The Adventure of New PR Photos
So, I needed some new PR photos that reflect how I actually look now at 71. As one of the gazillions of people who dislike 1) having portrait photos taken, because 2) we hate how we look in them, I put it off for awhile. But eventually I swallowed my pride and had Steve from Dog Grin Photograph come out. He’s a great guy, he loves people, he loves dogs and photography. No wonder I had him come out to the farm.
As usual, there were a lot of photos that, uh, didn’t turn out so well. Nothing to do with Steve, everything to do with me, Skip and, of course, The Queen of PhotoBombers, Nellie. We did get one good photo that I’m okay with, but I thought you might be amused at the outtakes. Here’s one, in which I love that I’m laughing my usual laugh (and my saggy neck is stretched out), but it looks like I have jammed my fist down Skip’s mouth. In actuality, after we found the perfect place with good portrait light, Nellie just had to stroll over and distract Skip. When he is crazed to do something he can’t do, he gently mouths my hand. We’re working on eliminating it, but it’s super gentle and sort of sweet (don’t shame me for saying so please). I’m laughing because it was so predictably funny that Nellie ended up messing up the shot.
Here’s another outtake, yet again messed up by Nellie, who Skip is looking at with his classic “Hi! I’m a Border Collie, and this is my crazy face.
I liked the photo at first, but then, I realized that Skip looks as uncomfortable as I look happy. Eeeeps.
Here’s what we finally settled on:
Maggie, deservedly so, got some attention too. I like this one of her intensity while about to drive the sheep in the upper pasture.
We tried to manage things such that Steve could get that perfect photo of a working dog coming right at you with the sheep in the foreground. This is close, but I wish she was on her feet.
Steve had an exhibit of his work at the UW Children’s Hospital (where Tootsie used to volunteer with Pet Pals). That’s Maggie in front of our barn, third photo from the right.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: Good weather! Oooooh, so gorgeous for a few days. What a joy. I’ve been working Skip and Maggie a lot, but doing less gardening than is needed. But I sure have been enjoying it. Here are some Day Lilies that caught my eye:
Please scroll down quickly if you’re not a fan of spiders, but unless you’re phobic I hope you can enjoy how beautiful she is!
I’ve been doing quite a bit of cooking too, here are the dinner rolls that I make several times a month. I just freeze them and then pop them out before dinner. Yeah, Jim and I could eat less bread, but uh, well, never mind.
If it’s August, it’s corn in Wisconsin. I couldn’t resist taking a shot of field corn ripening while showing off it’s tassles. Gotta love summer.
I hope there are things to love about your summer too. I’d love to hear about them.
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About the Author
Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over twenty-five years. She encourages your participation, believing that your voice adds greatly to its value. She enjoys reading every comment, and adds her own responses when she can.
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Wow, Trisha, you’re gorgeous! Your skin is so glowing and beautiful and you have such an amazing smile! Seriously, I’m 30 and I wanna look like you when I grow up 🙂
Betka, you are my new best friend.
Love the photos! Laughed out loud when you directed us to your fist looking like it is in Skips’ mouth!
Love it! I just can’t stop laughing… we often take PR photos with both dogs and children, so I know exactly the feeling 😀 Good to know everybody dances to the similar tune there… Beautiful pictures, as usual!
I gotta say, you look beautiful, Trisha. Yes 71, but so young and vibrant. Thanks for sharing.
Seriously you look beautiful and happy and healthy as do your dogs. I love your sweater too.
I love the photos! You and the dogs are beautiful in all of them.
See, there’s a reason I’ve always called you Trisha The Goddess McConnell.
You look so beautiful and just as happy and kind as I imagine you to be from all your work. They are wonderful photographs that really capture the joy that you provide to so many people who follow you all around the world.
Beautiful photos! You look great! 71 suits you 🙂
The crazy Border Collie face is soooo funny!! I just keep laughing and I needed that today.
Thank you for sharing
You are truly an example of ageless beauty!
Thanks Linda, but then, I didn’t show any of the photos I thought were truly horrific. Nor were these taken early in the morning. I’m thinking I really should publish some of the ones I thought were truly awful, just in case you all think this fantasy of beauty is actually reality!
Your photos are filled with beauty, love and fun. Thank you for letting us see them.
But no photos of the Queen of photo bombers Nellie! 🙃
Christie: Photos of Nellie coming!
Hey, the dogs are beautiful as well.
To Susan S: Far more so! (dogs beautiful too!)
I love all the photos…especially the one you chose, because your expressions seem to match!!
I love that you let him mouth you. I got criticized for letting my gentle Bridie mouth me, which she did when happy to see me. Its so loving. Love your pictures
Those photos are charming! I’m so glad you shared them. We’re still staying in here, but as we are healthy and have what we need, we are feeling so terribly grateful. I’ve learned to knit scrubby little dishcloths that work very well. A simple pleasure that has me stacking them up for gifts. It’s too hot to really garden, but I have managed to keep up with what I began in the spring so I feel successful. On the doggy front, lots of counter conditioning to grooming, and I’m learning to do his full cut. He looks better some times than others, and is becoming more comfortable with some parts of the sessions. With lots of work and breaks we are both doing better all the time. It’s amazing how one can stay home and still stay busy all the time!
