out alive…

But I do have to say that my horse photography has petered down a little bit since getting back into horses. A lot of my older shots – featuring horses galloping around pastures – usually require a bit of encouragement from the photographer, in the form of spooking or chasing the horses. Dramatic shots, sure, but…

See, here’s the thing. I just can’t bear to spook them anymore. I love them too much; I just want to give them all hugs and pet their soft noses and breathe in their familiar, intoxicating scent. Time alone with horses is like a beautiful meditation or a space where God dwells. I just want to be with them.

So when I saw that two of Best Friends’ horses, Chewy and Incitato, had some beautiful flowers in their pasture, I knew I had just a few days to get those guys in their blooming environs. Plus, I was going off on assignment and knew the flowers would be gone by the time I got back. I have photographed our horses in those tall yellow and purple “bee flowers” in years past, and it’s always stunning.

I didn’t really know what to expect, though. I just sorta rubbed on Chewy and followed Inci around as they grazed and enjoyed the evening light with me. The light was beautiful and so were the horses. But gee, wouldn’t it be great, I thought, if they were running around…

Now, I do believe that horses are spiritual beings like the rest of us, although it’s always important to never over-romanticize them, for practical and safety reasons! But there was a moment… where Incitato raised his head, fixed with me his defiant, bold eye, and just took off RUNNING.

I stood there, thunderstruck. Did he read my mind?

Everything got quiet in my head. And then I started whooping.

WOOOOOOOOOOO-EE!! I yelled joyously, laughing and running and yelling with them.

Inci, followed by Chewy of course, began galloping in circles around me. They raced up the hill, then back and down, then in another circle. There was really no doubt in my mind that this was an intentional, showing-off sort of thing.

I laughed and laughed and took tons of photos. It was an unreal moment and I’ve got to write about it and put these photos up before I forget about it.

God bless the horses, great light, and of course Angel Canyon.

See, we live in the desert. Think sand, sagebrush, and cactus. A side canyon alight with autumn color – a mere 30 minutes up the road from our respective modular homes in the dusty town of Kanab – is a bit of magic to us.

“Are we in Japan? Not that I’ve ever been there. Just… this bush reminds me of Japan.”

“Is that tree on fire?”

“Oh my god, look at that!”

“This is the prettiest leaf here, look — YOU’VE JUST STEPPED ON IT! Thanks for ruining it forever, moron.”

“Your dog’s butt is cute.”

“Did you put that there?”
“Nope, I found it like this.”

“Aw, Jemma is so good at posing for photos.”

“Um, my camera isn’t working right.”

“Ooh, blurry.”

“Jemma eats world.”

Okay, I’ve officially bored myself to death with pictures of leaves. Check out more photos from Sarah.

Below is a slideshow. Sarah helped me edit it – I was just too attached to too many images that were similar (like the barrel racers, or the horses, or whatever). Curiously enough, neither of my 2 initial favorites images are actually IN the slideshow. They just didn’t fit into that format well. Weird, huh? Whittling images down to some sort of viewable portfolio can be quite a challenge sometimes, and that’s why it took me so long to post this.

If you’re wondering about the sheep, that is a typical rodeo event where kids are expected to ride sheep. It’s called mutton busting. Whoever stays on the longest, wins. (I think?) And no, I hadn’t heard of it before moving out west, either!

Enjoy the images.

Now, her manners might have to do a little with the fact that she was primarily being fostered with whiz Best Friends dog trainer Whitney Jones, who made sure Junebug was properly socialized and brushed up on all the basics. Still, Whitney admits that Junebug is the easiest foster she’s ever had.

Junebug was adopted and returned twice from a Salt Lake City shelter before Whitney took her in; her returns were due to her being “bad with other dogs” and “unpredictable.” Well, several months later, this gorgeous girl is perfect with every person and animal she meets.

Tonight Whitney picked up Junebug to deliver her to a prospective home this weekend. Hopefully they’ll fall in love and adopt her, but I will miss this dog, even though I spent so little time with her. I was lucky to get these photos of her last weekend. I took her on a hike with Jill‘s dog Tae in Kanab Creek.

This photo was taken while Junebug was rescuing a small mouse. She found the mouse desperately trying to scale the slick canyon walls, but he kept falling back into the creek. She picked the soaking wet thing up in her mouth a few times (gently!) before I grabbed the mouse and carried him to a higher bank. Oddly enough she employed the same tactic to rescue a baby lizard the day before. The lizard was stuck in our office and she alerted me to it by gently sniffing it and picking it up in her mouth. I captured the lizard and put him back outside. Super dog to the rescue!

Why yes, the colors in Utah ARE this awesome, thanks for asking.

And yes, it really is this beautiful here.

And no, I won’t blame you for being surprised.

I think the dogs are conspiring against me.

Dogs mimic landscape! For those of you with keen eyes you can tell what part of Angel Canyon we are in here.

Anyway, the past couple of years they’ve had an annual auctioning-off of a photo shoot with me… cool, right? I get to take photos of beautiful dogs, and the greyhounds get money for rescue. Everyone wins!

The winners this year were Power (the blonde) and Rascal (the black one). Sadly, Rascal passed away a couple weeks after these photos were taken… However, I am thrilled that I could help them honor Rascal’s memory through these photos. Rest in peace, big guy.

Greyhounds are a wonderful and unique breed of dog, often discarded after they can no longer earn money at the track for their racing owners. If you are thinking about adopting, consider taking a greyhound into your home. Learn more about them here.

Okay, sounds a little cheesy – but it felt deeply appropriate and was an incredibly gratifying experience. Pretty much the only time I ever really gave a s#@& about Independence Day, to put in banally. And the beagles… oh my lord. The cuteness.

Here is a little slideshow I put together for work, to tell our members the story. (And guess what my favorite slide is? Probably only Sarah could get that question right.)

I do recommend that you check out this eloquent blog entry about the whole event written by Pets Alive president Matt DeAngelis. And some more good news – nearly all the beagles have found homes at this point. Pets Alive, which took in by far the largest amount of beagles (88) only has three left! Incredible.

A stupa is a sacred monument that represents Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. It’s filled with statues and holy objects that represent the Buddha and his teachings, and a gathering places for meditation and prayer.

Plus this. IT’S LOOKING AT YOU, PEOPLE.

Statues of the Buddha surround the stupa.

And in one – a surprise – a bird’s nest!! A great place for the little ones to be safe.

These are Flash’s people, Shirley and Stanley Giser, chatting with a woman in-between meditation sessions at the retreat being held that particular weekend. Big thanks to the Gisers for letting me photograph, by the way!

For someone like me, who has spent much time in meditation and values the connection to source above nothing else, this was a cool place. It was also a totally unexpected stop during an assignment, and a delight to visit. I would have loved to spend time chatting with the Gisers and the folks at the retreat about God, Buddha, the universe, whatever you want to call your divine spark… but I had to move on. Get back to work, etc. Maybe one day I can come back.

Flash takes a moment to meditate on the meaning of life…