Finally, a new photo of us in the bush, having the time of our lives…

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What a fun time we have every Friday and Saturday night at Jabula!

Again, last night, we had a fantastic time at Jabula, after an enjoyable day at the house hanging out with wildlife. This is the life I’ve longed for over the past few years.

My dinner was outrageously delicious: roasted leg of lamb, sauerkraut and Greek salad. I was so stuffed after eating lamb and spinach, I couldn’t eat the rest.

Sure, there’s the heat, living outdoors day after day in temperatures reaching well into the 90s.On top of that is the heat rash, insects, loading up on repellent several times a day, load shedding (which is minimized for us having an inverter system), WiFi outages, water outages, and more.

Tom ordered Eisbein, a deep-fried pork knuckle that was too huge to finish. We brought it home for the mongooses, who should arrive soon.

Those issues become irrelevant when we have endless magical moments with animals and humans. Neither of us complained about the inconveniences; almost a week later, we hardly noticed them. After six days, we’ve finally recovered from the long journey and are as content as possible.

We’ll stay in tonight and have bunless burgers on the braai for Tom (with rice on the side) and steamed garlic mussels for me, served with an ice-cold bowl of homemade coleslaw. It’s not even 10:00 am, and we have the laundry done, drying on the rack. The fixings for dinner have started, making prep time at dinnertime minimal.

Our friend Dawn is one of the two owners of Jabula Lodge. We always feel welcomed by Dawn and enjoy chatting with her at the bar.

We haven’t seen Kathy and Don yet, and it may be several days before we do. They, too, are dealing with lack of sleep and jet lag after the long days of travel. I’m sure we will see them once they are rested and settled.

It’s hard to believe that we arrived almost a week ago. However, we’ve lost several days being out of sorts and tired. It feels fantastic to be back to ourselves, cheerful, energetic, and enthusiastic. Life is good.

Friends Feliz and Lorne joined us at Jabula last night. It was fun to see old friends from the bush.

As soon as this is uploaded, we’ll go to Komatipoort to the big Spar Market, which will have everything on our list. It would still be interesting to see the food prices here, unlike in the US.

We spotted this duiker on the road as soon as we pulled out of Jabula.
Why not see a giraffe on the way home from dinner?

We’ll be back!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 9, 2015:

Red Ginger plants overlook an open area on Bev and Sam’s estate grounds in Kauai. For more photos, please click here.

Finally, settled in and fully rested…Fun anniversary night…

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Mom and baby kudu.

No words can express how relieved we are to feel rested. This was the most prolonged period (five days) that either of us was tired and had difficulty sleeping after the two-day journey to South Africa.

Mom and a youngster scouring the ground for pellets.

Although I woke up several times last night, I got about seven hours of sleep and feel great today. Tom has also recovered after almost sleeping through the night. We only needed to sleep for one or two nights in past visits to feel well again. It must be due to old age.

A female kudu drinking from the bird bath.

Last night, we had an excellent time at Jabula. As always, the food was fantastic, as shown in the photos below, and Dawn kept us busy introducing us to guests we’d never met and seeing a few we knew from the past. There was never a dull moment. We arrived at 5:00 pm and had dinner at 7:00, sitting at the bar.

Tom’s dinner at Jabula consisted of Chicken Schnitzel, baked potato, green beans, creamed spinach with mushroom sauce and sour cream. He offered me his creamed spinach which he knows I love, and the sour cream.

Dawn was as thoughtful as ever, ensuring they had my favorite light wine, South Africa Four Cousins Skinny Red. We ordered a bottle for me, and last night I drank two glasses, and tonight I will have two more. There will be a little left which we’ll take with us when we go “home.”

My delicious meal consisted of grilled hake, three eggs, more creamed spinach and tartar sauce.

“The recognized size for a standard pour of wine is around 5 ounces. So, if you’re doing the math, a bottle should yield about five glasses of wine. Of course, individual preferences might vary the pour, but as a general rule of thumb, expect five (5-ounce) glasses from a 750-milliliter bottle.”

This young male was brazen, approaching us at the table. Notice his budding horns.

