Santa Fe's Cathedral Basilica

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi is the heart of the old city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The cathedral was built between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church built from 1714-1717. Unlike most of the surrounding buildings, the cathedral was built in the Romanesque style.

Leopard in a Tree

This female leopard was relaxing in a tree in Kenya, most likely after a night of hunting and before heading off to bed. They seem to enjoy this position of being draped over a large tree limb. We first spotted this female leopard walking on the ground. A couple of other groups left when she appeared to disappear into the rocks. But our guide saw her in the tree. We waited a few minutes to make sure everyone else was gone, so we got to spend several minutes alone with her before she headed off to sleep.

My Tall Friend

Meet Daisy, an endangered Rothschild giraffe at the Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. She is one of the resident giraffes that will gently use her long, sticky tongue to take a giraffe pellet from the lips of anybody willing to 'kiss' a giraffe. (Don't worry, giraffe saliva is antiseptic). 

I have visited the center three times, and it's always a thrill. If you're ever in Nairobi, check it out, and say hello to Daisy for me.

The King

This handsome male lion was part of a large pride in the Borana region of Kenya. There were three adult male lions in the group, along with several females. We followed them at a safe distance for close to an hour, until it was too dark. The males walked within a few feet of our vehicle, paying us no attention aside from once brief sideways glance from one of the males.

These animals, both male and female, exude such power and confidence. It is magical to be in their presence.

Relax!

What a beautiful, peaceful scene at this hotel in Costa Rica. This Central American country is noted for its diversity of birds and mammals, its active volcanoes and its commitment to the environment. This relaxing photograph offers a brief respite from the stress and busy-ness of the holidays. This image and others are available for purchase at https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-ann-sullivan.html  Images also are available on tote bags, coffee cups, phone cases, throw pillows and other items. All proceeds go to the Elephant Crisis Fund to aid the fight against poaching.

Arches and Storks

The ruins of this ancient (9th century) mosque in Morocco are a mass of arches and beams. Notice the stork and nest in the background.

Moroccan Mausoleum

T

This brightly attired young man is one of four honor guards (one in each corner) of the mausoleum of Morocco's King Mohammed V in Rabat, Morocco. The mausoleum also holds the tombs of his two sons, King Hassan II and Prince Abdallah.  

This young man stood a little taller and prouder when he saw me taking his photograph.

Gossips in Rock

Early morning in Arches National Park in Utah. The three tall rock formations at the left in the photo are known as the "Three Gossips" as they appear from some angles to be gossiping to each other.

Moon Set

I haven't haad any luck photographing the moon at night, so I decided to try my luck with photography this almost full moon as it was setting over Arches National Park in Utah. Using my long (400mm) lens, I was able to get a pretty good image and some detail of the lunar surface.

Unfortunately, it was too high in the sky to be able to capture the moon over some of the red rock formations. 

Red Rock Country

I recently spent a few days in Utah visiting Arches and Canyonlands national parks, both of which are home to some amazing rock formations. This photo was taken on the first day of the trip, in Arches National Park, on a cool, cloudy and rainy morning. The rocks, gravel, dead tree and path lead the eye to the big formation in the middle of the image.

Pretty in Orange

This Cuban girl was dressed in her finest dress for her photo session on the steps of an old Havana church as part of her quinceanera, a celebration to mark her 15th birthday. The 15th birthday is believed to mark the transition from childhood to young womanhood. The custom, which originated in Latin America, also is widely celebrated in the United States. This young lady had struggled to walk across the plaza's cobblestones in high heeled shoes before changing into her color-coordinated sneakers.

The Blue Man

I spotted what I at first thought was a blue statue sitting on a bench in downtown Cienfuegos, Cuba. I wass part of a photography trip to Cuba, and that afternoon's assignment was to find interesting things to photograph.

As I headed back up the street past this statue again, I noticed a flicker in the eyes that told me this was no statue, but a real man sitting perfectly still. I signaled that I would like to photograph him, he gave a very slight nod, and I deposited one Cuban peso in a boot sitting next to him, along with a fishing pole.

Sleeping Elk

This cow elk was sound asleep near the visitor center in Yellowstone National Park's Mammoth Hot Springs area. The presence of cars  and people taking her picture didn't bother her at all. She obviously felt very safe among people, where no wolves and bears were likely to go.

