tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79405434029181329202024-03-14T04:33:26.490-05:00Blue Lion BlogTall tales and short stories behind the award winning images of Blue Lion Photos.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.comBlogger181125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-29407348027731332712017-12-31T11:47:00.001-06:002017-12-31T11:47:25.809-06:00Favorite Images of 2017 <span style="font-size: large;">As we all prepare to say goodbye to 2017, I want take time to share my favorite images of 2017. Looking back, this year has been one of much excitement as I have had chances to expand my work in what I am calling "Sciencetelling" to new audiences thanks to presenting at several science education conferences as well as joining up with the great folks at <a href="https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/" target="_blank">National Geographic Education</a> where I am contributing to their blog on a regular basis. You can find my updated author page <a href="https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/author/jsmead/" target="_blank">HERE</a>! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">These exciting additions to my life resulted in fewer opportunities to get out and shoot images this year, but I still had a great time on vacation this summer in Utah and Colorado where I fell in love with the Red Rock Country of the intermountain west! In addition to shooting nature as I have done for years, I have begun to explore shooting local theatre productions in North Texas where I live. In particular, Allen's Community Theatre, where my wonderful wife, Robyn both acts and directs. You can expect to see tidbits of both of these in my year end retrospective as well as some images I took on a final walkthrough of the science building I worked in for the past 27 years - it's was demolished in June as we replace it with a new, state of the art science center. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for visiting and I am looking forward to utilising this space for a wider range of sciencetelling and photography in the coming year! HAPPY NEW YEAR! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Western Landscapes (</span><span style="font-size: medium;">click to view high res versions</span><span style="font-size: large;">) </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from top of Grand Mesa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lone Pine at Colorado National Monument</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Balanced Rock at Colorado National Monument</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Weathering Sentinel" at Colorado National Monument </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Coke Ovens - Colorado National Monument</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Verticality" at Colorado National Monument</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Landscape-Gallery/i-t2F4h4N/A" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="The Long & Winding Road" height="200" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Landscape-Gallery/i-t2F4h4N/0/fd167b56/S/Colorado%20Trip%202017-1704-S.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Long & Winding Road" - Canyonlands NP</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Animals (</span><span style="font-size: medium;">click to view high res versions</span><span style="font-size: large;">) </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Utahraptor stalks a small child - Moab Giants -, Utah</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">T. Rex at Moab Giants - Utah</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animal-Gallery/i-W6kHt76/A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Yellow Bellied Marmot" height="160" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Animal-Gallery/i-W6kHt76/0/4b0ea39e/S/Colorado%20Trip%202017-2561-S.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yellow Bellied Marmot - Colorado</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animal-Gallery/i-pD2bkkQ/A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sharptooth!" height="160" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Animal-Gallery/i-pD2bkkQ/0/b6f6b1ff/S/untitled-2887-S.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sharptooth" at Colorado Gators Reptile Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animal-Gallery/i-hdgDbKB/A" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Surreptitious Swimmer" height="160" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/Animal-Gallery/i-hdgDbKB/0/77a9831a/S/untitled-3037-S.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camouflaged Gator at Colorado Gators Reptile Park</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;">"Cruisin'" at Colorado Gators Reptile Park<br />
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"> The Old Science</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;"> Building </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">(</span><span style="font-size: medium; text-align: center;">click to view high res versions</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: center;">)</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/St-Marks-Science-Building-/i-BBvqc6N/A" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" height="133" src="https://photos.smugmug.com/St-Marks-Science-Building-/i-BBvqc6N/0/3a1412b9/S/SM%20Science%20Building%202017-8802-S.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warning sign in the Science Lecture Hall</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Break it Early...."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faucet & Nozzle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Impossible is Nothing"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Theatre (</span><span style="font-size: medium;">click to view high res versions</span><span style="font-size: large;">)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Victor Von Frankenstein - from Young Frankenstei </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Ride in Ze Hay" - Young Frankenstein</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-58259964554862518502015-09-01T07:49:00.000-05:002015-09-10T05:51:42.889-05:00The Rising Star (Homo naledi) Interviews During July of 2015 I was fortunate to be able to spend two weeks at the Evolutionary Studies Institute (ESI) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa with a remarkable group of scientists and explorers. As followers of this blog know I have been following and supporting the work of the Rising Star expedition which discovered and recovered a huge collection of hominin fossil bones starting in November, 2013. Indeed the open access nature of that excavation allowed my students and I to follow the hour by hour updates on Twitter which led to he creation of what's become known as the "Twitter Play by Play" of the excavation - you can access that resource <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/11/rising-star-expedition.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br />
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My recent visit allowed me to get to know many of the Rising Star team members and I was struck by the immense dedication and teamwork these varied researchers and explorers shared with me. That has led me to interview members of the team so that you can get a taste for how a great team can work cooperatively in a complex endeavor to make the most of what is a groundbreaking fossil discovery. All interviews were conducted by me either in the entrance chamber of the Rising Star cave, at the Evolutionary Studies Institute, or via Skype. With the PBS/NOVA/National Geographic documentary about this discovery ("<a href="http://nova.wgbhdigital.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/dawn-of-humanity.html" target="_blank">Dawn of Humanity</a>") set to air on September 16th, I hope these interviews will allow you different and possible deeper view into the people and personas that made this expedition such a success.<br />
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This page will be continually updated with new interviews as they become available so please bookmark this page and come back often for updates!<br />
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Dr. Lee Berger & Dr. John Hawks discuss the discovery and significance of <i>Homo naledi</i> </div>
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Interview #11 - Matthew & Megan Berger - Fossil photography and caving support<br />
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Interview #10 - Marina Elliott - Lead excavator</div>
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Interview # 9 - Hannah Morris - Primary excavator</div>
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Interview # 8 - Alia Gurtov - Primary excavator & Rising Star Workshop Member</div>
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Interview # 7 - Lindsay Hunter - Primary excavator<br />
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Interview # 6 - Becca Peixotto - Primary excavator</div>
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Interview #5 - Elen Feuerriegel - Primary excavator and Rising Star Workshop Member</div>
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Interview #4 - Maropeng Ramalepa and Dirk Van Rooyen. - Exploration Technicians</div>
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Interview #3 - Nompumelelo Hlophe - Exploration Technician</div>
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Interview #2 - Rick Hunter - Exploration Technician and one of the original "discoverers" of the fossil chamber.</div>
