Are we there yet?

I want to make this photo into a postcard set. These two dalmatians remind me of an old couple driving together. Don't ask me why; although, it may have something to do with their facial expressions.

This photo was taken right outside of Franklin, TN. I wish I could remember the name of the park, but when it comes to me I will link to it. We were taking a walk in this park after exploring downtown Nashville all day. As pm and I are walking to the trail head we see these two dogs. Well, allow for me to rephrase - we hear these two dogs. They were barking super loud; it was so loud, in fact, that you could hear them through the closed windows. I think they were making so much noise because their owner had decided to drive with them to the park only to leave them in the humid vehicle until he/she returned. Torture! [Side note: Why even own animals if this is how you are going to treat them. Dogs get excited about going for walks. Leaving them in the parking lot while you enjoy nature hardly seems fair. It'd be like going to an ice cream parlor and not ordering anything, but then having to watch everyone else enjoy it in front of you.]

This photo was snapped in a moment of silence. Once pm took out the camera and pointed it at them they stopped barking. They must have been curious as to what was going on, or wanted to be sure they made the perfect pose. (Which they did!). Once the shutter closed the barking continued.

Hope you enjoy this one. I also hope I was wrong about their owner and these two guys got their walk in too.

Smile! You're outside.

Love it. Love it. Love it!

I've got to say, I am a sucker for sidewalk art. (As noted here in a previous post.) It's a shame that I wasn't wearing my Merrells; this photo would have been 100% complete then. *sigh

I feel like this saying really does capture the great outdoors in way we never vocalize. "Smile! You're outside." Exactly. After being shut indoors for a long, cold winter it sure is easy to step outside (preferably in the sunshine) and smile.

Being outside and doing things outdoors certainly does make me happy. I love to hike, camp, swim, walk, and explore. In fact, I like to plan out (or in many cases just think about) all the fun warm weather trips we'll make in the spring/summer/fall. Last year I really wanted to camp at Sleep Bear Dunes in Michigan. This year, it's my goal to make it happen. It's funny that we actually live closer to the park now, even though we're out of state. I've got quite the laundry list of places I'd like to go in the warm months this year too. Now if only it was easier to have access to more vacation days. :P

Not being a native of Nashville, Tennessee (where this photo was taken), I wonder if this message wouldn't have been more appropriate for a more northern climate. I could imagine the folks from the east coast would appreciate seeing this message after this past brutal winter. Oh, but wait -- for 4-5 months of the year I guess it would be covered in snow, slush and ice. Regardless, I hope this message makes its way to many sidewalks around the country.

Time for me to step outdoors and get a breath of fresh air. Smile and all.