The Photo

There is a lot "wrong" with this photo, wrong shutter speed, wrong aperture, too much noise...but I really like it. 

We saw that the Kilimanjaro Safari now offered night rides and off we went not knowing if we would see anything. I was carrying my camera simply because I had it with me not expecting to take a shot - it was super hard in the daylight bouncing along the rugged track. We did see a couple of animals dimly and one antelope that was a few feet in front of us illuminated briefly by the headlights but not much. We got to the place where the lions were and could see, barely, the outline of the head of this female. There was a soft light in the rock below her. The vehicle stopped for a moment to point her out and then we started off again. As soon as we did, the lion stretched and stood. I just grabbed my camera, looked in the viewfinder and moved shutter dial until I could see something and shot one frame. The car now lurched away completely from the area. It turned out that I was in auto ISO in a range, so it want to the max of 6400, also I had moved the shutter speed to 1/30 instead of moving the aperture. It happened so fast I did not think properly and yet, with modern camera equipment, managed to get a neat image, a sort of ghostly lioness in the night. Not sharp, not shot correctly but a neat image of a nice memory.

The lesson, that I actually need to learn not just repeat examples - is to prepare in advance for the possible and be ready for the  unexpected. This was shot with an unprepared Fuji X-T2 at f8, 1/30, 6400, 52mm with the 18-135 lens. And a surprised photographer. 

Speed

This is a cheetah and one of the few times we have seen them on the safari ride. Again the ride is a bit bumpy but shooting between jostling and around people I was pleased to capture an okay shot of this fleet animal. I read that a full grown cheetah will have about 2000 spots. 

Mom and Cub (2 photos)

This playful tiger cub was tussling with his mother for a bit until mom had enough and walked away. You met the dad yesterday. The cub was also trying to climb a tree but always falling back to ground. I think we should call him Hobbes. 

Boss

The tigers at Animal Kingdom roam in three areas that are set among a backdrop of the ruins of an old temple. Disney has provided a great stage to watch these animals. This is a male tiger and was serenely in charge. What beautiful animals.

Big Cats

This beautiful lion was quite visible on the safari ride at Animal Kingdom. 

Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.” Numbers 24:9 (NLT)

Fort Foote NPS in Maryland (Three Photos)

As I wrote earlier, Fort Foote is not a destination sort of park, more local dog walkers but it is a shame for it certainly could be something really nice. The setting on the Potomac is beautiful, the history is unique, the guns are impressive it is just not well cared for - at all. 

Startling Terror

So, this outlandish scene is at the Animal Kingdom in the Avatar area. An apparent planet recreated from a film that I never heard of before (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/). I must have been the only one. Anyway, they have a ride that is sometimes compared to Soaring. DO NOT BELIEVE THAT. Soaring is a gentle float on a lazy river, Avatar is turbo jet skis off a 200 foot waterfall. First you must know that the people you are seeing high up on the bridge - look carefully - may look a bit hungry because they are in the middle of a nearly four-hour wait to board the ride. Stamina. CJH and I had a fast pass secured for us because of the extra effort Janet put forth. (Rusty MAY have helped) So, the ride. It was intense, insane and scary and you never leave the ground. You ride on this creature, motorcycle fashion, and off you go on a screen adventure your mind insists is not real and your body is screaming that death is near. Or at least you hope so. "You'll like it, its like Soaring." Lies. Can't wait to try it again.

Red & Blue with Shadow

The iconic EPCOT globe at night. I never tire of shooting this from angles all over the park.  

James River

A different perspective looking west from the James River pedestrian bridge near Browns Island in Richmond. Love the area. 

Old Oval (two photos)

In Hillsborough NC there is a remnant  of one of NASCAR's first tracks, a nine-tenths dirt oval that opened in 1948 and closed 20 years later. Many of NASCAR's legends drove here, Weatherby, Roberts, Turner, Owens, Johnson, Petty among the ones who won races. Today the original grandstands are still visible, the track is a wide walking trail and the banked turns covered in trees. An association formed dedicated to maintaining the area and they have re-built the concession stand, ticket booth, starting platform, and fences. There are also three era race cars parked along the track. A nice place to walk with trails connecting to several others and along the Eno River.   

