I find it hard to believe that the we have less than 10 days left in October and this is only my second blog post. I knew the days were flying by but now that they've passed; I'm not sure where they have gone.
The most memorable thing we did these past 2 weeks was go to Queen Elizabeth National Park as a family.
This is a big deal, not only because we've yet to go (most people go within their first few months - definitely within their first year), but because we needed time together more than we realized. Sometimes we forget how good a prolonged dose of family time feels!
We saw many animals and beautiful things, but I think the kids would have been happy to just ride on the top of the car (we took some couch cushions to make it more comfortable and I am soooo glad we did!)
Dennis, a friend of ours was our driver and personal tour guide for the day since we didn't have a clue where we were going. This allowed Joel the opportunity to ride on top with the kids and next time we'll know what to do.
We all agreed that God must have had a blast making Africa and that warthogs make us laugh. They look so funny when they run with their tails sticking straight up in the air as if they're flying a flag.
Apparently there used to be several volcanoes in this area and they've now become craters. Several of the craters have filled with water and the water is crystal clear. I took a picture of the side of one crater and it's reflection. Can you tell which is which?
We saw 5 lions! They were a bit in the distance, and I'm not ashamed a bit to say I was thankful for the space between us.
After we drove on the path past this one, maybe a few kilometers or so, there were 3 women clearing the sides of the road! They were just out there with their hoes making sure the road was wide enough for two cars to pass. I wanted to warn them about the lion, but Dennis told me they were used to it, and they'd be okay.
This is how he knew: one time he was out on a game drive and a man clearing the road stopped him to say that there was a lion directly up ahead. The man was not in a panic (as I would have been) and Dennis asked if he needed a ride. The man assured him that he was fine because whenever a lion charges he just stands there facing him without fear. You should NOT run if a lion comes after you (please know my only reference to this theory is only that one man and I'm not sure I'd be able to practice what he preached and I'm not saying this is the best plan if a lion does chase you!).
All of this to say, the women did not seem to be bothered by the fact that all they had to protect them from the king of the jungle was a hoe. One other thought on this is what Ruth told us. She says : if a lion is coming after you, you put a stick or anything long on the top of your head. You hold it there to give the illusion that you're taller than you really are. Ruth says that lions won't attack something taller than them. (Again, please don't make this your contingency plan based upon my story!) So...maybe the women felt safe because of their hoes.
Anyway...the other lions we saw were seen while on our boat ride. We saw them come down a hill and at least 2 of them ended in a large cactus tree.
You'll have to look closely to see the one in the tree - it's looking right at you (we didn't have any sticks but I felt safe in a boat since cats don't like water!)
Also on the boat ride we saw many hippos, water buffalo, a few crocodiles, and birds galore. I was surprised to see how well they all got along.
The boat ride reminded us of a very cold boat ride with the Skinner side of the family way back in 2009. We went to DeGray Lake in Arkansas one January to look at Bald Eagles. It was fun but the coldest I'd ever felt. So this picture of a fish eagle is for Weldon!
It was nice and relaxing...
At the resort where we ate lunch (probably the best burger I've had this side of the globe) there lives a herd/bunch/whatever you call a group of mongoose. We tried to decide if the plural form should be mongoose, mongooses, or mongeese. Dara feels strongly that it should be like "moose" and so we choose to say mongoose. Anyway, Dade loved them!
Finally, on our way out (this was a day trip), we saw more elephants close up. We did see some out by the craters but the pictures weren't very clear. This one reminded me of the "Saggy, Baggy Elephant". Does anyone remember that story?
One final tidbit of maybe-true trivia: if ever charged by an elephant - you should make as much noise as possible. Dennis instructed us to not fear (the elephant by the crater was close enough to scare the kids but quickly left without intervention) because all we would need to do was yell and bang on the roof and sides of the car. Honking the horn is not enough noise to turn them around, but maybe banging would be?! Thankfully we didn't have to see if this would work, but it's always good to have a plan.
Funny, isn't it to think about the different contingency plans we have in life...what to do in case of a fire...call 911 if there is an emergency when we're in the States...what to do if you get lost at Six Flags...where to go in our house if anyone ever breaks in at night...what to do if a riot breaks out while we're in town...what to do if a lion or elephant charges. We are learning so much!!! :)
Thanks for listening/reading my ramblings. I will try to post again before the month is out to update you on the rest. Please know that in spite of my silence, we are doing well and God is so good to us. Thank you for praying for us and our team here!
Dade tried to sweep the leaves up that year :)
Joel, Dara, and Seb - before it got too dark.
They both had a fun time with their maps. We made them before lunch and I told them they could eat no more than 1/4 of the maps after their lunch was done. I was pleasantly surprised to discover they ate very little of the actual map. Medard was right, it was just too much sugar!