JAHartford Arts

Tusk - Elephants and Friends of South Africa and Namibia

2011-06-03T15:36:00.000-04:00

It has been over a year since my journey to South Africa and Namibia. I have finally compiled a select set of images entitled Tusk - Elephants and Friends of South Africa and Namibia

These are images I am releasing from my trips to South Africa and Namibia. I went to Namibia first in 2009 with John Paul Caponigro to photograph landscapes on the Skeleton Coast. In 2010 I spent about six weeks in South Africa in Field Guide training. I followed up field guide training with a month of elephant research and conservation work in the Damaraland region of Namibia. These images are a recollection of those times. I have always loved elephants and the chance to spend so much time with them, to learn about them and the land in such depth is something I will hold with me forever and will surely mean future trips to Southern Africa. I invite you to share a piece of the journey with me through these images.

check out this cool video!

2011-06-01T12:05:00.000-04:00

This is so cool! you just have to watch this video. The sky is like an ocean!!!

JP Caponigro

2011-05-25T11:59:00.000-04:00

A great video on my friend and mentor John Paul Caponigro. It give a glimpse as to why he is a great artist and a loved and respected person.

Exhibit in Indiana!

2011-05-20T11:54:00.002-04:00

I am pleased about the opening of this gallery exhibit I am a part of! The reception is tonight and the exhibit will go on for five weeks. The Renaissance Gallery is a lovely place with one of the sweetest Curators around!

Renaissance Fine Art and Design

John Paul Caponigro's Next Step Group

Call for entry... answered.

2011-04-09T14:27:00.002-04:00

I just entered a contest called The Power of Self. Please take a look at my images there and vote as you feel appropriate.

http://JAHartford.see.me/aw2011

okay, one more new one.

2011-04-09T14:20:00.000-04:00

This should be it for a while. Sometimes things just happen, sometimes images just create themselves.

Proserpina - a self portrait CXX

Proserpina - a self portrait; Three new images released.

2011-04-08T13:58:00.000-04:00

I have just release three new images in the Proserpina - a self portrait series. You may see the entire body of work on my website at JAHartford Arts.

Proserpina - a self portrait CXVII

Proserpina - a self portrait CXVIII

Proserpina - a self portrait CXIX

losing you

2011-04-06T17:45:00.001-04:00

Here are a few images for you to enjoy and ponder from a new body of work I am creating called losing you. It is being created from images taken on my recent trip to California. It has very personal meaning to me. I will explain more about it when I release the entire body of work later in about a month.

Essential tools for self-portraiture

2011-03-31T16:14:00.000-04:00

In order to effectively photograph myself I have a set up that has been working well and just recently got a big upgrade. My protocol for field self-portraiture is to set my camera up on a sturdy and versatile tripod. Once set up, I attach a remote shutter release (aka: remote detonator) to the camera. This small unit allows me to, wirelessly over radio waves, press a shutter release on the camera. I usually set the camera to a 2 or 10 second delay so I can press the detonator and have ample time to hide it and get into position.

I am so excited that my remote detonator broke while in Death Valley. It was still usable, but without it's antenna, the range of 100 feet was severely cut. This gave me license to find a new model! Enter the Hahnel Giga T Pro II. This baby is freakin' awesome!!! First, the range is 100 meters. Second, it's programable. I can set a delay until program start, followed by how many frames it takes and at what interval it takes them. Plus, I can repeat that cycle with any time frame of a break in between as many times as I want. Cool, huh!?!

It has lots of great functionality. It can be directly connected to the camera if you wish. It can work in Bulb mode, single shot or continuous. It can refocus each shot of be manual focus. One of the great things is the receiver has a shoe so it mounts right on the flash mount of the camera!

This means I can prefocus on my scene and set the timer so it gives me a minute to walk into the scene. It then shoots 10 frames set off at two second intervals, waits for a minute so I can reposition and shoots another 10 frames. It can be set to do that as many times as I want! Or, I can take the detonator into the scene with me and shoot as I see fit from a far distance.

The options available are really freeing and should open up new and fun things for me. I can't wait to start really using it both in the field and in studio with a green screen for my composites.

Humbled again...

2011-03-28T10:33:00.000-04:00

Renowned photographer and artist John Paul Caponigro featured me in his blog posting today. It is humbling not just because he is such a leading figure in the photography and art world, but more because he is such a humble and great man. You can view his blog post, and his website here.

Scouting locations - the last night

2011-03-25T13:18:00.000-04:00

After shooting in the morning with Danielle, I went to the Jeep rental place in Death Valley. Richard, the owner, is great! He gave me some helpful insight to locations and I took off in a Wrangler Unlimited 4x4 with good clearance and sturdy tires. First, I headed to Marble Canyon and took a walk through finding some interesting structures even though the noon light was harsh. I was only scouting locations after all!

From Marble Canyon I headed out to my resting spot and ultimate destination for the evening, Eureka Dunes. I'm not sure what to say about Eureka, except Eureka!! I have found it!!

It was the perfect end to two weeks on the road. I climbed the nearly 1,000ft dunes and nestled into a beautiful spot to watch the sunset, drink the last few sips of my Southern Comfort and toast to my friends old and new.

Marble Canyon

I love the offsetting cloud!

Fun vegetation in the canyon

It didn't take me long to find a heart in the dunes... Awwwww. :)

The juxtaposition of the large dunes nestled in the jagged, snow capped mountains

was a goldmine for me and my work.

Sometimes shadows from adjacent dunes match up with

the dunes the shadow is cast upon!

Groupings! One in the foreground, two in the back. hmmm...

Many images I took this evening were from trying to look at the dunes in a different way.

Having shot with Danielle in the morning made this task easier!

Photograph with someone else!

2011-03-25T13:02:00.001-04:00

On the first morning following John Paul Caponigro's Death Valley NP workshop, I went back to the dunes with a new friend. Danielle Vick has recently picked up the camera again and is starting to really make progress in her own work! You can see what JP had to say about her here!

While shooting with Danielle, I observed different aspects of the dunes I usually look over. I expect the same is true for her. Working together creates a synergy that is fun. It can also help reveal new aspects of your work and break ruts you are in. Thanks Danielle!!!

Danielle finds a line she likes!

The next few images are ones I never would have seen had it not been for shooting alongside someone else.

Self Portraiture

2011-03-25T12:37:00.001-04:00

I love doing my self-portraiture work. Finding the right poses and stages to make the statement I want to is challenging. The metaphors are important. The relationships are important. Making sure everything flows together is quite difficult... but necessary.

"If you're not prepared to risk having your life changed, you shouldn't mess about with art." - Ian MacDonald

Back to the dunes...

2011-03-25T12:28:00.000-04:00

The evening of the first day of the workshop was spent at the dunes. I tried some different things. The fact that I primed myself the previous day by introducing myself to these dunes helped my shooting significantly.

Sometimes space is just space, sometimes it means something. It all depends

what context you place it in, what images you surround it with.

life being breathed into the moutains...

I'm always playing with light and dark.

Note the two upper corners.

the same dune, different dunes? does it matter?

JP's Workshop - Day 1

2011-03-25T12:20:00.000-04:00

It's always a treat to be in a workshop lead by John Paul Caponigro. The students that attend his events are always, and I mean always, fabulous. The first day we are all getting to know each other, figuring out what each other likes with their photography and figuring out each others interesting aspects. This workshop really hit the ground running with creativity and experimentation. The first morning we walked Zabriski point down through Golden Canyon and had some good luck.

I love playing with space. with me space and hidden

objects are there to make a statement. This is my image of

the iconic monument at Zabriski Point... it's named Manley Beacon.

A scoop of Dark Chocolate Ice Cream!!!

Organizing the scattered is a challenge I love.

Are these rocks perfectly imperfect or just cluttered?

playing with relationships between objects is important.

It is also the number of objects that says something.

Here there are two mountain peaks with a rock in the center.

