What’s it really like?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 26, 2018 with 0 Comment

This giraffe was having a “bad hair day!” The hair on the female giraffe’s ossicones is usually short and straight up.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Cape buffaloes on the Sabie River in Kruger.

In 2012, when we booked our first holiday home in Kenya and then Marloth Park, it was hard for us even to imagine what it would be like living in this type of environment.

Unaware at the time as to the degree of potential risks, inconveniences, and challenges we might face spending three months in the bush, we forged ahead tentatively optimistic, hoping to fulfill my lifelong dream of visiting Africa.

A dazzle of zebras hanging out near the road in Kruger.

Although Tom was somewhat skeptical and fearful of the unknown, he willingly agreed to visit the mysterious continent. We spent almost nine months on the continent living in three countries; Kenya, South Africa, and Morocco.

Many travelers never consider visiting Africa due to their fears. The distance is also a factor, along with the high airfare costs from many parts of the world. But, fear seems to be the most significant deterrent based on conversations we’ve had with travelers from all over the world.

And yet, millions of tourists visit Africa each year, statistics for which may be found here. Tom had never known anyone who’d visited Africa in our old lives, and I only knew a handful, all of whom had an extraordinary experience.

A crocodile was lounging on the bank of Sunset Dam.

And now, almost six years have passed since we arrived in Kenya in September 2013, which we’ll soon visit again in less than seven months. It feels as natural for us to be in Africa as anywhere else in the world, if not even more.

Over and over, we’ve mentioned the challenges and inconveniences; the insects; mosquitoes; malaria, and other disease risks; rampant crime in specific areas; the excessive heat in the summer months; and a small but realistic risk of injury from wildlife (snake bites, insects bites. poisonous vegetation and close encounters with dangerous animals).

Yellow-billed storks and other birds are not easily identifiable due to the distance when taking this photo across the lake at Sunset Dam.

We’ve even heard local stories of residents in Marloth Park unwittingly being “stabbed” by the horns of male kudus, male bushbucks, and wildebeest when they got too close. These animals generally don’t attack humans unless injured or provoked.

Then, of course, we all proceed with caution when lions or leopards have been spotted in the park, which poses the most risk at night in the dark. There are curfews imposed against walking on the roads at night. Logical, eh?

We surmised this elephant might have been ancient based on its size and its bright white tusks. Scientists can better gauge the age of an elephant by its teeth, as described on this site.

All of these aside, we do not live in fear under any circumstances, although we use reason, caution, and care in many situations that could pose a problem.

Yes, when walking through the heavy bush on our perpetual search for photo ops, we watch where we’re walking not only to avoid spraining an ankle from the uneven terrain but always on the lookout for snakes.

Hippos on the bank of the Sabie River.

On the positive side, nothing, anywhere in the world, can compare to the joy we experience every day. From watching the birds enjoy our bird feeder to the nine kudus who visited first thing this morning to the many trips to Kruger as shown in today’s photos.

This morning while we had breakfast on the veranda (which we now do each morning), we delighted in the kudu’s presence, totally entertained by their interactions and gentle antics. I stand at the edge of the veranda, and my favorite kudu licks the toes of my stocking feet.

This was the first time we’d seen giraffes at the Vurhami Dam, located about 10 minutes on the paved road from the entrance to the park at Crocodile Bridge.

It’s cool here now in winter. Most days are sunny and comfortably warm, not hot. There aren’t many insects buzzing around our heads in the winter months, which will end in September.

We aren’t dreading the onset of the hot and humid summer. We experienced it in 2013/2014 and knew what to expect.

Wildebeest lounging in the savannah.

Soon, we off to the hustle and bustle of busy, cultural Komatipoort and Lebombo, the streets packed with locals selling their wares and others buying them. Even shopping day is an adventure unto itself.

We continue to be grateful and humbled by this life. We pray good health will keep us traveling for as long as possible.

Several giraffes attempting to drink at the Vurhami Dam.

May each of you have good health and fulfillment!

Photo from one year ago today, July 26, 2017:

Two Mallards sitting on rocks in one of the eight ponds in the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve in Nevada. For more photos, please click here.

Vulture Day!…What?…Are vultures deserving a day of their own?…Most certainly!…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 25, 2018 with 0 Comment

Classic scene of three vultures on a limb. We were thrilled to get this shot from quite a distance. From this site: Vultures are, however, great ecologists, having a high sense of personal hygiene and are a manifestation of the adage of patience as a virtue. They clean the veld of carrion, thereby minimizing the impact of animal disease, and they bathe regularly in rivers after gorging themselves at a kill.”

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Whoa, Mr. Zebra! Why are you climbing the steps to the veranda?

Each visit to Kruger National Park seems to result in the focus of one particular species or another. It may be rhinos, elephants, giraffes, zebras, or wildebeests.

Oddly, and much to our surprise, the focus of yesterday’s foray in the park seemed to highlight vultures. After about 45 minutes on the tar road from the Crocodile Bridge entrance, we noticed several vehicles tightly pulled into an overlook area. Of course, we had to stop to see what was going on.

This appeared to be the most common vulture we spotted, the white-backed vulture. From this site: “To watch the interaction of vultures at a kill is like witnessing the unbridled nature of food politics. The Shangaan proverb that translates as ‘where the vultures assemble, there is a kill’ refers to the fact that there is always a purpose in mind when people gather together. The White-backed Vulture is the most common in Kruger. There are approximately 2 000 pairs in the Park, concentrated mostly in the dry, lightly wooded grasslands of the east and mopane veld of the north. They are the most gregarious of vultures, often roosting in large communes where they sleep with their heads tucked under their wings. They often soar at great heights during the day and depend on either the Bateleur or other vultures to lead them to a kill.”

One’s hope in these situations that lions might be the reason for the gathering of vehicles. We hoped it was lions for us, who have yet to see lions while driving through Kruger but have experienced several sightings from Marloth Park overlooking the Crocodile River from this side of the fence.

Most photo safari participants long to see lions above all other wildlife in the massive national park, whether self-driven or in a guide-driven and assisted safari vehicle.

This vulture appeared to be a different species from the others shown.

Months ago, we let go of our burning desire to see lions in Kruger National Park since we’d seen them on the river, and we didn’t want our focus on lions to distract us from other wildlife we’ve thoroughly enjoyed sighting on our almost weekly visits to the park.

