Farewell, Bill

My brother Bill was found dead in his home this morning. He was 63 years old, had struggled with addiction for most of his life, and it was actually a miracle that he lived as long as he did. He was a smart, talented, guy who had a tough go of it. He is now at peace and the struggle is over.

Across the sea,
a pale moon rises.
The ships have come,
to carry you home.

And all will turn,
to silver glass.
A light on the water.
Grey ships pass
Into the West.

(That is from Into the West, the last song in The Lord of the Rings. Here is a link to a performance by Annie Lennox.

Godspeed, Bill. My love and prayers go with you.

Emerging Warthogs

We were very fortunate to see a family of warthogs greeting the morning as they came out of their underground den. It was kind of like an eruption of warthogs---as soon as one would come out, another would follow, as if the earth were spitting them up. There must have been seven or more and took only a few minutes, but it seemed like it went on for a very long time. When the whole family was out, they trotted off, probably to dig up a little breakfast. They are so odd looking but pretty cute in their own way. And their energy is great---very determined and focused little guys, going about their business with resolve and determination.

A study in contrasts

We saw this little Blacksmith plover several times during our rides. She had laid her eggs right in the middle of the road, and stood there protecting them, looking at us warily, as we drove by. Our guides, Bebe and Gordon, seen above, were very aware of her and careful to not disturb or damage her very vulnerable nest. We kept our fingers crossed that her little family would hatch and survive, and that she would find a more suitable spot next time.

Africa is indeed a study in contrasts. In the course of an hour we spent time with this tiny bird of a few ounces, and were chased by an elephant that weighed thousands of pounds.

New Friends

On the afternoon ride, we came across this herd of elephants crossing the stream. The matriarch who was leading them decided that there was something about us that she didn't like, or perhaps she was just in a bad mood. Whatever it was, she was intent on letting us know that it was time to leave. Her trumpets and splashing didn't seem that threatening, so we continued to watch and take photos. This seemed to annoy her even more, so she ran out of the water towards us. This definitely got our attention and our guide Bebe made a fast getaway. It must have been a sight to see the Land Rover zooming down the dirt road, dust flying, with a very angry elephant in hot pursuit. As you can see , I continued to take photographs, perhaps as a possible documentation of our last moments alive. Unfortunately I didn't get Kenneth and Michael who were behind us in the back seat in the photos as their expressions were priceless. When she finally gave up her pursuit of these annoying voyeurs, she trumpeted loudly, looked a little disgusted and sauntered off to rejoin the herd. It was a great experience.

More Chitabe

We had the great pleasure of meeting Michael and Kenneth on the short flight to this camp, and were really happy to share the next day and adventure with them. They live in Nova Scotia, which gets your attention right off the bat. Michael has an uncanny ability to spot animals, especially elephants, so he was a real asset. There's one! he would exclaim, and we would grab our binoculars and say, where? where? and sure enough, there would be an elephant or zebra beautifully camouflaged to all except him. The guides loved it, and so did we.

Kenneth is seen above wearing a very practical hat, something that I wish I'd had for my feet in the previous camp. Michael and I are are shown at sundowners, that very civilized bush tradition of cocktails and conversation as the sun sets. Here we are toasting 60th birthdays, which the three of us celebrate this year within a few months of one another. Looks to be a very good decade for all of us--it's off to a great start.

Hiatus

This is the reason that I had to take a week off from posting. As is evident from this photo, my studio was torn apart so that a new floor could be installed (this was taken a day before the work actually started). It prompted me to empty bookcases, clean out all of the storage and was a good excuse to get rid of books and art supplies that no longer are useful. I also cleaned about everything I ran across in the process so it feels really good in here now. If you look closely, you can see my cat Zoe sitting on her table (left of photo, pink table cloth) waiting for dinner. She has lived in the studio for a couple of years now, but has been upgraded to the recently vacated goat shed. Drawing and watercolors were on hold as well, and it is so good to get back to the real work at hand.

Drawings

For some reason, well, I guess for obvious reasons, it took a while to start working with the images that I brought back with me---not only digitally, but in my mind, and heart. The beauty and power of Africa is almost overwhelming and can be intimidating, at least until I got started and lost all of that in the process. So, for the first week or so, thanks in part to severe jet lag, I found it difficult to do much of anything in my studio. When I finally got started, it just seemed right to stay with drawing for a while. So for the past month or so, I have been immersed in the purity of line and monotone rendering of animals. This is one of the Kalahari Black-Maned brothers, after a big meal.

Back!

Okay, so I have heard from quite a few of you, and I confess that I dropped the ball and have not been consistent with my posts. Nothing for over seven months. But a lot happened in that time, and I was diverted by other pressing projects. Not an excuse, mind you, just an explanation.