New

The world sometimes feels fresh and new.

“He is not a tame lion,”

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

At the Animal Kingdom, the majestic male lion.

Golden

In the aviary at Disney's Animal Kingdom on the Gorilla Falls Trail you will find a score of these busy birds attending to or weaving nests. They are Golden Weavers. This example choose to take a short rest nearby where I captured this image. Beautiful little creatures. 

Friday

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:5 NLT

Close Encounter of the Scale-ly Kind (two photos)

So the photo from yesterday was on the trail to an abandoned mine in the Organ Pipe National Monument in Arizona. There were five washes we crossed and longer stretches of flat hard trail. Going down into the third wash this bright snake crossed the trail about three feet in front of us. It was not traveling fast but went under a bush at the side of the trail and then up the draw sliding between rocks until I could not see the snake any longer. We completed the hike and back at the visitor center I sought out a ranger to get help on identifying some birds. Then I said, "Could you tell me what kind of snake this was?" He looked a long time then enlisted two other rangers - one "really knows his snakes" and the one at the counter. They chatted a bit, asked me some questions about where the photo was taken. They then announced that it was a Coral Snake and they "didn't know there were any over there." Apparently it is quite deadly and the last antidote was out of date by 2012 - so no real hope if one would bite you. We were not in danger but it created a bit of unease the next trail we set off on. We certainly watched the ground more closely. 

Desert Trail

Later this week I will post about an animal we came across on this three-mile hike to an old mine. This is a portion of the trail between dry washes where even early in the morning in April it was getting hot in Organ Pipe Monument in southern Arizona. 

Awe

Awe is a serious word and I would not use it lightly. It most often is attributed to an aspect of God or His creation. But not exclusively. Standing near, touching and viewing this aircraft, if you are the least bit interested in US history, might spark the same response from you. It is a SBD Dauntless, version 2, built in 1941. This actual airplane was at Pearl Harbor on 12/7 but was not damaged. It took part to three other major battles including one of the many Dauntless's that sunk four aircraft carriers of the Japanese navy that changed the course of the war at the Battle of Midway. It returned from that battle with 259 bullet holes. Early in the war the plane was deemed not worthy of more combat so it was ferried to Lake Michigan where it was used to teach new Navy airmen how to land on a carrier. The Navy had converted two side wheel excursion boats to makeshift landing decks in the lake to keep them safe from enemy subs. One pilot missed the deck and the plane was lost. It was recovered a few years ago in great condition and restored for display here at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. It is the only Navy plane of its type to see combat in WWII still in existence. See more here: http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/attractions/aircraft-exhibits/item/?item=sbd-2_dauntless

Welcome to a Bright Red Morning

I am learning about new software and decided to make this morning photograph at the Gulf Islands National Seashore look like what I hoped getting up at 4:30 would be like instead of what reality provides. Although it was a bright, red and beautiful morning I choose to assist with the intensity of the colors - just for fun. Here's hoping reality is kind to you this week.

Caution: image in the mirror appears much more red than it actually is

B.A.W - Ringer

So, this lemur is not really a big animal unless you compare him to a chipmunk. Yet with his long tail he appears rather large. I thought he was most interesting to watch move.  Plus I loved this photo.

I since found out that there is a lemur research and rescue in Durham, the Duke Lemur Center (http://lemur.duke.edu). You can take tours here - "the world’s largest and most diverse collection of lemurs – Earth’s most threatened group of mammals – outside of Madagascar." I plan to do this sometime soon so look for more photos! 

"God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25 NLT

B.A.W. - Breakfast

He is having breakfast not auditioning for someone else's breakfast. A neat thing about the first few cars out in the morning is that many of the animals are still eating and you can see them better. I have never seen this one so well any of the other trips we have made to Animal Kingdom. Now if I could just recall what it is.....? So, I found the name and added this on March 27: Scimitar-horned Oryx