114 TOBY THE WONDER DOG

When we first got Toby back in 2006, I had no idea what a great pal he would become.  I set out to document his first year with us and did it from his perspective and his voice so to speak.  If interested, the blog still exists at the following link.

http://shaggy-toby.blogspot.ca/

Toby has been a wonderful pal throughout the years and has always been there for me.  There was one time I was so sick with pneumonia I could not get out of bed and I was shivering so badly.  Toby jumped up on the bed and laid down next to me as close as he could get to keep me warm.  He stayed there all day and into the evening, protecting me.  He only got up twice.  Once was to go out to pee (I had left the door open, so he could) and the other was to eat.  It was amazing.  That was the only time in 12 years he didn’t get out for his run or walk.

Every single day at 9:00 AM, I used to take him across the street to the park and throw a ball for him to chase or just let him wander around the park.  Sunrise Park was an off-leash park between the hours of 5:00 AM to 10:00 and from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.  We sometimes went over, because sometimes his runs would last for two hours.  He was very active.

When Dad was in hospital, he became sort of a therapy dog.  We were encouraged by the doctor at Royal Columbian Hospital to bring him in.  Toby was very good at being still and quiet and would jump up on the bed with Dad.  But he became more than that.  I would visit Dad at the same time every day at 1:00 PM and it got to the point that we would get off the elevator on the sixth floor and there would be a fan club of 20-30 patients there just to see and pet him.  He was in his glory.

He loved to be up at the lake where he was free to wander off leash.  He would occasionally go two lots over to visit Perry and Teri or he would go next door to visit with Dave and his Mom when they were there.  His other favourite place to go was to our other neighbour to see Glenda.

At his peak, we would do some major walks.  We would go 7 km down the logging road and then 7 km back.  This took us between 1.5 and 2 hours to complete.  Then in the evening we would do another 4 km walk.  It was great for him and great for me.  I think he did a lot more than that because he would run forward to check things out and then run back to make sure we were still with him.  Back and forth he went.

He even loved swimming, which is really something for a long-haired dog.  My previous dog, Scamp, a border collie absolutely hated the water.  He would wade in up to his knees but no further.  Not Toby, he would go in and chase after and retrieve his ball.  Then he wouldn’t get all the way out of the water before trying to shake himself off.  It was funny to see.

When we moved to Maple Ridge, Toby had already slowed down.  Not running much anymore and at the lake last year he would only do a 2 km walk.  1 km out bound and then he would turn around and head for home.  When I was taken to hospital, Toby was extremely stress because we had never been apart and then when he had to spend 3 days in a kennel alone, it almost killed him.  He even chewed a hole in his leg.

Finally, Renee brought him home and took the summer off work.  She stayed at my place with him and nursed him back to health.  When I got out of hospital and started walking again, he came right along with me and we both slowly built our distance up, until we got to a maximum of 10 km walks again.  6 km in the morning and 4 km in the evening.

All of this takes us to the present day.  In January 2018, I suddenly noticed that Toby slowed down drastically.  He was refusing to do the full walks and got to the point he would only go to the end of the walkway, not even a full block.  I knew this wasn’t right, especially when he stopped eating as well.

I booked an appointment with the vet and took him in on January 26.  Renee took the day off work, so she could be there as well.  When the vet scooped him up and put him up on the examining table, he let out a howl of pain.  The examination didn’t take long.  The vet felt him all over and said his lymph nodes were extremely swollen.  Then he gave us the devastating news that Toby has lymphoma and has less than a month to live.  I don’t know what I’m going to do without my pal.

We are keeping him comfortable and he has good days and bad days.  Sometimes he is panting rapidly, and his breathing is laboured.  But, other times he falls asleep and is breathing comfortably.  Today, despite the pouring rain, he insisted on lying out on the deck in the rain.  Toby used to hate the rain, but he appears to be quite comfortable.

