Time is the partner of all of us, it is all encompassing, relentless and powerful. Some of you, watching my photos, have seen it before I did. My photography helps me see the world, it shows me things I cannot see by myself. Fate’s arrival is a generational thing, a passage. When Red worked alone, I could not see that he was growing slower, tired, that he needed more rest and sometimes moves stiffly.

As a working dog, he is so gracious, responsive and easy that it seems effortless to  him. But it is not. Red is nine years old, he has been running and working hard his whole life. He is fit and healthy, he will be around a good long time, but in a sense, there is the beginning of a passage going on.

After his work herding the sheep, Red comes into my office, he pants for a good long time, he stays by my side, he sleeps a long time, more than he did a few years ago. He has plenty of energy to work, tremendous drive, but on the path in the woods today with Maria and Fate and Red, I could see how close he stayed to me, how fast Fate moves, how curious she is. Red is fine, he is good, but he is slowing down.

He is getting older. He is very accepting of Fate, sometimes almost relieved, it seems, to share the burden and intensity of running. Red has many years of work ahead of him, he is the most wonderful dog, but I will be more sensitive to his need to rest, will look for more therapy work for him, it is good for his soul and easy on his body.

Fate has extraordinary and boundless energy, she was chasing after chipmunks for much of our walk, bounding through the woods listening to their squeaks, trying to find them. She loves the chase, she is no hunter. When we stopped, Red came near me and lay down, he seemed eager to rest. So there is is, time is our partner, always, it appears all of the time, at will, and we are servants and slaves to it. It is so ubiquitous that we often don’t even see it.