Is the rock bridging them or blocking something?

Death Valley, getting acquainted...

2011-03-25T11:33:00.000-04:00

The first day I spent in Death Valley was a lot of pulling for me. I was trying to acclimate to a new location, new challenges and new terrain. In the morning I decided to reconnect with sand dunes and went to a nice little field of dunes near Stovepipe Wells. Each dune field has it's own characteristics: tall, short, vegetation, color, etc. I enjoyed the hard cracked soil in the bottom of the dunes around the edge of the field.

In the afternoon I caught up with my friends John Paul Caponigro and his assistant CT. We walked down from Zabriski Point through the trails to a pick up point at the bottom of Golden Canyon. This was a scouting mission for the four day workshop JP was leading that started the very next morning.

Hello again dunes, where will you take me this time?

Again, the living things are showing up in my work! Really???

These hard spots at the bottom of the dunes on the outskirts

of the fields provide an interesting contrast to the softness of the dunes.

Zabriski Point

Zabriski Point provides a lot of interesting lines.

You just have to work hard to organize them!

Zabriski Point provides lots of interesting color!

Afternoon run

2011-03-13T00:10:00.000-05:00

I took the afternoon "off." Had to go and enjoy nature for a bit without worrying about the camera. What did I plan but a lazy couple hour desert trail run that didn't end up as planned.

Okay, so I didn't have a map. I just went to the end of this dead end dirt road where there was a trail and no description. I thought it hooked up to a few trails in the area but found out it didn't. I ended up on a run/hike (with quite a hike at the end) on the Queen Mountain trail. It's about four miles round trip and the last half mile is uphill for about 1500'. It's pretty cool! Nobody was out there and on a weekend in Joshua Tree NP, that is hard to find.

I had a great time and took in some stunning views. I even got a few shots with the point and shoot. Tomorrow morning I plan to get a real trail run in after doing a little research.

view at the start

about half way up

a cool cave near the top

view just below my lunch spot

lunch view... trail mix, peanut butter balance bar and water

Crazy Saturday Evening Shoot!

2011-03-12T23:55:00.000-05:00

I went back to Jumbo Rocks for the evening shoot with a plan. And darn it if I screwed up the plan. I ended up on the far side of the road and on the south side of the main attraction. I had planned on hitting the north side of the main attraction and heading way out back. I think it turned out okay though. ;)

Hidden Valley - a natural wonder!

2011-03-12T14:16:00.000-05:00

Hidden away for eons until some dude back in the day took some dynamite to a group of rocks on the exterior so he could coral his cattle in the lush high ground made his mark. Hidden Valley is a beautiful lush spot still hidden away. The Mojave desert sure has it's bio-diverse regions!! Hidden Valley has become my favorite spot here for sure. Empty early in the morning, it leaves me alone in my own world for a little over an hour before the most intrepid tourist dares venture in.

I look at myself from the outside shooting a lush surrounding. It's intriguing to say the least. I'm enjoying it. The thin is to just allow yourself to shoot what you're drawn to at times and just ignore the plan. A plan is a good start, a template but when new ideas blossom, when new things happen it is often useful to just go with it and let the wave take you on a ride.

I'm taking the mid-day hours off so I can enjoy a hot long arduous desert run for a couple hours after a late morning of processing images and catching up on the essentials. Tonight and tomorrow morning will be the last days shooting here at Joshua Tree. One more look at Skull Rock tonight and then a morning shoot somewhere yet to be determined. I might find some off the wall spot that requires way too much effort for way too little return on a gamble in the morning. Oh yeah, and a nice afternoon shower after the run... HEAVEN!!!

This images doesn't do justice to my favorite spot in Hidden Valley.

It happens about thirty minutes after sunrise.

I had my morning banana enjoying this place!

The rock formations combined with the lush pasture

make for a unique place even in a unique place!

Joshua Tree NP is a rock climbers heaven, so I'm told.

The vertical faces abound for novice and seasoned climbers.

Light moves fast in this place, one second the shot is amazing but wait too long

and you've lost the glory until at least the following morning.

The quiet moments after the morning light has gone and before the sun

reaches it's peak offers a great time to move slowly and look closely. Many

great images lay waiting for your attention to turn from the grandeur to the details.

A new adventure at every stop!

2011-03-12T13:39:00.002-05:00

Day two here in Joshua Tree NP was a prolific wonder of experiences! Great shooting and great exploration. I can tell the on the go schedule is getting to me. I'm sure that the tenting is factoring in, given it's not as restful as a posh Motel 6. The eating is basic as I cook on my camp stove and eat what I can from the organic section of the local grocery store. Nuts, berries, oatmeal, rice, lentils, water. The payoffs are incredible though. Feeling so much closer to nature makes my shooting experience more rich!

Shooting tighter often reveals better detail

leaving out the distractions of grandeur.

One of my favorite images of the trip thus far!

The major issue I have with this location is the

flight path from LAX that leads planes to leave

contrails in my skies!!!

Lighting is the key! This location provides more than just the ordinary

sunrise and sunset opportunities for great lighting. due to the vertical nature

of the rock formations, late morning and early afternoon can be good times too.

Yes, it does take more hunting and pecking to find a payoff, but the payoffs are there!

My late afternoon break location. A great spot for a banana and some water!

My First Full Day Shooting...

2011-03-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

I ran my butt off today! Up at 4:30am, to Skull Rock before sunrise at 6am, shoot there for a couple hours, drive through the park and scout out the locations taking some shots along the way and settling in for an evening shoot at White Tank.

Foliage is starting to show up in my work... weird!

An image reminiscent of Arches National Park, one of my favorite locations.

This is a very succulent desert landscape full of fun and harshness!

Boulders upon boulders! Organizing the chaos

into something visually pleasing is a hard chore!

To me, it looks like this Joshua Tree is a guy boxing!

I do tend to favor the more simple Joshua Trees to

the larger ones with tons of branches.

First evening in Joshua Tree NP

2011-03-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I had a good long photo trip. First off is five(ish) days in Joshua Tree National Park. It sits east of Los Angeles by a hundred miles or so. It's scarey and overwhelming to put pressure on yourself to produce and the first session is always awkward. Without really knowing the lay of the land I ventured out into the far side of Jumbo Rocks and realized it's like riding a bike. A big thanks to John Paul Caponigro for providing notes on his favorite spots to photograph in the park and the best times to do it!

The iconic Joshua Tree

The rock formations in Joshua Tree are plentiful and amazing!

New Work: Proserpina - a self portrait

2011-03-05T22:06:00.000-05:00

As I prepare for two weeks of photography in California's Joshua Tree NP and Death Valley NP I revisited my work. I revisited my untouched images from Africa. Questions have come to me: Does art wait for life to be created? Does life wait for art to capture it?

In these four images, my work is developing deeper. When that work is ones own self, it means other things are developing deeper. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "It is easy in the world to live after the worlds opinion, it is easy in solitude to live after our own, but the great man is he, who in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." As I further my work and my life, this quote has never rung more true or been more important.

I do not know concretely what will come out of my new experiences in California. I have plans, sketches, writings but the final product will surely reveal it's own surprises along the way. What I do know is that the following four images I have just added to my "Proserpina - a self portrait" body of work hold the key to my future images as well.

Proserpina - a self portrait CXIII

Proserpina - a self portrait CXIV

Proserpina - a self portrait CXV

Proserpina - a self portrait CXVI

a thought...

2010-12-30T17:52:00.001-05:00

Thoreau suggested that rather than judge ourselves/others by status and possessions; instead we should use as a benchmark the amount of free time we have created and what we do with it.

savageman half-iron triathlon report

2010-09-25T13:38:00.001-04:00

View a video put together of still and live images from the race here!

