Off to town to shop…My weird voice may to irritating to some…

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Cattle egrets often stay close to wildlife.  From this site: “Being an opportunistic feeder, the cattle egret is most often seen in the company of animals such as buffaloes, plains zebra, and wildebeest in the wild. During grazing activities, the large beasts churn up the ground to a degree, exposing organisms and insects in the soil below, which are eagerly snapped up by the waiting birds. They are sometimes seen perched on top of these animals, helping themselves to any ticks they find. The presence of the birds does nothing to harm its hosts, and it is even believed that cattle egrets reduce the number of flies found around these ungulates.”

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A mom waterbuck and her calf.

We’re late posting today after deciding to head to Komatipoort and Lebombo to shop for groceries earlier in the day rather than our usual time after uploading the day’s post. Sorry for the delay!

We’ve rarely observed this many waterbucks lying down.

After several cloudy days, the sun is shining, and we wanted to get back after it warms up a little to enjoy this gorgeous weather. Perhaps, later in the day after we return, put everything away and do a little prep for dinner, we’ll embark on one more of our exciting drives in Marloth Park on the never-ending search for the unique and the unusual.

There were a few dozen waterbucks.  We’ve seldom seen so many at once.

There’s no word yet regarding the status of the lions-on-the-loose and if they’re still in the park, but we can’t help but continue our search, just in case we get lucky once again. One never knows or can estimate how long it takes for wildlife to relocate from one location to the next.

They are nice-looking animals with circular markings on their backsides.

Last night was great fun on the veranda. With the outdoor heater on low, we stayed comfortable, and much to our delight, we had no less than ten warthogs, including Little Wart Face, Tusker, Mom and Tiny Baby, Mom, Auntie, and Two Babies, Medium Wart Face, and a few we didn’t recognize. 

From this site: “The waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus Kobus of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. The thirteen subspecies are grouped under two varieties: the common or Ellisprymnus waterbuck and the Defassa waterbuck. The head-and-body length is typically between 177–235 cm (70–93 in), and the average height is between 120 and 136 cm (47 and 54 in). A sexually dimorphic antelope, males are taller as well as heavier than females. Males reach approximately 127 cm (50 in) at the shoulder, while females reach 119 cm (47 in). Males typically weigh 198–262 kg (437–578 lb) and females 161–214 kg (355–472 lb). The coat color varies from brown to grey. The long, spiral horns, present only on males, curve backward, then forward and are 55–99 cm (22–39 in) long.”

In addition, nine female kudus stopped by for pellets and veg, Frank and the Mrs. enjoyed some seeds before “making their noise” at dusk, and Noisy Frog was at it all evening long. 

Just before we packed it in for the night, Wildebeest Willie and three friends stopped by. Willie has this way of making eye contact that lets us know exactly what he’d like on the menu for him and his friends. Of course, we always comply. 

Elephants on the Crocodile River.

We laugh out loud when we think of how other residents of Marloth Park each have their own names for “our” favorite animals. Our only permanent resident who appears to stay in and around our garden day and night are Frank and the Mrs.

It’s astounding how they pick up their heads and make eye contact with us when we call them by the names we chose for them. Can you imagine how many names they’re called as they wander from property to property? And, how smart are they to respond to all of them?

A fish eagle was watching the elephant’s activities.

Not every animal enthusiast may use a similarly annoying sound in their voice as I do, embarrassing that it could be, that may inspire the animals to look toward the source of this weird sound coming from a human. 

I’m not ashamed by this high-pitched voice I’ve used with all of our dogs over the years and nowhere in Marloth Park. In this regard, I have no modesty in spewing out the most peculiar sounds that seem to elicit an enthusiastic response from our wildlife friends.

This parade of elephants consisted of no less than 30.

No doubt, my voice may irritate any neighbors within earshot, but I do tone it down in the evening or when I see people outdoors on their verandas. I certainly don’t want to be one of those “noisy tourists” to which I’m so vehemently opposed.

Finally, back from shopping, I still have lots to put away and items to prepare for tonight’s dinner. We purchased pellets at the Obara store, carrots and apples at the Lebombo market, a much-needed plastic cutting board from the Crazy Store, meat from the Butchery, groceries from Spar Supermarket, and refilled my prescription meds (without a prescription needed) at the local pharmacy. (More on that later).

Obstructed by the fence, we capture this mom and baby.

We accomplished all of the above in less than two hours, including driving time. We have a great system down where we waste no time since we’re always anxious to be on our way back to our holiday home in the bush, just in case someone comes to call.

We’ll wrap it up for today to get on with other projects at hand for the remainder of the day, hoping to get everything accomplished, leaving us ample time for our drive in the park in search of whatever treasures come our way.

Have a day filled with treasures of your own!                   

Photo from one year ago today, July 10, 2017:
Lighted cup holder built into son Richard’s high-tech sofa if one can’t find where to set their drink in the darkened room while watching a movie. For more details, please click here.

Safari luck at it’s finest!…A most outstanding Sunday after all….

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Such a handsome male lion. These lions shown today are not necessarily the lions recently spotted inside Marloth Park.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

What a charmer!

Sundays have always been my least favorite day of the week. I suppose it goes back to being a kid, and Sunday night meant early to bed and back to school the following day.

As an adult, Sunday’s meant somewhat of the same thing…early to bed and back to work on Monday morning, except being in real estate for most of my adult life and the company’s owner, I never really had a day off.

Snoozing female and male lions on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Once done working on Saturdays or Sundays, I often “pushed things off” to be handled on Monday morning, particularly those running-the-business type of tasks of which there were many.

Even after I chose early retirement at 62 (shortly after the housing market crashed in the US), dreading Sundays was deeply ingrained in my psyche. I couldn’t seem to shake the lifelong perception that Sundays represented the upcoming litany of responsibilities that were often mired in worry and concern.

From time to time, he’d pick up his head.  Mostly, the female maintained “watch,” only occasionally putting her head down to sleep.

Now, after traveling for almost six years (three months until our sixth anniversary), I still possess a certain dread of Sundays and the resulting Mondays that I try to shake off, often to no avail.

Yesterday, Sunday, was no exception. Awakening early to a cloudy day, knowing we couldn’t go into Kruger due to the holidaymakers and, with little to no visitors stopping by,  I felt a little of my usual Sunday apprehension.

Although we seniors sometimes forget what day of the week it is, which is entirely ‘normal” when one doesn’t have a strict routine to follow, Sunday is always at the forefront of my mind. 

We were so far away. It was hard not to have blurry photos without a tripod with us.

