Relaxed Poses for Sue’s Challenge.

This week, Sue’s Word a Week Challenge is Pose, and she’s posted some wonderful pics from her trip to Africa.

Here are a few favourite subjects that have unwittingly posed for my camera.

The Lion with its huge mane and majestic appearance, has to be the indisputable King of Beasts.

The gorgeous Cheetah can run faster than any other land animal, and has the ability to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just three seconds. This one was just relaxing at the side of the road as we stopped to admire her.

The exotic Toucan is famous for its brightly coloured bill. It always makes me smile to see nature’s proudest and most impressive schnoz which is about 30- 40% of its total body area. Aren’t you glad that your nose isn’t that huge? 🙂

This beautiful Eagle Owl was a most inscrutable poser ever. Couldn’t get him to smile for the camera at all.

The birds are flocking down to spend the winter in Florida. Here you see the Wood Stork posing with his good friend Snowy.

The Great Egret is always stalking around in my back yard.

I really think that animals and birds are such great subjects to photograph, because even if they don’t smile and haven’t done their hair and makeup, they always look perfect.

To see more entries for Sue’s photo challenge, just click here.

 

 

 

 

‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ -16th Challenger RPC #6

Here is my entry for the 6th Rodposse Photo Challenge, ‘Animals we love’. If you would like to vote for me please follow this link and click ‘like’. Thanks so much to all of you who voted for me in the previous two challenges.

Mr. Gerry Giraffe was all mine when he saw what I’d brought for him, and I soon had him eating out of my hand.

16th Challenger -Giraffe 

Sylvia

Jake’s Sunday Post: Natural Resources

“The nation behaves well, if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation, increased and not impaired in value.”   ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Jake’s Sunday Post theme this week is natural resources, and there are so many ways one could approach this challenge. Wiki defines the term like this, “Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form…………..Some are essential for our survival, whilst most are used for satisfying our wants.”

One of the world’s most used, non-renewable natural resources, is oil, and it’s being used at a rate much faster than nature can create it. I was fascinated to see several pumpjacks, popularly known as a ‘nodding donkeys’, when we were travelling through the countryside, on our way to Mount Rushmore.

Another natural resources has to be our magnificent wild animals. Sadly, because of man’s greed and ignorance, some species, like these rhinos, are becoming in danger of extinction. Rhinos have been around for over 50 million years, but the world population of rhinos has dropped by 90% in the past 30 years. Since the start of the “poaching epidemic” in South Africa in 2008, the country has lost over 1500 rhinos. Because of a belief by some people, that powdered rhino horn has the power to cure many medical conditions, from impotency to cancer, it is selling on the international market for $60,000, and is more expensive than gold, platinum and cocaine.

I love to visit our wildlife parks in South Africa, where the emphasis is on conservation and the protection of  various endangered species.

The big cats are definitely my favourites.

Water, as we all know, is a very necessary natural resource, but for those of you who don’t like to drink it neat, here is a pic of the Cave Spring Hollow in Lynchburg TN, which has been the water source for  Jack Daniel’s whiskey, for over 140 years.

Of course, we all have to eat to survive, and yesterday, I paid a visit to our favourite local grocery store. On display were many examples of natural resources which had been grown and harvested especially for human consumption.

In spite of Thanksgiving a couple of days ago, there were still plenty of these left. It seems that turkeys aren’t in any danger of becoming extinct, at least in America,

Many more sources of protein are available from our natural resources under the sea,

and I bought some of this lovely fresh salmon for dinner this evening.

Of course, when all’s said and done, I’m sure you’ll agree that the most precious of all our natural resources, which needs to be nurtured, protected and treasured, are our children, for they are the hope of the world tomorrow.

To find links to more posts on Jake’s fascinating theme, just click here.