Giraffes came to call!…Preparing for our house guests…Six days and counting…

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This morning when feeding this Ms. Bushbuck (one of many Ms. Bushbucks), we noticed a giraffe in the garden.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Many cape buffalos resting near the river’s edge during yesterdays 39C (102F) scorcher.

Last night, after we’d prepared the veranda for the evening with the big bowl of freshly cut vegetables filled to the brim; the container of pellets; two different types of insect repellents including one lit coil and one lit oil lantern; various lights turned on; the table set for dinner; bushbaby yogurt placed on the little stand and beverages ready for 1700 hours (5:00 pm) we noticed two giraffes in the garden.

Since generally giraffes aren’t fed by humans, they are very skittish.

Since arriving in Marloth Park many moons ago, we hadn’t seen many giraffes in the garden, spotting more when on our daily drives in Marloth Park or on self-drives in Kruger National Park.

 It was getting dark, and taking photos of the giraffes was challenging especially when we didn’t dare get too close. Giraffes can be very dangerous if they feel threatened. We kept our distance, thinking this might be one of the very few opportunities to see them in the garden.

As I attempted to get better shots, he moved back, concerned about my presence.

Alas, this morning, while feeding one of many bushbucks that stop by, the two giraffes were back. With our friends Tom and Lois arriving in six days, we’re hoping the giraffes will return during the three weeks they’ll be staying with us beginning next Tuesday, October 9th.

We’d seen this large male at other locations in the park.

We’re busy getting ready for our guests to arrive. On Monday, Louise has arranged for Zef and Vusi to do yet another “spring cleaning.” With the constant stream of dust kicked up by wildlife, the house and veranda must be cleaned daily. But even so, there’s so must dust it’s difficult to attend to each day.

 The spring cleaning on both the main floor where our bedroom is located and the second story where Tom & Lois will sleep is imperative, primarily when the upstairs hasn’t been attended to for months. Overnight, insects and cobwebs accumulate in every nook and cranny. After all, this is Africa.

A female joined the male in munching on the treetops.

We’re busy planning the first week’s meals and activities, realizing that anything can be changed if our guests prefer another plan. But we anticipate they’ll be excited with our planning, including dinners out, sundowner wildlife river watching, self-drive safaris in Kruger, and dinners on the veranda, all of which will provide them with the whole African experience.

He stood there for quite some time.

Oddly, this will be the first time any friends from the US have come to visit us.  Let’s face it. This is far from the US and has nearly a 24-hour travel time that many vacationers prefer to avoid. 

 Plus, many people prefer to stay in resorts and hotels while on holiday and not stay in a house.  In essence, staying in a resort is considerably easier with no concern over meals, transportation, activity planning, etc.

Soon, they began to wander off toward the nearby parklands.

They are a hectic and well-traveled couple who spend a lot of time on a motorcycle traveling the USA. We plan to make this visit as relaxing and enjoyable as possible for them. Of course, continually searching for wildlife sightings can be very active and time-consuming, which we have no doubt they’ll love.

 Also, we feel confident they’ll be OK with the heat, insects, and dust. They aren’t as delicate as some may be under these conditions. I can think of many of our friends who’d find these conditions uncomfortable and subsequently avoid visiting us in Africa and certain other countries where conditions may be a little rough.

About a dozen bushbabies stop by the little stand for yogurt, which we purchase weekly for the nightly feedings.

We’ve asked Tom and Lois about their favorite beverage options and are already well-stocked for their arrival. They’ve generously offered to share in the cost of food and beverages while here since they’re staying for three weeks. But, we’re not accepting any money for rent.  

 They are our guests, and we’re grateful they’re taking the time and expense to visit. Our goal is to make this time as memorable and enjoyable for them as possible. We’re leaving plans flexible and wide open if they’d prefer to head off on their own for safaris, dinners out, or any other events.

 On the other hand, if they’d like us to join them in any activities, we’ll surely be happy to do so.

 Today is much more relaxed than yesterday. Later on, we’ll head down to the river to see if we can spot the lions we hear have been working on a recent kill. We’ll be back with more soon.

 May you have a fantastic day!

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

The pretty little hummingbird was stunned after hitting the glass wall in Costa Rica and landed on a chaise lounge.  A short while later, she recovered and flew away, much to our relief. For more photos, please click here.

Mom and baby giraffe day!…Little birds and crocs…Losing one’s memory…

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Mom was standing by the river’s edge, waiting for her baby to join her, who was a short distance away.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Little birds stopped by for seeds.  Can anyone help us identify these little birds?

The days and nights roll into one another so quickly we often forget the day of the week. But, that constitutes the extent of any memory loss we may experience. Of course, there’s always been the issue of remembering the names of people we’ve just met, but that’s been a lifelong issue for both of us.

Mom appeared to want to show her offspring how to drink from the river.

I’ve concluded that not remembering the names of newly met people is because we’re so busy assessing them and formulating opinions as to “who they are” we fail to pay close attention to their names.

Down they went, in an awkward pose, to drink from the river.

We’ve both found if we focus on hearing their name, we’ll remember it, especially if we use their name in conversation during the first meeting. That’s not always easy to do, but we’ve found it really works.

