Moochers and snoozes.

Of course all they want is to share everything we have. Especially our food. I took these pictures tonight with the Nikon D40 tonight. At least Ruff wasn't drooling like he usually does.

And later this evening I took one of old man Axl snoozing on the couch while we watched TV.

And this picture was taken yesterday afternoon with the old Sony while Mom and Axl took a nap on the couch together in the family room. Even though it was only 1 PM the sky was dark with rain.

Some people ask where our third Rottweiler, Sassy, is while I'm taking all these pictures. Sassy is rather anti-social and likes to be by herself, especially if we are in the other room watching a movie like we were tonight. This is her lying on the couch in the family room all by her lonesome self. We often watch TV shows in this room and then Sassy shares the little couch with me.

What a difference a half-second makes.

I was reminded yesterday of another reason why I bought my Nikon D40 four years ago. The older digital cameras like my Sony had a built-in delay between the time I pressed the shutter release button and the time the flash went off. It wasn't a big difference, it was only about a half-second, but here is a perfect example. My wife was smooching Ruff and I took a picture of it and then Ruff turned his head and gave his Mom a big wet kiss right on her face. I pressed the shutter release and missed the kiss but caught her reaction. That wouldn't have happened with the Nikon so maybe I'll have to start using it more often.

I guess I should have reminded my wife to keep her mouth closed when Ruff is in a kissing mood. It wasn't the first time he stuck his tongue in someones mouth.

 

Saturday afternoon and the weather is changing.

Changing weather is right. The overnight temps are now down to below freezing and the afternoon highs are in the mid-sixty's (when the sun is shining). Today the clouds fill the sky and block out the Sun and we have outdoor temps like the inside of our refrigerator. Hense the need for a turtleneck sweater to keep Mom warm. Took this picture with the Nikon because it was getting jealous of the older Sony. Since the days before Ruff's 5th birthday last week I've taken 80-odd pictures with the Sony and only 19 pictures with the Nikon since Nov. 13th.

Here are two pictures taken last night with the Sony, one with Mom and her boys watching TV and the second of my sleeping beauty, Ruff. My wife is happy that Ruff doesn't want to lay in her lap.

  

My Sony camera is back on the end table.

I mentioned on my old web site that I always had my camera nearby so I could grab it quickly to take pictures of my Rottweilers. The old camera was my Sony DSC-S85 digital that I replaced 4 years ago with my current Nikon D40. The old Sony wasn't very big and I used to keep it in the living room right on the end table and it allowed me to quickly take some really cute pictures. While I was waiting to record the 10,000th picture of Ruff on his 5th birthday last week, I put the old Sony back to use for a few days. Now I have decided there are still plenty of times when I need a camera close by and the Nikon is not as convenient because it is stored away in a camera bag with a flash and a telephoto lens. So here are a few shots taken in the past couple of day with the Sony of our gang of Rottweilers just being what they always are - big clowns. Hope you enjoy seeing them.

Hope I didn't confuse you but this first picture was taken at bedtime and I had carried the camera with me. Ruff was already waiting for me.

See how sleepy he looked when we turned off the television. I caught him in the middle of a big yawn after he woke up from another nap.

And here is my little girl Sassy who spends the night laying next to me on the other couch while we watch TV.

A king-sized dog on a queen-sized bed.

I took this photo when I was going to bed last night. This is "little" Ruff sleeping on my bed. And he was sound asleep. I couldn't wake him up to get him to move so I slid him across the bed to give me some room.

Here is what the little guy looked like 4 days after we brought him home on January 7, 2007 when he was just 7 weeks old. He is laying on the couch next to my old girl Mocha who became his new foster mother.

And here is a recent picture taken a few days ago of Ruff sleeping on the same couch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY RUFFIN.