I never have to ask Tom on a Sunday flippantly, What day is this?” as I may on a Tuesday or Wednesday, while lost in our blissful routine.

I’d decided to make a typical Sunday dinner of slow-cooked braised short ribs with garlic, carrots, onions, leftover mashed potatoes, sweet corn (fresh uncooked from Friday night’s dinner party), garlic bread, and salad. Although definitely not his usual diet, I decided to give him one more day of a fattening, high-carb meal with these items on hand.

The female and male rested near the large rocks on the opposite side of the river.

Today, Monday, he’s back to our usual low-carb routine, leftover short ribs, salad, and vegetables. He ate the remainder of the apple crisp from Friday night’s dinner party, so sweets are off the menu. I had salmon on the grill (I found some frozen that is quite good) and grilled vegetables. Tonight, I’ll have prawns and grilled vegetables.

At the moment, I’m cooked two meals; keto for me and low carb for him. So far, I’ve been losing weight steadily, but I won’t announce how much until I’ve reached my goal. It’s a slow process.

Anyway, after finishing the day’s post, doing laundry, hanging it on the line, and preparing the vegetables for dinner, we decided to head out around 2:00 pm to see if we could spot any wildlife to offset any potential boredom on an otherwise somewhat dull Sunday.

After observing wildebeest in our garden this past week, we’ve developed a special interest in them.  Surprisingly, they are good at making eye contact.

Once we began our usual course through Marloth Park, mainly focusing on driving along the river road, after about an hour into it, we were convinced this would not be a day of many sightings, which we hadn’t expected anyway due to the abundant amount of tourists in the park. We could head back to our holiday home to wind down an otherwise quiet day.

As we neared the last 15 minutes of our usual course, we noticed several people standing at the fence between Marloth and Kruger Parks and decided to stop to see what all the commotion was about. There was many pointing going on, phones raised into the air, and binoculars being passed around. 

It was lions lounging on rocks on the opposite side of the river! We couldn’t have been more excited. We parked the car, walked through the scratchy bush on somewhat of a path, and made our way to the fence.

This “Implausibility” of wildebeest was resting in the garden of a home along the river.

Regardless of how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring them up on the camera’s view screen. Tom, with his trusty binoculars, looked for several minutes, and then, he saw them, a female and a male lounging in the warmth of the sun on the massive rocks across the Crocodile River.  

Tom took today’s lion photos, and I’m so proud of him for being able to capture these images. We were no less than .8 km (.5 miles) from their location and, we don’t have those massive lenses used to capture distance scenes. They’re are too big and bulky for us to carry in our travels. We were thrilled with the photos he managed to get.

These were the first lions we’ve seen since we arrived in South Africa almost five months ago. After many trips into the Kruger, we’d yet to see any lions.  This was exciting, to say the least.

This baby wildebeest tried to nurse off dad.  He gave her quick a shove.

After quite a while at the sighting, we were on our way for the remainder of the drive, sighting the following: kudu, wildebeest, elephants, impala, waterbuck, and several birds. 

By the time we returned to our holiday home, it was time to set up the veranda for the evening, but the short ribs in the oven, and finish a few tasks for dinner. Once settled at our usual spots at the big table, we downloaded our photos, thrilled with what we’d captured.

It was a good Sunday after all, and last night there was no sense of Sunday night angst especially knowing we could share these photos with all of our readers today.

It’s a good Monday morning. Sleep came easily for both of us for a change. When dawn broke, we were feeding a forkl of lovely female kudus pellets, carrots, and apples on the veranda.

May your Monday be good as well.

Photo from one year ago today, July 9, 2017:

The white lattice pergola in son Richard’s lovely yard provided shelter from the scorching sun in Henderson, Nevada, which reached  47C (116F) that day.  We stayed at his home for three weeks.  For more details, please click here.

Where are all the animals?…Holiday time in Marloth Park changes everything…What’s the difference between a tourist and a traveler?…

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A calf is born weighing 100 to 150 pounds and measuring in at 6 feet tall. A calf will begin to forage at about four months old.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

A dove was standing on the edge of our birdfeeder.

It’s a quiet day in the bush. As of this moment, at 10:00 am, we’ve had no visitors except the bothersome Vervet monkeys who attempt to knock down our birdfeeder to eat the seeds and a few birds.

Ostriches in the bush.

Although appearing cute and inquisitive, these smaller-than-baboons monkeys can wreak havoc in a house or garden, as we’ve mentioned in prior posts. It’s been an issue only over the past few weeks, and we’re wondering why they’re hanging around our garden now instead of a month earlier.

We’ve discovered a few areas in the park where we’ll often find flocks of ostriches.

We’re patiently waiting for visitors to stop by, but our expectations are in check when there are so many tourists in the park right now, continuing through August.

We can’t wait until it makes sense to go back to Kruger sometime shortly. We’ve seen photos of cars, bumper to bumper on the tar road in Kruger, including some of our own similar experiences lately, and we prefer not to deal with the traffic.

These parents have one chick as opposed to the seven we spotted a few days ago seen here.

A car drives down our street every few minutes when weeks ago, an hour could pass before a car would. It’s an entirely different world right now, and we’ll be glad when it’s over for a while. 

We’re amazed by how often we see elephants from Marloth Park, actually more than we usually see while in Kruger National Park. Tourists driving through Kruger cannot see this area of the Crocodile River and are not allowed out of their vehicles.

Last night, while cozy and comfortable on the veranda with the gas heater on, we could hear loud voices, loud music, and yelling. The noises were so loud we couldn’t hear when visitors walked through the bush as they approached the garden. 

There’s nothing quite as exciting as close encounters with giraffes.

Even with Tom’s less-than-ideal hearing after years of working on the railroad, he could hear the loud sounds in every direction. The “school holiday” ends on July 17th, but more tourists will arrive during their summer holidays throughout the northern hemisphere. Hopefully, by mid-August, all of this will taper off.

No other wildlife eats the leaves at the treetops than the giraffes making their food sources more readily available during the dry winter months.

Yes, some may say, ‘Who are you to complain about tourists?  Aren’t you tourists as well?”

The difference between us is clear. We are travelers, not tourists

The definition of a tourist is:

A person who is traveling or visiting a place for pleasure. Example: “the pyramids have drawn tourists to Egypt” 

synonyms:  holidaymaker, traveler, sightseer, visitor, excursionist, backpacker, 
globetrotter, day tripper, tripper; explorer, pilgrim, voyager, journeyer. vacationist, out-of-towner

 

The definition of a traveler is:

A gypsy or other nomadic person. A person who holds New Age values and leads an itinerant and unconventional lifestyle.

synonyms: gypsy, Romany, tzigane, didicoi, nomad, migrant, wanderer, wayfarer, itinerant, drifter, tramp, vagrant, transient, vagabond,
I won’t say that gypsy, tramp, vagrant, didico, or transient necessarily apply to us, but surely we fall into the category of the other synonyms to one degree or another. Nor do I imply there’s anything wrong with being a tourist.
Scratch that itch!

