This is a young Tigré, or jungle version of a tiger that only grows to be the size of a large dog. This one is about one year old and is stalking some nearby movement while I remain motionless with my equipment rigged in a small tree. I had a most entertaining encounter with its father the night before.... I was sleeping in a native hut which consists of an elevated wooden platform with some poles to support a roof made of dried leaves. Needless to say, there's not much to keep out wildlife with the ability to climb. I woke to a very intimidating low growl from the throat of a mature Tigré. Hoping that if I remained still, it would simply pass without interest - I was wrong. After leaping onto the hut floor and examining this new terrain, it wasn't long before it was on top of me and being a nuisance. Realizing that sleep was going to be impossible with this guy prowling around, I decided to get up and deal with the situation. It had hopped off me and was making itself comfortable in the middle of the floor. Remembering a little bit of house cat knowledge, I wondered if that trick of picking them up by the back of their necks worked on the larger species. So I carefully made my way closer and slowly reached down, got a fist full of fur, and began lifting him from the floor. All was going well; his front legs appeared limp and he appeared relaxed - well, at least until I got his hind legs off the ground. Suddenly, before I could blink, he had reached back with one of his large paws, grabbed my arm that I was lifting with, and twisted around forcing his release. His strength and speed were very impressive and I quickly let go. Standing there next to me, I'm sure it was wondering what I was going to do next - I was also. The reason I was in the jungle was to shoot a variety of Peruvian blankets using the natural surroundings. I grabbed one of the thick mat-like blankets and threw it over the Tigré. Then quickly started to roll him up into a harmless ball. No sooner did I complete this task, his strength again impressed me as he was quickly wiggling his way out of my trap. I managed to get the bundle to the edge of the platform and unrolled him back off into the jungle so we both could get some rest.

This dusty miller plant would look right at home as an underwater sea plant on a coral reef, but is actually a nice terrain-based plant with velvety-soft leaves.

cliff-edge walkway through the mountains and trees in Pennsylvania

tall Saguaro cactus towering over others in southern Arizona

This is the main center area of MachuPicchu. The "D" shaped structure near center is the Temple of the Sun. For some reason it was worthy of a complex curved wall, unlike all other surrounding structures.

I'm precariously hanging over a sheer cliff to capture a straight-down perspective of the ocean waters below. With my assistant faithfully grasping my belt and a small nearby tree, i was able to get the camera gear over the edge enough to watch for the best mixture of rock and swirling waves.

In front of the local Post Office someone took the time to prepare a rather large display of summer flowers and foliage. It is well cared for and quite impressive to the many passersby picking up their mail. Although a rather common flower, this gladiolus had exceptional form and I couldn't resist capturing on film. The bright pink row of buds in varying degrees of development against the surrounding dark green plant life created a very nice balance.

Nevada wilderness in early morning.