Matt’s Visit

It took about 3 days before I could look into his face and not see a strange mixture of a 5 year old boy and a grown man. My brother, Matt, and I are twelve years apart. When I went off to Harding, he went off to kindergarten. We were raised in different homes for all practical purposes, however there is still a strong bond of love between us. His visit was special for two main reasons. First of all, he’s the first (and the last) of my siblings to have made the journey to Togo. Secondly, this was the most time we’ve spent around each other since…well, forever! It was eye-opening to see how much we are alike! We both love travel, history, art and people. During his time with us, we mostly lived life as usual and he tagged along. Although, we did manage to squeeze in a weekend safari. God really loves Matt because he participated in one of the BEST safaris ever in Pendjari. Our truck was chased (unknowingly provoked…I promise!) by a family of elephants. We were apparently blocking the path they wanted to take to water. Plus, we followed a huge lioness for around 15 minutes as she sauntered down the dirt road. It was great! On the way home was stopped at a beautiful waterfall. Thanks to everyone who helped Matt make this trip!

Nature Club

The little boys on our team have formed The Nature Club. There are only two rules that you must follow in this club. 1) Be nice to nature. 2) Be nice to the other nature club members. It’s funny to overhear them talking about what rule one means exactly. “Can we cut a stick off that tree to use as a sword? Is that being nice to nature?”

We live in a great place for a nature club. We go on safaris and observe lion kills and elephant herds. We practically live on a farm - there are chickens, goats, ducks and sheep roaming free all over our town. There are waterfalls, mountains and hidden trails to explore nearby. The variety of insects and reptiles is amazing too! Yes, it’s a wonderful place for a nature club.

One unique animal that we have here is the Giant African Land Snail (Achatina marginata). These guys can grow shells between 15-17 cm long. Their bodies stick out another 12 cm. They are huge! I did a little bit of Internet research today and discovered that these mollusks are a hot item on the exotic pet market. However, in most countries they are illegal to import because they eat vegetation and reproduce like crazy. Think plague. (I can personally testify to that fact, my once abundant calla lilies are all dead thanks to them.)

In Togo, people eat them. I also did a little bit of in house research by asking Abla, my house-worker, how she prepares them. She said that you put the snails in boiling water for a few minutes to loosen them from their shells. Then, you take them out and rub them with vinegar or lemon juice until they are white. Next, you rub them with seasonings this includes, salt, ginger, garlic, black pepper and mixed spices. After that you fry them in hot oil, chop them up, add them to a tomato sauce and serve over rice. Yummy!

Well, my boys just like to play with them. Here are two pictures of the famous West African snails found in our very own backyard.

Brave Isaac is holding this one, Graham is taking the photo.

Masai Mara Safari - Kenya, Part 1

To pass the time while waiting for dinner on our last night in Kenya, we made a list of “good things” and “bad things” that happened during our trip. I hate to say it, but for awhile the “bad things” outnumbered the “good things”! (If I had anticipated this, I wouldn’t have suggested the activity.)  Don’t worry, we added more positives in the end. And the truth is the positives impacted us far more than the negatives.

Just to get it out of the way…some of the negatives included:

• Some of our luggage didn’t make it to the beach on time.
• I stepped on a rusty nail while trying on sandals. Thus resulting in a very sore heel followed by a very sore arm due to a tetanus shot.
• One hour of sleep for me and Owen on the overnight flight to Nairobi. Yes, this is totally Owen’s fault.
• Owen came down with some sort of virus. He had diarrhea while traveling…not fun.
• Graham came down with the same virus, but worse with a strange rash!
• We drove on the worst road in Africa (I’ve been on some really bad ones!) for around 4 hours on the way to safari.
• We paid a high rate for a hotel room with a bed that only had box springs! (Think: sleeping on a wooden plank.)

At least they make for some good stories….later.

So, here’s really what you’ve been waiting for: PICTURES!!! We had an amazing 3 day safari in Masai Mara game reserve. We camped in little tents and could hear wild animals all night! The most challenging part turned out NOT to be the cold, but gaining the courage to walk alone in the middle of the night to the bathroom. Scarier than any horror movie, trust me.

Stay tuned for Kenya, Part 2….the retreat and beach!

Gotcha!

