Adventures in South Africa--Amanita Safaris

It's been a long time since I've posted about our travels. I always intended to show you more photos from our trip to South Africa. The photos in my blog banner are some of the many, many I took during the two weeks we were on safari. So over the next couple weeks, I'll share some with you and the stories behind them.

The professional hunter that Paul hired was Erik Terblanche of Amanita Safaris. Erik met us at the airport in Johannesburg after a nearly 16-hour flight from Boston. I started peppering Erik with questions before we got out of the airport garage. That continued throughout the two weeks there, and he patiently answered them all.

I admit I knew little or nothing about South Africa and my first question was about the language I was hearing. It was Afrikaans which is a mixture of Dutch, German and English. I studied German for many years and still remember a few key words. I recognized many during our visit but not enough to understand much. Erik and his wife, Tillie, speak Afrikaans, English, German and several African languages.

The ride from the airport to his ranch in the Bushveld of South Africa's Northern Province took another four hours. His ranch is near the Limpopo River which separates South Africa from Botswana.

Here are some of the photos from the ranch.

This is the lodge and private house of Erik, Tillie and their three children. Their house is on the right. Also in the foreground on the right is an in-ground pool. We were there in July which in the Southern Hemisphere is their winter. The sky was just as clear and beautiful as you see. We never had any rain, but the temperature at night often got down into the 20's and up into the 80's during the day. The sun was strong and warmed up nicely by mid-day.

Here's a balcony off the residence. Notice the house is brick but the roof is made of grass found in the veldt and called thatch and logs.

Here is the lodge where we ate and relaxed. Most days if the hunt was nearby, they went out early, came back for lunch and a rest and back out in the afternoon.


Here is home, sweet home for Paul and I for the two weeks. Called a rondavel, it was one of several on the grounds. Paul had a private hunt so we were the only people there. The rondavel had two bedrooms, a main room, kitchen (which we never used) and a bathroom. The houses there, including Erik and Tillie's, have no central heat or air conditioning.

The mornings were chilly in our little house and Eric brought me a small electric heater after my first bath in the cold. No showers! Just a handheld shower head in the tub. But everything was quite comfortable. Every morning we put our laundry in a tiny little basket. The two African women they employed came in after we left, took the laundry away and it was there in the afternoon washed, dried and folded! That was a beautiful thing.


This is the ceiling of our rondavel. See the little white patches? They were spider nests. We never saw any spiders but one of the last days Paul was apparently bitten and came home with fever and chills. When we got home he had what looked like a bite on his belly. It took several weeks of antibiotics before he was feeling back to normal. Other than that, we had absolutely no problems with our health.



Here is the inside of the lodge. It was very comfortable and very interesting.


The dining area of the lodge where we ate together with Erik and Tillie. We had three wonderful meals a day plus all the South African wine we wanted, and I wanted lots! The food was outstanding, and we got to try many new dishes. One night we sat around the braai, a traditional Afrikaans barbecue and were served Eland steaks while we looked at a star-filled sky including the Southern Cross.



There were several different birds in the trees outside our rondavel. These were my favorite.



I'm not sure what this was but it was growing all around the rondavels. Looks like bougainvillea to me. There were also lemon trees growing all around the compound that we ran out and plucked each night to have in our vodka and tonics.




Erik employed two trackers, one skinner and two women who cleaned, helped in the kitchen and, of course, did our laundry. This is Franz, the skinner. The men all spoke fairly good English, the women didn't at all.



This was some of the native transportation.



The resident Ostrich. She hung around outside of the fence that enclosed the compound. One day she raced Erik as he drove the lorry out of the camp. We clocked her at about 30 mph and she didn't even seem like she was trying.


Here I am with Erik and one of the trackers with the lorry they went out in to hunt every day. It must have been early; you can see the warm clothes we had on.



Erik owns 5,500 acres which is all fenced and has these roads cut all through it. He also has access to another 10,000 acres. Here are Paul and Erik coming back to the lorry after tracking something.

Stick around, next I'll show you some pictures from the veldt and what we saw.

