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  KIDS AND BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH  This month is set aside for people everywhere to remember the heroes who battled breast cancer and won. And those whose lives were tragically cut short, and the lives of their families and friends that were forever altered by this terrible disease. It’s never too early to educate and encourage our kids and October is the perfect time to investigate which non profs and which salons in your area will give you the special haircut that can make the burden of chemo just a little lighter. It's possible to wade through the daunting specifics and do it at home, but we decided it was also the perfect excuse to go to a salon.   This is Laina. When she was 13 she decided to finally part with her long locks and get a haircut. It was a hard decision for a young girl about to start high school and face the challenges and anxieties that go along with that first day. In the process of talking about her cutting her long beautiful hair, I ...

                                            Victims of the Alligators of Carolina WARNING: THESE PHOTOS MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN OR THOSE  INDIVIDUALS SENSITIVE TO ANIMALS HUNTING AND FEEDING ON OTHER ANIMALS                                                  RELAXING IN SOUTH CAROLINA If you embrace the hypothesis some naturalists embrace that the relationship between the numerous alligators that populate the south and shore birds is mostly symbiotic, this may shock you.  It's true that many of the birds in the southeast prefer to build their nests over water and alligators resultantly cruise those waters preventing racoons and snakes from getting to the birds eggs and chicks. That would indicate a relationship that benefits both....

This was the gist of the ticker that caught my eye on tv during WPDEs news today.  Occasionally alligators make their way into the ocean, which of course makes the news so I wasn't completely surprised. Scientists hypothesize they do this to shake off the barnacles, while others think it's to find food. So this ticker today was no surprise, also taking into consideration that a lot of people get pets for their children to enjoy during vacation.  Then they let them go, presumably to "thrive" in the wild, though thriving is usually not what happens.   There's no end to the unusual but logical reasons a Boa Constrictor would be found on a SC beach. Turns out however, that I missed "Ford," which followed "Beach," but making this headline even more intriguing.  Even more interesting was that the snake was identified as a rare Albino Boa from South America, according to WPDE.  Curious for the details, I visited the WPDE website for the full story and...

  At first glance, it appears this huge bee is sneaking up on this tiny spider and will surely devour her. It's  one of those times when only a photograph will do to preserve the honesty, fragility, and reality of our wild world.  I discovered her in Greenville, SC.  As I stopped and studied, I wondered if the spider had perhaps stumbled into another insects trap or perhaps their egg case, having never seen either one.   At first, I didn't know if she was devouring the strange beige blob or if she was stuck in it and it would devour her.    This is one of those times when I join my wildlife photography cohorts in reveling in the beauty and the value of capturing the mystery and importance of nature's reality moments.  I was new to the area and had never seen such a spider but I was impressed with her vivid coloration and artistic, perfectly  geometric pattern, not to mention her possible predicament. Despite my reservations, I was compel...

Sometimes you only need a photo to tell a story.  This is one of those times in Charleston, SC.   Scientists have been studying whales and dolphins for years, debating to what extent Cetacea may seek to foster a social relationship with humans, and also with each other. On several occasions on my whale watching jaunts I have seen whales seeming to purposefully interact with the humans in boats, so while I don’t have a proven scientific theory, I am convinced they seek us out – in one way or another.   On many occasions, they swam leisurely back and forth, coming close then swimming away and circling under the boat as if enjoying the excitement and laughter of its human occupants.  Frequently whales have suddenly surfaced literally out of the blue; meandered at the surface to the edge of the boat and blown a thick stream through its blow hole with its pungent, rotten fish smell all over the humans standing excitedly close to the edge. One has to wonder if ...

  CONTEMPLATING IMMORTALITY IN THIS HEAT WAVE  Wood Storks, Reflecting on This Day Where They Normally Hunt Stress Free  They may also be contemplating their immortality as an alligator arrogantly cruises, just a little too close. It wasn't long ago that this species of storks was declining in numbers because their habitats were dwindling due to development. Now, increasing in numbers in SC, little did they know developers weren't their only enemies. Even the relentless heat wave in the country now pales in comparison. Wood Storks also have very rigid requirements for raising their young, passed down from generations so imprinted in their DNA.  They insist on being near water, preferring to make their nests directly over water.  If a draught happens or water dries up or they determine conditions aren't just perfect for raising their young they will abandon eggs, nests, even young chicks so it's no wonder their species has such a hard time surviving. This was a g...

         Just a grey chunk of rock, or an intriguing mountain with mysterious stories of history and hauntings? This is Superstition Mountain with a host of interesting history and hist-stories of its own. Its shape is curious, but from a photography perspective, unless you wait for just the right time of day to shoot it, position, and contort your body for the perfect angle-as I did here, it shoots as just another huge grey chunk of rock sitting alone in Arizona. For me, the west presented a whole different mindset for great photos because- as most of my friends know, I'm more of a purist. We did a wonderful exercise at cnn using software to enhance our photos, but since they're "news" they would only post things raw; completely unaltered in any way. For that reason, I guess I prefer to show reality in our natural world vs a computer generated work that's not really relevant to anything is my view. That said, the challenge of using what nature offers us with li...