Tom drank his favorite, Lion Beer, which he can only get in South Africa. This week, we received an order from Takalot, South Africa’s version of Amazon, for a case of 24 cans of Lion Beer, 17.6 oz (500 ml) for Tom for ZAR 289, US $15.83.

We’re trying to feed the animals beyond the little fence to preserve the grass in the garden, but some of the animals come over anyway, even though they don’t get any pellets.

We also received a case of 12 bottles of Four Cousins Skinny Red wine for ZAR 729, US $39.94. This is an average of US $3.32 per full-sized 750 ml bottle, which is typical for wine made in South Africa. In the US, we paid at least $15 for a similar bottle of red wine.

A young kudu looking for pellets. Mom was nearby.

We’ll head to Komatipoort tomorrow to go grocery shopping at the larger Spar Market. That Spar Market has a considerably more extensive inventory than the new SaveMor Spar recently built in Marloth Park. The local store is perfect for picking up a few items but doesn’t fulfill our grocery shopping needs.

It takes about 20 minutes to get to Komatipoort, but we never mind the drive along the sugar cane fields. We’ll most likely shop every week as we’ve done in the past.

An entire family begging for pellets.

Kathy and Don safely arrived yesterday, exhausted from an even more extended trip than ours. They will undoubtedly spend the next few days recovering before we see them. We are both looking forward to reuniting with our dear friends after three years.

We return to Jabula for dinner again tonight, feeling much more alert and rested. Dawn is having the kitchen staff make a leg of lamb for me, which I haven’t had since we were here almost two years ago. A leg of lamb, creamed spinach, a Greek salad, and a glass of red wine sound perfect.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 8, 2015:

Many plants and trees on new friends Bev and Sam’s property in Kauai produce various fruits, such as in this pineapple garden, grown in such abundance that they are sold; all are organic and non-GMO, without pesticides and chemicals. For more photos, please click here.

Today is our 30th wedding anniversary…And the sightings continue…

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In front of God’s Window in South Africa. Photo taken in March 2013.

Kathy and Don are on their flight from Johannesburg to Mpumalanga/Nelspruit/Kruger. They will go grocery shopping at Woolies in Nelspruit and then make their way to Marloth Park. We will likely not see them for several days so that they can rest and recover from the long journey.

I just texted Kathy that when we visit over the next few months, until they leave in May, we will bring our food, including our meat and sides, and a large salad to share. We won’t need her to make starters of side dishes, especially since we are both watching our weight. In South Africa, it’s traditional for guests to bring their drinks.

It’s been a busy past few days as we’ve unpacked and organized our stuff, done laundry and finally, opened the several bins Louise had stored for us for almost two years. It was like Christmas opening those bins filled with kitchen supplies, gadgets, and spices we’d left behind.

Mongooses are playful and adorable.

Also, we had a black tote filled with clothes we’d left behind, some summer and some winter. After all, we’d been here for several years, accumulating more than we ever dared to carry due to weight restrictions. Once we leave here in September, we will give  Vusi and Zef and their families the overflow clothing, and we’ll give the kitchen products to Louise for her many holiday rentals.

Unloading all the containers took the better part of the day. This morning, Vusi picked up the tote of clothes to be washed, dried, and folded. Of course, I advised Vusi there was no rush. After all, we haven’t had those clothes for two years and won’t miss a thing.

This was only a part of their “band.” When we made a clicking sound, many more came into the garden.

It felt good to get everything done, and we could relax and enjoy the weekend. Tonight, we’ll head to Jabula for dinner and to celebrate our 30th anniversary among friends. Last night, again, I didn’t get much sleep, waking up at 2:30 am and never going back to sleep. I tried breathing and relaxation techniques, but nothing allowed me to drift off. Maybe a nap will be on the agenda today so I’ll be perky for our night out.

Look at them! They are on a frenzy, getting to the meat we tossed to them.

We thought it may take a few days to see a steady stream of wildlife visitors, but no more than a few hours after our arrival, they were “hoofing it” over to our veranda when they saw us. We recognized some of them, but no Norman yet. I continue to wait for his return with his family.

When they’d devoured the paloney and chicken scraps, a few came to the door, wondering where we were when we were sitting at the table on the veranda.

