Unbelievable sighting in our yard…You must see this!…Look below!…Fabulous evening with friends…

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Please take a moment to watch our video of mongoose visitors in our yard last night!

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Finally, my favorite, warthogs, stopped by for a lengthy visit—more on this tomorrow.

I don’t know where to begin first, the outrageous sighting in the yard shortly after our friends arrived for dinner, a stunning sighting for all of us or, the exceptional evening we spent with four of our friends.

Ken, Tom, and Don are making big faces for the camera!
Linda, me and Kathy. It was these two thoughtful friends that took me to lunch on my birthday four years ago. Wow! Now, we’ll all be together again to celebrate my 70th.
During the day, we had no less than eight visitors all at once from three different species that sent us into a tailspin of pure delight. That event in itself was beyond our wildest dream this early in our stay. We’ll share those photos tomorrow.
At first, we only saw a few of the mongooses, but the rest were on their way into the yard.

We only arrived a week ago today, and yet we’ve seen every species that resides in the Conservancy, and beginning next week, we’ll head to Kruger National Park hoping to see the Big Five once again; lion, elephant, cape buffalo, rhino, and leopard.

 Our guests arrived promptly at 6:00 pm, and we were ready for our guests. When we’d made the invitation to the four of them for dinner, we realized we had enough food on hand for the meal without the necessity of heading to the market.

“Mongoose is the popular English name for 29 of the 34 species in the 14 genera of the family Herpestidae, small feliform carnivorans native to southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. The other five species (all African) in the family are the four kusimanses in the genus Crossarchus and the only species in the genus Suricata: Suricata suricatta, commonly called meerkat in English.”

We made the following (all the meats were cooked on the grill):
1.  Pork Chops
2.  Lamb Chops
3.  Boerewors (sausages) – “The many varieties of boerewors include specialties such as garlic wors, kameeldoring (camel thorn), Karoowors (sausage from the Karoo region in South Africa), and spekwors (made with extra cubed pork fat). Other ingredients include cheese and chili peppers.”
4. Cauliflower Mash
5. Pureed Pumpkin
6. Sauteed onions, garlic, and portabella mushroom (to top the seasoned meat)
7. Cabbage Salad

Suddenly a baby was on the scene.

We’d purchased beer and wine, but they insisted on bringing their own beverages, a tradition when visiting guests in the bush. We had purchased a lighter red wine for me with less alcohol and tannins, which tend to keep me awake at night after a few glasses. It wasn’t as good as a regular Cabernet or Merlot, but I drank it anyway. Tom had Castle Beer, manufactured in South Africa and a local favorite.

Mongooses love raw eggs.  When we spotted them, Tom ran inside, bringing out an 18 pack of fresh eggs.  He laid one on the ground, and this is what happened.

Although we’d seen Linda and Ken in Sydney 11 months ago, we hadn’t seen Kathy and Don in four years. It was Kathy and Don who’d invited us for Christmas Eve when they’d never met us. We’d met their mutual friends, Lynne and Mick, at Jabula Lodge a few days before Christmas, and they hooked us up.

During the period of time they were in our yard, Tom placed four eggs on the ground for them to quickly fight for and devour.  It was quite a scene.

Lynne and Mick were leaving Marloth for the holidays but wanted to make sure we had something wonderful to do on Christmas Eve. And indeed we did, spending the evening at Kathy and Don’s beautiful bush house bordering the Crocodile River. Here’s the link to that story.

 To know that soon we’ll all be together again (also with other dear friends) at my birthday party in two days fills my heart with so much joy and love. How did we get so lucky? 

Once the rest of them realized we had eggs, they piled atop one another.

The evening flowed with considerable ease when we’d prepared all but the meat in advance. I heated the side dishes in the microwave and then popped them in the preheated oven. With the homemade dressing ready to go, I tossed the salad. 

“Mongooses live in southern Asia, Africa, and southern Europe, as well as Fiji, Puerto Rico, and some in the Caribbean and Hawaiian islands, where they are an introduced species. The 34 species range from 24 to 58 cm (9.4 to 22.8 in) in length, excluding the tail. Mongooses range in weight from the common dwarf mongoose, at 320 g (11 oz), to the cat-sized white-tailed mongoose, at 5 kg (11 lb).”

Tom, Don, and Ken fussed over the grill, and by 8:00 pm, we were all seated at the outdoor table, meats cooked to perfection, and we dug in for a hearty meal (minus gluten, grains, starch, and sugar). No one even noticed we didn’t have rice, potatoes, or bread. 

