July 30th, 2009 - Some pictures posted earlier this week at http://picasaweb.google.com/MaiersInAfrica/COCampPix20090726.
Been quite a while since I wrote anything and many thoughts have gone through my head in that time. I actually find myself during the day thinking in terms of blog stories. How the current situation is mildly entertaining to me and what spin I can put on it.
I told my dad about the pictures I posted and he wrote back commenting on how some looked like parts of Oregon, which is true. His last comment was ‘don’t get lost’. Unfortunately I was delayed in seeing his e-mail and couldn’t take his advice.
Yesterday I went wondering and got disoriented and lost within the first 90 minutes and spent another 5 hours trying to find my way back to camp. After talking to a couple of people I now sort of understand where I was and how I ended up there. But at the time I was completely turned around.
The plan was simple enough – hike up to the ‘Top of the World’, take a right to hook up with a trail I thought I heard about and wonder out to one of the camp sites used by the kids. I did make it to the Top of the World okay and I did find a trial, but probably the incorrect one. I followed the trail for a while, then just started cutting through the pastures and tree stands in what I thought was the correct general direction I wanted to go.
I kept going up to the peaks of the hills and looking for rock outcroppings to climb up as they generally give the best vast views as you can see over the trees and into the various valleys. I kept doing this, going peak to peak hoping to spot something I recognized. I knew I wasn’t to far lost as I kept seeing signs for the National Forest Boundaries, which Sanborn land butts up next to. About 10:15 I looked at my watch and thought, boy, this is going to easy, I’m going to complete my agenda and be back at camp in no time. I sat down to some snacks and tried to call Morgan about 11:30, but realized that I had no cell service. I had a couple of snacks while sitting at the corner of the National Park fence, next to one of the boundary trees. About this time I thought I should start heading back, may I could catch the end of lunch. I got up and headed uphill to a point I thought I’d get a good view of the camp and be able to meander my way back to camp. On my way I ran into a herd of elk, about 200 females and yearlings I finally determined later in the day. As I approached they would see me and take off and I could watch dozens through the trees making a get-away. I’d run into this herd many times during the day, pushing them one way or the other.
At the time I thought, this is cool, another herd of elk, different from the one we see driving home occasionally. And this one is just over the hill from camp – I’ll have to ask others if they have seen it. In fact I think I’m pushing right towards camp, wouldn’t it be neat if they ran right through camp.
Oh, by the way, all morning, since about the time I started my adventure I’d been hearing thunder from many different directions.
As I headed up to a ridge, I felt the wind pick up sharply, a promising indication that a storm was just about to sweep through the area. I’d already been hit by a couple small rain showers, nothing much and nothing to hide from nor put on my rain jacket. This one was more serious and the thunder had grown louder and the dark clouds were directly overhead. Fortune had it that the rocks here were good size and I quickly found a nice over hang to hide from the large drops of rain. I did find it odd that this spot was close to a set of rocks I recognized from climbing over them just a few minutes prior. I didn’t realize that I had backtracked to the same point I had previously been.
As I was hanging out I decided to call my son Nick and see how he was doing. Might as well make use of the time. I caught Nick, it was about 1:30pm – I’d definitely missed lunch, but could raid the frig still, and I mentioned to him I wasn’t quite sure where I was, but thought at least part of camp was over the next ridge, I thought I had just spotted a piece of a road I knew, but I had thought this about the last 3 ridges as well. ‘So’ he said, ‘does this mean this is the last time I’ll be hearing from you?’ referring to the fact that I’d probably was more lost than I knew and would never be found. As I chatted with Nick the hail started, being the size of marbles. It came down with such force that Nick mentioned he could hear it over the phone. I was glad to have the rock overhang and only got hit by a few rebounding hail stones. We were fortunate as other areas in the county got golf ball sized hail that day.
I had misinformed Nick, the camp, nor any thing else I knew, laid over the ridge I was making my way to when I was caught in the brief (15 minute) storm. Well, not a problem, there was another ridge and what looked to be another good overlook just over there. I’d make my way over there and have a look-see, surely I was close to discovering where I was. This happened a few more times, and I kept spotting sights I seen before and thought I was moving away from. Remembering about seeking shelter and being surprised to see some of the rocks I had previously past over, I was beginning to wonder if one leg was shorter than the other and I may be walking in circles without know it. I’d also wish I had a tracking unit on me so I could see the route I was taking – it would be quite entertaining to see the zig zaggy, curvious line I was meandering.
Shortly after this I went to wet my whistle again, from my 2 liter “camel pak” and came up dry. Oh c--- I thought, not good. But that meant I had already downed 2 liters of H2O so I should be well hydrated. And I’m just about to be back at camp anyway. I also thought about whether I’d do another Survivor application, to add to my half dozen or so previous ones. I’ve told myself a couple of time that this was the last app I’d do for the game. I’ve thought about this a few times in the last 8 months of life – six of those in Kenya and a couple in Colorado or wondering the country. I’m not sure I want to be placed in a semi desolate place for 39 days, I think I’m starting to appreciate a nice bed and food variety more than I realized. And being stuck in a strange land, at close quarters with a same people and being extremely bored and frustrated at time, I noticed how my attitude degraded and how hard it was not to bite off some one’s head all the time.
Lunch break --- (almost) Another storm is passing though, this one came up quickly and did have the hail with it. Not being native Coloradoans, I don’t know what normal is, but from the comments of the locals, this is not it. This morning I put on a long sleeve t-shirt under by long sleeve shirt and topped it with a Sanborn sweatshirt Ashley had given me. The most I’ve put on in my time in Colorado, and this being the end of July. This morning was actually a little like Oregon as we woke to a fog filled view and chilly weather. It wasn’t that crisp Oregon chill, letting you know it was going to burn the fog off and have a nice sunny day. It was a damp chill, letting you know that you better dress for another day of crappy weather that you are already tired of. Great start for all the over night trips that headed out this morning – that canoeing should be a blast.
Joyce has been having a pretty good time leading the crafts. Earlier this week she drove out to an over night event that was on camp property. She was glad the site had an old cabin, the Tie Cabin, at it as they needed to retreat to it for crafts as the rains came. A number of the crafts that she has introduced are quite popular, such as the mask making, the gourd bird houses and bowls and the Fimo clay covered light switch covers which she just introduced yesterday for the first time. She has mentioned that she is ready to be home, as am I. With just a couple weeks until camp is over, we are starting to wonder more and more what the future holds as she has no job and I haven’t had any significant work leads since our return.
We may be having a full house. Ashley and Travis are coming back to Oregon when the fall school weeks program (outdoor school) is done and bring along at least one other camp friend with them. Not certain yet if they and dog Kevin, will actually be rooming with us, But Morgan, Nick and possibly one other stray will be there.
Lunch is over – another exciting meal – turkey or veggy wraps, grilled cheese sandwiches, plain potato chips and corn chowder and tomato soup. Not as good as it sounds since it is mass produced, but at least there is variety so I’m not bored with eating it, as I was in Africa, so I’m eating too much of it. I am up 15 pounds from my post Africa weight.
Back to the lost story. I kept looking for Pikes Peak, knowing that this was east from any location I could possible be at. I never was able to spot it until late in my hike. So I was using the sun as my direction indicator, know that it rose in the east and set in the west, give or take a few degrees, and knowing it was morning or afternoon, I generally knew what direction I was headed, when the sun wasn’t covered up with clouds. I did find my short leg caused problems, as I seemed to veer off course constantly and upon the next directional check was often traveling 45 degrees off my intended route, usually to the east.
I did finally stumble along a “major” dirt road that was well maintained that was lined by fence. And to my delight from the fence hung signs stating that this was outdoor education activities and cautions no hunting of small kids were permitted (or something like that). There were 2 versions of the sign and one plainly stated that this was Sanborn property. Great, at least I hadn’t wondered off the 6,000 acres of ranch land, but what was this road I did not recognize – it looked to wide to be a camp road I didn’t know about, but it could be, but I wasn’t aware of any county road in the area I thought I was traveling. I decided to follow it a ways to see if it lead to a spot I recognized. Along the way I found a camp trail that looked fairly recently marked with nice orange sun with rays placards in the trees and skinny dead trees in the open meadows. Taking a bearing with the sun I headed off in the direction of the trail head. I soon realized that this was a horse trail because of the horseshoe prints. After not to long a time I came upon the end of the trail at a dysfunctional spring tank. No sign of recognition of the area however and a little further one I found a fire pit that looked as if used in the last couple of days. Great, pretty certain now I didn’t head towards the trail head. I reversed course and figured the other end would be my saving grace.
I easily followed the suns and streamers for quite a while until I hit the top of a hill. No further orange to follow, but hey, there is the elk herd, so I rambled toward them. I thought this was a strange place for the trail to end, but maybe I was at a well known spot I didn’t know. The elk soon sensed me and took off. But I got a good look though a break in the trees and realized that it must have been close to 200 in the herd.
With the elk no longer distracting me I thought I maybe should go back to the spot I lost the trail and search again for its continuance. I didn’t, and wondered a while until I came upon the road I didn’t recognize again. And I spotted a big grey van going down it. It pulled into a side road that was gated and stopped. I considered whether or not to ask it where I was, being I really wanted to pull myself out of my situation by myself. But my growing concern that I’d still be wondering well after dinner won out and I approached the van full of boy camp campers. I asked if the camp was the way they had just came from. Of course not, that was the direction of Lost Lake they were at. They other way was towards camp – passing by Witcher Ranch and Leo’s maintenance sheds. They asked my if Vulture rocks was just up the road. I had to hold back my laughter as I knew nothing of the rocks they spoke and they never would have asked if they knew how long I’d been wondering without a clue as to where I was. But Witcher Ranch, no way I thought, by my astute calculations I should be well on the other side of camp from this place. Witcher ranch is half way back to where I’m living. I’m on the other side of camp from there. But it was Witcher ranch. Fortunately not long before I drove out to it out of curiosity of the Withcer Ranch rocks used for rock climbing. The ranch and rock hills did indeed seem somewhat familiar. I head down the road toward the ranch and decided it would be best just to head back home for the day, call camp to leave a message for Joyce I was at home and not wait for me at camp. I knew from driving by the cutoff for Witcher Ranch daily about where the road from home to camp lay. Know the raod wasn’t the most direct, or adventuresome route back I angled off to a point that at worse should take me to the road I drove daily. Maybe I would still head for camp. As I worked my way through the trees, looking for rock bluffs to check my bearing, I wondered how I could have missed camp during my wonders as I was sure I had been on the other side of camp from Witcher ranch and not having passed over any dirt roads didn’t leave a lot of area to slide around camp and end up here. I must have gone in more circles than I could even imagine.
Anyway, I should be seeing signs of familiarity on one of these bluffs soon. I’m feeling pretty good, not noticing having run out of water a couple hours before. I still had snacks, good thing I raided the Out Camp food snacks before I left. But point after point I did not spot anything that sparked memories other then ones from earlier in the hike. I finally broke down and got out my binoculars. Maybe some of all those building I saw in the distance were really camp buildings I didn’t recognize from this distance. Maybe there were many more building around camp than I imagined. Nope, didn’t recognize any of them, not even close to similar architecture. May I find a place with cell reception and try to track down Travis and see if he can tell me where I’m at based on what I can see. No, not time that that yet. I have to be coming to the road soon.
More meandering and I look around, actually beginning to worry I might not make it anyplace by dinner time. How could I be wandering about not recognizing anything still and not keep wondering for a very long time. Glad I got that last call into Nick. Not really concerned about never making it out, but it does cross one’s mind. I decide to head up another hill and soon spot a crest – I see the top and sky through the trees and its not rocky here, so it is probably not a rock outcropping, must be an open field, should still give me a good view. As I approach I see a larger and larger ridge line with sky above it. Strange for this area, having such a large open area on the top of a hill. Hadn’t seen many of these today. But I had seen one, at the beginning of my trip, at the Top of the World. But that was nowhere near me nor the path I was one to my commuting road. I emerge and scratch my head as I’m within 25 yards of the stump and log that marks the top of the world. What the h----, how did I get here, boy maybe the sun doesn’t set in the west around here.
I’m glad none the less. I see parts of camp and, yap, that is A-bluff I’ve been up several times. Camp is just down the hill – just keep A-bluff on my right. I reward myself with my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, knowing I don’t need to keep them for supper in the wild.
Suddenly I flash back to the night before, when the topic of a Sanborn ranch map come up and Travis hands me one. A topographical map with landmarks hand written in. If dawns on me that if this map is oriented in standard fashion, north being at the top, then home and Witcher ranch are south, not east from camp. Have I really been off 90 degrees all day on which directions spots are really laid out around camp? A talk with Lottie and looking at her accurate map I have to conclude I was totally disoriented most of the day with nothing being in the direction I expected or headed. Maybe I should carry a compass and review the map more to know where the major landmarks really are from each other.
On to other items – that was really a longer story than I expected.
Joyce’s mom and sister were out last week for 4 days. Joyce had 2 of the days off. I was elected to pick them up in Denver. Fortunately the flight was not in to early, so I didn’t need to get up early. Met them at the airport just fine and got to see Bob and Robin Fossum from home who were on the flight, coming out to vacation with friends.
Since Joyce had to work the day of arrival, I took my time getting back to camp. We stopped for lunch and drove through Garden of the Gods. Garden of the Gods is some spectacular rock formations. Susy had a good time taking many snaps. That night Joyce, mom and sis all got toasted on gin and tonics. I’m sure the elevation didn’t help the impact in Ruth and Susy and at least in part attributed to the rough night they had.
We spent most of the next 2 days off camp seeing the local sights. Hit Cripple Creek gambling town for the 49 cent breakfast – which Ruth bought for us all with the winnings she had already amassed before we even got to the table. After breakfast and a little more gambling, we head to American Eagle Scenic view point. The only way to it was through mining operations – watch out for the huge truck, which the signs warn you do not stop.
The next day it was off to Fairplay to visit Kent, a cousin of Joyce and Susy. Great views that day of the continental divide. We made a side trip to take a closer look at Horseshoe Mountain, where Joyce had her overnight trip. We were hoping for some good wildflower viewing and did get some.
That night was dinner at home with some other camp parents. A good time.
Ruth’s sister happened to be coming into the area to visit her son, Kent we had just visited. So after breakdfast we took off to head back to Denver so they could have lunch together before catching their flight. Having plenty of time, we drove through Manatu Springs and Garden of the Gods again. I must have missed a sign as we didn’t hit the road to the freeway when I expected to. I didn’t manage okay this time, I just headed downhill and kept the Rockies on my left and eventually met up with I-25.