As we entered the tight overlook area, where no less than a dozen vehicles were crammed, we searched and searched for a lion, a kill, or a dying animal that may have attracted the many vultures in trees and hovering over the area, to no avail.

There was little information online to help us identify these vultures. Any comments would be appreciated! From this site: Vultures fight unashamedly over whatever scraps they can get, and when they descend on the proverbial trough, their grim determination is evident – these birds can consume a kilogram of meat in a minute and strip a carcass within hours.”

Tom used his trusty Swarovski binoculars while I searched with the viewfinder of the camera, scanning every inch of terrain which wasn’t obstructed by trees and bush.No luck. We didn’t see a thing other than the variety of vultures we’ve presented here today, most of which were sitting in trees rather than eating something on the ground.

Although months ago we purchased the Kruger Park Map & Guide with photos of most birds found in the park, including birds of prey, we couldn’t identify by name any of the specific vultures shown above other than the white-backed vulture.

This vulture appears to be out of a scary movie or nightmare. From friend Ken (thanks, Ken!): This is the Hooded Vulture. They usually turn on the feast after the Lappet-faced or white-backed has torn into the carcass and had their fill. Details: 65 to 75cms high considered small in Vulture terms.The wingspan of 1.7 -1.8m. From this site: Physically, all vultures appear built for scavenging. They have strong, hooked beaks that can tear a carcass open, but unlike other birds of prey, their feet are not suited to catching live animals. The main exception appears to be the Hooded Vulture – as the smallest and most prone to being bullied off a carcass, it has diversified its diet to include termites and small animals such as lizards.”

If any of our worldwide readers are vulture enthusiasts, please send me an email from the link on the right side of our homepage under the “translate” button and let me know each species numbered them top to bottom, beginning with a photo #1. This would be greatly appreciated.

There’s no doubt. We often search for birds in our garden throughout Marloth Park on our almost daily drives and when visiting Kruger. However, we must admit, the bulk of acquired knowledge revolves around other types of wildlife.

Here in Africa, we love the sounds of various birds pecking in our bird feeder, the constant “trilling” sound of the helmeted guinea fowls, the squawking of hornbills, and of course, any sightings of the most peculiar and fascinating ostriches.

Obviously, there had been a kill in the area where sighting these various vultures.

While living in Kauai, Hawaii, in 2015 for four months, we were literally obsessed with the nesting Laysan Albatross as shown in dozens of posts such as this one here. Also, during the extended stay on the island, we fell in love with a singing-for-nuts, red cardinal we aptly named “Birdie,” which can be found here.

Lately, our favorite birds have been francolins, Frank, and the Misses, who now respond when we call for them. In the meantime, the not-so-dumb guinea fowls come running when they hear me call for Frank, knowing birdseed is on the horizon.

Then, of course, there were hundreds of thousands of birds we saw while in Antarctica a mere six months ago. See this link for some of those stunning birds, including albatross and a wide array of penguin species.

We got as close as possible but could not see what had piqued the interest of all of these vultures. From this site: “Almost all the vultures in Africa are represented in Kruger, the main exception being the Lammergeyer, which is restricted to the Kwazulu-Natal Drakensberg, and the Palm-nut Vulture, which is found on the eastern seaboard (rarely seen in Kruger). The Park has thus become a vulture sanctuary, mainly because of the predator activity on the ground, and secondly because of poisoning in non-protected areas of southern Africa.”

We’re often dependent upon our friends Lynne and Mick from Marloth Park (now in the UK) and friend Louise in Kauai, Hawaii, to assist us in identifying birds, but we don’t like to take up too much of their time. If you can help, please do.

One thing for sure, wherever we may travel in the world, there are birds, and we’ll always enjoy sightings with opportunities to take photos when possible to share with all of our readers/friends.

Thank you for being on this journey with us! May your day provide you with opportunities to enjoy our flying, walking, and running aviary friends.

Photo from one year ago today, July 25, 2017:

One year ago, while in Las Vegas, I dinged the rental car. How I got it fixed was quite unusual. Click here for the details.

A Sunday drive in the neighborhood…Pinch me, am I dreaming?…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 23, 2018 with 0 Comment

This was one of our favorite sightings of the day, three giraffes drinking together on the Crocodile River.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

We’ve posted other photos of hornbills in our bird feeder, but we can’t ever get enough of these pretty birds.

After uploading the day’s post and busying myself making a special Sunday dinner, I suggested we go for our drive…in this case, a “Sunday drive.” I recall as a kid going for a drive on Sunday afternoons, and it was extraordinary.

I grew up in Long Beach, California (except for two years in Boston). A Sunday drive usually consisted of visiting one of many exceptional beaches on the Pacific Coast Highway.

The above main photo is from a distance.

When Tom was a child, typically, his family would drive from Minneapolis to Winsted, Minnesota (72 km, 45 miles) to visit family. It was often too cool to swim in the ocean in the winter months, but the drive and a stop for an ice cream cone were all it took to make the day special. He, too, had some great memories of those days.

Now, as we’ve aged and are “relatively” retired as world travelers, Sundays are just another pleasant day of the week, especially since we’ve re-instituted our old-fashioned Sunday drive.

Giraffes rarely bend over to the ground other than for drinking. They are highly vulnerable to predators in this position.

However, a Sunday drive in Marloth Park is like none other anywhere else in the world. As always, Tom washed the little car’s windows since, at times, sightings occur in front of us on the road, and we have no choice but to take photos through the windscreen (windshield in the US).

A wildlife wonderland.

We load a newly charged battery in the camera, clean the camera lens with a soft cloth and pack an extra battery in Tom’s pants pocket. We fill our mugs with iced tea, Crystal Lite for Tom, and green tea with cinnamon for me, and we’re off.

Over the past 5½ months, we’ve learned to keep our expectations in check. On occasion, we may see little more than helmeted guinea fowls (of which we have dozens in our garden), impalas, and a variety of baboons and Vervet monkeys.

Zooming in on this “obstinancy” of cape buffaloes, we see where they got this plural name. They certainly do appear obstinate and, in fact, are referred to as the “Black Death” based on the number of people they kill each year.

For first-time visitors seeing the above could be most satisfying. But, now, after a total of 8½ months in Marloth Park, including our prior three months in 2013/2014, impalas, although adorable, guinea fowls and monkeys are seldom subjects of photos unless something is exciting transpiring.