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Interview #1 - Steven Tucker - Exploration Technician and one of the original "discoverers" of the fossil chamber.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20width=%22560%22%20height=%22315%22%20src=%22https://www.youtube.com/embed/knsSEy5rf3o%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowfullscreen%3E%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank"></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-62864642343649603212015-07-26T09:36:00.001-05:002015-07-26T09:47:43.481-05:00nThambo Tree Camp Day 6 – A Legendary Morning!<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-KfMB6PL/A" title=""><img alt="" height="512" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-KfMB6PL/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-5567-S.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Day six of my bush adventure at nThambo Tree Camp started as usual with the 5:30 am wake up, but there was a special urgency to get out quickly as word had come to Luan and Issack that we had a “Surprise” awaiting us. A fast drive away from camp, which we called the “Ferrari Safari” brought us to a true highlight of the trip. In the overnight, a leopard had made a kill of a male kudu not far from a waterhole. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-zBfV3bM/A" title=""><img alt="" height="160" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-zBfV3bM/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-5949-S.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-Rv75X4t/A" title=""><img alt="" height="160" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-Rv75X4t/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-5595-S.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As is often the case in the bush, possession is NOT 9/10 of the law when hyenas are around. After a tussle, the hyenas took control of the kill and fed on it for a while until the two Breakaway Ross Pride lionesses arrived to take it away from the hyenas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-sp7zGvn/A" title=""><img alt="" height="320" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-sp7zGvn/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-5715-S.jpg" title="" width="256" /></a> <a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-SKHBnhD/A" title=""><img alt="" height="320" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-SKHBnhD/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-5828-S.jpg" title="" width="256" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We arrived in time to see the lionesses working the last parts of the kill and were honored to spend an hour watching these lionesses finish off the carcass before wandering off to rest and get a drink at the waterhole. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-LjDz82H/A" title=""><img alt="" height="160" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-LjDz82H/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-5875-S.jpg" title="" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-FQLXqH3/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-FQLXqH3/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-5929-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As if that was not enough excitement, news broke that there was another very special surprise brewing. Word came over the radio that a wild dog den had just been discovered on the far side of the reserve. Time for another Ferrari Safari! After a fast and bumpy (but fun!) ride, we went off road and worked our way over hills and through brush and found the wild dog pack in an appropriately dense area of mopane trees and grasses – perfect for keeping their den well hidden. We did not see the pups, but many of the pack members were wandering around for us to see. Wild dogs are the second most endangered predator in Africa after the Ethiopian Wolf, estimates have less than 6000 of these amazing creatures left in the wild. They are endangered due to ongoing habitat fragmentation, conflict with humans, and infectious diseases.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-XVsH8pr/A" title=""><img alt="" height="640" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-XVsH8pr/0/M/NTHAMBO071115AM-5956-M.jpg" title="" width="512" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We enjoyed getting such a special treat, but knew that wild dogs will move their dens if they attract too much attention. This is a bad thing for the survival of the pups, so we left them alone and on our way back to camp plans were already in the works to limit visits to the den by the safari camps in the Klaserie so that the dogs would not relocate the den. It was encouraging to see such care for these amazing carnivores! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Only moments before arriving back at nThambo, we were treated to yet another unexpected treat when we came across a tree with a pair of Tawny Eagles (<i>Aquila rapax</i>) in it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-Dm33KFK/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-Dm33KFK/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-6004-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-PH8RCgV/A" title=""><img alt="" height="320" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-PH8RCgV/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-6022-S.jpg" title="" width="256" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-hVNsRqN/A" title=""><img alt="" height="320" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-hVNsRqN/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-6025-S.jpg" title="" width="256" /></a> <a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-N6mCLRq/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-N6mCLRq/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-6033-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They were wonderfully patient models and even gave a show when they took off and the female revealed the scrub hare in her talons. A fantastic end to a legendary morning! </span><br />
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<a href="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-K658MBm/A" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img alt="" height="400" src="https://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/i-K658MBm/0/S/NTHAMBO071115AM-6039-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-69382299664834495942015-07-20T13:01:00.000-05:002015-07-23T03:44:56.839-05:00nThambo Day 5 – New Sightings and Old Friends<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Day 5 at nThambo Tree Camp proved another special day in the bush.
Despite the wintry chill of the 5:30 am wake up, the sights I experienced were once again heartwarming. The morning game drive was highlighted early on with a
nervous heard of impala drinking at the waterhole as their reflections peered
back at them. A pleasing surprise was a great spot by Issack our tracker – an
African Barred Owlet! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-PnSn4V8/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-PnSn4V8/0/S/i-PnSn4V8-S.jpg" height="160" title="" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-Qsqs6mx/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-Qsqs6mx/0/S/i-Qsqs6mx-S.jpg" height="160" title="" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As we continues we were happy to encounter our friends the
two “Ross Pride Breakaway Females” There two lionesses had left their original
pride of 20 + lions to go it alone. There have proved themselves great hunters,
but had sadly lost several litters of cubs over recent years. Having a healthy
pride to help raise and protect cubs is critical as many other animals will
kill young lion cubs if they encounter them unattended.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-5qt7JXr/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-5qt7JXr/0/S/i-5qt7JXr-S.jpg" height="160" title="" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-XKJvBv3/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-XKJvBv3/0/S/i-XKJvBv3-S.jpg" height="145" title="" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">A hearty breakfast was followed by a nice bush walk where we
got to learn more about tracking , animal scat, and the smaller things to be
found in the bush. It was a very nice treat to wind up walking alongside a
journey (or tower) of giraffe for over half an hour. My friendly Lilac Breasted
Roller even visited us as we returned to camp. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-nCPpRFR/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-nCPpRFR/0/S/i-nCPpRFR-S.jpg" height="320" title="" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-zZ22vnM/A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-zZ22vnM/0/S/i-zZ22vnM-S.jpg" height="294" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The first part of the afternoon drive was highlighted by
being in the midst of a relaxed breeding herd of elephants. To me the coolest
part was to see the two elephants below “greet” each other in a most unique way!
Has anyone ever seen this behavior before in the wild or in captivity? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-7qxKLVd/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-7qxKLVd/0/S/i-7qxKLVd-S.jpg" height="200" title="" width="160" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-fF95RZr/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-fF95RZr/0/S/i-fF95RZr-S.jpg" height="200" title="" width="160" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-fPsgNTd/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-fPsgNTd/0/S/i-fPsgNTd-S.jpg" height="200" title="" width="160" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-29d3jTF/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-29d3jTF/0/S/i-29d3jTF-S.jpg" height="200" title="" width="160" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The day concluded with another up close encounter with our
by now well-known lionesses. Their expressions here show it all. Notice the condition
of her teeth – close examination shows her to be missing a canine tooth and two
incisor teeth. Life in the bush is not for sissies! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-pMQJ86F/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-pMQJ86F/0/S/i-pMQJ86F-S.jpg" height="160" title="" width="200" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-PSbVtvc/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-PSbVtvc/0/S/i-PSbVtvc-S.jpg" height="136" title="" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-vqJwM9J/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-vqJwM9J/0/S/i-vqJwM9J-S.jpg" title="" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Cheers – come back to see the WOW factor that day six brings!
