Here kitty, kitty

In case you're wondering, his breath actually wasn't that bad.

                                  Who's stalking who?

Safari so good

The beginning of our safari. No, really. With a beginning like this I bet you're really wondering how it's going to end...

I see more home decor in my future

This one is a blesbuck. Jamie says the moral of this story is that you should not shoot from the prone position. Yeah, whatever that means.

And the hunt ends with this red hartebeest. For some reason I can't look at the hartebeest without thinking that his horns look like someone with striped pants taking a nose dive into the pool. There, now you can't either. You're welcome.

No animals were harmed in the making of this photo...

except for the two big guys in back who got jabbed in the ribs a few times.

The missing chapters

I've given you a beginning and somewhat of an ending but you are missing a few pages in between so over the next few days I will fill in some of what you missed. (My editor said that this will never sell if I kept it this short so hope you enjoy the extra fluff.)

This waterbuck was something the guys really had to work for. We were told he was one of the biggest ever seen (but perhaps we were just told that to make the hunt feel more worthwhile). He went missing for a time but luckily a baboon spotted the wanted poster attached to a tree and enlisted the help of a giraffe who helped pin down the location. Seriously, though, Jamie witnessed the tracking ability of his PH and tracker (which was quite impressive).

This one is a zebra (in case you don't have your Africa guide book handy). From the top of a hill, Danie spotted a blue wildebeest. They ran to intercept; but the wildebeest first sent impalas and later zebra to run interference. Unfortunately for the zebra, he had made Jamie's wish list prior to the game starting so I guess you could say the wildebeest scored.

This day we went to another ranch to hunt. The landscape was vastly different than the thicker brush of the "home" farm- it's openness resembles the Wyoming plain (if you don't count the ostriches, zebra and other critters roaming around). This black wildebeest was the first to be spotted. Danie, I apologize in advance for the smiling photo. I know how you like your funeral face for the poses most of the time.



Stay tuned for another episode coming soon to a screen near you....

Outfly, outrun, outlast...we ARE Survivor Africa

We are awaiting boarding the final leg of our journey. Once again, there is not room enough to write the events of the last days so we will look forward to telling you all in person for some post Africa parties! (:

Two of us were called out for special attention before boarding in Jo-berg and when the woman said, "we will now take you to another area for the procedure", I couldn't help but think about how attached I am to all my teeth. It turned out to be a painless procedure after all and with all that has happened thus far we were both glad to board without incident.

What can we say about this journey?? Some of you may not believe the stories you will hear, but we have (most) of the photos to prove it.

Now calling for final boarding for Sioux Falls....the journey ends (or DOES it??)

The journey continues...

We have made it to our safari at Thornybush (by Kruger Park). Our group had more adventures getting here that we will have to share when we get back (we have to leave SOME stories for when we get home!). We took a game drive last night and one this morning and have seen 4 of the big 5. We were lulled to sleep last night to the roar of competing lions on the opposite ends of the park egging each other for a back alley fight. We have a night guard to take us to our room which is only 200 feet from the main lodge where we dine. Leopards have come to sleep on the outside couches in the dining area and we are hoping that we don't have to share all our meals with them. When we get back we are hungry and prefer not to share. Our guard curiously does not carry a weapon but seems to average it out with a positive outlook and some special shoes that he says will do the job if we happen upon a lion en route to our room. I'm not sure if "may the force be with you" is enough comfort for me but given what our group has been through so far I think that God will get us home safely.

Off for a quick nap and electronic charging before our afternoon drive. We will have 2 more safari drives tomorrow and then Saturday morning we will be heading out back to the airport. We have considered changing our airline tickets to postpone our homecoming another week (or month) but Jamie says it is time to get back to work. Hmmgh.

I went to Africa and all I got was this lousy T-shirt...

but memories to last a lifetime. Yesterday was a true African experience. To start off the day Jamie and Danie came back home and as we all peeked out the window, we saw them back up to the shed- a sign that success was had. While I'm not much for spending any time in "the shed" I had to take a peek at what Jamie brought back to camp. Today it was a zebra.

After gathering our things we were off for a family outing. The first stop was a game park (this one with cages so not as wild). After watching some lions cuddling and playing Jamie and I got into the cage and petted some tiger cubs. Posting this photo was necessary if for no other reason than it will make his mother have a fit. ( :

As I am in the middle of writing this, one of our group came back and we see he has cuts on his face. He and his PH just outran some elephants that surrounded them and were charging. The cuts were from running through the bush. True story.

Okay, so back to the original story. After we left the animal preserve we headed down to the Limpopo (croc infested) river that borders Botswana. There we set up an outdoor picnic beginning with (Jamie's) gemsbuck liver appetizers (you will have to ask Jamie whether these were good or not) and game burgers.

Next on the list was to climb "a big rock" where I heeded the advice to watch out for snakes. On the rock we watched the sun set and headed back home. During supper we watched baboons grab oranges from under their orange trees and then proceeded to fashion bats out of sticks and go nine innings while we watched (okay, had you going there for a minute, didn't I?) Truthfully, after supper the whole "family" went for a night time game drive by spotlight. It was difficult to divide the time between looking through the bush to spot game or to just gaze into the beauty of the star-filled night sky. How will we ever leave this place?

Where the wild things are

Yesterday afternoon I looked out my window and saw animals just outside the fence that surrounds the home ground. I grabbed my camera and made my way around the house. I misjudged the fence opening and accidentally walked past it, scaring away some baboons and kudu. Some hartebeest were not as concerned and stuck around awhile.

I left the front gate and continued on a path within the farm in search of my spot to take sunset photos. This was my first chance to do so since we have otherwise been in the blind at that time.
As I walked I recalled Danie telling us the day before that he had seen a large python track (not in the area where I was walking). I saw the hartebeest group up ahead- obviously I had not scared them too much. I could hear the snorts of each of them as they told the group that there was danger coming. Me, dangerous? Do they know that I swerve to avoid hitting ground squirrels at home? Nonetheless, they took no chances and scattered, leaving me alone to my thoughts.
I sat and took in the quiet. I savored feeling God's presence in the quiet. I could hear in the distance the pounding of hooves. Within this 18 km square farm, there is between 400-700 mammals- a far cry from the occasional deer, raccoon or possum we see at home.

The sun sets quickly here and I sized up my surroundings to be prepared for the event I have been waiting for. As the last of the sun showed itself I saw how the darkness began hiding the potential danger, or at least unpleasantness, of the thorns that take over the landscape. I had only minutes to take in the last drops of sun before the moon would shine and the stars would reveal themselves in brilliance and peace.

If you enlarge this photo you will see the thorns in the bushes in the foreground. The thorns are a reminder that though this is a place of unimaginable beauty, there resides along with it bitterness and pain among the inhabitants here. As with the thorns, you don't have to look hard to see it...they are scattered throughout the landscape. The solution is not quick, easy or at this point even understood.

Today is our last day here since we are moving on to hunt a few days in another area. I am glad that this place is big enough for me to take a part of it with me. This is a magical place and I can't wait to see what else is in store!

The one that didn't get away

And he MEANT to shoot it. What a deal! Don shown with our outfitter, Johan, and his wife, Ria (oh, yeah...and a nyala).

Our PH should invest in the stock market

We have been giving Danie, our PH, a hard time holding him to his predictions. He has never ceased to disappoint (unless there are factors beyond his knowledge or control such as watering holes being opened without his knowledge). Today happens to be his birthday and this morning I was just about to do my "morning chores" when our outfitter came and said I needed to bring my camera. When I went to the vehicle I saw it attached to a trailer. My heart raced for Jamie as I had a feeling of what it could be. I quickly swept it aside thinking "what are the odds?" The guys were beaming (as much as men beam) when I met up with them.

This eland was videoed by another PH a few days ago and coveted by some of our group. His features are a beautiful cape and nice horn length (yet to be determined). This combo is apparently difficult to come by.
As the story goes (and I have verified the witness), Danie and Jamie crested the hill to the waterhole and Danie claimed, "There WILL be an eland buck just over this hill." When they crested the hill Jamie first saw a wildebeest and then heard Danie commanding Jamie "SHOOT!" Jamie then snapped up his gun, looked back at Danie for a millisecond to question just once, "shoot?" "YES, SHOOT!" was the adamant reply. When Jamie brought the scope back to his eye he had the eland in his sights and once again it was one shot with his 375. This time at about 220 yards. He is estimated to weigh around 1550 pounds. The gray color by his shoulders (actually looks blue) is a sign of his age. Along with Jamie are Danie and Johan, our outfitter.