As for baboons, which are destructive and may be dangerous, we have no interest in them at all, preferring to stay away as much as possible. The exception may be if a large troupe came to the garden for a possible photo op. Of course, it’s imperative not to feed them, or they’ll never go away.

In this distant photo, it appeared the many cape buffaloes were piled atop one another. They do stay close to one another when lounging…safety in numbers.

As for the rest of the wildlife, we’re interested in it all, from the unusual insects to tiny frogs to the massive elephants. I suppose most of the residents in Marloth Park feel the same, except we noticed the next-door neighbors feeding the Vervet monkeys over the weekend.

They leave for their other home, and then we’re left with the monkeys pestering us. We cannot stress enough how destructive they can be. They can literally destroy every item on a veranda or the inside a house in a matter of minutes.

Elephants are always an exciting sighting.

Side note: a few minutes ago, a hornbill was sitting on a tree limb squawking at us. Tom checked and found the birdfeeder almost empty of bird seeds. He refilled it, and moments later, the hornbill was back inside the feeder as content as she could be, with several following her. That precipitated today’s “sighting of the day” photo above.

We began the Sunday drive around 1330 hours (1:30 pm) and never made it back “home” until almost 1600 hours (4:00 pm). What a day we had while merely on a Sunday drive through Marloth Park, mainly focusing on activity on the river.

As we ended our drive along the river road, we spotted elephants close to the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park. This was a first for us, but Kathy and Don’s friends who live on the river road told us this occurs occasionally.

The areas around the bush houses had few animals since many holidaymakers were still here spending a long weekend or more. But, once we reached the river, the sightings were over-the-top.

We’d drive a short distance with our eyes peeled toward the river, see something, park the little car on the road to walk through the dense bush at times. I was wearing jeans and socks, but Tom was in shorts, scratching up his legs in the process.

Wildebeests and zebras visiting holidaymakers. They had a small bag of pellets that tourists often buy when they are here for a weekend or longer stay.

Some indigenous and invasive plants can cause a nasty rash, infection, or even serious injury, so I always make sure my legs are covered. We’d recently read of a woman who died (in another area in South Africa) by a neurotoxin in a plant that had scratched her leg while walking in the bush.

One can’t be too careful. Next time, he’ll wear long pants. Also, it’s important to wear insect repellent since we aren’t taking malaria pills this year in Africa except for our visa trips to Zambia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.

There were giraffes munching on trees in Marloth Park and more drinking on the river.

Anyway, the day was outstanding! We spotted more wildlife in this short period of time than we’d ever seen in Kruger during the same period. It kept coming and coming. Each time we thought we were done for the day, we encountered more sightings.

Back at our holiday home, a few animals were waiting for us, Ms. Bushbuck and Little Wart Face. We gave them each a little pile of pellets and vegetables in separate areas so LWF wouldn’t chase her away. They happily munch on their treats, both returning in the evening for yet another round.

Yesterday, we saw no less than 100 cape buffaloes at the Crocodile River.

Today, we’ll lay low, enjoying yet another hot and sunny day at 25C (77F) while situated on the veranda, as usual, contemplating our next trip to Kruger and drive in Marloth Park. Of course, we won’t be waiting until next Sunday for either.

Have a warm and sunny day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 23, 2017:

The lights on the Strip at night are always impressive. It’s hard to believe it was a year ago we were in Las Vegas spending this fun evening, among many others, with son Richard and friends. For more photos, please click here.

Lions lounging…Anticipation…Dangerous small antelope…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 22, 2018 with 0 Comment

Difficult to distinguish in this photo. Two male lions are sleeping.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

With the male bushbuck in the yard munching on pellets, this female hid in the bush until he left.

After a pleasant evening out to dinner with friends, we were home shortly after 2200 hours (10:00 pm). I couldn’t fall asleep when I went to bed at least an hour before Tom for some odd reason.

Tom spotted this lion napping across the Crocodile River as we peered through the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger.

Finally, by midnight, I dozed off, only to awaken every hour or so. By morning, I hadn’t slept for more than three or four hours, asking myself what possibly could have caused the poor night’s sleep. Nothing had changed. I hadn’t had any caffeine or eaten anything that would precipitate such a stormy night.

He was at quiet a distance, making me struggle to hold the camera steady for these shots.

Subsequently, I was relatively pooped when I began today’s post, a little later than usual after I’d made breakfast (Tom did the dishes), did laundry (Tom hung it on the clothesline), and prepared the majority of tonight’s dinner.

I was dozing off sitting at the big table on the veranda on a gorgeous warm sunny day. By 10:30 am, I headed back to bed (an infrequent occurrence for me) to try for a short nap.

Male bushbuck can be dangerous with their sharp horns. See this article where a farmer was gored to death by a male bushbuck.

After spending an hour and a half in the bedroom, sleeping only about 20 minutes, I felt considerably better and returned outdoors to Tom, who’d stayed in place at the table while I was trying to nap.

Somewhat refreshed, I knew I’d better get going on today’s post, or I’d be sitting here all day. On this gorgeous day, we’d like to do our usual drive in the park, especially after what we’d seen two days ago when we stopped along the river road and walked through the dense bush to get to the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park.

Tourists should not hand feed any animals with horns.

We’d spotted several vehicles parked on the narrow road and a dozen or so people armed with binoculars and cameras looking across the Crocodile River. We love it when others find incredible sightings, and we follow suit.

The sky changed dramatically while we were in Kruger a few days ago.

But, this is not as easy as you’d think. The terrain and the color of the lions are an identical match, and bringing them into view on a camera is often tricky. Others who’ve spotted them will often say, “Oh, they are near that big bush, next to the tree.”

There are dozens of big bushes and trees on the opposite side of the distant bank of the river. We’ve often seen people leaving in total frustration when they couldn’t see them after trying for an hour or more.

Female bushbuck were preparing for a drink in the cement pond.

As all of our readers so well know, we’re stubborn and determined and will try and try until we get it right. Why is it worth it to go through the angst of trying to get the wildlife in the camera’s lens for such a distant shot?

Tom says it’s like fishing. You sit. You wait. Nothing happens. Time passes slowly. Finally, you catch a fish, only to take a photo, carefully remove the hook from the fish’s mouth and toss it back in the lake, the river, or the sea.

