Gorgeous Planet: Whoopie Helps Me Learn My ISOs

Whoopie, our adopted ancient chihuahua, adores the sun. When her previous owner died, Whoopie came to us, supposedly as a temporary stop on her way to a permanent home. She arrived in a foul mood and wouldn't allow us to pet her; she'd snarl and threaten to bite. Like a rabid gargoyle, she had the eerie ability to magnify her fangs and turn her eyes red. She appeared demon-possessed. No kidding, I wanted her gone because she scared the living daylights out of me.

At night, she would moan in grief and wheeze. The old man with whom she lived for 16 years was a chainsmoker, so Whoopie was, too. Who knows, maybe she was going through nicotine withdrawal when she first arrived.

It took about three months, but Whoopie started to really enjoy life after a time. Her wheezing stopped, she developed a bounce in her step, and a glob of Brunschweiger paté helped her learn to make the grand leap through the doggie-door to independent forays into the yard.

She has become youthful again, although she must be about 18 years old now. She fancies herself the great explorer, and if the gate is left open for a nano-second, she bolts down the driveway to take herself for a walk around the block, stopping like clockwork to water our neighbor's weeds.

Tall grass along the edges of the yard stirs her imagination. Panther-like, she goes on the prowl, sniffing up memories of the horrible invaders she fights during the night. Her mortal enemies are the skunks and a couple feral cats who come around because she leaves food in her dog bowl. She barks furiously at them, disgusted that they would dare trespass. When they get too close, the pitch of her bark rises to a distress level, sounding the alarm. It is only then that Lily perks up her ears and trots outside to check on her.

She bosses Lily around and pretends she doesn't care, but when she thinks no one is looking, she'll cozy up next to her. They're friends but not demonstrative.

Unlike Lily, who likes her duck chews and hard biscuits, Whoopie enjoys gumming an Oreo-type treat, a cookie that suits her perfectly. We don't give her real Oreos but Joe's-Joes, made from all-natural ingredients. Sure, dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate cookies with vanilla cream centers, but who's going to tell her?

We went out for a walk this morning, despite the dreary weather. Then I drove to North County to do some visiting. It rained for several hours and stopped as I drove south on my way home.

After taking a few photos outdoors, I wanted to practice manipulating the ISO feature.

Here are the results: