cliff and ivy are a super cool musical group here in anchorage but they also do lots of work in LA. their musical sites can be found here, here and here. jon & i have seen them many times through the years and actually run around in the same artistic circles … but really never connected until we finally got to work together. they’re a great couple and were super brave about the MINUS ZERO temps — and the photos look fabulous!

13 in 2011 – looks much different, or maybe not so much different, than my 13th … other than the apples.

a late afternoon of amazing fall color and … well, then there is that super awesome, super fast, Porsche!

a dad and his son; 40th birthday party for the daddy.

i have always adored daisies, other than their smell.

the bud, is a sitka rose waiting to pop.

chinese crested + 1/2 chihuahua mixed puppies.

american kennel club and the alaska kennel club dog show at bartlett high school earlier in the summer. i’ve met the boston terrier bitch about a year and a half ago when she was just a little puppy and now she’s taking the number one title all over alaska and the west coast. she’s super adorable and of course she has that BT mark that goes back to their early breeding days, the haggery spot, aka “the kiss of god.”

but then i just had to get pictures of the frenchies because i’ve always longed for one since an early 1990′s trip to NOLA

Q. My Boston has a little circle of dark hair on top of his head in the middle of his white blaze. I see not all Bostons have this. What is it?

One of the old founding lines of Bostons way back in the early 1900′s was owned by the Haggertys. Many of their Bostons were born with the dot on the top of their heads, and the marking became associated with the line. Hence, when you see it, it is ofter referred to as a “Haggerty dot”, “spot” or a “Haggerty star”. Most lines can be traced to Haggerty stock ‘way back, and the dot pops out once in awhile in just about any of the present kennels. Vincent Perry, a very honoured international all-breed judge, and highly respected Boston breeder who wrote “The Boston Terrier”, a book that went to at least 5 editions, called it “the kiss of God” and considered it the icing on the cake as far as perfect markings were considered.

one of my favorite subjects ever!

i love cat eyes!