Sugar cane burning at a distance.

Go figure. What’s with us humans? Why do we get such pleasure out of this? The only answer we can come up with is this: ANTICIPATION! It’s a magical thing.

The burning of sugar cane fields is almost daily, often leaving our white tiled veranda covered in soot based on wind conditions.

We’re reminded of Carly Simon’s famous song, found here as we say this word aloud. Yes, it’s anticipation that drives us to make the weekly run to Kruger, the almost daily drive in Marloth Park, and to sit on the veranda when we’re not doing either and wait, morning, noon and night.

A bloat of hippos.

The funny thing about anticipation is that one must occasionally experience “results,” or the interest would fade away in time. Here, in South Africa, in this unusual place, we’re rewarded with results over and over again.

May anticipation bring you the results you’re seeking today and always!

Photo from one year ago today, July 22, 2017:

As always, we had a great evening at The Elephant Bar with friends while we were in Las Vegas, Nevada, last year at this time. For more photos, please click here.

Part 2, Kruger National Park reaps many rewards…Supporting other travelers in their quest to travel the world…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 21, 2018 with 0 Comment

The pillow-like puffs of white clouds against the bright blue sky and a few elephants create a heavenly scene in Kruger.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This cute little bird landed in our bird feeder. According to our helpful friend Lynne, this is a juvenile male red-headed weaver. Thanks, Lynne!

Not a day passes that we don’t hear from some of our readers contemplating changing their lives to travel the world. They often have many questions we’re always more than willing to answer based on our personal experiences over this past almost six years.

It’s always thrilling to see elephants along the road.

We’ve had little to offer in a few cases when the inquirer is planning to backpack, stay in hostels, or use an RV, camper, or caravan. But, the majority of inquiries revolve around places we’d suggest, holiday/vacation home rental sites we prefer, health insurance and medical care, refilling prescriptions, car rentals, credit cards to use, visas, and the most cost-effective means of converting money.

Elephants crossing the road is extra special.

We are always happy to oblige and most often respond within 24 hours. The irony of it all is that everyone travels differently. No single person or couple seems to do it precisely as we do.

And most exciting when large numbers of elephants cross the road.

That’s the beauty of the vast numbers of primarily retirees/baby boomers who are making the drastic decision to change their lives. The single most significant difference in the way we travel and how others travel or desiring to travel may include some of these:

We have no home, apartment, condo, or bedroom in the homes of family or friends where we go for downtime or regrouping.
We have no storage anywhere. We unloaded everything we owned in our old lives.
We own no rental property, often the traveler(s) former residence they keep in case “they change their minds” or tire of traveling. This may be a significant source of worry and stress; maintenance, management, rental issues, wear and tear, and market conditions. We each had owned homes for over four decades.

On our way to the Mug & Bean restaurant on Lower Sabie, we noticed it was raining at a distance. We certainly need rain here but most likely won’t encounter much for several months.

Typically we stay in vacation/holiday homes for one to three months. (Although this year in Africa is a rare exception, as mentioned in yesterday’s post, where we’re recovering from the big expense of the Antarctica cruise).
Often, for short stays, we negotiate special pricing for hotels while we await the next venue.
We use cruising as much as possible as a means of transportation while providing living arrangements during the sailing period. We don’t think of cruising as a holiday or vacation.

We have minimal luggage. If we purchase something to add to our bags, we must dispose of something else. Maximum kilogram per bag: 23 (50 pounds)

A waterbuck is looking across the river for possible predators.

We do not stay in the homes of family and friends. We don’t want to burden anyone with our peculiarities, nor do we expect a free ride (except for son Richard in Henderson, Nevada, where we’ll stay for a few weeks every two to three years. Thanks, Ricky!)
We don’t have a “bucket list.” If we discover something along the way we’d like to do, we research, analyze the costs, and make a decision to include it in our itinerary.
We often book some events two years in advance to continue shaping our itinerary. We thoroughly enjoy the planning process, with each of us playing a very active role.
Every day, 365 days a year, we spend half of each day documenting our daily lives with photos. Doing so is not a chore for us. It’s a pure pleasure! We can write about the second part of each day we spend experiencing aspects of our lives the following day.
Our overall goal: stress-free living.

There’s never a shortage of moms and babies. From this site: “Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals. These gentle giants’ pregnancies last for more than a year and a half. The average gestation period for an elephant is about 640 to 660 days or roughly 95 weeks. By comparison, a human pregnancy lasts an average of 280 days or 40 weeks. Female elephants live for 60 to 70 years, but only have about four offspring throughout their lifetime.”

None of the above is stated to imply that the way we’re doing it is ideal. However, over these years, we’ve fine-tuned our goals, objectives, and expectations and are content with how we’ve chosen this path in life.

From this site: “The South African giraffe (G. c. giraffa) is found in northern South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, and south-western Mozambique. It has dark, somewhat rounded patches “with some fine projections” on a tawny background color. The spots extend down the legs and get smaller. The median lump of males is less developed. A maximum of 31,500 are estimated to remain in the wild, and around 45 are kept in zoos.”

However, we always welcome inquiries regardless of the ways you may choose to travel. Please don’t hesitate to inquire at any time. Also, if you know of someone interested in long-term lifestyle travel, please forward our site to their email.

Two giraffes are crossing the road near a historical marker on the paved road.

Tonight, we’re heading out to dinner with friends Sandra and Paul (both MP Honorary Rangers), who happens to live a few doors down the road from us. No doubt, as always, it will be an enjoyable evening with this lovely couple.

In certain parts of Africa, giraffes are being killed for their tails used as a status symbol. For a video and story on this horrifying practice, please click here.

Tomorrow, we’ll be back with lion sighting photos! Please check back!

Have a beautiful weekend.

Photo from one year ago today, July 21, 2017:

We purchased our new Brother color scanner in Nevada to replace the five-year-old Doxie model we used in the past. For details on living a paper-free lifestyle, please click here.

Part 1, Kruger National Park reaps many rewards…A gruesome reality…Plus, cucarachas…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 20, 2018 with 0 Comment

Although this may appear gruesome, this is the reality of life in the wild. Most likely, a lion killed and devoured this cape buffalo which was later “finished off” by vultures that we saw hovering when we first spotted this scene.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

We were parked at the edge of the shore of Sunset Dam when this croc emerged from the water. Wow!