Solitary Sentinel

Winter is still a few months away, but this solitary tree in a field of deep snow and even deeper snow drifts in Yellowstone National Park reminds us that winter in the park really isn't that far off. I really like the stark beauty, the shadows and the various shapes formed by the drifting snow. Yellowstone is even more magical in winter than during the rest of the year. It remains my favorite place in the United States to visit.

Back to the Past

I came across this old Ford pickup truck parked near a classic Coca-Cola sign one morning while driving to Chaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico. I made a quick U-turn as quickly as I could and got a couple of pictures of this scene. 

Somehow the old truck and the old-style sign on the side of a convenience store/gas station just seemed to go together.

Native Dancer

This young Native American dancer performed his tribe's deer dance at the annual Indian Market, held every August in downtown Santa Fe, NM. It draws tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of Native artists, sculptors, weavers and silversmiths.

Natural Beauty

This beautiful flower is one of the gorgeous flowering plants in the yard of a friend in South Carolina.

I love the bright colors and concentric circles it forms.

Patience Pays Off

This beautiful female leopard was photographed in a tree in northern Kenya's Samburu region. A crowd of vehicles had gathered near her when she was on the ground. It appeared that she had disappeared into the rocks and brush, but our guide spotted her in a tree. We waited until the other vehicles had gone. Then we got to watch this amazing animal by ourselves. This happened on our final game drive on our final day.

One in a Million

A wildebeest is silhouetted against the setting sun on a plain in Kenya's Maasai Mara. More than 1.5 million wildebeests, along with countless zebra, migrate in a huge loop through Kenya and Tanzania each year. They face dangers such as crocodiles, lions and cheetahs, as well as legs broken in the crush of animals trying to hurry across rivers with steep banks.

New Mexico Hoodoos

This image was taken at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, 40 miles southwest of Santa Fe. It is on the Cochiti pueblo.

Kasha-Katuwe means 'white cliffs' in the Puebloan language Keresan. The rock formations are made of layers of volcanic rock and ash from a volcanic explosion 6 million to 7 million years ago. Over time, weathering and erosion of the layers formed canyons and tent rocks, or hoodoos. The tent rocks consist of soft pumice cones and tuff under the harder caprocks. The height of the formations varies from a few feet to 90 feet.

A strenuous 1.2 mile hiking trail through slot canyons takes the strong hiker to a mesa overlook that offers amazing views of the rocks. Hikers should be aware of the elevation (5,570 feet to 6,760 feet) and the need to carry a lot of water. There is also a more gentle trail.

Hoodoos or tent rocks are found primarily in dry areas. Bryce Canyon National Park is another well-known area with a lot of tent rocks.

Moonlit Silhouette

The rising moon silhouettes a woman sitting on the edge of Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park.

White Flower

I like the delicate petals of this white wildflower -- or perhaps it's a weed -- found growing in South Carolina. There were no others like it nearby.

Peek-A-Boo

This horse appears to be peeking between the fence boards around his pasture. Or maybe he was checking me out because he had never seen me before.

The Rock With Wings

Located in northwestern New Mexico, this towering (7,177 feet) monadnock rises from the high desert plains of the Navajo Nation. (A monadnock is an isolated rock formation or small mountain that rises suddenly from a level surrounding plain.) In the Navajo language, it is known as the 'rock with wings.'

The jagged formation is all that remains of the throat of an ancient volcano. It and nearby lands have great religious and cultural significance to the Navajo.

Honor Guard

This young soldier is one of two honor guards stationed just outside the walls of the Moscow Kremlin, near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and an eternal flame, in the Alexander Garden. The memorial is dedicated to the Soviet 8.5 millions to 11.5 million Soviet military who died during World War II.

A changing of the guard ceremony takes place every hour around the clock.

Little Green Bee-Eater

The little green bee-eater bird is found in parts of Africa and Asia. This one was photographed in Botswana, in eastern Africa.

It is primarily an insect eater and is about 9 inches long. Bee-eaters catch insects, bees, wasps and ants on the fly. Males and females have the same coloring.

A Handful of Books

While in Paris recently, I wandered through a used book sale in the Latin Quarter of the city. Something about this man holding a handful of paperback books caught my eye. I enjoyed seeing so many book lovers browsing row after row of books of all sizes and subjects.

