He once was a calm boy.

Madison, Wisconsin, November 2003. Baci sleeps, and Pupa keeps one eye open.

Wagging Reunion

Madison, Wisconsin, June 2004. Something has caught Pupa's attention.

Adjusting

Madison, Wisconsin, January 2006. Our Pupa was a neurotic dog. Here, Pupa grudgingly lets Mr. Irene's Mom pet her.

Holiday Walk

Door County, Wisconsin, July 4, 2005. When Baci (left) was young, he and Pupa vacationed by enjoying at least two ninety-minute, daily walks in the woods.

Thoughtful Reunion

Madison, Wisconsin, September 3, 1994. Pupa contemplates her new surroundings.

"It's a good game."

Madison, Wisconsin, October 1994. Mr. Irene introduces the tennis ball to Pupa, the puppy. Older sister Žulė shows Pupa how to chase the ball. Pupa later became an expert at tennis-ball games. She excelled at "Boom," a volleyball-like exchange in which we tossed the ball to her, and she flipped it back at us with her nose.

Armrest Reunion

Madison, Wisconsin, August 1998. Find a spot.

Our Christmas Cards: A Passing Edition

Verona, Wisconsin, December 2008. Our Pupa—the little one, wearing bows, in the center—passed away in August 2008.

Our Christmas Cards: Three-Dog Edition

Verona, Wisconsin, December 2007. Rex joined the group. (I earlier posted this photo here.)

Our Christmas Cards: Adaptable Edition

Verona, Wisconsin, December 2006. We used the holiday greeting to announce another move. Pupa and Baci brought their beds and suitcase to the new place.

(Rex and his owner—my Mom—joined us in this house a few months later.)

Our Christmas Cards: Forget-Us-Not Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2005. This card featured Pupa and Baci enjoying a Door County flower field.

Our Christmas Cards: Lazy Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2004. This card featured Pupa and Baci on "Bunny Patrol."

Our Chirstmas Cards: Photo-Sheet Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2003. We introduced the "photo summary" to our Christmas mailings in 2003. That year, we sent out the summary only, and we did not prepare separate photo cards. Since then, we've mailed both cards and photo sheets.

The 2003 sheet featured our acquisition of Baci and Žulė's passing (the two events may not have been unrelated: Baci's exuberance likely overwhelmed Žulė). The sheet also highlighted some knitting: Mr. Irene models a sweater I knitted for my boss, and Mom wears one I did for the wife of a former colleague.

Our Christmas Cards: Shaggy Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2002. We featured the Poodles in their most common state.

Our Christmas Cards: Solemn Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2001. Was this really the best shot we could find for the year?

Our Christmas Cards: Ornamental Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2000. This is the image of the first "granddogs"—Žulė and Pupa—that Mom still carries in her wallet.

Our Christmas Cards: Dining-Room Edition

 

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1999. By 1999,  Žulė and Pupa were accustomed to posing for the card shot.

(I posted this photo earlier here.)

Our Christmas Cards: Good-Intentions Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1998. We skipped another year of sending photo cards. Our reason in 1998: I was in my third year of law school, and I didn't get organized in time to prepare the mailings. We did, however, select an image we thought about using for the greetings.

Our Christmas Cards: Decorated Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1997. We made an effort that year.

Our Christmas Cards: Three-Sweater Edition

Madison, Wisconsin, December 1996. The sweater I'm wearing was the first stranded ("fair isle") project I knitted.