After barfing up bile for the last two hours the only thought in my head as I was running was this: Beryle (a training partner/friend back up in Maine) told my mother something to the effect “of course Justin would pick that race to make a come back with! He always does something insanely over the top.” Now how could I quit with that thought in my head? We don’t get to choose how the race is hard, just that it is hard. The so called worst part of the race, climbing the wall on the bike, was a relative breeze compared to where I was at this point.

Westernport Wall. 31% climb. Really bad road surface.

It was mile forty five of the bike when I was briefly talking with a couple other guys out on the bike course as we pushed up one of the uncategorized climbs(there were eight categorized climbs) that was about a quarter mile long at a 6% grade and at that point was granny gear territory. I felt the need to let them know that I hadn’t raced a tri in four years and since the last pitch of big savage mountain I had GI (gastro-intestinal) issues where I was puking bile and not able to down any fluids or food. Not only that but two months ago I was able to start training again after spending a month and a half in the hospital with infections that had me closer to death than a plane ticket to Australia.

The last eighteen miles of the bike was a lesson in gutting it out. I couldn’t keep a straight line overly well and I stopped sweating at some point along the way. Hey, this wasn’t that bad! I’d been through worse in my life. Yes, some of that was triathlon but most of those thoughts related to emotional issues. Big deal… I’m puking. Better than all that divorce shit I went through.

I get one of these!! A brick in the wall!

The day before I scouted the course and realized that there was a reason it was called Savageman. The course was unrelentingly brutal. Grades of up to 31% on the wall with a concrete surface that had craters the size of the average ladies purse taken out of it plus cracks, divots, and pot holes. The ascent to the climb was long and steep too. Around 16% grade for a third of a mile, then after the wall another three quarters of a mile at 8% grade. Luckily come race day the wall and the approach was lined with spectators, devils, and a really hot looking kitty cat angel (my personal cheerleader). Again, the wall wasn’t that big of a deal, I went straight up it without so much as blinking and earned my engraved brick to be cemented into the road.

near the halfway point of the run.

What was bad was passing the one mile mark on the run having not been able to absorb food or water for the past couple hours plus. If my body didn’t start processing it soon I was going to be out of it… both the race and consciousness. Luckily, by mile two I was starting to feel better.

So far in my two month training plan for the toughest half iron triathlon known to man(well, at least in north America) I had put in two solid training workouts for swimming! That should be enough, right? Actually, it was. I busted out a 36 minutes swim which was within a couple minutes of my well trained times. What wasn’t normal was the two inch laceration on the bottom of my right foot from walking over the rocks to get out in the water. Luckily, I didn’t notice that until I was home after the race. I did think my foot was a little swollen when I was running, but that was all. Must be all the muscles from barefoot running in my vibram fivefingers, the same footwear I used for the 13.1 mile run at savageman. The run that was unrelenting and went up rocky fire roads (up, as in hills.)

just taking my time in T2 putting on my Vibram FiveFingers

I made lap one and was feeling fairly good. My muscles were definitely feeling the effects of no nutrition for so long on the bike, not to mention the hills on the bike. Maybe even the beer at the top of Killer Miller hill. Yes, Killer Miller hill. Somewhere around mile forty a 1.2 mile hill averaging 12% and maxing at 22% grade. A very nice guy had miller lite and coors lite. I took the coors lite to stick it to the miller! That may not have helped my GI issues, but it sure didn’t hurt them at that point.

my support group, on left a Kitty Cat Fairy

Lap two of the run went by fairly good. I walked the uphills and ran the rest of it. By the time I crossed the finish line, I was ready for the free ice cream. Just my luck, the guy in front of me took the last scoop of black raspberry (my favorite) and I had to settle for cherry vanilla.

Stats: 364 finishers overall, 49 in category

Overall time 7:14:23, placing 239 overall

Swim time 35:50, placing 216 overall

T1 time 6:13, placing 263 overall

Bike time 3:51:57, placing 211 overall

T2 time 4:59, placing 296 overall

Run time 2:35:26, placing 269 overall

a racer gets encouraged by the devil!

Proserpina - A Self Portrait

2010-06-12T10:44:00.000-04:00

Finally I have released all twelve images in the body of work called Proserpina - A Self Portrait!

Please visit my website to view these images, I would love to hear your comments so please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Military Families take note...

2010-05-30T11:56:00.000-04:00

David Wright, a photographer and friend of mine, is working on a new project involving military families. David had done some amazing photography work in Uganda, Maine, and various other places in the world. He has worked with many of the best photographers of today and for quite some time was part of the Caponigro Studio team of JP Caponigro.

Dave needs your help! please contact him if you are, or know of, a family located on the eastern part of the US where a military service person will be departing for Afghanistan or Iraq. David's project involves photographing the families and service person both prior to leaving and after returning from deployment.

David is a stand up guy, and an amazing photographer whos heart is in the right place. Please help him if you can.

You can see Dave's work here.

Website:	http://www.davidwrightphoto.com

You can contact Dave here.


Email:	david@davidwrightphoto.com

I need YOUR HELP!!!

2010-05-25T21:54:00.000-04:00

Please go to the following link and vote for me! A five star rating would be greatly appreciated too!

http://www.artistswanted.org/JAHartford

new walls...

2010-05-24T18:13:00.000-04:00

I'm now moved into my new place in Reston, Virginia. I'm at home now with my friends here! As I start to settle in, I'm in need of decorating my walls with some new art. Here are three I'm contemplating. I think I may only use two. What do you like?

This is from Nsikazi Camp in South Africa.

This is pretty solid to be hung on my wall!

This is from Lladadno Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa

I like how this hangs beside the first one... but

This one is pretty cool too! Also from Nsikazi Camp.

I may have to hang all three!!!

choices, choices, choices...

video and artist talk

2010-05-09T08:31:00.000-04:00

I have put together a video of twenty images along with my artist talk you can view anytime you want right here! enjoy. :)

Midnight at Moody Beach...

2010-04-29T09:49:00.001-04:00

another image from last nights walk on the beach...

Moody Beach at night...

2010-04-29T01:01:00.000-04:00

I took a walk on the beach tonight around midnight for some unknown reason... just felt like doing it.

Barefoot running

2010-03-27T15:15:00.000-04:00

I went out for my second run in my vibram fivefingers today! Loving
them!!!

Barefoot running...

2010-03-25T18:23:00.000-04:00

Today a delivery came in of my Vibram FiveFingers! If you don't know what they are, hit the link and check them out. They are basically thin rubber souls for your feet that so you feel exactly like barefoot running. I went for my first run in them for about a half hour and loved them. I've spent the last couple years going to more a more minimalistic running shoes and this takes the cake! I felt so amazing. My posture was better, my body moved smoother, and I just had a blast. If you have feet, you need a pair.

Elephant Images from the past week...

2010-03-15T06:24:00.000-04:00

images from camp...

2010-03-15T06:15:00.000-04:00

sitting around the fire at night playing the guitar

the guy playing studied performing arts and guitar in college... it was awesome.

Robin, a good friend, great wall builder and juggler extraordinaire!

Eskil showing his moves... I think.

This is what is referred to as Bush TV!

(very captivating programing)

Watching elephants pass from the hammock. Really cool!!

Why I left Namibia early...

2010-03-15T06:07:00.000-04:00

First and foremost, I need to say how wonderful most everyone I have been in contact with during my trip in Africa has been. The people are, in general, some of the most hospitable and helpful people you could ever come in contact with. Right now I am at a lovely guesthouse in Windhoek where I stayed my first night on my first trip to Namibia almost a year ago. One of the staff member even remembered me!

The organization I chose to work with, Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA). Does good work. Most all the volunteers are great people. Some of the leading staff members however are more suited to just working with elephants and much less suited to working with people. I don't want to dwell on what happened but I do want to convey some basic information of the events that took place that lead to my early departure from the group and the elephants that I so adore.