Otherwise, neither of us suffers from any forgetfulness, perhaps making us a little too confident that advancing age-associated memory loss will escape us.  Tom’s mother, who passed away at age 98, had an acute memory, able to recite birthdays, anniversaries, and special events in the lives of her many family members. 

The baby tried it on her own while mom stood to watch.  Giraffes are vulnerable to predators in this position.

My mother suffered from dementia even at the age I am now, which exacerbated until her death at 81 years of age. Memory loss is heredity, and yet I suffer no signs of it approaching and pray this path of good memory continues for many years to come.

If keeping one’s mind active is any indicator of prolonging a good memory, we’re on the right track. Never a day passes that we don’t discover and learn something new. Add the task of often putting it down in writing (and photos) on this site only adds to the depth of our ability to remember.

A few zebras meandered down the hill to the water, but mom didn’t seem concerned.  Giraffes and zebras seem to comingle well in the wild.

Tom, who proofreads each post daily and shares in the research process while I’m preparing the post, also gleans a lot of new information daily along with our many adventures with wildlife and nature.

After writing the above comments, we searched online and found an article from Harvard Health at Harvard Medical School listing seven points that aid in maintaining a good memory.

Here they are, as quoted from the article here:

“1. Keep learning

A higher level of education is associated with better mental functioning in old age. Experts think that advanced education may help keep memory strong by getting a person into the habit of being mentally active. Challenging your brain with mental exercise is believed to activate processes that help maintain individual brain cells and stimulate communication among them. Many people have jobs that keep them mentally active, but pursuing a hobby or learning a new skill can function differently. Read; join a book group; play chess or bridge; write your life story; do crossword or jigsaw puzzles; take a class; pursue music or art; design a new garden layout. At work, propose or volunteer for a project that involves a skill you don’t usually use. Building and preserving brain connections is an ongoing process, so make lifelong learning a priority.

2. Use all your senses

The more senses you use in learning something, the more your brain will be involved in retaining the memory. In one study, adults were shown a series of emotionally neutral images, each presented along with a smell. They were not asked to remember what they saw. Later, they were shown a set of images, this time without odors, and asked to indicate which they’d seen before. They had excellent recall for all odor-paired pictures, and especially for those associated with pleasant smells. Brain imaging indicated that the piriform cortex, the main odor-processing region of the brain, became active when people saw objects originally paired with odors, even though the smells were no longer present. The subjects hadn’t tried to remember them. So challenge all your senses as you venture into the unfamiliar. For example, try to guess the ingredients as you smell and taste a new restaurant dish. Give sculpting or ceramics a try, noticing the feel and smell of the materials you’re using.

3. Believe in yourself

Myths about aging can contribute to a failing memory. Middle-aged and older learners do worse on memory tasks when exposed to negative stereotypes about aging and memory and better when the messages are positive about memory preservation into old age. People who believe that they are not in control of their memory function are less likely to maintain or improve their memory skills and, therefore, are more likely to experience cognitive decline. If you believe you can improve and translate that belief into practice, you have a better chance of keeping your mind sharp.

4. Economize your brain use

If you don’t need to use mental energy remembering where you laid your keys or the time of your granddaughter’s birthday party, you’ll be better able to concentrate on learning and remembering new and important things. Take advantage of calendars and planners, maps, shopping lists, file folders, and address books to keep routine information accessible. Designate a place at home for your glasses, purse, keys, and other items you use often. Remove clutter from your office or home to minimize distractions so you can focus on new information that you want to remember.

5. Repeat what you want to know

When you want to remember something you’ve just heard, read, or thought about, repeat it out loud or write it down. That way, you reinforce the memory or connection. For example, if you’ve just been told someone’s name, use it when you speak with them: “So, John, where did you meet Camille?” If you place one of your belongings somewhere other than its usual spot, tell yourself out loud what you’ve done. And don’t hesitate to ask for information to be repeated.

6. Space it out

Repetition is most potent as a learning tool when it’s properly timed. It’s best not to repeat something many times in a short period, as if you were cramming for an exam. Instead, re-study the essentials after increasingly longer periods of time — once an hour, then every few hours, then every day. Spacing out periods of study is particularly valuable when trying to master complicated information, such as the details of a new work assignment. Research shows that spaced rehearsal improves recall in healthy people and those with certain physically based cognitive problems, such as those associated with multiple sclerosis.

7. Make a mnemonic

This is a creative way to remember lists. Mnemonic devices can take the form of acronyms (such as RICE to remember first-aid advice for injured limbs: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) or sentences (such as the classic “Every good boy does fine” to remember the musical notes E, G, B, D, and F on the lines of the treble clef).”

Although, in many ways, the medical profession had led us down the wrong road over the decades, this article appears to be realistic and most likely accurate. 

Yesterday, while on our drive, we stopped to check out the scenery at this dam.

In reviewing the above seven points, it’s clear we’re doing everything possible based on this lifestyle, mostly unintentionally, to enhance our memory as we age.  

