Last evening in Chicago the clouds were making unusual formations and changing the light in surreal ways. It looked as if there were purple mountains off in the distance. Sid thought we were back in California.

I couldn’t resist going outside to Winnemac Park to check it out, and of course I wanted to bring Sid with to try and get some images of him with such an incredible backdrop. The lighting made everything look dramatic.

There was even a sun-shower at one point. It’s always a weird experience to have rain drizzling down while the sun is shining and half the sky is still clear bright blue.

P.S. Sid and I would like to thank you for all the positive thoughts and good juju you sent us in regard to his little back tweak fiasco. He is totally back to his normal self so it must have just been a fluke thing which is a big relief for us both!

About a week ago, I rented a nice camera lens for the weekend (for the photo buffs out there, it was a Canon 50mm 1.2L). This is a really nice lens that I cannot really justify buying outright, but luckily there is a camera shop called Dodd Camera just a bike-ride away from Pug Slope HQ. They have tons of equipment that can be rented out and have really good rates for the weekends.

I headed out to Winnemac Park with Sid to try out the new lens. Sid seemed exceptionally excited about this particular photo shoot – probably because I actually remembered to bring some treats with me this time.

In the early Spring, the park district does a controlled burn of the prairie areas of Winnemac Park so back in April of this year the area on the far side of the fence looked totally barren. To see what I mean check out this post from April. Over the summer, though, the plants quickly return and grow at incredible rates. Soon the whole prairie area is filled with lush green leaves and lovely flowers that last all through the summer.

The plants are all native species, so the local pollinators are very attracted to them. There are often lots of bees collecting pollen and even monarch butterflies fluttering by!

Sid didn’t want any bees accidentally landing on him so he trotted over to one of the more open areas of the park near the weeping willow trees.

After a little stroll through the field he laid down near the far end of the park and made sure I delivered with the treats. He was being very photogenic so I complied.

I’m definitely excited to try out some other lenses from Dodd. Maybe next time I’ll try a fish-eye lens so I can show you guys some LARGER THAN LIFE close-ups of Sid’s pug mug?! I wonder if he’d approve…

(THAT LITTLE PAW JUST KILLS ME!!!)

Just in case you were wondering, this is what happens when you have a pug sitting on your lap during work and suddenly remember that your laptop has a webcam.

Hi there my loyal ‘Slopers’! Sorry for taking so long to get this post up. I had all the photos ready to go but then my Dad got sick so I’ve been on call for nursing duties the last few days. The nursing just means lots of extra naps, even during the daytime! Can’t beat that, right?

Anyway, I probably built this up too much in my last post, but I did really go on an expedition this past weekend, though it might not have really been a RAMPAGE or THRILLING or TURBULENT.

My Dad and I started out on our usual after-dinner walk, but then we just kept on going! It was the first warm-ish day we’d had for many months so with a spring in our step, we strolled all the way to River Park. I know, it’s pretty much the most generic name for a park ever, but it actually is a really beautiful park the runs right along the Chicago River (which explains the name I guess).

As soon as we got there I noticed there were all these gigantic brown bean-pod things on the ground. I eat green beans from time to time so I thought they would taste the same but boy was I wrong. They were pretty disgusting, although I still tried to eat every single one I came across. I was hopeful there might be one that tasted as good as a green bean. No such luck.

Then we strolled around under the trees for a bit and took a few posed pictures. My Dad tricked me into thinking he had some baby carrots with him which is why he got me at the top of my posing game. I don’t know how I fell for that again – it’s definitely not the first time he’s pulled that move. Next time we do this I’ll be sure to make him stop by the fridge before we leave so I can WITNESS him actually putting the b.c.’s into his pockets.

Head on:

Profile:

And full-body, with a three-quarter twist (one of my specialties):

We then trekked over to the river. There’s a fence that blocks direct access to the river so I wasn’t able to go for a dip, but it still was a pretty sight, especially since the sun had begun setting. I can’t wait to go back again (if the weather here ever decides to cooperate!).

The leaves have finally started changing color in a major way here in Chicago so I figured it was about time for a new seasonally-appropriate masthead as you loyal Pug Slopers have come to expect.

I was finally able to appease Sid after his “Poop Strike” on Halloween, but it took a large quantity of his favorite treats. We’re talking a steady flow of apple chunks, peanut butter, baby carrots, and venison jerky. I think I finally got him back on my side (for how long, I do not know).

We ventured out to the park for Sid’s early morning stroll and snapped a few photos while we were there. The colors were amazing.

Sid loved rummaging through the fallen leaves. I suppose they either smelled really interesting or he thought they might be hiding some giant stockpile of treats underneath.

So what do you think of the new masthead?