Her name is Sophie, and she is a German shorthair pointer…and cute as the dickens. She comes from a large family of 8 puppies, but there was no question she was the one for us when she snuggled into my lap and promptly went to sleep.

The rogue’s gallery aka Sophie’s littermates:

It took about 20 minutes before she had me completely wrapped around her paw.

We got her two weeks ago, and she has been taking over our lives ever since. I always thought I was strapped for time during the busy season, but adding a puppy into the mix gives me a whole new appreciation for time management. She seems to have two speeds: insanity and unconscious.

To my wonderful clients:  I hope you can understand why it may take me a bit longer to finish up with your sessions, but I’m doing my best! In the mean time, here are a few more Sophie photos, taken last evening…she’s 10 weeks old here.

More to come…of course!

…Mike

He eventually grew from that little tiny kitten to an eighteen pound cat, outweighing Heather by more than 2:1 (but there was no question who the boss was!). The two of them were good friends, often sleeping in a ball wherever they could find something soft, which usually turned out to be my clean laundry.

Simon was just so easy-going…he was always the first to say hello to strangers, and would put up with just about anything without any complaints…except his food dish being empty! He loved crinkly paper and boxes of any size and shape…whenever I received a package in the mail, the empty box was put on the ground and within 60 seconds Simon would be trying to figure out how to get in it. And it wasn’t just cardboard…any kind of house, including one of my flash softboxes, would prove irresistible.

When he started losing weight in December, testing revealed cancer in his abdomen, likely the liver. Like most cancer, the prognosis was mostly a guess but he stayed with us for another six months, until he had lost almost half his weight. During that whole time, he was still Simon in personality and spirit, but he was clearly frustrated as his back legs would sometimes give out on him.

Three weeks ago, he began to get a lot worse, no longer walking without falling over every few steps, and was losing weight again despite his special diet. After consulting with the vet, on one of the hardest days of my life we decided that it was time to let him go. After a snack of tuna and chicken (which he scarfed down barely chewing), Christine and I sat with him on the back deck, together as a family, and with the vets help held him as he passed away. That was almost three weeks ago, and it has taken me until today to be able to write about it.

He was one of my best friends through a part of my life that saw many changes…from basement apartment to house, from a government job to high tech to photography, and from being single to being married. For more than fourteen years he gave me and Christine a sense of comfort and companionship, entertainment and happiness.

Thanks for finding me, boy. We miss you.

…Mike and Christine

So this time we decided to try something new: we put every image we took into a slideshow that plays them back at ten per second. The point here is to get across the feeling and scope of the trip, not necessarily any specific image. I think it succeeds.

Part one: The Northern Sector of Tanzania

Part Two: the Southern and Western Sectors of Tanzania

What do you think?

…Mike

…Mike

A mongoose enjoying the morning sun on the roof of her home: an abandoned termite mound. Tarangire Park.

While more common in the south, seeing a wild dog in the north is extremely rare…even our guide was excited! Tarangire Park.

Baby baboons love to monkey around. Lake Manyara.

Baby lions teething on a bush. Lake Ndutu.

We watched this chameleon change colours several times as he strolled from the road to a bush. Lake Ndutu.

A young cheetah enjoying the afternoon sun. His mom was just out of frame. Lake Ndutu.

This leopard was not shy at all, walking right beside our truck to get to the distant fields. Serengeti Park.

One of five black rhinos we saw during our day in the Ngorongoro crater.

This chimp was about 3 feet from me when I took this. Shortly after this photo was taken, he brushed right by me. Mahale Park.

A close encounter with a croc. Selous Game Reserve.

You’d be surprised at how easily these guys can sneak up on you. Tarangire Park.

More to come…

…Mike

A leopard hiding in the underbrush in Manyara National Park.

Not sure what this little guy is, but he was quite interested in us. Manyara National Park

A baby cheetah sprints after his little brother in the Ndutu area of Ngorongoro National Park.

An interested zebra in the Ngorongoro crater

A baby lion with a tasty treat (his brother’s nose!) in Selous Game Reserve.

Hippos at sunset in Selous National Park

Look at those teeth! A croc in Selous Game Reserve.

This lioness (and six of her friends) was 200 yards from our camp for the night! Ruaha National Park

When you’re the king, you don’t have to pay attention to photographers. Ruaha National Park.

A very rare red colobus monkey, Udzungwa National Park

…Mike

Keep an eye on this space for highlights from our trip

In the mean time, if you’re looking for a wedding photographer don’t hesitate to contact me…there are still dates available in 2011 and 2012 up for grabs.

…Mike

My wife is not happy with the idea, but she’s willing to live with it since it’s for a good cause. Little does she know that I’m not shaving it off at the end! Not really.

My pledge page is here, and if you have a few bucks in your wallet, why not put them to good use and help fight cancer to afflicts millions of men?

…Mike

…Mike

…Mike