When I recall my mother’s dementia, I realize how limited her range of learning may have been as she aged. Many seniors with severe medical problems find themselves sitting in front of a TV screen for most of each day.  In addition, many ill seniors may be taking multiple medications, impacting cognition and memory on a day-to-day basis.

Once we arrived at the hippo pool, we spotted a few crocs.

Several years ago, I read Dr. David Perlmutter’s book “Grain Brain,” which further explains how consuming a high carbohydrate diet of grains, starches, and sugars grossly impacts our brains as we age. I highly recommend this book to anyone who may be concerned with memory, regardless of age.

As a matter of fact, Dr. Perlmutter did an article on me, as shown here in this post (with photos), on how eliminating inflammatory foods from my diet allowed us to travel the world. Also, here’s the link from our post notifying our readers about the article.

We always enjoy taking a good croc headshot.

No, we don’t have all the answers to longevity and good health. We learn what we can from what we hope are reliable sources and incorporate what we can into our daily lives.

One thing we do know is, should we ever falter in our memories of what we’ve been doing over these many past years, we can always look online and reread every single post. That’s a perk we have gained from all these busy years, putting our story and photos together to share with all of you.

I hope your day provides you with an opportunity to engage in some of the above memory-enhancing tools!

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

A turtle we spotted in a pond in Zarcera, Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

What a morning!…Many species came to call within a two-hour time frame…Is this real?

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This was our first daytime giraffe visit at this house.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Zebras, helmeted guinea fowl, and of course our boy Tusker, whose quite a regular.

This morning we heard helicopters flying overhead heading to Kruger National Park in search of poachers. A considerable effort is being made to preserve the integrity of our endangered species who are being slaughtered for their horns, tusks, and even the scales of the quickly becoming extinct pangolin (an animal we’ve yet to see and would love to).

Within minutes a second giraffe arrived, and we excitedly photographed them both.

The sun is shining. The temperature is a comfortable 20C (68F) with a mild breeze. Endless varieties of birds are singing, and we even can hear the gurgling sounds of hippos a short distance away on the Crocodile River. .TIt couldn’t be a perfect morning…so we thought.

Giraffes have little competition for food in the treetops other than other giraffes.

Awakening earlier than usual after a good night’s sleep, while Tom was watching the Minnesota Vikings final pre-season game, I interrupted him to ask if he’d like to go to Kruger once I completed the post and he finished watching the game.

We couldn’t have been more thrilled to see them in our garden at long last.

In most cases, he enthusiastically agrees, but this time, he hesitated to state the weekend was here, and the crowds would be overwhelming in the national park during this busy holiday season.  

This more miniature giraffe may have been the offspring of the visiting female.

I was slightly disappointed but shrugged and went about my day, doing some laundry, chopping and dicing for tonight’s dinner, and reviewing the photos we had on hand for today’s post. Next week, we’ll surely head to Kruger, having been away for at least three weeks with our recent time out of the country.

Zebras are pretty rowdy with one another when competing for pellets. They don’t hesitate to kick and bite one another.

Little did I know that within a matter of minutes, magic would happen, and visitors came, one species after another, including the very first visit to our grounds by giraffes, who we’d longed to see since our arrival over six months ago.

And then, a band of mongoose suddenly appeared, hoping for raw eggs.  Tom mixed up a bowl full and placed it on the ground.

We’d seen a few giraffes in neighboring properties and taken a few photos, mainly at night and once, several weeks ago, saw one giraffe lingering in our driveway late at night. But, never had any giraffes come to call during the day.

I couldn’t grab the camera quickly enough, especially when all at once we had the following:  giraffes, zebras, warthogs, mongoose, and helmeted guinea fowl.  We had visits from bushbucks, hornbills, duikers, and a wide array of bird species throughout the morning.

They are used to Tom bringing out the bowl of raw scrambled eggs and wouldn’t back off while he placed it on the ground.

Tom didn’t hesitate to pause the football game to come outside to revel in the menagerie gracing us with their presence, each on their mission for some treats. Whether pellets, carrots, apples, eggs, or bird seeds, we joyfully shared our recently purchased inventory of things they love.

Unfortunately, giraffes don’t eat any foods we may offer when their goal and physical abilities only allow them to eat from the treetops or vegetation slightly below.  They only bend to the ground when drinking.

They pile atop one another to get a lick out of the bowl of eggs.  It’s hysterical to watch the action.

The morning continued magically, reminding us of how grateful and humbled we are to be in this amazing place, unlike anywhere else in the world, for whatever time we have left to be in South Africa.

Tom finished watching the game; Minnesota won, he was happy. I stayed busy with my various projects, online research, and managing the morning’s photos.  It’s been a great day so far.  Let’s see what rolls out for the remainder of the day.

Be well.  Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, August 31, 2017:

Tom captured this unusual cloud formation in Costa Rica. For more, please click here.

Curious giraffe behavior on a side road…One day and counting…

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What could they possibly be waiting for?

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Over the past few days, we’ve observed this pair of hornbills taking seeds from our birdfeeder and placing them inside this unoccupied bushbaby house.  Could they be preparing a nest?