Well, today was little Ruff's 5th birthday. He has grown quite a bit since we brought him home on January 7, 2007 when he was just 7 weeks old. Ruff was just a little fur ball then but now he is 132 lbs of love. I baked him a special meatloaf cake topped with mashed potato icing and he enjoyed it very much. Here are some pictures.

I also got a surprise when I transferred the pictures to my computer. The Nikon picture file did not continue beyond the last picture which was # DSC_9999. I expected it to go to # 10000 but it started all over at picture # DSC_0001. Not a really big problem except I still had those first pictures in my computer so I had to create a new directory to store them.

 

Last night at 9:36 PM

One thing I like about the little Sony digital camera is that I can leave it out on the end table next to the couch where it is easy to reach. So it was last night during a commercial break while watching the TV. It wasn't any where near bedtime, the time stamp on the picture said 9:36 PM. This crew doesn't appreciate the fact that I was the only one awake and on duty to protect them.

Click the picture for a larger view.

Today is Saturday and tomorrow is Ruff's big day. He will be 5 years old and we plan to take him to Petsmart to see the other dogs and meet some people. He really likes to do that. Then it will be time to bake his meatloaf birthday cake and have a party. I will then take picture number 10,000 with my Nikon.

    

Tinker and Lucy pay us a visit.

Actually, our friend Lucy paid us a visit today and brought along her little long-haired dachshund Tinkerbelle. Tinker is a big favorite of our two male Rotts, Axl and Ruff. Usually it is Ruff who claims all the attention but today it was Axl's turn. I took this picture of Lucy and my wife Jackie on the couch with Axl in between and he was resting his head in Lucy's lap snuggled up next to Tinker.

Click the picture for a larger view. You may have to to see Tinker.

Oh, yeah, the reason my wife is holding Axl's hind feet is because he likes to stretch out when he lays down and he kicks with them.

 

Killing some time with the Sony taking more pictures of my Rotts.

Well, I dusted off (literally) my 7-year old Sony digital camera, charged the battery and took some more pictures of my favorite subjects. The camera has laid dormant for so long that when I turned it on and took my first shot it re-set itself back to picture # DSC00001.  Here are one each of Ruff and Sassy followed by a surprise.

And a surprise.

Peek a Boo!

The last two were taken tonight.

 

I'm sort of cheating on my promise.

My Nikon is now sitting in my camera bag after shooting picture # DSC_9999.jpg the other night. But I know that I cannot have something ready to take another picture with before Ruff's birthday next Sunday so I dusted off my old Sony digital that I haven't used in the last 4 1/2 years and I charged up the battery. I will keep the promise I made to take my 10,000th picture with my Nikon when Ruff has his birthday party. After all, it was Ruff who was the reason I bought the Nikon in the first place. If you're curious, here is the 9,999th picture. Nothing out of the ordinary, just another after-the-movie image.

Our Rottweilers are going to love this.

The local weather forecast for this winter came in today with a reminder about last year's snowfall from the WCPO-TV weatherman. Its funny how a lengthy, hot and very wet Summer makes you forget what happened last year.

It wasn't until Dec. 1, 2010 that Cincinnati got its first measurable snowfall of 0.6", slightly more than a trace, with the second round of 3.2" on Dec. 4.  That got everyone's attention.  The snowmachine was just getting started.  By the end of December, The Tri-State had racked up 16.6" of snowfall.  Well above its 3.6" normal intake.  Subsequently, January 2011 also saw above normal snowfall with 12.8".

Cincinnati didn't catch a break until February and March when snowfall totals decreased to below normal amounts of 2.8".

In case you are wondering, normal seasonal snowfall for Cincinnati is 23.6" Last winter's (2010-2011) amount was more than 11" above normal at 35.2".

With La Nina making a second go-around this year, NOAA is forecasting a similar winter season to last year's. So expect more cold, wet and snowy conditions this winter.

So I guess we can expect the Rotts to begin pointing their noses to the North and sniffing the cold air for signs of more snow again. They seem to look forward to it like little children.