Tom set up the trail cam, and there were only these two blurry photos from last night when a few giraffes walked across our garden (they call it a “yard or backyard,” here a garden). Undoubtedly, one day soon, we will see them lumbering across the terrain.

No, you can’t go into the house, as tempting as that may be. We shooed them away.

We were thrilled to see the many mongooses return to hang out with us. We made our familiar clicking sound and more came running from deep in the bush ready to partake in cubes of cut paloney roll and leftover chicken bones from last night’s dinner. They are funny little critters with lots of personality and endless antics. Enjoy the photos!

Can you see the giraffe near the center of this trail cam photo?
Here is another giraffe, taken with the trail cam, in the right in this photo.

Have a wonderful weekend and be well!

Photos from ten years ago today, March 7, 2015:

Our anniversary photo from March 2013, the night we were injured on the collapsed steps in Belize. Gosh, we were tan. We don’t tan anymore. For more, please click here.

It’s a wonderland for sure…

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This wildebeest has a new name…Blondie, with this adorable blond hair.

Last night, when we went to bed shortly after dinner. Still tired from our long journey, we both fell asleep during the two shows we tried to watch. We agreed to wake each other up when we saw the other snoozing to get on a practical sleeping schedule, but we fell asleep simultaneously. We probably shouldn’t have taken a short nap during the day.

Another view of Blondie.
We were thrilled to see the dozen wildebeests visit our garden.

Subsequently, I awoke at 2:30 am and Tom shortly thereafter. We’ve been awake since. It’s been hot since we arrived on Monday and the high today is expected to be 96F, 36 C and similar temps will continue through the next seven days.

Pellets were on the menu. So far, we’ve purchased two 40 kg bags, 88 pounds, which should last through the weekend. The pellet guy comes to Louise’s nearby office on Fridays, when we’ll buy two more weekly bags.

It’s still summer here, and the mozzies accompany the hot weather. We use repellent three times a day and multiple insect repellent products when sitting outdoors at night. Once it cools down, there will be fewer mosquitoes in months to come, but we will still use repellent since it is prevalent to a lesser degree during the fall and winter months.

They lingered for an hour and then took off to search for “greener pastures.”
Scientific Name: Connochaetes taurinus (Blue Wildebeest), Connochaetes gnou (Black Wildebeest) Common Name: Wildebeest, Gnu. Size: Approximately 4-5 feet tall at the shoulder, body length of 6-8 feet. Weight: 260-600 pounds. Lifespan: 10-20 years in the wild. Diet: Herbivore, primarily grasses.

Overall, we feel good. Our sleep schedules will return to normal in a few days, but we enjoy every moment in the meantime. The familiarity of living in the bush for over four years hasn’t diminished our sense of awe and wonder of this magical place.

There are two species of wildebeest: the blue and the black. We see blue wildebeests in Marloth Park.

This morning, we’re doing three loads of laundry. With the heat we don’t wear anything twice, whereas over the past year, living with central air conditioning we could wear the same shirt for a few days and jeans for several days. Tom found the portable drying rack in the storage room. He’s doing the laundry while I hang it on the drying rack as each load is done.

They often drink from the pool.

Tonight’s dinner will be a repeat last night’s: chicken breasts, legs, and thighs on the grill with a side of egg salad and rice for Tom. I’ll make more elaborate meals once it cools down and I’m more rested.

Wildebeests are part of the Great Wildebeest Migration, the world’s largest land migration.

Kathy and Don arrive tomorrow, but we won’t see them for a few days while they recover from an even further journey from Hawaii, several hours longer than our trip from Nevada.

This morning, more than 50 animals came to the garden, and we welcomed everyone. Already, we’re becoming familiar with frequent visitors and seeing a few we recall from almost two years ago.

Wildebeest calves can run within minutes of being born.

What can I say, other than…it is lovely. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be here. Thanks for all the well wishes from our readers/friends and family. We write here, just for YOU!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 6, 2015:

In Kauai, the seawater was so clear we could see little fish swimming in this tide pool. For more photos, please click here.

The wonder of the bush has begun…More new clear photos!…

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A female kudu drinks from the fountain in the garden.

