coming down off the mountain just in time to witness the sun setting and the nearby cloud-line lighting up in pink.

Along the desert surface, a lengthy crack can be seen. More exploring reveals an entire other world of underground beauty. I have the camera pointed up at about 45° toward these whirls of sandstone carved out by centuries of flash flood waters from rain many miles away.

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.

very large wall of tightly packed spires in Utah wilderness

almost looking like someone dropped a jar of jelly, this is actually a closeup photo of a dark red Asiatic Lily. toward the base of each petal are two tiny rows of fleshy-hairs that when magnified, look like dripping jelly. one of the hair rows is the dark red feature going diagonally across this shot, and a glimpse of the second row in the upper-left corner. the 'hairs' in this shot average 0.0087 inches in height, so 115 of them lined end-to-end would equal an inch.

east end of Glacier National Park

it's a beautiful mid-spring day and i walked in many circles, ducking and bobbing my head for some time, trying to find the angle that best complimented this tree's glory. the clusters of large white flowers are quite bright against the surrounding forestry and such contrast made for a great shot.

while returning home from a long bike trip, i noticed some cumulus clouds blowing by as the sun was getting low. Predicting a scenic sunset in the making, i rapidly peddled to find a good vantage point. It seemed the sun was setting abnormally quick, colours were coming and going quickly as i was searching about to gain a few extra feet in elevation. No time to climb a tree or gain access to a rooftop, so a nearby fence post was my only resort. It was at least four-inches square but cut at a slight angle so staying on top with fatigued legs was a bit of a challenge. Wiggling about, i managed to establish a light reading as my balance failed and i fell to the ground. While i was on a more stable surface, i set my exposure time and climbed back up the post. This time i managed to set my focus and adjusted my lens for a good composure before falling off again. Third time up, everything is set and only seconds to spare, big breath out to steady my body as much as possible to capture this beautiful sunset image before falling back to the ground. The streaming rays of light withdrew and the colour faded almost as quickly as it began; the spectacular event was certainly over but at least it was now preserved for lifetimes of enjoyment.