November 14, 2002

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  We did two water runs today.

  
  

  

  
  

  We had dipped down nearly to the bottom of the barrel behind me in that weird corner in the middle of the kitchen-dining-living room in here.

  
  

  One run was to fill all the jugs and buckets.  Then we emptied the buckets into the barrel and took them back again to be filled.

  
  

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  On the first run, Koji came along.  It was much easier this time.  He has a new head collar, like the one he was trained in as a pup.  He outgrew it, and was apparently losing his training, so now  he has a new training collar.

  
  

  

  
  

  I got a few decent shots such as this one looking southeast across Sheep Creek Flats, and the ice crystals in the stream, at top.

  
  

  Then there was the one that got away.  After the water was loaded into Streak, I handed Koji’s leash to Doug while I got the camera case and put the camera away.

  
  

  Then I looked up and around to find boy and dog, and there they were, coming down the hill.  Koji was surging forward, plunging down, grinning.

  
  

  Doug was trying to keep up.  He did manage to keep his feet almost all the way.  He slid on his butt in  only one steep area.

  
  

  While Doug unloaded the water and filled the barrel, I walked out to the cul de sac.

  
  

  That sun, near the southern horizon, shows how low the angle of the sun is at  mid-day this time of year.  As everyone in the far north now, I’m looking forward to the solstice when it begins to climb the sky again.

  
  

  Before we went back to fill the buckets again, we took warm water to the feral cats across the highway.  Doug had to break ice out of their water bowl, from the water  he had taken over there yesterday.  Most days, he walks.

  
  

  Greyfox had seen two kittens on one recent visit, and Doug saw one today.  By the time I wandered up the driveway looking for something to photograph, they had all taken cover.  Not even any of the more tame adults was around, nor did I find anything worth capturing in pixels.

  
  

  A neighbor was at the spring at the same time we were today.  It doesn’t happen every trip, but sometimes we run into people.

  
  

  He complimented Koji’s good looks (that was the first trip, when he was with us) and said his dog had recently died.  Then we each got on with getting water and getting home.

  
  

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  • 9:13 pm
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