On the way back I decided to stay off the main road. Unfortunately, the road from point a to point b I was planning on using was closed for construction and I got an extra 90 minutes of scenic tour.
I have been sign up to help lead a Saturday Special – an activity that happens for 3 Saturdays. It’s a pottery art special. The first Saturday I pulled out skills of 30+ years ago to help the 1camper who signed up to throw pots on the wheel.
A Nija squirrel just snuck into the camp store – probably out for another Snicker bar.
Enough already I quite for today.
Over and done from Colorado,
Paul
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
July 4th Reminded Me of Oregon
July 6th, 2009 – My highlight of the 4th of July was a beer. I was in bed before the sun went down. But I was reminded of the 4th in Oregon as it did rain. If it wasn’t for the lightning and thunder accompanying it, it would have been like a typical Oregon 4th.
The weather here is about the same each day. The sun is out, it is warm. The clouds come, it cools off a little. The thunder clouds come and so does the rain. Almost everyday is having some rain, but it usually passes kind of quickly.
Yesterday (Sunday) was a pretty mellow day around camp. Not many activities for the kids and lots-o-meetings for the staff and counselors. I, not being either of those, wonder about doing as I like. I did do the first pottery firing in the kiln. I set it and then went to see what else was going on. I came back about an hour later to popping and exploding sounds emanating from the kiln. The final results – the majority of the pieces exploded and there were 1,000s of shards to be cleaned up. A few survived and a couple just blew the bottom off themselves. I think we will have to up our quality control and criteria for what gets fired. I we’ll need to make sure it is very dry before it goes in. And maybe a waiver for the kids to sign stating they won’t be upset when their piece becomes pieces.
I also took a hike up ‘A’ bluff yesterday. It’s the highest of the ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ bluff threesome. A bluff here is a hill that has a rock outcropping on it. I missed the cutoff and went a little out of my way to finally get to the bluff. But the last part of the hike is more of a choose your own route rock scramble. Having not come in the correct way, neither did I find the easiest way up. I just made sure that anything I went up I also could made it down. It’s surprising how much easier it is to go up a bunch of rocks then down. But once at the top the view was great. Unfortunately I left my camera in my pack that was back in the car in the camp parking lot. I’ll have to climb it again to get some shots. Once on top I did locate the easier routes up and down to the top of the bluff. In fact I was real close to the place when I first approached the rocks, but I went counterclockwise rather than clockwise to find a good route up. And being a little impatient, I didn’t circle far enough and scrambled up a route that would have caused my damage then needed if I misstepped.
Today was another choose my own adventure day. I chose to go around to the other activities and snap some photos. There were many all day events for the campers, so I thought it would be a good time to get some candid photos as an excuse for going on my own little nature walk. Of course a number of the events were off site and others I had no idea where they were taking place, so I just did the ones I could find. This including getting some pictures of 3 girls on top of ‘A’ bluff, the girls trying out for the inter-camp rodeo coming up on Saturday against the boys camp, and the high rope challenge being lead by Travis. Along the way I also picked up a couple nature shots of animals and flowers.
All this took longer than I thought about, so I missed lunch back at camp. This just meant I got to get my own from the leftovers in the frig. No great, being that it is left over camp food, but the selection is not bad as there is usually stuff from several meals waiting to be eaten. And if it’s not finished by Sunday, it becomes part of the $1,000,000 buffet for Sunday lunch – yummm!
Well, I need to go make a phone call.
Reporting from The Nature Place (www.thenatureplace.net)
Paul
The weather here is about the same each day. The sun is out, it is warm. The clouds come, it cools off a little. The thunder clouds come and so does the rain. Almost everyday is having some rain, but it usually passes kind of quickly.
Yesterday (Sunday) was a pretty mellow day around camp. Not many activities for the kids and lots-o-meetings for the staff and counselors. I, not being either of those, wonder about doing as I like. I did do the first pottery firing in the kiln. I set it and then went to see what else was going on. I came back about an hour later to popping and exploding sounds emanating from the kiln. The final results – the majority of the pieces exploded and there were 1,000s of shards to be cleaned up. A few survived and a couple just blew the bottom off themselves. I think we will have to up our quality control and criteria for what gets fired. I we’ll need to make sure it is very dry before it goes in. And maybe a waiver for the kids to sign stating they won’t be upset when their piece becomes pieces.
I also took a hike up ‘A’ bluff yesterday. It’s the highest of the ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ bluff threesome. A bluff here is a hill that has a rock outcropping on it. I missed the cutoff and went a little out of my way to finally get to the bluff. But the last part of the hike is more of a choose your own route rock scramble. Having not come in the correct way, neither did I find the easiest way up. I just made sure that anything I went up I also could made it down. It’s surprising how much easier it is to go up a bunch of rocks then down. But once at the top the view was great. Unfortunately I left my camera in my pack that was back in the car in the camp parking lot. I’ll have to climb it again to get some shots. Once on top I did locate the easier routes up and down to the top of the bluff. In fact I was real close to the place when I first approached the rocks, but I went counterclockwise rather than clockwise to find a good route up. And being a little impatient, I didn’t circle far enough and scrambled up a route that would have caused my damage then needed if I misstepped.
Today was another choose my own adventure day. I chose to go around to the other activities and snap some photos. There were many all day events for the campers, so I thought it would be a good time to get some candid photos as an excuse for going on my own little nature walk. Of course a number of the events were off site and others I had no idea where they were taking place, so I just did the ones I could find. This including getting some pictures of 3 girls on top of ‘A’ bluff, the girls trying out for the inter-camp rodeo coming up on Saturday against the boys camp, and the high rope challenge being lead by Travis. Along the way I also picked up a couple nature shots of animals and flowers.
All this took longer than I thought about, so I missed lunch back at camp. This just meant I got to get my own from the leftovers in the frig. No great, being that it is left over camp food, but the selection is not bad as there is usually stuff from several meals waiting to be eaten. And if it’s not finished by Sunday, it becomes part of the $1,000,000 buffet for Sunday lunch – yummm!
Well, I need to go make a phone call.
Reporting from The Nature Place (www.thenatureplace.net)
Paul
Friday, July 3, 2009
Summer Camping
July 3, 2009 – I’ve been at this stuff about 5 days now. Seems longer. I already took my first day off. Went on errands with Ashley and Travis on Wednesday. Quite a rare occasion for them to both have the same whole day off during the summer. We headed to Colorado Springs (referred to the locals here as The Springs). We stopped by The Poppy Seed clothing store Manitou Springs on the way for Ashley to get a dress for an upcoming wedding she and Travis are headed to. And as the name implies, it is a hippie type store.
As Joyce pointed out to me, unlike Oregon where the entering city signs list the population, here in Colorado they list the elevation, which seems to be a much bigger number than the population. Thus you get “Entering Denver, Elev 5280”. Yeap, they list it as a mile high exactly. Here at camp we are living at 8500 ft, well over a mile and a half high.
Put the following coordinates into Google Maps and you’ll be taken to the High Trails camp where Joyce and Ashley are working.
38.890125,-105.328193
These coordinates should show you where we reside.
38.856555,-105.302176
If you hit the satellite view and zoom in you should be able to see the buildings. And no, there isn’t snow here at this time.
It really is beautiful country out here, at least in the summer time. I can’t vouch for winter, but it’s probably okay if you like snow. See some pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MaiersInAfrica/CO_20090703#
I haven’t been overly busy so far. I’ve driven for 3 trips so far. It’s a nice way to get to see the country side. Yesterday’s took me through part of the 2002 Hayman fire area, which was CO biggest fire and started by a US Forest Service employee. The undergrowth is coming back and without having to compete with the trees, the wildflowers are remarkable and everywhere. Quite interesting views as you look out over valleys to the rocky mountains on the other side and just see thousands of burnt tree stumps dotting the hillsides. While I think the pickup spot was less than 30 miles from camp it took 1-1/2 hours to get to due to the using paved and unpaved county roads and the numerous curves going through the back country.
Joyce got to experience her first overnighter this week, a 3 day trip. She enjoyed it – the views were amazing, the kids great and plenty of counselors to help. She did say it was cold and she did sleep most of the 2 nights inside one of the vans and not her tent. The art projects were great and I got reports from some of the other counselors on the trip that they loved having her along.
Yesterday I also finished hacking the bark off a log to be used for a totem pole. The girls should be working on it tomorrow. The plan is for the campers this session to start it and the ones from the second session to finish it. I also started looking into the pottery situation. There are a couple of throwing wheels and at least one usable electric kiln, so I’m trying to pull up my memories of 30 years ago when I did some potting in my mom’s studio in Eugene. I’m rusty, but still better than the campers. And there is no telling what type of clay is actually being used. There seems to be many sources and a lot of them are from years past and mixed together, soaked and reused. I’ll have to treat it all the same and hope it works the way I fire it. I need to get a couple of pieces for the kilns before I fire them up, but hopefully by the second session I’ll have it all figured out.
Today I actually got to help a couple of the girls throw pieces on the wheel. We did okay, but I think they had fun doing it.
Reporting from Florissant (elevation 8166 ft)
Paul Maier
As Joyce pointed out to me, unlike Oregon where the entering city signs list the population, here in Colorado they list the elevation, which seems to be a much bigger number than the population. Thus you get “Entering Denver, Elev 5280”. Yeap, they list it as a mile high exactly. Here at camp we are living at 8500 ft, well over a mile and a half high.
Put the following coordinates into Google Maps and you’ll be taken to the High Trails camp where Joyce and Ashley are working.
38.890125,-105.328193
These coordinates should show you where we reside.
38.856555,-105.302176
If you hit the satellite view and zoom in you should be able to see the buildings. And no, there isn’t snow here at this time.
It really is beautiful country out here, at least in the summer time. I can’t vouch for winter, but it’s probably okay if you like snow. See some pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MaiersInAfrica/CO_20090703#
I haven’t been overly busy so far. I’ve driven for 3 trips so far. It’s a nice way to get to see the country side. Yesterday’s took me through part of the 2002 Hayman fire area, which was CO biggest fire and started by a US Forest Service employee. The undergrowth is coming back and without having to compete with the trees, the wildflowers are remarkable and everywhere. Quite interesting views as you look out over valleys to the rocky mountains on the other side and just see thousands of burnt tree stumps dotting the hillsides. While I think the pickup spot was less than 30 miles from camp it took 1-1/2 hours to get to due to the using paved and unpaved county roads and the numerous curves going through the back country.
Joyce got to experience her first overnighter this week, a 3 day trip. She enjoyed it – the views were amazing, the kids great and plenty of counselors to help. She did say it was cold and she did sleep most of the 2 nights inside one of the vans and not her tent. The art projects were great and I got reports from some of the other counselors on the trip that they loved having her along.
Yesterday I also finished hacking the bark off a log to be used for a totem pole. The girls should be working on it tomorrow. The plan is for the campers this session to start it and the ones from the second session to finish it. I also started looking into the pottery situation. There are a couple of throwing wheels and at least one usable electric kiln, so I’m trying to pull up my memories of 30 years ago when I did some potting in my mom’s studio in Eugene. I’m rusty, but still better than the campers. And there is no telling what type of clay is actually being used. There seems to be many sources and a lot of them are from years past and mixed together, soaked and reused. I’ll have to treat it all the same and hope it works the way I fire it. I need to get a couple of pieces for the kilns before I fire them up, but hopefully by the second session I’ll have it all figured out.
Today I actually got to help a couple of the girls throw pieces on the wheel. We did okay, but I think they had fun doing it.
Reporting from Florissant (elevation 8166 ft)
Paul Maier
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Rocky Mountain High
June 29, 2009 - Sandborn's Western Camps. I'm back at camp after a 3 week shift to Beaverton. I went back there to spend time with my dad and mom when my mom went onto hospice care. Then yesterday I found myself transported back into the wilderness of Colorado. It was surreal. All my attention and thoughts back home were just there, back home, paying attention, for the most part, to want was going on in the moment, and maybe figuring out the next days events.
When I had first got here in early June, Joyce and I had just completed a 10 day road trip to get here. Since this was our goal, it was very much part of our daily being. This time, it was an immediate change, with my thoughts still back at home on the events of the day. And on the trip from the airport to camp, we got to hear Michael Jackson from beyond the dead (the radio station had a guest who could channel people from beyond). So when I woke up Sunday morning and looked out the window and only saw hills and trees, it didn't really seem real. Now, after 2 days, it's almost real.
I'm currently inside with the longest thunderstorm of the season still flashing and thumping outside. We're living in a 5 bedroom home with Ashley and Travis.
Cont'd 6/30/09 - This is not a luxurious 5 bedroom house, but a utilitarian one. It was originally built to house research students at PPRS (Pikes Peak Research Station). Four bedrooms upstairs with a bath and a third, with the third crammed into a space not much bigger than a shower. Three of the 4 rooms have sinks in them, which helps a lot.
Downstairs has a living room, and kitchen big enough for 1 person at a time, a bathroom with the bath portion converted into laundry room, and a nice size bedroom that Ashley and Travis share with Kevin.
Of course the yard is fantastic, about a thousand + acres of wilderness. It comes complete with wild -flowers and -animals. There are only 4 types of trees that grow on the property - Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine and Aspen. Check out www.SanbornWesternCamps.com for more details about the camp itself.
The last 2 days I've been driving for trips. Monday was for Harvard/Yale. This is a 4 day adventure with hikes up two 14,000+ foot peaks - Harvard and Yale. This also includes a backpack hike into the campsite. The drive was nice, I got to drive one of the mini-vans, not a 15 passenger one (which I could if I wanted to since I did go through the 1 day van driver training course, and passed I'm assuming since they are letting me drive.) I only had 3 others with me, all counselors. Getting there wasn't too much trouble until the last 3 miles. Here we came onto a short uphill span that had an exposed drainage pipe across the road. About half was exposed, but what made it tough were all the potholes on both sides of it. We tried the mini, but it looked like it was going to bottom out. The 15 passenger van had no trouble - wider wheelbase and higher clearance. So the plan was for it to drop off their load and come pick up the people and gear from my van.
