Bring treats and it's a PARTY

Bring treats and it's a PARTY, originally uploaded by phaird.

Between all the new puppies and the summer like weather, Sunday was a pretty great day at the dog park. I really needed it too. I've been flat out, photographing all kinds of events lately. It's good to be busy with my camera and dogs but slowing down and spending quality time at the park and with my family is really important.
For me, it's about making time in my crazy schedule to do the things I want to be doing and move out the things that don't matter.
I invite my boys to come and some times the do but most times they don't. I think that will change when they get older but this is the one time just for me.
Everyone talks about how they bring their dogs so they could run around but that is only part of the story. The community is important too. The ability to slow down and just talk to someone of common interests. These are the things I love about the park and why I started this blog and book idea. The community that builds at dog parks is a unique event. I'm really interested in other peoples stories and I want to know more. I just need to make more time to prepare the book and talk to people.

Busy day at the park

Busy day at the park, originally uploaded by phaird.

It was a gorgeous Sunday at the park. Lots of people were there, hanging out, dogs running everywhere. I brought my boy, Geoffrey who had fun with the dogs, and throwing rocks into the pond. I'm not surprised it was so busy. Today's weather is so nice and everyone is trying to enjoy these nice days because fall isn't far away.

Fun with frisbee

Fun with frisbee, originally uploaded by phaird.

Today was a busy day at the park. After last weeks hurricane Irene, everyone was glad to be back. Some people were there for hours just letting their dogs run or walking the trails. It was also a day for new puppies to show up at the park. There were two golden puppies, a German Shepard puppy, and a few others I forget the breeds. Puppies always get a lot of attention but with the warm weather, the muggy day, everyone was just happy to be taking in the last weekend of the summer.
I know my summer flew by. I had lots of projects to work on and  made it to the park as much as I could and over all had a good summer. Like most, I want it to last longer but the fall offers new projects. I'm doing a fundraiser photo even for a group called Smile for a Cure which raises money for Canine Cancer research. I'm shooting some smaller events in September and will shoot at Woofstock on October 1. I'm really busy.
I'm not giving up on my book project. I've been inspired by a project called Project Dog. They did a kickstarter fundraiser to get a book published. I know if I got my book to a level of completion, that I could totally get a Kickstarter project funded. I've talked to more people at the park and know I have a good group to interview. My ideal is to get a good writer to work with. We'll see.
Either way, I'll be back at the park, next week, taking pictures, talking to people and having a good time.