Lilly in the Light

This is Lilly, a dog I'm taking care of for three weeks in Northern California while a friend of mine travels in Eastern Europe. Lilly is an Australian Red border collie, and it's not surprising that her breed is known as the most intelligent. Lilly can count to five, speak on command, hold a biscuit on her nose and grab it out of the air, and she ALWAYS knows when you're about to leave the house without her. She's also a bit of an agent provocateur; she likes to run around the neighborhood and tease all the fenced-in dogs, then run on to the next house, reveling in her freedom.

Cornfield Amaze

I took this photograph on August 20 as I was flying from Burbank to Sacramento to do some work for a friend, and to house- and dog-sit for him while he was in Poland. I was taking photos from my window seat on a Southwest Airlines flight, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the sight below (the photo has been rotated 90 degrees from its original angle for better viewing). The "cornfield maze" artwork below is from Cobb Ranch near Fresno, and for a while I thought I'd "discovered" it. Not a chance. Check out Cornfield Maze.com. Still, it was a very serendipitous shot, and I'm happy to have taken it.