We always attempt to zoom in efficiently enough to leave out the fence.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

This morning our dear friend and property manager Louise sent out this message warning of two lions sighted late last night. Thanks, Louise, for always being on the ball on these important updates.

We hadn’t heard any more details about the lioness that had entered Marloth Park a few weeks ago, prompting everyone to believe she may have returned to Kruger National Park.

We spotted these elephants from Marloth Park across the Crocodile River a few days ago.

There’s no word yet on the gender of these two lions, but surely in the next few days, something will be posted on the Marloth Park Sightings on Facebook. We’ll keep an eye out for updates.

Last night, we didn’t take any photos when I was busy on Skype speaking to son Greg, daughter-in-law Camille and our three grandchildren, Maisie, Miles, and Madighan. 

This parade of elephants consisted of more than 30.

They were camping about an hour outside of Minneapolis, and it was fun when Miles carried the phone around to show us photos of their new fifth-wheel camper. In return, I showed Madighan the bushbabies by turning around my computer while she squealed with delight over how cute they are. Maisie had an opportunity to see a few warthogs in the yard, including Little Wart Face. 

It’s not easy taking photos through the narrow electrified fence between Marloth Park and Kruger National Park.

Having face-time with family is especially fun, although we don’t always have the opportunity to do so due to the big time difference. It’s hard to believe that in a mere nine months, in April, we’ll be back in Minnesota to see everyone. 

We got out of the car and moved as close to the fence as possible to get these shots.  In Kruger, exiting a vehicle is strictly forbidden.

This visit won’t be as long as last summer’s six-week stay with only 17 days in Minnesota, but we’ll focus on spending quality time with both sides of the family as we did last year. However, we plan to return in September 2020, which is 16 months later.

In between all of these dates, we have so much planned all the way into 2021, along with gaps we’ll fill during the next year. The itinerary is perpetually evolving as we acquire interest and enthusiasm for new and different locations. To see our most recent itinerary, please click here.

Such mysterious and fascinating animals.

Once we’ve uploaded today’s post, we’ll be heading out for our usual drive in the park, but this time with eyes focused on spotting two lions and the eight ostrich chicks seen with mom and dad on a nearby dirt road. Of course, that doesn’t mean we won’t stop to take photos of other wildlife we discover along the way.

As for today, the US holiday, Independence Day, the 4th of July, as mentioned in a prior post, we’re attending a holiday celebration here in the bush at friends Kathy and Don’s home beginning at 1700 hours (5:00 pm). 

The caring these animals feel for one another is always obvious when viewing them in the wild.

Tom’s busy reading up on Independence Day facts since Don will always have a relevant quiz.  Tom won last time (at their Easter party). We’ll see how it goes tonight.

May our American family and friends in the US and living in other countries have a safe and meaningful Independence Day.  Our patriotism and devotion to our country and each other are vital to our freedom, prosperity, and everlasting peace.

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

With the bright sun behind us, this photo didn’t come out too well, plus our plates of food look twice as big as they actually were. For more details, please click here.