Tourism is the lifeblood of countries throughout the world, and we feel blessed and honored to visit these countries, their points of interest, and mingle with their people.

Wildebeest Willie and his friends returned late on Friday night after our dinner guests had departed.
But, as we all know, some have little regard for the culture they are visiting, who continue in their loud and boisterous ways, upsetting the delicate balance of peace and purpose wherever they travel, whether they are tourists or travelers.
Blue wildebeests, regardless of gender, have horns. 
No doubt, when peace, quiet, and safety for the wildlife (and the people) return to Marloth and Kruger Parks, we’ll comfortably settle back into the routine we’ve come to know and love in this magical place.
 
May your day bring you peace, quiet, and time to revel in your surroundings.

Photo from one year ago today, July 8, 2017:

Tom’s taco salad at Lindo Michoacan in Henderson, Nevada, where we all dined the day we arrived. For more details, please click here.

Late post due to distractions…The proverbial observers…A bulb supersedes…

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Notice the pellet crumbs on her nose. Often, there are lots of crumbs in the huge bags of pellets. Most wildlife is happy to lap up the crumbs if we place them on the tile steps.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Big Daddy showed up, and then he and Wildebeest Willie let us know pellets were expected.

We love these animals. It’s hard to describe to anyone who hasn’t experienced the beauty and magnificence of wild animals in their presence daily.  Not only do we relish the opportunity to see them each day, as we patiently wait for the sounds of the rustling of leaves in the bush as they approach, but we’re literally entranced by their behavior.

Although they’re used to being around humans while we all share the rustic terrain in Marloth Park, they are still wild animals. They aren’t domesticated beings, like dogs and cats. They don’t want to be touched, nor should we attempt to touch them.

In the forefront is the baby bushbuck we’ve seen grow over these past months. To her left is her mom, as shown in today’s main photo. Behind her is “auntie,” who’s helped raise the baby.  The three of them visit together at least once a day. They prefer to eat pellets and vegetables from the stone steps as opposed to in the dirt.

They fend for themselves in this wild place; mating, giving birth, raising their young, and interacting with one another in ways we often find astounding as we, the proverbial observers, glean this unstoppable sense of somehow belonging to their world, if only in a minuscule way when they visit us.

They don’t belong to us. This isn’t a zoo. This isn’t a rehab center for wildlife, although at times, for the more endangered species, medical intervention may occur in specific cases. But, most of the animals here are subject to illness, injury, and recovery on their own, as they best know-how.

We’ve named him Wildebeest Willie, now that he’s quickly becoming a regular visitor.

A huge benefit for them is the lack of natural predators here in the park, save for an occasional lion, leopard, or wild dogs entering the park through a break in the dividing fence between Marloth and Kruger Parks.

Recently, with the influx of tourists and, unfortunately, some residents, 13 animals have been killed on the roads by speeding and careless humans, not driving their vehicles with “them” in mind. 

Wildebeest are notoriously shy. The more he sees us, the more at ease he is hanging out in the garden. He stayed for several hours last night, unusual for a wildebeest.

Sure, occasionally, an unsuspecting driver may be unable to stop when an animal dashes into the road, day or night. But, then, we all should be driving at a snail’s pace to avert even those situations. 

Since the holiday season began, we’ve seen three cases where young children ranging from five to 12 years old have been driving SUVs, the youngest on the parent’s lap and the older on their own. 

When the pellets ran low, Wildebeest Willie didn’t waste any time approaching the veranda.

Who could think it is wise to let a child drive a vehicle in this place or anyplace, for that matter? They aren’t experienced or equipped to handle a massive vehicle if a wild animal suddenly jumped onto the road. 

And even if the parent had the child on their lap, the adult’s response time would be greatly hindered by the situation, unable to react quickly enough to avoid hitting an animal, let alone a person walking or riding a bike. What are these people thinking?

When we didn’t jump up right away, he held his ground at the edge of the veranda, waiting for us to respond.  We did.

We especially question this when day after day and night after night, we’re blissfully blessed to see these amazing creatures grace us with their presence, accepting our intrusion into their space, their terrain, their world.

Last night, we were in awe of them when we experienced one of the best wildlife watching experiences since we arrived in Marloth Park on February 11th. Not only did we have no less than eight playful and funny warthogs, but we had Frank and the Mrs. (francolins) in attendance, a loud chirping bullfrog for background noise, Wildebeest Willie, and Big Daddy adding to the entertainment factor.

He seems to get along well with the warthogs, which are nightly visitors. At this point, he and Little Wart Face shared pellets without incident.

And during the evening hours, bushbucks stopped by; mongoose visited, duikers delicately danced through the garden, along with a continuing stream of hippo and bullfrog sounds wafting through the air. 

We hardly had time to eat our dinner when every few moments we jumped up to toss another slew of pellets, a fistful of apples or handfuls of cut carrots to our “guests.” They couldn’t have been more pleased. We couldn’t have been more pleased.

And when later in the evening, as the “crowd” thinned out, the bulb in our garden light burned out. Subsequently, when we usually shop for groceries on Thursdays, we were off this morning to the Obaro Hardware store in Komatipoort for another bulb (we actually purchased two) when we couldn’t dare miss one evening of festivities. 

They seemed to get along well.  Only once did Big Daddy tap the ends of his giant antlers on the ground to let Willie know to back off?

We purchased groceries for our upcoming dinner party on Friday night and for us for the next week. After we put everything away, I asked Tom to please make sure the bulb worked so I could have peace of mind while preparing today’s post that nothing would hinder the joy of yet another evening on the veranda.  It worked, and we now have a backup.

Today, folks, it was a bulb. That’s why today’s post is late by no less than four hours due to going to Komatipoort to purchase the bulb and grocery shop while there.  For us to miss posting by our usual time, it must be a very critical situation; a drive into Kruger, a road trip, a special event, or a travel day.

Thanks for your patience, and enjoy your evening listening to the sounds of nature wherever you may be.

Photo from one year ago today, July 3, 2017:

One year ago today, we dined with our old neighbors/friends. From left to right, Doug, Jamie Tom, me, Sue, Nelleke and Dave.  For more details and photos, please click here.

Contemplating continuing a life of world travel….