Tails Wagging, A Happy Ending

At the beginning of January I got an email from an animal-lover friend telling me she knew of a lady with a two-year-old male Golden Retriever who needed a home. Supposedly a pure-bred, 'quite active' (what two-year-old Golden isn't?) and in need of training. No more details than that.

Because we have two dogs, she thought we might like to have a third. I told her two is our limit. It's not likely Rosey would put up with another interloper, and Lucy would use every ounce of her 14 pounds to beat him up.

After thinking about him and starting to feel badly, I decided to send an email blast to local people in my contact list I thought might be interested. I sent out a short message to 150 people with the subject: Golden Retriever Needs a Home.

I was so excited when I started getting the responses. Several were from people I hadn't emailed but had received the message forwarded to them. A few mentioned the Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue. In total, I received twelve responses.

The response that got to my heart was this:

I would LOVE more info on him. We had to put our Irish Setter down when we moved last winter and we have been talking about getting another Golden. We had a Golden for 17 years when our children were small. We have fabulous references from our long time veterinarian. I have lots of experience working with all kinds of animals - cats, dogs and horses especially. Training is not a problem. I attended puppy training sessions with my Irish Setter. We have a small farm and my horse will be coming home this April so I will be home everyday after work and I have summers off since I am a teacher. I had spoken to a friend who promised me one of her golden puppies this summer but I would prefer a dog that was already house broken and a bit older than a puppy. You can email the info or call my cell at ..........

It was as if she was applying to adopt a child! I was so touched by her email, I thought, this is the family. I immediately got the name and number of the person who had Bear, and left it to them to make the contact.

Four days later they picked him up, took him to the vet for the first time in 18 months and had him groomed to get rid of his flea infestation. He'd had zero training and was afraid of men. An indication to me of abuse or as the lady who had him said "rough handling" by her son-in-law. Apparently her daughter had originally owned him but became overwhelmed and needed to find him another home. Anyone who has ever had a Golden Retriever, especially a male, knows they are an active breed and remain puppies well into their third year. They are also the most lovable, loyal and beautiful dogs.

Bear, who was quickly renamed Ben by his new family, was indeed a 70-pound handful but they reported that he is responding well to training and is very lovable. He loves his new bed, no longer sleeps on the furniture and is a champion frisbee player. I hope to visit them in the next couple months to meet him.

In the meantime, see for yourself. He's a beauty, and it sounds like a match made in doggie heaven!

How Do You Know When It's Time to Do The Laundry?

a. It's been two weeks since it was last done.

b. The basket in the closet is 4 feet high.

c. You are down to the "I don't really like" in your underwear drawer.

d. The non-laundering spouse starts doing it.

e. All of the above.

How do you know when you don't have anything to say? You write about dirty laundry.

Here's My New Word

And the word is: Resolutionist. The definition is: A person who joins the gym in early January because of their New Years Resolution. Resolutionists can be spotted by their pasty white skin, excessive fat, poor form, and blank look on their faces as they stand next to any piece of gym equipment. Resolutionists usually migrate back to the couch any time from mid-January to early March.

That would not be me. I don't make resolutions of any kind, especially about exercise. That would just be setting myself up for failure. And exercise.

However, a couple months ago I bought a copy of the Biggest Loser's Weightloss Yoga DVD. The DVD sat in a drawer for a while and finally after the first of the year, I decided it was time.

I have been saying I need to get back into some kind of exercise routine for a while. Starting this blog was not good for that plan. I sit here far too much for my own good. Let me say that I hate exercise just for the sake of exercise. I like to keep moving if it's part of something else, but as for exercise routines, believe me I've tried them all.

First there was the Nordic Track. Remember the Nordic Track? Do they even sell Nordic Tracks anymore? Anywhere besides eBay or yard sales, that is? I bought one in my 20's. It was a BIG investment back then when the only way to get one was by ordering it over the telephone. I think it cost about $750 which was a lot of money.

My shiny new state-of-the-art Nordic Track arrived, and I HATED IT!! It was the most boring thing I had ever done. I had to pay myself to stay on the thing. Soon it became a very expensive clothes rack. I eventually sold it to a friend for about $300, and he took it home probably to be a clothes rack in his house.