Sometimes when we go to Kruger National Park, we encounter breathtaking and unusual scenes. Yesterday was a little different. There wasn’t any particular incident or sighting that left us reeling as usual.

Several vehicles had stopped to observe this kill. We waited until we could get a better shot and zoomed in. See the main photo for more detail.

Were we disappointed? Not at all. It’s not always the mind-blowing experiences that make it a good trip into Kruger. Instead, we encountered a wide array of birds and wildlife, which we’ll share over the next few days.

Hippos and impala at a distance on the Sabie River in Kruger.

Often, it’s the more subtle sightings that make us appreciate the simplicity of it all…wildlife living in their natural habitat, continually on the search for food, procreation, and a degree of comfort when possible. We, humans, are so much like them, aren’t we?

We take a side dirt road each time we go to Kruger and often see this wildebeest sitting under this same tree. I guess that explains how we’re all “creatures of habit.”

We began first thing in the morning to make the 20-minute drive to the Crocodile Bridge with a plan to drive to Lower Sabie to the Mug and Bean restaurant for a leisurely lunch. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but where in the world can one jump into their car and be in wildlife nirvana in 20 minutes?

Now that we’ve fallen in love with Wildebeest Willie, we are particularly passionate about these calm and peaceful animals.

We never fail to appreciate this fact, nor do we ever get tired of seeing elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, warthogs, rhinos, and so much more. One might think that since we can drive five minutes to the river in Marloth Park and almost always seeing elephants, that after a while, it could become mundane.

From this site: “An omnivorous bird, the Yellow-billed Hornbill, feeds mainly on the ground surface, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders, and scorpions. This is the bird we see most often in Marloth and Kruger Park, the hornbill. Termites and ants are a preferred food source in the dry season.”

It doesn’t. Each time we spot the magnificent beasts, we’re reminded of how fortunate we are to be here. Often, we ask ourselves and each other…”How did we get to be here? How could we have lived our lives without these amazing
experiences?”

An “implausibility” of wildebeest.

Previously, we’d mentioned that one of the reasons we chose to stay in Africa for so long was to “lick our wounds” from the costly Antarctica cruise, which was well beyond the limits of our yearly budget. To see the total expenses for the Antarctica cruise, please click here and scroll down the page for the information.

Impalas and warthogs are stopping for a drink.

But, we knew in doing so, it would be “heaven on earth” spending more time on the continent of Africa. Usually, “to lick one’s wounds” requires a certain degree of sacrifice. There’s been no sacrifice here.

This was the first time we’d ever seen a cape buffalo crossing the tar road. They are one of the “Big 5,” including the leopard, lion, elephant, and rhino.

Sure, there are inconveniences and occasional discomforts compared to living in some other parts of the world. However, we’ve adapted so well, we hardly notice anymore.

Hippos resting on a sandbar on the Sabie River. Note the number of oxpeckers on the hippos hides!

Over the past few weeks, we’ve had many cockroaches (aka cucarachas in Spanish) in the house. Usually, one thinks of dirt and filth about the disgusting cockroaches. We have them here, and we had them in Costa Rica, both very clean and newer properties.

This is a white-fronted bee-eater from this site: White-fronted bee-eaters nest in colonies averaging 200 individuals, digging roosting and nesting holes in cliffs or banks of earth. A population of bee-eaters may range across many square kilometers of savannah but will come to the same colony to roost, socialize, and breed. White-fronted bee-eaters have one of the most complex family-based social systems found in birds.”

Picture this, you’re taking a shower, and you see a cockroach crawling up out of the drain. The weird thing here is that they were crawling up out of the drain in the shower. This surely could be a scream-worthy event.

These dark-capped bulbuls hang around for scraps from diners at the Mug and Bean restaurant in Lower Sabie, where we stopped for lunch yesterday.

We don’t scream. Tom sprayed the shower, but when it didn’t resolve the issue, Louise and Danie came to the rescue with a particular product they use specifically for these situations. For a while, we won’t see them again.

Yellow-billed storks lined the shore of Sunset Dam in Lower Sabie.

This is Africa, and they’ll return. Along with zillions of mosquitoes when the rainy season comes in the spring and then the humid summer heat with snakes and insects everywhere. We were here in the summer of 2014. We managed then. We’ll manage again.

Zebra stopping for a drink in the lake.

There will be a trade-off then; the return of dung beetles, which we love to see; the newborns of many of the wildlife; the blooming the bright red Flame Trees and the Sausage Trees and, it goes on and on. There’s so much to distract us from any possible inconveniences.

Another croc emerged for a breath of fresh air. Crocs may stay underwater for up to an hour when they feel threatened.

Soon, we’ll be off for our usual exploratory drive in Marloth Park. Who knows what we’ll see? It’s now approaching the weekend, and holidaymakers are flooding the park once again. Today the wildlife “traffic” in our garden has already diminished a bit as the crowds move in for the weekend.

Several crocs at Sunset Dam, lounging in the sun.

We’ll be patient, and before too long, it will be Monday again, and everything will be right with the world, this world, right here and right now.

May everything be right in your world today and always.

Photo from one year ago today, July 20, 2017:

While in Las Vegas, I made these homemade hamburger buns (the recipe is shown at this link here) are huge enough to hold a 6 to 8-ounce patty with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion or other items added. They’re easy to make and delicious! Please click here for more.

Zebra Day!…Watch our exciting zebra video!!!…It keeps on giving and giving…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 19, 2018 with 0 Comment

This video of yesterday’s zebra antics in the garden features the tiniest foals

we’ve seen to date.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

One of the older foals needed a rest.

A few hours ago, we returned from our five-hour outing to Kruger National Park. I’m rushing a bit to get today’s post uploaded since the evening adventures begin soon. Tomorrow, we’ll be back with some stunning photos, which we’re excited to share with all new sightings. Please stop by to see!

It started with just a few, but they kept coming to join in on the action in the garden.

Yesterday, we had a steady stream of visitors throughout the day. We were gone for a few hours to shop in Komatipoort, but we were anxious to get back and see what surprises were in store for us.

This foal was so young, it seemed a little dazed and confused, never once paying any attention to the pellets and vegetable.

We weren’t disappointed. No more than two minutes after we parked the little car in the driveway, they started coming. Ms. Bushbuck and baby and friend were the first to arrive, followed by a “sounder” of warthogs, many we know, some we did not.