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In the past almost five months, we’ve only seen one wildebeest run through the garden. Last night two visitors were quite a thrill.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

What a pose!  What was she thinking?  Females’ feathers are brown, and males are black.

In the past several days, after celebrating our 27 years together, we’ve found ourselves reviewing the time we’ve spent together. Like most couples, some of it was easy, and other times were challenging. But, the one constant has been our love for one another.

Elephant viewing from the fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park.

Yesterday, while driving through Marloth Park, we raised several questions regarding “what ifs” and how we handled them at this point in our lives. Most likely, this is a conversation some couples dare to discuss from time to time, especially as we age.

While in Kruger, it would be impossible to see these elephants by the Crocodile River based on the terrain. But, from Marloth Park, we often spot these magnificent beasts.
One may ask, “What if I became ill and couldn’t take care of the day-to-day tasks I’ve so easily handled in the past? Would we expect that I’d go to a nursing home or assisted living facility? Would you go with me if that was possible?”
Almost every time we’re out driving through Marloth Park, we spot elephants beyond the fence.

These are tough questions none of us likes to contemplate. The answers don’t come easily if one is honest with their partner. And sure, it’s essential to have a plan in mind as we age, as to what our best options may be in these difficult situations.

There may be one elephant or 40. However many there may be, we’re always thrilled to see them.

Since we have no home, answers to these questions become all the more difficult to answer. Of course, we’ve discussed many possible scenarios and, like you, have ideas in mind what we may do in such a situation or the case of an unforeseen emergency; injury, surgery, or debilitating illness.

An ostrich on a leisurely walk in the park.
But, yesterday Tom brought up a point we’ve never discussed to the degree we did in the car, which we continued once back at the house: What would we “really” do if one of us wanted to stop traveling, not as a result of a medical situation but instead, simply due to being tired of living this peculiar life on the move?
When we initially decided to travel the world in January 2012, we made a pact: That if one of us grew tired or bored with this life, the other would agree to stop. Plain and simple.
This flock of ostriches is often found in a particular area near the river we often visit when on daily drives.  Note the chick on the far left.

Tom’s question, posed with the utmost of love and concern, was, “What if one of us wanted to stop and the other did not want to?” Wow! That would be a challenge, wouldn’t it? We recalled our pact. 

Tom is feeding kudu girls and boys from the veranda. 

However, a lot has transpired in the past number of years, and we both are so committed and dedicated to this blissful life, we can’t imagine ever changing our lifestyle unless we physically could carry on no more (which in the realm of things, most likely will eventually happen).

So let’s assume for clarity, what if I wanted to stop, get a permanent home, stock it with stuff, to live out our remaining years in a warm climate somewhere in the US or elsewhere?

A group of kudus is a “forkl” and often females and males are together in a family unit referred to as a “harem.”

At this point, we were situated on the veranda setting up for the evening’s wildlife watching, a glass of wine or cocktail, and eventually the fabulous dinner I’d spent the better part of the day preparing before we embarked on the late afternoon drive.

We were both perplexed about how we’d answer this difficult question, now with so much experience behind us and our acquired passion for world travel. We never dreamed this would be us, now or ever, for that matter.

He ate a few pellets, looked at us, and was on his way, the other following close behind.

We agreed that the next possible question would be, “Could we talk the “disenchanted” into changing their mind?” At that point, we both decided that we’d be open to discussion as the next logical step.

Tom always says, “It’s a good thing we found each other. Otherwise, we’d be screwing up two other innocent people.” 

In other words, neither of us can imagine, now or at any time in the future, ever become bored or disenchanted with our lives together as it is now. We even laughed at the incredible nature of this concept.

And so…we carry on, fulfilled, content, and hopeful for the future, together as a determined team to see the world, on our terms, in our own time for however long we’ll be blessed to do so.

May your dreams be fulfilled as well. 

Photo from one year ago today, July 2, 2017:

Tom and I dined here in our old lives. Dining here while we were in Minnesota last year didn’t fit into the budget in this life. For more details, please click here.

A must-see video!!!…An outstanding day with intelligent wildlife…And…an outstanding day with human friends…

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 This video will remain as one of our favorites in years to come, clearly illustrating the intelligence of elephants during a human intervention in “their world.” Watch, and you’ll see why. 

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

It was pretty impressive seeing this giraffe family on the shore of the Sabie River in Kruger National Park.

I don’t know where to begin. The fabulous get-together with friends Cathi and Rick and their two Kauai friends, Debra and Charlie (whose spouses didn’t attend the lunch) who are traveling with them, or the absolutely unbelievable sightings we had on the way to and from lunch at the Mug & Bean in Lower Sabie.

This is the scene that inspired Tom to turn around and go back to the spot of the road this elephant scenario rolled out, which he’d seen in his rearview mirror.

Every moment of the six hours we were gone from Marloth was a fun-filled adventure with lively conversation with our friends along with breathtaking experiences on the road in both directions. 

We kindly ask you to please watch the above video. You will experience, along with us, the heart-stopping sighting we feel far exceeded our usual “safari luck.” Indeed, it was a matter of “being in the right place at the right time,” and as heard on the video, me literally “pushing” Tom to “stay put” and let the scenario roll out.

As we were driving down the tar road in Kruger, Tom spotted this elephant in his rearview mirror, prompting him to turn around to see if more would follow.

Sorry, Honey, for being so pushy and expressing it live on the video when somehow I knew we had to stay in place and continue taking the above video until the scenario was fully unveiled before our eyes and the eyes of the other lucky park visitors that happened to be in the same proximity.

A critic/hater on our recent cape buffalo video, which Kruger National Park (Sanpark) had asked to post on their site, commented that animals aren’t that smart to break up the two entangled buffalos (and who was I to say so?) who’s horns became entangled during an alternation. We couldn’t believe what transpired and have watched the video several times, each time more in awe than the last. You may observe that video here and read the comments.

She stood on the road and wouldn’t move while cars lined up in both directions, unable to move in either direction. We were at a good vantage point, but it required me to twist around in an uncomfortable position to take the above video. PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO!!!

Oh, yes, they are that smart!!! How are we such superior beings to assume that animals don’t have intellect and forethought? Do you have a dog, cat, or other pet that you’ve been able to observe and, without a doubt, followed intelligent behavior? 

Why would wild animals have any less intellect than a dog or cat? If you’re curious about the top ten most intelligent animals on the planet, please click here. The elephant is ranked #3 on the list often, and the pigs are #9. 

Regardless of how the vehicles attempted to maneuver around her, she wasn’t about to budge. The above video will illustrate an outrageous situation that got her to leave the road after her entire “parade” had safely crossed. This scenario is unlike any we’ve seen in the past.

