Tag Archives: Masai Mara

Africa

As if in a dream

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According to one definition surreal means an oddly dreamlike quality.

Accidental motion blur.
I dropped my camera while taking a picture of the things I was packing .

A decade ago I went on a three day safari before heading out to a remote village in Kenya where we were working on getting a library set up.

The safari was surreal in a few ways: the animal life so different from what I am used to seeing. They were doing a burn to keep the grasslands healthy and it was the rainy season, so the atmosphere had a hazy other-worldly quality. (You can make an image larger by clicking on it).

Do you see the hippos?
Keeping watch
Can you spot the lion?
Some images from Kichwa Tembo at Masai Mara in Kenya
Safari link plane arriving to take me away.

The return from the safari, flying over the Kibera slums

A bird’s eye view of Nairobi. The rusty sea of irregular roofs in the center is the Kibera slum.

then traveling though “the jam”,

then to the hot crowded reality of a small village

magnified the dreamlike quality of those three days at Masai Mara.

For the Lens Artists Challenge: Surreal I took a few photos from that little trip and played with them to get an even more surreal look, using a bunch of different tools and techniques in Topaz Studio 2.

Africa

Three Amazing Days

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Certainly one of the most memorable things in my life was a three day safari at Masai Mara National Park in Kenya. It was about ten years ago now but the memories have not faded. Words can’t describe being in such an awe inspiring place. I was there for only three days but…wow…I look back and have a hard time believing all of the amazing wildlife we saw.

Elephants and crowned cranes at a watering hole at Kichwa Tembo at Masai Mara in Kenya.
Watering hole.
A male lion in the grass.
Afternoon nap time.
Mother and baby elephant.
Baby looks so tiny, but it’s about the size of a normal adult human.
Mother leopard licking her cub.
Tender moment.
Two lepards in the grass.
Echo in the grass.
One year old leopard at Masai Mara.
The little one.
Three leopards, mom, two year old and one year old at Masai Mara.
Small, medium and large leopards.
Cubs playing while lionesses sleep.
“Nap” time.
Cheetah stretching after his afternoon nap.
Nothing like a good stretch.
Sleepy lion cub in a mass of sleeping littler mates.
Cheetah looking through the grass.
An al fresco champagne breakfast at Masai Mara in Kenya.
Best breakfast EVER!
Cape buffalo with bird accessories block a dirt road in Masai Mara through the window of our safari vehicle.
Traffic stop.
Lioness in the foreground and a group of elephants in the background.
African morning
A male lion during the morning golden hour.
Just out for a stroll.
Elephant at dawn.
A couple of hippos in the Mara River in Kenya.
The do look a bit like horses when they are in the water.
Family of crowned cranes at Masai Mara in Kenya.
Lilace Breasted Roller at Masai Mara in Kenya.
An opal of a bird.
Ostriches, Thompson's gazelles with a Topi just entering the frame.
Savannah mixer.
Topi at Masai Mara in Kenya.
Sleek and handsome.
Herd of giraffes at Masai Mara in kenya.
Watching us watching them.
Small plane arriving at an airstrip at Kichwa Tembo in Masai Mara.
Safari Link
Masai Mara Safari

For Len’s Artists Photo Challenge: Memorable Events, and Sunday Stills: Wildlife.

Africa, Pull up a seat

Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2019-Week 35

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A PHOTO CHALLENGE OF PLACES WE SIT…OR MIGHT SIT…OR ART ABOUT SITTING

Welcome to week 35 of the Pull up a Seat Challenge in 2019.

Take a load off and share a favorite perch by linking your post to this one, either with a comment or ping-back. For more detailed directions go to Pull Up a Seat page.

It is always fun to see the variety of ideas.

Continue reading Pull up a Seat Photo Challenge 2019-Week 35 →
Africa, Picture Galleries, Snapshots from a Happy Life

Free range mothers

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Happy mother’s day!

Once my son told me that his co-teachers expressed concern that I was left on my own while he worked (I assume this was at least in part due to their recognizing how poor my Chinese language skills are). At the time the term “free range children” was in vogue, so I told him to say that he believed in free range mothers. I wonder how that would translate.

Just for fun here are some truly wild mamas.

You can view any image larger size by clicking on it.