BALLET PAS DE DEUX - GIRAFFE STYLE. A PHOTO ESSAY.

In ballet, a pas de deux (French, steps of two) is a duet in which ballet dancers perform the dance together. It usually consists of an entrée, adagio, two variations (one for each dancer), and a coda.

Gerry and Jeri are jousting, but it seems they're right into dancing, and love performing for any appreciative audience.
Remember the beauty of  the pas de duex in Swan Lake as you watch what happens when they hit the dance floor!

"Hey Jeri, the tourists are coming! We better go practise our dance number. I'd like to get the steps worked out right. Let's gallop over and try a out a routine with this bunch of gawkers."



"Gerry, I think we need to do an impressive entrée like this! We gallop centre stage."





"Then we stand stock still until they settle down and pay attention!"

 



"Then we turn Gerry, gallop 10 steps to the rear."

 


"Then we turn, freeze, hold the step. Wait for my cue."





" Adagio now Gerry.
I pirouette, freeze, you hold your position while I half turn..."

 


"Together, turn to the left, hold for a 3 count.
You're doing well Gerry."




"Now Gerry, we do variations, free style, improvise if you want to."




"I'll swing into you...gently. Don't let me fall, Gerry."





"Great stuff Gerry. You're a solid dance partner."






"Come on Gerry, Move, do anything."

 


"That's cool Gerry, looking good!"




"Swing and finish."





" Now for the big finale Gerry. Swing with me Gerry."




"That looks cool Gerry, just swing into me, half turn, then dip."




"My turn. Stick with me, just follow my lead."



"When I say so, turn into me and dip!"





"We're doing great. The chorus dancers are coming in now Gerry."




"Way to go. You are such a cool dance partner!"




"OK, this is it. When I turn, stay with me for the perfect finish!"




"Voila! The perfect Cross to finish!"




"Hey Gerry. I think we done good.
The tourists are going crazy. I think we'll be kept on here!"



These are some of a series of photos taken last May of giraffe jousting at Nxai Pans National Park, Botswana. Juvenile males will play fight, developing their strength and forming dominance hierarchy in preparation for the real fight, as adults, to challenge the dominant breeding bull.
When reviewing the 40 photos I took of these two males, ballet Pas de deux sprang to mind - similarly as graceful.

We travelled with Russell Frankish of Greenbushpig Safaris , guide for Britz Rentals  self drive 4WD, 13 day tour of Botswana from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls and return. For more information check out those links, or contact me. A most exciting tour! 

If you liked this post, hit the Share link below and spread the love so others can enjoy this also.
.

BALLET PAS DE DEUX - GIRAFFE STYLE. A PHOTO ESSAY.

Tweet

A World Without Books : The Sheltering Desert.

Today's post is in conjunction with the Blog-A-Licious Blog Tour - a fantastic blog hop that brings together bloggers of all genres, backgrounds and locations. A heap of blog authors that I read frequently and a whole pile that I have just got to know about because of this bloghop. In today's hop, the blog featured before  http://holesinmysoles.blogspot.com/ is http://jlbcreatives.blogspot.com/

The blog featured after http://holesinmysoles.blogspot.com/ is the captivating http://bookorbust.blogspot.com/

Spend some time getting around, reading, commenting and spreading the love via twitter, stumble, facebook digg etc. You'll find my 'Share' buttons at the end of this and every post. Use it please and thanks.
And say hello plus some of us are having giveaways and contests. Enjoy!
 
 
Books have always been part of our lives. My wife Kay is a great reader and we're both often down the local library stocking up. I'm toying with the idea of buying her a Kindle or E-book reader. But she says "I can't turn the pages! I want to be able to feel the book in my hands with the rustle of pages when I read!"
Old school you know. Just isn't keeping up with technology. Hasn't even got a Facebook page....gee.
She's still going to be given one though. We travel a lot, and while on my recent trip through Namibia and Botswana, I've seen others using them and they seem so practical for that purpose. Imagine being able to take a whole heap of books, a small library with you wherever you travel without them weighing tons in your travel bag! Isn't the purpose of books to be able to read? Not just to hold a book, but to learn, to absorb new ideas, new theories, new adventures? So does the medium matter?