Last night, we both had trouble staying awake. Finally, we drifted off, both of us awakening around 4:00, due to the ten-hour time difference between Nevada and South Africa. We make every effort to avoid days-long jet lag, as described below.

Kudus are regular visitors, coming by countless times each day.

Jet lag is a temporary sleep disruption caused by a mismatch between your body’s internal clock and the new time zone when traveling across multiple time zones. 

Symptoms 
  • Daytime fatigue
  • Difficulty sleeping or waking up
  • Poor concentration and memory
  • Headaches
  • Stomach cramps, diarrhea, or constipation
  • Reduced physical activity
Causes
  • Crossing multiple time zones disrupts your circadian rhythms, which regulate your sleep-wake cycle. 
  • Traveling from west to east can cause more bothersome symptoms. 
  • Older people seem to be hit harder by jet lag. 

  • An adorable young male kudu with budding horns. Only males grow horns. They are called horns instead of antlers since they do not shed them.

After two nights’ sleep, we feel rested today and back to normal. We always try to stay on a schedule commensurate with our location at any given time, as hard as that may be.

This species is most common in Southern Africa, but smaller populations of three different subspecies occur in East Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the southern Sahara. Its preferred habitat is lightly wooded savanna and rocky bush country, where it generally sticks to cover to avoid predators, which include lions, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs.

On another note, our dear friends Kathy and Don are on their way here from even further away than we were in Nevada. They are coming from Hawaii, which is at least a 40-hour journey. I’m sure we won’t see them for a few days, and they, too, will need a few days to catch up on sleep. We haven’t seen them since November 2021 but have stayed in close touch all this time.

Kudu are highly alert and notoriously hard to approach. When they detect danger—often using their large, radar-like ears—they give a hoarse alarm bark and flee with a distinctive, rocking-horse running motion, the male laying back his horns to avoid overhead obstructions.

As for our current experiences, we adjust well to every moment of getting acclimated to life in the bush. We grocery shopped at the new Spar/Save-Mor store in Marloth Park yesterday. I expected a much bigger store, but I was wrong. Many products would work for most tourists staying for a few weeks, for the locals, but not quite enough for our way of eating.

The common name kudu is derived from the indigenous Khoikhoi language of Southern Africa. The scientific name is derived from Greek: Tragos denotes a he-goat and elaphos a deer; Strephis means ‘twisting’ and Keras means ‘horn’.

For example, I use sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to make salad dressing for the salads we eat most nights with dinner. Neither of these items was available, but I know we can get sour cream at the Spar Market in Komatipoort. It’s unlikely that we will find unsweetened Greek yogurt in any markets.

A young kudu. The traditional sport of Kudu dung-spitting (Bokdrol Spoeg in Afrikaans) is practiced in the South African Afrikaner community. The winner is the contestant who can spit one of the antelope’s small, hard dung pellets the furthest – with the distance measured to where it comes to rest. An annual world championship was launched in 1994, with contests at community events, game festivals and tourism shows. The world record stands at 15.56m, set in 2006 by Shaun van Rensburg Addo.

We’ll head to Komatipoort on Monday to the big Spar Market to get everything we need. They even have a health food section that has many items we use. Today, when Tom gets his haircut, I’ll shop in The Butchery meat market, which is located in the same shopping area as the hair salon.

In South Africa, most kudu calves are born in the summer months between December and March.

We don’t expect everything here to be comparable to what’s available in the US. Instead, we find alternative options that work just fine, which is often the case when we visit other countries. It’s all a part of the nomadic lifestyle.

A pregnant female kudu leaves the herd to give birth.

Last night, for dinner, we made porterhouse steaks on the braai with rice (for Tom) and salad for both of us. See our food photos below. Tom drank a Lion beer, his favorite here, and I had a small glass of Four Cousins Skinny Red wine, which can only be purchased in South Africa. What a treat that was!

Two zebras stopped by.

Soon, we’re off for Tom’s much-needed haircut and the meat market after which we’ll return to the wonderful Ratel house to relish the remainder of the day with our many animal friends. Enjoy our new photos minus the blur in yesterday’s photos.

