2011 – A Good Year

This has been a great year for photography.  Trips to Tanzania – whoo hoo – and Yellowstone/Tetons and the CA Coast.  I’ve seen some wonderful sights and wild things.  This is a collection of some of my very favorites.

Stare down – you win!

Coastal Atmosphere

Heading for the water

Big Bull – Tetons

The biggest mouth

Young and restless

Color in the River

Watering Hole

The plunge

Striped pajamas

Tall gal

Masai herders

Serenity

Mammoth – Yellowstone

Flickin’ the flies – Hartebeast

To Cats

To all the cats out there that give comfort and love to their people, thank you.  To my cat, Pippi, thanks for all the joy you gave me for the past 10 years.  I will miss you.  Here are some other cats to enjoy – for now.

 

Big Bro

 

This little guy was in the first group of lions that I saw in Tanzania.  What a way to start!  He had two siblings, but this one seemed to be the boldest.  They were waiting for mom to lead them to wherever.

 

 

 

These three cubs were on a kopje with two adult females, probably sisters.  One was very relaxed (right) and one was restless (center).  We watched the group for 45-60 minutes to see what they might do.

Three little cubs

 

Future Queen/King of the Kopje

 

This is one of the three cubs above, I think the one that is resting.  He/she stretched and climbed up on this boulder like he owned the place!  And he/she probably will.

 

Big Cats of Tanzania

I’m home and recovered from a great adventure.  The big cats of Tanzania are fascinating to watch as well as beautiful animals. In April, during the rainy season, all the animals have plenty to eat and are in their best form. The cheetah and leopard are solitary souls, while the lions live in prides, usually a mother and her sisters and/or daughters and their offspring. A male is part of the pride, but does not hang out with the family.

Here are some of those magnificent cats.