English Setter

A young English Setter, watching other dogs heading into a field full of

quail. Views all the better larger - thanks for visiting!

Absolutely beautiful. Perfectly captured.

Beautiful animal, great photo. Cheers, Jay

Lovely doggie portrait, beautiful head and eyes! Regards, DM.

Beautiful expression well captured and a nice background that is OOF enough not to distract and yet retains enough detail to provide a sense of place.

Very nice portrait, Matt! Great expression of anticipation and excellent focus on the eyes.

 

Best regards,

 

Dick

A strong portrait with personality to spare.

great dogs luv em ! very well done ! have a great day !

This is a very good portrait of the dog. Very nice focus on the face with details of white fur and its eyes. Highlights on its back are a bit blown out.

I hope this puts a smile on your face ! *****************************************************************************************

 

 

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Texas Chili Contest

 

If you pay attention to the first two judges, the reaction of the

 

third judge is even better. For those of you who have lived in Texas ,

 

you know how true this is. They actually have a Chili Cook-off about

 

the time Halloween comes around. It takes up a major portion of a

 

parking lot at the San Antonio City Park .

 

 

 

 

Judge #3 was an inexperienced Chili taster named Frank, who was

 

visiting from Springfield , IL .

 

 

 

 

Frank: "Recently, I was honored to be selected as a judge at a chili

 

cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I

 

happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for

 

directions to the Coors Light truck, when the call came in. I was

 

assured by he other two judges (Native Texans) that the chili wouldn't

 

be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer

 

during the tasting, so I accepted."

 

 

 

 

Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 1 - MIKE'S MANIAC MONSTER CHILI...

 

Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- Nice, smooth tomato flavor. Very mild.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy s---, what the h--- is this stuff? You could

 

remove dried paint from your driveway. Took me two beers to put the

 

flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These Texans are crazy.

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 2 - AUSTIN 'S AFTERBURNER CHILI...

 

Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of pork. Slight jalapeno tang.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavor, needs more peppers to be taken

 

seriously.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what

 

I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who

 

wanted to give me the Heimlich maneuver. They had to rush in more beer

 

when they saw the look on my face.

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 3 - FRED'S FAMOUS BURN DOWN THE BARN CHILI.

 

Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse chili. Great kick.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of peppers.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 -- Call the EPA. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels

 

like I have been snorting Drano. Everyone knows the routine by now.

 

Get me more beer before I ignite. Beer maid pounded me on the back, now

 

my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting s---faced

 

from all of the beer.

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 4 - BUBBA'S BLACK MAGIC...

 

Judge # 1 -- Black bean chili with almost no spice. Disappointing.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish

 

or other mild foods, not much of a chili.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across s my tongue, but was

 

unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Sally, the

 

beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That woman

 

is starting to look HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is

 

chili an aphrodisiac?

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 5 LISA'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER...

 

Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong chili Cayenne peppers freshly ground,

 

adding considerable kick. Very impressive.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- Chili using shredded beef, could use more tomato. Must

 

admit the cayenne peppers make a strong statement.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and

 

I can no longer focus my eyes. I farted and four people behind me

 

needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that

 

her chili had given me brain damage. Sally saved my tongue from

 

bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if

 

its burning my lips off. It really ticks me off that the other judges

 

asked me to stop screaming.

 

Screw those redneck hilbillies.

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 6 - VERA'S VERY VEGETARIAN VARIETY...

 

Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety chili. Good balance of

 

spices and peppers.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and

 

garlic.

 

Superb.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with

 

gaseous, sulfuric flames. I s--- on myself when I passed gas and I'm

 

worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand

 

behind me except that Sally. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to

 

wipe my butt with a snow cone.

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 7 - SUSAN'S SCREAMING SENSATION CHILI..

 

Judge # 1 - - A mediocre chili with too much reliance on canned

 

peppers.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of

 

chili peppers at the last moment. **I should take note that I am

 

worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he

 

is cursing uncontrollably.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I

 

wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world

 

sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with

 

chili, which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava

 

to match my shirt. At least during the autopsy, they'll know what

 

killed me. I've decided to stop breathing, it's too painful. Screw it;

 

I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air, I'll just suck it in

 

through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

 

 

 

 

CHILI # 8 - BIG TOM'S TOENAIL CURLING CHILI...

 

Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending, this is a nice blend chili. Not too

 

bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.

 

 

 

 

Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced chili. Neither mild

 

nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3

 

passed out, fell over and pulled the chili pot down on top of himself.

 

Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor feller, wonder how he'd have

 

reacted to really hot chili?

 

 

 

 

Judge # 3 - No Report

 

 

A beautiful animal and a well made photo. The intensity in the eye tells the whole story.

Great shot and great Setter, Matt ...

Happy New Year, my friend !!!. I wish all the best for you and for all your friends & family. Sinceresly ... A big hug !!

Matt, the eyes definitely have it--reminds me of a woman staring out a window in deep thought. What a beautiful animal and what a great capture. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent portrait of this beautiful dog.

Best wishes.

Lovely capture; so crisp.

Beautiful capture of a beautiful dog; I love the eyes and his intense expression! Very well done. Thank you for sharing! :)

Exquisitely sharp with beautiful expression on the guy!

For some reason, this strikes me as human! Must be the dog's coloration, but it really is kind of freaky. Gorgeous animal and perfect composition.