Awwww…..

Beep.  Beep.

I interrupt the regular scheduled chapter in “Pat learns to photograph grown-ups “to bring you a message of utmost importance.

“Sweetness Kills” and must trump all other stated goals for a moment.

It goes like this.

I saw BonnieLuria’s new dog which is really masquerading as a lamb at the beginning of the week.    You should see this Cloud, too, click HERE.

First, “Awww…” and I’m not a goofy animal person as some of you know—Hollis are you listening?

Anyway, mid-week, my grand nephew came to visit and spend the night.  We went to two movies, back to back.  “Ice Age, Dawn of the Dinosaurs” and “G-Force”in 3-D, the latter a Jerry Bruckheimer “kids” movie.  Holy C.  “Incoming, Incoming” is all I can say about that movie.

In between shows, I suggested we go into “The Paper Store” and see if we can find a little back-to-school gift.  In we go, and I say to this nine year old, “You go look around and see if anything appeals to you.”

This is the same little guy who, after I had taken him to the Southwick Zoo last year, brought me to a 150 dollar stuffed dog for sale in the store.  I declined his request and pointed out that he had managed to locate the only animal we didn’t see at the Zoo.

There really isn’t all that much back-to-school stuff in The Paper Store  I found out, but there was a myriad of sports kitschy things, so I thought for sure he’d bring me to that corner.  Nope, he brings me to the Webkins carousel.  “Maybe this would be good for Mary, Pappy?”  (His little sister’s birthday is in two weeks) and shows me a few more stuffed animal suggestions for his other sister, Katie.

Then, he shows me a Boston Terrier Webkin and scratches its ear as he shows it to me.

He had just told me the story of sleeping over his cousin’s house the previous night and how their dog, a Boston Terrier, had slept on his bed, on his pillow– and I could clearly hear in his story that he was thrilled to have this little doggie on his pillow.  (Real dogs and cats are not coming to live at his house under any circumstances due to parental dictum.  Five kids was their concession to sentient beings in the house.)

So, needless to say, Boston Terrier Webkin was his back -to- school gift, along with one of those “Reserved Parking” signs for Bruins hockey fans that kids put on their room doors or adult sports neanderthals put on their den walls.

We get out of the store and we’re going to put everything in the car and then go to the movie and he says, “Pappy, can “Paws” (he’d already named the dog) go to the movies, too, in your bag??”

So, in he went….he zippered it up on both sides so just his little nose was sticking out.

When we got to the seats, he put him in the cup holder so he could see the 3D movie, complete with glasses.

When the movie started,  I had to point out that the dog was wearing MY 3-D glasses and he laughed and took off Paws’ glasses and gave them to me.

At times, during the movie, which was a true Jerry Bruckheimer explosion fest, he’d scratch the dog’s ears and feed him some popcorn and give him a sip of his drink.

Awww….number two.

The next morning (he slept with his arms wrapped around Paws, of course) we went swimming in the rain and found frogs in the pool and before I took him back home, I said, “Pappy has to photograph you and Paws!”

We went out to my back porch and I got out my best portrait lens, the 85mm, and there it was, the face of sweetness.

Kills me, I tell ya’.  Just kills me.

But not In that Jerry Bruckheimer explosions going off sorta way.

No, kills me softly like, well, like the touch of a lamb’s ear.

Aww…..Beep! Beeeeeeep!

Onward now with 50mm lens, girded loins, to photograph grown-ups.

Be sweeet, grown-ups, will you?

You were nine once. We all were.

Long ago and far away.

PHOTOGRAPHY CANNOT BE USED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION

©Pat Coakley 2009