WHITE BALANCE Magazine...A special publication for those photographers who can never seem to get a firm grasp of digital technology.
I was looking at someones photographs on Flickr this morning and in their photo set they had made a magazine cover using a picture of their cat. I didn't want to use the Flickr program so I went into Photoshop and designed my own magazine cover. Feel free to subscribe in the comments section.
White fluffy stuff fell from the sky this morning, and Jack couldn't bark enough about how excited he was to see it (and eat it) again. 
Ack.. it's in my eyes... blink, blink.
Appropriately brought to you by Garnier Fructis: 
skullet:
"This subspecies of mullet refuses to let go of its cherished plumage. Too many years of Pabst Blue Ribbon and 7-11 hookers have made this mullet confused and nonsensical. What isn't on top, it more than makes up for in the back. It keeps its locks locked-up in a ponytail for good luck and to keep the chicks hot".
Jane: Bobby your daddy has a skullet!!!
Bobby: No he aint go no dog gone sku-let.
Jane: oh yeah he do Bobby
Bobby: Hey woman how bout you go get me a beer?
Jane: *heads for the fridge*
That is what she was saying as I took this photograph. I didn't really understand why until the horse got closer and I could see all the restraints it was wearing. Clearly this woman wasn't proud of what she was doing.
I was at this stable in California for a natural hoof trimming clinic, and the barn adjacent to where the lecture was being given was as quiet as a morgue. The word morgue is what keeps coming to mind because the horses that were in the stalls were alive but they weren't living, if you know what I mean. It was really, really sad.
When the people from the hoof clinic walked into that barn during the lecture break there was no nickering, no whinnies heard. Instead we saw horses tied to the walls IN THEIR STALLS, wearing these contraptions to "train" their tails to stay in this upward bent position. It was AWFUL!! The horses were miserable.
I started to feel this anxiety, and I couldn't understand why then I realized that it was coming from the horses. I left the barn and went as far away from it as I could to clear my head before the lecture resumed. For the rest of that weekend I stayed away from that barn.
How uncomfortable does this horse look? This is about as far from Parelli Natural Horsemanship as one can get. I think it's a perfect illustration of how humans inflict unnatural standards upon animals. "It should move like this, it should carry its head, and tail like that" etc.. I felt bad when I saw these pictures so I decided to post them so that everyone can see how gross and unharmonious this is.
Here is something much nicer to look at..
One night when I was driving home, I looked in my rear view mirror and saw this beautiful sight.
I met these small mouth bass in Florida, where they live in a very large home made tank that sits inside a partially enclosed shed that functions as a photography set. The man who owns these fish films bass fishing videos and commercials for fishing lures. The diffused sunlight coming in through the side window of their tank was the only light I had inside the shed, but it was enough light for the fish to see me moving around in front of their window, and as I moved from left to right to set up a photograph they would follow me. I'd never been followed by a small school of fish before.. except while snorkeling in the ocean.. But THIS was different- I was on dry land and these guys were following me. The greenish light in the shed and the splashing sound of their aerator would make for a relaxing place to hang out, and I would sit with them several times while I visited in Florida. 
These guys live at the Chinese restaurant not far from my home. They don't have such a pimped out underwater palace as the bass do. They have a bright light shining down on them all day long. And they don't have much room to swim around in either. I hope they don't end up on somebodys plate one night. 
I've been home from vacation for 6 days now. Funny, it seems like so much longer, but when I close my eyes and think about a certain view I can see it in my mind's eye just as clearly as if I was still there. I think it's really interesting that a place can have such remarkable scenery, weather, or light that it sort of etches itself in your memory. Iceland. It has definitely won my heart and I feel as though I belong there.
My laptop is warning me that my startup disk is nearly full, so I can't post any new pictures from vacation yet. They are coming though, I promise. In the mean time here is one from this evening. My friend Aristoitle waited quietly while I took pictures with my cell phone. 
I want to say thank you to my blog visitors for coming 'round and reading my blog. I've been such a distracted blogger lately that I haven't even visited my own blog to check for comments to moderate. Normally I don't have any, so I was expecting to have an empty "in" box.... but you folks surprised me! I have finally posted your comments and added my thanks here and there. In case you don't read back to the comments you leave me I am posting my thank you here as well.
I hope to get to visiting you again regularly, Rosie, Jack, PoopieSchmoopee, and Graze On..
In the mean time stay tuned.. as Mallow is preparing to hit the road for another trip. This time passport required. ::cue mystery music:::
Hi there I'm back.
I haven't been doing much since my return from Colorado just working and spending time with Aristoitle.
I keep thinking that I need to keep a more thorough record of what I do with Aristoitle because some days we just have amazing rides where he is so tuned into me.
The last time I rode him I used my bareback pad, halter with reins clipped on to the chin loop, and one carrot stick. I attached my reins to the loop on the bareback pad and decided not to use them and only steer with my body (eyes, bellybutton, legs) .. and use the carrot stick as a reinforcement if he didn't "hear" me. Okay, that was working well this night, but we still had trouble getting together on the WHOA part of the equation. I used to ask him to change from trot to walk by not riding with my body, I would exhale, relax... Aristoitle wouldn't respond to these cues and would continue trotting. Yet sometimes he would hear me and slow down, but this was very hit and miss.
This time I decided a whole new approach was needed.
When Aristoitle is at a standstill and I want him to back up I raise my heels towards his shoulders and gently tap him until he begins to back up. I lean backwards as well when I am tapping him like this. I then lessen the tapping but keep my heels up there so that he continues to move backwards but with less of a cue from me. He has learned this pretty well, so I decided to try this while he was trotting.. and wouldn't you know it.. speedy Gonzales heard the message and came down to a walk! Now I can ask him to trot by inhaling deeply and getting my energy up, then after trotting around the arena a while, I exhale and raise my heels up to slow him down to a walk. While he is trotting I try to keep my energy up and I breathe normally. I try to be aware of my body and whether or not I am leaning one way or another or gripping with my legs. If I do need to grip with my legs I do so from my knees up-- NOT the other way around. I try to go with the flow as much as possible. Believe me it is difficult to get all the muscle memory going and doing things the right way so I don't interfere with him, but when it works out right it is MAGIC!
Okay enough of this computer stuff ... I need to go visit Aristoitle before work. Bye.. have a good day!
Last day of the conference and rain started to fall pretty hard about a half hour after the final presentation. The timing couldn't have been any better weather-wise.. we had just left the big arena and started walking down to the car when this storm blew in. Beautiful clouds on one side of the valley, and a rainbow at the other side of the valley.
What a great trip! We had a fun time, learned a lot, took TONS of pictures. Here is a photo to get you hooked.. that's probably all I'll post for today because I need to go see Aristoitle now. :) 