Please note for visitors and residents of Marloth Park: 

TODAY AT 2 PM
Invasive Species Talk – FREE!
The Tin Shack Restaurant, Marlothi Shopping Centre

 
On Monday, when we embarked on our typical two-hour drive through Marloth Park in search of interesting and unusual sightings of wildlife, we stumbled across a very busy road, as mentioned in yesterday’s post

here.

 The young giraffe had no interest in the activities of the others.

Not only did we see a dozen or more zebras on a mission we also spotted no less than a dozen giraffes, also seeming to have a task in mind as they stared down the road for quite some time.

The youngster scratching an itch.

After watching the giraffes for 10 or 15 minutes, we decided to drive further down the dirt road to see if we could determine what they were looking for. As we drove several hundred meters toward the direction they were watching, we noticed another tower of giraffes heading their way.

The young giraffe didn’t seem to be interested in what the others were waiting for and busily munched on the leaves of a tree. 

From this long-distance, they were well aware of the approaching giraffe. Was this to be a happy meeting or some type of mating conflict we’d heard so much about. Giraffes, when fighting for dominance will engage in necking can cause serious injury or death to one another.

Watch this NatGeo video to see what we’re describing here. After watching this video, we weren’t disappointed to discover these two towers of giraffes were meeting for some other unknown reason, perhaps as a family reuniting after a period of separation.

The giraffes were intently staring down the road with some objective in mind.  

This was not unlike photos and a video we posted a few months of a mom and chick ostrich reunited with the dad who we spotted at a distance, walking proudly down the road toward his family. Once reunited, the baby and dad hung out in the bush together while the mom stood watch on the road. For that post, please click here.

When the two towers all came together, they didn’t congregate into one tight area. Instead, they seemed to acknowledge each other’s presence by entering each other’s space to begin grazing on what leaves were left on the trees in the area.

On occasion, he’d stop to see what was going on, including checking us out.  

Giraffes have no competition when grazing other than other giraffes. No other animals eat the leaves on the treetops than these magnificent tall creatures. But even for them, in the dry winter months with little rain, their food sources become sparse as it is for other wildlife.

Those to the right in this photo didn’t move a limb for a considerable period of time.

Unfortunately, those of us in Marloth Park during the dry season can’t feed the giraffes. They don’t bend to eat, only to drink and they certainly don’t eat pellets or vegetables from being hand-fed by humans. They are totally on their own.

We weren’t able to get photos of them altogether since they were scattered throughout the feeding source. We watched for quite a while and then we were on our way satisfied over the two great sightings.

Suddenly, they were on the move.

From there, we continued on to the river with more photos we’ll share in tomorrow’s post which is a travel day. Although the flight from Nelspruit to Livingston, Zambia is less than two hours, it takes about seven hours from the time we leave the house until we arrive at the hotel in Livingstone. (The drive from Marloth Park to the Nelspruit/Mpumalanga airport is a little over one hour).

As for tomorrow’s post, we hope to get it uploaded before our 11:35 am flight. If it doesn’t work out, we complete the post once we arrive at the hotel, making posting time approximately six or seven hours later than usual.

We turned off the little car’s engine to wait patiently while watching the two merged towers enjoy time together in the bush.

We look forward to sharing many exciting photos during the upcoming week from both Zambia and Botswana.

Enjoy the day!

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

Check out those ears.  They certainly were flicking back and forth when we stopped to say “hola!” while in Atenas, Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

Annoying noise and big concerns in the park…A little complaining on this end…Three days and counting to trip…

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From this site:  “Zebras as very social animals and live in large groups called ‘harems.’ Plains and mountain zebras live in harems that are made up of one stallion and up to six mares, and they’re young, while Grevy’s zebras come together as groups for short periods of time.” The type of zebras in the South African savanna is Burchell’s Zebra [Equus burchelli].

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Moms and babies…what a sight to see!

It’s been an unusual weekend. With few wildlife visitors stopping by due to the holidaymakers and the noisy construction next door, which occurred all day Saturday and Sunday, beginning again with hammering at 6:17 this morning, our days and nights were quite different than usual. 

The work continued each day until darkness fell that impacted our enjoyment of setting up for wildlife visits in the early evening. No one came to call.

Zebras can be pushy when it comes to getting their share of pellets and vegetables both with their harem mates and with us.

At a few points over these past days, the pounding was so annoying we went inside, shut the door, and watched a few episodes of shows on my computer. This is very unusual for us. We rarely watch anything other than the Minnesota Vikings game during daylight hours.

There are rules in Marloth Park as to which hours and days of the week construction can be in process.  Obviously, the neighbors had little regard for these rules. But, who are we to report them. We’re only renters.

This zebra started climbing up the veranda steps to let us know he was hungry.

We can only imagine the frustration tourists who’d come for a long weekend would feel if they’d come for a four or five-day stay and they had to put up with the noise and lack of wildlife visiting. People come to Marloth Park for the wildlife and a sense of peace.

Unfortunately, some homeowners and holiday renters aren’t respectful of the laws, spoiling it for everyone else.  Actually, we’re thrilled to be leaving in three days to head back to Livingstone, Zambia, and Chobe National Park in Botswana for a week.

