If you feel you might not want to see a larger view of a given image (such as a "harvest" pic) please don't click on that thumbnail.

First Row: 1.) Meet Catie Faye - Boston Terrier daughter of Sonny & Connie and goddaughter to Rose and me according to Connie, 2.) also meet Boppy Bear - part Chow from the house of Jabo & Kat (Now there is something to think about - Catie is pronounced like it's spelled with a K and Kat is pronounced like it's spelled with a C. No wonder they say English is the hardest language to learn. Catie is every bit as happy-go-lucky, sweet, and hyper as her "momma" and also like Connie never meets a stranger. Boppy belonged to Kat's son but stayed in the neighborhood where he grew up with Sloopy, when Tim left the parental nest. Tim gave him his first name but the second part came from Rose and me cause Tim waited too long to name him. Since he was always with Sloopy and looked like a little bear to us and needed a handle, what else? Now he carries both names. He is a tad cautious at first but once he meets you is one of the best natured and lovable dogs I've ever known. You can't help but love these community pals.), 3.) another generations picture - this one from my side of the family - male - and five - although Ray (the youngest - who is now a fifty-ish Californian) had his face cut off in this print. Raymond son of Everett (my oldest brother - center rear) son of Vernard (my "Pop" - right rear) son of Bernard (my "Grampa Bernie"/"Smiley"- left rear) son of Simeon ( my Great Grandfather "Ol' Sim Dunn" - front center), 4.) young "Smiley" in one of many band uniforms he was to wear, 5.) Lt. Col. George Cribb with his book, and 6.) first move in the resurrection of "The Monster".
 

Second Row: 1.) A particularly good picture of "Dag" in 99 (a gathering of his family at his son's, Gary), 2.) Viv offering some trout (caught by hubby, Larry), 3.) & 4.) next two are pictures of "Swamp Girl" (Sloopy) after one of her rabbit chases (yep, that's mud, sand. and wet - she knows it's bath time - don't miss larger views), 5.) "The Visiting Nurse" - Connie saying hey, and 6.) a potentially dangerous NC brushfire. Taken with a digital camera by my friend (also a part time "Ace Man") Dave - who is a full time civilian fire fighter for the MC at Camp Lejeune.

Third Row: 1.) & 2.) Sloopy's latest friend and devoted running mate - Joe - with Rose and with chair to show his size. Sloopy can walk under his belly except for her "Happy Tail". Joe can't smell much but he waits impatiently for Sloopy to lead the way with her nose and wear him out on their swamp jaunts. He was a "drop-off" that Connie (being Connie) took under her wing. At first he was very stand-offish and testy with all but her and Sloopy and then Rose after awhile. He must have been badly abused by someone - man most likely. He was good with the other dogs and now he's slowly coming around to Sonny and me and a few others. I think Connie and Sloopy have been good influences on him. It is funny to see as big as he is that he comes home just as muddy and worn out as Sloopy - except the dirt usually doesn't go quite as high on him. 3.) some mallards that I fear are settled in tourists no longer migrating, 4.) & 5.) close-up and long shot of the new installations and modifications to our fish/garden ponds area, and 6.) a teaser of some of Allen's great camera work on our Spring pig hunt. This young buck without his antlers was about to walk where Allen was sitting on the ground wringing his socks out. The deer then came over where Randy and I were getting out of our trees and we got to see him also though not as close or for as long. More to be posted soon.
 

Fourth Row: 1.) Allen -The Shutterbug for all the (Spring Pig Hunt) photos and his pig that he and Randy snuck back the Sun. after our hunt and bagged - Al is the one that is not upside down, 2.) through 5.) are more shots of the same deer in the above row - you can tell Al is good at sitting quiet when he needs to (even without his socks on), and 6.) Allen with two nice big ol' "Longbeards" he took on the first Sun. of their season in SC - this one doesn't look as much like him to me - course it could be 'cause he's feeling guilty about sliding in somewhere he can't take his new buddies and taking two turkeys while their turkey season has totally gone down the tube.
 

Note: I wanted to slip these pictures of more of our grandchildren in here before I continue with the SPG photos from Al. Their mother, Randi is my step-son, Scott's ex-wife (those things happen) and is one of the sweetest, strongest, most grounded people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is not much bigger than a minute. She is also a dyn-o-mite amateur photographer with a couple of "published" credits. She has the best knack for taking great pictures of kids, life, and nature (also handling all of those). We communicate via e-mail and Randi still always sends us a package at Christmas. The most anxiously awaited part of that is a calendar with her children in photos, that she makes up herself. Always both inventive and special, like she and the children are. Now on with the show.

Fifth Row: 1.) Granddaughter Dani looking for all the world like a little wood nymph (I love this photo) in sepia tone, 2.) the twins Cody and Jerod (hope I got them in order) who look so much like Scott did that (as we-un's usta say) he coulda' spit 'em out - they are hamming it up with orange quarters or maybe even halves, 3.) Cody - Dani - Jerod I think, 4.) Dani being one with nature and some ducks, and 5.) & 6.) Beginning shots of piglets.

Sixth Row: All various shots of the pig litter we enjoyed an encounter with the day before our hunt started, as related in journal entry. As you can see in these photos and the following sequence (get ready) the little rascals came in all colors and patterns.

Seventh Row: Now presenting (Ta-ta-daaaa and drumroll, please) "The Ranman" .... making his infamous move on a pig!!! (Actually on a whole litter of pigs - but who's counting?) Includes: "The Sneak", "The Leap", and the ultimate "Capture Of The Beast".

Eighth Row: Now, 1.) he deftly switches the prize to his other hand and hollers "Where's the momma?" 2.) Randy then does his best imitation of Jimmy Houston (the bass kisser) with the runt of the litter - before releasing the little fellow (Nice job with the camera, Allen), after that Al and I became increasingly concerned while subtle changes 3.) seemed to take place in our friend Randy (as the hunt progressed he kept mumbling/singing about, "Hogman!...da-da-da-da...da-da-da-da...Hogman!"), 4.) speaking of metamorphasis here's a beautiful shot of a large moth Al got a close-up on - a good 4 inches across, 5.) is an alligator's slide, and 6.) is an alligator splashing into the river - color them gone.
 

Ninth Row: 1.) through 6.) On the other hand these are al-li-gat-ors and you may color them here...there....and everywhere that we looked on this trip, or so it seemed.

Tenth Row: 1.) 3.) & 5.) For the last of this Gallery page I offer up three of Al's captured sunsets on the Sav River, interspersed with three 2.) 4.) & 6.) photos of what I believe to be a Bittern that gave us a great show "up close and personal" as it were. No lie, we could have touched him with a fish pole from the boat - a short fish pole.

Note: There will be some more of Al's work from our Spring Pig Hunt on the Gallery, Pg3, when I put it together. I know, quite a few pictures but I feel, and hope you think, they are worth viewing - they are part of what a hunter sees. For now I must take a break for a short while. I'll be back and tell you all about it before you can say Rumpelstiltskin much more then a few million times. Hey! I'm trying to give myself a little designer's leeway here! See you in the Journal, Pg2 and Gallery, Pg3.