They often drink the water in the splash pool. Typically residents use very little chlorine in the splash pools, knowing the animals will drink.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 5, 2015:

Partway down the steep trail, we spotted this view, a few days ago when the sun came out and we headed down the path to Hideaway’s Beach. Wow! Today’s remaining photos are of the trek down to the beach, not the Full Moon Party. For more photos, please click here.

We’ve arrived at wildlife paradise!…Marloth Park, South Africa…

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Our first visitor this morning, a male bushbuck.

Note: There is a blur in some of the photos from using our camera instead of my phone. I think I’ve fixed it but I will see how it goes after a few adjustments/

It was a long trip, almost two days, but we are thrilled to return to South Africa. I wrote part of this post on our last of the three fights, albeit a little raggedy after little sleep. We awoke on Saturday morning, anxious for the long journey to be completed and never slept again until Monday night.
A younger male bushbuck than the photo shown above

And there we were on Monday, flying from Cape Town to Mpumalanga/Nelspruit/Kruger, where we collected our bags and the rental car for the 90-minute drive to Marloth Park.

A handsome, Mr. Impala.

Yes, it already feels like home after being away for one month short of two years. It seems like yesterday when we last left. We assumed we’d be returning a year earlier, but health circumstances kept us away a year longer than anticipated.

Three female kudus stopped by for a visit.

However, we are grateful to be here now and will treasure each day we are given in this wildlife wonderland, along with the joys of some of the best friends we’ve made in years, both human and animal.

Ah, it feels good.

A lovely female kudu.

The trip was long and tiring for old-timers, but we never complained. We maneuvered through each of the three flights, two layovers, five times through security, and only once through immigration.

A male warthog visited.
A mom warthog with two of her three piglets.

We had to collect our bags and recheck them in Cape Town for the last leg on the smaller Airlink plane. Much to our delight, they were all there, and we didn’t have to pay more than the $100 fee for one very overweight bag.

A male warthog attempting to climb onto the veranda.

The weirdest part of the trip is that the first and second flights from Las Vegas to London and the next from London to Cape Town were both in the dark, with dinner served and breakfast 7-8 hours later. Of course, this was due to the 10-hour time difference.

Big Daddy kudu.

This morning we had the blessed opportunity to see many animals and we stayed busy tossing them pellets.

Some of the wildlife will likely take several days to learn we are here. I’m looking forward to seeing my boy Norman, the daddy and now grandaddy Nyala, in the park. We can’t wait to share!

Another Big Daddy.

Last night, after our arrival and time spent with Louise and Danie at their place, we showered and dressed to head out to Jabula for dinner. The kisses and hugs from Dawn, Leon, and other old friends we saw in the bar warmed our hearts, making us all the more aware of the magic of this remarkable place.

Dinner was predictably outstanding. Our total bill included two light beers for me and three for Tom, plus our meals, taxes, and tips, was US $32.67, ZAR 608.72. This is a far cry from the US $100, ZAR 1863.25, we paid each time we dined out in the US.

Tom’s dinner was a bunless pineapple burger with green beans.
My Greek salad.
It looks awful but spicy peri-peri chicken livers is one of my favorites at Jabula.

We are entirely unpacked and will soon head to the new grocery store in Marloth Park. We only need to buy enough dinner ingredients to last until Friday, when we’ll return to Jabula on Friday night (and Saturday)to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary.

Plus after a good night’s sleep neither of us has jetlag.

Stay tuned, dear readers, lots more is yet to come!

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, March 4, 2015:

We always feel fortunate to have the opportunity to embrace these memorable scenes, in this case in Kauai, Hawaii. For more photos, please click here.
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25 days until we depart Las Vegas…27 days until we arrive in Marloth Park…

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We howled when this horse we encountered on a drive in Kauai made this face when he saw us, accompanied by hysterical noises.

This morning, I did my share of the house cleaning since we don’t have house cleaners here in Lake Las Vegas. We were quoted $250 for a complete cleaning for two hours, and there was no way we were willing to pay that much. Instead, we’ve kept things clean as we worked through each day, leaving the dusting, vacuuming, and floor washing for every other week.

After dinner, I clean the kitchen counters each night while Tom does the dishes. Thus, cleaning the kitchen this morning didn’t take long for me to do a thorough cleaning. Then, I dusted every surface and cleaned the bathrooms. It took me less than 45 minutes, and it feels good to be done. Soon, Tom will vacuum and wash the floors.