It’s not unusual to see altercations among the zebras when they’re competing for food.

Hopefully, by the time we return on August 23rd, the construction will be completed, and the noisy and disrespectful holidaymakers will be gone. In the past several weeks, we’ve seen no less than a half dozen children driving 4×4’s and SUVs in the park, some as young as eight or nine years old, either sitting on the parent’s lap or some type of booster seat.

It’s no wonder 12 or 13 animals were killed on the roads over these past few school holiday months. Some people come here, not all, with little regard for laws and safety, many speeding on the roads with the potential to kill both animals and humans innocently walking or biking to their destinations.

The symmetry of their stripes is different on each zebra, such as in a fingerprint. From this site: “Body stripes are less numerous and broader than the Cape Mountain Zebra, whereas body stripes extend around the belly. Leg striping is less prominent. Measures 1.3 to 1.4 meters (51-55 inches) at the shoulder and weighs 300-320 kg (661-704 pounds). They have rounded ears approximately 160-170 mm (6.3-6.7 inches) long. The front portion of the mane forms a black tuft between the ears. Diet: Predominantly a grazer, feeding in areas with short grass. Zebra has a strong, sensitive upper lip with which it gathers herbage by collecting the grass between the lip and the lower incisors before plucking the harvest.”

A few weeks ago, we saw a lit cigarette being tossed from a moving vehicle.  We were aghast!  Marloth Park is all bush and this time of year extremely dry. The entire municipality could ignite in minutes from one single careless act.  

Plus, the invasive alien plants, of which there are many, brought in by homeowners desiring a “fancy” garden tend to burn higher and more intensely than the indigenous plants. This isn’t very comforting.

The type of giraffes found in South Africa from this site:  “Giraffe camelopardarlis giraffe – South African giraffe found in South Africa, southern Botswana, southern Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.”

As all of our readers know, it is not our intention to be “negative” in our posts. Still, we’re hoping both locals and visitors will stumble upon this post and realize how serious some of these infractions are to the safety and well-being of everyone in this magical place.

We apologize to our worldwide readers, far removed from this area, to be reading this bit of negativity. But, we do not doubt that there are similarly thoughtless people who upset the balance of peace and harmony in some of your neighborhoods, towns, and villages.

From this site: “Receptive cows are continuously courted by adult bulls. They have a gestation period of 457 days. Whereafter a single calf is born. At birth, a calf weighs about 100 kg (220 pounds), and they are weaned between six to eight months, but only about 52 percent of the calves ever reach maturity since the young are preyed upon by lions hyenas, and leopards. Sexual maturity is reached after four or five years. The reproductive receptiveness of cows is checked upon by adult bulls moving from group to group.” The calves are more likely to reach maturity for giraffes in Marloth Park since there are fewer predators in the park than in Kruger National Park.

I’m planning to pack today for our upcoming trip.  It always gives me peace of mind to be packed a few days earlier than necessary. We’ve found it’s harder to pack for short trips while living in a holiday home than it is for us to leave a location permanently.  In those cases, we pack everything we own.

For short trips, it’s a pick-and-choose process that takes more time and effort.  The last time we made this trip, I brought along 50% more than I needed. This time, I’ll cut back considerably, lightening the load.  

Ms. Kudu and a friend visited us a few weeks ago. Only one kudu came to call over the past many days.

Plus, we’ll be taking a “trip within a trip” when we stay overnight at the Chobe Safari Lodge midway through the week. During this one-night, two-day period, we’ll mostly be wearing our ‘bugs away” clothing, making those decisions a little easier.

Today, we’ll embark on our usual drive in Marloth Park since getting into Kruger is still almost impossible with the tourist crowds. We’ll wait to visit Kruger after we return from Zambia.

Have a spectacular day!

Photo from one year ago today, August 13, 2017:

View from the chaise lounges of the pool, the Jacuzzi to the left and beyond it, the cold plunge pool at the house in Atenas, Costa Rica. For more photos, please click here.

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

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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.

How did we get so lucky?…Today is special…Everyday is special…

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Although this stance seems awkward and cumbersome, they perform it with grace and ease with careful foot placement and strength.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

“The foot of the giraffe reaches a diameter of 30 cm (12 in), and the hoof is 15 cm (5.9 in) high in males and 10 cm (3.9 in) in females. The rear of each hoof is low, and the fetlock is close to the ground, allowing the foot to provide additional support to the animal’s weight.”

I’d expected this 70th year of my life to be very different than what it is today. With a long-term chronic medical condition (since resolved), I’d expected to be living a life of pain, discomfort, and disability. 

They wandered across the road to get to the watering hole.

Always ambitious, I supposed I’d have found a way to be fulfilled within the framework of these limitations but never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever imagine this life…this magnificent life.

There were eight giraffes in the “tower.”

Twenty-seven years ago today, I met Tom Lyman. How that transpired is shared in last year’s post on this date which may be found here, which is also indicated below in the “Photo from one year ago today.”

Giraffes can run at paces of 60 km (37 mph), but their motions appear slow and deliberate when grazing and drinking.

I highly doubt that I’d have shared this morning’s contemplative comments with my husband, partner, lover, and travel companion that quickly crossed my lips while sitting at the big table on the veranda.