I started this blog over a year ago primarily to post photos, paintings, and poetry inspired by my first trip to Africa in October of 2008, but got so involved with other trips and projects that those images got put on the back burner. Well, I returned to Africa last month, and have been posting lots of new material---a not-in-real time journal of the trip, photos and soon, art inspired by it. I've been working steadily in the studio, doing lots of reflecting and drawing. Please keep checking back for results and in-progress projects.

Chitabe

We stayed at Chitabe Camp for only two nights. Maybe knowing that inspired us to pack in lots and lots, but more likely, we were just fortunate to have great guides (again), good luck with sightings, and really fun people to share the experience with (more on that later). It seemed that there were elephants everywhere, and it is fitting to show this one who became a fixture in our time there. He was usually blocking the road when we set out on our drives--standing in the middle of the road, enjoying a leisurely browse. It wasn't really a problem, since we were there to see the likes of him anyway, so we happily sat and watched while he munched and then sauntered off.

Evening Boat Ride and Memories That Endure

Our last evening boat ride was spectacular. We saw lots and lots of birds and I was especially happy to get to see the black egret, or umbrella bird again. He was my favorite bird from our last trip to Botswana. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of him, but they pull their wings forward rapidly from time to time, to shade the water so they can find prey. They look (not surprisingly) like a black umbrella, and they move so quickly that it makes a "fwap!" sound. There is a batman feel to the whole thing that is delightful. We stayed out a little later than intended so needed to rush back to camp. I swear that our guide Barobi can see in the dark. We were zooming through narrow channels of that water, in the dark, and he was able to maneuver perfectly. I later learned that many Botswanans have this ability, and they think it is normal. We think it is extraordinary.

Dinner that night was outdoors in the boma. It was memorable in many ways---delicious food, beautiful setting, and interesting company. What made it really stay with me however, were the sand fleas, that were feasting on my feet and ankles while I was enjoying the Botswanan barbecued beef. I have never had bites like that in my life and now kind of wish I'd taken a photo--it looked like the measles and itched like crazy for the next few days. Fortunately, the next camp supplied me with cream, and some new friends from Nova Scotia (more about them later), had some potion as well. They really saved me.

If you haven't read the Number One Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith, you really should. They are delightful books, and he manages to truly capture the personality and character of the Botswanan people. They are amazed at his insight into their country and its people. He captures the genuine kindness and integrity that we experienced with nearly everyone we met there.

Baboon Bridge

The sleeping tents are reached by walking down raised walkways, and as many of you know, guests are not allowed to walk by themselves when it is dark outside. Our guide, Barobi, always escorted us with a flashlight, which came in handy when he pointed out the hyenas that were hanging around just below us.

To get to the camp, we crossed the bridge seen above. The baboons did as well, usually returning early evening, and when our jeep stalled as we left for the evening drive, forcing us to wait for a replacement, they became quite impatient. Finally, they just decided to risk it and came across anyway.

Mom's final wishes fulfilled . . .

A local fisherman, John Collins, took me out on his fishing boat to an area just beyond the bluff. Afterwards friends joined me for a short memorial service, celebrated by Fr. Ron, glorious music sung by Betty Burton and the assembled. Followed by a delicious meal featuring what else? . . . Southern fried chicken, potato salad, jello salad, cole slaw, cornbread, pecan pie and run cake. Many thanks to my friends, old and new, who joined me in honoring Mom in this very special and meaningful way.

Mokoro encounter

Xigera is a "water camp" surrounded by miles and miles of channels, rivers and lakes. The first night we went out on a mokoro ride. Our poler was Orbet, who was very knowledgeable and capable, which came in handy when we turned the bend and encountered the elephant shown above. He wasn't happy to be surprised, so trumpeted and charged out into the water at us. We got the message, and Orbet got us out of there in a hurry. An exciting way to begin our stay at this beautiful camp.

On to Xigera Camp

After five days in the Kalahari, we took a small airplane to Xigera Camp,in the heart of the Okavango Delta. Needless to say, the landscape is drastically different and the views from the plane were spectacular. It's especially thrilling to be able to spot herds of elephants from that height. All of the bush pilots have been very competent and pleasant, but Felix here was by far the most exacting and colorful. When he learned that I was once a pilot, he very generously offered to let me take the controls, but in the interest of all, I declined. It's been way too many years.

Birthday in the Bush

I balanced the camera on top of the Land Rover for this shot. We were celebrating my birthday with South African sparkling during sundowners at the end of a long and wonderful day in the bush. There are herds of springbok frolicking in the background, but they don't show up very well.

Lilac Breasted Roller

These little guys are all over the Kalahari and Okavango Delta. They are like little jewels and are even prettier when they fly away as the underside of their wings are brilliantly colored as well. Nice little bursts of color in that vast and sometimes monotone landscape.