You know you’re a nerdy family when watching the pet chameleon eat a praying mantis is prime entertainment!  Although, if you’ve never seen it, you can’t knock it!  First, the chameleon’s eyes move in all directions to detect movement.  Then, it slowly maneuvers into striking position.  Finally, its super long tongue strikes with lightning speed!  This is one cool lizard.

Pendjari Safari

We’re back from a great safari! The big news is that we saw 4 lions right after a buffalo kill. Our family hung out and watched these lions for 2 1/2 hours! We watched them guard their prey from each other and vultures. It was amazing and intense! Later on, we saw two packs of elephants, hippos, crocodiles, baboons, brightly colored birds, antelope and a snake. This being Owen’s first safari he was excited at every animal sighting. He’s one cool dude!

I’ll post pictures on my photos page later on. So, check back soon!!!

Tidbits

I’ve got a few happenings to share…

Graham lost his second tooth tonight at dinner! He actually swallowed it along with the soft taco he was eating. Lots of joking followed about how he would find his tooth again.

The other night, we heard a huge crash outside. The entire family ran out to see what had happened. We found a 3 foot section of our concrete porch ceiling had fallen. Thankfully, noone was injured.

I discovered the subconscious reason that Max Lucado is such a popular author. His name sounds a lot like the comforting food mashed potato.

I cleaned and organized the boys’ playroom and bedroom closets this week! It took about four hours, but for me deep down cleaning is such a stress reliever. I loved it! I am on a roll now, looking for other projects to conquer!

Snake…make that two snakes!! We’ve had two snakes killed in the school house yard this week! According to the man who killed them they weren’t poisonous, but the were about 4 feet long. Scary and yet fascinating!

I had a golden teachable moment today during class. In Science, we’ve been studying animals. We just completed reptiles and amphibians and started insects today. During the lesson, I spied a skink hunting a fly. I drew the kids attention to the animals and the skink followed through and nabbed the fly in the air!!! Golden.

When I walked in the door from school, exhausted and sweaty, I saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers that Bryan had left for me. It brought a smile to my face. Thanks honey!

What’s new with you? I’d love to hear about your happenings!

The Coop

It’s been three years in the making and it’s not done yet. I guess that’s what happens when two city slickers decide to have their own chickens for egg laying! We were given this book entitled, Chickens in Your Own Backyard, in 2003 during furlough. We intended from that point on to build and raise our own little flock of hens. It’s just taken us a long time to gain the confidence to attempt this project. There’s a lot involved!!!

About 3 months ago, the building started in earnest. Our yard worker, Joseph, cleared the ground and built our lovely fences. Bryan made the nesting boxes (way to go, honey!) and we recycled an unused iron curtain rod for the roost. (See…there’s lots of new terms to learn.) This past Friday, the finishing touch of the tin roof was nailed into place. So, now we have a chicken coop. (Actually, we need to get a door too. We are currently using a large cardboard box. We’re almost there….)

We also have one chicken. The hen was gift from a friend in the village. She’s lived in the coop for about 4 days and hasn’t laid an egg yet! So, hopefully, we’ll be purchasing several hens soon and we can finally have some eggs. I’ll keep you up to date on this fun adventure.

Yeeeehaw!

Our little cowboy and his buddies had a fun time today at the party! We rented a donkey for the fete. All it did was eat grass, but it was gentle enough for the kids to sit on and pose for pictures. Despite lots of prep discussion, Owen thought the donkey was actually a gift. He woke up from his afternoon nap asking, “Where’s my donkey?”

I tried my best to make a horse shaped cake. I used marshmallow creme instead of frosting (long story!). I wouldn’t recommend it….very sticky!

Owen got a new shirt, a Larry-boy dvd and a big bouncy ball. He loved all of his gifts. The cutest part though was watching Gabe sit next to him and pump his fists into the air each time a gift was opened. What a sweet friend!

Thanks for all of the birthday calls and wishes for Owen!

Charger

Yesterday, Bryan returned from Accra, Ghana with a new puppy! You can imagine the excitement when he pulled in the driveway. Charger is a 4 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback. (Notice the ridge of hair down his back.) He’s a beautiful copper color with a dark brown mussel. We all participated in giving him a flea bath and then Bryan spent 40 minutes picking ticks of his body. What love! Charger’s a little bit on the skinny side unfortunately. But, he’s eating well and hopefully he fatten up before too long. Owning a Ridgeback has been a dream of Bryan’s for a few years, so it’s extra fun to see him with Charger. We are all having a good time getting to know this new canine member of the family.