Highway Walkers

Its amazing how many people in this country don't have a car. The majority of the population has to hitchhike or walk. Around rush-hour, you will see trucks packed with piles of people trying to get home. But even along the highway, out in the middle of nowhere, there is always somebody walking along side the road with one burden or another. A lot of these people make their money on the side of the road.
You see old women walking with huge bags of groceries on their heads or men carrying jugs of water.A lot of girls hitchhike, which is so dangerous for them. But in certain areas you have to be careful because it can be hard to tell the hitchhikers from the prostitutes. These girls were standing about 20 yards from several prostitutes.Everywhere you go you see a guy with a cart collecting firewood. They walk up and down the road all day sawing and rooting through bushes.Some of them collect recyclable trash.And some of them just beg at intersections. It is usually men, but sometimes they get their kids to do it, and every once in a while you'll see a woman asking for money. This lady was obviously not a drug user. She probably needed food for her family. Its heartbreaking. Especially when you've just spent all your money on two cokes.
And then you have the legitimate businesses. These guys buy unfinished furniture and they paint it themselves on the side of the road and sell it. I told Randy that if we ever buy some furniture, we need to get it from these guys. The money will mean a lot more to them than it will to Mr. Price Home in the mall. So thats what we did with my birthday money. We went and got us a chest! (Pictures later)

One Beautiful Day

Sunday was a hot, bright spot right in the middle of weeks of cold dreariness. I could tell the dogs were antsy to do something. The strawberry fields are open for picking, so there are a lot of people outside, not just the regular band of 30 or more drinking, pot-smoking, knife-wielding African men that usually hang out there on Sunday.
We decided to take the dogs on a walk through the hills. I haven't been on a rigorous walk in quite a while. Neither have the dogs....
It was a spectacular (didn't bring the camera this time but we will next time. These are pictures from across the road)
So we walked about a mile and a half through the hills. I did ok, stamina-wise, but I was starting to have some fun joint and ligament pain by the time we got back. I, however, fared better than the dogs did. Enkidu collapsed in a chair and immediately went to sleep (unusual for him), and Wumpy sat in another chair and totally spaced out with his lip hung up on his teeth (not so unusual, but still funny to see).Today is cold and the wind is howling and the rain is lashing. Thats pretty much the forecast for the rest of the week. They say this is the rainiest winter in over 50 years.
This morning I had a doctor appointment in town and thankfully the office is bright and cute and cozy. But then Randy brought me home and went to school where I'm sure he's getting blasted by the sideways rain as he sprints across campus with all 47 million of his books.

A Very Very Very Fine House

It was a chilly day yesterday, and as soon as the sun set, it was dark and cold. Sunset was pretty, though. It literally set right into this farm house. Our little cottage was so cozy that I had to take pictures. Randy built a fire and I made some coffee and brought the lamp over to the coffee table so he could study next to the heat.Wumpy plunked down in his favorite chair and I put on my stretchy pants and sat in my favorite chair with The Doon.I like this chair because I can arrange the back cushion so I'm reclining. The baby wakes up and goes to town when I sit like this. We all watch my stomach get kicked and punched from the inside and we laugh (not the dogs. Their sense of humor isn't as finely developed).
Its like heaven to sit contentedly by the fire for a few hours at night. There's no Tv, no phone, no distractions. Just the sound of the night frogs. We're all warm and quiet and Randy studies and I relax and every once in a while we'll have a little conversation if there is something we feel like saying. Otherwise, we're just enjoying each other's presence.

Confusing Weather

I think its officially spring here, and the trees seem to think so too. Everywhere we look they are blooming with little yellow balls.But the atmosphere hasn't caught on yet and its still cold. And windy. And rainy. So we've spent a LOT of times indoors. Wumpy is like a big fluffy heating pad, so I squeeze him an awful lot. He loves it. He'll jump into my chair and then flop backwards into my arms, just to be squeezed. I love him. Poor thing has no idea whats coming.

As soon as it warms up a little, Randy and I are going to start taking walks in the evenings. We'll get some great pictures then. I can't wait to get out and move around. The dogs will love it too. They're getting to the stage where they want to go bananas. Wumpus, who isn't a toy-oriented animal, spotted the doll Robin made and just about flipped his gourd. He went from snoring in a chair across the room, to precariously balancing on the back of the chair nearest me. He just had to get a better look at this new thing. He went for the doll's head, but I pulled it away in time. What I want to know is, what makes it any different than, say, an oven mitt? Why did he see it from across the room and think, "I must chew it."