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-50723661836506472352015-07-15T03:45:00.001-05:002015-07-15T03:45:15.507-05:00nThambo Tree Camp Day 4 - Another Day in Paradise <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Day 4 at nThambo Tree Camp was another stunning day with superb winter weather (cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon) Bother game drives produced some wonderful sightings. The morning began with yet another beautiful South African Sunrise - the sunrises and sunsets here in southern Africa are remarkably orange relative to what a comparably clear sky in Texas produces. It seems that a greater presence of dust in the upper atmosphere here (potentially blown by winds from the Namib desert to the west) give this special color without the presence of clouds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We also got to visit with two of the most "prehistoric" looking creatures of the Klaserie Game Reserve - I'll leave you to decide which is your choice for "Most Prehistoric". </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As is always the case on came drives, there is the tension between predators and prey. The tiny steenbok (left) and impala (right) are always on alert and ready to alarm call and flee at a moments notice when any hint of hyena or lions crosses their sensory radar. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I feel truly privileged to get to have and share this amazing experience in a truly magical place with you. While I am always a little disappointed when a game drive comes to an end, it's hard to stay that way when presented with a another glorious sunset! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-81665687976688708822015-07-10T07:32:00.000-05:002015-07-10T07:32:42.971-05:00nThambo Tree Camp Day 3 - Big & Small<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Day three here at nThambo Tree Camp has proven another exciting
day as game viewing today was a fine mix of large and small. The highlight was
the chance to spend over 30 minutes with my all-time favorite bird, the Lilac
Breasted Roller (LBR). These amazingly colorful birds are common here and that
has warmed my heart as their brilliant colors always bring an irrepressible
smile to my face. The several I got to spend time with today in the bush were
more obliging of me and my camera than I deserved to experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Also on the small side of thing is Africa’s smal</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">lest
carnivore, the dwarf mongoose which I have mentioned in previous postings.
While immensely cute, this little fellow is, pound for pound, one of the toughest creatures on the continent!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The big side of the ledger for today included two encounters
with breeding herds of elephants. I never tire of seeing these massive animals
use their trunks to manipulate even the smallest of things quite expertly. I am
also gaining a deeper understanding and respect for the role that elephants
play in shaping the landscape of this area of the African bush. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Finally, any encounter with the other grey behemoth of the
bush always leaves me awestruck – In their presence my science based mind tends
to leave me as I stare in simple awe at such a majestic yet critically
endangered creature. I defiantly hope that this species will somehow manage to
keep roaming the African landscape long after I have left the planet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">May we
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iconic African animal!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-67752118978093803142015-07-08T07:08:00.000-05:002015-07-08T07:10:00.310-05:00Day Two at nThambo - a Real Cracker!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Day two of my safari here at nThambo Tree Camp in the Klaserie
Game Reserve was simply stunning. The combination of wonderful companions from
South Africa, Germany, and England makes for a wonderful international
experience that I wish everyone had a chance to experience. In addition, our
hosts, guide and tracker have been nothing short of world class in making this
visit feel like being at a second home – great kudos to Lily, Luan, and Issack!
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Our two game drives of the day yielded a plethora of the “Big
Five” (the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot in South Africa – Rhino-Leopard-Lion-Cape
Buffalo-and Elephant). Today we saw four of the five with only the leopard
proving elusive. In addition to the thrill of seeing all the big name animals,
Issack amazed all of us by seeing and alerting us to a bushbaby in the total
darkness. I was thrilled to be able to capture images of it to share with you –
usually they are far too skittish, but this fella cooperated for just long enough
before hoping off into the African night. Enjoy the images and keep your eyes
peeled here for more coming tomorrow! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-6314326328610250922015-07-07T06:52:00.000-05:002015-07-07T06:52:46.724-05:00Back in Africa!<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Greetings from South Africa – I safely arrived two days ago and am happily at home in the bush at the wonderful nThambo Tree Camp in the Klaserie game reserve just to the west of Kruger National Park. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">My travels halfway around the world was as pleasant and uneventful as any 10,000 mile voyage could have been! I wish to single out two people who made my travel from Dallas to Johannesburg more enjoyable. First is Jerri Thomas one of the flight attendants on my Dallas to Atlanta flight. When space for my carry on camera gear was sparse, she went out of her way to find a way to keep my precious gear in the main cabin rather than forcing me to check it --- and she did all of this with a genuine smile while working on July 4th. THANKS Jerri! Second was my waitress at the Atlanta airport TGIFriday’s Devona was absolutely as welcoming, pleasant, and funny as I could have hoped for given that she was working a very busy shift on the 4th of July. Her great good cheer and ready laugh was another bright spot which made a long trip much better than it might have been. THANKS Devona!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">16 hours across the Atlantic Ocean was tiring but thankfully easy. I was warmly greeted and hosted for the night by my friend Dave, one of South Africa’s great caving pioneers. The following day, it was back to the Airport to catch my flight to Hoedsprit, the gateway to the Kruger region of South Africa.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">After a short and enjoyable drive to nThambo with Enoch, I settled into my “Chalet”, a luxurious tent set on top of a platform 20 feet high. Camp Manager Lily did a fine job of welcoming me to the camp and orienting me to the daily pulse of this great camp. A delicious lunch was followed by getting to meet my guide Luan, and our tracker, Isaac. I also became acquainted with the other guests who were from Germany, South Africa, and Seattle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Our first game drive began slowly as the only unusual animal we encountered in the first hour was the threatened Ground Hornbill – It was busy trying to make a meal of a Leopard tortoise. Looking at this bird you might think I had made a wrong turn into "Jurassic World"!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-rqGc7SH/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-rqGc7SH/0/M/i-rqGc7SH-M.jpg" height="318" title="" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As the sun sank and the sky began to take on the hues of a lovely sunset, the rhinos made their appearance – We started with one young bull and were joined by two rhino cows within moments! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-jWpTvT4/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-jWpTvT4/0/M/i-jWpTvT4-M.jpg" height="212" title="" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-kBBCfjV/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-kBBCfjV/0/M/i-kBBCfjV-M.jpg" height="255" title="" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thing then got better as we followed them to the local water hole where we were treated to the presence of three more rhinos! We enjoyed our sundowners there as we watched the rhino calf suckle as the sky grew progressively orange. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-TGxfNHB/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-TGxfNHB/0/M/i-TGxfNHB-M.jpg" height="319" title="" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We then began our trip back to camp and dinner, but were treated once more to the beauty of the bush when we came across two lionesses known as the Ross Pride Breakaway females because they left the larger Ross pride to strike out on their own. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-cBGT5kG/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-cBGT5kG/0/M/i-cBGT5kG-M.jpg" height="255" title="" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-QvCDXnD/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-QvCDXnD/0/M/i-QvCDXnD-M.jpg" height="255" title="" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Seeing them relaxing in the darkness was exciting and a perfect end to my first full day back in Africa! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/South-Africa-2015/n-8Kt83Q/i-KDMMfFS/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-KDMMfFS/0/M/i-KDMMfFS-M.jpg" height="319" title="" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-70101653911932195802015-07-02T12:03:00.000-05:002015-07-02T12:03:05.827-05:00Off to South Africa! <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Greetings Blue Lion friends! This post is to give you a preview of what’s going to be happening on the Blue Lion Blog over the coming weeks. I am in the process of getting ready to depart on a 3 week trip to South Africa that I am looking forward to sharing with all of you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The first part of my trip will occur once I land in South Africa from July 6th – 12th. I’ll be spending that time at the unique NThambo Tree Camp – a really interesting small safari camp located in the Klaserie Nature Preserve just west of Kruger National Park. This camp attracted me because of its small size and very small eco footprint as the camp only houses a maximum of 10 guests in 5 rooms (or “chalets” as they are called). Each of these chalets is basically a high quality tent that sits atop a 20 foot tall platform. I’m excited at the possibility of having any of the wildlife in the area potentially sleeping under my floor on any given night! Check out this video that was shot in May of a Cheetah kill that was next to the chalet I’ll be staying in! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Promo video for Nthambo Tree Camp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While at NThambo I’ll do my best to share images and video, but WiFi connection in the South African bush are pretty spotty, even on a good day. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">On July 12th I’ll fly back to Johannesburg and have a great opportunity to reconnect with Dr. Lee Berger and his team at Wits University. During my time here, I will be working to help develop curricular materials surrounding the Rising Star Expedition’s discoveries from 2013. The over 1700 fossils that were recovered during a challenging month long excavation in a cave located within the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg. During the expedition in November 2013 Dr. Berger's team live tweeted the daily events and I then created a "Twitter Play by Play" which is here on the blog - <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/11/rising-star-expedition.html" target="_blank">Rising Star Expedition Blog Post - 11/2013</a> . You'll hopefully hear about results of Rising Star in the news once the findings are officially published in scientific journals.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">During my time there I will be studying fossils from Rising Star as well as the nearby site of Malapa where <i>Australopithecus sediba</i> was discovered in 2009. I will also be interviewing researchers involved with both projects so that my future students, fellow teachers, and the general public can gain a better appreciation of the science and the scientific process behind such discoveries. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Miscellaneous-Images/i-MBcXTRc/A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Karabo Skull (A.sediba)"><img alt="Karabo Skull (A.sediba)" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Miscellaneous-Images/i-MBcXTRc/1/M/WitsLab2013-6207%20Karabo%20Skull-M.jpg" title="Karabo Skull (A.sediba)" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skull of "Karabo" a young male <i>Australopithecus sediba</i> individual.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Please feel free to revisit the Blue Lion Blog to stay updated on my my photographic & scientific adventures this coming month. Also feel free to post comments and questions below. I’ll do my best to reply! </span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-46770618580478210762014-09-20T17:20:00.000-05:002014-09-21T13:25:21.050-05:00Pawley's Island Sunset Series - Part 1<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">We all have places in the world that resound deeply in our souls regardless of where we happen to be in the world either geographically or emotionally. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The South Carolina Grand Strand area surrounding Pawley's Island is such a place for me. Initially it was a fond memory of my childhood when my family would make the trek from New York City to South Carolina to spend time with family at the beach. Memories of those times will always hold a special place in my heart as they were shared with loved ones who have since passed away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As an adult living in Texas, I had little chance to make my way back to Pawley's until a spring break trip in 2008 with my wife and children to visit my brother who had rented a house there. Needless to say, old memories were rekindled and a whole series of new memories and relationships began to blossom. As a result, Pawley's has become a regular summer vacation spot for my family over the past few years. It's well worth the 20 hour drive from Dallas at the end of my school year to bask in the beauty of the South Carolina coast between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. I have </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">also</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">developed a great appreciation for the </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">history of the area that ties me back through relatives on both sides of my family to tumultuous events in history ranging from the Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina in the 1960's to the 1860's and the America Civil War. </span><a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2012/05/reliving-civil-war-through-digital.html" target="_blank">(Here's an earlier post relating the Civil War history)</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This past summer, I paid particular attention to the beauty of the late afternoon light as the sun began its long summer sunset over the marshes to the west of Pawley's Island proper as well as the extended color casts in the clouds over the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. The beautiful color ranged from the familiar warm glows of sunset to some striking deep blues as the sun would sink below the horizon and my patience was rewarded with the cool tones of fleeting twilight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">While the late day light of the Pawley's area is incredibly special to me for a range of reasons, every spot on Earth has the chance to be bathed in such light each day. The secret for us is to be alert to such possibility and seek it out -- for it is in seeking that we shall all find the beauty that lurks on the margins of our days and our lives. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/8158343_4kbnPB#!i=3471576178&k=sKrcJKM&lb=1&s=A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-sKrcJKM/0/M/i-sKrcJKM-M.jpg" height="511" title="" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Come back next week for a second look at more sunset images from the area! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-71519785201321329822014-06-13T06:38:00.000-05:002014-06-13T06:39:35.943-05:00MicroSafari – Blepharisma<span style="font-size: large;">This episode of my ongoing Microsafari series features an unusual single celled protist names Blepharisma. I looks a lot like the very familiar Paramecium, but you'll see that it's clearly different!</span><br />
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<u><u><span style="font-size: large;">Please ENJOY, LEARN, and SHARE! </span></u></u></div>
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</u>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-40157236554225185062014-05-15T09:20:00.003-05:002014-05-15T09:47:41.982-05:00HELP CREATE & NURTURE A YOUNG SCIENTIFIC MIND! <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As a science teacher, I know that INSPIRATION is a critical ingredient when it comes to the success of most students. I also know that one of the greatest signs of who will be a successful student (in any field) is how much they read when they are young.</span><br />
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If I have a student who is an avid reader, I know he or she will most likely accomplish a great deal more than others who have minimal reading interest. The benefit of reading is obvious to me in two ways - first, readers become more skilled at finding and synthesizing data than non readers over time. Second, readers wind up having a much broader horizon of interests because they have simply encountered a wider range of topics through reading than their non reading peers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br />Common Sense Media recently released "<a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/4-alarming-findings-about-kids-and-teens-reading" target="_blank">4 Alarming Findings About Kids' and Teens' Reading</a>" which details where today's youth are in regards to reading - and it's not an encouraging story, but worth seeing and acting upon! </span><br />
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Another great take on the significance of reading among the young is Frank Bruni's op/ed in the New York Times, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/13/opinion/bruni-read-kids-read.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0" target="_blank">"Read Kids,Read"</a></span><br />