Shortly after they took off a Chevy Aveo or Traverse came by and passed the obstacle without much problem. If they could do it I could do it. And we did, with little effort and no scrapping. Of course the 1st van did not know we were coming, and while I wasn't surprised to meet it coming back the other way, I was surprise since I was concentrating so much on the worst part of the road we had encountered. It was uphill, windy, dropped off steeply to the driver side into the river below (not it'll kill you if you go off, just I'll really mess up your day and maybe you kind of treacherous) and a ill placed big rock that forced you to the downhill side of the road with not much extra between you and the edge, especially from the drivers point of view. Anyway, Beth was not about to back the van up the road to a spot I could pass, so I got to back down the worst spot of the road. I thought it was bad enough going up, it was worse going down - always being afraid that I'd forget about the front tires location as I concentrated on back end not hitting the uphill side of the road, running off the road on the downhill side and missing the big stone. It sure seemed to me that I got the front tire right on the edge a couple times, and I did pretty much back over a good portion of the large rock. But I made it, found a spot to pull off the road. We then piled into the van and let the other driver take up the rest of the way.
The drop off was a breeze. The group invited the drivers to share their lunch of bagels and fixings. So after dining we set off back to camp. Since the vans were not needed until the next day I was told I could take a scenic route home, which I did. We both stopped in Buena Vista to peruse the outdoor equipment store. We then separated and I headed to Fairplay, home of South Park City - a reconstructed mining town of the late 1800's. I didn't go in, but I think I visited it about 10 years ago during a business trip to Denver. I did take advantage of the cell service to call my dad (camp has very limited cell access) and treated myself to a great 2 scoop ice cream cone.
I proceeded the round-about way back going through Jefferson cut off to Tarryall, past the Tarryall reservoir, into Lake George and back to Florissant.
Today's trip was much less exciting, taking a group to hike the Oxford / Belford mountains. This group gets to summit both peaks in one day (after getting up at 2 am) since the peaks are only about 1.2 miles apart across a saddle that only drops them about 700 feet. This group does get to hike an additional 10 mile to get to their pick up spot.
The other driver on this trip was Ashley, so we got to site see a little together. We walked Buena Vista a little looking mostly for good chocolate, and had lunch in Hartsel at Dorothy's Homemade Tamales. Not a bad place, but Dorothy was out so we did not get to meet her.
Joyce left today for a 2 night camping trip where her group will be doing Picasso art. Even though she loves camping she wasn't very excited. Part of it I think is the pending cold and probably rain. But Ashley did set her up pretty well with camping gear, there are 4 or 5 other counselors on the trip and I did remind her she could always sleep in one of the vans. This will probably be the only time in my life that I get to see her actually wearing a full size backpack. They are really doing car camping, so the pack is mostly for show and a vehicle to contain her stuff to get it to and from camp.
Well, off to work on an-other project - cleaning the bark off a Ponderosa Pine log so the girls can use it to create a totem pole.
Reporting from Florissant,
Paul
When I had first got here in early June, Joyce and I had just completed a 10 day road trip to get here. Since this was our goal, it was very much part of our daily being. This time, it was an immediate change, with my thoughts still back at home on the events of the day. And on the trip from the airport to camp, we got to hear Michael Jackson from beyond the dead (the radio station had a guest who could channel people from beyond). So when I woke up Sunday morning and looked out the window and only saw hills and trees, it didn't really seem real. Now, after 2 days, it's almost real.
I'm currently inside with the longest thunderstorm of the season still flashing and thumping outside. We're living in a 5 bedroom home with Ashley and Travis.
Cont'd 6/30/09 - This is not a luxurious 5 bedroom house, but a utilitarian one. It was originally built to house research students at PPRS (Pikes Peak Research Station). Four bedrooms upstairs with a bath and a third, with the third crammed into a space not much bigger than a shower. Three of the 4 rooms have sinks in them, which helps a lot.
Downstairs has a living room, and kitchen big enough for 1 person at a time, a bathroom with the bath portion converted into laundry room, and a nice size bedroom that Ashley and Travis share with Kevin.
Of course the yard is fantastic, about a thousand + acres of wilderness. It comes complete with wild -flowers and -animals. There are only 4 types of trees that grow on the property - Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine and Aspen. Check out www.SanbornWesternCamps.com for more details about the camp itself.
The last 2 days I've been driving for trips. Monday was for Harvard/Yale. This is a 4 day adventure with hikes up two 14,000+ foot peaks - Harvard and Yale. This also includes a backpack hike into the campsite. The drive was nice, I got to drive one of the mini-vans, not a 15 passenger one (which I could if I wanted to since I did go through the 1 day van driver training course, and passed I'm assuming since they are letting me drive.) I only had 3 others with me, all counselors. Getting there wasn't too much trouble until the last 3 miles. Here we came onto a short uphill span that had an exposed drainage pipe across the road. About half was exposed, but what made it tough were all the potholes on both sides of it. We tried the mini, but it looked like it was going to bottom out. The 15 passenger van had no trouble - wider wheelbase and higher clearance. So the plan was for it to drop off their load and come pick up the people and gear from my van.
Shortly after they took off a Chevy Aveo or Traverse came by and passed the obstacle without much problem. If they could do it I could do it. And we did, with little effort and no scrapping. Of course the 1st van did not know we were coming, and while I wasn't surprised to meet it coming back the other way, I was surprise since I was concentrating so much on the worst part of the road we had encountered. It was uphill, windy, dropped off steeply to the driver side into the river below (not it'll kill you if you go off, just I'll really mess up your day and maybe you kind of treacherous) and a ill placed big rock that forced you to the downhill side of the road with not much extra between you and the edge, especially from the drivers point of view. Anyway, Beth was not about to back the van up the road to a spot I could pass, so I got to back down the worst spot of the road. I thought it was bad enough going up, it was worse going down - always being afraid that I'd forget about the front tires location as I concentrated on back end not hitting the uphill side of the road, running off the road on the downhill side and missing the big stone. It sure seemed to me that I got the front tire right on the edge a couple times, and I did pretty much back over a good portion of the large rock. But I made it, found a spot to pull off the road. We then piled into the van and let the other driver take up the rest of the way.
The drop off was a breeze. The group invited the drivers to share their lunch of bagels and fixings. So after dining we set off back to camp. Since the vans were not needed until the next day I was told I could take a scenic route home, which I did. We both stopped in Buena Vista to peruse the outdoor equipment store. We then separated and I headed to Fairplay, home of South Park City - a reconstructed mining town of the late 1800's. I didn't go in, but I think I visited it about 10 years ago during a business trip to Denver. I did take advantage of the cell service to call my dad (camp has very limited cell access) and treated myself to a great 2 scoop ice cream cone.
I proceeded the round-about way back going through Jefferson cut off to Tarryall, past the Tarryall reservoir, into Lake George and back to Florissant.
Today's trip was much less exciting, taking a group to hike the Oxford / Belford mountains. This group gets to summit both peaks in one day (after getting up at 2 am) since the peaks are only about 1.2 miles apart across a saddle that only drops them about 700 feet. This group does get to hike an additional 10 mile to get to their pick up spot.
The other driver on this trip was Ashley, so we got to site see a little together. We walked Buena Vista a little looking mostly for good chocolate, and had lunch in Hartsel at Dorothy's Homemade Tamales. Not a bad place, but Dorothy was out so we did not get to meet her.
Joyce left today for a 2 night camping trip where her group will be doing Picasso art. Even though she loves camping she wasn't very excited. Part of it I think is the pending cold and probably rain. But Ashley did set her up pretty well with camping gear, there are 4 or 5 other counselors on the trip and I did remind her she could always sleep in one of the vans. This will probably be the only time in my life that I get to see her actually wearing a full size backpack. They are really doing car camping, so the pack is mostly for show and a vehicle to contain her stuff to get it to and from camp.
Well, off to work on an-other project - cleaning the bark off a Ponderosa Pine log so the girls can use it to create a totem pole.
Reporting from Florissant,
Paul
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Onward
Written and posted 5/27/2009 from Vallejo, CA
At this point this this blog is turning into more of a journal for myself and a few others that are still interested in what the heck Joyce and I are doing.
What am I doing in Vallejo, CA? Joyce and I are visiting Joyce's bestest friend from middle and high school Leslie Barnes (Anderson). We are working our way slowly to Colorado where we will be hanging out for the summer.
We started with a 2 day drive from home, heading down I5 and cutting over at Grants Pass to 101 on the CA coast. We travelled down the windy road to Little River and stayed at Stevenswood Spa Resort. Terribly overpriced I think if you have to pay the normal rack rate. Of course I'm cheap. But we got the internet special same day deal for $69, a $250 savings. They said we got the last room. Oh by the way, there is a $25 per person "spa" fee if you don't have any spa treatments done. That judt about doubles the price, not such a great deal. Since we are not sounding interested, we are given the option of having diner in there, a 5 star place with nothing over $30 dollars on the menu. Okay, we bite and take the room. By the way, the max room rate for the room we were in was $925 per night for a double. This coming from the legalese card required in hotel rooms. I've seen these before and I've never have paid even half the rate shown I think. I think these are the max gouging price that will be charged when the hotel room is the last one for 1000 miles and the Olympics are going on just down the road.
The dinner was good, very tasty and the appropriate quatities for people not wanting to gain back their last weight. You know how you regret ordering both the appetizer and a main course because you discover you weren't really that hungry after all and the appetizer was so much that you are already on the verge of stuffed. Not a problem here with the $17 one mint tin sized crab cake like thing. It was delicious dungusness crab, but left plenty of room for the main course.
To be continued
At this point this this blog is turning into more of a journal for myself and a few others that are still interested in what the heck Joyce and I are doing.
What am I doing in Vallejo, CA? Joyce and I are visiting Joyce's bestest friend from middle and high school Leslie Barnes (Anderson). We are working our way slowly to Colorado where we will be hanging out for the summer.
We started with a 2 day drive from home, heading down I5 and cutting over at Grants Pass to 101 on the CA coast. We travelled down the windy road to Little River and stayed at Stevenswood Spa Resort. Terribly overpriced I think if you have to pay the normal rack rate. Of course I'm cheap. But we got the internet special same day deal for $69, a $250 savings. They said we got the last room. Oh by the way, there is a $25 per person "spa" fee if you don't have any spa treatments done. That judt about doubles the price, not such a great deal. Since we are not sounding interested, we are given the option of having diner in there, a 5 star place with nothing over $30 dollars on the menu. Okay, we bite and take the room. By the way, the max room rate for the room we were in was $925 per night for a double. This coming from the legalese card required in hotel rooms. I've seen these before and I've never have paid even half the rate shown I think. I think these are the max gouging price that will be charged when the hotel room is the last one for 1000 miles and the Olympics are going on just down the road.
The dinner was good, very tasty and the appropriate quatities for people not wanting to gain back their last weight. You know how you regret ordering both the appetizer and a main course because you discover you weren't really that hungry after all and the appetizer was so much that you are already on the verge of stuffed. Not a problem here with the $17 one mint tin sized crab cake like thing. It was delicious dungusness crab, but left plenty of room for the main course.
To be continued
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Memories
May 2, 2009 – Been home for just over a week now and it does seem a little strange. The biggest strange item is how strange it doesn’t feel. We’ve been to East Africa 2twice before and the culture shock coming home was much more than it seems to be this time. I was expecting that there would be major things that were disconcerting to us after living in a developing country for 6 months and then coming home to the land of excess and comfort. But there hasn’t been that much of it. It all seems too familiar, like we were gone on a 6 day vacation, not a 6 month life experience. In fact the strangest thing is getting use to what time of the year it is. Both Joyce and I are thinking Fall in our heads, that the budding leaves and bare trees are a sign that the trees are dropping their foliage, not growing it. People and circumstances keep coming up where we are thinking it doesn’t make sense, like the school year being finished and that the weather is supposed to be turning warmer and colder. I think this has to do with us just going through 6 months of summer weather.
Previous times I’ve returned, entered our house and gone, wow look at everything I have, this is really overkill, how much of this do I really need. Very little of that this time. Last time it was 3 months before I got over the fact that I could just go to my kitchen faucet and get clean, safe drinking water. Only crosses my mind this time when I think about not feeling that way this time.
We also are not constantly thinking about how things were in Kenya for us. The thoughts and memories are fading into the back of our heads. Morgan even mentioned on the plane trip home that the memories that were so close to the surface just the day before were dispersing quickly.
Then there are the memories and discussions about events and life in Kenya that I haven’t written about and can. And since this blog is mostly to capture thoughts for myself, I’ve decided to keep going with this for a while and right about them as I think about them.
The painting in Kisumu ended up well. Shortly after we started painting the dividers for the preschool at the church and discovered that the paint was so bad any thoughts about painting walls soon left me. I thought it would take days just to paint the insides and our days were quickly running out. The last day we worked, the Tuesday before we were leaving, Rachael and we cousin Ace came to help and it was determined that they’d start on the walls. Since it was now their project and not ours, and they’d be around for awhile, they could go ahead and start, but I knew they’d not have much done, maybe the bottom half of one wall, by the end of the day. I was surprised that in no time they had finished the first wall and we’re moving on to the second and there was still plenty of paint. Since the partitions only needed small additions and touchups I left that to Joyce and Morgan and helped on the walls. The paint went on okay, covered okay, even where the scrapping prep work took us down to the plaster. And it made such a huge difference in the look. The walls were peeling so badly, were dirty and scuffed up, had the remains of untold items being taped to them that the fresh coat of paint, even with the marginal paint job, looked breathtaking. One shocker whenwe got home – I saw an article about this great paint and it was $55 a gallon. $55. I thought the $8 to $10 we were spending in Kenya was overpriced. What the heck makes a ca of paint worth $55? Maybe I won’t be painting the inside of my home anytime soon.
Friday Night Bingo. Joyce had brought along a Bingo set. She originally had thoughts of having an occasional Bingo night for the community. As most of our plans, that didn’t happen. But she did start playing it with the kids. I don’t know if they knew the game, but most seemed to catch on pretty quickly. Some were younger and some didn’t attend school, so they did have trouble knowing the numbers. But others kids were willing to help those. As long as Joyce didn’t move ahead to fast most of the numbers called got covered by the kids. And it was a game that they could not cheat at, because for each BINGO call, they would have to read back their bingo numbers to verify they were legit.
And what is Bingo without prizes. Bingo by itself without reward for the pure luck winner is exciting for about 3 and ½ minutes. We had brought many, hundreds, of little Oriental Trading Company gifts along with pencils and tooth brushes galore. And the prizes turned Bingo sessions into a glorious and rowdy time. And Bingo became the most request activity in a matter of days. The kids would show up the next day at the same time it was played the day before, eagerly anticipating the chance for more winner rewards. Of course we weren’t planning on playing everyday, nor did we. But when we did, somehow the word spread and kids appears out of no where.
The session usually lasted until the kids got so unruly and out of control that it was chaos. Finally Joyce figured out that she had to limit the prize winning for the day and once one won, they could play no more that session. Worked great and all the kids usually left happy as they all got something.