This time he got the right one

We are back to the animals. Don got this red hartebeest last night. Don't know the stats on this one (my apologies to the 3 people reading this who will not sleep as well tonight without this information ).

We now interrupt the dead animals to bring you some scenery

Thought I'd get a little more prettiness in here for us womenfolk who prefer shoot with Nikons and not Remingtons. This is our home away from home. The windows on camera left show where Jamie and I are staying. Yes we are close to the pool, but we will not enter it by choice. Don has threatened to throw me in but I told him if I went in then his gun was going in. So far I have not had need for a beach towel.

  Don't let the grass fool you. It takes much effort to get the place this green. It is all landscaped beautifully.

Killer Miller strikes again

Diane has carried this nickname with her for a few years and yesterday she shot her first large animal (ever). With another PH's 308 she listened to the direction of her PH, Mac as they all sat together in the blind. Now she has this male impala and will not be going home empty handed!

Diane is shown here with her friend, John. The impala was shot at 50 yards and measures 24 1/2".

Lost in translation

Don and his PH, Jaco, were out and Don had a nyala on his wishlist. There was movement in the brush and Don heard Jaco whisper loudly, "shooter bull, shooter bull!" While Jaco watched the animal in his binocs Don was quick to oblige even though Don couldn't even see what he was shooting at since it was mostly hidden in the brush. Bang. Jaco turned to Don and said, "What (vat) are you doing???" Don replied, "You said shoot 'em!". "No, I said KUDU bull!!" Jaco replied, shaking his head. Oops. So glad I didn't go for my cowbell walk yesterday.

Success once again

This morning Jamie got this male dark-faced impala. It measures somewhere between 22-23 inches (haven't gotten to doing the official measuring yet). It sounds like it is one of the larger dark faced varieties. Once again it was one shot with his 375.

Don't know why these photos are distorted but photos nonetheless. Jamie's PH, Danie, is his partner in this photo. He is an excellent PH and we are having a good time with him. We went out again this afternoon to a new blind (where Jamie shot the impala this morning). We saw (briefly) a female kudu, warthog (funny to watch), brown hyena and a gemsbuck pair. We were there for 4 hours and it is difficult to sit still (at least for me) that long. It is certainly a lesson in patience. Danie said this was officially the first time he's ever brought a diaper bag and laptop into the blind. (-:

Celebration upon celebration

The excitement in the air is palatable. First my birthday (okay not so exciting for everyone else) but also our comrade in arms is back home with us where she belongs (after quite a journey to get here). If that wasn't enough...
introducing the newest member of our decor! Jamie shot this female gemsbuck just 2 hours ago. It measures 90cm and 91.5 cm. I am looking the way I do because I was still in my layered clothing which got very hot in the blind. In order to take our photos I had to crawl on the ground, which was full of thorns and brush. Completely worth it. We were just about to call it a night when several gemsbuck came into view. Danie spotted this one and urged Jamie to go for it. I was so excited and I wasn't even shooting! Danie urgently said they were leaving and to shoot fast! One shot later and she was now Jamie's. It all happened in a matter of 5 minutes. He is pretty happy about the day! What a day for all of us! TIme now for the campfire and stories upon stories...

Warthog...the other white meat

Okay, so we aren't actually having warthog, but we have had eland a few times, blue wildebeest (didn't care for it) and a lasagna prepared with various meats. For being a reluctant adventurer when it comes to food, I am faring quite well. Ria, our hostess, is a wonderful cook and I am hoping she will send me her secret spice recipe (a combo of 17 spices we are told). I have to say if you ever have a chance to order eland potpie, I'd recommend it.

As I sit in my 20x4 foot area that has internet access (which is still spotty) I can smell the beginnings of lunch accompanied by the sound of Afrikaans being spoken by our hostess with the laborers (as they call them). I also hear the sound of tools while Johan, our outfitter/host is in his workshop fixing and building. When you live 80 km to the nearest town the size of Newkirk you need to learn how to do everything yourself.