Then there was the weight bench. In my early 30's I fell skiing and shattered my collar bone. It was a very bad break and didn't heal correctly. I probably should have had surgery but the doctor was an ass and didn't think it was necessary. Ultimately it wasn't that big a deal but it did result in some nerve damage. I ended up in therapy for strength training. I really liked weight training. Or maybe it was the body builder who trained me.

After discharge, I bought a weight bench and equipment that took up most of a room in our basement. I used it for a while. Paul used it for a couple years. He's very physically active and doesn't really need an exercise regimen to stay in shape. The bench hung around (again, a great spot to put hangers with clothes coming from the laundry) and we eventually sold it on eBay.

Then there was the treadmill. Another pricey piece of equipment. The treadmill bored me to tears, too, even with a television in front of me. Relegated to a corner of the exercise room, things piled up on it until another eBay sale.

At this point I vowed not to buy another piece of equipment. About ten years ago I joined a gym. Finally, success!! I was there for a couple years 2-3 times a week at 6 a.m. I was so proud of myself getting up and out on those days. I worked out alone for two mornings a week and then with a trainer once a week. That turned out to be the key. If I had an appointment, I was there.

My first trainer was Maureen. We got along well, and I really felt great. After a year or two, Maureen started having personal problems. I stuck with her, often listening to her troubles while I was paying her. Eventually she left the gym and moved out of state.

Then I began working out with Jay, another trainer. Jay was even better than Maureen. He made the workouts fun and effective. Then Jay left the gym and moved out of state. I tried not to take this exodus of my trainers personally but there were times I wondered. I didn't like any of the other trainers so that part of my routine languished. I continued on my own for a while then stopped. Always thinking I would go back, I continued to pay the monthly fee. For too long my money went to the gym, but I didn't.

So now I'll give yoga a shot. In keeping with my vow not to spend a lot of money, I bought the DVD, picked up an inexpensive yoga mat and some new workout clothes. I started using it three weeks ago and so far, so good. I'm trying to work out every other day. My muscles are sore so I must be doing something right. Now that I've made the public admission that I'm doing this, maybe I'll feel obligated to continue. We'll see!

Here's Lucy demonstrating the yoga Down Dog position. I think her form is better than mine. I know her muscles are.

Highbush Cranberry--February

You didn't think I'd forget, did you? Not much change in the bush.

The berries are starting to look a bit dehydrated. Can't wait for spring!

To see the changes, go to June, July, August, September, October, November, December and January.

Okay, I Admit It, I'm Old

I've always watched entertainment awards shows: Oscars, Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys, People's Choice, Grammys. I used to know more about the winners and losers.

But last night's Grammys put me over the edge. I don't pay attention to all the current artists like I did once upon a time but I keep up. Back in the day, I went to 3-4 concerts a month. It's a miracle that I'm not deaf. I even got backstage with the tour manager and partied with Jethro Tull not that many years ago. Okay, it was 22 years ago but it seems like yesterday. I still love rock and roll; can still identify dozens of songs by the first couple notes and still know full lyrics of many, many songs.

I don't only listen to old stuff. I listen to the tamer new music out there now but I still listen. But last night's Grammys, what the hell was that? Are they trying to out-weird each other? Whatever happened to musicians showing off their musical talent? I admit I didn't watch all of it, I couldn't. I was bouncing around with the clicker because there were some acts I wanted to see, but I just couldn't stand it long enough to wait.

I watched the opening number with Lady Gaga. I still don't get her. I've seen her a few times but last night I saw way more of her than I cared to. I'm still a huge fan of Elton John and enjoyed hearing them together but what WAS that set all about? For me, she's better to listen to and not have to watch. Maybe if I was a guy. I'm sure many watching were hoping for a boob to pop out or a spin to see the naked butt.

And Pink. Another strange performance. When she came on I knew the robe was going away at some point but, holy crap, she looked like she was dressed in the strapping they use for shipping crates. And the whole Cirque du Soleil thing and the water. Wha? Is is only me or does anyone else feel distracted from the music by those elaborate sets and theatrics?

As much as I enjoy the vocals, I like to watch the musicians PLAY. I wonder who can actually play an instrument today......as in a guitar? There are some great piano players but that's about it.