The most popular gift – toothbrushes. Even though all had gotten ones when we passed them out a couple weeks before, they were still the most sought after prize.
Reporting form the recesses of my mind,
Paul
Previous times I’ve returned, entered our house and gone, wow look at everything I have, this is really overkill, how much of this do I really need. Very little of that this time. Last time it was 3 months before I got over the fact that I could just go to my kitchen faucet and get clean, safe drinking water. Only crosses my mind this time when I think about not feeling that way this time.
We also are not constantly thinking about how things were in Kenya for us. The thoughts and memories are fading into the back of our heads. Morgan even mentioned on the plane trip home that the memories that were so close to the surface just the day before were dispersing quickly.
Then there are the memories and discussions about events and life in Kenya that I haven’t written about and can. And since this blog is mostly to capture thoughts for myself, I’ve decided to keep going with this for a while and right about them as I think about them.
The painting in Kisumu ended up well. Shortly after we started painting the dividers for the preschool at the church and discovered that the paint was so bad any thoughts about painting walls soon left me. I thought it would take days just to paint the insides and our days were quickly running out. The last day we worked, the Tuesday before we were leaving, Rachael and we cousin Ace came to help and it was determined that they’d start on the walls. Since it was now their project and not ours, and they’d be around for awhile, they could go ahead and start, but I knew they’d not have much done, maybe the bottom half of one wall, by the end of the day. I was surprised that in no time they had finished the first wall and we’re moving on to the second and there was still plenty of paint. Since the partitions only needed small additions and touchups I left that to Joyce and Morgan and helped on the walls. The paint went on okay, covered okay, even where the scrapping prep work took us down to the plaster. And it made such a huge difference in the look. The walls were peeling so badly, were dirty and scuffed up, had the remains of untold items being taped to them that the fresh coat of paint, even with the marginal paint job, looked breathtaking. One shocker whenwe got home – I saw an article about this great paint and it was $55 a gallon. $55. I thought the $8 to $10 we were spending in Kenya was overpriced. What the heck makes a ca of paint worth $55? Maybe I won’t be painting the inside of my home anytime soon.
Friday Night Bingo. Joyce had brought along a Bingo set. She originally had thoughts of having an occasional Bingo night for the community. As most of our plans, that didn’t happen. But she did start playing it with the kids. I don’t know if they knew the game, but most seemed to catch on pretty quickly. Some were younger and some didn’t attend school, so they did have trouble knowing the numbers. But others kids were willing to help those. As long as Joyce didn’t move ahead to fast most of the numbers called got covered by the kids. And it was a game that they could not cheat at, because for each BINGO call, they would have to read back their bingo numbers to verify they were legit.
And what is Bingo without prizes. Bingo by itself without reward for the pure luck winner is exciting for about 3 and ½ minutes. We had brought many, hundreds, of little Oriental Trading Company gifts along with pencils and tooth brushes galore. And the prizes turned Bingo sessions into a glorious and rowdy time. And Bingo became the most request activity in a matter of days. The kids would show up the next day at the same time it was played the day before, eagerly anticipating the chance for more winner rewards. Of course we weren’t planning on playing everyday, nor did we. But when we did, somehow the word spread and kids appears out of no where.
The session usually lasted until the kids got so unruly and out of control that it was chaos. Finally Joyce figured out that she had to limit the prize winning for the day and once one won, they could play no more that session. Worked great and all the kids usually left happy as they all got something.
The most popular gift – toothbrushes. Even though all had gotten ones when we passed them out a couple weeks before, they were still the most sought after prize.
Reporting form the recesses of my mind,
Paul
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig
6:30am April 25th, 2009 – I’m sitting at home in Beaverton Oregon, with a sweatshirt on, on my own couch after getting 8 hours of wonderful sleep in my own bed, under my own down comforter. But still no shoes or socks.
The trip home started Thursday morning at 6am EAT (East African Time) which would have been 10pm local time. We awoke to an alarm, a rarity for us in Kenya as most of our days, other than at Christ’s Gift Academy) had little need for us to be up any particular time. Yet most days saw us up about 7am anyway. We finished the little packing that we had left, mostly just the last minute items needed for sleeping or getting ready in the morning. I tried checking in on line, but the connection was to slow and our time to get moving was approaching so I bagged it after 15 minutes when it started asking for every ones passport numbers.
Dick and Sandy were both up, ready to see us off. Dick made us eggs, laid by his chicks. They were tasty. I had my over-medium upon a piece of bread with some Greek seasoning sprinkled on top. Our last breakfast in Kenya.
Our travel plans had changed a couple days before. Originally we were to catch the 8am Easy Coach bus from Kisumu to Nairobi where Steve and Judi where to pick us up and take us to the airport. But the day before Steve called and said their plans had changed and they were going to come via Kisumu rather than risk the Mbita – Homa Bay road, possibly ending up in the ditch because of the muddy roads caused by all the rains lately. That was great by us as it meant riding and talking with them for 6 hours, and getting pit stops on demand.
We met Steve and Judi about 7:15 at their hotel, loaded our bags onto their Land Rover and sat down so they could have their breakfast. Morgan showed about 7:40. Even having arranged for the tuk-tuk the night before and having it arrive early did not work for her. She ended up having to call another one when the ordered one did not show. After a nice glass of mango juice for me it was time to say our final goodbyes to Dick and Sandy. Hugs all around and we piled into the car. I got the roomy shotgun position with Bea and Bea in the back. Yes, Steve and Judi’s girls have the same names, Beatrice. In fact their middle and last names are the same too. No, they didn’t do it intentionally. Judy adopted them about 10 years ago and they just happened to have the same names. They went with Big B and Little B for awhile until the younger one got taller then the older one. I guess this has caused some confusion at airports, showing up with 2 girls traveling together with the same names.
We had a pleasant trip into Nairobi. The road is much improved, with new tarmac most of the way and not many speed bumps. Only one stretch that we needed to take a side road to avoid the construction. A couple of potty breaks along the way and a stop at a nice resort next to a lake that had 1,000s of flamingo’s on it. A nice place, but the most expensive soda’s we’ve had all trip at a 100 bob apiece. A good 40 bob more than anyplace else. They also had ballooning available for just $420 US a piece. But the place did have a bar in the pool so I guess that justified the prices.
Boy, this is even boring me a little.
So moving on a little faster. In Nairobi, we found Nick, who happened to actually be staying pretty close to where Steve and Judi were going to be staying. Spent a few minutes repacking in a parking lot, getting the carry on bags lightened up and the check in ones stuffed, but fortunately not over weight. Had one last meal in Kenya, at the Java House by a Nakumatt, which happened to be the same place we ate when we met Heather and Brian in December. The food was good by Kenya standards, but only increased my anticipation to have some of the items I craved back home.
Off to the airport. Steve and Judi stayed with us until the end, the time we had to go through security to get into the checking counters. We didn’t know the routine, so were a little surprised when the time came to say goodbye. A few quick hugs and goodbyes and we were off to join our “real world” again. I guess the fast parting may have been a good thing, didn’t give us enough time to think about it and get emotional. This exit from Kenya was not like our other ones. Previous ones I always had more anticipation for, good or bad, looking toward being home and the need to get settled and back to reality. This one never struck me like that, still doesn’t as I sit here in my living room. This one is not like a new chapter in our life but like the sequel. We have disrupted our past like immensely with this adventure. Six months in a different land, Joyce leaving a job of 20 years, off in a month to a summer at camp in Colorado with nothing but getting resettle in between. And I’m glad I’m looking forward to it with more feelings of excitement than anxiousness.
We had 2 hours in the Nairobi airport before our flight and spent most of the time in the shops looking for items to spend our last few shillings on as we knew they were going to do us little good in the next few years.
Other than the bad layout for getting through the last security check the boarding process was smooth, the over head luggage room was available and the leg room seemed plentiful. This due to the fact that it was particularly room compared to all varieties of public transport in Kenya.
As we took off at 10:15 pm, I think I was not feeling much, mostly numb from not knowing how to think about what had just taken place the last 6 months, nor how the next 6 months would be. No personal video screens on this plane, only overhead ones. Didn’t matter as I hoped to sleep most of the way. After the meal was served I ordered a gin and tonic, popped an ambian and started reading. My hope for sleep was answered as I found myself 6 hours later waking up with my dinner tray and unfinished drink gone. Joyce was lying down on the 2 seats next to me. One of the advantages to being short is the ability to lie on just 2 airline seats. The large lady that was sitting next to us had fortunately moved. Most of the first leg was over, the second meal was about to be served and I was well rested.
In the Amsterdam airport we quickly sought out the reclined chairs in the quiet area by the meditation center. As the other laid down to sleep I walked on the next gate to verify its location and then hit the free shower. It water was warm and come in abundance.
With only a 5 hour layover we were soon boarding our last flight to home. The flight was only two-thirds full, the leg room was still good and we had our personal video screens. I spent the time eating meals, watching 3 movies and reading. Having slept on the last leg and know that we’d be home at noon, I stayed awake, planning on going to bed at a regular time in hopes of getting back in sync to Pacific Time.
We got into PDX 45 minutes early, clearing immigration and customs went smoothly with nothing being confiscated this time. We were greeted by Ruthie, Susy and Doug, Cindy (our ride home) and Morgan’s best friend Amy. After greetings and getting the chocolate chip cookies and dough Susy made for we that morning, we collected and bags and headed home.
It was a little disconcerting that things did not seem to be very unusual and strange to us. Other than the lack of not having car horns honking as we drove, it all seemed too familiar. As Morgan mentioned on the plan, the memories of our great times in Kenya seem to be fading and receding all too quickly. We’ll need to make very conscience effort not to let it slide away to quickly. As part of that effort, I’m planning on doing a few more blogs to recount some of the skipped items and to keep the memories fresh.
We got home and found the house in good shape with our renter just leaving to move on to temporary quarters until her next place is ready. It looked bare as many decorations and personal items had been packed and put away. The cats come and greeted us and both are fatter than ever. Even Jose who has always been skinny had bulked up and both will be going on a strict diet soon.
I’ll have no need to diet for a while. I finally got to weigh myself on my normal scale and was just over the 170 mark at 172.5 with cloths on. I’m hoping to keep a lot of that off. I hope to get into a regular exercising and put some weight on as muscle rather than flab.
The living room has exploding with unpacking. We’ve made our first trip to the store for provisions. Found mangos and pineapples available at 10 times the price we paid just a couple days prior. Joyce could not bring herself to buy tomatoes as they were $2 a pound (vs a nickel each) and didn’t look that good. We will miss walking down the road in Mbita and being able to purchase fresh fruits from the women in their rickety stands for just pennies.
Last night we spent over at our good friends Paul and Cindy for dinner and the Blazer play-off game. Had pizza and salad, both fabulous. I ate to much, will have to watch that going forward. My plan to be extra tired worked and I missed most of the second half of the game having temporary narcolepsy, falling asleep instantly many times and awaking to them all laughing at me. Made it home without falling asleep at the red lights (wow driving for the first time in 6 months).
Hit the wonderful bed and cozy comforter and soon fell asleep for 8 hours of not even moving.
In the next few days I plan on re-purchasing my car, unpacking both my luggage and stored items, re-arranging the garage so we can get into the freezer and reading all the e-mails I skipped while we were gone. And mostly just catching up with the many family and friends we’ve missed so much to see how they are doing.
Reporting from Beaverton,
Paul
The trip home started Thursday morning at 6am EAT (East African Time) which would have been 10pm local time. We awoke to an alarm, a rarity for us in Kenya as most of our days, other than at Christ’s Gift Academy) had little need for us to be up any particular time. Yet most days saw us up about 7am anyway. We finished the little packing that we had left, mostly just the last minute items needed for sleeping or getting ready in the morning. I tried checking in on line, but the connection was to slow and our time to get moving was approaching so I bagged it after 15 minutes when it started asking for every ones passport numbers.
Dick and Sandy were both up, ready to see us off. Dick made us eggs, laid by his chicks. They were tasty. I had my over-medium upon a piece of bread with some Greek seasoning sprinkled on top. Our last breakfast in Kenya.
Our travel plans had changed a couple days before. Originally we were to catch the 8am Easy Coach bus from Kisumu to Nairobi where Steve and Judi where to pick us up and take us to the airport. But the day before Steve called and said their plans had changed and they were going to come via Kisumu rather than risk the Mbita – Homa Bay road, possibly ending up in the ditch because of the muddy roads caused by all the rains lately. That was great by us as it meant riding and talking with them for 6 hours, and getting pit stops on demand.
We met Steve and Judi about 7:15 at their hotel, loaded our bags onto their Land Rover and sat down so they could have their breakfast. Morgan showed about 7:40. Even having arranged for the tuk-tuk the night before and having it arrive early did not work for her. She ended up having to call another one when the ordered one did not show. After a nice glass of mango juice for me it was time to say our final goodbyes to Dick and Sandy. Hugs all around and we piled into the car. I got the roomy shotgun position with Bea and Bea in the back. Yes, Steve and Judi’s girls have the same names, Beatrice. In fact their middle and last names are the same too. No, they didn’t do it intentionally. Judy adopted them about 10 years ago and they just happened to have the same names. They went with Big B and Little B for awhile until the younger one got taller then the older one. I guess this has caused some confusion at airports, showing up with 2 girls traveling together with the same names.
We had a pleasant trip into Nairobi. The road is much improved, with new tarmac most of the way and not many speed bumps. Only one stretch that we needed to take a side road to avoid the construction. A couple of potty breaks along the way and a stop at a nice resort next to a lake that had 1,000s of flamingo’s on it. A nice place, but the most expensive soda’s we’ve had all trip at a 100 bob apiece. A good 40 bob more than anyplace else. They also had ballooning available for just $420 US a piece. But the place did have a bar in the pool so I guess that justified the prices.
Boy, this is even boring me a little.
So moving on a little faster. In Nairobi, we found Nick, who happened to actually be staying pretty close to where Steve and Judi were going to be staying. Spent a few minutes repacking in a parking lot, getting the carry on bags lightened up and the check in ones stuffed, but fortunately not over weight. Had one last meal in Kenya, at the Java House by a Nakumatt, which happened to be the same place we ate when we met Heather and Brian in December. The food was good by Kenya standards, but only increased my anticipation to have some of the items I craved back home.
