The A - Z April Challenge: B

My African Alphabet continues...

B is for Baboon

 Evening drives on the Serengeti are a magical event. The setting sun casts a golden glow on all it touches and we are priviliged to watch the animals make their preparations for night-time.

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 Baboon mothers round up their tired babes and climb into leafy nests high up in the trees. Others in the troop spend time grooming one another, an activity that not only keeps them clean and free of parasites, but

bonds the

individuals together as family.

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Males often take on the role of child-minder, exhibiting much patience with the youngsters who clamber boldly over them and tug at their ears. Nonetheless, these males are warriors and one must take care not to agitiate them.

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As light begins to fade, the last stragglers make their way to the trees to sleep. They must be up as dawn breaks to begin their long day's foraging once more....


 

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These Olive Baboons were one of my greatest challenges to photograph.

Although highly sociable in groups, they shy away from people and we may view them only from a distance.

For more A - Z letters, be sure to pop by Arlee Bird's site and see what other have done with the letter B!

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http://www.tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting-announcement.html

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And as it's Saturday, I will also link up with Misty Dawn's Camera Critters, another great meme to check out!

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http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

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The A - Z April Challenge: A

I am aquiver with excitement to have found a wonderful new event in the 'Blogging From A to Z April Challenge', hosted by Arlee Bird and friends at 'Tossing it Out'. The premise is to post every day in April except Sundays, which will result in twenty-six posts...one for each letter of the alphabet.

I knew immediately what theme I would use to bind the posts together. On a trip to East Africa a few years ago, I strove to get photos of as many animals and birds as I could, while frantically scribbling down their names as our guides rattled them off...not an easy thing to do in a safari truck bumping endlessly over rough, pitted roads!

And so I begin my African Alphabet....

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A is for Antelope

There are antelopes of many kinds in Africa. This photo is of a Thomson's Gazelle we spotted at a watering hole in Kenya's Samburu Game Reserve. I will show you more antelope in the days to come!

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A is also for Agama Lizard

While these fellows will not be to everyone's taste, I must admit to a fondness for reptiles. 

Getting close up and personal with these quiet and colourful lizards was a rare opportunity I happily latched onto as they sunned on the rocks all around us.

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If you're up to it, why not take this challenge, too? Anything goes...fiction, poetry, essays, travel. Hundreds have alread posted their links, so while it seems unlikely I will be able to visit them all each day, I'm going to give it a very good try. Thank you for the inspiration, Arlee Bird!!

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http://www.tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting-announcement.html

Another Shadow Shot Sunday

Oops! If you've landed here on September 3rd, it's because I entered the wrong link for SSS. Please follow this link for today's shadows...:)

Sorry for the confusion!

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http://imaginationlane.blogspot.com/2010/09/leafy-shadows.html

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For this week’s Shadow Shot Sunday, I challenged myself to go no farther than my own backyard in search of interesting shadows. As projects often do, this one started out one way and ended up another.

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What began as a search for shadows, turned into a study in texture and line as I prowled through our admittedly less-than-pristine garden.

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I’ve always been drawn to things shabby and worn. To me, rusted-out fences have a quiet beauty of their own, and weathered wood glows with a charm I do not find in things brand new.

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.................Even a forgotten pair of secateurs found in long-neglected grass cast a pleasing

shadow when propped against the nubby stucco walls of our house.

The resulting pictures are a curious mix of shapes and colours that resemble abstract paintings.
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I must deem my challenge a success. I found my shadows…found my pruning shears, (though they’re no longer fit for use!), and my little dog had a wonderful day poking through our neglected yard with me.

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For a brief…a very brief…moment, I contemplated telling my husband that we really should forgo the long Sunday drives we take in search of abandoned buildings to photograph, and small treasures to round up…that we should instead stay home and do yard work all weekend. That notion passed quickly, however; I could too easily see his small, cheeky grin and hear him

drawl, “Yeah, right!!”

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I’ll be sure to share with you the mischief we get into in place of gardening….:)

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Many thanks to 'Hey, Harriet' for hosting this Sunday event! To see more, do drop by her page at...

http://heyharriet.blogspot.com/