I finally heard some crying and thought it was him.  I went to check, and he was sleeping soundly.  The cries were from his buddy, Harley, who was at the gate and wanted to say hello, but Toby could not get down to see him.  He did walk over to the deck railing and look at Harley, who I think figured out that Toby will not be with us much longer.

113 HOCKEY PHOTOGRAPHER

In a previous article I mentioned that my rehab had come along to such an extent that I felt quite comfortable handing my “real” camera again.  It is quite a heavy setup with a pro model Nikon D4s camera body and a long telephoto lens, 600 mm.  I bought a new 135mm lens to get started slowly and I did take it out and use it but didn’t find any particularly great subjects to photograph.

ROGER'S ARENA OUTSIDE
(STOCK PHOTO)

ROGERS ARENA INSIDE
(STOCK PHOTO)

Then an opportunity presented itself to me.  My son Karl texted me to say he got an opportunity to play pickup hockey at Roger’s Arena, where the Vancouver Canucks play.  This is probably a once in a lifetime deal and I suggested I would come and photograph the event for him and his teammates.  Each team was limited to 30 players and 50 spectators and I figured there would be lots, but I got the organizers email and sent him my proposal to photograph the event and make the pics available to his teams.

RING OF HONOUR

BANNER

OLYMPIA (AKA ZAMBONI)

I had him look on Instagram at Canucks games I had shot in the past, but he was very enthusiastic about me coming along.  So, the day before the game I made sure all my batteries were charged and I packed up all the potential gear that I would need.  I even dug into my office closet (no easy feat in itself) and got out my monopod to make for some extra steady shooting.

Finally, the evening in question, Toby stayed at home with Renee and I headed out.  We were given several options for parking including under Roger’s Arena.  I knew it would be expensive, probably as much as $50 but, knowing that area like I do, I figured the truck would be safer there.  Imagine my surprise when I pulled into the arena and I was directed to a VIP spot and it didn’t cost a cent.  There was someone from security there and he escorted me up to the seating area.

KARL TAKES A WARMUP LAP

I got talking to one of the ushers working and even before I asked permission, he took one look at my gear and directed me down to the first row behind the glass.  In that spot there is an opening in the glass where the official Canucks photographers can take unobstructed shots of the action.  So, I busily got everything set up and awaited the arrival of the two teams.

SEQUENCE SHOT STITCHED TOGETHER IN PHOTOSHOP

I saw one or two players come onto the ice and then saw Karl in his full Canucks uniform.  Here he was dressed like a Canuck player, skating onto the home ice of the Vancouver Canucks.  It was a very proud moment, but I had just a twinge of jealousy, because if I had been healthy, I would have been able to play as well.  Oh well, this was the next best thing and I had my day skating on the former home of the Canucks at the Pacific Coliseum.  Now it was my son’s turn.

FIRST SAVE

SECOND SAVE

FIRST GOAL

I did not need the full 600 mm lens, and instead used the 400 mm zoom.  Coincidentally, as I was shooting the game, I used the lens mostly set on 135 mm.  I could have used the new 135 mm which I had brought with me, but with the extra length I would be able to shoot action at the far end of the ice as well.

GREAT JERSEY

The one goalie came down to my end and he was wearing the absolute most unusual jersey I have ever seen.  It was a red tartan pattern done in the image of a formal jacket, complete with tie.  I had a good laugh about that.  I started taking some shots during warmups, just to get my angles and figure out lighting, etc.  Once I was confident that I still “had it”, I was ready to go.

OTTAWA SENATORS FAN

THE OTHER END OF THE ICE
GREAT GLOVE SAVE

 Over the next two hours the game went on and fortunately most of the action was in my zone, so I was able to get some pretty good shots, even if I do say so myself.  I walked up and down the stairs numerous times to get shots of the far end of the ice.  I could not swing the lens in the hole far enough to accomplish that.  So, it was go up high enough to shoot over the glass.