Off to the airport. Steve and Judi stayed with us until the end, the time we had to go through security to get into the checking counters. We didn’t know the routine, so were a little surprised when the time came to say goodbye. A few quick hugs and goodbyes and we were off to join our “real world” again. I guess the fast parting may have been a good thing, didn’t give us enough time to think about it and get emotional. This exit from Kenya was not like our other ones. Previous ones I always had more anticipation for, good or bad, looking toward being home and the need to get settled and back to reality. This one never struck me like that, still doesn’t as I sit here in my living room. This one is not like a new chapter in our life but like the sequel. We have disrupted our past like immensely with this adventure. Six months in a different land, Joyce leaving a job of 20 years, off in a month to a summer at camp in Colorado with nothing but getting resettle in between. And I’m glad I’m looking forward to it with more feelings of excitement than anxiousness.
We had 2 hours in the Nairobi airport before our flight and spent most of the time in the shops looking for items to spend our last few shillings on as we knew they were going to do us little good in the next few years.
Other than the bad layout for getting through the last security check the boarding process was smooth, the over head luggage room was available and the leg room seemed plentiful. This due to the fact that it was particularly room compared to all varieties of public transport in Kenya.
As we took off at 10:15 pm, I think I was not feeling much, mostly numb from not knowing how to think about what had just taken place the last 6 months, nor how the next 6 months would be. No personal video screens on this plane, only overhead ones. Didn’t matter as I hoped to sleep most of the way. After the meal was served I ordered a gin and tonic, popped an ambian and started reading. My hope for sleep was answered as I found myself 6 hours later waking up with my dinner tray and unfinished drink gone. Joyce was lying down on the 2 seats next to me. One of the advantages to being short is the ability to lie on just 2 airline seats. The large lady that was sitting next to us had fortunately moved. Most of the first leg was over, the second meal was about to be served and I was well rested.
In the Amsterdam airport we quickly sought out the reclined chairs in the quiet area by the meditation center. As the other laid down to sleep I walked on the next gate to verify its location and then hit the free shower. It water was warm and come in abundance.
With only a 5 hour layover we were soon boarding our last flight to home. The flight was only two-thirds full, the leg room was still good and we had our personal video screens. I spent the time eating meals, watching 3 movies and reading. Having slept on the last leg and know that we’d be home at noon, I stayed awake, planning on going to bed at a regular time in hopes of getting back in sync to Pacific Time.
We got into PDX 45 minutes early, clearing immigration and customs went smoothly with nothing being confiscated this time. We were greeted by Ruthie, Susy and Doug, Cindy (our ride home) and Morgan’s best friend Amy. After greetings and getting the chocolate chip cookies and dough Susy made for we that morning, we collected and bags and headed home.
It was a little disconcerting that things did not seem to be very unusual and strange to us. Other than the lack of not having car horns honking as we drove, it all seemed too familiar. As Morgan mentioned on the plan, the memories of our great times in Kenya seem to be fading and receding all too quickly. We’ll need to make very conscience effort not to let it slide away to quickly. As part of that effort, I’m planning on doing a few more blogs to recount some of the skipped items and to keep the memories fresh.
We got home and found the house in good shape with our renter just leaving to move on to temporary quarters until her next place is ready. It looked bare as many decorations and personal items had been packed and put away. The cats come and greeted us and both are fatter than ever. Even Jose who has always been skinny had bulked up and both will be going on a strict diet soon.
I’ll have no need to diet for a while. I finally got to weigh myself on my normal scale and was just over the 170 mark at 172.5 with cloths on. I’m hoping to keep a lot of that off. I hope to get into a regular exercising and put some weight on as muscle rather than flab.
The living room has exploding with unpacking. We’ve made our first trip to the store for provisions. Found mangos and pineapples available at 10 times the price we paid just a couple days prior. Joyce could not bring herself to buy tomatoes as they were $2 a pound (vs a nickel each) and didn’t look that good. We will miss walking down the road in Mbita and being able to purchase fresh fruits from the women in their rickety stands for just pennies.
Last night we spent over at our good friends Paul and Cindy for dinner and the Blazer play-off game. Had pizza and salad, both fabulous. I ate to much, will have to watch that going forward. My plan to be extra tired worked and I missed most of the second half of the game having temporary narcolepsy, falling asleep instantly many times and awaking to them all laughing at me. Made it home without falling asleep at the red lights (wow driving for the first time in 6 months).
Hit the wonderful bed and cozy comforter and soon fell asleep for 8 hours of not even moving.
In the next few days I plan on re-purchasing my car, unpacking both my luggage and stored items, re-arranging the garage so we can get into the freezer and reading all the e-mails I skipped while we were gone. And mostly just catching up with the many family and friends we’ve missed so much to see how they are doing.
Reporting from Beaverton,
Paul
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
News Highlights
April 19th, 2009 – An article about aging, winkles and age-spots shows a picture of an older Kenyan woman holding up 2 double edge razor blades. No explanation about the blades, I only assume that they are used to cut off the age spots.
Picture accompanying article about Kenya cricket shows a 2003 photo the captain while taking about the 2011 world matches. I guess they camera broke a while back and they have no current picture of him.
The Somalia pirates make the news everyday. Interesting that the US only got involved in this battle after one of their ships got taken. It has been going on for months. Bold moves are needed to combat this. These pirates are making millions using small speed boats.
Seventy-five percent of those polled do not think the coalition government will make it until the next election in 2012.
Bone (boo-knee) the 4 and a half year old of the housekeeper can name Obama when he sees a picture of him in the paper. He also calls him a Mzungu.
Obama may be here in Kenya twice in the next few months. There are two conferences coming up that he will get formal invites to from president Kibaki. Neither sounded like real possibilities to me, but I’m sure the Kenyans are thinking he will come and all their problems will go away and they will become a world power.
Thirty-five year old Kenya man killed by neighbors after making comments about doing away with his 73 year old sugar mama.
Kenya and Uganda are still fighting over the fishing island of Mgingo. I understand this is a very small island, but both countries want it, probably just because the other does. They have been battling and harassing each other over it for months. They are now going to spend $1.2 million on doing a survey. Both sides agree to pay half, but Kenya as put aside the full amount in case Uganda does not come up with their share by the deadline. Knowing that, why would Uganda add anything? I think I’ll offer to do it for a 3rdof that and by myself a nice GPS unit and go surf to the island and Google Earth. Should take me about a day counting the time to have an eight hour lunch.
And the top headline of the day “Church Loses Battle for Sarah Obama’s Soul.” The Second Day Adventist church come within moments of baptizing and converting Barack’s grandmother. She was even dress and ready to attend the service. But her family stepped in to stop it, saying that she was Muslim and that she did fully understand what they SDA was intending to do.
On to other items.
Joyce is really enjoying Bone here, she still needs her kid fixes and he’s the only one around. He’s going to be missing her big time when we leave. She has been working on colors with him. Like most small kids here, it’s more of running through the list of colors you know until you hit the correct one when you are shown a color. Joyce finally decided to concentrate on just one color, yellow. After a couple of days I think he finally may have that color down.
Joyce announced to me this morning that she was going to take a job at a primary school so she can work with kids. I thought that was quite a revelation, but did not surprise me after seeing enjoying her time with the kids here and at Christ’s Gift Academy. But she decided not to since it would interfere with her going back to work for Lee. It took a moment until I realized that she was telling me about a dream she was having. I think this one could be very prophetic.
There is a young lady and her child, maybe younger sister, out on the back patio right now. They were having a cup of tea just a moment ago. Joyce asked Dick who they were and he didn’t know. Maybe related to Peterlyse, the Sunday yard man he thought. People just show up here and of course think they are entitled to whatever is sitting out to drink or eat. Dick says we’ll make sure to lock everything up when we leave. That would drive me crazy. I don’t mind visitors but I’d like to know who they are.
Joyce got excited this morning on collecting the eggs from Dick’s chicks. She and Bone went out to gather them up. Even better was the fact that they laid them for her on the spot. Three of them came out as she was picking up the ones that were already laid. So fresh they were still moist on the outside. An interesting note here is that eggs are not refrigerated here. They sit out for days without any adverse affects. So does the milk for that matter. But the milk is high temperature treated to make it stable at “room temperature”.
It seems 70 percent of Kenya is not getting the rain that is needed. Kisumu area is not one of those. In fact, people have mentioned how much and hard the rains have been here in the last week. Areas nearby are even having problems with flooding which has washed away many homes and caused several deaths. When it rains it pours.
Went out to Hippo Point this week. It’s a place where hippos regular come ashore at night to graze and know for having great sunsets. The hippos didn’t come and the clouds floated in and just covered the sun. Fortunately we only got a few drops of rain while we waited. Saw a great tree for climbing while we were there. A short trunk, many branches, most coming straight out and then gradually sloping up. Went to investigate and discovered this tree had thorn like spikes all over it. They were sharp and hard enough to go through most soles. I stayed on the ground.
We have made a few trips here on bota botas (bike taxis – you sit on the cushion over the back fender). Mostly Dick chauffeurs us around. So we know the ropes and the cost. Usually we just tell them the location and get on, no price negotiation before hand. Coming from Tusky’s market to Dick and Sandy’s is a 25/= ride. We went to fetch a ride yesterday and the driver told us his price as we started to board – 50/= each. We laughed and said that was a Mzungu price. They insisted and we walked away, the other end of the lot had more available. For fun we asked them the price – got 30 from one and 40 from another. The 30/= guy tried to quickly tell the other that 30 should be fine. We said 20 was the correct price and walked away again. The next two we simply told the location we wanted, hopped on and paid our normal 25/= when we got off. No complaints from the drivers and they seemed pleased with the extra 5 above the common price.
Five days and counting,
Paul
Picture accompanying article about Kenya cricket shows a 2003 photo the captain while taking about the 2011 world matches. I guess they camera broke a while back and they have no current picture of him.
The Somalia pirates make the news everyday. Interesting that the US only got involved in this battle after one of their ships got taken. It has been going on for months. Bold moves are needed to combat this. These pirates are making millions using small speed boats.
Seventy-five percent of those polled do not think the coalition government will make it until the next election in 2012.
Bone (boo-knee) the 4 and a half year old of the housekeeper can name Obama when he sees a picture of him in the paper. He also calls him a Mzungu.
Obama may be here in Kenya twice in the next few months. There are two conferences coming up that he will get formal invites to from president Kibaki. Neither sounded like real possibilities to me, but I’m sure the Kenyans are thinking he will come and all their problems will go away and they will become a world power.
Thirty-five year old Kenya man killed by neighbors after making comments about doing away with his 73 year old sugar mama.
Kenya and Uganda are still fighting over the fishing island of Mgingo. I understand this is a very small island, but both countries want it, probably just because the other does. They have been battling and harassing each other over it for months. They are now going to spend $1.2 million on doing a survey. Both sides agree to pay half, but Kenya as put aside the full amount in case Uganda does not come up with their share by the deadline. Knowing that, why would Uganda add anything? I think I’ll offer to do it for a 3rdof that and by myself a nice GPS unit and go surf to the island and Google Earth. Should take me about a day counting the time to have an eight hour lunch.
And the top headline of the day “Church Loses Battle for Sarah Obama’s Soul.” The Second Day Adventist church come within moments of baptizing and converting Barack’s grandmother. She was even dress and ready to attend the service. But her family stepped in to stop it, saying that she was Muslim and that she did fully understand what they SDA was intending to do.
On to other items.
Joyce is really enjoying Bone here, she still needs her kid fixes and he’s the only one around. He’s going to be missing her big time when we leave. She has been working on colors with him. Like most small kids here, it’s more of running through the list of colors you know until you hit the correct one when you are shown a color. Joyce finally decided to concentrate on just one color, yellow. After a couple of days I think he finally may have that color down.
Joyce announced to me this morning that she was going to take a job at a primary school so she can work with kids. I thought that was quite a revelation, but did not surprise me after seeing enjoying her time with the kids here and at Christ’s Gift Academy. But she decided not to since it would interfere with her going back to work for Lee. It took a moment until I realized that she was telling me about a dream she was having. I think this one could be very prophetic.
There is a young lady and her child, maybe younger sister, out on the back patio right now. They were having a cup of tea just a moment ago. Joyce asked Dick who they were and he didn’t know. Maybe related to Peterlyse, the Sunday yard man he thought. People just show up here and of course think they are entitled to whatever is sitting out to drink or eat. Dick says we’ll make sure to lock everything up when we leave. That would drive me crazy. I don’t mind visitors but I’d like to know who they are.
Joyce got excited this morning on collecting the eggs from Dick’s chicks. She and Bone went out to gather them up. Even better was the fact that they laid them for her on the spot. Three of them came out as she was picking up the ones that were already laid. So fresh they were still moist on the outside. An interesting note here is that eggs are not refrigerated here. They sit out for days without any adverse affects. So does the milk for that matter. But the milk is high temperature treated to make it stable at “room temperature”.
It seems 70 percent of Kenya is not getting the rain that is needed. Kisumu area is not one of those. In fact, people have mentioned how much and hard the rains have been here in the last week. Areas nearby are even having problems with flooding which has washed away many homes and caused several deaths. When it rains it pours.
Went out to Hippo Point this week. It’s a place where hippos regular come ashore at night to graze and know for having great sunsets. The hippos didn’t come and the clouds floated in and just covered the sun. Fortunately we only got a few drops of rain while we waited. Saw a great tree for climbing while we were there. A short trunk, many branches, most coming straight out and then gradually sloping up. Went to investigate and discovered this tree had thorn like spikes all over it. They were sharp and hard enough to go through most soles. I stayed on the ground.
We have made a few trips here on bota botas (bike taxis – you sit on the cushion over the back fender). Mostly Dick chauffeurs us around. So we know the ropes and the cost. Usually we just tell them the location and get on, no price negotiation before hand. Coming from Tusky’s market to Dick and Sandy’s is a 25/= ride. We went to fetch a ride yesterday and the driver told us his price as we started to board – 50/= each. We laughed and said that was a Mzungu price. They insisted and we walked away, the other end of the lot had more available. For fun we asked them the price – got 30 from one and 40 from another. The 30/= guy tried to quickly tell the other that 30 should be fine. We said 20 was the correct price and walked away again. The next two we simply told the location we wanted, hopped on and paid our normal 25/= when we got off. No complaints from the drivers and they seemed pleased with the extra 5 above the common price.
Five days and counting,
Paul
This and That
April 16, 2009 – I took April 15th off from blogging so I could do my taxes. Not really, I filed an extension last month. Should be an interesting couple of years for taxes for us, with the long stretch of not having any income. Hopefully the stretch won’t last real long once we get back to the states. Of course Joyce was wise enough to line up a job for herself shortly after we get back.
I went to get cash out of an ATM yesterday and it didn’t work. The receipt said that the amount would be credited back to my account which is a little reassuring. I’ll check our account in a couple days and see if it all worked. If not, I guess I go to the bank and see if they can push it through. I’ve heard a horror story about the run around when something like this happens. It is Barclay’s so at least it’s not a Podunk local bank.