Soon, we’ll be making a video of how smart warthogs are that will astound you. Would you believe if I say I’m in the process of teaching them a few words to which they’re responding? Is it any different than teaching your dog to respond to a wide array of commands? Not at all.

Anyway, forgive my over-the-top enthusiasm. After all, it’s why we’re here. But then again, we don’t forget for a moment the other kinds of interactions we’re experiencing while in Africa, the humankind.

Crocodile at the Vurhami Dam in Kruger.

And, yesterday, when we promptly spotted our friends at the Mug & Bean in Lower Sabie, we couldn’t have hugged harder and been more enthused to see one another after three years since we left Kauai in May 2015 a four-month stay in Princeville where Cathi and Rick live. We’d put the former misstep behind us when we missed each other on Sunday.

Of course, the conversation revolved around our mutual love of wildlife (that’s why they’re here in Africa for 23 days) and generally catching up as to what’s transpired in our lives and theirs over these past three years. 

The Mug & Bean is situated on the Sabie River with stunning views from its wrap-around veranda.

After the delightful two-hour lunch, it was hard to say goodbye. After loving Kauai as much as we did, we wouldn’t be surprised if we ended back there for another short stay in years to come. Indeed, sometime down the road, we’ll see each other again. One never knows.

Thank you, Cathi and Rick, and friends, for taking the time to meet up with us and for hosting a delightful lunch. We met at 11:00 am, and by 1:00 pm, we were back on the road to the Crocodile Gate. Had we not left at precisely that time, we would have missed the above sighting and more, which we’ll be sharing over the next several days.

From left to right, our friends from Kauai: Charlie, us, Cathi, Rick, and Debra.  It was beautiful to see them!

Soon, we’re off to Komatipoort to shop for groceries and pellets. While I shop at Spar, Tom will head to Lembobo for carrots and apples and then Obaro for shells, finding me in the market when he’s done.  

Tomorrow evening we’re entertaining guests for dinner, Sandra and Paul, and Uschie and Evan (all close friends), all of whom are Marloth Park Honorary Rangers who’ve been highly instrumental in inspiring us to present stories and photos of wildlife and nature concerns in this special place. 

Tom splurged at lunch with a giant burger topped with onion rings and a side of chips.

Tonight, we’ll be outdoors, as usual, relishing in the wonders surrounding us, never stopping for a moment as we observe and embrace every aspect of “living life in the bush” in South Africa.

We’re more grateful than words can describe. Cats. We saw cats. Tomorrow…

Photo from one year ago today, June 14, 2017:

Minnesota is a beautiful state with over 14,000 lakes, streams, rivers, abundant greenery, and tall trees. For more photos, please click here.

OMG!…It doesn’t get any better than this!…Quite a “Sighting of the Day in the Bush!”…

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Soon, there were nine until the tenth arrived.  At this point, the three warthogs were on the scene, a mom, an auntie, and a tiny baby.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Today’s sighting of the day in the bush couldn’t be more befitting of what life is like in Marloth Park. Please check out this video when ten zebras, three warthogs, and two kudus came to call.

There are fewer visitors over the weekends when tourists flock to Marloth Park, staying in holiday homes or one of many lodges in the park. They too feed the wildlife that visits their surroundings, and often with the extra cars and added weekend noise, many of the nature take cover and don’t come around as much.

They don’t waste any time letting us know they’d like some pellets.

Usually, by Monday or Tuesday morning, we begin seeing them again. Besides humankind, on both Saturday and Sunday, that’s not to say we don’t have visitors over the weekend. Many animals visit us on weekends, just not as many as during the weekdays.

We tossed out a few handfuls, and they were all over it.

Based on the fact we spend 14 to 15 hours a day on the veranda, less our almost daily drives in the park, visits to Kruger (upcoming again this week), trips into town for shopping and appointments. Time spent socializing. The wildlife has come to realize. We’re an easy mark for pellets, apples, and carrots most of the time.

In a matter of moments, more zebras arrived in the yard.  Check out the young one in the back center of the photo.

On a day like today, we’ll be gone from 12:30 to 7:00 pm for two planned events, both of which we’ll share with photos in tomorrow’s post. Our dinners are already prepared, ready to be reheated, and by 7:15 this evening, we’ll be back on the veranda prepared to begin “watching and waiting” once again.

This zebra came up to the veranda, licked my bare toe to let me know she wanted more.  I complied, cutting up several apples for her and the others.

For us, avid wildlife observers and prominent commentators in one form or another, we never seem to become bored with this interminable hobby that is a way of life as we live in what we’ll always refer to as “this magical place.”

Their stiff upright manes are an indicator of good health.

We’d love to hear if any of our readers have been to or heard of such a place anywhere on this earth, where one could live for a few months at a time, socializing with beautiful people and embracing daily life surrounding by visiting wildlife.

There was plenty of kicking taking place as they competed for the pellets and apples.

If you know of such a place, please let us know. We’ll want to go there! But, as the well-traveled residents of Marloth Park always say, “There is no place on earth quite like this place.”

The three warthogs held their ground, refusing to let the feisty zebras intimidate them. Tom made sure to toss plenty of pellets toward them.

Sure, many locations throughout the world offer sightings of bears, moose, antelope, whales, endless varieties of birds, farm animals, and on and on. But, as we perused this world so far (not even the “tip of the iceberg” so far), we haven’t encountered anything comparable to Marloth Park.

The youngest of the dazzle of zebras (yep, dazzle) got in on the action without hesitation.

In a way, it reminds me of when I was a child, and we visited Disneyland, only about 35 minutes (much longer now with more traffic) from where I grew up in Long Beach, California. There was one exciting moment after another, and as a kid, it was easy to feel I’d never get enough.

The cement pond is a favorite spot from which to drink after eating the dry pellets.

And, although this place isn’t “manufactured or artificial” (except for the homes, lodges, and few shops), this wildlife environment was here long before the people. For me, it feels like Disneyland every day, one wonder after another.

The young zebra rarely moved from the others to allow for a good photo.

For Tom, who’s a little more reserved in his outward display of enthusiasm, he too is caught up in the wonder of it all, especially when a few days ago, he was responsible for discovering and booking the upcoming cruise back to Africa in November/December 2020. Click here for the details if you missed the post describing that cruise.

Tom mentioned these three had been by earlier in the morning while I was getting dressed. I was thrilled to see them return to check out the little one.

On February 11, 2018, coming back here this time was a gift from Tom for my 70th birthday on February 20th, knowing how anxious I was to return. But, now returning in 2020 is not only for me. He, too, is fully engaged and loving the life we live here.