At lunch time we normally stop for a three hour siesta during the heat of the day as it is too hot to sit in open vehicles in the sun. This particular day I found a small group of trees in the dry river bed we stopped at just about fifty meters from the trucks. The person leading the group made mention that he was stopping in the spot as it had plenty of room for us to spread out. Another of my friends picked a tree to rest under about ten meters the other side of me. I strung up my hammock, put on my sunglasses, popped the earpieces of my iPod in and enjoyed my sandwich and just relaxing. About a half hour into lunch, I noticed a few people from the group heading toward a small hill that I guessed they were going to hike up and enjoy the view from. When lunch time was nearing an end, I notice everyone from the group minus two (about 14 people) coming back to pack up. I took down my hammock and went to join them. I found out that the leaders had spotted an injured elephant close to us and took the group to view him for over two hours... leaving me behind.

I asked why they had left me as that was the whole purpose of why I was on the trip, to see elephants!!! I got a very short answer with a little laugh that was something to the effect of 'oh well'. I was not happy, at all. This is the exact experience I paid for and was never even given the opportunity to enjoy it. About twenty minutes later one of the people in the group came to me and apologized, he was a volunteer and good friend, and 18 year old bloke from Scotland. Shortly after that another young man from Ireland apologized as well. The leaders of EHRA, although well aware of the situation and my unhappy state, didn't even say a word to me. For the next almost four hours we sat in the truck and were able to see a small group of elephants for a brief time... the first sighting for me in two days.

When we pulled into our camp spot for the night (we sleep in the bush wherever we end up), I took my gear and decided to get a little space from the group. It was about a half hour later that the camp leadership came to talk with me. But, they didn't care about forgetting me, rather they just wanted me to join the group and be a big happy family with no problems. I tried to explain my dissatisfaction and why but was told, in short, the following:

1) They were concerned and not happy that I was so far from the group at lunch as they though it was dangerous to be away from the group.
2) They didn't want to hear if I was unhappy, they just wanted me to go back to the main group that was about 30 meters away, so we could all be a big happy family.
3) They told me directly they would not apologize for not asking me to go at lunch time.

In short, if they thought I was in danger at lunch and left me in a dangerous position for three hours without telling me... I have a serious, serious problem with that. If, however, it wasn't dangerous and they were telling me that to deflect the situation they created by not telling me about the walk, I have a serious problem with being lied to by the EHRA management. Not having the courtesy to listen to my complain or to try and understand the issue was another problem. I paid them to show me elephants. This is the reason people sign up for the program! How hard is it to walk forty to fifty meters to say "hey, there's an injured elephant close by, do you want to come view it for a couple hours?" And, not even acknowledging they did any wrong was another issue. Again, this is the short version of the story...

At that point it was two days until we got back to town and I'd have a chance to talk with the office of EHRA about the situation to try and resolve it. All I really wanted was a simple apology and to find out about the safety issues. I was basically ignored by the field staff for the next two days. When i got back to Swakopmund, I detailed what had happened in a letter to the EHRA office. I later had a meeting with the office manager who in brief said. We're not apologizing for anything, you're acting like a child, we operate very safely and your concerns are unfounded. Too bad.

I had a couple other safety concerns I had brought up since the field staff didn't want to hear them. They involved unsafe driving practices by allowing people to ride on top of a listing vehicle with suspension problems both over a rocky terrain with low hanging (very thorny) acacia trees and fast driving with people on top (about 60mph) in said listing vehicle on soft gravel roads. I didn't really want to have to deal with people injured out there from falling off a vehicle. I made sure I kept myself as safe as I could by rising in the truck but it's the staff's job to keep everyone safe and the practices over the week were anything but that.

It was only after I sent a complaint to the company I booked the trip through, GVI (an agent of EHRA), that I got any type of response to my complaint. Typical of people like this, when they had to answer to someone else (people who make about half their bookings) their tune change a bit. Unfortunately, they still missed the major points. That I paid to see elephants and they screwed up by not telling me and that they left me in a dangerous situation or lied to me.

I don't take away the fact that the field staff knows about elephants and can operate around them. i don't take away the fact that they care deeply about elephants. But people who show such callousness toward people in their care shouldn't be in charge of a large group of volunteers.

Later, one staff member (a short term, knowledgeable worker) advised me he was leaving in two weeks and had similar issues with management. Another volunteer expressed her dissatisfaction with her complaints (similar experience to me). As an eighteen year old girl with not much money though, she couldn't afford to leave the program and change her plans. The extra housing costs, food costs, and ticket change fees were too much for her to pay.

I have not heard much back from GVI yet about how they plan to help resolve the issue, but I do have a contact who is trying to collect information. I will update my experience later after I hear how they plan to handle it. For now, I'm heading back to the states early. Unhappy that my trip has been cut short, yet still happy to see friends and family. Now I need to figure out how to come back to help and spend time with elephants that does not include EHRA.

hard week...

2010-03-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

no new photos this week, I'm sorry :(

I was sick with a stomach thing this past week most of the time as we were building the wall in some extremely hot conditions. (up to 45 degrees Celsius... whatever that is, oh, over 110F) anyway, I pushed through and did a lot of work knowing it was helping protect the elephants. This coming week we go on patrol to track the elephants so I'm sure I'll get some opportunities to make new images... lots of them.

Just want to thank those people, friends, who send me updates of their lives back home. Kimmie, Renee, Heather... It's nice to know what is going on so don't stop emailing as I love to hear all the things, no matter how small so I can keep in touch with everyone!!!

another month or so out here and I'll be coming back to share stories and drink beer :)

Conservation is hard work...

2010-02-28T09:13:00.000-05:00

Doing conservation work is not always easy. In fact, it is usually very hard work. Collecting rocks, diging trenches, mixing cement, building rock walls. Enduring extreme heat and harsh desert conditions. Going days without showers or a roof over your head. Traveling in rickety old land cruisers over rough mountain terrain while documenting animal locations. Cooking basic food over a fire every night in basic pots. PB&J every day for lunch. Oatmeal every day for breakfast. no bathroom. living out of a backpack. three changes of clothes for over three months that are NEVER clean. loosing touch and closeness with your friends... and family.

It's worth it though. We're dong good work with the Elephants in Namibia and helping to protect them by protecting communities water sources and educating those communities about elephants.

here are some pictures from today which was spent in Walvis bay.

the pelicans on our dolphin and seal tour!

seals just jump on the boat and interact with us... for fish.

a lighthouse for me father. it is at the entrance to walvis bay. Black and white stripes are better seen on flat terrain, red and white stripes are better seen on lighthouses on cliffs.

tons of seals... tons.

the heavyside dolphin

champagne on the boat... already ate the freshly cultivated raw oysters

you have to relax after a tough day... here I dangle my feet into the water off the stern of the boat while sipping my champagne. well, sparkling wine as it's not fancy out here protecting the wildlife!

Trunks Up!

2010-02-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

A hearty Trunks Up to all my friends!!

Do you smoke elephant dung?

2010-02-27T08:48:00.001-05:00

Yes, you guessed it! While we were relaxing and not exactly sober in the elephant drinking/human plunge pool we decided to smoke elephant dung! One of the guys in our group rolled a generous bunch of the dried stuff into a cigar sized cig and we all took a drag off of it. It is very strong!!! Glad I tried it, and I don't think I'll be doing that again... but good for the 'ol resume'!

The following images are from the past week which we spent tracking elephants. We take down herd sizes, coordinates and times, look for any particular markings or features and report it to the Namibian Government. It is really important work... and fun work too!

This little guy above is named Harold. I'm pretty sure Harold and I were friends in a past life. :)

Pictures from last week!

2010-02-27T08:28:00.003-05:00

EHRA - Elephant-Human Relations Aid click this link to learn more!

I sleep on the bottom floor, under roughly under the tarp (yes there are platforms in the tree like swiss family robinson!) I string up my hammock and sleep in it when we are at base camp.

And this is the view from my room at night! yes, always sleeping under the stars...

Jaco (pronounce YA KO, aka an early Brad Pitt from Legends of the Fall). He is a great guy and fun to hang around with! He is one of our group leaders with EHRA.

