P is for Photography

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera".

Dorothea Lange

Photographer/photojournalist 1895 - 1965

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I see my world through the photographs I make of it. Here are a few of my African favourites...

Desert Rose, Kenya

Elephants at Baobab tree, Tanzania

   

 Wildebeest, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Cheetah, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Agama Lizard, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

                      Rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Giraffe, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Gerenuk, Serengeti Plain, Tanzania

                            Young lion, Serengeti Plain, Tanzania

Masai village children, Kenya

I am linking this post to ABC Wednesday, and suggest you drop by and check out other takes on the letter'P'...

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.ca/

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The A - Z April Challenge: C ...Succintly Yours

This post might equally be titled, 'Beauty and the Beast'...

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 C is for Cheetah

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Without question the swift and sleek cheetah is one of Africa’s most beautiful creatures, and we were fortunate to see many of them on the savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania.

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Before embarking on our safari, I sought assurance we were not intruding. Though mindful that our presence was itself a intrusion, I hoped our impact might yet be minimal.

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 From the beginning, my fears were allayed. Riding slowly along the rutted roads on our first day in the Samburu Game Reserve, we saw a pair of cheetahs approach from the left and head toward the road.

Immediately, our driver stopped the truck and shut off the engine.   

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Unperturbed by our presence,

the lead cheetah moved 

 onto the road ahead of us,

and stretched himself out comfortably

on the warm ground.

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The second soon joined him and the two began to play gently, while we watched and waited.

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The morning was so still we could hear the loud purrs and snuffles that accompanied their game.

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Only when they moved off on their own accord did we continue on our way.

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In my sixth decade, I have accrued many joys in life to look back on…yet I think only a handful will ever compare to the half hour spent on this golden plain watching two wild felines roll happily about in the dusty road like a pair of over-sized house cats…

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Because the April 16th prompt on Photo Hunt is 'roads', I'm linking this up to tnchick...do pop in and visit the other players...
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http://tnchick.com/

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C is also for Cape Buffalo.

 Considerably larger and much less nimble, the Cape buffalo is no less amazing a presence, given its sheer size and fearsome look.

Our Kikuyu guide explained that the Cape buffalo was the most dangerous and unpredictable animal we would see in our travels, particularly one who has left his herd and become rogue.

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These lone buffalo appeared frequently on the grasslands, and we skirted around them most carefully…

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

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http://www.tossingitout.blogspot.com/2011/01/very-special-and-exciting-announcement.html
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Succintly Yours
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The culprit who pokes a mad cat,
Be it tiny or terribly fat,
Soon learns his mistake
For abuse they’ll not take
But will eat you in ten seconds flat!
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As Monday's prompt at Succintly Yours is cat-related, I thought to include it with this cheetah post. This challenge asks that we build a tale around the picture provided using no more than 140 characters or words. Today, I have also worked the optional word 'culprit' into my piece. I have Mad Kane to thank for unleashing the limerick monster I did not know lived inside me!!
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Succintly Yours: http://grandmas-goulash.info/
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Mad Kane:  http://www.madkane.com/humor_blog/  

Theme Thursday: African Spaces

This week, Theme Thursday invites us to explore the concept of 'space'.

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Nowhere on earth does the world seem wider than on the African savannah. Golden grasslands stretch as far as the eye can see, flowing seamlessly into big and brilliant skies. 

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At home on these open spaces, animals roam freely…hampered only by the measured interruptions of those of us who ache to catch just a glimpse of the singular beauty to be found in that wildness.

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On safari in East Africa, I've sat mute with awe as lions prowled steathily in the grass nearby,

and watched giraffes lope nervously away if we lingered too long to stare.

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I've laughed aloud as zebras pranced cheerfully ahead of us on the rutted trails, stopping  as if to to wait when we paused to let them get ahead.

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 And I've simply marvelled at the glorious cheetahs who watched us curiously as we pointed our cameras their way.

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This is a place like no other, where space and time converge in nature's ageless harmony.

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 It is my fervent hope that the animals of the world will always have their wild places...that mankind's often greedy and thoughtless pursuits do not irrevocably encroach on their worlds, for surely, to destroy these precious habitats would mean the ruin of our humanity...

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For more about the spaces of our universe, check out the great link below...

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http://themethursday.blogspot.com/