Mayfest at Smithville, NJ, May 15 & 16, 2010

This weekend I'll be showing my art at The Mayfest, in Smithville, NJ. I'll have new work from Africa, "Ukutula", The White Lion Conservation Reserve!
Stop by & say hello! My booth # is 114.
I hope to see you there!

Leaving Africa....

As I sit and watch the sunset over Johannesburg, memories of my experiences at Ukutula play through my mind. It's almost gone now...I watch the last minute...it's over.
Although it has only been 2 1/2 weeks, it seems so much longer. I already miss the cubs, Emma, (the 18 month old cheetah), the tiger cubs, and the roaring of the lions throughout the days and nights. The sores on my hands will linger on for a short time longer, but the bottle feedings from which they came will live on in my heart forever. I will miss being in the bush for I am a bushgirl in my heart, my soul and from within my every being. There is truly nothing else like it. The peaceful, zen like atmosphere can not be duplicated. The sounds of the wild, the air that you breath, the smell of the earth in its purest form. It will all be sadly missed.
Although it rained often, even if it was very unusual, it was a blessing, even though it sometimes kept us from what we would rather have been doing.
I have learned so much here.
I have met many new friends from many different countries and hopefully our paths shall cross again someday.
Yes, I am in love with Africa, but not as much with what calls me home, but I shall return again, and again and again.

New Baby Lion Cubs!

We retrieved the new baby lion cubs from their enclosures today. The rangers had moved their Moms to another area before we got down there. Upon their return, they may only look around for a few moments, then go on about their business as usual. This is what would happen in nature as well.
When we returned to the lodge with the cubs, we weighed them, bathed them, held them some more and named them. I wanted to name one after Richard, but with all the controversy between the volunteers, it got voted out. Still not positive what the final outcome of names were except 1, Michelle. She was the only white one and a female who was named after one of the volunteers that was here for several months and had left this afternoon.
There was 1 other female and 3 males. There had been one more, but earlier in the week there had been a disturbance between the lions and the cub had been killed in the middle of it all.
It was absolutely incredible to see them, hold them and photograph them especially at such a young age. (Less than 2 weeks old!) Although this was unusual to take them as soon as we did, this is usually done at 3 weeks old.