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Based on the above simple take on things, I am inviting YOU to help me begin to craft a collection of meaningful science related books that had an influence on you as a youth. My long term goal is to create a curated list of "science themed" books that my middle school students can benefit from when they are assigned outside reading books in my class. As part of the curating process I like the idea that they could see comments from "real people" about why a book was interesting / inspiring. </span><br />
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SO - please take a few minutes and think about what "sciencey" books made an impression for you and which you think could help inspire science students of this next generation!<br />
I really appreciate your willingness to share you thoughts in the comments below as well as hopefully passing this posting on to other friends/scientists/teachers who might themselves add their ideas. </span><br />
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Thanks for taking a few minutes to help make a difference! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">John</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-46539825600670383322014-05-04T18:18:00.003-05:002014-05-04T18:18:51.070-05:00Springtime along the Raasch Trail<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I consider myself lucky to live within an hour of the wonderful Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge that sits on the shores of Lake Texoma near Sherman, Texas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Click above to go to Google Maps of the area!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I started to visit Hagerman last year after years of hearing about it. However I had just not gotten up the gumption to get there. Aside from </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">year round </span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">abundant bird life , and more than a dozen miles of nice hiking trails, I was immediately impressed by the warmth and friendliness of the volunteers I met there who staff the visitor center and share their impressive knowledge of the flora, fauna, and history of the area. I now happily count myself as a monthly volunteer at the visitor center in hopes of being able to give back to those of you who will visit Hagerman in the future. Before a visit, make sure to check out these two websites:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuge/hagerman/" target="_blank">The OFFICIAL Hagerman NWR Website</a> - The official US Fish & Wildlife website for Hagerman. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.friendsofhagerman.com/Home" target="_blank">FRIENDS OF THE HAGERMAN NWR website</a> - detailed information about the volunteer group I belong to that helps run visitor services for Hagerman NWR</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-vZ2m3W6/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-vZ2m3W6/0/M/Hagerman_NWR%206330%20%28Bluebird%29-M.jpg" height="510" title="" width="640" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Two weeks ago, I went up to Hagerman to spend the day photographing bluebirds - the Friends of the Hagerman group has built and monitors several dozen bluebird houses which have greatly bolstered the local bluebird population over the past few years. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I had a wonderful day taking advantage of a warm spring day capturing bluebirds busily working to capture morsels for their fledglings to feast upon. In addition, the lighting along the Raasch Trail was superb to capture the beauty of early spring growth here in North Texas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Please feel free to share this gem of a place with your online friends! It's well worth the visit if you're in the neighborhood! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-20488121792944111782014-04-06T09:12:00.001-05:002014-04-06T09:12:13.451-05:00MicroSafari – Stentor the MicroTrumpeter<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This episode of my Microsafari series features one of the most distinctive single celled protists - Stentor! Watch this video and learn why I call it the "MicroTrumpeter". I hope you enjoy this foray into the micro world and feel free to share this with all the young (or old!) science lovers in your life!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The entire series can be found on my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/jsmead" target="_blank">YouTube Channel</a>.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-6837965859471181512014-03-15T21:50:00.000-05:002014-03-15T21:50:06.722-05:00MicroSafari – Snakes on a Slide! <br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">With apologies to Samuel L. Jackson's film "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snakes_on_a_Plane" target="_blank">Snakes on A Plane</a>," I could not help but title this Microsafari episode "Snakes on a Slide" because that is what most of my students think of when they see the long snakelike ciliate protozoan named Spirostomum. As you'll see in the video they hold a world record and are important in many aquatic ecosystems! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am creating these Microsafari explorations to open up a new world of science exploration to young people --- please feel free to share these with the young scientists in your life as well as with any science teachers you know! It's greatly appreciated! If you want to find more Microsafari stuff- I'm using the hashtag #MICROSAFARI to allow folks to follow & share these more easily! </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-36125572308099211352014-02-08T12:01:00.000-06:002014-02-08T12:01:16.177-06:00MicroSafari – Up Close With Paramecium<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This installment in my MicroSafari series focuses on the famous single celled ciliate Paramecium. Most students never get to see a good up close view of what actually is happening inside a paramecium because they tend to move very quickly and appear as “herky jerky” blurs to most folks unless you place them in a solution of “ProtoSlo” (methyl cellulose – I call it jello for microorganisms). This keeps them from swimming so fast and lets us see them in one spot where a higher power lens can focus on their internal activities such a food vacuole formation (eating) and contractile vacuole filling and contraction (drinking & peeing). When you get close enough to these creatures to see these things, you also get to appreciate their cilia and how quickly they beat. So – take a couple minutes and get up close with this most famous citizen of the microworld! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Congratulation to my friends at EXO LABS ( <a href="http://www.exolabs.com/">www.exolabs.com</a>) who created the FOCUS Microscope Camera I use for these videos - the FOCUS camera was recently featured in Apple's 30th anniversary video for the Mac - at 38 seconds into the video you can see students using the FOCUS camera with an iPad to view what's under their microscope! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Way to go Exo!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-74071091896293449032014-01-28T10:22:00.000-06:002014-01-28T10:22:55.348-06:00WELCOME TO THE MICROWORLD! <div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm7p0Qn-aeos0MHUuAdeP9retFOmFS4aWv0GiHz-LHZU7sdhjP-gxYQ5O49qRyIpc-0NmFRycH9yJjqqi6_NUksk1QZ41x9AkKH3WxKccE0b6U19ZTVOKnyBwx9eB7H9OKTmNYSF5x0E/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVm7p0Qn-aeos0MHUuAdeP9retFOmFS4aWv0GiHz-LHZU7sdhjP-gxYQ5O49qRyIpc-0NmFRycH9yJjqqi6_NUksk1QZ41x9AkKH3WxKccE0b6U19ZTVOKnyBwx9eB7H9OKTmNYSF5x0E/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I am pleased to begin sharing another way I really enjoy
seeing our natural world. These days, many folks feel there is little left to
explore. They feel there are none of the great romantic “blank areas on the map”
that so enticed earlier generations of explorers. While there are certainly
fewer unexplored spaces, there is a way that everyday folks can explore the
natural world without traveling to the ends of the earth. I have long been
thrilled by the adventures and excitement that Mother Nature shares in the
microscopic world. Over the years, I've enjoy exploring many “MicroWorlds” with
my students as they appreciate the “WOW Factor” of the seemingly invisible
world all around us. While most Blue Lion Blog readers know that I treasure my
African safari experiences, I have the ability to go on a different type of
safari most every day! I deem my safaris under the microscope “MicroSafaris” as
we get to explore all sorts of microscopic creatures who can appear with no
predetermined script. For 21<sup>st</sup> century students who have the digital
world at their fingertips, seeing these “unknown” critters changes how they
look at their worlds and opens up a new found sense of creativity and possibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Over the past few months I have gotten to know the dedicated
folks over at <a href="http://exolabs.com/" target="_blank">EXOLABS (www.exolabs.com)</a>, a Seattle based startup. They have
created a wonderful iPad based camera that is designed to work with any
microscope. After having worked with other less successful microscope
cameras/software, their FOCUS microscope camera is the tool I have long sought
to help share my passion for microworlds with you. Over the coming months I
will be creating a series of MicroSafari videos to introduce you to various
denizens of the microworld. Following that, we’ll begin to expand our
exploration as we head out to see differing microscopic ecosystems and how