The Latin Quarter was so named because the university students who lived there during the Middle Ages spoke Latin. It is on the Left Bank of the river Seine, near the Sorbonne university. The area is home to several institutions of higher learning and book stores, as well as the usual outdoor cafes, markets, etc. It still retains much of its old bohemian nature.

This image spoke to me as a lifelong avid reader. As a young child, I much preferred to sit and read rather than going outside to play with friends. Even today, I often can be found reading one of the 30 or so books stored on my Kindle e-reader.

Clothes Make the Man

This photograph was taken in May 2015 in Jerusalem during a trip to Israel and Jordan. I like the contrast presented by the men in Orthodox Jewish clothing and hats with the man in more contemporary, secular clothing.

Jewish men who are more stringently Orthodox often wear black suits, and many Hasidic men wear suits reminiscent of the style Polish nobility wore in the 18th century, when Hasidic Judaism began. Notice that the man on the far right is wearing a long black coat, and the man in the middle is wearing a tzitzit, a four-pointed garment with fringe, under his shirt. Both men are wearing the traditional black hat, and both have long beards.

Fun on the Beach

People and dogs enjoy a beautiful evening on the beach known as 'the whale's tail' in Costa Rica. When seen from the air, the water forms what looks like the tail of a whale.

Golden Glow

This beautiful sunset was photographed in Kenya. I have seen many beautiful sunsets in east Africa.

A Favorite Wolf Dog

I volunteered at a wolf and wolf-dog rescue in New Mexico for a few years, serving as photographer and web page manager. 

I absolutely loved visiting the animals. There was nothing like sitting in a pen with one of these magnificent animals, all of which had been rescued from abusive or neglectful conditions.

One of my favorite animals was Wihopa, the beautiful animal in this photograph. She was saved from a horrendous life in Arizona, along with her brother. They are Alaskan malamute/gray wolf crosses. Sadly, her brother passed away in 2015, leaving this beautiful and friendly girl on her own. Her brother was more aloof, but Wihopa loves attention and eagerly greets visitors. 

I have always liked this photo of a very special wolf dog, who appears to be ready to step out of the picture.

Time to Play

These two lion cubs in South Africa's Kruger National Park just woke up from a long nap and decided to engage in a bit of play. Lionesses and cubs are quite affectionate. The adult lions were trying to get a few more minutes of sleep.

These cubs, along with some other cubs and a couple of adult lionesses, were soon to set off on their evening hunt. The park was in the throes of a long drought, so the cubs were quite thin.

 

Beautiful Red-Head

This beautiful bird is the red-headed barbet.

It is found in humid highland forests in Costa Rica and Panama, as well as in the Andes in western Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia and far northern Peru. These colorful birds eat bananas and other fruits. Only the male has the brilliant red coloring.

This photo was taken in 2016 during a wildlife photography trip to Costa Rica.

Flying Cow

Airabelle, Creamland Dairies's cow-shaped balloon, is always a crowd favorite at the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

Creamland was founded by a group of New Mexico dairy farmers in 1937. The cow balloon is owned and piloted by a man from British Columbia, Canada. Airabelle is one of, if not the, largest of the special shapes balloons at the fiesta every year. 

The 2017 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta will be held Oct. 7-15.

Maasai Warrior

This man is a member of the Maasai tribe in Kenya. He is wearing a lion mane in on his head. Maasai warriors traditionally had to prove their bravery by killing a male lion as part of the rite of passage into manhood. Today, with lion populations on the brink of extinction, Maasai are competing in a Maasai Olympics instead. Events are based on traditional Maasai skills, including running, spear and club throwing, and vertical jumping.

A Little Pop of Color

One of the things I like about living in New Mexico is the color. Sure, the landscape is brown with a touch of light green in some of the native desert weeds. But there is color to be found.

The sky is an amazing crystal blue due to the high altitude (I live at about 5,300 feet), the very low humidity and the lack of air pollution. Sunrises, especially in winter, can be amazingly beautiful. 

And perhaps to compensate for the brown, dry-as-dust environment, New Mexicans like to add color wherever possible, such as this bright blue gate set in a gray stone wall in Santa Fe. These pops of color -- whether turquoise, blue or red -- are always a delight to the eye. 

Visit to an Ancient Capital

This panoramic shot of the Kremlin and the Moscow River was taken during a visit to Russia in the summer of 2012. Moscow dates back to 1147, making it a very old city indeed. 

