Boomer

We drove up to Berthoud Pass on Saturday to ski, and ski we did. We brought all three dogs (we're still dogsitting Jemma), and tired them out by forcing them to keep up with us, on skis, in snow that was belly-deep. It was good for them.

Anyway, we'd planned to grill brats (and a veggie burger for me) post-ski. We set up shop in the parking lot; lounge chairs, plenty of Coors Lights, music blaring. We had this incredible view of the mountains, and with the exception of the occasional fellow skiier, there weren't that many people.

I happened to have my camera out when a truck and trailer pulled into the parking lot, drove right in front of the most magnificent view, and parked. An old cowboy got out and proceeded to unload his mule. (A mule! Remember how I'm obsessed with mules now?!) And then he proceeded to march his mule up and down in front of the perfect view. It's ironic how much work I put in trying to frame shots, all the time, every time I work with clients, and then boom, out of the blue some picturesque cowboy with some picturesque mule pulls up, parks and then does picturesque walking in front of the mountain vista.

Eventually, the cowboy and his mule (Boomer), came over for a visit. The cowboy told us about how he had Ridgebacks for many years. He called them Zing Dogs, Zippered Intelligent Noble Guardians. (You know, because the ridge is like a zipper). And he told us about one dog in particular, a dog named Anama Zing Dog. Which is the same thing as An Amazing Dog. Clever, that guy.

It was just one of those totally random yet fascinating encounters. And these are the photos that resulted from it:
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