Dance Parade

This year the Dance Parade was awesome! Especially since I got a press pass and I could walk alongside the dancers. Once again, I had a hard time choosing between two lenses: the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 and the Canon EF 300mm f/4L. It was a lot easier to take the photos with the Sigma but soon after the parade started I switched to Canon.  

Before the parade started I had some great opportunities to photograph the preparations: practicing, assembling gear and resting. The huge frog vehicle was a must for me. It came inside a yellow truck and they needed almost ten men to carry it out from there. The place was surrounded with some more interesting looking vehicles: a wolf like bike, two giants ponies, a purple bus and a furry little green car.

The scene was very colorful and festive, As soon as the ribbon cutting ceremony was over, the parade started marching on Broadway and 21st. I caught this cute girl popping her head out from the bus's window and went to look for my favorite act.

During the preparations I saw a Japanese act of two girls covered with the cherry blossom, hanging out with a golden man. They were fantastic and I immediately declared them as my favorites. Although I have been twice to the Sakura Matsuri festival I have never seen anything like it before.

Another one of my favorites was a pink-haired girl riding on a gigantic "My Little Pony". The pony was so big that I had a hard time capturing all of it. Finally, I snapped a photo with my cellphone.

As for real animals, at the beginning of the parade, I saw Oswaldo Gomez, also known as Ms. Colombia, with her African grey parrot named Rosita. Also, I saw two dogs walking in the parade, one of them was a Chihuahua named "Little One". I was told that Little One never missed a dance parade in the city.

The parade was fun as well as exhausting. By the end of it I could barely walk let alone carry my 300mm lens. I packed everything, took the city bike and headed to recharge myself at Shake Shack. See you all at the next Dance Parade :) 

Paxon & Morena

This Monday, just one day after Louie left, I went to the ASPCA to pick up Morena. Morena is an 8 years old, mixed Shih-Tzu with diabetes which made her almost completely blind. When I first saw Morena, I wasn't impressed by her looks and she doesn't seem to care to much about me. We both set together and waited for her medical instructions and equipment. That was the moment I first saw Paxon. Actually, I saw only his yellow eyes as he was hiding inside his carrier. A couple brought him to the ASPCA with a door-less carrier. I was intrigued.
The women was crying and the man explained to me that this cat came all the way from Russia. They adopted him from his original owners two weeks prior but it turned out that the man is allergic to cats. We were talking to each other and out of the blue, and I couldn't believe this was happening, I heard myself saying that I'll adopt him. The stuff of the ASPCA were very surprised, almost as much as I was, since only recently I brought back my beloved foster cat, Matthew. Nonetheless, they played along and told me that Paxon first needs to go through behavioral examination and neutering and that they can put him on hold for me. It was estimated that Paxon will be ready for adoption in two days. Although I didn't actually see Paxon, there was no doubt in my mind that I'll be able to adopt him and foster Morena at the same time. Later that day, I came back with my husband to meet Paxon in person and we decided we are going forward with the adoption.

I still had two days to think, nothing was final. When I left the ASPCA with Morena she was super excited to get into the cab and she quietly set in my lap the whole way home. It seems that Morena's main goal in life is to please her owner. She is one of the nicest and happiest dogs I have ever met, when we go out for a walk, even dogs that are described by their owners as "very unsocial", want to play with Morena. Also, I never need to worry that she might bite someone or even bark, but I do need to guide her through the streets and protect her from the chaotic city as her poor sight doesn't allow her to respond quickly enough to rapid changes (like approaching lampposts).

As for the diabetic part of Morena, it was pretty easy once I got the hang of it. She needs to get her insulin injections twice a day, but only after she finishes at least half of her food portion. At first, it went very smoothly, as each time I fed her she immediately fished all her food in less then 5 minutes. The tricky and most nerve-raking part was when I brought Paxon home.

Two days after I first saw him, I got an email from the ASPCA stating that Paxon passed his dog test (meaning that he will have no problems living with dogs) and that he is ready for adoption. Within a few hours we went to the ASPCA to adopt Paxon. On our way in we saw Matthew. I felt sorry leaving Matthew behind and adopting a cat I don't really know instead. I do love Matthew and I miss him but I feel like I can't completely trust him (generally, the book title "How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you" pretty much summarized our interaction).
The adoption process at the ASPCA was very efficient and professional. We met the behaviorist who examined Paxon, she said he is very shy but easy going. When she brought the dog in for the test, she had to literally wake Paxon up in order for him to notice the dog, he didn't mind about the dog and went back to sleep. After filling up `your dream cat questionnaire` and a bunch of forms we received a cat in a box. I saw two yellow eyes looking at me and I knew this was our cat.

