Chee

We called him Chee, and I think it suits him.

What a distinguished profile!

I'll admit, I was a little worried at first. A lot of why we chose to get Chee is because Mouse seemed a little lonely and bored. We wanted her to have a partner in crime, someone to play fight with, sleep with, and pounce on from time to time. But cats are totally unpredictable, and there was no way to know for sure that Mouse and Chee would get along. We had high hopes, of course, but no guarantees.

Since we're responsible and we like to be prepared, and we're relatively new to cat-owning, we did a lot of internet research. The consensus on introducing cats to each other seemed to be that the best way to do it = slowly. So we prepared a room for Chee (my tiny office space), with a litter box, food and water bowls, a scratching area, and a little bed for him. And we kept him in there for almost three days (with frequent visits, yeah, of course, we're not heartless in the face of cuteness) while he proceeded to tell us that he was increasingly unhappy and missed his family.

I don't know if you've ever heard a kitten cry as loud as he can, but let's just say it's pretty loud. Kind of like the shriek of a bald eagle, actually.

Mouse, on the other hand, was quite suspicious. She hissed and growled outside the door of the office, and yet seemed unable to stop herself from coming back to sniff again and again.


Finally, and accidentally (oops! didn't close the door fast enough), they met. And they've pretty much been inseparable since. Chee is delighted to have another cat to be with (people are a little further down the totem pole for him so far), and Mouse has willingly taken on the mantle of mama cat, cleaning him, attacking him gently, and running to him any time he cries.

Getting a bath from Mouse. 

Faster than a speeding bullet!

He's a tiny little lump right now, weighs hardly more than a box of pasta, and yet I keep forgetting that because his personality is so darn big!  

Finally time for a nap.

His eyes are bluish now but they'll go green soon enough.

I love that little spot on his nose. 

So I think you could say that it's all turned out pretty well.

Troublemaker

Both of them are, actually.

Some news!

Bet you can't guess what it is!

Safari West, the Third and Final Installment

After four days of wild animal posts you might be over it. I get it. But I have to admit I'm still totally enamoured with these shots, and more, with the memories that go with them. I might not have mentioned it before, but we spent the evening after dinner on our porch, a stone's throw away from the giraffe enclosure, playing poker until the wee hours of the morning.

Now if you don't remember me as a huge poker player that would most likely be because I'm not.  When I was in college we played a few times for nickels and dimes. Sometimes we would graduate to the outrageousness of quarters. I'm afraid that this training created a less-than-stellar poker player, one who accepted losses without much gnashing of teeth. Either that or I've just never been very competitive.

So it will come as no surprise to hear that I lost the game early. (There were 14 of us playing, and I think I was first to go out. Not perhaps my finest moment.)

But Evan managed to get second place. So at least I can pick my men, even if I can't play my cards.

All right, down to business. Here are the last of the safari photos.

Safari West, Part II

There are a few things I can't resist when it comes to taking photos. One is water, in all its forms. Fog, mist, oceans, rivers, waterfalls, fountains . . . I could go on.

Another, apparently, is my cat. Occasionally I foist images of her on my unsuspecting blog audience. (Suspecting, probably, at this point, I'd say. But I'm just so glad she's around.)

Flowers, too, cliche as they are, will still get me to pull out the camera with some haste. Great color pairs, gorgeous light. Oh yes, gorgeous light, my personal favorite.

Sometimes also food. When I feel inspired.

But high on the list as well, are animals who are not my cat. Surprising, I know. And honestly, the wilder the better, but I'll take 'em as I can get 'em. Zoos are fine, safari parks are even better. City streets too. I'm not picky. So you better believe that I gave my shutter button a good workout last weekend.

And here are some of the results. I hope you enjoy them. Part III just might be coming tomorrow. We'll see.

This, Safari West's website tells me, is a Greater Kudu. I agree. 

This is a species that no longer exists in the wild, the Scimitar Horned Oryx. The last wild Scimitar-Horned Oryx was seen in the 1980s. 

Another Scimitar-Horned Oryx and a herd of Wildebeest.

Landscape. No animals here, sorry.

A Cape Buffalo. Friendly to other buffalo, really unfriendly to humans. Apparently if it gets angry with you it will track you for days until it gets you. Interaction NOT ADVISED. (Oh, and one of the Big 5: lions, elephants, leopard, rhinos, and cape buffalo.)

Gemsbok. Pretty, aren't they?

A white rhino. I would NOT want to get in his way. Apparently male white rhinos can weigh up to 6,000 pounds. And you thought your truck was heavy!

And another shot of that sweet baby impala. I just couldn't resist. 

*I'd like to dedicate this post to Mr Steve Jobs, who changed my life when I wasn't looking, and made a hell of a phone, as well as a lasting impression on all of us. I can only aspire to one day be as committed to quality and perfection as he was. *

Something New

I don't know if you all remember (sometimes I can't even remember my name, let alone anything else!), but last month or so, I mentioned this cool animal photographer I had found on 500px. His name is Wolf Ademeit (or at least that's his internet name), and he creates these stunning images of animals against a black background.

I found his work so arresting and unusual, but I figured he somehow managed to get his animals into a studio, or at least in some kind of controlled setting. No way! He shoots at zoos and other public animal parks. The black background is all achieved in post processing.

So I thought I'd try it for myself with one of my shots from Safari West. The giraffe's head was shot against the sky, so it was easy to isolate the head in photoshop and make everything else black. What do you all think? Is it cool? Weird? Too different? I think I like it, but I don't think I'd do it too often. Then again, it might make an interesting series.