Happy Birthday Denise!

I hope you have a great day and I wish you didn't have to work (and could spend your birthday in your PJ's like I did!) Thanks for all the packages you send! I sure do appreciate you!

Happy Birthday Heather!

It’s late here and I had a rare day of admin responsibilities at the university, which means I missed Heather’s birthday altogether (we’ll have a birthday another day). She says she doesn’t care, but if I’ve learned anything in all of the years that she has put up with me… I had intended to write a ‘special’ blog with a poem (or something) commemorating Heather’s inauguration to the planet, but alas, nothing. So here I sit and wonder how I could say ‘happy birthday’ in a new way. Until inspiration strikes, maybe simple is sweeter. I love you Heather. Thank you for being my best friend and my wife. I know you’ll be a wonderful mommy. Happy Birthday!

The Illustrated Man

One of my favorite books of all time is The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. Its a science fiction novel from the 30's (?) about a man whose tattoo's tell stories at night. It involves a lot of rocket ships and other planets inhabited by farmers etc.
So I just received this doll in the mail from Robin (my friend in Wheaton) and he has little designs embroidered all over him. On one side he's awake and there is a sun and a palm tree, a ship, an anchor and a little South African flag. And he has the cutest little pants on.
On the other side he is asleep and there is a starscape with a little rocket-ship and a heart with a "Mom & Dad" banner on it. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen. After opening it and cooing over it, I wondered, "Where on earth did she find this thing?"
She made it, of course. Robin does a great job with fine detail. I can't wait to give the doll to.......Oops. I almost said his name!
:)
Thank you Robin!
PS-I had other great pictures to load today, but blogger isn't being cooperative! Tomorrow!

REAL hamburgers

As many of you know, I have been dying for a real hamburger. I want a hamburger that isn't smothered in Monkey Gland sauce. I want a hamburger with mayo (that doesn't look like lemon yogurt) and mustard and ketchup. I want a hamburger that isn't on some weird crunchy bun. I want a hamburger with REAL fake cheese and pickles that don't taste like fruit preserves.

Tamara sent me little packets of mayo and mustard and Denise sent some dill pickles. We had some real fake cheese and tomato. So Randy stopped off at the store and got ground beef and found some real buns (you have to buy them individually here). But in the end, we had everything we needed. They were the best hamburgers ever!!! I haven't tasted anything so American in a while. I was in heaven.
And while I'm on a subject that involves pickles, I'd like to point something out to our Chicago friends. A group of you, I don't remember who, got a big laugh out of our dismay that movie theaters don't sell pickles up there. Y'all were like, "Pickles?!!! Thats crazy!"
Well, these are the exact pickles for which Randy and I yearned. They do actually sell these in movie theaters in the south. I guess when it comes right down to it, you guys were right. It is kind of a weird thing to eat in a theater. Stinky, messy, squirty.

On another note, Enkidu has been attached to Wumpy lately. Whether its biting his ears to get him to play, "hugging" him to prove he's the boss, or just cuddling, Enkidu is always up in Wumpy's grill. Sometimes he'll just wedge himself right into Wumpy's face. Wumpy will grunt and go back to sleep.

Bricks

I have 4 little canvases that I've been painting on. I'm trying to do different scenes from photos we've taken here. But I can't stand the thought of hanging 4 tiny pictures on an enormous blank wall. So I stopped my painting and painted on the wall instead. I'll finish the canvases eventually. As soon as I'm satisfied with the bricks.This morning I was watching the rain soak a brick wall across the way and I realized what I did wrong on these ones. So as soon as I muster up the gumption, I'll finish.
:)

Training Day

Let me tell you something about Randy. He is unusually good with animals. Dogs especially. He loves them and they love him. He is patient with them and takes the time to train them and love on them. It is fun to watch. Now that the killer dog is gone, we can let our dogs out by themselves to go to the bathroom. The problem is getting them back in.
But Randy came up with a great solution. The dog whistle is a good thing, but we had to find a treat that was so irresistible, it could overpower a desire for anything the bushes have to offer. So Randy decided on Biltong. Biltong shops here are like Starbucks in the US. There is one on every corner. People love their dry salted meats. So do the dogs. They will trip over themselves to be the first one back to the porch. Enkidu took to it right away but everything is slower with the Wump. Randy had to do some training (and some fending off of the filthy, jumpy neighbor dogs)

He started with short range training out in the grass. Enkidu looked like a miniature deer leaping through the grass. He has to bounce high because its taller than he is.The dogs are so hooked. I love it.

