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The photos on this page are from a safari/art workshop that I
took in October of 2004 in Kenya. Internationally known wildlife
artist Simon Combes was our teacher and fearless leader. For
over two weeks he led a group of ten of us to some of the
greatest wildlife habitats on the planet, and made every possible
effort to ensure that we all went home with as much reference
as possible of every major East African species. Lions, leopards,
cheetahs, elephants, rhino, giraffe, hippo, ostrich -- we saw
them all and then some. From the Samburu in the north to the
Mara in the south with Lewa Downs, Lake Nakuru, the Aberdare
Mountains and more, Simon shared with us the Kenya he clearly
loved so much.
Tragically and unbelievably, he was killed on December 12th
by a cape buffalo on the Delamare Estate, where he lived with
his wife Kat.
I never got a chance to send him these photos as I promised,
but I thought that I would share them on the web as a tribute
to someone who gave ten of us the trip of a lifetime.
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Afternoon art class at Samburu. Game drives in the morning
and evening and instruction during the heat of the afternoon,
occasionally interrupted by elephants crossing the river
right near the camp.
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Afternoon demonstration at Lewa Downs, a conservancy
located just south of the Samburu. The distration here
was provided by a family of warthogs who came up to graze
on the grass, and by a variety of birds.
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Simon and Anthony Cheffings, the intrepid owner of the
safari company, OnSafari Ltd, on the shore of Lake
Nakuru.
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Intrepid was the word for Simon and Anthony as they
figured out how to get a belligerent hippo to leave our
camp on Paradise Plain in the Masai Mara. Simon was
driving the vehicle when the animal charged and BIT it!
Plus pulling loose the steel bar.
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Driver's eye view of a Mara River crossing with Simon
at the wheel.
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Last breakfast of the safari. Yup, everyone was a
little tired by this time, but happy.
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The group shot. Simon is on the far right sitting down.
The vehicles were pretty intrepid too, come to think of it,
since most of the roads in Kenya aren't in the best of shape.
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