Two female kudus came prancing into the yard to check out the activity. When the zebras wouldn’t allow them in on the pellets, they left.  No doubt, they’ll return later.

No, we won’t eventually move here as many have asked. We have no plans to permanently “live” anywhere. Nor will we stay so long next time. We’ll stay the 90 days allowed by a South African visa and be on our way. 

This time, we wanted to see Victoria Falls on both sides from Zambia and Zimbabwe, safari in Chobe National Park, the Chobe River and, cruise on the Zambezi River. Mission accomplished.  

When we book plans for our next 90-day required exit in August, we’ll share all the details at the time of booking and while we’re on that next adventure. However, we don’t need to travel from Marloth Park, South Africa, for an experience. 

The kudus left, deciding a few pellets weren’t worth a kick from a zebra.

We need only open the giant wooden doors to our lovely holiday bush home on a morning like this to behold a scene such as this morning’s and, the adventure has just begun.

Thank you to all of our readers for sharing this particular time with us. All of you have given us such purpose as we document all of these magical moments. Without YOU, we may have smiled, laughed, and taken a few photos along the way. 

With YOU, it’s immemorial, as we feel dedicated and determined to document this life we lead 365 days a year.

Have a pleasant Monday!

Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2017:

As we continued to have quality time in Minnesota with family and friends, we added more photos of Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia.  We didn’t want those we love to feel every get-together was a photo op posted online. For more garden photos, please click here.

Pizza night in the bush…Finding ingredients isn’t easy…

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We were thrilled to have spotted these elephants on the Crocodile River from the Marloth Park side of the fence separating us from Kruger.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Our goal is to take a photo of increasing numbers of bushbabies on the platform at night as they gently share the little cup of yogurt.  We’ve seen as many as a dozen flying through the trees, and this photo of four on the platform is our record so far. We’ll continue to try for more.

As much as dinner guests enjoy eating traditional South Africa food, we’ve found our guests like experiencing something new and different. As a result of most of our dinner parties, we tend to make more traditional American dishes. 

Last night’s guests of Kathy, Don, Linda, and Ken especially found the prospect of eating Americanized pizza appealing. Although we still made it low carb, grain, sugar, and starch free, we made our usual pizzas with a bit of a twist which including three pizzas:

We counted 30 to 35 elephants.

1.  Sausage, mushrooms, olives, onions, and cheese – Tom’s favorite
2.  Pepperoni, mushroom, onions, olives, and cheese
3.  Chicken Thai pizza, a copycat recipe from California Pizza Kitchen, a favorite of mine and Kathy’s.

 We made three large pizzas, enough for everyone to try some of each if they so chose. The first problem we had was a lack of the proper type of a third pan. The second problem was,  where would we find pepperoni? The third problem was, where would we find the necessary ingredients to make the copycat recipe located here? 

It’s interesting to watch their interactions.

Keep in mind. I made a loose version of the above recipe to make it suitable for gluten-free for several of us in the group.  Plus, the sugary additions as shown in the recipe were modified to suit the wheat-free, sugar-free, and starch-free options. It was a bit complicated. But, somehow, I figured it out.

As for the pan, we headed to Marlothi Center yesterday morning and found an excellent pan at the hardware store that even included a rack for future use. That was quite a find.  

 As for the pepperoni, we headed to the Butchery in the same little shopping center and found salami that tasted somewhat like pepperoni, although the sliced rounds were much larger.

There were numerous babies in the parade.

Surprisingly, I found a combination of four ingredients at the Bush Center mini-mart to compensate for making the sauce. After tasting proved to be perfect, tasting precise as spicy peanut sauce should taste. I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

The chopping and dicing and cheese grating all by hand took almost all day. In my old life, I had a food processor and could have shredded the imported mozzarella cheese and vegetables in a matter of minutes, not hours. But that was then, and this is now.

 Tom grated all the cheeses while I cut the vegetables, cooked and diced the chicken, and sliced the three different types of sausages. Then, I cut everything for the side salad. 

Had we arrived a short while earlier, most likely we’d have seen them enter the Crocodile River.

On Friday, I made the dessert.  Knowing none of our guests were into big desserts after a big meal, I made low carb fudge and low carb almond bark, a nice little treat after a big dinner with coffee or a glass of wine. 

As it turned out, recently, I’d given up dairy in an attempt to improve my gastrointestinal issue. After three days without any form of dairy, I’m greatly improved. We’ll see if this continues to improve. Wouldn’t that be something if, all along, my issue was exacerbated by a dairy intolerance?

After a while, they began moving back up the hill in Kruger National Park and out of sight.

As a result, last night, I ate no pizza. Instead, I made myself a plate with all the toppings on the Thai pizza with only a tiny portion of that tasty sauce on a bed of steamed cauliflower and green beans. Wow! That was almost as good as the pizza would have been.

We had a wonderful evening as expected. Tomorrow, Monday, we’re meeting up with the four of them for what Don describes as a “special surprise in the bush.” It will be fun to see what he has in store for all of us! We’ll all bring our favorite “happy hour” beverages when we meet before dark.

A lone elephant grazing in the bush.

This morning, our new friend Kerstine (pronounced cast-teen) stopped by for an enjoyable visit, having walked on this beautiful day from her home many blocks away. It was nice to see her again.

 Marta returned from her one-week holiday, and we welcomed her with many hugs and warm welcomes. It was nice to have her back. She lives on the property in a little house in the side yard. 

The ages of many of the elephants varied from months-old infants to decades-old matriarchs.

She offered to clean today, but we’d done a great job cleaning up after last night. She insisted on making the bed which, with the busy morning, I hadn’t yet tackled.

 Today will be a low-key day. Tom will have his leftover sausage pizza while I make chicken liver and onion stuffed portabella mushrooms with roasted vegetables on the side for my dinner. Of course, on this perfect weather day, we’ll be on the veranda, well into the evening.

Soon, they began their ascent up the hill.

In our old lives, we have headed to Costco to purchase a new laptop. Tom is still having trouble with his monitor but has figured out a workaround, for now, a vice grip at the edge of the monitor, which makes it stay on. We’ll see how that goes over the long haul.

 But, like making the pizza, particular adaptations must be made in this life.

May your day be uncomplicated!

Photo from one year ago today, June 3, 2017:

One year ago, we celebrated grandson Vincent’s grade school graduation at Benihana, a popular local Asian Teppanyaki restaurant in Minneapolis. It was a fun day. More photos coming will follow with our other grandchildren as we spent six weeks in Minnesota last year at this time. For more details, please click here.

Late posting today…Busy time in Komatipoort and Lombobo…

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“Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, if you like than you should have put a ring on it!”