The lively conversation continued through the delightful evening. We all have so much in common in our love for Marloth Park, traveling and being engaged in lively and exciting times at this point in our lives.

In a split second, they were all over the eggs.  See our above video for details.  “Mongooses mostly feed on insects, crabs, earthworms, lizards, birds, and rodents. However, they also eat eggs and carrion. The Indian gray mongoose and others are well known for fighting and killing venomous snakes, particularly cobras. They are adept at such tasks due to their agility, thick coats, and specialized acetylcholine receptors that render them resistant or immune to snake venom.  However, they typically avoid the cobra and have no particular affinity for consuming its meat.”

So yesterday, enriched by our friend’s visit and the many wildlife “visitors,” it was quite a special day. You won’t be disappointed! Enjoy our photos, and please take a moment to watch the video.

Be well. Be happy.

Photo from one year ago today, February 18, 2017:

Although overcast in the Huon Valley, Tom had a great day fishing and taking photos while boating with Anne and Rob. For more photos, please click here.

Hansel and Gretel style…Dropping pellets in the yard…Visitors have arrived….Happy Valentine’s Day

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There she was yesterday,  a pretty kudu, standing by the watering hole in the yard of our holiday home. She nibbled on pellets and hung around for some time. Female kudus usually weigh about 463 pounds (210 kg), while male bulls may be well over 661 pounds (300 kg).  Only the males have long spiral horns. Tomorrow, we’ll share male kudus we spotted while out on our nightly drive.

Over four years ago, when we lived in Marloth Park, we purchased the approved pellets residents can feed the wild animals.  With the recent drought resulting in less vegetation for the wildlife to eat, the pellets are a nutritious food source.

Kudus are muscular, agile, and strong.

Louise had picked up a 50 pound (23 kg) bag of pellets, which were waiting for us when we arrived.  She dumped them into a giant trash bin with locking handles which we’ll keep indoors to avoid the baboons from getting into them. 

The baboons are very crafty and could quickly figure out how to unlock the interlocking handles.  Although many tourists “get a kick” out of seeing the baboons, they are an awful hazard and can tear up the interior (and exterior) of a house in minutes if they manage to get inside or on the veranda.

She was enjoying the pellets we’d left on the grounds surrounding the property.

It’s our responsibility to ensure they don’t get close to the house by not eating outdoors, feeding them pellets, or making them welcome in any manner. They are the only animals we’ll avoid in this Conservancy.  The others are more than welcome to stop by.

And stop by they have, especially after we began dropping the pellets, Hansel and Gretel style, while walking up and down the dirt driveway and around the house, scattering the pellets as we go. 

This was one view of her from the table and chairs on the veranda. As shown, we have two grills, one gas and another wood burning which we’ll take advantage of soon. Notice the chairs made of tires encircling the fire pit on the ground.

Well, wouldn’t you know, no more than an hour after we laid down the first batch of pellets, we had our first visitor, shown here today in our photos, a lovely female kudu?

Kudus may travel in groups referred to as a “forkl” or herd, particularly the females. The males are often loners, although they may be seen in herds of two, three, or more. We’ll share all of these instances as we move along.

At times, she stopped nibbling pellets and looked directly into our eyes.  What a sweet experience!

This morning as soon as we got situated at the long table on the veranda, I loaded up a plastic container with pellets to begin my twice daily “pellet dropping,” once upon awakening and another around 2:00 pm. 

Doing so should keep the visitors coming. Of course, we’re thrilled to be able to provide them with a bit of sustenance. Once they become used to our offering, they come by regularly during our three months in this house. Most likely, during our second three-month stint and beyond, we’ll repeat the same process, regardless of which holiday house we occupy in Marloth Park.

Although a little cautious near us, she wasn’t intimidated by the little rental car parked in the driveway.

We’d mentioned discussing our recent grocery shopping trip at the Spar Supermarket in Komatipoort. Not unusual in Africa, we had trouble finding some everyday items (to us) such as celery and Parmesan cheese. 

We spent US $317.08 (ZAR 3,760.88) at Spar plus, after the meat market, the biltong shop, a 12-pack of beer, three bottles of wine, and the total grocery bill to get us started was US $401.46 (ZAR 4,761.71). 

She was a lot bigger than she appears in this photo, although we suspected this female might be only one or two years of age.

We have enough beef, chicken, pork, and lamb on hand to last for the next two weeks, and we’ll only need to return to Komatipoort for vegetables and incidentals. We plan to return tomorrow to check out the Shoprite store to see if we can fill in the blanks for our upcoming planned recipes. 

