Today’s Special Challenge Participant is the awesome Lynda R. Young!
I met Lynda during the first Challenge and she never ceases to amaze me. Lynda embodies a generous and sweet spirit in more ways than one. Her writing tips are the best and she makes you think. (Thus reading her blog first thing in the morning sometimes makes my brain hurt!) But for the Challenge, she did something a little different with her blog…
You’re a writer – what made you decide to feature your photos for the Challenge?
Last year my A-Z theme was writing tips. It was super fun, but after two and a half years of blogging, it's quite a challenge to come up with new tips for 26 days straight. So this year I wanted to share a little more of who Lynda R. Young is and a big part of me is my artistic side. If I'm not writing, then I'm doing something creative.
Which photo was your favorite and why?
The dwarf pigface about to bloom is my favourite. The lighting was perfect for the shot and the colours are vibrant. I even managed to get it in focus.
Tell us more about your spelunking adventures.
Spelunking is off-the-beaten-track cave exploring which requires rope, a hard hat, and an adventurous spirit. Because I'm so little I could get into some pretty tight squeezes. The dirtier I got, the more fun I had. One time on a trip to Ireland I went cave exploring with some friends. We had a single torch (flashlight) between the three of us and we didn't have any safety gear. Unable to see the other side of an underground river, I jumped across and split my head open on a stalactite. I ended up getting two stitches and a cool scar. So much fun.
You had some great ocean shots – do you live near the ocean?
I live 10 minutes drive from Cronulla Beach, Sydney. The funny thing is, none of the shots I included in the challenge were from Cronulla. When I'm travelling, if I'm near an ocean I'll always make a point of checking out the view. I love the many moods of the ocean and the huge variety of different colours it has to offer.
What the heck is a Kookaburra?
The kookaburra is a native Australian bird with a distinctive call that sounds like a laugh. It always makes me feel happy when I hear it.
With all of the water shots, have you ever dropped your camera in water?
No, thank goodness. I'm a little paranoid about it so I always keep a firm hold of the camera. However, I learned the hard way to always carry around extra batteries. The one and only time I visited the amazing site of Pompeii, my camera battery died. I lost so many incredible photo opportunities there. Makes me a sad panda.
Which is more beautiful – the ocean or the desert?
That's a difficult one to answer. They both have their own unique beauty. However, after travelling for three days on the back of a camel across an Indian desert, I wasn't able to fully appreciate the beauty of the desert through the haze of heat, thirst, and a need for a good long shower.
Have you ever found the end of the rainbow?
I wish I could answer yes to that question. I'm still searching…
Thanks, Lynda!
Co-host Ninja Captain Alex is the author of CassaStar and CassaFire and his blog can be found HERE
