This past week has been a reprise of summer with warm days and cool nights. The nights have been clear – our last walk of the evening taken under the canopy of more stars than you can imagine if you’ve never spent a night away from city lights. The waning moon’s rise is late in the night (or early in the morning??) leaving it high in the sky when we venture out in the dark of a Fall morning.

Balmy temperatures and moon shadows…

…have taken me outside to sit and listen and prepare for the day.

The blue light special is Karl :)! He is in his usual spot which gives him a view and a listen over the game trail below.

Bob is usually out with us as well – there is a small critter hidey-hole under the house near where I sit, but this morning he opted for an inside seat.

All this week, though, by the waning moon and with temperatures that felt like summer, we have enjoyed morning by moonshadow.

Orvis the dog book – Orvis’ catalog for all things canine and the supplier of “Karl’s” new dog bed, has a Cover Dog contest every year.

Just this very moment, sneaking in under the wire (9/30 is the last day to enter), I entered Karl’s photo – a favorite of mine, taken on 2/26/2009.

The voting does not affect who wins the photo contest – it is a means to raise money and awareness for canine cancer.

Karl says please consider a donation for canine cancer – here or at your local veterinarian – the medication and treatment for canine and/or feline cancers is prohibitively expensive for many.

Orvis Photo Contest . Search by Dog’s Name, enter “Karl”.

***EDIT 9/30 1:10 P.M. U.S. Mountain Daylight time…
In case you don’t read comments:

Karl’s Mama says she will match donations 1 for 1…for every vote (1 vote = $1/$5 min) – as of 8:00 p.m. U.S. Mountain Daylight time – the family Summers will match dollar for U.S.Dollar….Hoo Rah – we need to beat Canine Cancers and soon!!!

Srsly – look at the Orvis video of 2010 Cover dogs. If those eyes do not speak to your soul… I don’t mean that all of those dogs have cancer because they don’t. I mean that there is something special about loved dogs and the way dogs love. Cancer is a horrible thing, no matter who it attacks. And we give it such power – it is past time to take that power away.