cats and dogs

It's been raining heavily today, which made me think of the expression, "raining cats and dogs". The weather has made for one of those fall days when I'd like nothing more than to curl up by the fire with a cozy blanket and a good book and forget about everything. 

The idiom "raining cats and dogs" got me thinking about where and how that saying originated. I did a little googling to see what I could find out, and while it appears that the definite origin is unknown, I came across one explanation that I think is particularly plausible - it suggests that "cats and dogs" is a language corruption of the old French word for waterfall, which is "catadupe". "Raining a waterfall" seems to make a lot of sense to me!

Thinking about cats and dogs I can't help be reminded of the enormous amount of these four legged friends I photographed recently in Turkey. Here's a sampling of the feline and canine subjects I was lucky enough to photograph:

in the St. Savior of Chora
Byzantine church, Istanbul

catching a nap, Istanbul

outside of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul

at the Blue Mosque, Istanbul

looking to share our lunch,
Alacati

this old-timer has
 the saddest face, Alacati

a little kitten perched on a rooftop,
Alacati

perhaps the luckiest dog alive...
his home is the amazing
Tas Otel in Alacati

a family of felines
 near the Aegean Sea

such a friendly fellow!

a feline family in Istanbul

I did a double take when I saw
these two in Istanbul

sound asleep without a care
 in the world, Istanbul

Animals, whether our pets or strays on the streets, always capture my heart with their simple lives and gain my admiration with their ability to relax and take a nap just about anywhere!