“Look at us.  We have eight zebras, two bushbucks, and a warthog in our garden this morning. Yesterday, we encountered eight giraffes, as shown in today’s photos. We’re living in the bush in Africa. How did we get so lucky to have one another, to be here at this point in our lives?”

I was contemplating taking a drink from the waterhole.

We looked at each other and smiled, simultaneously saying, “Who would have to thunk it?” Neither of us ever dreamed of nor imagined this type of life in our senior years or at any time in our lives.

Perhaps, one more drink?

And today, 27 years after we first met almost serendipitously, opposites, headstrong and non-committal, that here we’d be, glued at the hip, as they say, traveling the world precisely as we choose.

They were standing in the queue at the water fountain. The other giraffes in the tower lumbered across the road to share in the drinking from the pond.

We don’t travel to lands where others “think” we should travel. We don’t necessarily visit tourist locations on most traveler’s “bucket lists,” and oddly, we don’t even have a “bucket list.” 

We plan and experience whatever falls into our hearts and minds as the “next place” (as Tom calls it, as his “favorite place” when asked). And essentially, every place we visit is our favorite at the time when we strive to “live in the moment” wherever we may be.

Each giraffe has its manner of bending to drink and is also subject to the surrounding terrain for foot placement.

But this? The memories of these endless experiences we’ve shared here in Africa and all over the world. It’s something special, not only for the “living in the moment” aspect but for the promise that we’ll carry these memories with us until our last breath.

What could this huge bump be?

In a way, the memories we capture in our minds and photos become almost half of the experience in itself. We know that soon, this Africa chapter will end, and a new chapter will begin. A year from now, we’ll be in Ireland for three months. How different could that be?

There’s nothing like a handsome face!

But for now, we celebrate this life, this time, this place with one exception. Today, we celebrate 27 years ago when we first met an unlikely couple who somehow found their way together in this unparalleled existence of pure and unmitigated joy in the world’s endless offerings.

Thank you, dear readers, for being on this journey with us and your inspiration for our unstoppable commitment to continue documenting every day.

Photo from one year ago today, June 28, 2017:

This was Tom around the time we met in 1991. For more details, please click here.

Giraffe Day!!!…All seen in Marloth Park, not Kruger…Planning our next adventure…

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This lovely girl (determined by the hair on her ossicones) posed for a face shot.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

The adorable bushbabies move so quickly. It’s difficult getting photos in the dark. In this instance, we counted seven on the pedestal at once. Now we’ll try for eight.

No words can describe how exciting it is when we take our almost daily drives in Marloth Park, usually in the afternoon. “They,” say that we’re less likely to see much at that time of day, but we rarely go out without spotting some fascinating and magnificent wildlife during the two-hour drive.

The dirt roads are very bumpy, and at times, I hang on as we maneuver our way through deep potholes, crevices, and uneven roads. The tiny rental cars don’t handle these roads that well, and we certainly don’t want to damage the vehicle. Tom, the sound driver that he is, somehow manages to lessen the bumps along the way.
“Giraffe feet are the size of a dinner plate with a diameter of 30cm (almost 12 inches).”

As for the bouncing around, we’re both used to it, as are the residents of Marloth Park. Bumpy roads and wildlife are a way of life here, a small price to pay for what we’re all gifted to see every day.

Giraffes’ necks are surprisingly too short of reaching the ground. As a result, they must awkwardly spread their front legs to drink. Based on their vegetation diet, they derive most water from the leaves they eat and only need to drink every few days.

We don’t see giraffes each time we’re on the drive. Instead, we may spot them approximately 10% of the time. And, when we do, we can barely contain our enthusiasm. 

Unlike some wildlife, they don’t run off when they see humans and vehicles on the roads. Although one surely wouldn’t want to get too close since one swift kick can be fatal to humans and destructive to cars.  We always stay back a reasonable distance to respect their space and always give them the “right of way” when walking down or across the road.

This giraffe had five oxpeckers on its hide.

There’s so much to see right here in the park. We understand why some people we’ve met don’t necessarily go into Kruger often. For us, with our limited time remaining (eight months) in Marloth Park and the fact we purchased a one-year pass to enter Kruger (referred to as a “Wild Card”) as often as we’d like, we love seeing wildlife in both locations.

Driving around and finding giraffes in Marloth Park is indescribable.

On days we don’t go into Kruger, we take advantage of the opportunity to encounter so many marvelous creatures right here in our “garden.” When we were here four years ago, it was hard to get me out the door to go anywhere. 

Those three short months in 2013/2014 flew by quickly, and when we left, we knew it would never be enough. Now, over this extended period, we can freely come and go as we please, never worrying we’re missing out.  We have more stunning photos we took late yesterday that we’d never been able to see if we had been in Kruger. We’ll share those tomorrow.

She turned her head for an alternate view.

Today, we’re busy planning our tours and safaris for our next trip to Zambia and Botswana, for which we’re leaving on August 16th for one week. Due to visa restrictions, we have no choice to travel back to Zambia, as mentioned in earlier posts. 

