Several months ago, one of the designs I created for my Vida site was selected to be made into a custom item to be featured on HSN! The item is now available and will be featured on the Vida design show tomorrow on HSN in the US.
When I signed on for the feature, I only knew that the product would be a sleeveless vest, but not how it would look. These are my first views of it, and I think it’s turned out wonderfully.
My item is called Amboseli Sunset, and was created from an image I took while on a game drive in Kenya last September.
This is the image I used to create the design.
The link below will take you to the sales page on HSN:
The WordPress photo challenge topic for the week are things that are distracting, and I need look no further than birds. Just yesterday, while taking my dog for an afternoon walk, a flash of yellow caught my eye in the bush, and I ended up rather mesmerized at the side of the road trying to photograph the birds flitting passed, mostly so I could try and identify them later. Those photos aren’t worth sharing, but I’m no different whilst on holiday either. Birds are definitely one of the things that stop me in my tracks so I can gaze at them in wonder.
I hope you enjoy my selection of photos.
A black korhaan, also known as the helicopter bird, spotted while out on a game drive in Etosha National Park. Namibia, April 2017.A flock of red billed quilea taking to the air. Okavango Delta, Botswana. May 2017.A southern ground hornbill spotted on an afternoon game drive in the Okavango Delta. We were very fortunate to see these endangered birds on several game drives in the delta. Botswana, May 2017.A grey go-away bird running along the edge of the Boteti River in Botswana. Granted it isn’t the best bird shot, but I loved the gesture of it too much not to include it. He looks like he’s doing a jig! Botswana, May 2017.A pale chanting goshawk perched next to the Boteti Rover in the early morning, likely looking for some breakfast amongst the frogs and other small creatures at the waters edge.I think I need to bring a magnetic bumper sticker the next time I go on safari that says “We brake for rollers”. I’ve never seen a lilac-breasted roller I didn’t want to snap a photo of. They are such beautiful birds, with such a gorgeous array of colours. Botswana, May 2017.
The photo challenge prompt for this week is elemental. I was able to find a few photos in the edit queue from my last trip that fit in with this theme perfectly. Here are my images that represent earth, air, water and fire.
I hope you enjoy!
Earth: Flying above the beautiful Okavango Delta.Air: A strong wind whips up a sandstorm in the Hoanib desert.Water: Drainage channels caused from water running off the hills, snake through the desert landscape. Fire: A fiery sunset in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
The photo challenge prompt of the week is textures. There are a lot of directions that this can be taken; I decided on a combination of animals in their environment and animal portraits.
I hope you enjoy my take on texture.
Agama Lizard, Kenya, September 2016. I like the contrast of the colourful, scaly agama lizard against the drab brown tree trunk and the spiky thorn branches.A lioness walks through the desert in Namibia, April, 2017. Desert environments can seem one dimensional from a distance, but they are full of an amazing variety of textures. Sharp rocky outcrops, weathered wood, shifting sand, sparse vegetation and of course, the landscape occasionally dotted with animals and birds.Dense fog, dry grass, the pitted sides of a termite mound. Oh, and a cheetah too 🙂 South Africa, May 2017Soft fur, spiky whiskers and a whole lot of slippery slime. A leopard cub plays in a very swampy area of the bush. South Africa, May 2017.The wrinkly skin of the elephant is mimicked in the tree branch shadows falling above the eye and on the ear. Kenya, September 2016.
Mama and baby on the Amboseli Plains. Kenya, September 2016.A group of elephants moving through the Ol Kinyei Conservancy adjacent to the Mara Reserve. Kenya, 2016.Desert-adapted elephants grazing on devil’s thorn, which bloomed in abundance after a wetter than average rainy season in Namibia. April, 2017.
The second stop on my recent trip to Southern Africa was at the beautiful Ongava Game Reserve adjacent to Etosha National Park. Like at our first camp, here we also found a familiar face, as the camp manager we met on a previous trip to Namibia had moved over to this region, and was running the lodge during our stay. We had a wonderful time catching up with Maggie; I am still amazed that we not only found familiar faces so far from home, but that people remembered us as well 🙂
Typically, we went into the national park to explore on our morning game drives, and the spent the afternoons on the private reserve. The Etosha region had also received higher than average rainfall, and was very lush and green during our stay. Right before we arrived, they had a day of heavy rain, and on our first game drive we ended up stuck in the mud on one of the roads on the Ongava Reserve. After about 45 minutes, our awesome guide Willy managed to get the vehicle moving again. We were all covered in splattered mud from head to toe, but laughing and smiling; its all part of the safari adventure.
We spent time with elephants and rhino, lions and wildebeest. We saw zebra, oryx springbok and impala, and an abundance of birds. The reserve had a lovely hide, but due to the rains in the region, water sources were abundant and the man-made dam near the lodge was not being frequently used during our stay (with the exception of the resident terrapins). It was a beautiful region that I hope I have the opportunity to explore again in the future.
Here are a few images from my 3 nights in this beautiful area.
A bull elephant on Ongava Game Reserve. This big guy was attracting quite a crowd, as he is one of only four elephants on the reserve. All the elephants ended up there after breaking in from neighbouring Etosha, and then deciding to stay.We saw many herds of zebra during our drives through Etosha. This young wildebeest was part of a sizeable herd, but was unfortunately injured and hobbling around on a broken leg. This one will definitely be the animal the lions size up as a potential meal, the next time the pride and the herd cross paths.We were fortunate to see both white and black rhino during our time in the Etosha area. Such impressive creatures.One of the highlights driving through Etosha was coming across this group of brothers chilling out next to a waterhole. They were very close to the road, giving lots of people a fantastic opportunity to see lions up close. One of the brothers went into stalk mode, and crossed the road towards a group of springbok, but they had spotted him quickly so it was a no go for some springbok for breakfast.A rock hyrax seen near the dining area at Little Ongava. This little one was calling out constantly and making quite a racket, but it took me a bit of time to spot it. Apparently, this hyrax is always hanging around the camp.A pair of ostrich seen during a drive through Etosha National Park.A waterbuck on the Ongava Private Game Reserve. Waterbuck are not a naturally occurring species in the area, but were introduced the the reserve around 10 years ago to see if they could cope with the terrain and climate. The population there has been thriving.Our last morning in Ongava, we spent time on the reserve rather than in the park, as we had a fairly early flight to our next destination. We were having a rather relaxed drive when another guest on the vehicle spotted a lion hidden in the grass in a thicket; we were able to drive closer and find the entire pride having a rest as the day heated up.
The photo challenge topic for the week is collage, and I was inspired to look through my recent photos to find collages created by mother nature.
I enjoy flying, especially when I have the opportunity to snap a few photos out the windows. The perspective provides a great opportunity to understand the landscape in a completely different way. The vast opens spaces become a collage of different shapes, textures, colours and tones when viewed from the air.
On route to the Skeleton Coast from Hoanib Camp. Undulating dunes, small trees, rocky hills and a small lake. I’m sure the water is long gone by now! Namibia, April 2017.The beauty of the Okavango Delta. The landscape is filled with small lakes and rivers, game trails and islands. Botswana, May, 2017.Flying over the Damaraland region on route from Hoanib to Ongava near Etosha. The landscape was varied with rolling hills, rocky outcrops and dry riverbeds. Namibia, April, 2017.