 

I think it's like modern music recording. Nowadays you just download it and plug in. But I confess I still love CDs. And a deeper confession here- I still have all my LP collection from the 70-80's! Stored in 5 huge cartons along with a stereo record player.
Somehow I-pods, I-Pads etc just don't do it for me when it comes to music. We've lost the soul of it- being able to read the cover notes, check out who engineered it, produced it, or all the backing musicians and their history. Kind of draws me into the music more than just listening to it on earplugs..
 
But Kay is still going to get an E-book reader!
 
On to a book I've found I'm referencing and re-reading-
The Sheltering Desert. By Henno Martin.

Set in the early WW2 years in Namibia, German nationals Herman and Henno, and Otto their dog, escape to the Namib Desert to avoid internment as enemy aliens in the then South West Africa, the former German colony under South African Protectorate. Henno records their life as carnivores in the Kuiseb area, sheltering in the desert, surviving day to day, and living off what they can. Their acute observations on life in the harsh environment, during the changing seasons and animal migration patterns are referred to to this day. This is not just a book about survival, but a book that underscores understanding about the desert environment, and of conservation measures there today. The huge herds of wildlife they observed in their 2 years desert living were all but wiped out subsequently by over avaricious hunters, and farmers out to protect their grazing land. A little of that wonderful life of zebra, cheetah, springbok, kudu and oryx is making a belated comeback today. Their journals are invaluable observations of abundant life in an environment most of us would look at and consider devoid of life.

Namibia calls me back...and this book I largely blame for that.
 
Blog hoppers here-
 

1. Dora - http://peacefrompieces.blogspot.com/


2. Kriti - http://kriti-howaboutthis.blogspot.com/

3. Sonia Rumzi - http://soniarumzi.com/

4. Paula - http://hardlineselfhelp.com/

5. Kate & Ashley - http://backofthebookreviews.com/

6. Roy - http://royd-spiltmilk.blogspot.com/

7. Shaeeza - http://shaeeza.blogspot.com/

8. Anna - http://annalwalls.blogspot.com/

9. Lisa - http://misclisa.blogspot.com/

10. Jessica - http://findingonesway.com/

11. Corinne - http://www.everydaygyaan.com/

12. Nicole - http://riverarunsthroughit.blogspot.com/

13. Tosh - http://totsymae.com/

14. Desiree - http://www.desireeholttellsall.com/

15. Shelley - http://bookfare.blogspot.com/

16. Tessa - http://tessadick.blogspot.com/


17. DK Levick - http://dklevick.wordpress.com/

18. La Vonya - http://www.battered-not-broken.blogspot.com/

19. Janet - http://jlbcreatives.blogspot.com/

20. Jim - http://holesinmysoles.blogspot.com/

21. Linda - http://bookorbust.blogspot.com/

22. Sibylla - http://divaluscious.com/category/mad-moms-manifesto/

23. Amber - http://wosushi.wordpress.com/

24. Lori - http://www.girlparker.typepad.com/

25. Neil - http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com/

26. Tina - http://tinahoggatt.wordpress.com/

27. Babz - http://lovebabz.blogspot.com/

28. John - http://jmountswritteninblood.com/

29. Violet - http://rhiannonpaille.blogspot.com/

30. Dora - http://blogaliciousblogs.blogspot.com/

If you like this post, please share it. Hit the 'SHARE/SAVE' below and spread the love all over, Thanks.

.

A World Without Books : The Sheltering Desert.

Tweet

This Moment- A single Photo : June 10th

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment you want to pause, savour and remember. “This Moment” is a ritual found on Life inspired by the Wee Man which I then kidnapped from Almost there by Sarah-Jane.


And borrowed often from whomsoever is carting it around. But a great idea and credit to the originators!
 Here's my moment from last week. I'll send you a Namibian dollar if you can guess where I shot this!

This Moment- A single Photo : June 10th

Tweet

Travel Photo Thursday June 9th:

It's Travel Photo Thursday and here's a great photo from my recent trip to Namibia and Botswana.

