9/24/07: vultures and cheetahs, oh my!

Well, I arrived safely at my cousins Elva and Dale's house in Roseburg. Quite tired but happy. I was a little nervous driving in, but that was dispelled immediately by the warm welcome I received. Elva looked like her pic (she sent me one standing next to a Cheetah), long grey braid, plaid shirt, white chinos, and sturdy boots. I felt right at home with my "kick butt" no longer vietnam combat boots. They are both in their early to mid 60s, so just right. Dale suffers from arthritis and uses walking canes, but is planning to get some hip surgery in the spring, which should be a big help for such an active person.

Elva said they spend about 100 days a year camping out, 7 weeks of which are spent in Yellowstone in the spring where they keep track of the wolves, bears, and elks. They are one of the most well-adjusted couples (if I could say so) I have ever met, able to spend so much time together and at least from what I could see, not fight, be able to be silent and companionable.

We made the plan to go to the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon, the next day. Elva and Dale are docents and so were able to put some magnetic signs on the door of their white safari coach (so to speak) and drive without hindrance. At first we'd only planned to visit for a few hours, but it turned into an all day adventure. Dale gave me a very intensive camera lesson (I'd only gotten my camera about a week before I left). He wanted me to actually learn what an f-stop was and how it meshes with the speed of the shutter and the ISO (or speed) of the film and do it manually, not relying so much on the automatic nature of my camera (which is how I took my pics up to this point). Also, one's required to "wait for it."

Though, we came upon this vulture just perched on top of a perfect vulture tree sunning it's wings for at least 10 minutes after we arrived. I couldn't believe it. My friend Luci told me later that they did that to dry off with the effect of using the sun to inhibit infection arising from their eating habits. Below is a closeup of same vulture.

He also taught me a lot about taking pics of living creatures -- most of mine to this point have been of rocks and landscapes.

I had a great time taking pics of cheetahs. It's amazing how they blend in with their background. This is a pic of a baby cheetah in the sun with her sis in the background (can you see her?).