Sunday Switchup: Anna’s Hummingbird

I am tickled every time I see one of these, and when I get close enough to one to take pictures I always do. Sometimes they come out all right.

Separately… I know that there are other things to be amazed about, technologically, on the iPhone. But I was kind of ahead of the curve on most of them: in 1998 I had a vaguely portable palmtop (Newton 2100) which could read my handwriting quite well, which had a fully functional web browser, which in short did a surprising number of things that my iPhone can do. Sure it was much bigger, but it was still quite portable if you were the type to carry a backpack, or an admittedly rather large belt holster. But if you’d told me in 1997 that I’d be carrying around a palmtop/phone with a camera that could let you count the feathers in a hummingbird’s wing from a distance of five feet, I would have looked at you funny and walked across the street.

Anna's Hummingbird Flying

I make it as either 12 or 13 feathers, but there might be an extra couple hiding at the back end.

Anna's Hummingbird Sipping Nectar From A Flower

She didn’t seem at all put out by the foot traffic going right by her lunch.

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Caturday Supplement: Two Black Kitties

There’s a little colony of kitties that lives on one of the streets on Nob Hill near where I live. I’ve posted pictures of some of them once or twice before (though I can’t immediately locate them among the two thousand two hundred and eleven posts I’ve made on this blog. But I’m pretty sure I haven’t posted these two kitties before, because the other ones I’ve seen ran away when I saw them, whereas these two came up and demanded attention.

They were both pretty skinny, but I’m pretty sure they get fed regularly. They were also both pretty battered, and the fluffy one was missing both eartips.

Two Black Cats On A Sidewalk

I think that is my favorite eye color for a cat. So gorgeous.

Black Cat With White Highlights On A Sidewalk

Very pretty fur, although some of it was a bit mangled due to old scars.

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Double Dog Day: Mila the Dutch Shepherd Mix and Rawling the Catahoula Pit Bull Mix

I am assured that even though these two look related, they are actually just foster-siblings: Mila, the one with the white blaze on her face, and the fully convertible ears, is a Dutch shepherd mixed with something else. Meanwhile Rawling, the one with the goofily half-flopped ears, is a Catahoula pit bull mix. They’re both about two years old, though. And they get along great, both with each other and with everyone else.

One Brindled Dutch Shepherd Mix And One Brindled Catahoula Leopard Dog Pit Bull Mix

I don’t know whose ears are more ridiculous.

One Brindled Dutch Shepherd Mix And One Brindled Catahoula Leopard Dog Pit Bull Mix Looking Very Intent

As one might imagine, there was food involved in this picture.

One Brindled Dutch Shepherd Mix And One Brindled Catahoula Leopard Dog Pit Bull Mix

Gotta love doggie smiles.

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Dog of the Day: Pomeranian Doggie Bag

Oh, it has been a frustrating day. Sleep problems, work problems, brain not working problems. And then I spent five minutes chasing the most ridiculously adorable corgi puppy up a hill, running like a nut, with a backpack on, only to discover when I got there that my phone was malfunctioning and wouldn’t turn on. I did manage to get it to turn on and (maybe?) get some pictures, after which it died completely. So now I get to see if I can get my phone fixed under warranty, without losing all the photos off of it.

I am going to try to get some actual sleep tonight, so I’m afraid I’m going to have to send you home early. But don’t worry, you can take home a doggie bag. From the local Pomeranian Restaurant, of course.

Pomeranian In A Shoulder Bag

Ran into this pup in Trader Joe’s. (Ssh, don’t tell anyone.)

Pomeranian In Shoulder Bag Curling His Tongue

One of the more pop-eyed Poms I’ve run into. Still adorable.

 

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Dog of the Day: Freya the Boxer Puppy

Wow, it’s another celebrity. Everybody, meet Freya the 4-month-old boxer puppy, also known as ‘@freya.the.boxer‘ on Instagram. She is totes dorbs, in her lovely print bandana and her airplane ears and her terribly concerned boxer forehead-wrinkles.

Fawn Boxer Puppy In Yellow Bandana

What she was chiefly concerned about was that she was surrounded by food trucks, and yet not eating anything.

Fawn Boxer Puppy In Yellow Bandana

I love her little beard.

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Dog of the Day: Chihuahua In Goggles

A goggie in doggles! I ran into this sleek devil at the opening day celebration for the Giants, but she looks like she’s more into motor sports.

Chihuahua In Goggles

Not honestly sure what the doggles were for, but they were pretty goofy.

Chihuahua In Goggles

A perfect fit!

Chihuahua In Goggles Sitting On Woman's Knee

Just chillin’ out on mom’s knee.

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Dog of the Day: Mr. Cosmo the Italian Greyhound

A pup in uniform, to celebrate game day.

Italian Greyhound In A San Francisco Giants Uniform

Clearly we have an athlete among us.

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Dog of the Day: Skye the German Shepherd Husky Lab Mix

I sat next to Skye the German shepherd husky Lab mix at an outdoor cafe. I distracted her horribly from her rawhide chew. I was, of course, terribly sorry.

Her parents were mildly annoyed, actually, so I really did feel a little sorry. As well as being a little flattered when I was more interesting than her rawhide chew. (No, it wasn’t our food, because it started long before we got our food.) But mostly I just felt happy to meet her.

German Shepherd Husky Lab Mix Shaking Hands

Skye knows a number of tricks.

German Shepherd Husky Lab Mix With Blue Eyes Chewing On A Rawhide Chew

Those eyes.

German Shepherd Husky Lab Mix With Blue Eyes Chewing On A Rawhide Chew

You can see why I was flattered that she preferred me petting her. She was definitely a fan of the rawhide chew.

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Dog of the Day: Barkley the Goldendoodle

Took this picture at Wags, the famed ‘dog wash of Polk Street’. They really are the best show in town… stand outside and you can see all sorts of dogs playing with each other, resting, jumping around, or just hanging out. And the people there really love the pups, as you can see.

Man Holding Small Goldendoodle

I think Barkley was a puppy, but I’m not sure… could be just a small doodle.

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Dog of the Day: Peace the Bernese Mountain Dog

This is Peace, and she is every bit as gentle as her name implies. Her dad provided a bit of back-story: she was a rescue (how lucky is that? a rescue Berner?) who came with the name, and he thought it was kind of corny, but by the time he started thinking about changing it she was already used to it, and, well, so was he. And now she’s six years old, and the name fits her like a glove.

Bernese Mountain Dog

Certainly lived up to her name around me: polite, gentle, and the friendliest thing on four feet.

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