If I could just go back to Ozzy and Black Sabbath or Alice Cooper, I'd be happy. As wild as they seemed back then, and they'd be pretty tame by today's standards, at least they were about the music. That's what I was there for.

Hurry Spring!

This morning the actual temperature here was 10 degrees with the wind chill taking it down to around 7 below. The good news is that the days are noticeably longer.

Here are a few photos to warm us up.

Mama Don't Take My Kodachrome Away

In the 50's & 60's my father and grandfather shot a lot of slide film. I actually did, too, when I first started taking pictures with my little Instamatic at about age 9. Consequently I have boxes of slides that I really can't conveniently look at. I don't know if we ever had a slide projector. We just used a slide viewer which only allows you to look at one slide at a time. So it's been years and years since I've looked at them.

While Christmas shopping I came across this little thing, Ion Slides 2 PC , a slide and negative scanner at Staples for about $70. On a whim I picked it up. First of all, you get what you pay for, it was pretty cheap and it's not that great. But it did what I wanted, it allowed me to digitize the slides and begin to finally enjoy them. The one disappointing thing is that my father started having his slides developed into a 2 x 2 format and the only scanner I've found that handles that size is out of my price range, for now anyway.

I happened to be in a camera store soon after I bought the scanner and mentioned it to the owner. Despite my admission that I bought the scanner in Staples, this is exactly why I prefer to shop locally rather than in those big box stores where you end up speaking with a clerk who's selling cameras this week and vacuum cleaners next. Gerry in the camera shop actually knew what he was talking about having sold cameras for 30+ years.

Back to my point, Gerry asked how old the slides are. I told him some are 50+ years, and he said, "Don't wait. Scan them ASAP." He went on to explain that Ektachrome only had a lifespan of 35 years as opposed to Kodachrome which was 75 years. As soon as I got home I checked and ack....most of the oldest are Ektachrome! Sure enough, when I began to scan them, I realized they have deteriorated quite badly. I did them all anyway. Despite the poor quality of some, it was wonderful and a bit sad to see all those long-gone faces. So here are a few for your viewing pleasure, I hope!

Mom & Dad and Guess Who? After I scanned this one, I realized you need to defuzz the slides first.

Not just a Day at the Beach!

This was a family reunion in 1956, I'm in the yellow diaper being carried by my great-uncle. I especially love this photo because my great grandmother is there on the left.

I think this is Christmas 1957. Sleepy girl.

Family reunion 1961. Everyone is there, mom, grandparents, great grandmother; everyone but Dad who, no doubt, was behind the camera.

Catskill Game Farm in upstate New York.

A little out of order, this is Story Land on Cape Cod. Whose idea was this?? Hello, Child Services?

I still have this pencil drawing being done at Story Land.

Easter Sunday with my cousins, Don and Dave. Could someone please tell the little girl to put her knees together?

Happy Birthday to me!

Mother Nature's Beauty and Wrath in Massachusetts

Today is the 1st anniversary of a blogging group known as New England Bloggers. To mark the day, we're having a blog carnival. Go and check out all of the participants at Thoughts from an Evil Overlord.

I belong to New England Bloggers because I am a proud native and lifelong Rhode Islander. In my 54 years I have lived in six houses but never more than 15 miles from the first. Paul and I have traveled to many parts of the world but this is home and it's always good to come back.

Rhode Island has many claims to fame. In elementary school everyone everywhere learned that we are the smallest state with the longest name: The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. We are also the yardstick used by national reporters to describe the enormity of something, such as "an iceberg the size of Rhode Island" or "a wildfire the size of Rhode Island...." You get the idea. It's nice to be mentioned but I wish we weren't always used to describe a disaster.

I may have misspoken when I said "everyone learned." As I mentioned, Paul and I have traveled quite a bit in the U.S. as well as overseas. Unfortunetly I have to say that people outside the U.S. often know where Rhode Island is but Americans, not so much. When asked where we're from, I have begun just saying New England. I got tired of being asked "isn't that an island off New York?" when I said Rhode Island. I guess geography isn't taught in school anymore.

Anyway, I am also a tenth generation of this region. My ancestors arrived in 1631 when it was then just called the New World. Because I couldn't narrow down what I wanted to say here, I decided do a photo essay.

