Monday, July 25, 2011

Giraffes and a Safari Lunch - Photos

Here are a couple of photos from our recent wildlife trip to Selous Game Reserve, which we took with our friend Marina visiting from San Francisco. It is simply an amazing and unique experience to be out in the East African savannah with animals in their wilderness habitat. -Earl  [I hope to put up more pictures later.]

Monday, July 11, 2011

Moments of Happiness While Away

Ndanda. Attending the priestly ordination of a Tanzanian friend ~ delighting in the celebratory dances and songs after the ceremony ~ boogying up to the new priests in a line of well-wishers to offer gifts and congratulations ~ and catching a long ride home in the back of a Land Rover with a live chicken lying at our feet.

Mtwara. Gazing at the Indian Ocean at the beach house ~ watching the sun go down during an early dinner at the Msemo Lodge ~ feeling worthy to have a friend visit from ten thousand miles away ~ being moved to tears by her words of support and admiration ~ sharing a home-cooked meal of Tanzanian food ~ and anticipating flying in an airplane again.

Selous Game Reserve. Staying in a "mud hut" above the Rufiji River ~ having a herd of impala freeze at our presence and then suddenly bound away ~ seeing giraffes loping along in their stately slow-motion way ~ sitting within five yards of two grown female lions lazing in the heat who ignored our open-air car and its astonished passengers ~ being stared down by an African buffalo ~ walking through the savannah with a nature guide who identified scat and tracks, accompanied by a park ranger carrying an automatic rifle ~ peering through binoculars into the wide open jaws of a crocodile ~ floating quietly on the river within close sight of a pod of hippos ~ having a young bull elephant do a (mock) charge of our car ~ and seeing the Milky Way brilliant in the night sky.

Dar es Salaam. Meditating in the Blessed Sacrament chapel ~ eating a veggie burger in an outdoor restaurant ~ getting a teeth cleaning and exam ~ browsing Tinga Tinga artwork with its bright colors ~ buying a big bottle of mango-flavored Tang ~ and back at home, snuggling with Diane in our own bed again.

-Earl