StrangeRanger

I am tired and lazy today.

Have one of my favorite pics of Daisy as a kitten.  Took this on the second day she was with us.

Not making much of a start on my 90,000 though.  I'll work on that later.  It's nap time.  Gotta go find the cat.

Death of a Legend

I suppose it's odd for me to refer to someone whose name I just learned as a legend, but I think it's justified in this sense.

Walter Chandoha died on January 11.  He was a WWII vet.  He served as a combat photographer in the South Pacific.  He was a professional freelance photographer.  He photographed (among many other subjects) cats.

This is his cat, and original subject, Loco.  Loco was found as a stray in Astoria, Queens, shivering and alone on a snowy day.  From what I read, this was the beginning of a photographer's appreciation of cats.  At his death, it is estimated he'd taken 90,000 photos of cats.

While I can, in no way, compare myself to Walter Chandoha, I do suppose we share that.

The NYT obituary gives you far more information, far better written, than I could, and the link to his website will give you a far better appreciation for his art than I am able to.

I've no memory of ever hearing his name, but I do remember some of the images on pet food bags and cans from my youth.  I've just learned that they were his.  It's a funny sensation, having a name to put with the photo.  I mean..I knew the photos were taken, of a cat and by a person, but it's nice to know who that person was.

I've looked at some (a bare tiny fraction) of Mr Chanodha's work.  The cat pics were what I went for first (because, obviously....) but I really loved his New York City in the Mid 20th Century photos.  In truth, I think I liked his black and white photos most of all, landscape and feline.

I'd thought, and read the comment, that since Mr Chandoha took so many pics of cats he almost single-handedly created the Internet.  He didn't diminish it, that's for sure.  I think he helped set aside the tiny little space in it that became mine, and Daisy's.  I'll try not to waste it.

90,000.

Challenge accepted.

It's a cold, gray day.....

....so you get a pic of a warm, gray cat.

Hopefully we'll see the sun again, soon.

Have a good week!

Daisy's Big Green Friend

Yes.  Daisy likes the tree.

She spent a lot of time beneath the tree (as befits any wonderful present!)

Speaking of presents, here she is playing with one of her wind-up mousies 'neath the tree.

One funny thing about Daisy and mousies is that sometimes she doesn't play with them so much as put them  at the very edge of her reach.  Then she tries to snag'em without moving.

Daisy even did twisty-cat 'neath the tree.

The cool, unexpected thing, though, was that Daisy secretly helped decorate our tree!

Here's the tree.  See the string hanging down in the middle of the pic?  The string leading up to the glittery purple ball?  Yep.  That's one of Daisy's favorite toys.

Daisy will throw this thing anywhere.  She could use this to throw the runner out at home from deep center field.  Guess she was playing catch one night and got it stuck up here.  We left it where it was.  Thought it added an impromptu, festive aire to our tree.  

Darn tootin'....you guys, really.  Glass balls here, glass balls there....all tied down tight, too.  No fun at all to play with.  This tree needed something fun!

Mission accomplished, Miss!  Thank you!