Tonight, we’re planning dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day at Jabula Restaurant and to arrange for my birthday party next week on Tuesday. It will be fun to return and see owners Dawn and Leon and get the party planning underway. I don’t want a big fuss. We’ll be hosting several appetizers and cake and utilize a cash bar for the drinks.

Our first helmeted guinea hen (take from afar, resulting in a little blur).

As for Valentine’s Day, we wish all of our family, friends/readers a very loving day filled with reminders about how to share this special day with those you love. We won’t have any trouble figuring that out around here!

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

Cute restaurant in Franklin, Tasmania. For more photos, please click here.

An interesting frequent visitor..Too hot to handle…Kevin came to call…

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Fairly frequent visitors, the Helmeted Guinea-fowl family stopped by yesterday afternoon. Check out the “fluff” around the neck. What a gorgeous shade of blue, not often seen in nature.

Perhaps, it’s the heat of summer. This is comparable to July above the equator. The heat and humidity are unbearable, especially in the afternoon. The flies are equally annoying. Our visitor population is down considerably in the heat when wildlife tends to stay undercover during the day hiding in the bush to stay cool.

On either side of the face are two hanging red-tipped hanging pieces of skin. When the Helmeted Guinea-fowl moves about, these swing around as would a pair of dangling earrings.

It’s early morning now. Our hot cup of coffee adds to the sweating, causing our skin to glisten with perspiration.  Having lathered myself with repellent each morning after a shower, I notice the accumulation of the white lotion and sweat in the crook of my arms no more than 10 minutes after getting situated on the veranda.

The adorable chicks are growing fast, but won’t exhibit signs of the blue skin on the heads for many more months to come. They run very fast, following the parents when they leave, who mate for life, unlike many of the animals.

This morning there will be no long walk down our driveway to the road, leaving a trail of pellets. The heat of the sun is more than I can handle this morning, especially when the flies swarm me as I walk down the path. I don’t think we’ll last long outside today. 

Yesterday morning we left out shrimp skin and tails for the carnivorous monitor lizard along with a raw egg.  This Helmeted Guinea-fowl checked them out but had no interest. Later in the day, I peeked out the door to find the monitor lizard eating the last of our offerings. But, she rapidly slithered away before I could get the camera. We’d seen her digging in the dirt by the braai as we were leaving for our road trip. Most likely, she was making a hole for her eggs, which won’t hatch for up to 300 days after fertilization.

As for inside, there is only one room, beside the two-bedroom that has AC where we can cool off, the upstairs loft. With the high vaulted thatched ceiling, it never cools down much.  But, it does cool down enough to make it bearable.

We counted eight adults and three babies Helmeted Guinea-fowl, two of which weren’t visible in this photo. We can’t freely move around when they visit since they will run off, and I mean RUN! They are fast on their feet! 

On days such as these, I remind myself of Kenya with no AC in the bedrooms, no living room to escape to, in order to cool off. I clamp my mouth shut and as always, we don’t complain. What’s the point?

This morning, I looked up to see Kevin, the largest kudu in Marloth Park, named by its residents, staring at us while standing by the braai. We couldn’t have been more thrilled. Not easily intimidated, we were able to freely move around the veranda to watch him and take photos. 

We still love it here. But, if we come back someday, it will be in their winter when it’s cool, almost every day. In the winter with no leaves on the trees, it’s easier to see the wildlife through the now dense bush. During that period the animals live off of the roots, digging into the hard soil for morsels of vegetation. I’m sure that the pellets are more appreciated during that time, than now, when their natural habitat is lush with food.

Kevin showed no interest in the mineral lick after a warthog rubbed himself all over it, as shown in the video we posted yesterday.

As we sit outside writing here, a welcome breeze wafts our way from time to time, sometimes hot, others cool.  But the stillness predominates. And, we sweat.

Kevin moved so close, to the railing on the veranda we had to back up to avoid being hit with his massive antlers.

On days such as today, we usually last outdoors until noon or later, packing up our laptops, power cords, pellet containers, repellent, mugs, phone  and camera. We can’t leave anything outdoors due to the monkeys. 

Kudus seem to seek out good photo opportunities.

In our old lives, we never sat outdoors on a 100F day, 38 C. Life is different now. We’re more tolerant, curious, and in awe of our surroundings. How we’ve changed!

Kevin is taller than the roof of the carport which lowest point is considerably taller than Tom’s reach.

So, of all things, just now, Kevin, the largest of the Kudus in Marloth Park, whom we’ve longed to visit us, has appeared in our garden. Lumbering his long legs through the braai (barbecue) area, stepping on the hose Tom has filling the pool, and cutting off the water supply momentarily, he makes his way toward us, totally fearless of our presence. Wow! Kevin!  