" Wow! "  Ozzy  is screeching! "You've come back. Great to see you again mate ! Wait 'til I I go tell the chicks!"
The male ostrich at Airport Game Lodge, Johannesburg, South Africa greets me on my first night back there after a long flight from New Zealand. A very convenient, reasonably priced, clean and very quiet motel type lodge 10 minutes complimentary shuttle drive from Oliver Tambo Airport. Great accommodation for your first introduction to South Africa as there is a herd of springbok, a pair of ostriches, and other small game quietly grazing the large grounds.

 

The other guys posting for Travel Photo Thursday have great pics up. Check them all out from here at Nancie's Budget Travellers Sandbox.

Travel Photo Thursday June 9th:

Tweet

The Hammerkop's nest reveals a surprise!.



Hammerkop

 Africa has a huge range of unique native birdlife and is host to many migratory birds from other continents as the seasons change: a birder's paradise!
Around ponds and streams in Africa, one of the most interesting birds to observe is the Hammerkop ( Scopus umbretta ). Crazy looking, but full of character! This darkish brown bird of around 20 inches size is easily recognised by its distinctive large curved bill, and crest at the back of the head creating its hammerhead shape. A compulsive builder of nests of immense size, sometimes creating 3 or more a year even if not breeding. Barn owls may often force them out and takeover the nest, so it probably helps to have an extra home to fly off to. So the hammerkop fulfils a valuable role in the environment industrially building nests that other birds may eventually occupy.

On my Chobe National Park, Botswana, exploration last May with Honorary Game Warden, Dr Clay Wilson, of Chobe Wildlife Rescue, we were lucky enough to discover a large untidy clump in a tree fork and thought it to be a hammerkop nest. As we approached, an owl we didn't have time to identify flew out. Had the hammerkop been evicted and owls taken over? This required investigation.

We each photographed the nest trying to get a peek inside. But while the exterior was captured, each time we were unable to see into the depth of the black hole nest opening. As we were about to leave, I tried a one last time using forced flash, hoping to get the inside of the hole illuminated. It worked! The interior was flooded with light and an eye was seen peeking out at  us. We were both excited to see the revelation! Out of focus though, so the question was - how to get the fledgling owl inside into sharper focus, since the camera couldn't focus on anything in the dark interior?



Barn owl chicks have usurped the Hammekop's nest!



My cunning brain figured that if I focused on the main upright branch, which I judged to be the same distance from me as was the young owl in the nest, then swung the camera to the opening, a flash photo should come out with the subject illuminated and in true focus.

That did the trick and not just one, but 2 birds were revealed peeking out at we pesky intruders! Another shot using the same pre- focus attempt revealed more of their plumage markings.

Yeah, well good photographers would have known how to do that, but hey, I'm just learning. Point and shoot auto jobs are what I know. This photography with a new camera as a serious hobby I need to learn more about!

Later our travelling companions Fred and Liz identified these as Barn Owls .  Fred is a keen birder and has a wealth of knowledge of birds which we tapped into constantly as we travelled Botswana. We saw so many. Thanks Fred!

The Hammerkop's nest reveals a surprise!.

Tweet

Same scene, different camera settings = stunning results.

Damaraland, Namibia sunset scene taken May 2011.

Camera Canon SX10IS at 10 MP.

Both photos unadjusted, and not photoshopped. Once again I was trying to capture the low light burning through the grass seed heads. Late and heavy rains had breathed luxurious life in the desert. I was inspired by the abundant long grasses, the way light during early morning or evening played through their silvery tassels. I thought it was incredible beauty on display. Mother Nature at her best!
                                                                                      

First photo taken on Auto Focus setting. 

       

Photo below taken on Sunset setting. Strikingly enhanced colourisation of the subject.



Many parts of Africa are noted for the burning sunsets caused by fine dust of the red/orange  soils taken up in the atmosphere. Around Brandberg Mountain the effect is striking as the sun lowers and the land around you takes on a deep pronounced reddish colour. My  blog header photo examples this.

And then I took this-

And this! Only been cropped. But closer focus seems to heighten the colour intensity.

I've been really intrigued by the amazing results of playing around with different settings, but whatever the result, the striking fiery intensity of African sunsets or sunrises makes for incredible photography experiences!

We're booking a return trip next year!

Same scene, different camera settings = stunning results.

Tweet