We came home to Morena with the new cat and a few toys for her. She was extremely happy to get the toys so we took her to the hallway to play and released the cat in the house. He was not nearly as curios as Matthew. He sniffed for a bit and placed himself on the kitchen counter. After the cat choose his spot, we let Morena in and she was thrilled to find out about her new friend. The cat however, was significantly less excited about his new roommate. At night, we closed an area for the dog near our bed and let the cat roam free in the house. In the middle of the night, I woke up and saw him trying to snuggle underneath my blanket.

Next morning, the cat started stressing about all the noises coming from the dog so he decided to hide in his litter box. He refused to leave his litter box, therefore, I arranged another litter box for the cat and transform the existing one into a hiding place. I closed the area with a sofa in order to keep the dog out. I took the cat out of his box (he is the nicest cat, he was purring when I picked him up), replaced the litter with a blanket and put all litter in a different box. After I finished, and although the dog was out of sight, the cat immediately went back to his hiding place and wouldn't go out again until late that night.
I left everything as is, and by now, a few days later, the cat has no problem sitting next to the dog. He is completely confident moving around the house and sharing his space with Morena. It was pure joy for me to wake up with them this weekend. They were both very playful and cooperative. Morena and Paxon chased their toys and Paxon didn't stop purring while I cuddled him. Although Paxon still refuses to play with Morena, he tolerates her presence and while I'm writing these lines, Morena is sleeping in her bed under the desk and Paxon is laying on the desk behind the computer monitor.

Louie

Louie is a 4 years old French Bulldog. Louie stayed with us for a whole week and we immediately found out that Louie will adore anyone who hold food in his hands and will viciously fight any vacuum cleaner in sight. He is the undeniably king of Manhattan and if you walk with him on the streets you feel like a celebrity.   

Walking on the streets, nothing will distract Louie from his agenda; not the noise, not the people, not the squirrels or other dogs. He is fully focused on finding the best places to do his business.      

Since his belly is so close to the floor, I have to clean him with wet wipes after every walk. Louie, from his end, will find a good spot to roll in and get back some earthly smell. He is especially funny when he decides to roll over a rock. 

Louie is a great model and will be very happy to pose for a treat. If you ask me, this is a very cheap price to pay for such a royalty. 

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

I love going to Central Park, especially when it is covered with white snow. So far, this winter we did not have a lot of snow and this is only the second time the park was covered with white, fluffy snowflakes. Piles of snow were quickly turned into snowmen, popping up under every tree, like mushrooms after the rain. My absolute favorite was a beautiful snowdog, that was carefully sculptured by a very talented couple.

I remember the first time I attempted to build a snowman, it was a complete disaster. The snow wouldn't stick and I ended up with a small amorphous snowmountain. When the snowdog was complete, I said my goodbyes and continued towards the Bethesda Fountain to meet up with other photographers for the 500px photowalk. It was very easy to find them, as there was a big crowd of people standing with fancy cameras. As I arrived, I was immediately drawn to a man walking with three Borozi dogs and, luckily for me, they were approached by a young English bulldog. 
I did the most reasonable thing I could think of and went to greet the dogs with my camera. There is no doubt that animals are my comfort zone and "somehow" the majority of my photos feature animals. The dogs were very playful but the Borozi are so big that in most of the photos I had at least one of them blocking the view. Eventually, I had to disconnect myself from the kisses of Brooklyn, the bubbly English Bulldog, and stumbled upon an empty, snowy-white road.

The dogs and the snow were all very photogenic, but the girl with the balloons was definitely the highlight of the day. She was walking towards the Bow Bridge and I was one step behind. It was a well calculated scene; the colors of the balloons, the clothing, the location, and I was fortunate enough to be there.

However, the last photo I will leave you with, also from the Bow Bridge, is of a vase that looks like a troll. Enjoy :)

  
        

Shoshi Shoshana in the Big City

Shoshi is a Boston Terrier puppy. She lives with two of my best friends in the city and sometimes people confuse her with a guinea pig because of her petite size (~10 pounds). She is very cute, but don't let her innocent look deceive you, as all puppies, she is a real trouble maker.

Playing with Shoshi is always fun, she will happily engage in hide and seek, tag, red light green light 1 2 3 and other fun games.

Okay... so she doesn't know how to play chess, but she does know how to give kisses and high-fives. Shoshi is also a great model and she is always happy to pose to the camera. This Halloween she dressed as a "working girl" and won the annual Costume Contest at Washington Square Dog Run in the "most inappropriate but funny costume" category. Her friend, Aldo, was dressed as her pimp.

My best time with Shoshi is when her parents are away from home and I have her all to myself :)

I love you Shoshi,

Kisses...