Wish I Had My Camera...

That title sounds funny for a photographer, right? Well, I wish that phrase was not in my vocabulary. But, it is and I had many of those moments this week. The ones where I see something and think, "oh I wish I had my camera." One in particular was Monday morning. I was stuck in traffic per usual and stopped at a place that I have never paid attention to before now. The snow from the night before sparkled as if millions of diamonds had been thrown carelessly into the air littering the ground randomly where they fell. The sun was dazzling and bright so the only witness to the snow from the night before was the hearty stems of some sunflowers. These usually brown and ugly plants caught my attention as fully as they had caught the snow. They looked as though they were blossoming pure white buds at the tips of the stems. The flowers sparkled with the same radiance as the countryside. They were wonderful! I didn't have time to even use the phone on my camera as traffic decided to pick up at the very moment I thought of it. Although camera-less I am thankful the memory is burned in my mind. What a testimony to God's presence in nature that was for me.

Another one of those moments happened while I was at work this week. This time I did manage to get out my camera phone for a less than ideal shot of this little gal (I say, "she" because apparently she has been there for a number of years and has even raised a litter there. Her "cave" is the most obscure place and it's a wonder she chose it with all of the noise and accessibility by humans).  But she ventured out this afternoon and we watched her hunt and then proceed to dine right outside of our office window. They haven't named her at the office so I am taking suggestions:

My next example is not a "wish I had my camera" moment, exactly. However, I do wish I had CAUGHT her in the act....and not just once but twice.  Most of you that know me, know about Kenna too. This naughty, lovable, smart, quirky black lab has been my companion for about 5 years now. 

We have been through a lot and she has never been the easiest pet. However, from the day I rescued her from the Boulder Humane Society she has been the best thing that has happened to me. For that, I can love her unconditionally and forgive her for moments like these (but only after a freak out moment):

Yes, you are seeing those correctly. Let me set up the scenario for you. On Sunday I was making bread for my women's group breakfast on Tuesday. However, either the oven wasn't up high enough or I just didn't leave it in long enough but as soon as it started cooling the center of the bread fell and the middle was soup. I didn't feel like going out that night and decided that I would grab the necessary ingredients and make another loaf on Monday after work. Which I did. What you are witness to by this picture is the result of Kenna's stealthily behavior after she got up on the counter and nibbled as much as she could reach off the ends of the bread. I think the hardest concept for me to process in this situation is not how silent she was but that she did it while I was home!!! So, needless to say when I discovered my bread at 10:30 the night before it was needed, I was an unhappy mama. She didn't even come to bed with me that night and slept downstairs on her doggy bed. 

Tuesday was a good day and we actually managed to make it through the day without a hitch. Then comes Wednesday... And just when I think I am over her eating the bread, I come home to the second picture. I wish it showed the unbelievable mess but in order for accuracy I would have had to go into the backyard, the hall, the front room, and the back side of the kitchen to take pictures and I didn't want to incriminate her that much. This incident was especially bad as she took the other black lab down with her in the process. And if you know this dog, you would agree that Charlie is THE sweetest dog in the world without a real desire to be naughty. And if he is ever naughty he's always SOOO sorry; makes it hard to stay mad at him for long. 

(He's the one with the sweet face!)

However, we can always tell who the culprit is, not only because they act guilty but because of the location of where the "naughty" behavior occurred. Charlie took a lot of the trash in the backyard through the doggy door while Kenna grazed inside per their usual routines.  In all they managed to eat half a loaf of pumpkin bread, thrown out left overs, and plenty more. The worst part was the fact that she got into the grease jar and licked it clean. She is now suffering from a bloated stomach and we are suffering from her gas. :P I wish this was an isolated incident but my husband calls her a "little coke head" after we came home and found a bag of flour all over the floor and covering her black nose in a white pasty mess. I really do wish I had a camera with me even to catch these moments because they are fun to laugh about...after the fact, that is. 

Although I do understand the impracticality of carrying my camera everywhere, I get a renewed sense of appreciation for photography each time I have one of those "wish I had..." moments (which are quite frequent)! I would love to hear your "wish I had moments" so please leave a comment!