It was a great time and it was over all too soon.  I was exhausted from packing about 50 pounds of gear around and going up and down those stairs so many times.  But the real work was about to start.  I had to sort through the 700+ shots that I took and narrow it down to the best ones.  I ended up with 250 good ones which is close to a 50% average.  A great ratio to be sure.  Each one of those shots needed to be run through Photoshop to fix the exposure and do some cropping.

STANDING ROOM ONLY CROWD

THE WHOLE GROUP

Finally, three days later I was done and uploaded the whole batch to Dropbox and sent the link to the organizer, so he could pass it along to the players and they could download their favourite shots of their once in a lifetime event.  I did this all for free because I’m not a pro and I’m not interested in making money off these shots.  Once you turn photography into a business, it ceases to be fun.

112 IF THE SHOE FITS WEAR IT

There’s an old saying, “if the shoe fits, wear it”.  I’m not quite sure what it means but as I have documented, finding shoes, boots or skates to fit my supersized deformed feet has become an enormous chore.  I used to wear a size 11 normal and now I must wear a size 13 EEEE.  Nobody makes boots that large that I can find.

I do have a pair of New Balance runners of that size that fit, but they are getting worn out from all the walking.  I wanted something a little more substantial and discovered a black Nike walking shoe in that size.  Mark’s Work Wearhouse carry’s them but had none in stock.  So, I went to Sport Chek.  They also carry them in that size and had none in stock, but the sales clerk said I can order them online and have them shipped to my place.  So, I did.

They arrived after two weeks of waiting.  Finally, new shoes in my size.  Imagine then my disappointment when I went to put them on.  It was a very tight squeeze and finally after about 5 minutes of pulling and pushing and prodding, I got them on.  The right foot was the hardest as that’s the biggest foot.  They are comfortable, even though they are tight.

I did a couple of walks in them and ended up with a nasty blister on my heel.  Now, being completely paranoid after a foot injury put me into severe sepsis, I immediately took steps (pardon the pun) to treat it.  I soaked it well with iodine (just what the hospital used to treat my foot wounds), and covered it with a large Band-Aid.  I stopped wearing the Nike’s and went back to the old New Balance shoes.

After a couple of days, the blister healed (a very good sign) and I went back to the Nike’s.  However, there was no amount of pushing and pulling and swearing that can get them back on my feet.  So, two pairs of brand new Nike walking shoes are sitting here unused.  Well, at least until the swelling goes down a little more.

I think the difference is that the tongue of the New Balance shoes is loose and allows the shoes to expand upwards to accommodate the top of my swollen foot.  With the Nike’s the tongue is attached to the sides of the shoe making it very difficult to squeeze my foot in.

This was the same type of issue that Jay, my skate guy was worried about with trying to get a pair of skates for me, even custom-made ones.  In any case Jay did scan my feet and send them in to the company in Winnipeg and then we waited to hear whether the skates could be made.  Getting a pair of custom made skates is really my only hope to be able to skate again.  Both the surgeon and the physio agree my foot likely won’t reduce much in size.

Finally, got the word back from the company and they advise that the skates can be made and that they are 99% confident they can incorporate a method to make it easier for me to get my foot in and out of the skates.  They also gave Jay suggestions for heat molding the skates to my feet.

To make a long story short, the skates are being constructed and should arrive within a few weeks.  I’m cautiously confident that the skates will fit, and I will be able to resume playing hockey.  They are expensive at $1000 for the pair, but the last pair I bought was $800 so, it’s not that big a stretch and I’m willing to pay it to play.

If, and I realize it is a big if at this point they do fit, I will be very happy, but it will require a lot of work to get back into playing shape.  Walking up to 10K per day will certainly help, although that has been cut dramatically in the last week as Toby has taken a downturn and can suddenly no longer do it.

I’m just on the verge of returning to the gym to bump up the workout on a bike to increase my stamina.  From there I will attempt some public skating.  I’ve discovered that the rink down the street from me, Planet Ice, offers public skating daily at noon.  Once I feel confident with that I will step up to some stick and puck sessions in full gear and then finally attempt to play a game.  Sunday hockey goes to the end of March and Wednesday hockey to the end of April.