This morning our PH's driver quickly scooped me up to take me to the blind where I would meet up with Jamie and Danie (his PH). They were going to walk and stalk this morning and I had long ago decided that the walking and stalking hunts would be my time for R&R. I have been a quick study in blind hunting and equipped one of my bags with my blow up travel pillow (along with other necessities that fit in a 2'x2' bag. (How I ever narrowed down my 2-3 hour necessities into that size bag is a mystery.) We started out just seeing guineas and then some ostrich showed up. A bit later a small blue wildebeest. 

So for all intensive purposes this is a throw away photo but I decided to post it to show what the blind is like. I was only waiting for photos and I had to wait patiently for the ostriches to move, the trees are in the way and I was shooting out of a 4" rectangle (plus needing to be quiet and not push against the fiberglass blind). 

Things were just bound to really get interesting when another team (of our group) showed up ON A 4 WHEELER. Okay people, even I know this is going to scare animals away. So back for R&R I go while they go back to walking and stalking. I'm beginning to wonder if I am bad luck.?

It's cold enough to hang eland in here

Getting ready in the morning is quite a process. Sure, Jamie has all his hunting gear to put on but it takes me just as long. First on is the cuddlebugs long underwear, thick socks, layers of additional clothing- all topped with a sweater. This is just to go have breakfast inside. They don't need heat here (well if I lived here there would be a heater but our PH's are wearing shorts so I suppose we are wimps). The mornings are around 40-45, which at home in the spring would be a welcome change from 10-20, but we were coming from 90 at home so I will don my long underwear thank you very much. It is the end of winter here and just so you know that doesn't mean that the sun rises in the west and sets in the east (yes, I did ask this question).

I was greeted at breakfast with birthday wishes and balloons. A white rock completed the birthday fest. (if you are clueless to what this means then you haven't been reading...shame on you) After a 15 minute breakfast the guys are off. This is quite a birthday to remember. As I sit in the enclosed hallway of the main house the sun is just starting to hit my face with a brilliance unmatched. The air is so pure. In comparing the starry sky at home it is like we are looking through dirty windows even on the clearest night after seeing the night sky here.

I am debating about a walk down the path this morning. I did one yesterday in hopes of a glimpse of wildlife but my walk only produced images of thorny bushes and the sunrise. Now the sunrise is gorgeous mind you, but I am sick with anticipation of all I know we have left to see. I want to see it all in one day and then see it again and again until I have had my fill. One does not need to be here long to know that the fill will never occur. 

So, back to my walk. As my feet wandered yesterday, so did my mind and a ways into my trek a memory of a conversation entered my mind. There are leopards in the area and though they are typically very shy of humans these are not tame kitty cats. Given that I walked more briskly back to the safety of home. As I lay awake in the night (with apparently nothing better to do than to think) I considered a better strategy for ensuring safety as I walk (though I am told it is really safe but then again we were also never told that plastic in the microwave causes cancer either so one must watch after oneself). I concluded that if I could fashion some sort of holster, I could take along my weapon of choice- a water bottle. Now, before you laugh you must know that a water bottle has previously gotten me out of dangerous and precarious situations in the past. To be smart, the safety would be left off and I suppose I could go to the range and "sight it in", as they say, so I could properly judge distance. For those of you considering such an option for yourself you are wondering what caliber I intend to use. Given I had hours to think about this I came to the conclusion that the best caliber would be what they call a "straight shot". The "fine mist" caliber was also considered but the drawbacks outweighed the strengths. On the one hand you have the "shock and awe campaign" (as I refer to it) going for you. Imagine the surprise of a leopard having his face drenched from a two footed creature. The drawback, however, is too great to consider this option- a shot coming from a weapon should not be refreshing. This leaves the only logical choice to be the straight shot caliber. One to each eye in quick succession (pardon the graphic nature) should leave the animal running with his tail between his legs. It would be prudent to take the time to sight in because if you end up with a caliber in between the results could be less than pleasant. 