The dazzle consisted mainly of females along with the three youngsters.

While Tom tossed the pellets, I cut up vegetables. It was only 1600 hrs. (4:00 pm) and we had an inkling it would be a hectic evening in the bush. How right we were!

The baby’s hair was a little curly and fluffy. Her face was dirty from the dust kicked up during the visit.

Still reeling from the 17 kudus that stopped by for an hour on Monday morning after the tourist traffic in the park had considerably thinned out, our expectations weren’t high.

She tried to suckle a few times, but mom was more interested in pellets at the moment than in feeding her young.

We had several excellent sightings on the Crocodile River with more wildlife than we could have imagined, indeed “safari luck,” when the presence of tourists has no bearing on how many animals stop to drink and eat on and near the Crocodile River.

The gestation period for African zebras is typically 13 months.

After staying busy with the visitors on hand, we heard the thunderous sounds of hooves of zebras as they barreled their way through the dense bush to get to the ample open space in our garden, where they all congregate when they stop by.

Please leave it to Little Wart Face to get in on the action. He always seems to be hovering nearby, watching and waiting.

The next-door neighbors who periodically stay in their bush home purchased a large bale of hay before leaving for their other home somewhere, going it in their driveway for the animals to eat.

Success, a moment of nursing!

(We don’t know these neighbors since they only stay for a few days and then depart. We’ve never made an effort to introduce ourselves, nor have they). We were sad to see the bale of hay, a breeding ground for bacteria, with the animals passing diseases between themselves, especially bovine tuberculosis.

Zebras tend to stay physically close to one another, although they can be feisty when food is offered.

For this reason, we’ve never considered having one of those at our holiday home, although there was one here, half gone, when we arrived in February. Before we knew about bovine TB and other diseases that wildlife can pass amongst themselves when eating the hay bales or from a trough.

This female stood with her nose touching the glass on the little car for at least 10 minutes. We wondered what that was all about. She could have been staring at her reflection.

But, how do you approach a neighbor, especially when we don’t know them, and we’re “only renters,” to tell them not to use a trough, a bale of hay, or a mineral block which the wildlife so freely love and share?

This smallest of the foals stayed as close to mom as possible.

First, we noticed the zebras at the neighbor’s home engrossed in the hay. From time to time, they’d look our way. We are waiting patiently. We knew they’d come. And, they did indeed.

A playful pair.

The most exciting part of their visit saw the tiniest zebra we’d seen during this stay in Marloth Park or four and a half years ago when we were here. Not only was there the smallest foal, as shown in the above video and photos, but there were two other foals in the “dazzle” of 11 zebras.

After the play, they cuddled and sniffed one another.

Funny thing, as I write this now, a day later, there are three zebras in the garden, all males. They’re now heading over the hay bale along with a half dozen helmeted guinea fowls who followed them.

This female was scratching her nose on the end of the fence. Zebras often scratch themselves of any available protrusion.

Little Wart Face is the only pig here now, and he enjoys any pellets of vegetables the zebras may have missed. Even the guinea fowl, who find the pellets too large to swallow, peck at them to break them up into smaller pieces. The competition for pellets is astounding, often resulting in head-butting and kicking.

The foal seemed lost and confused.

As an aside, while we stood on the edge of the veranda, one of the zebras bit my shoe when I didn’t tender the pellets quickly enough for her liking. We laughed out loud. I was glad I was wearing my runners since that bite could have been painful!

The mom and baby were the last to leave when the others had wandered next door to the bale of hay.

Now that we’re back from Kruger, we’ll prepare dinner and soon set up the veranda for the evening’s entertainment. Who will it be tonight? We shall find out soon enough!

Oops! Wildebeest Willie just showed up! Have to go…

Have a pleasant day and evening!

Photo from one year ago today, July 19, 2017:

The yellow Costco bag was filled with the remainder of the packages we handled yesterday, including the new portable scanner we ordered when our old unit broke in Minneapolis. For more photos, please click here.

An outstanding 24-hour period we’ll always remember…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 17, 2018 with 0 Comment

This morning, we made this video of 17 kudus in the garden. Astounding!

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

We spotted two rangers on the road with rifles. We wondered what that was about. Any comments?

Yesterday was quite a day! With many holidaymakers leaving on Sunday due to the end of the school holiday, the wildlife came out from hiding in the parklands.

This morning’s 17 kudus in the garden. See the above video for details.

Not only did we have visitors from early morning well into the evening, at dusk last night spotted three giraffes in the side yard after hearing the sounds of branches breaking as they made their way through the bush. When we saw the giraffes’ heads through the dense bush, we took off on foot to check it out.

The kudu standing at the edge of the veranda is the same female that constantly licks my foot when she approaches. I can identify her with a bit of oval notch in her right ear.

We found what appeared to be a mom, dad, and one youngster, most likely around eight or nine months old. We followed them through the neighbor’s garden (no one was there) and out to the parklands, where we stopped to take photos while they were grazing.

Wildebeest Willie and friends stopped by again last night.

The parents didn’t look happy to see us, although we were back by at least 10 meters, so we backed off further, giving them even more space. It was getting late, and visibility was poor from such a distance as we stayed out of sight as much as possible, taking the few photos as shown here today.

Although not all shown in this photo, we had six bushbucks in the garden for the first time.

Soon, we were back on the veranda, ready for the evening’s activities, all of which couldn’t have been more pleasing. They came and came and came, one species after another, often sharing the space with several other species, seem to all be getting along.

Last night, we saw giraffes coming through the parklands next to us. On foot, we rushed to see them up close to take photos. But, dad wasn’t too happy with us with his young calf nearby. We carefully backed away.

When pellets are offered, it’s not unusual to see some head-butting among the same species, let alone among two or more species. Overall, the most aggression we’ve seen is in warthogs amongst themselves. After all, they are “pigs,” right?

This may have been the young giraffe’s mom who hovered nearby.

Yesterday afternoon, we embarked on our usual drive in the park. Although not affected by the number of tourists in Marloth Park, we saw the most striking scenes to date on the Crocodile River, photos of which will follow over the next few days.

We knew better than to get too close.