It’s good that I fully recovered and have worked out for the past nine days to rebuild my strength and stamina. The bottom line is that I don’t enjoy house cleaning, although the end result is gratifying. In my old life. I had the lovely Teresa clean our house once a week for many years. She was wonderful.

Even though we had her help each week, when cooking and entertaining, I did a lot of cleanup afterward, including daily cleaning after meal prep. Then, of course, those two precious little dogs, Ben and Willie, brought in plenty of dirt and dust, especially during the messy, snow-melting winter months. Eventually, I taught them both to “wipe your feet, get a treat.”

But Ben abused this concept. Once he came inside, wiped his feet, and got his treat, he’d stand at the door whining to go back outside to repeat the process for another treat. This became tiresome, but we laughed nonetheless. Having dogs resulted in lots more cleaning.

Here in Lake Las Vegas, life is simple. We make a mess; we clean it right away. Luckily, both of us are equally tidy and organized, making our daily lives easy. We don’t leave clothes, towels, glasses, or plates of food sitting around. In a way, I suppose it’s one factor that makes our lifestyle of being together 24 hours a day easy and getting along a breeze. Many couples get into scuffles about household tasks. We have no such issues.

Once we arrive in Marloth Park, we’ll have Zef and Vusi come to the house five days a week to clean, make the bed, sweep, wash floors, and dust everything. The dust in the bush is outrageous, requiring daily attention, let alone all the insect residue and gecko poop. We are grateful to have them help us. They are off on the weekends when we make the bed and clean up after ourselves.

We clean up after meals (no dishwasher, except Tom) and do our laundry. Zef and Vusi would do our laundry, but it usually takes two or three days until they can bring it back neatly folded. With our limited clothing supply, we prefer to do our wash. As is typical in Africa, there are washing machines but no dryers. Thus, we hang the clothes on a rack on the veranda. In warm weather, it is usually dry by the end of the day,

Even here in Lake Las Vegas, our condo only has a washer. Tom hauls the bedding down the hallway in a large laundry bag to the laundry room, where we dry it in a dryer using the laundry app on my phone. We hang wet on the indoor laundry rack in the condo twice weekly to add moisture to the air. It’s very dry in Nevada.

Greg and Heather will arrive tomorrow evening. They are staying at Richard’s house. Most likely, we won’t see everyone until Friday, after they are settled. I can hardly wait.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, February 5, 2015:

At this point, while we were walking Kauai, the path became incredibly steep.  For more photos, please click here.

We’re back…We’re booked!…

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Notice the tree trimmer in this photo in Maui. It was fun to watch him shimmy up the tall tree.

We are thrilled to have booked our flights to South Africa for March 1, 2025, 107 days from today. We’ll arrive on March 3, pick up the rental car in Nelspruit, and begin the 75-minute drive on the crazy N4 highway to Marloth Park. We will most likely arrive by 3:00 pm. Fortunately, we’ll arrive in Nelspruit at 12:50 pm, with ample time to drive on the dangerous highway before dark.

A wave of pure joy washed over me when we booked our fights. It’s really happening! We left Marloth Park in April 2023, almost two years ago. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed, but in many ways, it’s dragged on and on, especially spending so much time in hotels.

Once we arrive in Nevada, it will be easier in many ways since we’ll be able to spend time outdoors, walking in the Village to restaurants and shops. Sure, we could stand outdoors or sit on the one available bench, but now it has become cold and windy, and it’s not appealing.

I continue to walk and exercise daily. My cardiovascular health is slowly improving, but my legs still struggle to walk any distance. This may be my fate, but I will continue to force myself to walk daily, hoping to improve. It’s how it is, and I won’t let it keep us from continuing our travels.

For the flights listed below, we checked prices for several days, and the cost listed below is the best we could find, considering that we won’t have that one long 17-hour flight over the ocean, which is always difficult. We prefer that we land in London about halfway through, although the flight from Cape Town is longer than the usual one hour from Johannesburg to Nelspruit.

