I spent time with this cheetah family on the Phinda Game Reserve in South Africa last year. Mother and daughter are pictured here, the two boys were off to the side trying to catch a quick nap. We found them on a very blustery afternoon, and they were all on edge. For us watching, having them on edge was a bit of a blessing, because instead of just snoozing away the afternoon, they were moving around and on the lookout, allowing for more interesting images.
When I decided on the topic for the month, I had many plans for posts. Many plans that I have not been able to put in to action because of the weather. C’est la vie.
This week has seen warm temperatures and generally lots of overcast days, though I did manage to get out a couple times for a few quick photos when the sun was out. The warm temperatures and occasional rain have left the snow covered in a sheet of ice; areas almost look like they have been glazed with the fancy icing that goes on sugar cookies. I found that to be difficult to convey in an image though, and reducing everything to black and white made it somewhat more apparent.
I hope you enjoy my selections for the week.
The tracks of snow machines heading off along the edge of a lake.The icy surface of the snow being illuminated by the midday sun. The days may be getting longer, but the sun is still very low in the sky.I hadn’t been expecting the see the rocky shoreline when I went out to the lake to explore a bit. Faint tracks of snow machines head off in both directions.The temperature may have been unseasonably warm, but the trees aren’t buying it yet. Definitely no buds to be seen, just barren branches reaching skywards.The collapsing snow looked to me like to surface of the moon… or perhaps like Swiss cheese if you’re hungry 🙂
And another week begins! I don’t know about all of you, but the weekend flew by in a flash for me (which is the exact opposite of how this leopard sighting turned out). We came across this gorgeous male leopard early into our afternoon game drive, and tracked him for a short while along with another vehicle. He went into a thicket and the other vehicle gave up, but our guide Albert predicted where he would come out of the bush, and we reconnected with him and then got to spend time with him when he climbed this tree and the sun set. That other vehicle certainly missed out on a great sighting!
Happy Monday to all! For my first monochrome Monday post of the year, I decided to share not only my favourite animal, but an image that I recently printed for a display in my home. I love surrounding myself with images that evoke memories of wonderful times and fantastic adventures. I reuse old frames over and over again, some needing to have duck tape on the back to hold everything together, but it allows me to update images whenever I want. I have loads of photo displays throughout my home, from beautifully framed large-size matted prints, to unframed 5″ x 5″ cardstock images arranged in groups of 25 images. As I move throughout my home, I’m taken back to beautiful places and inspired to plan the next adventure.
Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead.
An elephant in the desert. Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, Namibia. April, 2017.
A few old boys at a water hole near Nxai Pan in Botswana. The one spraying mud was the first one there, and when seeing him we thought he was an absolutely enormous bull. But then these other individuals came along and he was forced to make way for them, deferring to their larger size.
I was a bit delayed in getting this posted, so I will keep this post nice and brief. Just an elephant at their scratching tree to start the week. I think elephants are a good way to start any week 🙂
An elephant at a tree that was being used as a scratching post by the whole herd. Kenya, September 2016.