Stuck indoors to think

This has been a great week, even though its cold and pouring outside. I've had lots of time to stay inside and think. I like that.
I'm glad to have Randy home. I sure do like him. The dogs (Enkidu) mauled him when he got home and Wumpy sat at his feet and howled until Randy loved on him. It was a great reunion.
That day we discovered packages waiting for us at the post office. I've gotten a few lately that I want to tell you about because they've made me think.
As you all know, I was preparing for a baby, but definitely not a pregnancy. I found that I didn't have a clue what to do with the circumstances. Even now, being in another country, there are a lot of unknowns. But you guys have made it easier on me in so many ways. Even though we are alone most of the time, I have never experienced such a sense of community. It blows me away. Summer is nearing and I'm quickly stretching my regular winter clothes to maximum capacity. After searching the malls for maternity clothes and coming up empty handed, I looked online and discovered that most (white) women order their maternity clothes from Europe. The African women are a voluptuous bunch and they can basically get through a pregnancy in the clothes they own. (Big flowing skirts and handmade dresses).
But then I get these packages in the mail and I feel like Cinderella when her fairy godmother makes her a new dress. I can just see the little sparkly twinklings bursting around my head and hear the melodramatic cartoon music.
Denise sent me a great package with maternity clothes, a few DVD's and pickles!!!!!!
Amanda in Denver sent me a package of heavenly summer tank tops among many other things. My friends in Chicago got together and sent me things I didn't even know I needed. Maternity underwear?! I didn't know it existed! (and thank you, Tamara for the mayo and mustard packets!)
Cathy has sent me some vital tools such as the book "What to Expect when You're expecting" and Butt-Paste and other nursing related items. (once again, this wasn't something I could have foreseen on my horizon)Even though it was freezing outside, I had to try on some of these things and show you how excited I am to wear them!

(Pants by Denise and Shirt by Small Group)

(Dress by Amanda)

(Shirt By Denise)

(Shirt by Amanda)

Thank you everyone (Tina, Cristin and Andrew, Dave and Sue, Mama) for your own particular brand of support. We wouldn't make it without you.
Thank you for my wardrobe, friends. I can't wait to wear it outside! I'm so happy I could burst.

Namibia Part 2: Rural Windhoek

After several long days of listening to people present their papers in the conference center at the hotel, we were taken on a game drive, which was about 40 kilometers from the Windhoek city center. The Okapuka Ranch is apparently a family operated reserve where people can tour the Namibian scrub-land in hopes of finding animals.

All of the animals are loose on this massive reserve, living peaceably for the most part, and only occasionally eating one another. We didn't see any animal carcasses, which does make me wonder how the restaurant remains stocked.

The main reception area had a thatched roof and was open to the outside all around. Some warthogs came along for a glimpse of the human animals.

But it wasn’t long after we arrived that we loaded up on a few modified Jeeps and drove around the reserve for a couple of hours. We stopped from time to time just to be silent and watch.

We received some commentary on the flora and fauna. I sat on the back row of one of these vehicles snapping photos as we drove. We never did get off the vehicle at any point since we were warned that we could get mauled by a Wildebeest or Springbok.

I took over 200 pictures and only share a few here. There were numerous trees that struck me as unusual. We were told that some of them were well over 500 years old.

And of course it is always fun to encounter zoo animals outside of a zoo.

At times we were within 10 feet of some of these beasts, but they were usually quickly spooked and ran away. The usual distance was something more like 30 to 100 feet.

Those are Elands behind the giraffe in the picture above, which are apparently not so common in this particular park. But for me the most interesting thing about this trek was that so many of the animals just hang out together in close proximity, though usually amidst their own clan.

Though some were loners and enjoyed the tall grasses.