As a backup I thought (again because I had the time) that it might be a good idea for me to go to the laborers house and borrow one of the Texan dinner bells to hang around my neck. We have seen from experience how effective these are in warding off any kind of animal. I only had seconds to savor my cleverness when reality set in. How quickly I forgot the tableside strategy laid out last night concerning the hit that was taken out on the donkeys last night. Wearing a Texan dinner bell at this point would be suicide. Coupled with that is also the reality that hungry animals (for the sake of argument let's just say leopards) also know the Texan dinner bell sound associated with something that could potentially provide sustenance. Clearly this is not a good option. Now if I would choose to sing as I went along the path, that would ensure my safety and also provide double duty by scaring the critters closer to the hunters. Hmmmm.

The donkey stole my good light...

This afternoon we went blind hunting (not with blindfolds but rather  in a blind just to clarify. I think the Russians are the only ones who prefer to do it the other way). The conditions were painstakingly prepped with the waterholes being filled and drained in such a way to prepare for tonight's hunt. Hay was also put out in select areas to further assist in customers at the restaurant. We entered the blind and waited. And waited. Need I say we waited some more? Stories told (whispered), shh's were sent my way to silence my camera equipment and we waited. Finally some eland came by to check out the place. Then a group of warthogs. The eland waited and we waited for the timing to be just right. The sun was setting, the light turned to the gorgeous sunset light that photographers wait all day for. My camera was set and ready to capture what might come our way. I had goosebumps as I anticipated what exotic creature I might capture. The eland came back around for their final approach to the waterhole after their initial scope. Suddenly out of nowhere we heard a noise resembling a Texan dinner triangle. Clang clang clang. An unhappy utterance was spoken by our PH and we saw the cause of the commotion. The laborers' donkeys had once again left their pen and were milling around scaring away anything living with their Texan cowbell necklaces.

After the PH spoke to the worker and got him to bring his donkeys home, we waited some more. The light began dimming along with our hopes. I kept my camera and video camera close just in case. The light was nearly completely gone when a group of female wildebeest came in. By then it was too dark to capture anything.

Another member of our group had donkey problems this morning as well so we are going to look at the price list to see the going rate for a donkey hunt tomorrow. The trophy hanging on the wall will be a cowbell.

In Africa at last!

We finally made it! The trip was not without incident, however. We lost a comrade in arms. One of our group lost her passport somewhere in between airports and was not able to board in Atlanta. The rest of the group went on, though it was difficult to do so. We were so stressed over the incident and couldn' t wait to land so we could find out what her status was. This was a lonnnnggg wait. Sixteen hours later we arrived. By the time we got there our sense of time was so fowled up anyway, it was quite easy to get on the new time (7 hours ahead). We were picked up at the airport and driven a short hour's drive to Pretoria, where we spent the night and ate. Ohhhh, to be able to lay flat was heaven!! 

We were ecstatic to hear later last night that our fallen comrade was able to get a temporary passport and will be joining us tomorrow. We are relieved!

We had a wonderful breakfast that started with what we would call exotic fruit and the best way to describe it is take the BEST fruit you can get from the grocery store in the States,  multiply that by 10 and you will have eaten African fruit.

 
We were preparing ourselves for the 4+ hour drive to the farm (hunting ranch) but it went soooo fast. We enjoyed learning about the culture from our driver and his wife. Very eye-opening. With every minute that passed all I could think of is how incredibly sheltered we are. 

Along our drive to the ranch we saw zebra hanging out with cattle, impala, baboons, more baboons and an occasional ostrich. We are definitely not in Kansas anymore. I wish I could describe with words what we have seen and we have only just gotten here. I have goosebumps as I think about it. This is a magical place, unlike anything I'd ever seen. 

After meeting our host and hostess and the PH's (professional hunters), we went out for our first hunt. There are acres as far as the eye can see of dense shrubs and trees that look like a tornado has lopped them off. There are thorns on most of the shrubs but still there remains a beauty to it. We saw more ostrich and with every new sight I was asking about everything, trying to understand my surroundings. What's that? Ostrich poo. What's that? Eland tracks. What's that? A rock. Ok, dumb Americans. The rocks look different here. Least we gave our PH a good laugh.

We sat in a blind by handmade water holes waiting for something interesting. A duiker was in the distance but Jamie didn't shoot at it. Someone else in our group got to shoot a freebie gemsbuck- one that they culled due to poor horns. Yes, Jamie is jealous.

We are off to have our evening meal by fireside where a netted cloth drapes our table service before dining. This is Africa and I am savoring every minute of it!

