Day: July 17, 2013
Wildlife Photography Without Ever Leaving Home
I love taking photos of all kinds of wildlife. One usually thinks of wandering far afield when doing this, and in truth I have done that, with photo safaris in Africa, Europe, Asia, and many parts of the United States. On July 4, 2013, though, I fell and hurt my hip, and since then I’ve been pretty much confined to my house or hobbling around with the aid of a cane, which you might think would inhibit my ability to get good wildlife photos. Not so. My deck looks out on a wilderness park, and my neighbor has a profusion of flowering plants in his back yard. Butterflies, birds, squirrels, and many other small creatures can frequently be seen hopping, perching, or flying around in both places, as well as my small back lawn.
For the past thirteen days, I’ve spent many hours sitting under an umbrella on my deck, camera in hand. I’ve documented an interesting array of nature’s creatures who’ve come to visit, all without having to move more than ten feet – to the rail of the deck for a clearer shot in some cases. More often than not, I’m able to just sit in my chair and by using my telephoto lens, get some pretty good shots of my visitors. Here is a small offering of what I’ve been able to get. I’d be interested in how many readers have also documented the wildlife around their homes. If you do a post of your photos, please link them to this post so that I and other readers can also enjoy them. Happy shooting.
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Wicked Hunger by DelSheree Gladden
Wicked Hunger (SomeOne Wicked This Way Comes, #1)
by DelSheree Gladden
Published: July 9, 2013
Publisher: GMTA Publishing
Synopsis:
Vanessa and Zander Roth are good at lying. They have to be when they are hiding a deadly secret. Day after day, they struggle to rein in their uncontrollable hunger for pain and suffering in order to live normal lives. Things only get worse when Ivy Guerra appears with her pink-striped hair and secrets. The vicious hunger Ivy inspires is frightening, not to mention suspicious.
Vanessa’s instincts are rarely wrong, so when they tell her that Ivy’s appearance is a sign of bad things to come, she listens. She becomes determined to expose Ivy’s secrets. Vanessa tries to warn her brother, but Zander is too enamored with Ivy to pay attention to her conspiracy theories.
One of them is right about Ivy … but if they lose control of their hunger, it won’t matter who is right and who is wrong. One little slip, and they’ll all be dead.
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Wicked Hunger
by DelSheree Gladden
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Excerpt:
Chapter 3: No Happy Endings
“I want you to stay away from that girl,” I say.
“But she’s Laney’s cousin. I can’t avoid her without doing the same to Laney.”
“Maybe that’s just how it has to be, then.” Giving up friends, it’s something Van should get used to, now, because it isn’t going to stop any time soon.
Van shakes her head. “No, Zander. She’s my best friend. I’m not going to bail on Laney like that.”
“You think she’ll be happy you stayed friends with her when you kill her pretty little cousin?” I snap.
Her head drops down, but I can still see the corner of her mouth twitching. “I can control it. I won’t hurt her.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“I won’t live like you,” she says quietly. “I won’t live alone for the rest of my life because I’m scared of hurting people.”
I sigh and close my eyes. “It’s not about being scared, Van. It’s about being smart. Stay away from her.”
For a long moment, she doesn’t say anything. Deep down, I’m hoping with everything I have that she’ll listen to me. I can’t go through it again. Oscar nearly broke me. She can’t expect me to go through that with her. I won’t make it. Please just listen to me, I beg.
When she finally speaks, her voice startles me. “She knows something.”
It’s just a simple sentence, but it ignites my anger like a match to a fuse. “She doesn’t know anything! Nobody does. Get that through your head and quit looking for answers, Van!”
My sister’s head snaps up and my hands tighten into fists at the determination in her eyes. “She knows something, and I’m going to find out what it is.”
Then she throws open the door of the truck and runs away.
About the Author:
Charles Ray's Ramblings 