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Mongoose are very clever little animals.  They stare at us to bring out some eggs which we often do.

OMG!  In a “notification” post I accidentally hit “Last posting today” when I meant to write “Late posting today!”  Good grief, that must have made those of you who read the short notification post wonder, ‘What the heck is going on?!!!”

No, this is not the last posting.  It’s a late posting.  It’s simply one more step the continuing documentation of our daily lives of world travel; some fascinating; some mundane; some educational; some adventurous and exciting and some, let’s face it, at times, totally uneventful.

We never tire of visits from Big Daddy kudus.

Today, was definitely not uneventful for us.  We’re back at the house at almost 2:00 pm and here I am just getting starting on today’s post.  Of course, I’m concerned about all of our readers throughout the world clicking on our link to still find yesterday’s post. 

Sorry for the inconvenience.  I’m typing as fast as my relatively uncoordinated fingers can fly across the keyboard in an attempt to explain why we’re changing the content of today’s story from that which we’d entered earlier today, discussing the issue of Bovine Tuberculosis in Marloth Park.

They are majestic animals, gentle and yet well aware of how powerful their big rack can be.

I must add that after this morning’s interactions with several wonderful people we received valuable information that changes our plan to post the Bovine TB story until we conduct further research which will be accomplished over the next week at the latest. 

This is a topic near and dear to our hearts based on our love and appreciation for the health and well-being of the wildlife in Marloth Park.  We’ll keep you updated on the progress of this upcoming story.

This male has been chasing after this female for weeks.

So here’s how the morning rolled out:  Tom’s laptop has been having monitor issues over the past few weeks after we’d returned from Zambia on the 18th.  Every so often, for no apparent reason at all, his monitor turns into a rainbow of colors and he’s unable to bring up his home screen.

Me, as somewhat of a geek, got to work trying to figure out a solution by utilizing online information some of which indicated it could be a loose ribbon cable.  Tom unscrewed all 18 tiny screws after we’d tried a number of suggestions, including a Windows 10 “system restore,” all to no avail.

These two young ladies stop by making intense eye contact, surely looking for pellets.

Opening the back of the laptop seemed a logical next step to see if we could tighten the loose cable.  No luck.  A total waste of time.  After several hours, we resigned ourselves to the fact that we needed to head to a tech store for help.  Ugh!  Usually, we’re able to resolve our own technological issues.  Not this time.

With Tom’s dentist appointment scheduled at 11:00 am with Dr. Luzaan Du Preez, one of the best dentists in the land, located in the little strip mall near Wimpy’s in the Spar Centre, we needed to stay mindful of the time. 

He needed two fillings replaced.  We’d decided to leave early to go to the market in Lebombo (10 minutes from Komatipoort) to purchase carrots and apples for the wildlife.  Before we walked out the door, we had an unexpected visitor, Kerstin, a new friend I’d spent a few hours with yesterday here in Marloth Park at her bush home.  

A banana farm the road on the way back from Komatipoort.

Kerstin had contacted me to get together to discuss our mutual world travel experiences when she’d seen a post on Facebook on the Marloth Park Honorary Rangers’ page a week ago when we’d done the story on alien invasive plants. (See this link for details). 

This morning Kristin delighted us with an unexpected visit but unfortunately, we were heading out the door when she arrived.  Surely, we’ll get together another time soon to continue our intriguing conversation.  She has quite an illustrious story of world travel.

In no time at all, we were on our way, first to the computer store, then to Lebombo, then to the dentist, then to the supermarket, then to the meat market and then, returning to Marloth Park, most likely a two-hour turnaround at most.

It’s always a pleasure to see one of our striped friends on the road.

At the computer shop, we were warmly greeted by staff member Samantha who immediately introduced us to Nico who looked at Tom’s laptop to inform us it wasn’t sensible to fix or replace the monitor.  Instead, he showed us yet another workaround which so far, since we returned to the house, seems to be working.  Tom merely has to press the screen with his fingers in a specific location and the screen returns in full.   


Nice people, thoughtful people, honest people.  What more could we ask for?  Where does one find service such as this?  If you need a computer repair anywhere near Marloth Park, Komatipoort and a number of surrounding towns, this is the place to go:

the TechSHOP
Office: 013 013 0310 / Fax: 0866 529 491
Shop 19, Komati Spar Centre
Rissik Street, Komatipoort
http://www.techshops.co.za

Arno Joubert

0722614324


arno@techshops.co.za



Nico Joubert

0815782334
nico@techshops.co.za
www.techshops.co.za

Yet, our visit to the Tech Shop wasn’t over.  As we packed up the laptop to head out the door, Arno stopped us saying he remembered us from “movie night” in the bush some months ago. A conversation ensued and somehow got around to the topic of Bovine Tuberculosis on which we’re hell-bent on getting our information “right” before we post the story.  He directed to Deidre who is the director of “Wild and Free” rescue, rehabilitate and rescue centre. 

Impalas are very shy around humans seldom visiting us in the yard.

He explained she’s currently involved with considerable research and study on Bovine TB and this was who we should see.  Once this post is uploaded, we’ll call Deidre and set up a time to meet with her at her facility and learn more about this important topic.

Once we were out the door of the Tech Shop, we were reeling from the kindness and consideration of people we’ve met along the way.  Off we went to Lebombo market where we purchased eggs for the mongoose, free-range eggs for us and carrots and apples, all at excellent prices.  Time was running short.  We headed to the dentist’s office.

Tom was taken in promptly for his appointment.  I joined him for a few minutes and then took off to grocery shop.  We’d parked the car close to the supermarket so once done shopping, I could put everything in the car and then walk the short distance to the dentist’s office which is coincidentally located next door to the Tech Shop.

Two males checking available treats.

While I’m grocery shopping, our dear friend Don (of Kathy and Don) approached me with a hearty hug and welcoming kiss.  They’d just returned a few days earlier from Pretoria and were excited to accept our invitation for homemade pizza at our house this upcoming Saturday night. 

Joining us will be Linda and Ken, our mutual dear friends from the UK who are returning to Marloth Park in the next few days.  I was thrilled to hear they all could make it but I was especially thrilled to discover this while at the supermarket in order to buy the items I’d need for the dinner party for six.

Well, wouldn’t you figure, Kathy had a dentist appointment, the same dentist, right after Tom’s appointment was completed at noon?  Another coincidence.  Moments later we spotted Kathy also shopping and the three of us engaged in delightful chatter.  When does one have such fun at the market.

Obviously, warthogs aren’t quite so shy near humans other than an occasional few.

