Tag: memories

This week’s Foto Friday Fun features 11 images chosen by readers out of my photo archives.  I struggled a little trying to associate the photos with the reason for number choice.  My brain and body are actually packing up the RV as I write this post.  And by the time you read it I should be parked back at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park for my summer as a Park Ranger.

Cheryl chose #2001, “the year I adopted by terrier-mix Cali.”  She and Cali travel together in her RV and see some beautiful places in the USofA.  Her little Dolphin would be perfect to cruise in South Africa as well and camp at places like Golden Gate Highland National Park.

Elaine chose #5555, “in honor of my granddaughter’s 5th birthday today.”  I think a sunrise like this seen over the Indian Ocean in Scottburgh South Africa can’t compare to the beauty of her sweet little granddaughter.

Arija chose #8406, “for no particular reason, just because.”  While game driving in Mountain Zebra National Park South Africa most of my images are of wildlife but I also take shots of the landscape, just because.

Nonna chose #2004, “as that was the last year we were in Nelspruit [South Africa].”  She’s been following my recent journey and has visited many of the places I’ve posted about but lost her photos in a basement flood.  (Been there myself so understand.)  I wonder if she’s spent any time just watching the waves at Tsitsikamma National Park.

Diane chose #1234 which takes us up into the Weaver Mountains behind my winter Yarnell home, where the vultures fly.

Bibi chose #4848, “Birth year and the number of states when I was born.”  Now how can I tie that in with her choice of Klipspringers seen in Kruger National Park?  Help me out here.

Sallie chose #2014 which takes us back to my 2010 visit to South Africa when I hiked in the Drakensberg Mountains.  Don’t you just love all the green?

Patti chose #1983, “because that is the year our son was born and he is an attorney with the DOJ so he is all about nature.”  All about nature is the best place to be, for me.  So I’m thinking he would like the Kaibab National Forest which is my driveway what is driven through to reach my summer home at the North Rim of Grand Canyon.

Yogi chose #007 because he thinks “they modeled James Bond after my own life.”    Well Mr Bond, sorry you missed the lunch had at the Grand Lodge with this magnificent view.  But I did put it on your tab.

MaryBeth chose #1 and because I used to* number all my photos sequentially every month the number of #1s reaches into the many 1000s.  So this is the luck of a draw shot of Carson and me camping along the Yakima River in Washington October 2001.  OMG, that’s over 12 years ago when I lived in that 27” 1974 Pace Arrow.  Them were the boondocking days.  Thanks for the memory MB.  (*I am now leaving photo numbers up to the camera{s}.)

Jonker chose #3839, “My age and soon to be age in a couple of months.  Oh my word, 40 is approaching.”  Being that #3839 had been deleted as a fuzzy photo of monkeys I’m giving him #40 instead so he can have something to look forward to.  Like visiting Pilanesberg Game Reserve where this early morning shot was taken.

My choice this week from July 2012 will hopefully be repeated many times as a similar view through the IMAX windows in my RV as I spend the next 51/2 months back to work as a Park Ranger at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.  Hope to see you there this summer.

Thank you for joining in Foto Friday Fun where readers choose a number from my archives and I share the corresponding photo and a story.   To join in the fun for
next week leave a number between 01 and 9997 in a comment and maybe see your chosen image next week.

Do you have a favorite from this week?

I have so many photos to share from this recent journey in South Africa.  So as I label them I’ll post every 100th image on the Geogypsy Facebook page where you can follow along.

Capturing the present for future memories of the past

This week’s Foto Friday Fun features 6 images chosen by readers out of my photo archives.  Now that I’m back in Arizona, and have access to All my photos, the images will be mixed up a bit more than exclusively South Africa.  Yet there’s many more of those to come as well.

Sallie chose #1579, “For no reason. Just because it’s not a multiple and doesn’t have a 6 in it.”    From the Grand Lodge on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park the multiple views provide more than 6 peaks in almost any direction.  Looking southeast during monsoon season clouds hanging in multiple small canyons highlight the ridges and temples.

Bibi chose #2, which takes us back to 1997.  She likes to explore thrift shops, second hand stores, and presumably fleamarkets too.  Well I used to sell at fleamarkets with the help of my trusty companion Carson.  He’s just a puppy in training here in Carson, Washington where we lived and sold.

Sherry chose #4644 and she likes to walk, hike and bike so has a great pair of legs.  Much better looking than these giraffe’s legs seen at Kruger National Park, South Africa.  but I’ll wager it could out run her.

Yogi chose #321123 as “my number for next month.”  Being I have no numbers that big I divided it in half for the two weeks left in the month.  #321 shows snow melt along the road to the entrance station of the North Rim when I arrived in April 2012.  I have no idea what the snowpack was this winter so will just be surprised at the conditions when I return the end of this April.  Sometimes there’s still lots of snow.