My gosh, they all capture your beautiful, genuine smile. I love them all. Have a wonderful day!
Like the line in “City Slickers,” “You look MARVELOUS!” Makes me want to rethink coloring my hair 🙂
To Donna re coloring your hair: I found letting my hair grow out to be incredibly liberating. Can’t tell you how good it feels, way more than I thought it would! Only downside: Don’t get to read trashy magazines at the hair dressers…
All of these look like keepers to me! Our standard poodle, Winston, does the same gentle handsy-mouthy play.,
Joy and love are always beautiful.
Your pictures are beautiful. The pictures of you show happiness, and there is so much beauty in being happy while sharing time with your best friends.
LOVE the new PR photos! That last one seems to reflect the essence of both of you well though the first one seems equally genuine. Love the farm photos. Trust me, my life mantra is ‘you can never have enough good bread.’ 🙂
To Tails–‘never enough bread’ should be on my tombstone.
Love all of them!
I think Spot and Skip are twin sons from different mothers. Spot is also cat-obsessed. I’ve taught him to play retrieve with a chuck-it ball and he gets a little excited and mouths my hand or the wand if I don’t throw fast enough. He’s also got no sense of what’s a toy in the yard. So far he has chewed up a plastic watering can, a pot full of Christmas cactus and yesterday was starting on the oscillating sprinkler. I’ll never get another dog from the UK that was raised tied in the barn! I redirect his focus towards appropriate toys (he loves the smaller Jolly egg) but always have to be on the lookout for things he might try to play with. He has come a long way since I got him last October but his impulse control is still under-developed.
Last one lovely, first one, pure joy. All manage to capture how you love your dogs. As they say, you look marvelous dear!
Love those pics! Reminds me I need to get on the ball and have mine done. I take lots of pics of my dogs/horses. But I’m the one taking them, so no “me” in the pics. BTW-Thank you so much for the book. Love the essays. Keeps me grounded especially on rough days when I wonder why I do what I do. Because I love them! I agree I am so fortunate to have Karen in my life. But I also thank my lucky stars I found your wealth of writings as well. I have shared with others, dog-eared my favorite passages. Enjoy your outdoors. I will do the same here in Flagstaff.
Most real beauty shines from the inside – out, and you GLOW with it… Thanks for sharing them with us!
Fantastic photos.
I love these! You just look so relaxed & joyful. Just beautiful.
Nothing to be ashamed of for thinking your dog’s mouthing is sweet. My dog does it, too, sometimes. I don’t see it as a problem because Luca is incredibly gentle and he doesn’t do it if you don’t want him to/don’t let him. My dad is awful for letting the dog nibble all over him! Luca doesn’t mouth me hardly as much because I usually just give him a toy to mouth instead (not that he’s a puppy… he’s three and he does this).
Good pics, Trish! One of the fun things that I’ve done this summer is swim with my year old puppy! I haven’t had a swimming Portuguese Water Dog for years, and we both are relishing the water!
The portrait and the “action shots” are great!
When I am back in Illinois every summer I always have to take “corn”” photos. Lately we’ve been taking each other standing in from of a field of corn, proudly giving it titles about its heights. You’d think we’d tire of the corn after a 2 or 3 weeks visit, but we don’t have those beautiful fields in NW Oregon.
You are certainly holding your age very well. Lovely photos, lovely subjects.
Pictures are fabulous. Love the one you are hugging.
Trisha! You look great. I love the hair color too. ❤️
That third pic is so funny because I always think of you when someone hugs their dog (or when I do) because I heard you speak once and you talked about how dogs don’t like to be hugged. It was a fascinating presentation and really opened my eyes to a lot of dog body language. But it would not do to have a PR shot of you hugging a dog! 🙂
They are lovely photos and you both look great.
Oh my Trisha you are so beautiful. Both inside and out. 🙏🏻💕🐾
You. Are. BEAUTIFUL! Seriously, I am so glad shared the photos with us.
We should all be so lucky to look as fabulous as you in our 70’s.
I highly agree with your sentiments about letting your hair be natural. I stopped coloring my hair about 10 years ago in my mid 40’s. Admittedly, growing out the color was not fun. But once done: I have gotten more compliments on my hair now than I ever got when I was young; I saved a ton of money; and and I feel more authentic.
Yum…the rolls looks fantastic.
For me, summer means morning strolls on the beach before all the people arrive. Those strolls have finally become a lot more fun this summer because my canine companion got his recall down and listens. Now he gets to be off leash and has become body surfing dog. It is our joy to watch.
These photos are the epitome of bonding.
And the bread looks fabulous, too!
I don’t know you well enough to call you anything other than Patricia and I live in England, might have something to do with it. I agree you look fabulous, I’m reading For the Love of a Dog – second time around, had my darling staffie pts on August 1st, so I turned to you – thank you for all your love and compassion. I’m tearing up now, miss my girl so bad.