This way, we can fly in and out of the small international airport in Nelspruit, where visa restrictions are easier than traveling through Johannesburg. Few visitors stay in South Africa for an extended period unless they apply for residency, which we didn’t want to do due to the complicated and time-consuming process that takes many months or even years to acquire.

 We were thrilled when we spotted this “tower” of five giraffes.

Once we firm up the details of these tours, we’ll post the information here. In the interim, we’re enjoying the planning. As for the distant future, we’ve had several inquiries about when we’ll be posting a new itinerary. 

“The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world, standing at around 4-5m high (13-16 feet), and the tallest giraffes can be recorded up to 5.9m (19 feet). That’s over a meter higher than a double-decker bus.”

The last time we posted an itinerary was on January 7, 2018 (at this link).  But, since that date, we’ve made several changes that we’ll update in the next few months as we add more bookings and re-post an up-to-date and accurate itinerary. The itinerary you’ll see at the above link doesn’t include the Zambia and Botswana trips or the upcoming photo tour in Kenya next February.

“Despite being incredibly tall, giraffes still only have seven vertebrae in their neck – the same number as humans and most other mammals.”

That’s it for today, folks. We want to thank our readers for sticking with us during the somewhat repetitive experience. How many giraffes, warthogs, and kudus can you see? For us? There’s never enough. For many of you?  Not so much. 

Have a spectacular day!

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

Wild turkeys are everywhere in the metro area in Minneapolis. Our friend Sue had shared this photo with us that she’d taken the morning before we got together in the evening. It was beautiful seeing our dear friend Sue and this turkey too! For more photos, please click here.

Unexpected visit to Kruger National Park…Never disappoints…

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No more than 10 minutes into Kruger we spotted elephants.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Kudu sticks out her tongue in anticipation of being hand fed pellets.  We don’t feed the males by hand due to the risk of an unintended injury by their massive and dangerous antlers.

When we miraculously uploaded yesterday’s post by around 11:45 am and the sun was shining on a beautiful day, impulsively I said to Tom, “Let’s go to Kruger now!”

We assumed the dark brown color was due to rolling around in a muddy waterhole.

Although midday may not be the perfect time to find wildlife out and about in the heat of the sun, we decided “why not?”  We’d never entered the park this late in the day but it wasn’t as if we had any other pressing matters on the agenda…the wildlife “at home” could wait for our return if they happened to stop by and we weren’t around.

There were a few giraffes a distance from the road.  Unfortunately, in Kruger visitors must stay on the roads.  Returning to the Masai Mara (in February) on our Greg Harvey Wildlife Photography Tour we’ll have a guide driving the safari vehicle and they are able to drive off-road

Since we were both showered and dressed for the day it took us only a few minutes to get ready to head out the door; gather our passports, park entrance documents, camera and extra batteries, binoculars, and drinks in our mugs (water for me and iced tea for Tom).

When we’d given up hope of seeing a parade of elephants, safari luck kicked in and once again, we were gifted with these elephants crossing the road.  We couldn’t believe the baby’s determined stride!

By noon, we were out the door to head to the petrol station to put air in the little blue car’s tires.  We have to do this every few days but refuse to pay for tire repairs on the rental car, especially since we’ll only have it for another 17 days. 

If we’d been a few minutes earlier we’d have seen the entire parade but we were thrilled with what we did get an opportunity to witness.

Hopefully, the vehicle we’ve rented for the next three more months, which we’ll pick up in Nelspruit after we return from Zambia on May 18th, won’t have similar problems as the past few rentals in South Africa.

Check out the size of this newborn calf which probably was born in the past week.

Once we crossed the Crocodile Bridge and reached the entrance to the park, when we showed our Wild Card (annual pass to the park) we were told we’d have to go inside in order to be allowed to enter the park.

There were dozens more than we could capture in a single photo.

Any visitors arriving after 12:00 pm have to register inside the reception building.  Little did we know it would take 15 minutes to have a rep at the desk check us in.  Next time, we’ll make sure to arrive before noon to avoid this added wait.

We could see, at a distance, where they all were headed.

By 12:45 we were on the main paved road with a plan to drive for an hour or more and then turn around and head back the same way.  With the car’s bad tires, we weren’t about to tackle a washboard dirt road. 

Mating season.  A little hugging perhaps?

One might wonder “Why would you want to return the same way you came?”  The answer it simple.  We can see nothing on the way in and magic happening on the way out.  Wildlife is unpredictable and although they may have favorite watering holes and foraging spots they wander many kilometers on any given day.

Kruger is 19,485 square kilometers (7,523 square miles), the size of the country of Wales.  It’s odd to imagine that driving on any road, paved or dirt, we’d actually encounter any wildlife at all, considering how much space they have to wander.  But, we do.  And it can be on the main paved road or a dirt road with little predictability.

Check out the look on this zebras face!

Once we get a car with better tires, we’ll explore more of the dirt roads in the park, more for a change of scenery than in hopes of seeing more wildlife.  We already know the main road very well recognizing vegetation and watering holes along the way.

It proved to be a good day based on the photos we’re sharing today and will continue to share in the future as we accumulate more and more good shots we’ve been able to take while in the park.

