Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
Mountain Encounter, Washington
It was just before sunset in Zimbabwe and we had just stopped at a waterhole. The light had taken on the beautiful orange African glow. Five wildlife artists and an armed guide. As soon as the engine stopped we hear a low throaty roar. (Now, this is the time when you wonder why you are in an open very low vehicle when it is getting dark and start looking at your colleagues. Just a pleasant look - trying to determine if there is at least one who might run slower than you do.) We quietly leave the vehicle and head for a well-placed blind fashioned as a termite mound. As we begin to enter, the guard spots the 3 year old male lion and we decide to track him on foot. With great ease, the lion disappears from sight as we enter taller grass. (It is at this point that I think it might be a good idea to get closer to the armed guard - for a friendly chat, of course.) I ask him, rather casually of course, if he is a good shot. He says, "pretty good." Reassured, I ask him if he ever had to shoot any animals. "Oh, no," he replied. "I don’t shoot animals. Just people." Nice to know that if I get mauled he’s there to put me out of my misery! We track for about 20 minutes before we decide not to pursue the rather healthy lion into heavy brush. As we walk back to the blind and vehicle, the sky is a brilliant orange and reflected in the small pool of water at the waterhole. Maybe a perfect setting for the next painting?
My husband and I arrived at the Mayan ruins of Tikal after crossing the border into Guatemala from Belize. (A border crossing with machine guns trained on us, but then that is a whole other story!) Tikal is an amazing site. So little of the ruins are excavated which leaves one exploring the ancient site knowing there are more dramas to unfold. Fortunately at that time, the guides provided at the site had to go through a year's training and were extremely well versed in all aspects of the culture and times as well as the physical evidence remaining. Our guide was no exception. Exploring the temples and grounds and underground chambers meant climbing and searching through the ruins - a truly hands on experience. The 3 of us covered a lot of ground. I would see a small hill and realize from my geology background that, no, it wasn't a hill, but a temple so overgrown with jungle that any trace of human construction was lost. It waited to be "discovered."
When our day was almost over, our guide asked if we'd like to climb Temple IV. Temple IV at 212 feet is the highest standing aboriginal New World structure.) Ever game, we followed up the steep incline of the "face" and stepped around the back side. The back side consisted of a near vertical face with a 1.5 foot deep ledge up about 120 - 150 feet from the jungle floor. It was this the guide casually stepped onto and motioned us to follow. It seems the Mayans were not familiar with OSHA. No handrails, footholds, no little warning sign to watch your step. Just 18 inches between you and that life insurance policy you meant to get. I stepped onto the ledge. As we walked along (actually maybe slither is a better word as I did a side step with my back crushed against the back wall), the view was incredible. Our guide could now show us the tips of other Mayan sites peeking through the tops of the jungle. Spider monkeys were virtually flying through the trees below and the occasional "howl" from a howler monkey drifted to us on the breeze. So enamored of Tikal, we climbed the smaller but rarely visited Temple V and watched a thunderstorm approach. Our day ended with a Mayan meal and our driver searching through Flores, the nearby town, to find enough gasoline to get us back to Belize. The last three gasoline trucks had been blown up by terrorists. With that thought, we went to sleep thinking of the return border crossing. And yes, that is another story.
Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
If you were going on a 70 km canoe trip in the heart of Africa through hippo and crocodile infested water, you would probably have logged a little time in a canoe first, right? Well, I did have experience. When I was nine, I was in a canoe for at least 20 minutes (before it tipped over.) That last detail I failed to inform my canoe partner (who had never been in a canoe) until we were walking down the ramp and getting into our canoe. Of course, since our plane arrived late and our bags missed the transport truck to that night's camp, we were forced to carry all our gear with us for the 11 km trip to camp. That fact and my under whelming canoe expertise did not allay my partner's fears as we started off.
Many do not know that hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal. For years I have pictured them in the cute ballet costumes of Disney's Fantasia. Hardly. It was getting late and the sun is very low on the horizon. Just then, our guide says, "quick, back-paddle," in this loud whisper. Hippo, dead ahead! At this point, we were still trying to figure out how to front paddle! He then instructed us to quickly canoe to the other bank staying clear of our evening visitor. After crashing into the far bank, (what we lacked in skill we made up for with enthusiasm), we managed to steer around the hippo.