A nice set of trees in the Huab river region and Brandberg Mountains of Namibia where we spent the past week tracking elephants.

a guide at Twyfelfontein showing us the artifacts.

Wild Ostrich!!

When out on patrol, we just hunker down wherever we are in the bush. This happened to be our spot one night as we cooked our food over the camp fire!

So proud of my family!

2010-02-27T05:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I am just so proud of my family!! right now my mom is vacationing in Florida for a week, dad's in Barbados for business and pleasure for a couple weeks, sister in law is in Costa Rica for three weeks, Brother is in Colorado and Barbados over the next couple weeks and I'm in Namibia. How freain' cool is that!!! all traveling separately together!

Images from Namibia...

2010-02-21T04:50:00.000-05:00

Two kids from the local school we visited.

Susie, a professor from Connecticut talking with the local first grade teacher.

Aids education starts early with it being such a large problem in Africa.

It matters not where you are, kids LOVE to PLAY!

The rock wall we built to protect the water, in turn protecting the elephants from being chased or killed.

A cute little girl in front of the store a few kilometers from our base camp.

Two of the local Herero women by our base camp selling necklaces and dolls.

Update from namibia...

2010-02-21T04:44:00.003-05:00

The first week with the elephants has been cool. It’s building week where we build rock walls around water sources to protect them from the elephants. This helps keep the farmers happy so they don’t run off or shoot the elephants. It is hard work, but we do get to build with cement between the rocks which is much easier than when I built rock walls in high school having to fit every rock into perfect place.

I’ve been working my butt off and also exercising. Not surprisingly everyone I’m working with thinks I’m a little odd! We camp under the stars and are in an area with some good shade trees, Mopane Trees.

Yesterday we had off, we came back to our base camp early in the morning. There is an elephant drinking pool/plunge pool for people. A few of us drained and cleaned it then filled it back up with fresh clean water. We had a big batch of alcoholic punch, a few large boxes of wine, and we sat in the pool with the radio playing for about five hours. It was pretty cool. At one point me and Jaco (one of the heads of the program) took off and climbed the rock hill of a couple hundred meters high barefoot! It was quite fun! Then from far above, we mooned the rest of the group in the pool.

There was also a night drive last night. It was horrible. It was executed very poorly with a disrespect to the animals we were viewing. I finally had enough when a few people jumped out of the truck and started chasing a hare for ‘fun’. I got out of the truck and confronted Jaco about it. We had a long talk about how every animal is as important as the next, every part of the environment living and non-living is important and should be respected. I think he realized what was going on and he will change how he leads the group and what is acceptable to do. All I can say is he better. I will be watching him very close and I will get very pissed off if he does it or lets others do it again.

All in all, the first week has been great! Sitting by the fire in the open as elephants pass by our fire at night is pretty cool. Knowing the wall we built is actually protecting and saving the elephants and the farmers is very satisfying. I’ll update you all again in a week when I’m in Swakopmund for a two day break between sessions to let you know how our week of tracking the elephants goes.

and I'm off...

2010-02-15T01:51:00.000-05:00

Today we head to the dessert and away from civilization for two weeks! I'll be sleeping under the stars, building walls to protect water sources of small villages from elephants, tracking elephants and enjoying new friends! The group we have is fabulous, there are ten of us plus the project staff. It's hot out there now and we will be working hard in the 40-45 degree celsius heat(that's like 105-115F). I'm embracing the adversity... loving it! This journey now begins!

news flash!

2010-02-12T12:51:00.000-05:00

I made it to Windhoek, Namibia today! Always an adventure...

just to let everyone know my schedule. I will have internet connections through sunday evening on and off so will be able to update everyone before I leave. Yes MOM, I will call you over the weekend :) After that, I head out to the Namib Dessert where there is no internet and no cell phone towers. That means I am cut off from, as my friends from Texas would say, y'all! I will be in town with internet capabilities every two weeks and will update y'all at that time. :)

last night in llandudno

2010-02-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

just a few images from my last night here in Llandudno Bay before heading to the dessert for a couple months!

the waves were huge and powerful all day!

trying to make mother proud (note wine bottle in hand)

looking up at the moutains...

the last sunset I'll see here, at least for a while...

a couple links...

2010-02-11T03:09:00.000-05:00

http://www.desertelephant.org/

Elephant Human Relations Aid (EHRA) is the organization I will be working with in Namibia for the next eight weeks.

http://www.jahartford.com/nsikazi

This link will take you to a random assortment of pictures I took while in the bush at Kruger Park.

February 9th diary entry... wine and cars...

2010-02-10T11:50:00.000-05:00

Wine tasting today in South Africa! I headed off early in the afternoon to Stellenbosch, the Napa Valley of the African continent. I was given a hint from a friend to head to Kumala Winery. Well, after too much looking I opted to go somewhere else. It seems Kumala mostly exports wines and only has a small storefront in Stellenbosch. A store front that I couldn’t find for the life of me.

But as I passed the entrance to the Asara winery I veered off the road and knew I was in the right place! I would have made my mother proud, I chose it because the entrance was pretty and I liked how the name rolled easily off my tongue… Asara! Ten ‘sample glasses’ of wine later (that is two full tastings… red and white) (the sample glasses were half glasses… eleven total) I was a happy camper.

Asara wine is decidedly… average, and that is okay with me. I ended up taking back with me a very nice Bordeaux and a red dessert wine that is quite tasty.

On the drive back to Llandudno Bay, I would have made Mario Andretti proud! I am positive I am one of the best Kia Picanta (yes, it looks like it sounds) drivers in South Africa, if not the entire world! I was racing that rented piece of plastic around the corners and up the hills with the instict of a predator. The half cylinder engine was revving to it’s peak seven horse power and railing of the two and a half inch wheels that carried it. Yes, it was impressive to say the least. I am pretty sure I could have taken the very rare two, yes two first generation Camaro’s (a ’67 RS and a base ’69) had I been given the chance. The red with white striped ’67 was driven by a pretentious middle aged female (okay, she was freakin’ hot) but I still think I could have taken her… please, let me have my delusions. I’m missing “T+” wish he was here to enjoy the hilly switch backs with me.

No, I never got stopped for speeding or reckless driving. The only reason I had to talk with the US consulate in Cape Town today was to retrieve the missing passport I didn’t know I lost at the restaurant a couple nights ago. But the cruelest of things happened when I pulled into the private driveway I have called home for the past week
… Sitting beside me was arguably the fastest car on the planet, a brand new silver Porsche 911 GT3… next to my Kia Picanta. Where is “T+” when I need him?

above two images of Asara Winery...

Above two images are from the beach I'm at in Llandudno Bay.

late january diary entries from the bush...

2010-02-06T13:43:00.000-05:00

January 27, 2010 6:30 pm

Study day. I spent a good portion of the day in the hammock with my book open. A little time resting in between studying and took some photos of the vervet monkeys, a couple odd birds and a really cool looking wasp.

I texted a few people today that I was studying hard for my exam tomorrow and then realized I was in Kruger park in South Africa slung out on a hammock under a canopy of russet bushwillows with a book in hand, a camera in hand, a savanna hard cider in mouth, and texting my friends… hmmm… not too hard of a day!?!

January 28, 2010 11:45AM

Sitting in the hammock, laundry done, written (theoretical) exam done. I was the first out of the room and done per usual. I felt decent about it. There were some things I didn’t know and some things that I was unsure about but overall I think my aiming to get and 80% worked. I should find out later this afternoon what my score was.

I did a lot of studying this morning before the test that was preceded by a well needed yoga session. Last night I had a few savanna dry’s with the girls and then headed to bed with my books for a bit. Had a good night sleep and listened to some great music this morning: Matt Hires, Rascal Flatts, Blue October.

a good, and true, story...