It wasn’t long before we came across the dinosaurs in the camp. These Rhinos were sweet and came within just a few feet of me. I could have easily jumped on the back of one of them. In retrospect I think I should have.

But then as we continued on there were other striking images worth taking time to enjoy.

We ended the drive at the crocodile pit, where a sign warned us of the presence of lions. We didn’t see any lions though. I guess they were seeking refuge in the shade of some tree. The crocs were fat and happy. Fat with what though, I didn’t ask.

But then we returned to the main building and ended our tour. There were more visitors waiting for us.

Wheew! Ok, that's nearly it for my annual blog contribution. I'll try to add another one for Heather's birthday on the 23.

Namibia Part 1: Urban Windhoek

The flight from Cape Town to Namibia (via Namibia Airways) takes about two hours if you're going to the capital city of Windhoek (prn. Vintook). Namibia is a sparsely populated desert country of some 2 million people (2^nd only to Mongolia, which is the least populated country). Windhoek was a German colony that had become annexed by South Africa until its independence in 1990. Though English is the official language of Namibia, most conversations I was involved in were conducted in Afrikaans or German. The Namibian dollar is equivalent in value to a South African Rand, so I was able to spend Rands there. However, the Namibian dollar is not recognized in South Africa, maybe because the paper money has a goat thief on it.

I came across this interesting sign upon arriving at the Windhoek airport.

Whatever service is offered with high powered rifles, it nevertheless comes free of charge and right there at the airport! Like other southern African airports I've been in, I would guess that these services (ammo and weapons check) pertains to those on hunting expeditions.

Here is a view of the courtyard of the Safari Court Hotel, where we were staying.

Despite its plush green look, Windhoek apparently hasn’t had a drop of rain since March. The air was so dry my nose bled the whole time.

One afternoon I decided to take the shuttle to the downtown area just to see the local sites. Namibia just doesn’t “feel” like Cape Town. I think the half naked Hamib women selling jewelry downtown had some to do with that. You can’t really see all of them from here, but these women and their numerous children – all of them painted in some kind of red clay – conduct their business right there in the financial district of downtown Windhoek.

I saw them walking around throughout the city in other places too.

I snapped this picture and then was immediately screamed at. I guess they don’t want any attention.

So I walked on and took other photos of the surrounding area. I’ll keep the commentary short since the images are probably more interesting.

Celebrations & Strawberries

Last week when I took the doggies out I noticed that the Strawberry fields were almost ready. You can see the green out past the palm trees. They still have workers out there everyday doing things that don't make sense to me. Every day they come out and cover each plant with white plastic and leave it up for a while and then take it off again the next day.
At some point this month we'll be able to go out there with bags and pick strawberries for cheap!

Today there is much rejoicing. My favorite Randy is coming home early. I'm celebrating with a bottle of Orange Fanta, and the dogs are munching on big juicy bones. The conference ended earlier than Randy thought, so they are packing up and coming home. Yay!

The Pseudo-Pug

I wanted a little, bug-eyed, flat-faced sausage doggy. I wanted a pug. Randy calls Wumpus my pseudo-pug. He's not a real bright dog, but he's observant and obedient and extremely affectionate (even if he is as dumb as a box of hair).Its hard for me to think that his former owners were going to put him to sleep. I mean, look at that sweet face!He is so soft and fluffy and kissable. I love the pseudo-pug and he loves me

Just Me and the Boys

I'm still blown away by the fact that God has given me this time. Its been two days since I've seen or spoken to another human being and I'm happy. I guess God really knows my personality intimately and He created this scenario for me. Its a time of decompression. My mornings are quiet and peaceful. I actually have time to sit and feel the baby doing his Kung Fu after lunch. Me and the dogs all cram into one chair in the afternoon and doze for a little while. At night I lay in bed with the space heater next to me and read while the dogs chew their bones on the floor. In 4 months this is all going to change drastically. As much as I love life right now, I look forward to this specific brand of chaos. I'm ready to pour my energy (and then some) into a new experience. Having a baby in Africa!

