Giraffe

Took this picture of a giraffe a while ago.  This is in the Masai Mara, the north part of the Serengeti.

Lizard

I have no clue how many types of lizards are found in Kenya, lets just say... lots.   This is probably my third favorite, after chameleons and monitor lizards.  

Orange sunset

      Equatorial sunsets are the best!   Unfortunately, it is impossible to truly catch them on film... er... digital receptor actually

Kisumu aerial shot

The city of Kisumu, supposedly, the 1999 census was 355,000 or so people, but more recent estimations put it at well over a million inhabitants.  Kisumu was intended to be a place of trade, located in the ideal place to be linked by boat, plane, and truck to the rest of East Africa.  Despite that being it's original intent, it has just recently started to see that come to pass. 

       

for the birds

    I was at the lake today, and this bird just kept flying around me.  So I decided I might as well take a shot of it.  I believe that it is just an ordinary egret.  

one more picture of the hills around Kisumu

     Kisumu has these great big rocky hills standing like sentinels toward one side of it.  I know this is the second picture I have put up of them, but I thought it looked really cool.

A house

    This is one of the houses on the block, just so nobody starts thinking everyone in Africa lives in a mud hut.

Monkeys

I realized that I have been in the last two pictures.  So in order to not appear selfish I decided to give some of the other African monkeys a turn.  I know that they are rather distant in this shot, but I wanted to portray their habitat as well as the black and white monkeys in the center

African Wedding

So on Valentine's day, I got the job of running sound at a wedding.   In Kenya, a bride arrives 2-3 hours late for her wedding, as is tradition, and/or the car breaks down, either way.  So, while waiting for the bride to show up, I decided to take a nap in the sound room, the other guys thought it would be fun to grab my camera and take blackmail shots of me...

Greenery

I took this picture outside of Mamboleo, I just thought it was a cool view of the hills.

Road

I have to drive on this road every day....

crocodile

Yes, in case you are wondering, I was standing on the banks of Mara river when I took this picture, and no, he was not alone...

Vultures!

I decided I haven't put up one of my old Masai Mara animal shots for a while, so here is a picture of some vultures I took a while ago.

my newest dog

Today I bought a new dog.  He is mostly German Shepherd.   He was born on mother's day.  He is a quite small for his breed and age, but by feeding him specially made food twice a day he will hopefully catch up.   I bought him for $80, what a deal.... of course I once bought a pure black and tan short-haired dachshund puppy for that same price.  

This is the shoreline of lake Victoria.  The green you see floating in is a water plant known as hyacinth,  it is an incredibly hard plant to get rid of.  If you put one of these little things in your bathtub, you won't find your tub in less than two weeks.  It grows at astounding rates, at times the whole harbor in front of Kisumu is covered by a lush carpet of green.  

Uncle Tom's Cabin

This is my friend Tom in front of his house.  He shares this one room hut with his brother, he is very proud of his old-fashioned mud hut with thatch roof, he maintains it fairly well too. Tom and I walked, talked and took pictures for over an hour today.  

public transport

This is a very common form of transportation here in Kisumu.   You jump on the back seat of a bike, and he takes you where you want to go for about 20 shillings (25 cents)

Elephant

I took this picture of an elephant years ago, but I like it, so I decided to post it.  This picture was taken on the Masai Mara some years ago. 

Mollases plant

This is a picture of a mollasses plant outside of Kisumu.  I am actually not sure what they are making there right now.  The plant has been through several owners, and has made mollases, but has also made fuel out of sugarcane left-overs.   The Highway out of Kisumu runs in front of it, lake victoria is behind it, and the airport, which is being remodeled right now, is to the left of it.  

A little bird

Well, this is a small bird.  Actually it is bigger than your average robin.  It is a baby bird that I found at the School that my Parents run.    I have a tendency to find and care for injured and homeless animals.   recently I had taken the care of a tortoise which was lost and wandering.  It was a pet though, and we got him back to his owner in the end.  I also have a dog, "maggie" that was lost and injured as a puppy several years back.  She is now a healthy, happy dog, with only a few scars and a missing toe as a reminder of harder days.  

So now I have a little bird I am taking care of. The vet seems to think that it will get better, he thinks it will fly just fine someday.