Was all of this “safari luck” or simply a case of the fact that there were fewer people in the park, resulting in more and more wildlife coming out of hiding to wander from bush house to bush house? We can’t help but assume it was due to fewer cars and fewer people disturbing the peaceful flow of life in the bush.

It was nearly dark when they visited.

The quiet has resumed. We don’t hear cars passing on the road very often. The tar road is quiet and unencumbered and, fewer animals will be killed by speeding motorists. How long this quiet lasts is unpredictable. More tourists will be arriving over this next month for the summer school holidays in Europe and other parts of the world.

The young giraffe was preoccupied munching on leaves in the bush.

But, for now, we’re reveling in the serenity precipitating the return of the wildlife to our garden. It couldn’t be more heavenly. Even the birds seem happier, singing their tunes and dining on seeds from our birdfeeder.

For today? We may stay put and catch up on some much-needed research to begin filling gaps in our itinerary over the next few years. There’s never a time to sit back, knowing everything we need to plan is in place.

A young zebra in the garden of a house on the river road.

Weather permitting, tomorrow, we’ll head to Kruger for the day. If so, we’ll post a notice as to when we expect to have the day’s post uploaded unless I get ambitious enough today to work on tomorrow’s post this afternoon.

This must have been the above baby’s mom resting nearby.

Of course, that’s subject to how many delightful distractions present themselves throughout the day. We’ll play it by ear, as they say.

Have a pleasant day filled with beautiful surprises.

Photo from one year ago today, July 17, 2017:

Surprisingly, there are some birds in the desert during the scorching summer months in Nevada78. For more photos, please click here.

Female lion sighting from the fence…A short reprieve in the commotion…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 16, 2018 with 0 Comment

There were other lions in this pride, but they were all lying down in the bush, making it difficult to get a photo. We both were thrilled Tom captured this photo.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Zebras in the bush with an ostrich in the background.

As mentioned in yesterday’s post here, we’d seen a post on Saturday in the Marloth Park Sighting page on Facebook that lions had been sighted at the “Two Trees” overlook.

Planning to head directly to the Henk Van Rooyan Park fundraiser, we didn’t hesitate to make a rapid change in plans to head to Two Trees to see what we could find. An hour had passed since the sighting was posted, and we suspected the lions could be long gone.

Once Tom spotted this female lion through his binoculars, he grabbed the camera to zoom in as shown.

One might think, head to the location, look through binoculars, and the lions could be spotted. It’s not that easy. Like us, many others had gathered at the location and, with utmost frustration, couldn’t quite get the distant scene in their scope or viewfinder.

After trying for almost a half-hour with no luck, we headed to the fair at the park, deciding we might give it another try after we were done there. We were in and out of the fair in less than 30 minutes, with both of us chomping at the bit to return to Two Trees to give it another try.

Female ostrich checking us out as we drove by.

This time, we were in luck. Tom, with much better distance vision than I, found them in no time but couldn’t get a decent photo of the pride hidden in the bush and tall grass. However, he held steady enough at the long-distance to capture these two photos of a female lion while leaning on the car door for stability.

We always say we’re going to bring our tripod, but invariably we don’t because most photos we take while on one of our regular drives are taken from inside the little car. A tripod would be of little use.

Elephants at the river.

Obviously, the female was on the hunt as she unsuccessfully chased a warthog and impala while we watched. Unless a photographer is willing to maintain a position with a tripod for hours, it’s pure luck to get a shot or video of a lion mounting an attack.

While in the Maasai Mara in 2013, we witnessed several kills, but in Kruger, we’ve yet to see one. It all has to do with being in the right place at the right time. Perhaps when we’re back in the Maasai Mara in February, we’ll have many more opportunities when on safari for several hours each day, most of which is done off-road.

It’s always a pleasure to see a mom and baby elephant.

In Kruger, neither the public, engaged in a self-drive or with a safari guide, can drive off-road. There are plenty of dirt roads and the one main paved road, but spot wildlife near the road is more fluke than anything when you think about it.

Fortunately, many visitors to Kruger have that good luck from time to time, having the opportunity to see nature at its finest. With all the wonderful and unique sightings we’ve had in Kruger, we have no complaints. We’re hoping to return to Kruger this week, now that this first round of tourists has left.

Zebras are on the move on the tar road.

Speaking of tourists leaving. Yesterday was the last Sunday or the South African “school holiday.” The kids return to school today. Well, just as expected, the wildlife began returning to see us last night around 17:00 hrs. (5:00 pm) and did they ever!

Once again, we had one of those special evenings where we had no less than eight species coming and going throughout the evening, including about 60 guinea fowl; Frank (Francolin) and the Mrs.; no less than 10 warthogs, including Little Wart Face, Tusker, Mom and Babies and several whom we didn’t know; eight female kudus; three bushbucks including Tom’s “My Girl”; four wildebeest including Wildebeest Willie; the often visiting Mr. and Mrs. Duiker; and of course our noisy frog Loud Mouth.

A good-sized herd of cape buffaloes.

This morning some of the above were back, along with many others. Each hour since we’ve been outdoors this morning on this very cool day, we’ve had visitors. It’s exciting to have our wildlife friends returning.

But, the reality remains that although the South Africa school holidays have ended, school holidays in Europe continue until mid-August. More tourists will arrive in Marloth Park by mid-week, with more of the precious wildlife being killed by speeding motorists on Oliphant Drive.

The edges of the elephant’s ears get nicked over the years from a variety of hazards.

So far over these past school holidays, 13 animals have been killed on the road. No doubt, animals do dart out onto the roads, but if drivers are extra cautious, deaths can be averted.

Also, we hear stories of tourists feed the wildlife leftover “human” food, potato chips, pizza, and even marshmallows. Of course, animals will eat any of these tasty and sweet human foods. But, they do not have the enzymes in their digestive tracts to digest such foods and can become ill and perish.

These elephants were so close to the Marloth Park side of the fence. We didn’t have to zoom in.

Sadly, some people don’t consider this or care to learn what is appropriate to feed the animals, mainly pellets and certain vegetables. Most fruits don’t contain enough nutritional value to provide them with any sustenance.

Right now, as we close for today, Tom is in the driveway with a long telescopic pole chasing away the monkeys who continue to pester us and the visiting wildlife. They’re always on the food search, including stealing birdseed out of our birdfeeder.

They congregate near one another, especially when there are youngsters.