Haven’t been able to get to the internet as much as I expected the last week or so, so I have a few blogs to post all at once.
We painted individual blackboards for the pre-school today. Dick cut up some boards and Joyce and I sanded and painted 80 little blackboards for the kids to use. I hope it works, I’ve never used blackboard paint before. They do it all the time here in the classrooms, right onto the plastered wall. My main concern is that the surface is smooth enough. We’ve also been asked to but lines on the board for the kids to write on. I can’t see doing that very easily with white enamel paint and a small paint brush.
Have I mentioned how bad the paint is here.
At this time in 7 days, just one week, we should all be on the ground in Nairobi getting ready to get to the airport for our 10pm flight. Time flies. We hope to have one last dinner with Steve and Judi and kids as they have offered to pick us up in Nairobi and drop us off at the airport. They sure have been generous in doing things for us. They have 3 of our bigger bags we are to check at the airport so we haven’t had to worry about hauling them through Kisumu with us.
Cont’g April 18th, 2009 – Have I mentioned how bad the paint is here. Maybe I’m not use to using enamel paint, but the stuff just does not cover.
Here are Dick and Sandy’s the power has been pretty flaky of late. May have seen why yesterday as we walked up to catch a bota bota. We came upon a repair main at one of the main power poles. The one with multiple transformer on it and a bunch of other wiring boxes all in a jumble. The repair man was standing atop his pickup, or more precisely, the canopy of his pickup bed. He had a 20 foot pole in hand that had a small hook on one end. He was reaching up to the top of the poles to some connections and ‘jingling’ the wires. Whatever was moving occasionally hit something and let off a small shower of sparks. I’m a little surprised we have power as often as we do.
Yesterday we were painting (have I mentioned how bad the paint is here?) and needed a few more supplies. I think it took 6 or 7 trips to the hardware store to get what we needed. Not all because we forgot something, but because they needed to get it from a ‘supplier’ because it was not in stock. If you don’t want cream or white paint you are probably out of luck of it being in stock. Morgan finally got back after one of the trips with the signal red paint we needed. We are going through much more paint than expected, some from the old wood soaking it up and also because it does not cover well. It was a different brand then the other paints we were using. We opened the red to find it like water color paint. Using it made the panel appear like we were looking at it through rose colored glasses. So off Morgan was again to exchange it for the brand we had before, which she had to make another trip for since they had to go find it.
Dick raises chickens and turkeys. The area around them smells terrible, putrid, I need to gag bad.
If you are ever in Kisumu on a Friday night check out the Simba Club. It has a terrific Indian buffet for only 500 kshs. Good food, includes dessert that includes ice cream. Careful on the drinks, they as spendy – Joyce’s double tot of Armarula was as much as the dinner. Located on the main road between the stage area and Tusky’s.
Thursday night we went to a Rotary Dinner at Club 0, a new place in town. One of the members, a retired Indian engineer alcoholic, made some good curry chicken. We, being Americans, showed up on time, maybe a little early. The next person was 30 minutes late I think. Just over a dozen showed up. Four whites, two blacks and the rest Indian. Supposedly the club has been going down hill since they have let nationals in. They are just looking for handouts or ways of scrounging (scamming) money from it. The cook, Konie, started throwing brain teasers at me, so that kept me occupied for the 1 or more hours between the time others showed up and dinner was finally ready. Only one I did not get was the 5x5 square of dots that could all be gone through with just 8 straight lines. Another fun one was how to add one line to the equation 5 + 5 + 5 = 550 to make it correct. Good food, the rest of the side dishes were not much to write about.
There are movie theaters here, showing second run US movies and Indian films. Currently the one close by is showing The International, Revolutionary Road and an Indian film. The theater is even mildly air conditioned. I think the popcorn and other concessions are a little over priced for this area, but not as bad as the US concession stands. The Tuesday special is admission, soda, popcorn and a hotdog for just 280/=. Just 80/= more than regular admission. No economy hours here. The seats are like US ones and both theaters in Kisumu have stadium seating. Still looking forward to going to a few movies once we are back home.
Dinner time, got to run. Mashed potatoes and local grown turkey.
Gobble gobble,
Paul
I went to get cash out of an ATM yesterday and it didn’t work. The receipt said that the amount would be credited back to my account which is a little reassuring. I’ll check our account in a couple days and see if it all worked. If not, I guess I go to the bank and see if they can push it through. I’ve heard a horror story about the run around when something like this happens. It is Barclay’s so at least it’s not a Podunk local bank.
Haven’t been able to get to the internet as much as I expected the last week or so, so I have a few blogs to post all at once.
We painted individual blackboards for the pre-school today. Dick cut up some boards and Joyce and I sanded and painted 80 little blackboards for the kids to use. I hope it works, I’ve never used blackboard paint before. They do it all the time here in the classrooms, right onto the plastered wall. My main concern is that the surface is smooth enough. We’ve also been asked to but lines on the board for the kids to write on. I can’t see doing that very easily with white enamel paint and a small paint brush.
Have I mentioned how bad the paint is here.
At this time in 7 days, just one week, we should all be on the ground in Nairobi getting ready to get to the airport for our 10pm flight. Time flies. We hope to have one last dinner with Steve and Judi and kids as they have offered to pick us up in Nairobi and drop us off at the airport. They sure have been generous in doing things for us. They have 3 of our bigger bags we are to check at the airport so we haven’t had to worry about hauling them through Kisumu with us.
Cont’g April 18th, 2009 – Have I mentioned how bad the paint is here. Maybe I’m not use to using enamel paint, but the stuff just does not cover.
Here are Dick and Sandy’s the power has been pretty flaky of late. May have seen why yesterday as we walked up to catch a bota bota. We came upon a repair main at one of the main power poles. The one with multiple transformer on it and a bunch of other wiring boxes all in a jumble. The repair man was standing atop his pickup, or more precisely, the canopy of his pickup bed. He had a 20 foot pole in hand that had a small hook on one end. He was reaching up to the top of the poles to some connections and ‘jingling’ the wires. Whatever was moving occasionally hit something and let off a small shower of sparks. I’m a little surprised we have power as often as we do.
Yesterday we were painting (have I mentioned how bad the paint is here?) and needed a few more supplies. I think it took 6 or 7 trips to the hardware store to get what we needed. Not all because we forgot something, but because they needed to get it from a ‘supplier’ because it was not in stock. If you don’t want cream or white paint you are probably out of luck of it being in stock. Morgan finally got back after one of the trips with the signal red paint we needed. We are going through much more paint than expected, some from the old wood soaking it up and also because it does not cover well. It was a different brand then the other paints we were using. We opened the red to find it like water color paint. Using it made the panel appear like we were looking at it through rose colored glasses. So off Morgan was again to exchange it for the brand we had before, which she had to make another trip for since they had to go find it.
Dick raises chickens and turkeys. The area around them smells terrible, putrid, I need to gag bad.
If you are ever in Kisumu on a Friday night check out the Simba Club. It has a terrific Indian buffet for only 500 kshs. Good food, includes dessert that includes ice cream. Careful on the drinks, they as spendy – Joyce’s double tot of Armarula was as much as the dinner. Located on the main road between the stage area and Tusky’s.
Thursday night we went to a Rotary Dinner at Club 0, a new place in town. One of the members, a retired Indian engineer alcoholic, made some good curry chicken. We, being Americans, showed up on time, maybe a little early. The next person was 30 minutes late I think. Just over a dozen showed up. Four whites, two blacks and the rest Indian. Supposedly the club has been going down hill since they have let nationals in. They are just looking for handouts or ways of scrounging (scamming) money from it. The cook, Konie, started throwing brain teasers at me, so that kept me occupied for the 1 or more hours between the time others showed up and dinner was finally ready. Only one I did not get was the 5x5 square of dots that could all be gone through with just 8 straight lines. Another fun one was how to add one line to the equation 5 + 5 + 5 = 550 to make it correct. Good food, the rest of the side dishes were not much to write about.
There are movie theaters here, showing second run US movies and Indian films. Currently the one close by is showing The International, Revolutionary Road and an Indian film. The theater is even mildly air conditioned. I think the popcorn and other concessions are a little over priced for this area, but not as bad as the US concession stands. The Tuesday special is admission, soda, popcorn and a hotdog for just 280/=. Just 80/= more than regular admission. No economy hours here. The seats are like US ones and both theaters in Kisumu have stadium seating. Still looking forward to going to a few movies once we are back home.
Dinner time, got to run. Mashed potatoes and local grown turkey.
Gobble gobble,
Paul
Ten Days to Home
April 14, 2009 – Just 10 days from now we should be home, not counting the 10 hour time difference. That seems a little hard to believe. I’m not thinking about it to much right now, it least not to many vitale things, more of the things I want to do and eat when I get home. Lasagna, a good hamburger, some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, or perhaps some B & Rs. It’ll be tough to choice the flavor. A tender steak, maybe polish sausage with sweet hot mustard. Even sushi is sounding good to me. To do – visiting people is the biggest item on the list, at least during the first few days in-between jet lag naps. My parents, Joyce’s mom. Bros and Sises on both sides of the family. Some of those little ones I’m sure are going to have changed a lot. Friends from church and work places. Neighbors. Others a-list items – the praise service at church, getting a few pictures printed. Many more items will be joining the list, but most can wait to be put onto it until we actually arrive home.
Follow-up on the last story – no critter in the ear, that leaves old age as the most likely candidate.
Joyce and I are now in Kisumu. We’ll be here until a day or two before our last day. We are not sure whether we want to spend a couple days in Nairobi at the end or not. Will play that one as it comes. We are slowing working on helping out at the Kiwanis Pre-school. They plan on moving during the break and we are helping with painting, both the new place and some of the old furniture.
The paint here is painful to work with. I don’t do much painting back home, but I know it’s never been this tough to get a decent coat on a piece of furniture, no matter how rough or dirty it was prior to starting. We did find out one secret we didn’t now before – use water base emulsion paint first on bare wood before covering it with the enamel paint. I wonder it this would have helped us in Mbita painting the Polytechnic doors and signs. At least the tables will look ‘fresh’ for now.
We are staying with Dick and Sandy Schabel. They are the owners (renters really) of the first place we stayed when we hit Kenya 5+ months ago. We met the finally in late January when we returned from Uganda. The timing makes sense since they were in India during our first stay but graciously invited us to stay at their place anyway. Here is one of those God putting the right people in your life connecting stories. Last summer Joyce had a Partners in Kenya booth at the Day of the African up at the Forestry Center. Kelsey, a New Yorker who happened to be spending the summer in Portland with her aunt, attended. She and Joyce had a chat and she told Joyce to e-mail Rachael, a mazungu living in Kisumu that she had met in a trip to Kenya last year. Joyce e-mailed Rachael asked about a place to stay in Kisumu for a couple of night when we first arrived. She knew Dick and Sandy from Bellingham Washington where she first worked marketing Sandy’s Chiropractic business and soon became fast friends. Separately from each other they decided to come to Kisumu. They offer up their home for us when we first arrive. We hit it off with them when we did finally meet and they made that ‘anytime you are in the area offer’ you can stay with us. We’ve taken them up on that a couple times already. Careful what you offer us once we are back. We seem much more likely to take people up on offers then we use to.
More critter stories or a non-critter story. I’ve not been feeling up to par for over a week, mostly a rumbling stomach and the fun intestinal things that go on with that. When we hit Kisumu we decide to go to the clinic to have ourselves checked out for little critters – amebas, worms, parasites including the infamous Lake Victoria Bilharzias, and malaria. Happy to report we gat a clean bill of health. We were a little surprised based on our swimming, bathing, drinking cooking with Lake Vic water and all the other not quiet sanitary situations we have been in. I may still take the worm and Bilharzias meds we bought in Arusha after we get home.
Easter, like Christmas, was anti-climatic here. We had discussed various options here in Arusha with Dick and Sandy. Lutheran, Catholic, Sikh and others. Come Sunday morning we bagged all of them and decided to stay home. Until about 10:30am and Sandy suggested going to the Catholic Church because they often have good music, and sitting in the rear so we could exit if it got way to long. Didn’t work out so well and the church was overflowing and it was standing room only pouring out onto the steps. So not to waste the trip, we did the vegetable shopping at the open air market across the street. According to Dick, it is the largest open air market in East Africa.
10 days – that’s less than 1 ½ weeks.
Reporting from Kisumu,
Paul
Follow-up on the last story – no critter in the ear, that leaves old age as the most likely candidate.
Joyce and I are now in Kisumu. We’ll be here until a day or two before our last day. We are not sure whether we want to spend a couple days in Nairobi at the end or not. Will play that one as it comes. We are slowing working on helping out at the Kiwanis Pre-school. They plan on moving during the break and we are helping with painting, both the new place and some of the old furniture.
The paint here is painful to work with. I don’t do much painting back home, but I know it’s never been this tough to get a decent coat on a piece of furniture, no matter how rough or dirty it was prior to starting. We did find out one secret we didn’t now before – use water base emulsion paint first on bare wood before covering it with the enamel paint. I wonder it this would have helped us in Mbita painting the Polytechnic doors and signs. At least the tables will look ‘fresh’ for now.
We are staying with Dick and Sandy Schabel. They are the owners (renters really) of the first place we stayed when we hit Kenya 5+ months ago. We met the finally in late January when we returned from Uganda. The timing makes sense since they were in India during our first stay but graciously invited us to stay at their place anyway. Here is one of those God putting the right people in your life connecting stories. Last summer Joyce had a Partners in Kenya booth at the Day of the African up at the Forestry Center. Kelsey, a New Yorker who happened to be spending the summer in Portland with her aunt, attended. She and Joyce had a chat and she told Joyce to e-mail Rachael, a mazungu living in Kisumu that she had met in a trip to Kenya last year. Joyce e-mailed Rachael asked about a place to stay in Kisumu for a couple of night when we first arrived. She knew Dick and Sandy from Bellingham Washington where she first worked marketing Sandy’s Chiropractic business and soon became fast friends. Separately from each other they decided to come to Kisumu. They offer up their home for us when we first arrive. We hit it off with them when we did finally meet and they made that ‘anytime you are in the area offer’ you can stay with us. We’ve taken them up on that a couple times already. Careful what you offer us once we are back. We seem much more likely to take people up on offers then we use to.
