On The Rocks

Last month, I posted a few February images. Among them was a photo of Benny, whose muzzle was all covered in snow from chasing down shovelfuls of the flaky, white stuff.

Shortly after that blog post, I received an email from very talented artist Jeanne Long whose wonderful work is featured in The Long Zoom exhibit at University of Minnesota's art gallery - The Arboretum. Her email included this sketch of Benny. Jeanne stated that she hoped I didn't mind her taking the liberty of sketching him. Of course neither Frank nor I minded one bit, and were in fact very pleased that she shared her fine drawing with us. I'm just as happy that Jeanne permitted me to share her creativity with you. Please click on the above links to see some of the other lovely artwork she has done.

When I went to Frank's last week, there were a few obstructions on the pathways which we follow on our usual morning walks with Benny. As a result of a sudden thaw and heavy-duty rainfalls, the ice-laden creek flooded the area surrounding its shores, the walking path and into the groves several meters away. The force of the water broke up and carried huge blocks of ice with it.




The path was fairly clear up until this point where the creek overflowed days earlier. In order to continue our walk, we had to climb upon, and walk along these huge blocks of ice. On the right, you can see that a tree stump was brought along for the ride. Up ahead, Frank keeps a steady pace but Benny decides to wait for me to catch up. (please click to enlarge)




Ice chunks are lined up along the shore. There's going to be a lot of mud when warmer weather returns. (please click to enlarge)




You can see the layers of freeze-thaw-refreeze on the sides of these over sized ice cubes. (please click to enlarge)




Tree roots have been rudely ripped out and exposed. (please click to enlarge)




This young tree is one of the casualties. (please click to enlarge)



Other trees were bent, but not broken. Frank has been trying to reorient this trunk daily so that it will stand tall once again. (please click to enlarge)




Just to get a bit of perspective, Frank is a tall guy, and this wall of ice probably reaches about two thirds of his height. (please click to enlarge)




Taken from on top of the ice, this park bench looks dwarfed by its new surroundings. (please click to enlarge)




Frank finds a new, but cold place to park his rear end. (please click to enlarge)





Benny is totally unaffected by his scamper over ice blocks, and tromps through the mud. He dares anyone in sight to take his stick. (please click to enlarge)

This little video shows how Benny responds when we "threaten" to make a grab for his prized stick. It takes place in an area farther from the creek and therefore unaffected by the flood.




A happy, victorious dog. (please click to enlarge)