However, the overall travel time of 28½ hours is tolerable compared to some even more expensive flights, which took almost 40 hours from start to finish, let alone the driving time from Nelspruit to Marloth Park.

Here’s our flight, which we booked at Expedia on our website here

Las Vegas, Nevada, to Nelspruit, South Africa

10:20 pm

  • Departs Sat, Mar 1
  • Las Vegas, NV, United States (LAS-Harry Reid Intl.)
  • Terminal 3

4:15 pm

  • Arrives Sun, Mar 2
  • London, England, UK (LHR-Heathrow)
  • Terminal 3
9h 55m duration
Virgin Atlantic 156
Economy / Coach (M)
Layover: 1h 40m

5:55 pm

  • Departs Sun, Mar 2
  • London, England, UK (LHR-Heathrow)
  • Terminal 3

7:30 am

  • Arrives Mon, Mar 3
  • Cape Town, South Africa (CPT-Cape Town Intl.)
11h 35m duration
Virgin Atlantic 478
Economy / Coach (M)
Layover: 2h 55m

10:25 am

  • Departs Mon, Mar 3
  • Cape Town, South Africa (CPT-Cape Town Intl.)

12:50 pm

  • Arrives Mon, Mar 3
  • Nelspruit, South Africa (MQP-Kruger Mpumalanga Intl.)
2h 25m duration
Airlink 663
Economy / Coach (E)

Total duration: 1 day, 4h, 30m (28½ h)

Total cost for two passengers: $2555.20

The days can’t come soon enough, but we’re committed to making the best of our remaining month in Cleveland (we leave one month from today!), and of course, we’ll enjoy the 2½ months we’ll spend in Lake Las Vegas. We’re both cheerful and hopeful for the future. Nothing is more beneficial for joyful longevity than planning exciting events for the future.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, November 14, 2014:

Calla lilies are always so beautiful, with their yellow and red coloration. For more photos, please click here.

Tender story from Marloth Park…We’re still paying attention to what’s going on!!!…

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This young giraffe was saved from certain death by Marloth Park Rangers, who cleared the way for the youngsters to escape. Photo Maureen Oxlee Jarratt
MARLOTH PARK SIGHTING PAGE
“A young giraffe fell into a gully opposite Naboom/Seekoei and was trapped. Thank you to all our rangers and Mark de Beer for coming to its rescue. They cut away exposed roots and branches, allowing the exhausted giraffe to pull itself out independently. After a short rest, it came up close to us, almost as if saying “thank you” before it galloped off down Seekoei.”
Even though we’re no longer living in the bush in Marloth Park, South Africa, surrounded by wildlife, we’ve managed to stay up-to-date on everything happening while we’re away. It’s easy to do with friends sending messages and photos and the availability of photos and stories on Facebook under the “Marloth Park Sighting Page.”
Each day, Tom and I peruse Facebook, him for all his communication with friends and family and me to know what’s going on in our absence in my favorite place in the world. No, we do not wish the time to pass quickly to return there in a little over a year. We enjoy each day here in The Villages while living in the moment.
Last night, we drove to Lake Sumter Landing, a 15-minute drive, intending to watch the Thursday night movie. Once we arrived at the movie theatre, we looked at each other and almost said simultaneously, “I don’t feel like going to a movie.” We hadn’t eaten all day and felt having a bite to eat was more important than waiting until after 8:00 pm when the movie started at 6:00 pm.
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The young giraffe resting and recovering after the ordeal. Photo Maureen Oxlee Jarratt
We moseyed across the street to find a restaurant from the theatre and picked the first restaurant we spotted, grabbed two seats at the bar, had a drink, and munched on some appetizers. Afterward, we were too full for dinner, and by 8:00 pm, we headed back to the house to relax and unwind, watch the semi-finals of Dancing with the Stars, and eventually have a snack an hour later. Tom had popcorn, and I had Fage Greek yogurt. It was a lovely evening.
I didn’t sleep well for some odd reason, but I slept almost seven hours, according to my Fitbit. When I got up, it felt as if it was only three or four hours, but once I was up and moving about, my energy level picked up, and now I feel fine.
In a few hours, we’ll be heading to the Sunrise Asian Restaurant to pick up lunch to bring to Karen’s mom Donna, who’ll we visit for a few hours. She lives about 20 minutes from here. I haven’t seen Donna in over ten years, and it will be fun to see her again. She and I have always had a special relationship, just like I have with her lovely daughter Karen.
After the visit with Donna, we’ll make a quick trip to the market to pick up a few items and then head back home. We plan to go to Spanish Springs Town Square tonight, where we found a great-looking restaurant, Amerikanos Grille, that serves one of Tom’s favorites…Rueben Sandwiches. Several items on the menu are befitting my way of eating.
Spanish Springs Town Square is 20 minutes from the house, so we should go while we have the car. Otherwise, to go on the golf cart would take twice as long, and we may not appreciate a 40-minute return drive back at night in the dark.
Tomorrow we’re going out on the river on Burt and Linda’s boat. We’ll be bringing the camera and taking photos throughout the day. In the morning, I’ll make chicken salad and coleslaw for our picnic lunch on the boat. No doubt, it will be a nice day.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, May 26, 2013:
There was no photo posted ten years ago on this date. For the story without photos, please click here.