If all goes well, I might be ready to play mid March and might be able to get 6-8 games in by the end of the season.  My therapist says that if I do manage to play by March he says it will be amazing.  Usually full recovery from what I went through will take 1.5 to 2 years to accomplish, if it can be done at all.

One major stumbling block here is that I do have some balance problems even in bare feet.  I don’t have proper feeling in my feet, so it makes it hard to stand initially.  Once I get moving I’m ok.  Getting up out of a chair is a challenge as well, since my body stiffens up very quickly, so I wonder what it will be like sitting on the bench and being able to get going next shift.  Wish me luck.

111 ISN'T THAT HANDY

Here we are well into the new year of 2018.  It’s already January 4^th and after 3 months of intense, everyday physiotherapy, I’m starting to gain some real confidence.  For the longest time, my left hand has been next to useless.  Unable to properly bend my fingers and no strength at all, has left me unable to use my “real” camera.

I currently shoot with a Pro level Nikon D4s and normally with a Tamron 150-600 mm zoom lens.  This is a very heavy combination and because of the weakness in my left hand, I did not feel confident holding it or carrying it. The body of the camera itself is heavy enough, but combined with the big lens, there was just no way.

I did try with a smaller lens, but as I suspected, I could not properly hold the camera.  Your non-dominant hand, in my case, the left, holds the camera and activates various controls.  In the old days it was also used to focus and change f-stops for exposure.  Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about focus.  I don’t even have to worry about aperture control if I don’t want to.  While I prefer shooting in manual mode, desperation will lead me to use “automatic” for the first while.

Starting out I will resurrect a former “go-to” lens.  I used to always use a 135mm f2 lens for all my shooting needs.  All the Canucks and NHL old-time hockey photos I have been posting on Instagram, were shot using this lens.  I still have that lens, but I am going to go with an updated version of it.  It is capable of auto-focus and has a neat feature that allows control of the out-of-focus background.  Photographers call this “bokeh”.  It just makes for crisp focus on the main subject while blurring the background.  In fact, this lens is rated as the absolute top of the line lens for portrait work.

GARY "SUITCASE" SMITH
OLD 135 MM LENS

RICK BLIGHT SCORES ON THE JETS
OLD 135 MM LENS

I’m looking forward to getting back into one of my past-times.  Hockey is still a reach currently because of my foot and the inability to get my foot in a skate.  But, it has given me hope that my hand has responded, and I am this close to being able to “shoot” again.  The 135-mm lens won’t be particularly good for wildlife shots, unless I can stealthily sneak up on some birds, or if some wildlife comes close enough.

If I can get the garage sorted out, and manage to get my studio set-up out of the closet in my office, I can set up a small studio in the garage, in front of the boat.  The background will hide the boat from view and will provide about a 20’x20’ space to set up in.  This is considerably bigger than the space I was using in my old house.  That’s all speculation of course, and it prefaces on my strength and ability to get the garage sorted out.

It also means dedicating time to cleaning up boxes full of stuff stacked in front of the closet doors in my office.  I have the motivation to do it, it’s whether I have the strength and stamina to do it.  I suppose I can take it a little bit at a time.  It will also depend on how long Toby will allow me to remain upstairs without him getting lonely and crying.  If he could still make it up the stairs, it wouldn’t be an issue.  It sucks getting old, which I can certainly relate to.  While, I can still recover enough to get on with it, Toby won’t have the same luxury as he will be 12 in March.

RENEE IN MY OLD
TINY STUDIO

THE KIDS IN MY OLD
TINY STUDIO

So, now all I must do is wait for the lens to arrive and then I can begin my testing of it.  It supposed to be here today, but as of the writing of this article at 2:30 PM it isn’t here.  I’ve posted some samples with the old 135 mm above and when I take some new stuff, I will post some here as well.  I’m so looking forward to getting back to shooting.