If monkeys and baboons weren’t so destructive, we’d feed them too. But, this practice never makes sense when they can tear apart a house in a matter of minutes and are very crafty in getting indoors.

Today, we’ll embark on one of our usual drives, hoping that soon the clouds will dissipate, allowing for a warmer and sunnier day. (If rain were in the forecast, we’d welcome the clouds!)

May you have a warm and sunny day!

Photo from one year ago today, July 15, 2017:

Segura Cactus in Las Vegas, one year ago. For more Las Vegas photos, please click here.

Yikes!…Yellow Burmese python…Another event in the park…More lions…

Posted by worldwide-admin on July 15, 2018 with 0 Comment

This is Barend Bloem, nicknamed Slangman (snake man in Afrikaans). We’d have loved to be able to “wear” this Yellow Burmese Python for a photo, but it wasn’t possible when children were waiting for a chance to touch it.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

We stopped along the river on the return drive for a few exciting photos, more of which we’ll share tomorrow.

Over the years, we’ve made a point of participating in more and more local events wherever we may be living at any given time. Doing so gives us a better opportunity to learn more about local culture and mingle with people we encounter at these events.

Here’s the flyer from yesterday’s fundraiser at Henk Van Rooyen Park, located in Marloth Park.

As it turned out, based on the busy school holiday season in South Africa at this time, soon coming to a close, many of the fair-goers were tourists. As a result, we ran into few people we knew instead of the last fair we attended a few weeks ago for the Honorary Rangers annual event, which included many local citizens. Click this link here for details of that event.

The morning was busy preparing the post and sorting through many photos we’d recently taken. Shortly before heading out, Tom noticed a comment from a Marloth Park resident stating they’d seen lions at the Crocodile River through the fence.

The event wasn’t as crowded as the Marloth Park Honorary Rangers Winter Fair of a few weeks ago at this exact location.

There are several overlook areas on Seekoei Road that run along the river. This is the road on which friends Kathy and Don live, who are now back at their home in Pretoria and soon embarking on several exciting travel adventures, including visiting Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to see polar bears in a few months. Maybe, someday, we’ll do the same! Humm…that sounds interesting.

A real estate company was promoting its business at the event.

Anyway, one of the most popular overlook areas is called “Two Trees,” a short stretch of land on the riverside of the road with ample parking without too much of an obstructed view by trees and vegetation. We often stop there on our almost daily drives in the park to check out the wildlife on the river.

When lions were spotted from this location, we couldn’t get there quickly enough. Tomorrow, we’ll share those photos. Today, we wanted to focus on yesterday’s fair.

Many of the same vendors presented their products at the winter fair.

The entrance fee to the fair was ZAR 20 (US $1.51) per person. Where in the world is an entrance fee for any event only this much? (This upcoming week, we’ll be doing a story on the cost of living based on our experiences in Marloth Park thus far).

Once again, we found a good parking spot and proceeded to explore the displays, entertainment, and informational booths. In no time at all, we’d wandered through the entire fair and found our way back to the little car, deciding to give the river one more drive in hopes of seeing more wildlife.

Some participants drank beer under the tents on the ground.

And, we did, more than we’d expected, enjoying every moment. We don’t need movie theatres, fairs, parks, and zoos to entertain us. Mother Nature continually provides a plethora of exciting events right before our eyes, although it may be a little sparse right now at our holiday home during this busy time.

Unfortunately, back at home, we’ve had fewer visitors than ever over these past few days. A tourist wrote on Marloth Park’s Facebook page, “I’ve been here since Thursday and the only animals I’ve seen from our holiday home is bushbabies at night.”

Lots o kid-friendly products were offered for sale.

We certainly understand their frustration. People come here to experience wildlife. Last night, much to our delight, we had eight warthogs stop by at dusk, staying well into the evening, some we’d never seen before. Interestingly, these animals, who all look alike, are easily distinguishable by specific markings they possess.

Whether it’s the color of their coarse hair, the shape of the male’s warts, the size of their tusks, and for those we’ve come to know, their response to my annoying high pitched voice, in most cases, we recognize the frequent visitors. The same applies to the other species.

Several “bouncy” activities were available for kids.

With high winds picking up, we called it a night earlier than usual. We streamed a few shows from Showtime, “Billions” and “The Affair,” both of which we’ve watched through their previous seasons. Sometimes, it feels good to get “out of our heads” by watching a few shows.

This morning we awoke to rain pounding on the roof. It hasn’t rained here in a few months. It wasn’t enough to do any good for the wildlife and vegetation, but it was enough to keep nature even further undercover in the parklands, often where they “hide” when there are too many visitors in the park.

Our friend John from Daisy’s Den had an excellent display at the fair. John is actively involved in community safety as well as running the store with his family.

Most of the European summer “school holidays” will end in mid-August when the commotion settles down in Marloth Park until Christmas time. In the interim, we’ll continue to scour the river and look forward to any visitors who’ll come our way. At this point, we find a single frog interesting.

Happy day to all!

Photo from one year ago today, July 15, 2017:

Climate data for Henderson, Nevada
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	75 (24)	86 (30)	91 (33)	97 (36)	111 (44)	114 (46)	117 (47)	112 (44)	110 (43)	100 (38)	90 (32)	78 (26)	117 (47)
Average high °F (°C)	54 (12)	59 (15)	67 (19)	75 (24)	85 (29)	95 (35)	101 (38)	99 (37)	91 (33)	78 (26)	64 (18)	54 (12)	76.8 (24.8)
Average low °F (°C)	41 (5)	44 (7)	49 (9)	56 (13)	65 (18)	74 (23)	79 (26)	78 (26)	71 (22)	60 (16)	48 (9)	40 (4)	58.8 (14.8)
Record low °F (°C)	11 (−12)	12 (−11)	25 (−4)	31 (−1)	37 (3)	41 (5)	56 (13)	59 (15)	43 (6)	30 (−1)	4 (−16)	9 (−13)	4 (−16)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.70 (17.8)	0.96 (24.4)	0.57 (14.5)	0.23 (5.8)	0.11 (2.8)	0.11 (2.8)	0.46 (11.7)	0.72 (18.3)	0.42 (10.7)	0.36 (9.1)	0.49 (12.4)	0.60 (15.2)	5.73 (145.5)

It was scorching while we were in the Las Vegas area last July, the hottest month of the year. For more, please click here.