I promised to take my daughter, who was born in Russia and lived in that country for the first 11 years of her life, back to her homeland when she graduated from high school. We started our trip in Moscow, where I had lived for 3-1/2 months in 1999, and then we journeyed to Tyumen' in western Siberia. We got to visit the nearby village of Berkut, where she had lived in an orphanage and we met with the orphanage director and a few of the caregivers, who treated us to a typical Russian lunch. Then we flew to St. Petersburg for a few days.

A Helping Hand

An orphan elephant gets a helping hand from a caregiver at Nairobi's David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

The center runs a center for orphanaed baby elephants, usually after their mothers were murdered by poachers in Kenya. The babies are provided with special milk and emotional support to help them recover from the trauma of watching their mothers, and sometimes their entire family, gunned down for their ivory. The DSWT is the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organizations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa.

This photo was taken during my 2016 visit to the orphanage during the noon feeding, which is open to the public. The Nairobi center typicalls has around 35 orphans in residence. Once they are considered ready, they are transferred to one of the Trust's reintegration centers, where the orphans can interact with wild elephants, learning proper elephant behavior. Some of the ex-orphans have returned to the reintegration centers to show off their newborn calves. The Trust has so far raised some 150 calves and released them into their natural habitat.

I am sponsoring three orphans. If you want to get involved by sponsoring a baby elephant, you can do so for only $50/year.

www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org

Moving Forward

This week's image is of a school boy passing a mural in the Fusterlandia area west of Havana. The mosaic mural, one of many found in Fusterlandia, shows the boat on which Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and other leaders of the 1959 revolution came ashore in Cuba.

Cuban artist Jose Fuster began decorating his humble house in a run-down area of Havana with brightly colored mosaic tiles in simple, almost childlike designs in 1975. He asked neighbors if he could also decorate their homes and businesses. As he continued to add mosaics to the neighborhood, the once economically depressed area began to attract tourists. Today, his colorful creations cover an entire neighborhood and are a popular tourist attraction.

On the Road Again

This coyote was spotted trotting down a plowed road in Yellowstone National Park last winter. Coyotes, bison and other wildlife frequently walk down plowed roads rather than expending valuable energy forcing their way through deep snow. Bison in particular struggle to find enough food beneath deep snow. Some 10 percent of Yellowstone bison reportedly do not survive each winter.

Valley of Monuments

Monument Valley is part of the Colorado Plateau and includes areas in both Utah and Arizona in the American Southwest. 

At an elevation of 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet, the valley is marked by the presence of many red buttes that get their color from the presence of iron oxide. 

Monument Valley is owned by the Navajo Nation as part of Navajo Tribal Park. It has served as a backdrop for numerous movies, particularly Westerns.This is a place I had wanted to visit for several years, so last year I decided to spend my birthday there.

Retro Chevy

 The first entry in this new photo blog is of a beautifully restored Chevrolet.

Cuba is awash with classic American cars from the late 1940s and the 1950s. This bright blue Chevrolet was spotted near a busy business district in Trinidad. Many of the cars have been carefully restored, with shiny paint, new upholstery and gleaming chrome. Many like this one have yellow 'taxi' signs in the front window, indicating they are available for hire for $10-$20/ride. Notice the cobblestone street and the colorful houses.

If you enjoy photography and travel, please sign up for e-mail alerts when a new image is posted.

A New Photo Blog

As readers of my longstanding blog (http://redrocksandsunflowers.blogspot.com/) already know, I love photography.

Although I sometimes feature photographs from some of my travels, my blog is primarily a written one in which I share my experiences and thoughts about a wide variety of topics. With the creation of this blog, I plan to feature a different photo every week. There will be photographs of wild animals from the US and Africa, as well as landscapes, sunrises and travel photos from places as diverse as Cuba, Ireland and Tanzania. Each photo also will include a little bit of the story behind the image. My goal is to post a new image every Monday morning.

If you're interested in photography or travel, I hope you will join my e-mail list so you will be notified of each weekly addition to the blog. And of course, I'd love to have you join the list for my other blog as well. You can find some of my best images at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-ann-sullivan.html?tab=artwork

Please bear with me as I refine and continue to develop this page.

I appreciate any shares and comments from my readers/viewers. Photography has brought me so much enjoyment and captured wonderful memories of my travels, so I invite you to join me on this journey.