The smaller lens set-up will have an added benefit of forcing me to be a little more creative in what I can shoot.  The 600 mm makes it easier to get some wildlife shots because I don’t have to be as close.  This way, birds, small animals and people aren’t intimidated and likely don’t even know I’m there.  With the 135mm it’s far more up close and personal. 

110 A NEW YEAR AND A NEW HOPE

Well that’s it, January 1, 2018 and to quote John Lennon “another year over, and a new one just begun”.  I’m into a year that for awhile was touch and go that I would ever see it.  But, I’m still here and with a resolve to continue working to get completely healthy again.  I’m a lot better now than I was in September, but I still have a long way to go.

Skating by Christmas didn’t happen, and it doesn’t appear that will happen anytime soon.  I still cannot find any shoes or boots to fit me, although I did come very close with a size 12 EEEE at Mark’s Work warehouse the other day.  Unfortunately, the were out of stock on the 13 of the same width.  Who knew there were other people out there with feet like mine.

Soon, into the new year, I hope to hear from Jay, my skate guy, some good news.  I’m hoping he will get word back from the manufacturer that they can custom build a pair of skates for me.  I have often said that I would consider myself fully healed when I skated in my first game.  I’m going to have to revise that for now, because even if I was able to skate tomorrow, I’m no where near healed.

Now that I can walk with a normal gait and without a limp, my first day back to Physio tomorrow, I think I will concentrate on spinal decompression for a bit to get some mobility and flexibility back.  I am stiff and sore all the time, especially when standing or sitting for any length of time.  After awhile I will go back to treatments on my hand and foot.

My foot is improved to the point I can walk without a limp, but it’s still swollen.  Walking with a normal gate will have to wait until it’s no longer icy as I’m forced to take much shorter steps.  My hand is drastically improved, but still not right.  I cannot completely close my fingers and it is still weak.  Much better than when I first got out of hospital and could barely move my fingers at all.

EXTENT I COULD MOVE MY
HAND IN SEPTEMBER

GREATLY IMPROVED MOTION

We got home here at 2:00 AM after a great New Year’s Eve crab dinner with friends in Vancouver.  This has become a yearly tradition, although a few years it has been later in January due to work schedules of our hosts.  There were 5 of us there and the crab was delicious as usual.  I brought desert consisting of pumpkin pie and whipped cream as well as my home baked mince tarts and my invention of Milky White Chocolate Chip cookies.

DINNER GROUP NEW YEARS EVE

RENEE AND I

DIGGING IN

It was quite funny as we were coming up the street, there was a car right behind us.  I was going to pop a U-turn and park on the street where I usually do, but they were signalling to go into the driveway as well, so I just kept going and they kept following.  It turned out to be my next-door neighbours also returning from an evening out.  They were followed in by 5 more vehicles all coming into the complex, so we were all coming from different places and arriving home at the same time.

I finally got to bed at 2:30 AM and fell asleep almost immediately and woke up at 7:30 AM just in time to have my shower and get my breakfast for the usual 8:00 AM.  Renee and Toby slept in until 9:00 AM and we headed out on our morning walk at about 9:30 AM.  We did the full neighbourhood walk which is just under 5KM.

We met several people also out for morning walks, most of us walking our dogs.  It was a chilly -2C and foggy and there was even one brave soul out running.  Everyone exchanged greetings with us of “Good Morning and Happy New Year”.  That’s one of the many things I love about Maple Ridge is that people out here are far more friendly and open than it was in The Big Smoke, Vancouver.

So, I will close this page, wishing all my family, friends and avid readers a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year in 2018.  While I don’t make or believe in resolutions, I do have a couple of goals.  One is to be healthy for the whole year, but especially for July 7 when my daughter Caitlin and her fiancé Trevor get married.  The other is to hopefully play hockey again before the end of this season and failing that to be ready for the start of next season.  I’m not ready to retire from the game just yet.