Good dog Zoey

What a spectacular day it was in Toronto today. Big cities don't have
that many clear blue sky days -- the kind of days my friend, Flora,
in Nova Scotia can pretty much count on. But today was one of them.
I stepped out onto our back porch and realized I'd better take
Zoey for one of our weekend walks.

Zoey and I cut through this alleyway,
and are rewarded with this view

I am lucky to live near a beautiful park. Just over the top
lucky. So after asking the dog whether she wanted a walk
enough times to make her talk the way I wish she would
when I take her on Letterman, I put her leash on, and let
her out the front door. I still don't walk her down the stairs
-- you remember she pulled me down the hill and -- crack
broke my ankle. But she waits patiently for me to clunk down
the stairs. She sniffs exuberantly like a truffle hound, and
the walk begins.

Around the corner we see this great tree casting a
brilliant blue shadow on a white house.
I'm thinking in watercolour suddenly




Lovers walking down the hill.
Soon the leaves will be gone.
The trees just north of Toronto
are already bare.

We ran into a neighbour up the street with a bouncy Vizsla,
and Zoey's joy increased. Mine too because my neighbour,
Angela (another Angela for those of you who follow my
blog)has a great sense of humour, and we laughed
for the entire walk. One of the funnier sights
was a woman with a cane hitting the low branches in a
maple tree because one had fallen on her. Whack went
the cane, and there were no more loose branches.

The late sun hits the young trees on
what locals call "the loop."

Sometimes walking your dog you run into people who
have clearly lost whatever slim grip they ever had on
reality, and it's best to smile, give a nod to your dog, (as if
to say, I'd love to stay and chat, but Fido here is so
impatient -- sorry)and move silently on.

Sketch in acrylic and oil pastel on
watercolour paper

10 x 12 inches

I'm including a sketch done in acrylic and oil pastel, of
Zoey dog sleeping on her blankets in Nova Scotia.
It's clear that the influence is folky, maybe Maude Lewis.
Don't know. But it's even brighter than my normal
style -- pushing the boundaries.


Have an enjoying-what-comes-your-way day.