2010-02-04T10:28:00.000-05:00

It was January 19th in the bush. A group of us fledgling South African Field guides set out from nsikazi camp at Kruger Park for a game drive. Little did we know what experience was about to befall us.

We had stopped under the canopy of both a Marula tree and a Sycamore Fig to talk about them. Yes, the Marula fruit is used to make Amarula, a local drink much like Baileys irish cream. It is a tree often frequented by elephants for food when there is fruit present. It can easily be identified by it's dark patch bark and usually has a circle trampled underneath it from searching elephants. And, on this side of the truck is a Sycamore Fig! This is a very special tree that has a mutualistic relationship with wasps. The wasps lay their eggs in the budding flower and then the newly hatched wasps pollinate the trees! It can be identified easily as it is the tree that has the fruit growing right off the bark and not off the leaves or stems! Oh!! Is that a Crested Barbet flying by right now?!? Why yes it is. It seems to have it's nest inside the Marula tree.

Onward we drove down Rock road (denoted as it leads to the big rock) on such a beautiful sunny day full of so much wonder and beauty. As we rounded the corner ... a surprise. Shhhhh!!!!! Impala. This normally wouldn't be a big deal as impala are everywhere, much like seeing a chevy impala on a chevrolet dealerships lot. These impala were intently looking down the winding road though, they didn't seem to care that we were there. There could only be one answer why they were acting like that... a predator must be lurking, ready to attack!

I hoisted my camera! I had my long telephoto lens on already and I set it for rapid fire mode. I was going to catch the chase, attack, and kill! The truck was pointing slightly downhill on the road and it was shut off. We rolled forward, closer to the impala. They did not care. We left room so they had an escape route so as not to disturb the odds of nature. So what was down the road? A lion? Maybe a black backed Jackal, Wild dog!!! Oh, could it be, could it be a leopard!!

With a rolling hissing sound, the impala snorted out its warning call. I was ready. It was about to go down... focus, finger over shutter button... another warning call. Then it happened, the three adult impala and the baby impala turned and started running towards us... what was coming, WHAT WAS COMING???? they leapt off into the woods. okay, maybe I won't see a kill, but seeing a predator chase them around the corner and head off into the woods would still be cool!

A short while later and nothing came by. Hmmm. maybe it's just sitting down the road. We hadn't seen a leopard yet so that would be cool to see regardless if it kills and impala. Gently we rolled around the corner... my camera was still at the ready, locked and loaded, focused and zoomed.

There it was!! it was in the road standing... staring. It was like the devil himself, the most evil predator one could ever imagine and how the impala got away is only by the grace of God herself.

So what was it you ask? A lion, a jackal, maybe the elusive cheetah? The animal can only be described as... as... something close to bambi. YES!!! It was a killer Duiker that was staring down the impala and had them scared for their lives.

At this point all of us in the vehicle let out a huge laugh and the tension of the pending kill went up in flames. A duiker, full grown is about 20 Killograms and if lucky would be as high as your waist. It forages on grass and some other fruits and at times may make a meal of a well placed birds eggs... and of course, it likes to kill impala apparently. :)

a poem...

2010-02-04T06:01:00.000-05:00

The camp, Nsikazi, wanted us to write about our experience there after a couple weeks. They wanted fifty words, I wrote exactly fifty words in a poem.

The eastern South African Savanna,
grasses so high and trees that tower.
It's like looking down on our Earth
and being immersed in it eternally.

Long nights of gazing heavenward,
days that fly by full of timeless sensations.
Civilization seems so unrelated,
I'm lying on the edge of a star.

From my diary January 12th, the rock...

2010-02-04T05:50:00.001-05:00

It’s a rainy lazy day right now.Not many people got sleep last night on the rock under the stars. Fortunately, I got a great night sleep! Must be all that time I’ve spent at camp and outdoors… heck, even growing up in Turner must have helped. The rock was uneventful. A fire, a few stories from one of the guides, snoring (that I was blissfully unaware of). No animals came by except the stray bird and the lions way way off in the distance. So this morning everyone is back to sleeping in their tents and a few of us are milling around and studying or talking.

Crazy experience, dumb me...

2010-02-04T05:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was an experience! I went downtown to Cape Town to pick up my friend John (young irish lad who bunked in the same tent with me at the field guide course). John was nowhere to be found! I was supposed to pick him up and we were going to drive along the southern coast to take him to the ranch he’ll be working at for the next few months. We’ll I waited around for an hour or so and headed back to my car. Good thing I left the when I did!!

Apparently I parked in front of some guys house gate, not a fence!! I got there just as the tow truck was pulling away. I remember wondering if I could park where I did, but figured I’d only be gone a few minutes to find john. Well, and hour and a half later and I was almost SOL! I apologized profusely to the man who I blocked in his house and caught a ride to the police impound and traffic center in Cape Town in the tow truck. The tow truck operators were great guys! We had a good laugh at my stupidity and talked the whole way to the impound lot.

When we got there, one of the guys took me up to the lady who checks the towed vehicles in. We all talked and laughed some more. She, Bonnitta, gave me her personal phone number and got my email address and offered to show me around while I was here! Yup! She then took me down to where I had to pay my towing fees and got me to the front of the line and had a nice guy help me figure it all out.

They were all amazed I was traveling alone. They couldn’t seem to understand how someone could enjoy traveling by themselves. Yes, I would rather be traveling with a good friend or a partner, but I don’t have a girlfriend and couldn’t convince any of my friends to come with me. It’s not going to stop me from enjoying travel and the area though.

So after a fun filled few hours and about 900 rand (still have to pay the 500 rand police fine)(total equates to around $140US) I was out of there with a unique experience, a great story and a date with Bonnitta if I want.

Calamari...

2010-02-03T01:27:00.000-05:00

Summer time 1991 I was looking for a nice place to eat in Whistler Village, Vancouver, Canada. I was attending a summer ski camp with a great coach named Olle Larson. There were only five of us in the camp. We had been eating camp type food for too long and on our day off me and a lovely girl named Sarah from Ontario (I have no clue how I remember this stuff) decided that the local A&W was not for us. What did we want? Italian!!! A good meal!! A nice proper restaurant!!!

We found this beautiful little restaurant in Whistler Village and sat out on the patio. Both liking calamari, we ordered an appetizer to split. As the beautiful dish of sauted calamari came out our friends from camp walked passed us. I hope they had enjoyed their A&W burger and fries. By the looks on their faces and the comments they made afterward when we were back at camp, their experience wasn't quite as wonderful as ours.

That moment has been the benchmark for calamari in my life. The calamari was tender and tasty. The atmosphere was perfect. The company, well, I was a teenage boy at a fine Italian restaurant thousands of miles from home with a girl who was quite attractive. Yesterday that memory came back to me as I ate calamari at the Chapman's Peak Hotel in Hout's Bay here in South Africa. It is just a few kilometers from where I'm staying, it's the next bay over.

The calamari was tender... oh so tender. Lightly pan fried, served in the pan with a couple wedges of lime. Beautiful sauted vegetables on the side. No sauces necessary, in fact none were even brought to my table. I liked that. I like eating food the way the chef intends it. If he wanted me to taste something else, he would have made it that way. The flavors were incredible. The atmosphere was perfect looking over the setting sun in the bay. This time there was no girl, but there was a semi-dry white wine.

Lekker Bru!!!

2010-02-02T04:30:00.002-05:00

(pronounced lekk-irr with a rolling r, brew. Lekker means something like Freakin' Awesome, Bru is similar to Bro)

This is my view/office for the next ten days! Llandudno Bay in Cape Town, South Africa. On the beach, by Table Mountain park. I would describe this place as either paradise or heaven and since I don't see my grandmother here then it must be paradise... but that doesn't quite give this place enough credit.

a few words...

2010-01-10T06:37:00.000-05:00

I may not be able to post for a while... like until beginning of February(just wanted to say that up front).

