I was playing with a new camera testing image stabilization and zoom features.  Tobias, our vineyard security specialist,  was unknowingly acting as  the test subject.  To get his attention I  pretended I wanted him to find a critter in the pommard block, quietly, asking "Where is it"  and commanding "Find it".  I'm sure Tobi was imagining a good jackrabbit  or turkey chase and I  captured his  full attention. Just as I got the the stabilized, extreme zoom, close-up head shot,  we both caught the faint scent of skunk on the breeze.  That was my first lesson of the day: 1) Even just pretending,  the Law of Attraction works !

So hundreds of years of selective breeding as a fearless South African lion hunter, and obeying his master's faux command, our adolescent Rhodesian Ridgeback took off in hot pursuit. He returned quickly streaming rivulets of drool in his excitement and stood his ground between master and foe.  Then I saw the stinky critter. Just like the cartoons of my childhood, Pepé Le Pew  was advancing flirtatiously, tail-erect, to ambush my brave protector.  I dropped the camera from my eye to call out frantic alpha-male commands in a vain attempt to intercede and protect my loyal companion.

Second and third lessons learned:  2) A dog's protective instinct takes precedence over virtually everything else.  Well, except, maybe,  a cookie   3) A  professional videographer would always keep camera to eye instinctually.

So, I missed  the key shot of the story capturing blurred grass, earth and sky in its place.  The image  is, however,  forever etched in glorious backlit,  HD slow-motion detail in the YouTube of my mind.  Pepé fragrantly showered poor, innocent Tobias right in his advancing, snapping, snarling snout.  The encounter was over in an instant. But my brave Tobi had done his job. He took the bullet for his master.  I did manage a few belated, deceptively cute shots of the sinister striped stink bomber.

Now  I'm left with this rookie,  jerky, test video, the guilt of recklessly commanding my loyal puppy into senseless and humiliating confrontation,  and a real stinky best friend.  I have to wonder if there is any biodynamic benefit to skunk stink. Does it deter gophers or  wild turkey?  Yes, springtime is fragrantly in the air at  Bybee Vineyards & Habitat.