Sun Hill Farm

In case you're bored on a Monday and need something tedious to look at, here you go. I sketched a quick map of the property here so you can see where things are and what our surroundings look like. Its a fairly busy place, but thankfully our house faces the river and its nice and peaceful. The entrance to the property is at the top right-hand corner, so thats a good place to start. Here are some photos from various points on the farm. Hopefully they will make sense with the map. It really is a little paradise. Everywhere you look there are flowers and pots and palm trees. The area right around the restaurant is the most beautiful. I love the courtyard.The landlord's house is spectacular. All the rooms are round and the roof is thatched. There are two curved cement staircases going up to either side of the big round porch (on the second floor). The upstairs is the house, downstairs in an apartment.
The restaurant itself is spectacular. The "back" grounds, right off the Veranda are incredible. Such a great ambiance.
Off to the side of the restaurant is the B&B. This is the entrance which faces the restaurant. This is the opposite side of the B&B. One of the gardens.
These two pictures were taken from our end of the property, facing towards the restaurant.

Randy has left the country

The scholars picked him up at about noon today and they all headed off to the Cape Town airport to fly to Namibia. Randy took the camera, so hopefully when he gets back he'll have some great pictures to post. Meanwhile, I have a stash of pictures taken over the past few days and I'll be posting those this week.
If you're wondering what I'll be doing, here you go.These are really just to keep my brain occupied once the sun goes down. I'm looking forward to it.
Enkidu is already on edge, waiting for Randy to come home. I got them some bones, though, so hopefully they won't be too depressed.This will be an interesting week. :)

A Year Ago Today: Part 2

A year ago today we landed in Johannesburg and I wished I was B.A. from the A-Team and somebody would just put me to sleep with some drugs until it was all over with. We stumbled off the flight, found our luggage, found our rental car, found the cargo station, recovered our terrified dogs and barreled our way out of the airport in our wrong-sided-stick-shift.
Two things we know now that we didn't know then.
#1 There are no street signs in South Africa.
#2 People don't give "real" directions.
When they say "you'll go through 4 robots and then turn left". What they might mean is "You'll go through 4 major robots and 6 minor ones, and then you'll turn left after you take a right into a gated community."
I wish we would have taken pictures of the streets in Joburg, but we were too busy trying to interpret the directions and survive the road. I was in absolute shock when we found our Bed and Breakfast. The path we took bore no resemblance to the directions they gave.
But when those iron gates clanged shut behind us, I nearly wept for joy. We had made it to Africa!The Africa Moon was an oasis in a desert of chaos! We were able to chill out and decompress. That place was heaven sent. We spent our first night in Africa peacefully.

A Year Ago Today: Part 1

A year ago today, we were swerving our way through DC traffic and I was thinking about the fact that this was our last day in the States. I was wondering, "Will it really be 3 years before we see stars in the Northern Hemisphere?" The dogs were asleep in the back of the rental car with no clue that they were about to be loaded on a 16 hour flight, only to end up on another continent. (They still don't know where they are. We've tried to explain)
I have to say that I was terrified. I don't know if I've ever been that scared. But it wasn't dread. It wasn't anything that would make me want to turn around and call the whole thing off. I simply had no idea what to expect. I've never even driven in Mexico, and now we were going to be driving our way out of Johannesburg. I worried about all kinds of things. How we were going to get our luggage and the dogs. Would the dogs be ok? Would we be able to find our hotel? How would we buy a car? Who would we call in an emergency? (Um, no one...)
I was a bundle of nerves. My dreams over those few days were bizarre!
But I knew that God had worked everything out for us an now we just had to take the steps. After all that planning, I'm still amazed that we're here and we (I) survived that trip without tears.

A whole lot of nothing

These are some boring days on the farm. I'm not complaining, I'm just letting you know so you don't have to wonder why these blogs are so monotonous. Oh look, a picture of Heather.....and her stomach......and her dog.....
We had a big cold-front blow in full of rain and wind and all the things that make being outside miserable. Yesterday morning the sun was out so we did a ton of laundry. But then it rained and now everything is spread all over the living room. (except for on Wumpy's chair).
I had a big doctor's appointment on Monday and we got to see the whole entire baby. He looks great. All his organs are good and his spine and skull and facial features. The doctor printed out 4 pictures for me and I thought about scanning them and posting them here, but really, they just look like creepy skeletal blobs.
And for those of you who are wondering, we have chosen a name, but it will be a surprise! Bluebeard came in second place. Randy was a little disappointed but the first place name is one we both love and agree on so we're all good.