More critter stories or a non-critter story. I’ve not been feeling up to par for over a week, mostly a rumbling stomach and the fun intestinal things that go on with that. When we hit Kisumu we decide to go to the clinic to have ourselves checked out for little critters – amebas, worms, parasites including the infamous Lake Victoria Bilharzias, and malaria. Happy to report we gat a clean bill of health. We were a little surprised based on our swimming, bathing, drinking cooking with Lake Vic water and all the other not quiet sanitary situations we have been in. I may still take the worm and Bilharzias meds we bought in Arusha after we get home.
Easter, like Christmas, was anti-climatic here. We had discussed various options here in Arusha with Dick and Sandy. Lutheran, Catholic, Sikh and others. Come Sunday morning we bagged all of them and decided to stay home. Until about 10:30am and Sandy suggested going to the Catholic Church because they often have good music, and sitting in the rear so we could exit if it got way to long. Didn’t work out so well and the church was overflowing and it was standing room only pouring out onto the steps. So not to waste the trip, we did the vegetable shopping at the open air market across the street. According to Dick, it is the largest open air market in East Africa.
10 days – that’s less than 1 ½ weeks.
Reporting from Kisumu,
Paul
And the Critters Go Quiet
April 11, 2009 – One of the great things about leaving in a place with little power and not many cars is the quiet that comes over the Town of Mbita as the darkness falls. More accurately, the sounds of human activity dissipates out as sounds of nature amplify. As the sound of the wind running through the trees dies down the sounds of the little critters are revealed. It’s dark so the critters can not be seen, but sound mostly like small birds chirping and large bugs twittering.
These sounds of small critters were most obvious as we laid in bed at night, with the windows wide to catch the few small breezes that might pass by, fading into or out of sleep the several times a night. Occasionally, as I repositioned myself on the thin, concave mattress, accented by the wood slates protruding, I’d marvel at how at times the whole of nature ceased and slept all at the same time and not a sound could be heard. The entire world of critters all observed a few moments in silence all listening for the sound that was not coming.
And then during the next restless tossing so get blood back to the arm that had fallen asleep, they were alive again, talking and telling each other many delightful stories.
And this was consistent happening many of the night where sleep did not come easy.
Of the places we were, this was most obvious in Mbita with its fewer modern developments. This was brought home to me after we returned from Tanzania to Mbita and were resting very comfortably at Steve and Judi’s.
One morning I was flipping sides looking for the perfect comfortable position and noticed again that the critters had gone quiet. I flipped one more time to my other side and they all awoke, waking just as the morning light was breaking through. The other side was better I thought, so I flipped back and the critters faded off again. Wow I thought I never noticed the abruptness of the critters slumber and waking before. I lifted my head off my pillow and the critters awoke, place my head down again and they slumbered off to silence. Ah-ha, I had some loss of hearing in my left ear. When I slept on my left side with the right ear exposed, the critters chattered. One the other side with the right ear tight against the pillow, they silenced.
Not all sounds disappeared, it only seemed to be the chatty critters that silences, the roosters and dogs still came through. I can not say when this loss actually occurred. I remember the silent critters at the parish, but can not say for certain if it started there or I came from home this way. Maybe I just have a critter stuck in my hear, hindering my hearing.
Coming to you from Kisumu,
Paul
These sounds of small critters were most obvious as we laid in bed at night, with the windows wide to catch the few small breezes that might pass by, fading into or out of sleep the several times a night. Occasionally, as I repositioned myself on the thin, concave mattress, accented by the wood slates protruding, I’d marvel at how at times the whole of nature ceased and slept all at the same time and not a sound could be heard. The entire world of critters all observed a few moments in silence all listening for the sound that was not coming.
And then during the next restless tossing so get blood back to the arm that had fallen asleep, they were alive again, talking and telling each other many delightful stories.
And this was consistent happening many of the night where sleep did not come easy.
Of the places we were, this was most obvious in Mbita with its fewer modern developments. This was brought home to me after we returned from Tanzania to Mbita and were resting very comfortably at Steve and Judi’s.
One morning I was flipping sides looking for the perfect comfortable position and noticed again that the critters had gone quiet. I flipped one more time to my other side and they all awoke, waking just as the morning light was breaking through. The other side was better I thought, so I flipped back and the critters faded off again. Wow I thought I never noticed the abruptness of the critters slumber and waking before. I lifted my head off my pillow and the critters awoke, place my head down again and they slumbered off to silence. Ah-ha, I had some loss of hearing in my left ear. When I slept on my left side with the right ear exposed, the critters chattered. One the other side with the right ear tight against the pillow, they silenced.
Not all sounds disappeared, it only seemed to be the chatty critters that silences, the roosters and dogs still came through. I can not say when this loss actually occurred. I remember the silent critters at the parish, but can not say for certain if it started there or I came from home this way. Maybe I just have a critter stuck in my hear, hindering my hearing.
Coming to you from Kisumu,
Paul
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Joyce vs Paul
April 8, 2009 – This is not a Battle Royal between us. Today I just noticed another difference in how we approach life here in Mbita. I’d say I’m the cautious one to Joyce’s ‘let’s do it’.
Today was Closing Day at Christ’s Gift Academy. That is the last day of the term. It’s a shorten day with a special schedule. CGA today started with assembly for a couple songs and the flag raising. They then had bible education followed by porridge. It was back to classes for a short while followed by chapel where it was girls against boys in putting together a timeline of biblical event. Joyce got to lead a few songs during this period. Then a few long-winded remarks by the head master and most of the kids were excused for the term. A few selected kids, usually the best in the classes, got to stay around to help clean up their classrooms. This includes moving the desks outside and mopping the floors with rags. The cleanup crews got to have a special lunch, one that included both eggs and meat (beef), two items that are never served to the whole school.
Junior, one of our kids, was around for the lunch and Joyce started hatching her plan of inviting a few of our kids up to our current living place for a visit. Not all of them, just a few. Nice idea I do admit, but the logistics seem a little forbearing to me. My reasoning is – if not all the kids are going to be invited, how do you decide who gets to come. So as not to show too much favoritism or hurt feelings, how do you get the word out to the selected without the others knowing. And what about the one that you know will be waiting at the gate of ICIPE for us as we arrive home already? My solution, don’t invite anyone. While I call this cautious, others would call it the easy way out. This is probably true.
To Joyce, it’s this would be a nice thing to do, I want to do it, I can make it work out. So as we were walking home, she sent Junior ahead to slyly invite a couple of the other kids that he wanted to and to meet us at the gate. Sure enough, 4 other kids were waiting by the gate for our arrival. We stop and talk to them for a few minutes and I take the easy way out by heading in and leaving Joyce to explain to the extra kids that they can not all come in. Sure enough, about 5 minutes later she shows up with just 4 kids and I’m sure the others didn’t have their feelings hurt too much. That’s Joyce and her ability to make situations work and to be very polite and tactful and handle others very gently.
This is also why she got 95% percent of the requests for “assistance” from many local people and I only had to field the other 5%. This I did not mind at all.
I must say that the kids had a wonderful time visiting us. They got soda and biscuits, got their picture taken and got to look at pictures of themselves from days past on the computer. It was a special treat for them, it was the right thing to do, the logistics is just an excuse us cautious types use.
There are many of these stories. As we were clearing out of the Parish housing and heading to Mombasa, she was giving away many items we no longer needed or wanted to carry with us on the rest of the journey. Of course we didn’t have enough of everything to give all the kids the same thing. Nor was it only our kids. At the parish there were always extra kids around, which was fine, but special things we preferred to treat our kids to. I would have just not given out anything. Joyce gave out everything and then some. Like her mother, Joyce is one to be concerned about making things ‘even’. Of course it all worked out for the best. New item -----
Bryon continues to pull at our hearts. This 3 year old speaks about 5 words of English. While he probably understands a few more, he has only learned a few all since we have been around. But we all love him. At time he will not give us any acknowledgement, other times he throws small temper tantrums especially when it’s time to go home. But all that pales in the comparison to the times when he greets us with his huge smile and the fat dimpled cheeks. When he calls out your name to show you something. When he see’s you coming and takes off running the other way with his laughter trailing behind, looking forward to the chase.
During swimming this weekend when Morgan visited, we noticed his ear was oozing quite a bit, dripping out of his ear actually. This has been a recurring problem and we’ve seen it several times while we have been here. A few times we gave him Children’s Tylenol because he was listless and was very hot. But we heard his grandmother had medicine for him and he was usual back to his self in a day.
This time Joyce decided it was time to have him seen by a doctor and to find out for sure what his problem was. So Monday she tracked him down to take him to the clinic at ICIPE. She left school early and wondered down to where he lives and hangs out. She found him. Leaning against a building, crying loudly without either his grandmother or Magdalene (his older ‘sister’ that is usually caring for him) around, with his pants full of poop. How sad it is to think that this is not an unusual situation.
Joyce didn’t have much time as the clinic was closing soon. Fortunately the used clothing spot had a new load in and was selling on the street before ICIPE. So Byron got a new pair of shorts. At the clinic she took him into the restroom to clean him up and a kind lady helped out with some cloth to wipe with.
Turns out that Byron has a very serious ear infection, one that could result in the lost of hearing if not treated. And it takes not just a few days of medication, but 21 days. Twenty-one days of medicine 3 times a day and of cleaning out his ear, having him lay down for 5 minutes to let it wick out. Joyce got all the medication needed and directions written in Luo as his grandmother knows little more English then Byron does. Joe’s housekeeper, Rose, happen to come around shortly after Joyce got back from the Clinic. She was giving Byron a full bath which was probably his first time in a real bathtub. Rose knew Bryon and his grandmother. She went with Joyce to take Byron home and explain what needed to be done with the medications and ear cleaning. Rose even offered to take Bryon for his follow-up in 21 days.
This is all good, I just wish I’d really thought everything would be followed through. Twenty-one days is a long time. My fear is that once he and his ear seems better that the 3 times a day will decrease to one or stop all together. Why not, the extra medication could be used the next time it happens. Secretly I was wishing it would have been even more serious, something that only could have been treated in the US. This would have been door to get him home with us. I’ve imagined several times how taking him home with us would be. Us not knowing Luo, him not knowing English. Even here I lose my cautious stance and figure we’d make it on smiles, hugs and made up sign language.
Next item ---
Another major church holiday is coming right up. Easter week is here and it is approaching as stealthily as Christmas did. There is not a marshmallow bunny in sight and I have not seen one colored egg. The church services we’ve attended over the last couple of weeks have barely mentioned it. While this is not a joyous occasion with the unjust crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, it was a necessary one. At the morning devotions are CGA we have been studying the Israelite’s escape from Egypt. This included the laws for sacrifices needed to atone for sins. Since we as humans, sinful by nature, can not live a life that can offer eternal life nor sacrifice enough, God had to send the perfect sacrifice. Yet is was not the just His death, but his rising, showing his power over death and sin that is truly important. Without the resurrection, the rest does not matter. This being the conclusion that brings about our salvation, I don’t understand why Easter Sunday is not a much more joyous occasion.
Blessed Easter,
Paul
Today was Closing Day at Christ’s Gift Academy. That is the last day of the term. It’s a shorten day with a special schedule. CGA today started with assembly for a couple songs and the flag raising. They then had bible education followed by porridge. It was back to classes for a short while followed by chapel where it was girls against boys in putting together a timeline of biblical event. Joyce got to lead a few songs during this period. Then a few long-winded remarks by the head master and most of the kids were excused for the term. A few selected kids, usually the best in the classes, got to stay around to help clean up their classrooms. This includes moving the desks outside and mopping the floors with rags. The cleanup crews got to have a special lunch, one that included both eggs and meat (beef), two items that are never served to the whole school.
Junior, one of our kids, was around for the lunch and Joyce started hatching her plan of inviting a few of our kids up to our current living place for a visit. Not all of them, just a few. Nice idea I do admit, but the logistics seem a little forbearing to me. My reasoning is – if not all the kids are going to be invited, how do you decide who gets to come. So as not to show too much favoritism or hurt feelings, how do you get the word out to the selected without the others knowing. And what about the one that you know will be waiting at the gate of ICIPE for us as we arrive home already? My solution, don’t invite anyone. While I call this cautious, others would call it the easy way out. This is probably true.
To Joyce, it’s this would be a nice thing to do, I want to do it, I can make it work out. So as we were walking home, she sent Junior ahead to slyly invite a couple of the other kids that he wanted to and to meet us at the gate. Sure enough, 4 other kids were waiting by the gate for our arrival. We stop and talk to them for a few minutes and I take the easy way out by heading in and leaving Joyce to explain to the extra kids that they can not all come in. Sure enough, about 5 minutes later she shows up with just 4 kids and I’m sure the others didn’t have their feelings hurt too much. That’s Joyce and her ability to make situations work and to be very polite and tactful and handle others very gently.
This is also why she got 95% percent of the requests for “assistance” from many local people and I only had to field the other 5%. This I did not mind at all.
I must say that the kids had a wonderful time visiting us. They got soda and biscuits, got their picture taken and got to look at pictures of themselves from days past on the computer. It was a special treat for them, it was the right thing to do, the logistics is just an excuse us cautious types use.
There are many of these stories. As we were clearing out of the Parish housing and heading to Mombasa, she was giving away many items we no longer needed or wanted to carry with us on the rest of the journey. Of course we didn’t have enough of everything to give all the kids the same thing. Nor was it only our kids. At the parish there were always extra kids around, which was fine, but special things we preferred to treat our kids to. I would have just not given out anything. Joyce gave out everything and then some. Like her mother, Joyce is one to be concerned about making things ‘even’. Of course it all worked out for the best. New item -----
Bryon continues to pull at our hearts. This 3 year old speaks about 5 words of English. While he probably understands a few more, he has only learned a few all since we have been around. But we all love him. At time he will not give us any acknowledgement, other times he throws small temper tantrums especially when it’s time to go home. But all that pales in the comparison to the times when he greets us with his huge smile and the fat dimpled cheeks. When he calls out your name to show you something. When he see’s you coming and takes off running the other way with his laughter trailing behind, looking forward to the chase.
During swimming this weekend when Morgan visited, we noticed his ear was oozing quite a bit, dripping out of his ear actually. This has been a recurring problem and we’ve seen it several times while we have been here. A few times we gave him Children’s Tylenol because he was listless and was very hot. But we heard his grandmother had medicine for him and he was usual back to his self in a day.
This time Joyce decided it was time to have him seen by a doctor and to find out for sure what his problem was. So Monday she tracked him down to take him to the clinic at ICIPE. She left school early and wondered down to where he lives and hangs out. She found him. Leaning against a building, crying loudly without either his grandmother or Magdalene (his older ‘sister’ that is usually caring for him) around, with his pants full of poop. How sad it is to think that this is not an unusual situation.
