Crescent Nebula

Well no sleep with the new puppy anyways so have been out shooting at night. Here is yesterday's Crescent Nebula NGC6888. Only an hour and half of exposure but still not too shabby for a near full moon evening.

"Rush" Arrives

Well no sleep last night as "Rush" (No Time To Paws) our new pup is getting (slowly) used to being crated at night. Amazing how much sound can come out of such a little thing. Good to have some more paws in the house.

Polamania

Some great weave pole action at this weeks Greater Monroe Kennel Club Summer Extravaganza. Thanks to the club for having us. Sure glad we were inside this weekend. Here's one of Cree blasting through the poles!

Horses in the Caymans

Karen and I just got back from a trip to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Had a great time at Pirates Point Resort as always. Karen caught this great shot of one of the three sea horses we saw there.

Movers and Shakers

Another fine weekend with the Portuguese Water Dogs. Thanks to the Movers and Shakers for inviting us to shoot the Southern Splash Water Dog trials.

Cocker's Galore!

Thanks to the American Spaniel Club for inviting us to shoot their national agility trials this weekend. Thanks also for the great southern hospitality.

Leaping for Joy!

We were up in Maine last week for some hunt tests. Here is a quick shot of Spinner having a big time training for the upcoming test.

Beardie Big Time

Here is a shot of a Beardie definitely having a big time at the Capital City Cocker Club agility trials last week. Thanks to the club for inviting us. Always nice to be indoors during the hot summer even if it was still a bit warm inside.

Took The Long Route Home

Well we're back from our diving trip to Wakatobi in Indonesia. Our plane broke on the way back so it took us an extra day and a few extra stops: Wakatobi Sulawesi, Bali Indonesia, Jakarta Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vancouver, New York and finally Raleigh. That all said we had a wonderful time on a very nice dive yacht - the Pelagian. Our apologies to the Belroi Club for missing the club trials as a result of our delays.

DKC Dodged a Bullet

Well, the weather turned out a whole lot better than expected. Thanks to the Durham Kennel Club for inviting us to shoot. Tracy - a good job as usual! Here's Sony peeling off the table. See you all in Gloucester after our trip to Bali.

NGC4565

Up to the no frills star party at Tuckahoe State Park in Maryland this weekend. Here's one of NGC4565 from about 3am. Cool edge on galaxy about 20 million light years away in Coma Berenices. This is about 2 hours of exposure.

Terrific weather at the Merrimac trials this weekend. Thanks to the club and Emily and Nelson for having us. Sorry we popped the breaker:-) See you all at DKC in a couple of weeks.

Markarian's Chain

A beautiful chain of galaxies that make up part of the Virgo Cluster. Some of the more prominent galaxies that can be seen in the picture are M84, M86, M8 and M88.

AKC Nationals

Just getting back from the AKC National Agility Trials in Tulsa OK. We had a blast shooting this event this year. Some terrific dogs. Congrats to our own North Carolina team members Melanie and Austin for making it to the finals.

Left Turn!

Some tight turns on the courses at the Tidelands Poodle Club Agility Trials this weekend at Gloucester VA. This is JAG making a tight left hander after the chute. Thanks to the club for having us. We ended up with some nice weather despite the forecasts.

Tire Fun

Using the ears to help line up the tire at the Star City Agility trials last weekend. Thanks to the Star City Canine Training Club for inviting us to shoot. See you at YAC next weekend.

Birds Galore!

Spent the holiday in Rodanthe along the coast. Rodanthe is close to Pea Island. Always a great place to get shots of winter bird migrations. Here is one of a flock of Northern Pintail ducks.

Lowchen High Jumper

Nothing low about this Lowchen! Some great altitude over the long jump at the DKC Obedience trials last weekend. Thanks to the club for inviting us and congratulations to all the competitors for some super runs.

Speedy Courses

Some speedy courses by Laura English this weekend. Thanks to the Danville Kennel Club for a super weekend!

Orion Is Back

I always look forward to the fall for lots of reasons, one of which is Orion returns. Orion is one of my favorite constellations. Here is a shot of M42 and M43 from the other night. This is an hours worth of data taken at from 2 to 3am.

Monty Mania

Yes sir, Monty the Sussex Spaniel is having a great time at the Youngesville Agility Club trials last weekend. We did also - it was dry and sunny! Thanks to the club for having us.

More Beardie Fun

Couldn't resist another Beardie pic. Thanks to CVAC for having us on a somewhat wet but fun weekend.

California Nebula

Well, after a ton of rainy and cloudy nights we finally got a good night for astro imaging. Here is one of NGC 1499. They call it the California Nebula, Can you guess why?

Beardie Fun

Thanks to the Gloucester Kennel Club and Emily and Nelson for having us shoot at their the agility trials last weekend. Not too much rain and some nice temperatures to run the dogs. Here one of a Beardie that's having way too much fun!

A FRAME!!!!!

Now that's the way to clear the A Frame. Thanks to the PBCA and PBH for having us last weekend. See you all in Gloucester this weekend.

Enthusiasm!

That's what I call giving it your all! Thanks to the DKC for having us shoot their fall trial. A great weekend even if it was a bit muddy.

A Golden Day

Just a super weekend at the Warrenton and PVBSC Agility Trials this weekend in Rectortown. Thanks to the two clubs for having us. Looking forward to next year! Sunday's weather was to die for and the dogs had a blast!