He stayed around us for 20 minutes or so and then wandered off.  A moment later a shy duiker appeared, one then two, now three.

One last pose before heading on his way.

Taking photos, enjoying their presence, makes our hearts sing. So what if we’re sweating. It’s all worth it!

Although we had three duikers in the garden, we were unable to get a shot of them together. They’re extremely shy requiring us to stay seated on the veranda.

Oh, oh. One of our regular warthog families of four has arrived. I’d better go say “hi” and get some pellets.

Holiday festivities in the bush…A Christmas visitor came to call..Little did we know…A scary adventure from our recent past…

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Not wanting to alarm this visiting kudu when we left the house to get into the car to go out for Christmas dinner, we interpreted this as a Reindeer visitor.  Practically, holding our breath, we took this photo with the carport support post in the way in the hopes of not scaring him off.

With no Christmas tree, no decorations, no gifts to unwrap, no big dinner to cook and no friends and family stopping by, it was a different kind of Christmas for us, living in the bush in South Africa.

The temperature in the steamy low 90’s F, 33’s C, it hardly felt like the Christmases we once knew and loved.  We’re not complaining. It was different.

The kudu’s neck will enlarge during the mating season. From the looks of our visitor, mating season must be imminent. Look at the muscles on this big guy, males can weigh as much or more than 700 pounds, 318 kg. This one was smaller than many we’ve seen weighing perhaps in the 500 pounds, 227 kg range. Kudus can easily scale a 5 foot, 1.5 meter wall.

And, different can be good, if one can find alternate means of enjoying the holiday season. Fortunately, thrown into our laps were two situations that proved to make both Christmas Eve and Christmas day special in a manner we never imagined.  

Call it “serendipitous” if you will, or merely our good fortune. By Monday morning, we had no plans other than attending a midday buffet at Jabula Lodge, which was fine with us. By Monday afternoon, it all began to change.

View from Kathy and Don’s third floor veranda, overlooking the Crocodile River.

Little did we know, we’d be invited for Christmas Eve to the home of Kathy and Don, people we’d never met, long time homeowners in Marloth Park, who’s gorgeous home overlooks the scenic Crocodile River for a fabulous evening of laughter and story telling of mutual world travels and more.

Little did we know, that as we walked out the door at noon to drive to Jabula Lodge for Christmas dinner, that a giant kudu would be standing at the edge of our carport staring at us, reminding us of a reindeer, it’s massive antlers swirling high into the air.  

Kathy suggested we start putting food out for the bush babies whom we’ve yet to see in our yard at night.  We’ve feared doing so may attract the destructive baboons, who love hanging out on our veranda when we’re not home.

Stopping dead in our tracks, I slowly reached into my handbag to grab the camera. I was so excited, I could barely take a good photo. Nonetheless, albeit less than ideal, with the pole in the middle of the shot, we got a few. For 15 minutes, we watched him as he lumbered about our yard, nibbling on the lush vegetation, finally taking off into the deep bush and no longer visible.

As we drove off Tom claimed, “Oh, I arranged that for your Christmas gift.” I chuckled, saying, “There’s no gift that I’d have enjoyed more.”

Little did we know, a short time later when we arrived for the buffet at Jabula Lodge that we’d be seated with yet another fabulous couple, Piet and Hettie, also Marloth Park homeowners, with whom we spent the better part of the day enjoying fabulous conversation. Later, we hugged goodbye, with hopes of getting together again before they leave to depart for their second home, a three hour drive from Marloth Park.

We’ll never tire of the adorable face of a giraffe with its cheeks stuffed with greenery, this one captured in our neighborhood.

As we returned home, we couldn’t wipe the smiles off of our faces. In awe, not only in the wildlife visitors in Marloth Park, but also in the realization that people in Marloth Park are unlike any we’ve met anywhere, friendly and open to making new friends.  

After returning home, we watched a movie from Graboid, “Captain Phillips, a story about pirates boarding and taking over a cargo/container ship out to sea in the Gulf of Aden.  

It was in this exact location that we’d sailed on May 17, 2013 with the necessity of sharp shooters boarding our ship with automatic weapons to secure our sailing through the Gulf of Aden, as told in our story at this link. Watching this movie brought it all back for us, an adventure we’ll never forget.

Little did we know, that traveling the world would present situations, people, culture, wildlife and nature to us in a manner we could never have anticipated. For us, this has been the gift that “keeps giving” for which we are eternally grateful and for which, we promise ourselves, that we’ll never stop appreciating. Little did we know