their micro citizens go about their “little lives”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnH7bDUOWhbr_pzaKRL8VQqqikG7-tlCSvUPxPKEiUVOQAbtDlgkJ7SkIXubESOa_1P6ozVsKrt0sYhKNZKb3XmqqUApCFrr2dttWU62c72TwCDAljgq95XzEexujmAjYZmLQSGnxOf4/s1600/IMG_0113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnH7bDUOWhbr_pzaKRL8VQqqikG7-tlCSvUPxPKEiUVOQAbtDlgkJ7SkIXubESOa_1P6ozVsKrt0sYhKNZKb3XmqqUApCFrr2dttWU62c72TwCDAljgq95XzEexujmAjYZmLQSGnxOf4/s1600/IMG_0113.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I chose this first video because it’s the microscopic creature
most folks are familiar with – AMOEBA! If
you’ve ever looked through a microscope in school then you probably got to see
these blob like protists. Here I have been able to capture them in both real
time and time-lapse video to give you a uniquely exciting view. Enjoy the view and please feel encouraged to
share this video with a young person in your life! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-87053555550426420502014-01-05T12:23:00.000-06:002014-01-05T12:28:14.972-06:002013 Blue Lion Year in Review- My #1 Photo of 2013! <span style="font-size: large;">With this post we finally arrive at my top image of 2013! While many of you probably expected my top image of the year to be something from my African safari, this image was by far my most "viral" image of the year. From the moment I posted it, it received lots of attention as far as total views, shares on Facebook, as well as Retweets and Favorites on Twitter. Without a doubt, it was THE favorite of the Blue Lion Pride during 2013!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you missed earlier posting in the series just click on them below! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-1-of.html" target="_blank">PART 1</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-2-of.html" target="_blank">PART 2</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-3-of.html" target="_blank">PART 3</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-4-of.html" target="_blank">PART 4</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-5-of.html" target="_blank">PART 5</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-dbWj8Z6/A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="512" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-dbWj8Z6/1/L/Malay%20Lacewing-0925-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#1 - Malay Lacewing Butterfly ~ <br />Texas Discovery Gardens Dallas, TX</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I took this image last spring at the fabulous <a href="http://texasdiscoverygardens.org/" target="_blank">Texas Discovery Gardens (TDG)</a> in Dallas. It is a male Malay Lacewing butterfly. This species is found in tropical Asia - most commonly in Indonesia. The beauty of this amazing species speaks for itself and I know I go back to the TDG regularly in hopes of seeing this species as well as other closely related allies. Butterfly houses are a wonderful resource for nature photographers as they usually possess licences to host exotic species of butterflies and moths that most of us would never have a chance to observe due to both geography and timing. The TDG has the ability to host hundreds of different species at different times of the year depending up on supplier availability. As such, every time I go to visit I get a different "show" of species! In addition, butterfly houses need to have a collection of nectar producing flowers for the adult butterflies to feed upon. This benefits nature photographers because we then get to see and shoot some beautifully exotic flowers. If you've never been to a butterfly house ( or even if it's been a while) go ahead and look up your local one and spend a few hours there - it should be a special time to savor the intricacies of Mother Nature! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you are interested in more details about the Malay Lacewing, this post from the <a href="http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/2013/07/life-history-of-malay-lacewing-v20.html" target="_blank">Butterflies of Singapore</a> is a great resource! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you'd like to purchase this image for yourself or as a gift, please click the <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/buy/8158518_QnCjMW/2434012244_dbWj8Z6/" target="_blank">PURCHASE LINK</a> to order your preferred size. As a reader of the Blue Lion Blog - I am offering a <span style="color: yellow;"><b>20% discount</b></span> on <b>any </b>purchase you make after reading this -- just enter the code <span style="color: yellow;">BLOGREADER </span>when prompted during your checkout! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for visiting the Blue Lion Blog. Once again I appreciate your support! Here's to a fabulous 2014!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-10510951197441787562014-01-03T07:52:00.003-06:002014-01-03T16:54:34.419-06:002013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 5 of 6<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Welcome to PART 5 of my 2013 review! This post will take us down from #5 in the countdown to #2 - My image of the year will be unveiled tomorrow here on the Blue Lion Blog! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">For this year’s review, I have selected 30 images that represent a combination of my personal favorite shots as well as my most widely viewed images on my website (http://www.bluelionphotos.com), social media such as my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlueLionPhotos" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and my Twitter account (<a href="https://twitter.com/BlueLionPhotos" target="_blank">@BlueLionPhotos</a>).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> I hope you enjoy this journey through my photographic year – I welcome your comments below as I savor getting to know how my images impact you the viewer! Each of the images is viewable and available for purchase by clicking on the image here, which will take you to my website. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">If you missed earlier posts in this retrospective series just click the links below! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-1-of.html" target="_blank">PART 1</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-2-of.html" target="_blank">PART 2</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-3-of.html" target="_blank">PART 3</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-4-of.html" target="_blank">PART 4</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">ONWARD! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2795751821&k=ffxZSbL&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-ffxZSbL/0/M/Ngala0717AM-9575%20Glaring%20Leopard-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#5 ~ Leopard Stare ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2674788326&k=zwXx6QR&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="640" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-zwXx6QR/0/M/Ngala0713AM-7061%20Cheetah%20Portrait-M.jpg" title="" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#4 ~ Cheetah Portrait ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-2WdM48x/A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-2WdM48x/0/S/Ngala0716PM-9160%20Roller%20bird-S.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#3 ~ Lilac Breasted Roller ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-nrRWH/i-FmDVPrQ/A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-FmDVPrQ/0/L/i-FmDVPrQ-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#2 ~ Waterhole Sunrise ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-23606654044431934572014-01-02T17:03:00.001-06:002014-01-03T07:12:55.874-06:002013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 4 of 6<span style="font-size: large;">It's time to dive into the TOP TEN from 2013! This post counts down images #10 down to # 6. The ranking of my top ten is calculated by the response of Blue Lion Pride members on social media to these images over the year. As always, I am interested in YOUR thoughts about my images -- which ones excite you and which ones make you say "Meh"? </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">If you missed ,y earlier installments -- do not fret you cam see them at the links below! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-1-of.html" target="_blank">PART 1</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-2-of.html" target="_blank"> PART 2</a> ~ <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-3-of.html" target="_blank">PART 3</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">HERE GOES! </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2472403940&k=b97qk82&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-b97qk82/1/L/Sable%20Antelope-1885-L.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#10 ~ Sable Antelope Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2795747199&k=PxT43rc&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="640" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-PxT43rc/0/M/Ngala0717AM-9546%20Climbing%20Leopard-M.jpg" title="" width="494" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#9 ~ Climbing Leopard ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2707440853&k=xqwx4Rr&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-xqwx4Rr/0/M/Ngala0713PM-7304%20Lioness%20Sister-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#8 ~ Blending In ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2434251306&k=wpDwM8v&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="511" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-wpDwM8v/1/M/Perching%20Julia-1081-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">#7 ~ Perching Julia Longwing ~ Texas Discovery Gardens, Dallas, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2493465901&k=TbwK3qt&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-TbwK3qt/1/M/Aplomado%20Falcon-2997-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#6 ~ Aplomado Falcon (captive) ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for visiting! Please feel free to share my images with your friends on social media! Your support is very much appreciated! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once posted, just click to see PART 5 !</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-89380933290299822502014-01-01T11:32:00.002-06:002014-01-03T07:13:35.804-06:002013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 3 of 6<span style="font-size: large;">In this post, we will wander from photo # 15 down to the edge of my top 10 images of 2013. This collection features images from my South African Safari as well as local shots and even my favorite Civil War reenactment shot of 2013. Enjoy and make sure to visit back tomorrow for images # 6 through 10! If you missed previous posts in this countdown, you can click on them here: <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-1-of.html" target="_blank">PART 1</a>, <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-2-of.html" target="_blank">PART 2</a>.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-g2dPfmx/A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Hyena Yawn"><img alt="Hyena Yawn" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-g2dPfmx/1/M/Ngala0712PM-6475%20Hyena%20Yawn-M.jpg" title="Hyena Yawn" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"># 15 ~ Spotted Hyena Snarl ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2590206423&k=xVSj6FW&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Snowy Egret Hunting"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Snowy Egret Hunting" height="640" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-xVSj6FW/1/M/Snowy%20Egret-5638-M.jpg" title="Snowy Egret Hunting" width="494" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"># 14 ~ Snowy Egret Hunting ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Battle-of-Fort-Richardson/33341784_8zjt7Z#!i=2895296114&k=q2cf94T&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="FIRE!"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="FIRE!" height="511" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Battle-of-Fort-Richardson/i-q2cf94T/1/M/Fort_Richardson-2992%20%28FIRE%29-M.jpg" title="FIRE!" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#13 ~ "FIRE!" ~ Battle of Fort Richardson, Jacksboro,TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2475683974&k=xnnRKgX&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-xnnRKgX/1/M/Giraffe%20-1922-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#12 ~ (Not So) Graceful Giraffe ~ Fossil Rim , Glen Rose, TX </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2368350524&k=jJPP4BJ&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="640" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-jJPP4BJ/1/M/Reflecting%20Great%20Blue%20Heron%20-%208825-M.jpg" title="" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">#11 ~ Reflective Heron ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Once I post the next installment in the countdown, you can click <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-4-of.html" target="_blank">HERE </a>to see it! As always I am interested to hear which of my images speak most loudly to you individually! Feel free to tell me in the comments below! </span><span style="font-size: large;"></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-17763980683322644702013-12-30T12:23:00.001-06:002014-01-03T07:14:39.005-06:002013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 2 of 6<span style="font-size: large;">Here is Part Two of my yearly review of the images I have produced during 2013. If you missed the first installment, you can view them here: <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-1-of.html" target="_blank">2013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 1 of 6</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">These 6 images are start of my "Top Twenty" images of the year. Please feel encouraged to let me know which of these is <b><i>your </i></b>personal favorite in the comments section below. I greatly value knowing what Blue Lion viewers enjoy the most! I really enjoy getting to see my photographs through YOUR perspective! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Your can see higher resolution versions of each of these images on my website by clicking in the images here. All of these images are available for purchase as well from my website (<a href="http://www.bluelionphotos.com/">www.bluelionphotos.com</a>). </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2371770575&k=zmbD64b&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="640" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-zmbD64b/1/M/Bald%20Eagle%20Hagerman_NWR_2013-8908-M.jpg" title="" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">#20: Bald Eagle Scouting for Lunch ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2532351254&k=BdcTGhP&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-BdcTGhP/1/M/Burrowing%20Owl-3363-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">#19: Burrowing Owl (Captive) ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/33069307_wJc9nD#!i=2867795360&k=KpLF5TD&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Longing for Home"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Longing for Home" height="640" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-KpLF5TD/1/M/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1722-M.jpg" title="Longing for Home" width="512" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">#18: "Longing for Home" ~ Civil War Reenactment, Allen, TX </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/8158343_4kbnPB#!i=2994845903&k=WwJSQ99&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="color: black;"><img alt="" height="511" src="http://www.smugmug.com/photos/i-WwJSQ99/0/M/i-WwJSQ99-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">#17 (tie): "Moonrise Over Allen" ~ Allen, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2469533295&k=PVwjnGt&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Addra Gazelles"><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Addra Gazelles" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-PVwjnGt/1/M/Addra%20Gazelle%20-1864-M.jpg" title="Addra Gazelles" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">#17 (tie): Addra Gazelles ~ Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose, TX </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2445355788&k=n5Dk59h&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="511" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-n5Dk59h/1/M/Lady%20Cardinal-0654-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">#16: "Sassy Cardinal" ~ Allen, TX</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;">One lesson any aspiring nature photographer can take away from this collection of photos is that you can get very good subject matter close to home. While I have been very lucky to travel to some great places to shoot nature, all of these images were shot within a two hour drive of my home and several were shot within minutes of my house! If you are willing to look closely at the daily world around you, you can find intriguing subject matter! </span><span style="font-size: large;"></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">CLICK on <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2014/01/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-3-of.html" target="_blank">PART 3</a> to see the next installment in the series! </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-13484765953344905872013-12-29T12:24:00.000-06:002013-12-30T21:45:16.074-06:002013 Blue Lion Year in Review- Part 1 of 6<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;">As 2013 winds down and I review my photography of the
year, I have been enjoying spending time looking over the images I have
produced this year. 2013 allowed me to explore my true love of nature
photography through my amazing trip to South Africa and the Ngala Game Reserve
in July as well as more local spots such as the <a href="http://www.fws.gov/refuge/hagerman/" target="_blank">Hagerman National WildlifeRefuge</a> in North Texas, and the jewel that is the <a href="http://texasdiscoverygardens.org/" target="_blank">Texas Discovery Gardens</a> in Dallas.
I was also able to “shoot” some people in 2013 as I explored more Civil War
reenactment photography at local events in Texas. Thanks to my wife’s love of
theater, I have also started to dabble with doing cast images and some
head shots of local community theater productions here in the Dallas Metroplex. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For this year’s review, I have selected 30 images that
represent a combination of my personal favorite shots as well as my most widely
viewed images on my website (<a href="http://www.bluelionphotos.com/">http://www.bluelionphotos.com</a>), social media such as my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BlueLionPhotos" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> and my Twitter account (<a href="https://twitter.com/BlueLionPhotos" target="_blank">@BlueLionPhotos</a>).