Africa or bust!

The day has arrived where big questions get answered: Is the earth really round? Will all of our stuff be accepted across state lines or will airport workers make us take half our stuff back home? Will we be wearing more than 2 outfits for 3 weeks because our luggage was sent to Japan?

I am awaiting the sunrise and wondering what the first sunrise will look like in Africa. (yes, I realize that they have in fact had a sunrise before...but I have not seen it). I got a decent night's sleep last night thanks to much prayer. When I asked Jamie how he slept he said "not well". (this is a paraphrase) I still think his prayers were answered because now he will sleep well on the plane. (-:

At this time tomorrow we will hopefully be thinking about waking up to finish out our last 4 hours of flight before we are greeted at Jo-burg (that's Johannesburg) and we go through customs. 

My mind is overwhelmed with anticipation.  What will we see? What a bummer it would be if we find out the animals just weren't out for 3 weeks and we are just driving around. Okay, so not very realistic, but still. 

Well, it is time to have a "group sit" on the suitcases so we can get them closed. The kitties like to be involved in the process and every little bit of weight helps. They have been moping around since the suitcases came out and are wise to what is about to occur. 

The sun is now peeking out from the horizon and revealing the awesomeness, excitement and beauty that's in store! Africa here we come! (but we first have to make it through the airport...luckily I have saved up some M&M bribes that I am not afraid to wave around if necessary.)

Ants in my pants, butterflies in my stomach and lions on the brain....

Yep, the time is correct so those who know me well will know that I am not right in the head. (I don't do 5 am)! This is going to be quite a voyage for both of us. Jamie said that we have it better than Columbus- he thought he was going to fall of the earth on his voyage- so short of us discovering the Bermuda rectangle we should be fine. I have to admit, though, that at 4:20 this morning something occurred to me that I have curiously overlooked. We are going over water. A lot of water. For a very long time. Hmmm. I had not considered this. Those who know me know that I have a mild bridge phobia. Not clinging to the door handle and nearly passing out...got over that years ago....no, I mean I just prefer to have ground under me and breathe a little better when I do. When we have occasion to cross the bridge by Chamberlain, scripture comes readily. So, tomorrow we're going to be propelled over the ocean. Hmmm. Need a moment to grasp that. What if they low tire light comes on? What if Frank forgot to bring it in for service and the service light comes on? I don't recall seeing many islands out there to land on. What if the island we land on has people....who have never seen people? The film crew from Lost is currently unemployed and have long left Hawaii. I don't need them druming up a new reality show while we're looking for a place for an oil change or fixing a flat tire. I'm sure it will be okay, right? I am also quite convinced that we are going to cross right over by New York and work our way DOWN the continent...that way there's less ocean to hover over. Certainly those pilots are as sensible as I am. 

After doing the last of our stage 2 packing we saw we actually had a 3" spot that was open so Jamie was able to squeeze another shirt in. Jamie concluded that if our bags were to be stolen the perpetrators might as well be stylish. I think we're going to feel like a chunk of meat, as they say, both in the airport and beyond. 

On that topic, I really need to get over my overwhelming desire to "pet the kitties" while I am there. I have often thought how much those big kitties would love to be scratched right under their chin the way that Claws purrs when I do that to him. I'm sure they would also appreciate being rubbed on the nose the way Fred enjoys it. Since I am right handed I suppose it would be prudent for me to attempt this with my left as they make their way around our vehicle...

Ready (no), set (no), GO (yea!)

Thought I'd include a photo of the living room floor but decided against it. At this time Thursday morning we will likely be starting to board. Our carry-ons will have been approved, Jamie will NOT have been arrested due to all the stuff he has in his pockets (the arresting part just because TSA is annoyed), our checked baggage will be approved and loaded and we won't be the least bit tired from preparing. Yep, that is EXACTLY how Thursday morning will look. 

After reading multiple mystery and horror novels (i.e. travel forums) I have made it my personal mission to do my best to help all of our belongings come through to the other side. (By the other side I refer to Africa...let's think positively people). I have come up with some ideas on this but won't post them because I don't want to give away my secrets to those who would conspire to use them against other travelers. I'll be happy to share with you privately if you desire but for now I will only say it involves duct tape and M&M's.