Two funny things…Another fantastic goodbye with friends at Jabula!…Five hour layover in Johannesburg until 17-hour red-eye to Atlanta…

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Norman, with his mouth open a little as if he’s talking back to me. He will be dearly missed.

We are seated in a restaurant with less than stellar food, the only place open at this hour close to our gate. We’re boarding the plane in 70 minutes, so I must rush through this.

A few funny things happened in the past 24 hours. One occurred when we were at Louise and Danie’s house before we headed to Jabula to say goodbye to more friends. We were seated at the bar in their lounge, and suddenly, I heard the funny squeaking noises that mongooses make.

I ran out the back door, and there they were, our usual band of mongooses. Now, I should say there are several bands of mongooses in Marloth Park. But, when they saw me, they stood up on their hind legs and stared at me. Out of context, they didn’t know what I was doing at this other house. I made our usual little clicking sound, and they got so excited they started coming into the house and running around.

We all laughed out loud. I didn’t have paloney for them, but this morning, when they reappeared while we were finishing the packing, I was thrilled to see them again. This time, they got little chunks of cheese and savored every bite. When we left several hours later, we left nine eggs in the garden that we hadn’t eaten. They will undoubtedly wonder where we went, won’t they?

Then, we hadn’t seen Norman since last Wednesday, before I went to the hospital. I was hoping to see him once more time before we left. But with the holidaymakers in the park, we doubted he’d return. He had surely been eating “people food” and had little interest in his healthy diet at our place.

Wouldn’t you know, about 30 minutes before we were to head out the door to drive to the airport, there stood Norman in the garden with that little smile on his face. I squealed with delight! I couldn’t have been more excited to see him. Immediately I ran to the kitchen to cut up the remaining apples and cabbage I’d left for him, just in case.

I tossed the food to him. but he didn’t seem interested in eating. Oh, he nibbled on a few pieces of apple I’d cut for him in his preferred small piece. But he only ate a few. Instead, he stood there looking at me, relishing every word I said, almost as if he knew exactly what I was trying to convey…plain and simple…love.

He stayed quite a while, and after I stopped chattering at him in my high-pitched voice, he finally wandered off. “Bye, Norman. I will miss you and hope to see you when we return in 14 months. Be safe from the lions and take good care of your little family. You’ve brought us both such joy for quite a long time.”

Then, there was last night when several couples stopped by Jabula to say goodbye one last time. The kindness and love couldn’t have meant more to us. Of course, Dawn, Leon, and David offered us an outpouring of love that’s hard to describe. It was all so unique.

This afternoon at 2:00 pm, 1400 hrs., we stopped at Louise and Danie’s to drop off the key to the house, and once more, the warm embrace of loving friends filled our hearts. How did we get so lucky?

Now, as we’re seated in this restaurant at the Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, we are ready to move on. The long flight is ahead of us, but as always, we’ll get through it with optimism and hope for the future.

Thank you for sharing this life with us, day after day, night after night, and country after country. It’s been quite a journey.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 29, 2013:

There was no photo on this date as we sailed on a ship through the Strait of Gibraltar. For the story, please click here.