Everyone has also heard about New England winters. Here's a story about a doozy. Back in mid-December 2008 Central Massachusetts experienced the worst ice storm it had seen in a decade. Damage was primarily the result of fallen trees and utility wires and poles, which were coated in a heavy layer of ice. A million people lost power and a state of emergency was declared in the state. Even in this day and age, Mother Nature proved she was in charge and many people were without power for up to two weeks.

The pictures below were taken by Carolyn, my friend and cousin-in-law, who lives in Oakham, a little town of about 1700 people. Taken on a sunny day one or two days after the storm, you can see the beauty and devastation Mother Nature wreaked on this rural area.

Hello everyone. I'm Carolyn who took the ice storm pictures. I was amazed that like snow flakes, each tree that was broken was in a different stance. Some of the sights at dusk looked like hooded monsters lurking in the woods and by each roadside! Our power was out for 7 days. "Magnificent Destruction." I took a total of 168 pictures! THAT'S why God created the digi-cam!!!

There's a Party Going on Right Here

Today is my birthday! And.....drum roll please.....I am also the Featured Blogger at SITS. What a great day!

Welcome SITStas! Who or what is SITS, you ask? SITS is a huge, diverse group of bloggers who offer support and comments to others; truly a unique community in the blogosphere.

When I started blogging I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. Gradually it became a very important (and sometimes all consuming) part of my daily life. Soon after getting started, I was introduced to SITS. Along the way, I have been entertained, educated and encouraged by so many.

So let me tell you a little about me. The title and design of my blog, It's a Jungle Out There was inspired by a safari in South Africa a few years ago.

Unlike many in SITS, I am not a WAHM or a SAHM or even a mother. Married for nearly 25 years to a man who made me giggle and blush at 16, I do, however, have a wonderfully blended family that includes two stepchildren and five grandchildren who often find themselves mentioned in my posts. In my day job, I'm a full-time Realtor who finds time to be involved in my community. I'm a traveler, animal lover, photographer and genealogist. Life is good.

Want to know more? Take a look at the posts I've linked below. Hopefully you'll find them interesting, maybe a bit entertaining, and worth sticking around for more.

Home Sweet Home

Adventures in Sorrento & Capri

Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me?

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope to see you again.

Don't Make Me Hurt the Pie

In October 1987 I made a Key Lime Pie. Then I took the pie for a ride. It spent the night in the car and in the morning, with a satisfied little smile, I turned the uncut pie over and with a snap dropped it from the pie plate into the trashcan in the garage. There! That'll show him!

I remember the date because I remember the report of a California earthquake was on television. I know there was another, larger quake in October 1989 but I'm pretty certain this was 1987. My mind and memory work like that sometimes. But I digress.

Paul's absolute favorite dessert is pie. I'm not sure he ever met a dessert he didn't like but pie is the favorite. And I think key lime is pretty close to the top. So with much love and care that particular day I made a key lime pie. He was impressed when it came out of the oven and sat cooling on the rack.

Then the fight started. About what? Who knows! Not a clue. I was mad enough though that I grabbed my keys and headed for the car. I got into the car and thought..."oh no, I'm not leaving the pie for him to enjoy while I'm mad." Back into the house, I took the pie out to the car and left.

I drove around aimlessly for a little while but wasn't ready to go home yet so I stopped to see friends. After watching the reports of the quake for a while, I went home. No resolution to the argument, just silence which the next day slowly went away.

Still feeling like I had to make some statement, in the morning I went out to the garage, grabbed the pie and WHAM into the trash. With a smug little smile I went back into the house, washed the pie plate and put it away. It was as if the pie never existed.

Of course the fight was over nothing, aren't most? A day or two later.......

Paul: "Whatever happened to the key lime pie?"
Me: "I threw it away"
Paul: "That was clever"
Me: "I thought so"

I didn't make another key lime pie for nearly 20 years. I really don't bake that often which was why the first pie was such a momentous occasion.

Yesterday at the grocery store in the 'slightly used' produce section as my mother calls it, they had apples. Eight to a package, in great shape, they were only $1.50. I bought some and a Pillsbury Pie Crust. Once again, thinking he would be surprised and pleased, I lovingly made a pie.