We made it a challenge to see how many bushbabies we can capture in one photo. In this photo, it appears there are four when in fact there were six.  We’ll keep trying.

Today, we’re off to Komatipoort for a dentist appointment for me.  A filling I had repaired in Costa Rica has fallen out and needs to be repaired.  I don’t like going to a dentist but who does?  It’s just a fact of life we all must bear.  Our friend Gail made a recommendation for a good dentist located two doors from Wimpy’s Hamburgers near the Spar Supermarket.  Afterward, we’ll do some grocery shopping. 

So, that’s it for today, folks. We hope you have a fabulous day! Once the dentist appointment is over, my day will be just fine!
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Photo from one year ago today, April 24, 2017:

A small uninhabited island off the coast of New Caledonia.  For more photos, please click here.

Oh, what a night!…Way too much fun!…Tom’s South Africa haircut…at last! A rare visitor…a great dinner…

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“We’re not moving! We’re waiting on the others!” We didn’t mind a bit. We’d have gladly waited for any amount of time.

There are times I say to myself, “Oh, please, this is too much fun!” Then again, I realize that both of us are easily entertained. Really. 

An interesting insect or sighting of a turtle walking across the garden has the ability to captivate us to the point of squealing with delight once we can let out our breath.

“We’re coming! We need a few more bites before we join the others!”

We were always like this. Only then, we didn’t have access to this degree of almost constant stimulation.  Whether it’s the sound of Lions roaring, the pleasant bubbly sound of hippos as we lie in bed at night, or the shuffling sound of a creature atop the roof, the pleasure only seems to stop when we’re sleeping.

“Hold onto your shorts!”

It’s ironic that this constant state of being “on the alert” and the sheer engagement when we discover yet another wonder, by 10:00 to 10:30 pm, I’m practically falling on my face. Tom is not far behind.

And still, the others had yet to join them while they anxiously looked their way. At this point, traffic was backed up and as soon as there was an opening, we were on our way, our faces hurting from smiling.

Yesterday and last night, one of many days and nights, we had a particularly delightful time. The heat was unbearable as a storm brewed, the air was thick was visible humidity. We lasted outdoors for five hours finally throwing in the towel, heading indoors to the loft with AC.

Yet to visit our yard, a mom and baby Wildebeest watched us drive by.

Due to the excessive heat, the AC wasn’t able to keep up. The lines frequently clog with insects, caused water to start dripping into the house. When this occurred, we had no option but it turn it off. With AC in both bedrooms, I decided it was a good time to go into our bedroom, turn on the AC and read my book. That didn’t last long.

Definitely not pretty animals, but, all of them are cute to us.  Although it’s been very hot here in the summer months, we’re grateful we’ve come during the birthing season, seeing many babies.

Fearful of missing something, a short time later I turned off the AC, shut the door, and looked outside for visitors. What if we missed something else? We’d had a great morning as shown in yesterday’s post.

We were so excited to get this shot of one of the two monitor lizards living in our yard.  This photo was taken at the hottest point in the day.  Louise and Danie told us that they’ll swim in the pool from time to time. We’d have loved to see that!

Having left prawn shells (shrimp) and a raw egg for the mongoose (they eat snakes), I was thrilled to see the monitor lizard eating the last of the prawn shells and then taking the raw egg with her to the hole in which we occasionally see her and her mate slither in and out.

The monitor lizard, a rare visitor, headed to the ground on the opposite side of the pool to check out the eggs that she laid a few weeks ago. As mentioned recently, it may take up to 300 days for the eggs to hatch depending upon conditions such as weather and attacks by other animals.
This occurred so quickly that I had no time to get the camera. A half-hour later we found the monitor lizard contemplating a swim in the pool, the long tongue darting in and out of the water. As a result, we captured these photos from inside the house. These Lizards are very skittish. If they’d seen us they’d be gone in a few seconds. They move quickly.
Tom, outside the salon where he got a haircut on Thursday.

At 6:30 pm, as the sun began to set, Okee Dokee picked us up to take us to Jabula Lodge, our favorite restaurant in the area. Not only is the food fantastic, but Dawn and Leon, the owners, present every time we arrive, make our dining experience comparable to a party each time. The chatting and laughing between tasty bites adds a playful element that drives us back, time, and again for more.

Tom, awaiting his turn at the salon for his haircut appointment.

On the way to Jabula Lodge, we stopped many times to take these photos. Although not as clear as I’d like since taking photos from a moving vehicle at dusk is challenging with our type of camera. However, we couldn’t resist sharing these today. 

Tom with his new haircut getting ready to eat that huge vertical stick of beef known as Espetada. I wasn’t thrilled about him eating the chips (as they call fries in Africa). But, I kept my mouth shut and didn’t comment, as usual. He said the meat was delicious. I had perfectly prepared grilled chicken, veggies, and Greek salad (sans dressing).

After the laugh-fest at Jabula Lodge, we headed home, watched a few shows on my broken-monitor laptop, and headed to bed. The worst of the storm had passed, the temperature had dropped considerably and a good night’s sleep was imminent. Another good day.