Jo chose #3500, “no reason.”  If she has a reason to travel between Nelspruit and St Lucia during her May holiday she may see this view along the way.  I think we were caught in construction traffic when I shot this view.

Diane chose #9966.  She is currently traveling in France yet in the past visited Pilanesberg Game Reserve in South Africa  so I think she’ll like seeing this Terrapin I saw at the birdhide along the Mankwe Dam.  This is the same species of ‘attack turtles’ encountered at Kruger National Park so I kept my distance. 

My choice…  As I continue to label the 1000s of photos taken during the last three months touring South Africa feelings of warm memories flood my senses.  Everybody loves the animals.  We speculate on what they are thinking.  I could watch them for hours—maybe even days if it was possible.  We all live on the same planet along with all other life.  Do they wonder about us?  Taken at Kruger National Park.

Thank you for joining in Foto Friday Fun where readers choose a number from my archives and I share the corresponding photo and a story.   To join in the fun for
next week leave a number between 01 and 9997 in a comment and maybe see your chosen image next week.  And now that I have access to my all my photos the images
shouldn’t be only from South Africa.

Do you have a favorite from this week?

I have so many photos to share from this recent journey in South Africa.  So as I label them I’ll post every 100th image on the Geogypsy Facebook page where you can follow along.

Capturing the present for future memories of the past

This week’s Foto Friday Fun features 8 images chosen by readers out of my photo archives.  They really asked for a lot of multiples of the same digit.  These are still from my recent journey in South Africa.

Jonker – Firefly chose #7531, “random as it comes with a bit of a pattern in.”  Although zebra stripes form a pattern no two are alike so they are definitely ‘random as it comes’.  An underground bird hide at Addo Elephant National Park allows for viewing wildlife up close and personal.  There are two little ponds that you can’t see in this image so it’s always a surprise who comes down to the water.

Yogi chose #6666, “because I’m feeling especially evil.”  So am I when I ask for no more multiple 6s as I’m out of choices.  However there is no evil view of the Indian Ocean from the challenging Waterfall trail hiked during this return to Tsitsikamma National Park.  Yet there is a contrast between the endless crashing waves and the peaceful pools intermittently separated by ancient rock.

Jo chose #3477.  I’m betting she’s seen fields of pineapples like this growing along the N2 (National Road) between inland Nelspruit and St Lucia along the coast on at least one of her road trips in South Africa.  Look closely because the pineapples are there but not ripe yet.

Sherry chose #5005.  Along her motorhome travels she walks the US east coast beaches quite regularly and often finds interesting tracks in the sand.  Yet I can’t imagine her seeing tracks like these left behind by a giraffe on a sand road in Kruger National Park South Africa.  But maybe she’ll get to one day.

Diane chose #4444.  I know hyena is not her favorite animal but who can resist babies.  We saw Mom and two hyena pups one morning before they were active.  This youngster tried to nap in the grass along one of the roads in Kruger National Park.  A sight worthy of being up way to early in the morning.

MaryBeth chose #9997.  She’s a horse lady so may be happy to know that equines seem to be related to zebras in some way.  I can see a lot of comparisons, yet in both kinds of zebras only saw these Burchell’s in Pilanesberg Game Reserve.  Would you like to ride one these?

Bibi chose #8888, “because someone took the one I was going to (4444).”  Took me a while to see the notable red sand dunes buried under more vegetation than usual due to unusual heavy rains at Kgalagadi (meaning “Place of thirst”) Transfrontier Park that straddles the border between northern South Africa and Botswana.

Sallie chose #66.  Well actually she didn’t choose this week (hopefully an over sight) but last week she chose “6, 66, or 666” so I’m giving her the second choice.  Due to a lot of flooded and rutted out sand roads during our second visit to Pilanesberg Game Reserve we did more birding than usual.  Every time we stopped at the bird hide this Pied Kingfisher occupied the same tree.

My choice this week is a shot I’d been trying to capture during the entire South African Eco Tour.  The dark purple of a giraffe’s tongue has fascinated me ever since childhood when licked by one at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois.  Only had to wait a few decades to see this at Pilanesberg Center (a restaurant and shop) within the game reserve where an enticing salt lick in view brings in a variety of wildlife.  Wouldn’t you wash your lips after multiple licks on the salt?

Thank you for joining in Foto Friday Fun where readers choose a number from my archives and I share the corresponding photo and a story.   To join in the fun for next week leave a number between 01 and 9997 in a comment and maybe see your chosen image next week.  And now that I have access to my all my photos images shouldn’t be only from South Africa.

Do you have a favorite from this week?

Look for other photos posted on Geogypsy Facebook page not usually seen here.