By the time I’d gathered all the items to round out the upcoming meal, I loaded the groceries onto the check out counter, paid for the groceries and began walking toward to car to find Tom entering the market, done with his appointment and ready to load the car for me.  He was thrilled with the ease of his dentist appointment and was very relieved and cheerful.

After loading the car, Don found Tom in the parking lot and the two of them chatted enthusiastically.  Afterward, we drove the car across the lot to the meat market and made purchases to last for about 10 days.  After adding the bags of meats to the car, we ran into Kathy and Don again.  Her appointment was done and she too was thrilled with her first appointment with the good dentist.

They invited out for a drink at the bar at the golf course but with all the perishables in the car, we needed to be on our way.  We’re looking forward to seeing them all again on Saturday.

Male impala drinking from the cement pond in the yard.

Finally, we were on our way back to Marloth, anxious to put everything away while still reeling from the day’s interactions with the wonderful people we encountered along the way. 

Whether it was the sweet cashier at the market, the friendly meat market owner who helped with our order, the staff at the computer store or our friends adding a special touch to the day’s activities, it was a spectacular day. 

After years on the move often without nearby friends or at times, overly friendly shopkeepers, we appreciate every moment of kindness and generosity of spirit we stumble upon in our day-to-day lives.

Every evening the bushbabies entertain us.

No more than a minute after we returned, we had more visitors, this time of the wildlife kind.  We put down the grocery bags and immediately got pellets ready for our animal friends.

Tonight, we’ll cook a nice dinner and prepare the veranda for another blissful evening in the bush.  Is it any wonder we love it here in Marloth Park, here in South Africa…here on the African continent and here, on this planet?

May you love it wherever you may be!

__________________________________


Photo from one year ago today, May 30, 2017:

Our two new pieces of luggage in easy-to-spot colors.  Tom chose the purple while I chose this peachy color.  Each bag is expandable and lightweight with four double-wheel rollers. (As it turned out these bags are holding up well after one year’s use).  For more details, please click here.

Mating season in the bush…A memorable dinner party at the bush house…

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Wait until you see how many animals came to call last night in this video, including Wart Face, who’s pictured here.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Tom set up our new bushbaby stand on a tree close to the veranda.  We purchased a Daisy’s Den for ZAR 100 (US $8). Now they’re sufficiently close for better photos. 

There’s never a day that passes without something magical occurring in our surroundings, whether it’s the appearance of a bird we’ve never seen before, a visit from our favorite wildlife friends, making new friends, or spending time with old friends. It all matters to us.

Yesterday and last night fit right into this premise when we had a mind-blowing day and early evening in the bush, later topped off by the warmth and love we felt at our hosted six-person dinner party.

Warthogs make a train-like noise when they approach a female during the mating season.

Meeting Louise‘s parents, Estelle and Johan, was as easy as it could have been. This kindly couple who live near Cape Town felt like old friends. Not only did they already have a nickname for us, even before they met us face-to-face of “Tom and Jerry,” they easily slipped into the comfort zone of playful banter and teasing.

As shown in today’s photo, Estelle had beautifully crocheted a sweater vest for me, having never met me, and it was perfect. Tom called it “sexy” when I tried it on, wearing it for the remainder of the evening. I sometimes forget how old I am, and being called “sexy” is all a girl can ask for from her beloved mate.

It’s evident when male warthogs are ready to mate.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget about how meaningful and precious a little love and attention from friends we make along the way can have such a profound of our psyche. 

It was quite a night. We all enjoyed the meal we prepared but more than anything, the easy laughter, the rich-flowing conversations, and the warmth toward one another set my heart spinning as it always does when we spend time with our friends here in Marloth Park and, in other parts of the world as we continue on our journey.

Yesterday morning, four “Big Daddy” kudus stopped with one female, all vying for her attention. They were more interested in her than pellets.

And then, them…the animals, they came in droves as if to say, “We’re here to dine but also to gaze into your eyes,” hoping to show whatever morsel of connection one can glean from a wild animal, maybe more than we can ever imagine.

When Tom’s “Little Girl” bushbuck shows up daily at the edge of the veranda, we both feel a special affinity with her, in the same way when “My Girl” kudu stops by several times each day. Sure, they’re motivated by food.  Aren’t we all?

Kudus sniff the female to ensure she’s ready to mate.

Isn’t that, in essence, why we plan a dinner party, an evening event centered around a good meal? But it doesn’t end there. It’s really just the beginning of the connection, and we don’t believe for a minute that it’s a whole lot different with the wildlife. 

They, too, share some magical connections with us, humans, not only revolving around the food. Sure, we respect they are wild animals and must be treated as such, but who’s to say we can’t embrace a special connection?

This male was the “kingpin” and kept the three other mature males away. Check out the size of his neck, which enlarges during mating season.

Dreamer, that I am some may say I’m a fool for nurturing such a belief. It takes living in an animal kingdom, such as this, grasping the full meaning while accepting such a premise. I’m not the only one around here.

This was particularly the case when last evening, shortly before our lovely dinner guests arrived, that we had 13 warthogs, 30 helmeted guinea fowl, a handful of mongoose, and a mating pair of francolins, whom we affectionately call “Frank and Mrs. Frank” all in the yard simultaneously.

Even Frank and Mrs. Frank have been working at building a nest in the bush in our yard.

We were excited by the display, some of it centering on mating, some of it celebrating our handfuls of tossed pellets, seeds, carrots, and apples, and some of it, just for fun. 

I must admit, I took the above very jittery video. I don’t have the steady hand required for great videos, mainly for emotional reasons instead of physical limitations. I get so enthused I can hardly focus on my subjects. So be it. It’s been almost six years, and I’m still struggling with videos.

Louise’s dear mom Estelle crocheted this lovely vest for me. I couldn’t love it more.  It will look great with a safari shirt or a tee shirt and jeans! Thanks, Estelle! You’re the best!

However, I keep making them. I can’t help it. Occasionally, I get lucky as I did with the horns-stuck-together video from a few days ago in Kruger National Park. Click here for that post. 

As a matter of fact, Kruger National Park, SanParks (South Africa National Parks) contacted me to post our video on their site. Once it’s live this upcoming week, we’ll post a link here.

This adorable male duiker visits, eats a little and hunkers down for the night in the dark.

For today? Feeding the seemingly endless flow of visitors, working on Tom’s computer that’s having monitor issues, enjoying some delicious leftovers from last night, and, if it doesn’t rain, a drive in the park searching for more and more and more.

May your day also be filled with wonders!

Photo from one year ago today, May 27, 2017:

Historical government building in Victoria, British Columbia. What a beautiful city! For more details, please click here.