Paul came in later, tired and a little cranky, after cutting down a tree for next winter's firewood. After a couple cross words, I said "Don't give me any crap or the pie goes for a ride."

Where Have All the Flowers Gone

My mother, who at 77 apparently reads the obituaries daily, has commented a few times recently that the florists must really be hurting. Nearly every obit says...."in lieu of flowers......" and then lists charities, funds, schools, etc., that the family would like to see donations made to instead of flowers.

It seems all the big grocery stores have floral shops. Not just for bouquets and cut flowers either. Some actually have people there who can make up arrangements. The grocery store I most often shop in is owned by a huge conglomerate in Holland. So that's where the bulk of their profits go.

I admit, I have grabbed flowers there a few times for Mom or my own table for a special occasion. But when I need an arrangement, I call a florist. I even have a few in my contact list in Florida and Louisiana, where I have family, that I call when I need something sent to someone down there.

So what IS happening to the local florists? Slowly going out of business, I would guess. Paul and I feel strongly that we should Think Globally, Act Locally, or in this case, Buy Locally. I've even written a couple posts about a buy local organization I belong to.

We have several friends who own small businesses, Paul's cousin and his wife actually own a flower shop. I wrote about friends who own a hardware store. I can tell you, these people are struggling. They are swimming against a tide that is most likely going to take them under. It's just a question of when.

It's a new year. One of my resolutions is to make more of an effort to shop locally.

The Attitude of Gratitude

The program year for 2009 is just about wrapped up at Adopt-a-Family. Our last job is to get the Thank You letters written by the recipients to their donors thanking them for their generosity. To the people who shop, wrap and tag the gifts for those they "adopt."

I'm the lucky one who opens the mail and gets to be the first to read the letters. We then forward them on to the actual donor. The letters, usually written by the parents, often include greeting cards, art work done by the kids, letters written by the kids and occasionally a little photograph of the children.

I try to set aside time to sit with the letters. I like to do it when I'm alone because I usually end up sniffing back tears and blowing my nose. Some of the letters are that touching. Here's a sampling of some of the letters from this year:

"The stockings were the best. It was so sweet and touching, it made me cry. Thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart. Now we have something for every year to remember all of you by."

"I'm dearly grateful being the head of the household just barely making ends meet. My family were without the word "Merry." We are truly in a forever state of appreciation that you have marked our Christmas in a special way. As a Christian I quote the bible when it says that you shall reap what you sow. You have sowed in abundance so will you reap greater. God bless you and your family with health, peace and Joy. P.S. I know that my financial state next year will be greater. So I will sow to a less fortunate family."

"It brings tears to my eyes when I think of what a blessing you were to my family. You were amazingly generous to us. Thank you so very much!! Abigail loves her new brown furry boots. Caroline also loves her new fleece pajamas. The children all enjoyed the new sled. It goes farther than any sled they've had. Nathanial was thrilled with his transformer. He said he just 'knew' Santa would bring him one because he asked him for one. Such childlike faith!"

"The gifts were a blessing. Their eyes lit up with every gift they unwrapped."

"Thank you for the generous amount of food groceries. Thank you!! I was speechless when I saw it. I can't say or express my gratitude for the diapers as well. You took the little info of the boys and acknowledged their likes. They were surprised to see the characters they like."

"God bless your home! Thank you very much for making our Christmas happen. We love every one of the gifts we got and we are sending you a lot hugs from the bottom of our heart."

"Thank you so much. I couldn't believe all the gifts! Thank you so much for the coats & boots. They are very much needed. You are wonderful to help people you don't even know. I don't know what I would have done this year for Christmas."

"There was no favorite gift. They were all great. Just the fact that you took the time out of your day and the money out of your pocket means more to us than what was received."

"I hope you had a great Christmas and I hope that God blesses you everyday. Without people like you in this world I don't know what I would do."

"I am so thankful that you were so generous to my children this Christmas. It was difficult just recently getting laid off and not knowing what they would have. My wish for you is that someone could do such a nice thing for you as you did for us in a time of need."

"My wish for you is that you never know hardship and that you and your family are happy and safe always!"

I have to say that sentiments like these make all the hard work very worthwhile.