The "Jack" Is Back!

After a tough bout with cancer and some tender loving care from Susan, Jackson was back in fine form this weekend. Thanks to the National Capital Bearded Collie Club for having us. See you all in Rectortown next weekend.

Eastern Veil

Not much time on this one - way too many clouds but definitely worth a post. This is the Eastern Veil nebula (yes their is a western veil). The nebula is made up of the expanding fragments of an explosion about 5000 years ago. It is located some 1440 light years from here.

NGC7000

The gods smiled on me last night and gave me 32 minutes of clear skies! NGC7000 the North America Nebula. Can you guess why they called it that?

Cayman Eclipse

Back from our diving trip to Little Cayman. Lots of turtles on this one. Here is a Hawksbill blocking out the sun. Spinner and Chat enjoyed afun time at camp. Now back to the grind!

M51

Well not a water dog but here's one from the stars I took last week. It's the Whirlpool Galaxy M51 and it's companion NGC 5195. We're off to the Cayman's for a little underwater work next week. Will get some images up when I get back.

Yahoo!!

I love to shoot the Portuguese Water Dog Trials. There is just so much going on in every event. Here is a shot of a Versatility dog doing its thing!

Thanks to the Movers and Shakers for having us at their event again this year.

22 Seconds

That's all it took for Evi to run the Excellent Jumpers course this week at Concord. Awesome! Thanks to the Greater Munroe Kennel Club for inviting us to shoot. We had a great time as always.

One Week To Go

Only one more weekend off and then its back to shooting trials. One more astro photo before we get back to pictures of the pups. This is M13. There are about a 100,000 star in that puppy and its about 25,000 light years away. Also note the small galaxy NGC 6207 in the lower left corner.It's about 120 million light years away!

Moon Break

Well, a little break from shooting agility this week. The weather co-operated and I got a chance to sneak and catch a few moon shots.

MACH Firemark's All Wound Up UD SH XF ("Spinner")

Hurray! Karen and Spinner finished their MACH at the Capital City Cocker Club trials last weekend. They did it the same day and at the same venue that Spinner's half sister MACH Firemark Hot Flash CD OF ADHF ("Jody) owned by Cindy Briggs got hers. What a weekend for the Firemark dogs.

Cocker Club Bearded Collie

Here is a shot of a Beardie enjoying the superb facilities at the Capital City Cocker Club agility trials last weekend. Thanks to the club for having us and let's hope we get to use this great facility next year.

Beagle's Everywhere's

Thanks to the National Beagle Club of America for having us shoot their National Beagle Specialty Show. The dogs had a blast and so did we. See you all at Belroi next weekend.

Up Up and Away!

Thanks to DOTC of Lynchburg for having us photograph the event. A very warm but fun trial. Here is a picture that drew a few oohs and ahhs from the gallery. We're off to the beagle specialty next week.

Awwwh The Stars!

Well, not exactly a dog picture or an underwater picture but I did get a new telescope mount recently and this is its first light: M81/M82 M81 are galaxies about 12 million light years away! M81 is the bigger spiral galaxy. 30 minutes with a Nikon 500mm f4 lens.

Big Intentions!

Here is a nice working Cardigan Corgi putting a sheep back in its place. Thanks to the PBCA for having us do the photos for their herding trials last weekend. The weather turned out great and the event went off like a charm.

AKC National Winner

A very exciting weekend at the National's. Thanks to the AKC for giving us the chance to shoot the event. Here is a shot of the 8 inch winner Papillon Pal O'Mine. A terrific run with a ton of air over the A frame.

Up and Over

Thanks to the Youngesville Agility Club for inviting us to shoot their trials last weekend. We apologize for having to take our tent down on Sunday. Things just got a bit (OK a lot) windy. That all said, we got some great pictures from some super runs. Here is one of Michelle's Cree doing a quick up and over of the A frame. We're off to the South Pacific to do some underwater work for the next couple of weeks. See you all back at Teamworks in a couple of weeks.

PBVG On The Go!

Thanks to the Star City Agility Club for having us at their trials last weekend. It was a really nice venue and the club did a terrific job of getting it organized and running smoothly throughout the weekend. A good time was had by all as you can see by this great little PBVG on a tear!

A Whole Lota Jumping Going On

Thanks to the Blue Ridge Agility Club for having us last weekend. Would you believe I shot 9000 pictures! There was a whole lot of jumping going on in a superb facility. Thanks again and check out the web pictures if you haven't already.

Wintery NC

Well, let's hope this was the last blast before a "dry" and warm spring. I'm already over winter. See you at the Fletcher trials this weekend - inside!

Xmas Landing

Karen and I had a chance to get down to Hatteras for the holidays. Here is one from Christmas day. The snow geese migrate through here this time of year. A great time to get pictures. Looking forward to seeing you all in the New Year.

Happy Holidays!

Well, as usual the DKC Obedience trials was our last trial of the year and marks the end of a busy season for us. Karen and I thank all the clubs that we have had the privilege of working with this year. Looking forward to a great 2009 and we wish everyone a Happy Holiday season!

Herding at Breezy Hill

Well it definitely was breezy on Breezy Hill. We were at the Collie Club of America Eastern Regionals in Gladys VA last weekend. Thanks to Roy Johnson for hosting the event. We had a great time even though it was mighty cold and windy on Saturday. That didn't seem to bother the dogs though. We had some great runs.