All is fabulous in South Africa's eastern bush! I have met many great people and have learned so much already after only a week of the four week field guide course. Generally I do yoga in a secluded spot in camp at 5am followed by listening to music. Then the day is in full swing when we do any combination of game drives, field walks, classroom work, studying or various other things like washing the land rovers. at night we all relax and have a few beers or hard cider.

Yesterday we got a big treat and were able to go to the fancy main camp (not our little tented camp) and use the pool and have real booze (like rum and whiskey). Last night we had a fire and one of the instructors brought out a guitar. I ended up with the guitar in my hands for the majority of the three or four hours we were playing. Everyone seemed to like my singing and playing and were apparently impressed (I guess everone sounds better in the bush)!

We've seen many animals as my previous post shows and I'm starting to learn my birds now. There are twenty four of us in the program, five from the US, four from Australia, a couple of girls from Germany, a couple irish guys and a couple scots too... we round out with a few native south africans, a kenyan, and a half dozen or so brits! We know each others names now too! Good times are had by all and I'm loving life here!

2010-01-10T06:14:00.001-05:00

camps front porch on an overcast day

two lionesses near camp hunting!

field walk! (one of many)

a beautiful crested barbet

giraffe!!!

Kudu

Elephant... very near our camp!

Star gazing at night on our front porch!

The day in waiting...

2010-01-03T13:56:00.000-05:00

It’s 8:40 and I just finished a bit of supper. I had delivery of grilled calamari, veggies and rice, a sushi platter and an order of baklava. Yes, indeed an interesting combination. The sushi was okay, not great but the calamari was delicious! I would have liked to go out, but there are not many good restaurants around the hotel I am in, and it would be a sizeable cab ride to get someplace decent right now. Delivery won out tonight.

Last nights sleep was strange given the time zone difference of seven hours ahead and traveling on the plane for so long. I crashed around 9:30pm and woke at 3:15am. I was able to just lay in bed in and out of a doze for a few hours then crashed for a couple hours waking at 8am. I had hotel breakfast and then caught a cab to the Apartheid Museum. I realized my hotel choice could have been better location wise for doing things, but it’s not that big of a deal really.

The Museum was incredible! It was a very emotional museum and I was saddened deeply by how humans can be so intolerant of each other for no real reason. I was also touched by how kind and compassionate humans can be at times. I was able to finish reading A Rainbow in the Night last night and it was a good precursor to the museum visit. I was only able to stay about two hours as I got emotionally drained from the experience.

I did pay a couple remaining bills from here this afternoon. It never ceases to amaze me how we can do that now. I also finished reading a book called The Elephant’s Secret Sense for the second time. An elephant researcher who has worked in Namibia wrote it, Caitlin O’Connell. I thought it would be good to read again given my next few months of adventures and it seems to have been worth the time.

Now, I am just waiting for the whirlwind to start. I am, in some ways, enjoying the day of rest. In some ways, I just want to get started. It really is irrelevant though… tomorrow noon is when it starts.

Apartheid Museum - Johannesburg, South Africa

2010-01-03T06:23:00.000-05:00

Post one...

2010-01-03T02:42:00.000-05:00

I am sitting in my little hotel room this morning before I head to the Apartheid Museum here in Johannesburg, South Africa. Last night I finished a book a dear friend gave to me called A Rainbow in the Night. It is the story of the tumultuous birth of South Africa. The book was difficult to follow for the first section, trying to figure out the names and groups and all that was happening early on in the countries history but just reading that section helped set up the rest of the book that took me through the Apartheid era. I suggest this book to anyone. I teared up reading it many times at both the amount of hate people can harbor toward one another for no real reason as well as the amount of love people have for one another.

The last few days have been full of emotion for me. Leaving family and friends in Maine on Wednesday. Seeing friends in Virginia and then leaving for Africa until mid-April. I went through the mini-panic attacks of what the heck was I doing, and there were many of them. I went through going back to Ashburn Virginia and enjoying being there. I was able to finally put a romantic relationship behind me and move on with the friendship that has always been the backbone of that relationship. A few other relationship issues were ironed out as well.

I left on the plane January first of two thousand and ten with a relatively clean slate. As clean of a slate as a person of thirty-five years and a good amount of living can have. I know I will become homesick at times for my friends and family. I know there will be ups and downs, but I am ready for this adventure to start… I suppose it already has.

To my friends and family, know that I am thinking of you and love you no matter how much or how little I am able to contact you over the next few months. Know that I am wishing all of you only the best happiness in your lives however that comes to you. I will look forward to hearing your stories and what is going on in your lives as much, if not more, than you are looking forward to my stories.

Airport...

2010-01-01T15:52:00.001-05:00

There are always minor glitches with travel, like:

Having lost and replaced the credit card you originally booked the
flight with. I had to spend twenty minutes calling and finding the old
card number. Patience, lots of smiles and thank you's make it go
pleasant and smooth!

Sent from my iPhone

Do we really need hatred?

2010-01-01T10:25:00.001-05:00

I'm really surprised in this day and age that people can act so
ignorant. Educated people even. Sometimes they are the worst. A person
I know on facebook made a post about the Somali immigrants in
Lewiston. He was livid over the fact that a Somali kid had an
altercation with a native lewiston white kid and said all Somali's
should go back to where they came from. I replied and asked if he
would have felt different had the situation been reversed? Does one
bad apple or one bad action spoil the group? I suggested he learn more
about the situation and stop looking at it with hate and start looking
at it with compassion and understanding. Apparently he couldn't even
deal with that and got so livid he unfriended me on facebook... his
wife followed suit. It makes me sad that two young educated people can
act like this in todays society.

Off...

2009-12-30T05:46:00.001-05:00

I'm on the plane to northern Virginia for a couple days!! As luck
would have it, my first plane seat mate is about 6'5" tall and about
5'6" round. Big guy... small seat.

Sent from my iPhone

a thought...

2009-12-11T21:54:00.002-05:00

I once thought that if you were the best person you could be, you would be rewarded with some of the simple things in life you wanted. I have come to realize instead, that maybe if you are the best person you can be you are rewarded with exactly what you need to continue being the best person you can be.

Kenya Orpanage Volunteering...

2009-11-18T19:47:00.001-05:00

Following my wildlife and community volunteering I will head to the last of my scheduled Africa volunteering programs where I will be working with disadvantaged children and orphans in the slums of Mombasa, Kenya.

click the above picture to take you to the GVI web site.

Africa Voluteering Continued...

2009-11-18T19:44:00.001-05:00

Starting on July 1st, 2010 I will go back to Africa. This time I will be in Kenya on a wildlife and community volunteer expedition. You can see more details on the GVI website!

click the picture above to go to the web site.

Juxtaposition...

2009-10-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

My assignment for this month with my photography group was the word "Juxtaposition"

John Paul Caponigro

2009-10-21T09:22:00.000-04:00

I am very humbled that my new body of work A Quiet Mind made with images from my Namibian journey is featured today on JP's blog!

visit JP's blog here to see

Make sure to enjoy all that JP has to offer on his website as well! especially his Antarctica images!

2009-10-20T08:00:00.000-04:00

In mid-February until mid-April I will be spending eight weeks volunteering with a GVI program to help the elephants and communities in the Damaraland region of Namibia. This is an area I visited earlier in the year on my photographic trip to Namibia. I have loved elephants since I was two years old and I am excited to be able to contribute to their preservation and protection!

Track desert elephants and work on a community building programme in Africa

This project takes you to Namibia, Africa and the north-western regions of the Namib Desert, traditionally known as ‘Damaraland’. Here in this harsh tribal wilderness that runs parallel to the Skeleton Coast National Park, a small population of desert-adapted elephants have come into conflict with the local human population, and it is the aim of this volunteer project to manage the conflict and assist in its resolution. The majority of the volunteering will require you to help local farmers with community work, building protective walls around their water points and teaching them the skills they need to manage the conflict with the resident elephant populations. You will also assist the project staff with research by following and monitoring the movements of these elephants.