Joyce didn’t have much time as the clinic was closing soon. Fortunately the used clothing spot had a new load in and was selling on the street before ICIPE. So Byron got a new pair of shorts. At the clinic she took him into the restroom to clean him up and a kind lady helped out with some cloth to wipe with.
Turns out that Byron has a very serious ear infection, one that could result in the lost of hearing if not treated. And it takes not just a few days of medication, but 21 days. Twenty-one days of medicine 3 times a day and of cleaning out his ear, having him lay down for 5 minutes to let it wick out. Joyce got all the medication needed and directions written in Luo as his grandmother knows little more English then Byron does. Joe’s housekeeper, Rose, happen to come around shortly after Joyce got back from the Clinic. She was giving Byron a full bath which was probably his first time in a real bathtub. Rose knew Bryon and his grandmother. She went with Joyce to take Byron home and explain what needed to be done with the medications and ear cleaning. Rose even offered to take Bryon for his follow-up in 21 days.
This is all good, I just wish I’d really thought everything would be followed through. Twenty-one days is a long time. My fear is that once he and his ear seems better that the 3 times a day will decrease to one or stop all together. Why not, the extra medication could be used the next time it happens. Secretly I was wishing it would have been even more serious, something that only could have been treated in the US. This would have been door to get him home with us. I’ve imagined several times how taking him home with us would be. Us not knowing Luo, him not knowing English. Even here I lose my cautious stance and figure we’d make it on smiles, hugs and made up sign language.
Next item ---
Another major church holiday is coming right up. Easter week is here and it is approaching as stealthily as Christmas did. There is not a marshmallow bunny in sight and I have not seen one colored egg. The church services we’ve attended over the last couple of weeks have barely mentioned it. While this is not a joyous occasion with the unjust crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, it was a necessary one. At the morning devotions are CGA we have been studying the Israelite’s escape from Egypt. This included the laws for sacrifices needed to atone for sins. Since we as humans, sinful by nature, can not live a life that can offer eternal life nor sacrifice enough, God had to send the perfect sacrifice. Yet is was not the just His death, but his rising, showing his power over death and sin that is truly important. Without the resurrection, the rest does not matter. This being the conclusion that brings about our salvation, I don’t understand why Easter Sunday is not a much more joyous occasion.
Blessed Easter,
Paul
Monday, April 6, 2009
A Few Random Thoughts
Apr 4, 2009 – It’s Saturday morning and I just got back from my fifth and final anti rabies shot. For you oldies out there, the shots are in the arm, not the stomach like we heard of when we were kids.
It’s a glorious morning and not too hot yet, but it is not 10 am yet and we aren’t out in the sun. It has rained heavily the last 3 of 4 nights. Heavy enough to actually leave mud on the roads. A welcome sight for people here as they need to get the crops growing. It’s late in coming, hopefully it will continue. There has already been a couple false starts this season. Unlike the Oregon downpours these are in the form of thunder storms, huge thunderstorms relative to what I’m use to.
One comic thing to us here are how the motorbike drivers dress. A lot of them wear heavy jackets and caps, sometimes even gloves. Ski suits are not that uncommon. The most comic are the drivers with chest protectors. At least that is what they look like. Usually a bright florescent color, lime green or neon orange. My guess would be softball varieties and not high end. Not sure why they wear them, maybe a fashion statement.
The rains bring out moving meals for the gathering. Walking down the roads you see bands of kids scurrying about with pails and bowls gathering tasty creepy crawlies. They say they are best fried, but they’ll eat them raw and live, after pulling the wings off. According to the kids, these are flying insects that burrow into the ground, shed their wings and come out as a crawly bug. So there are hundreds of thousands of the wings all over the ground. They don’t create a solid cover, but you still wonder where they all come from and can there really be that many bugs around to drop them all. See the pics of these at http://picasaweb.google.com/MaiersInAfrica.
I can across a note I made a year ago after our cruise – I weighed 215 pounds. That’s 40 pounds more than I am now. I should market this Mbita diet, I could make a fortune.
We were just down at the lake with the kids, the last swimming safari. Morgan is in town for the weekend to say goodbye to the kids. We walked down to their main hangout by Father’s and Uncle’s place and soon had found most of the gang. We headed off through the parish to gather the last couple. We cut through the back way so not to draw a unwanted crowd of kids and sent a couple by the church to round up the last couple.
Byron was there. Poor kid, he has a chronic ear infection, often with quantities of white puss flowing out to the point of dripping. We have noticed this every since we first got here. Anyway, he had a great time playing with Morgan in the water, floating and splashing and having a great smile on his face. After a while and sat on the dock with Joyce. After he dried she tried a few times to get his cloths back on him, which he would have none of. None of that is until Morgan started putting her cloths on, then he was fine with it.
The best pictures don’t get caught on camera. This is for a variety of reasons, not having the camera with you, not being quick enough to get it out or getting pointed and focused, it not being an appropriate place or time or as today, the battery running out. We often talk of needed an eye-cam, where you can just blink and record the shot. Missed some good ones today – he bike driver in his winter cost – wearing it backwards for some reason Morgan burying kids in the sand and making mermaids out of them. Kids running and flipping into the water. The fisherman whacking the mostly dead fish with a 1x3.
We had spotted a fish 10 yards off the dock. Couldn’t figure it out at first, but then realized that a fish was floating on its side with his fin sticking into the air. Occasionally it would flap. I pointed it out and the kids took out after it. The first time they moved to swiftly and it dove under the water. It surfaced a moment later and the next attempt they approached more slowly and Magdalene got a hand on it before it submerged. On the third try the fisherman shooed the kids off and took out after the semi-dead fish in his boat. He paddled up next to it, grabbed his 1x3 stick and whacked it, knocking it under the surface again. He waited another moment for it to resurface and then scooped it up with a bucket. Think of the lucky person that gets to have this prime Lake Victoria tilapia for dinner.
Time to go work on pictures. I’ve been shooting birds again, which means a few hundred shots to go through for a very few good ones.
Reporting from Mbita,
Paul
It’s a glorious morning and not too hot yet, but it is not 10 am yet and we aren’t out in the sun. It has rained heavily the last 3 of 4 nights. Heavy enough to actually leave mud on the roads. A welcome sight for people here as they need to get the crops growing. It’s late in coming, hopefully it will continue. There has already been a couple false starts this season. Unlike the Oregon downpours these are in the form of thunder storms, huge thunderstorms relative to what I’m use to.
One comic thing to us here are how the motorbike drivers dress. A lot of them wear heavy jackets and caps, sometimes even gloves. Ski suits are not that uncommon. The most comic are the drivers with chest protectors. At least that is what they look like. Usually a bright florescent color, lime green or neon orange. My guess would be softball varieties and not high end. Not sure why they wear them, maybe a fashion statement.
The rains bring out moving meals for the gathering. Walking down the roads you see bands of kids scurrying about with pails and bowls gathering tasty creepy crawlies. They say they are best fried, but they’ll eat them raw and live, after pulling the wings off. According to the kids, these are flying insects that burrow into the ground, shed their wings and come out as a crawly bug. So there are hundreds of thousands of the wings all over the ground. They don’t create a solid cover, but you still wonder where they all come from and can there really be that many bugs around to drop them all. See the pics of these at http://picasaweb.google.com/MaiersInAfrica.
I can across a note I made a year ago after our cruise – I weighed 215 pounds. That’s 40 pounds more than I am now. I should market this Mbita diet, I could make a fortune.
We were just down at the lake with the kids, the last swimming safari. Morgan is in town for the weekend to say goodbye to the kids. We walked down to their main hangout by Father’s and Uncle’s place and soon had found most of the gang. We headed off through the parish to gather the last couple. We cut through the back way so not to draw a unwanted crowd of kids and sent a couple by the church to round up the last couple.
Byron was there. Poor kid, he has a chronic ear infection, often with quantities of white puss flowing out to the point of dripping. We have noticed this every since we first got here. Anyway, he had a great time playing with Morgan in the water, floating and splashing and having a great smile on his face. After a while and sat on the dock with Joyce. After he dried she tried a few times to get his cloths back on him, which he would have none of. None of that is until Morgan started putting her cloths on, then he was fine with it.
The best pictures don’t get caught on camera. This is for a variety of reasons, not having the camera with you, not being quick enough to get it out or getting pointed and focused, it not being an appropriate place or time or as today, the battery running out. We often talk of needed an eye-cam, where you can just blink and record the shot. Missed some good ones today – he bike driver in his winter cost – wearing it backwards for some reason Morgan burying kids in the sand and making mermaids out of them. Kids running and flipping into the water. The fisherman whacking the mostly dead fish with a 1x3.
We had spotted a fish 10 yards off the dock. Couldn’t figure it out at first, but then realized that a fish was floating on its side with his fin sticking into the air. Occasionally it would flap. I pointed it out and the kids took out after it. The first time they moved to swiftly and it dove under the water. It surfaced a moment later and the next attempt they approached more slowly and Magdalene got a hand on it before it submerged. On the third try the fisherman shooed the kids off and took out after the semi-dead fish in his boat. He paddled up next to it, grabbed his 1x3 stick and whacked it, knocking it under the surface again. He waited another moment for it to resurface and then scooped it up with a bucket. Think of the lucky person that gets to have this prime Lake Victoria tilapia for dinner.
Time to go work on pictures. I’ve been shooting birds again, which means a few hundred shots to go through for a very few good ones.
Reporting from Mbita,
Paul
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Ice Cold Coke
We ate lunch outside on the lawn at a table that was elegantly preset for the 5 of us. After our lemonade and cookies that we had after we first arrived, we moved over to the table for lunch. The table was set with real plates, and I had 5 or 6 pieces of silverware just for myself. There was a separate bread plate, clothe napkins, and water and wine goblets made of blown glass. Also set on the table were the oil and vinegar flasks for the salad, a craft of this pepper, garlic, and other spices soaking in sherry used to spice up your soup if you wanted, salt and butter.
We started with bread that was spicy and had sun dried tomatoes in it. I’m sure there is a proper name for it, but that’s beyond my sophistication. Then came the cucumber soup. I did try the sherry concoction with it and it did add zip to it. This was followed by the main course of rice, cooked in some oil that turned it yellow, and had peas and almonds in it, a fish stew that had tender fish, veggies and lots of other wonderful stuff in it along with the tasty sauce, a Greek salad, a salad of chick peas with a coconut accent, a beets and oranges vegetable dish, a green salad and a personal size quiche. I guess that is 7 items. The last 2 items I had to put on my bread plate as my main plate not longer had room. Joyce and I enjoyed the white wine while Steve and Judi had the red. For you wine connoisseurs I have no idea what either of them were.
Fortunately I passed on the seconds because dessert was a banana cream pie in a delicious graham cracker crust with a caramelized top. What sweetness. Topped this all off with a cup of what appears to be real coffee, not the instant stuff that most places serve. This was a meal that rivals anything I’ve had back in the
We heard that a lot of people just fly in to this place, using the private airstrip they have. But tourism is down, even over last year after the violence. So they are try to attract more locals. There are a couple other high class resorts like this around we hear, some still operating, some not, and one that might be bull dozed for a road around the island it is on. These places must be hobbies for the owners as I can’t imagine that they make enough money to actually support them selves, even at the $300+ a night room rates.
Joyce is currently reading some of my blogs. Usually nobody in the family reads my blogs, so I can say anything I want and they don’t know what I’ve said or commented about them. However, some of you out there are sending back e-mails about items that raised Joyce’s curiosity and she needed to see what I said about her. Thanks Susy and Ruthie.
A few people have mentioned that we look thin in some of the pictures and need some fattening up. We are open to any invites and have received a couple already which we will accept and look forward to. Thanks MM, does Tuesday night work for you? I also plan on fishing for some invites from others whom I know cook up wicked good meals. I also figure it will be a good way to catch up with friends and family once we are back.
We are still waiting for the rainy season to set in. I thought it was coming a couple of times, but the rains stopped after a couple of days. The locals are needing the rain as they are waiting to plant crops and don’t do it until the rains start for sure. They want to make sure that the plants don’t sprout and then wither away from lack of moisture. The rains are already half a month late in coming. The area is already in draught conditions and another rainy season with little rain will put a lot of strain on the food sources locally. Many areas are already claiming a big lack of food and serious starvation conditions. It’s mind boggling to me how an area on the second largest fresh water lake in the world does not have enough water to grow crops.
News Flash …… Prime Minister Raila Odinga is a new man. His old self was washed away when he saw the light, repented and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and saviour. Raila promised to lead the nation back to God.
This would be fantastic if it turns out to be true but some people are skeptical. Raila is a politician and some see this as molding oneself to gain the most acceptance. This country really does need some God fearing leaders to straighten it out and get people that work for the good of all the people not just themselves.
And from the international news desk …. Gambian authorities, including police, soldiers and intelligence agents have taken about 1000 alleged witches in a campaign that is terrorizing the tiny West African nation. Authorities are inviting ‘witch doctors’ from
This is a big reality in parts of the culture hear.
Time to kick back and put in one of those Friends
Fat and happy in Mbita,
Paul
Sunday, March 29, 2009
ICIPE and Kisumu
Joyce and I got back a few hours ago from our trip to Kisumu to visit Morgan and see how she is doing. Kisumu is on the north east corner of the pan-handle of Lake Victoria that extends into
There are also a lot of Mazungus in Kisumu and it doesn’t feel like the Mbita Kenya we have grown use to. Parts of life are so US normal and I find myself falling back into old habits very easily and living
Before I get to that, an update on Morgan. She is liking Kisumu a lot and the girls she are helping out and living with. The schedule doesn’t seem to hectic, but keeps her busy. She is getting around Kisumu like a pro and likes the conveniences that the bigger city provides.
And Nick is finding things to do in
Back to Mbita – As Joyce puts it we are moving up the food chain. We started in housing on the Catholic Parish compound – It had intermittent power, no running water, a jiko for cooking and an outhouse. But still it was better than a large portion of the local population. This definitely gave us a taste of how locals live more so than our other housing arrangements and a taste of how much starch there is on the diet here. It also lead to getting to know the community itself better since we had to travel out into it on a frequent basis to pick up food and phone cards. This was our longest housing stop, being our home from mid November to mid February. This gave us a great appreciation for our luxury and abundance back home. Our next stay in Mbita was Steve and Judi’s home. They are the ones we are working with at Christ’s
Well I need to go – upload this blog on the convenient and relatively fast internet and take my hot shower before climbing into a comfortable bed which I have the option of having a fan blow on me all night.
Living the good life in Mbita,
Paul
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