Elizabeth Park

181/365: America's first public rose garden is in Hartford's Elizabeth Park. The 15,000 rose bushes include more than 900 varieties of roses.

stump

180/365: A decaying tree stump-turned-planter strategically sited next to a perennial bed.

The Housatonic

179/365: Sparkling like diamonds and full of rain.

178/365: Visiting the friendlier members of the herd while keeping a wary eye on the bulls grazing nearby.

Eggleston Road

177/365: A beef farm and a nice view high above Lime Rock, Connecticut.

Skywatch Friday

176/365: Today's Skywatch Friday post is in memory of Grover, our beloved "foster" French mastiff who died unexpectedly yesterday. He only lived with us when his "real" family was away, but he was a member of our family all the same. We were eagerly preparing for his annual July visit when we received the sad news. Dogs bring so much joy, but they break your hearts when they pass on.

A gentle 130-plus pound giant.

Best pals.

The photograph that appears on our July calender this year.

We'll miss you, big guy.

Sundrops

175/365: Evening primroses, aptly nicknamed sundrops, fill the garden with yellow in June.

Chives

174/365: Chives in the herb garden.

Peony

173/365: The last of the peonies.

Glad Midsommar

172/365: Nothing says summer quite like the Speedster. Read about how Swedes celebrate the summer solstice here.

171/365: Truman lets Maggie go for it.

Ready, Set

170/365: Waiting for the signal.

Skywatch Friday

169/365: This mother and her newborn seem oblivious to the beauty above them. For more skies from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Cammo

168/365: Who knows how long this tree frog was hanging out here before we spotted it.

167/365: One of two new calves next door, testing out his legs.

Pack Leaders

166/365: Julius Kiptoo of Kenya won this year's Litchfield Hills Road Race.

Popey's

165/365: Dogs get free soft-serve vanilla ice cream at Popey's Ice Cream Shoppe in Morris, Connecticut.

Tree Frog

164/365: What looked like a brown leaf inside a peony I just picked turned out to be this little guy. He sat for a couple photos before I put him back in the garden. You simply can't plan or even imagine a photo op like this one.

Skywatch Friday

163/365: Maggie and Truman swimming beneath and through a beautiful summer sky, Ashley Falls, Massachusetts. For more skies from around the world, please visit Skywatch Friday.

Sugar Ann

162/365: The dwarf snap peas, planted in early April, beginning to flower.

primula

161/365: Firecracker flowers, as B calls them, by the front stoop.

paonia

160/365: A peony about to pop open.

159/365: A story I wrote about our canoeing adventures appeared in the summer 2005 issue of Bark magazine. Read about one of Maggie and Truman's favorite wintertime places here.

Upstream

158/365: Cutting through a pretty strong current.

The Housy

157/365: Maggie and Truman exploring their favorite stretch of the Housatonic River outside Ashley Falls, Massachusetts.

Let's Go

156/365: The dogs know where we're going when the canoe is on the roof.

Goodbye

155/365: The last baby robin's first stop after leaving the nest.

Truman

154/365: Truman is never far behind.

Retriever

153/365: Maggie making waves in Heron Pond.

Bash Bish Bound

152/365: Heading to Massachusetts via the Taconic Range, Columbia County, New York.