South Africa Safari Field Guide Course

2009-10-19T10:09:00.003-04:00

In January I am joining this GVI program in South Africa.

"This South African adventure takes participants to join our field guide course in the Kruger National Park, the largest game reserve in South Africa. Here you can experience first-hand what it is really like to be a Field Guide in South Africa, amid the amazing diversity of landscapes and wildlife that the reserve is home to. The field guide course will allow you to go on spectacular bush walks and game drives, and attend lectures on mammals, birds, trees and more, presented by experienced game rangers. You have the choice between joining the FGASA course or simply the 28-day course, the only difference being that the FGASA requires you to write exams and assessments."

I'm excited to learn more about the wildlife in Africa and to help out. This program will help give me a good base to work from!

Kales comment...

2009-10-11T08:59:00.001-04:00

Kales comment to a fellow racer still in the course:
"you look... ! Ummm, you'll be alright."

Obviously he thought better if saying you look good. :)

Sent from my iPhone

Kale...

2009-10-11T07:45:00.001-04:00

After a valient effort, kale removed himself from the race around 7:30
am due to injury. We are all very proud of what he accomished!

Sent from my iPhone

Tough times.

2009-10-11T03:09:00.001-04:00

I'm waiting for kale to come back. I did the previous lap with him and
he is in danger zone now. Two of the girls went with him this lap...
Hopefully he's pulling through and able to deal with his pain... It's
getting to decision time.

Sent from my iPhone

Rough patch

2009-10-11T00:54:00.001-04:00

First rough patch for kale on the run is at 26 miles (after marathon
one). His right quad is giving him some problems so we are giving it a
lite rest and some attention. Updates to follow...

Sent from my iPhone

Observations...

2009-10-11T00:26:00.001-04:00

"those are hot legs!" said one crew member

"I'm not sure about hot legs, but he does have hot knees!" came the
reply from another crew member.

Yeah... The fun is begining!

Sent from my iPhone

Follow the yellow line..

2009-10-10T22:43:00.001-04:00

Kale is rockin' at mile 20 of 78 on the run! He is in a groove and
going strong... A long night lies ahead of delusions and fun! :)

Triple quotes...

2009-10-10T21:20:00.001-04:00

At 9:15 at night. "I forgot to take a light into the porta potty."

Sent from my iPhone

12 miles in...

2009-10-10T21:17:00.001-04:00

Kale is now 12 miles in to the run and is cranking off the miles!

Sent from my iPhone

Before the run starts...

2009-10-10T18:01:00.000-04:00

A fresh new start with a quick shower! Then off for a fun and exciting
24 hour 78 mile run!

Bike done!

2009-10-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

Now all he has to do is run 78 miles. No problem! :)

Last of the bike...

2009-10-10T17:02:00.000-04:00

Kale has two laps of 5 miles each left on the bike leg!

Sent from my iPhone

Sleep...

2009-10-10T13:43:00.000-04:00

Crew member Sarah and crew member Justin caught up with a few Z's at
the local no tell motel!! Were ready for the long night :)

Comment

2009-10-10T08:26:00.001-04:00

Crew member to racer: you need anything?

Racer: I just need a break!

This after 25 hours of racing. I found it hillarious, but then again I
haven't slept an hour yet :)

Sent from my iPhone

A brand new day!!!

2009-10-10T07:31:00.001-04:00

And kale is renewed!! He's feeling good!!! He's ready to go, go, go!!!
Still on the bike until late afternoon.

Sleep...

2009-10-10T04:09:00.001-04:00

Kale is just over half way through the bike and we decided it best for
him to try and get a 90 min sleep in. This is when I get my 30mon r&r
time! Whoopie!!

Kale is doing well. A little slower than we wanted but still in
excellent shape! His body is holding up well.

Sent from my iPhone

1 am

2009-10-10T00:49:00.001-04:00

"It's not right to be up this late and not be drinking!"

Nap time!

2009-10-10T00:28:00.001-04:00

Kale is in the tent for a 15 minute power nap before he makes the push
through the night!

Sent from my iPhone

Lap 29 of 67

2009-10-09T23:57:00.001-04:00

And he's doing great! Just had some soup and is off into the night
again!

20 of 67

2009-10-09T21:00:00.000-04:00

Kale has done 20 of 67 Bike laps and is back feeling good after a
little rough spot! The night us young yet :)

This is the line of tents for the support crew.

The tent...

2009-10-09T19:43:00.001-04:00

We've got the party tent!!

Kale is trucking along and keeping good bike splits! He just finished
lap 17 of 71 on the bike leg.

Kale update...

2009-10-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

He got out of the water just before 1:00. Slower than expected but
okay. His bike splits are pretty even and he's on track as of now.
Getting ready for a good sandwich for dinner :)

Dukes of hazard...

2009-10-09T13:06:00.000-04:00

I really feel like Bo Duke now! My drivers side door won't open and I
have to enter through the window or passengers side until I fix it...
Maybe I won't fix it :)

Triple Iron Triathlon

2009-10-09T09:55:00.003-04:00

This weekend I'm crewing for Kale Poland at the Virginia Triple Iron Triathlon! http://www.usaultratri.com/welcome.html it's a 7.2 mile swim, a 336 mile bike and a 78.6 mile run over three days!

Last night we had a crew meeting and finalized some things. I helped to set up Kales bike with my race wheels so he should absolutely fly now. I'm on the overnight duty and especially the saturday overnight duty where he will be ultra-tired, delirious, and not able to make decisions for himself.

He started this morning in the water at 7am while I was in the middle of my sleep at home. (I'm trying to change my sleep pattern for the next few days) I'll be heading down to start my shift when he has already been on the bike for 60 to 80 miles this afternoon. I'll update this blog as I can!

Good Luck Kale! You big stud you!

my birthday...

2009-10-07T14:29:00.002-04:00

Today is my 35th Birthday. Think I'll run away to Africa this coming year. yup. that is what I'm going to do.

A Quiet Mind

2009-10-02T14:34:00.004-04:00

I cordially invite you to view eighteen images from Namibia that are in a new body of work entitled

"A Quiet Mind"

I will be releasing my Artist Statement shortly, until then please enjoy where the images take you!

Small prints...

2009-09-27T10:54:00.000-04:00

It helps so much when developing a new body of work to print out all
of your images and hang them on the wall. I printed 34 new images at a
modest 10.5" size on crappy old paper. They just kept rolling off the
printer quickly thanks to lightroom. They printed dark, and
surprisingly that helped me make decisions!

As I taped them to the wall, I had two choices: in or out (main wall
or side wall). It was so obvious where to place each print it was scary!

This doesn't mean the decisions are carved in stone. What it means is
I have 22 images to refine and work on. I have 12 images to refer to
if need be for color solutions and information. It also means I'll
have more repairing of a wall when Iobe out of this apartment!

sometimes you get caught up...

2009-09-24T19:27:00.003-04:00

This is one of the reason I love what I do. I sat down tonight completely in the zone. I had a great day yesterday, a relaxing morning, a fun afternoon and I got my groove on with Blue October (the band I listened to the entire time I was shooting in Namibia). I was ready to work on my Proserpina, a Self Portrait images some more but became immediately attracted to desolate images that stood alone. Images that didn't need a cave and begged for color. Where is this taking me, where am I going with it? That, for now, is irrelevant. It is important to follow this now and to use the energy that is there, and there for a reason yet unknown.

A matter of perspective...

2009-08-19T13:18:00.003-04:00

While in Soussesvlei, Namibia, Paul, JP, and I had hiked up a HUGE sand dune together on our last day and I went up another dune to scout a bit while they rested for a minute... we decided it wasn't good enough for us to go there. This was the image I took so we could make the decision... looking out my window right now this looks pretty awesome! Then, it was just an empty sand dune full of promises of good images that just wouldn't have given us much. Working on my images now certainly brings a different perspective to things :)