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This review will occur in six parts with this post being my
10 “honorable mention” images. The remaining top 20 images will be divided into
four more postings until the final image in revealed in a posting all by
itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> I hope you enjoy this
journey through my photographic year – I welcome your comments below as I savor
getting to know how my images impact you the viewer! Each of the images is viewable
and available for purchase by clicking on the image here, which will take you
to my website. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2681919963&k=wFkghg3&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-wFkghg3/0/M/Ngala0713PM-7201%20Young%20Lioness-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Young Lioness ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2743499739&k=sW78mXD&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="640" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-sW78mXD/0/M/TexasDiscoveryGardens2013-0727%20Owl%20Eye-M.jpg" title="" width="494" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Perching Owl Eye ~ Texas Discovery Gardens, Dallas, TX</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2670905354&k=TDm9HRk&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-TDm9HRk/0/M/Ngala0713AM-6889%20Cheetah%20Mound%201-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Watchful Cheetah ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2429763364&k=w54DnxQ&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="511" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-w54DnxQ/1/M/Coopers%20Hawk-0389-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Fence Sitting" ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2705664009&k=VVCWddH&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-VVCWddH/0/M/Ngala0713PM-7207%20Young%20Male%20Lion-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Young Male Lion ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2399978694&k=RXVdwtg&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-RXVdwtg/1/M/Northern%20Harrier%20-%200220-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Northern Harrier Hawk ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2482519842&k=cFJ76Kp&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Bluebird - 2071"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Bluebird - 2071" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-cFJ76Kp/1/M/Sinister%20Bluebird-2071-M.jpg" title="Bluebird - 2071" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spring Blue Bird ~ Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Glen Rose ,TX</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2508679351&k=MDPMzjd&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-MDPMzjd/1/M/Snowy%20Owl%20-%203175-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Hedwig - I was thrilled to meet one of the actual "avian actors" who played the part in the Harry Potter movies.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2765881181&k=cBhhFLm&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" height="492" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-cBhhFLm/0/S/Ngala0715PM-8583%20Ellies%20at%20Sunset-S.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ellies at Sunset ~ Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/8158518_QnCjMW#!i=2507630273&k=ZGmDf5G&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=""><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" height="494" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Animals/Animal-Gallery/i-ZGmDf5G/1/M/Great%20Blue%20Heron%20in%20flight_-9340-M.jpg" title="" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blue on Blue ~ Hagerman NWR, Sherman, TX</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Continue exploring the next five images in my 2013 Countdown - </span><a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-2-of.html" style="font-size: x-large;">http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-blue-lion-year-in-review-part-2-of.html</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-19894950110444751892013-11-14T07:55:00.000-06:002015-09-01T21:42:58.803-05:00Rising Star Expedition<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">For those of you who know me well you know I have a lifelong passion for paleoanthropology - the study of early human and human like fossils. I had the great thrill to spend a week last July in Dr. Lee Berger's lab in Johannesburg, South Africa. I had the chance to see the detailed work that is going on regarding his signature discovery, the 2 million year old specimens of the new species <i>Australopithecus sediba</i> which he and his son Matthew discovered in 2009.</span></div>
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<a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Other/My-Smug-Mug/8158504_Nmd4Th#!i=2906395251&k=tRB69KQ&lb=1&s=A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-tRB69KQ/0/S/i-tRB69KQ-S.gif" height="320" title="" width="249" /></a><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/Other/My-Smug-Mug/8158504_Nmd4Th#!i=2906407807&k=TDb4HJR&lb=1&s=A" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/photos/i-TDb4HJR/0/S/i-TDb4HJR-S.jpg" height="320" title="" width="244" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This past week his team began the process of retrieving fossils from deep (30 meters down) in a cave located in the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg. The team has been doing a GREAT job of sharing their discovery in real time through Twitter. Seeing the work happen like this is amazing and I have been sharing it with my middle and high school students. I have begun creating a daily video update of relevant tweets from teh team to give sort of a "play by play" for those without access or the inclination to use Twitter. Below you will find my videos - feel free to get caught up and experience Science in the making! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">UPDATE (September 2015) - With the results of the Rising Star Expedition soon to be released, I had the chance to visit the Rising Star cave and work with many of the team members. I interviewed them and many of those interviews can be found at <a href="http://bluelionphotos.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-rising-star-interviews.html" target="_blank">THE RISING STAR INTERVIEWS</a> page here on the Blue Lion Blog. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Listen to Lindsay Eaves Describe the thrill of getting the skull from the deepest part of the Rising Star Cave to the surface! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">"ACCIO SKULL!"</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks so much for sharing this Lindsay! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">I'll be adding new updates and links about the Rising Star Expedition in this space as time progresses! </span><br />
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/blog/rising-star-expedition/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The Nat Geo Rising Star Expedition</span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Blog</span> </a> </span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/LeeRberger" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lee Berger's Twitter Feed</span></a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/RisingStarExped" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Rising Star Expedition's Twitter Feed</span></a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/johnhawks" target="_blank">John Hawk's Twitter Feed</a></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Paleo_Bonegirl" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Lindsay Eaves Twitter Feed</span></a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://twitter.com/EFeuerriegel" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Elen Feuerriegel's Twitter Feed</span></a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/AGurtov" target="_blank">Alia Gurtov's Twitter Feed</a></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2013-11-26-scientists-bag-more-than-1000-fossils-at-cradle-treasure-trove/?fb_action_ids=10152117671339985&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B608049332588234%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.recommends%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Mail and Guardian article detailing the end of Rising Star 2013</span></a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.trowelblazers.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">TrowelBlazers Profiles of the 6 Advance Scientists</span></a></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/12/09/a-voice-from-the-cave-lee-berger-on-the-ng-weekend-radio-show/" target="_blank">Lee Berger's Interview with Boyd Matson on National Geographic Weekend Radio Show - A MUST listen ! </a></span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sec-caving.co.za/2014/12/bone-bonanza-chamber-of-secrets-yields.html" target="_blank">Catherine Brahic's superb overview of the Rising Star Expedition from the New Scientist- A great update from November, 2014.</a></span></li>
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00448330747379918094noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940543402918132920.post-44707180368812387992013-11-10T10:25:00.000-06:002013-11-10T10:25:48.676-06:00Civil War Days in Allen, Texas<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Recently, I was asked by friends to shoot the activity at
the Allen (Texas) Heritage Guild’s Civil War Days. I did not expect much from this
small event which consisted of a small encampment of reenactors, a realistic
medical test and surgeon (including a lower leg amputation!), a skirmish on both Saturday and Sunday and
some dramatic readings related to Civil War letters, the Gettysburg Address,
and a period debate regarding the secession
of Texas from the Union. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-tN9CvBS/A" title=""><img alt="" height="255" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-tN9CvBS/0/M/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1884-M.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-8jxbT75/A" title="True Love in a Time of War"><img alt="True Love in a Time of War" height="320" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-8jxbT75/1/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-2032%20Jo%20Russ-S.jpg" title="True Love in a Time of War" width="256" /></a></span></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-rwCDWcQ/A" title=""><img alt="" height="320" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-rwCDWcQ/0/S/SAM%20G%20%28Tintype%29-1732-S.jpg" title="" width="256" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-pVfXP6c/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-pVfXP6c/0/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1701%20Laws%20of%20War-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As you can see in the images in this post, the event was a success!
It was small enough that I was able to get images of many of the activities. In
addition, I am very pleased with how they came out. As is now my style, I processed
them to reflect images that would have actually been taken during Civil War
times. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-PRnz6Wg/A" title="The Artilleryman"><img alt="The Artilleryman" height="256" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-PRnz6Wg/1/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1960%20Artilleryman-S.jpg" title="The Artilleryman" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-KpLF5TD/A" title=""><img alt="" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-KpLF5TD/1/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1722-S.jpg" title="" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-MQ2rdhQ/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-MQ2rdhQ/1/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1819-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-25WCWhb/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-25WCWhb/1/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1802-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Please feel free to let me know what you think of these images and especially their level of realism in your eyes - I am striving to develop techniques that lend these digital images a genuine feel of being Daguerreotypes, wet plates, and tintypes from the earliest days of photography. As such, all constructive criticism is welcomed! Keep your eyes on this space as I'll be sharing my visit to the "Battle of Fort Richardson" in Jacksboro, Texas later this week! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-ZJb7GHr/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-ZJb7GHr/1/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1699%20Battle%20Plan-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a><a href="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-rWQftLH/A" title=""><img alt="" height="256" src="http://bluelionphotos.smugmug.com/CivilWarReenactmentPhotography/Allen-Heritage-Civil-War/i-rWQftLH/1/S/Allen%20Heritage%20Guild%20-1546-S.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Thanks again for your support! </span></div>
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