The sun set and we still had a ways to go. Fortunately, there was a full moon that night. It rose a magnificent orange ball and cast beautiful shadows on the water. Funny, it was then that each shadow started to take on the shape of a hippo. Just then, a loud snort, and a hippo emerged from the water just behind us. Close call. We finally made it to camp and a fire was waiting for us as well as dinner. We went to sleep with the sound of lions roaring close by and the thought of tomorrow's adventure on the water. What a day! The end of this day inspired this painting.
Mountain Encounter, Washington
Since I have a fear of heights, I thought learning to rock climb would be "fun." For my first climb, my two friends put me on a 60 foot face called Main Crack. I find that 60 feet looks a whole lot different on the ground than on a sheer granite face. Funny, isn't it? Having successfully climbed up and then down by repelling, I looked forward to my next time climbing. Little did I know that it would happen sooner than I had planned.
I headed a week later to do some geology reconnaissance for a job I had while getting my geology Master's degree. Our project for the day was to climb this mountain and look around and then down again. Not a very big mountain, but one to get our heart rate up and it had some interesting rocks. About half way up my geology partner and I decided to take slightly different routes and I would head toward the exposed bowl. As I neared, I could see that if I just stepped around and down this little ..... By the time I realized my error, it was too late. I was now on a cliff edge with my back to the 500 foot deep bowl and no cute safety rope like that day of rock climbing. With about 30 pounds of rock samples on my back there was no way to swing around back up to my left to try to go the direction I had come from. My partner was out of earshot. I guess there were more stupid things I could have done, but I couldn't think of any right then. While pondering my dilemma, I started to realize that my handhold was weakening and I should probably make a decision soon, or the decision would be made for me. My one chance would be to grab the handhold to my right but that would mean a little jump up, and with the extra weight on my back. A few deep breaths and heart pounding, I took the jump. Obviously I made it.
Meeting up with my partner at the top was a great relief. After exploring the ridge, we headed down together and came across a patch of snow. Hidden from their view, we saw a herd of 8 mountain goats playing in the snow. Three of them were babies and having a ball. They would leap straight up in the air coming down in the same spot - only to do it all over again. What a sight! The only thing that could tear us away was the lateness of the hour and the fact that we needed to be down before dark.
What a day. Oh, yes, I did go back and learn more about rock climbing ... and hopefully more wisdom.
As wildlife artists, we sometimes get unique wildlife encounters. A group of us visited a place in Zimbabwe which raises game to release into the wild, and helps injured or orphaned animals. Lions, leopards, elephants, cheetah, etc. Of particular interest to me was their leopard. She was 18 months old and gorgeous. The first afternoon we got to take her for a "walk." Actually it was 14 artists following her as she investigated her territory. No chain, and her handler there was watching her for signs that she would be ready to release into the wild. We got some great reference photos and were eager for the next morning's encounter.
She was a different cat the next day. Frisky, alert, scrappy. If you have ever had a cat as a pet, you know what I mean. This day she was all cat. Running, climbing trees, jumping down, not minding her handler. We had to run to keep up with her. At one point, she climbed a tree and stopped. Everyone started taking pictures at a pretty good distance to give her breathing room and I realized that at our position, we were shooting into the sun. So, I thought to just slip around to the other side of the tree so I would have the sun at my back. Much better lighting. As soon as I got into position and started snapping photos, she decided to leap down from the tree and began moving in my direction. I thought she would slip past me on my left and I could reach out to touch her like we had done the previous day. Gentle, never interfering with her normal behavior. She had other ideas. As she got closer, she decide to leap on me, her paws around my neck, her head by my right ear and we did a little dance with her on her hind two legs. Before I knew it, she was gone. Her handler came running over to me and said "Did she use her claws?" The first words out of my mouth were a surprised, "strong cat!" She hadn't used her claws but that got me thinking. If he was that worried.......
This painting came from that encounter.
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