The Animals of the Savanna

It is really hard to put into words my experiences with the animals of the African savanna. I have always appreciated zoos. I am in year 24 as a volunteer (albeit probably operating from the longest distance) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I have always had pets. There is no question that animals play an important role in my life. Having said that, I can also state that nothing prepared me for the sensation of suddenly coming face to face with giraffes sauntering across the road in front of me. Nothing. I was speechless.

My photo - no pink tinge this time - just an odd blue section on the right.  GRRRR.

No, that's wrong. When I actually spotted my very first animal, an elephant, who was happily chomping tree branches by the side of the road on which we were traveling from the airport to our first camp, I was anything but speechless. I jumped up and down on my seat, squealed, "Elephant!" while simultaneously pointing and frantically jabbing my cousin in the seat beside me. As one, the others in the group turned on me and said, in a most disapproving tone, "SSSSHHHHH". * They had spent the previous 5 days at Kruger National Park in South Africa (a pre-trip that my cousin Pattie and I had not taken) and knew the proper safari etiquette. I was CLEARLY a novice and needed to LEARN THE RULES! So, all of you reading this, learn from me. You never know when you might need them.

Rule #1 - Stay quiet around the animals. Duh, the reason is obvious. Sudden noise will make them flee. Or turn on you. Neither is desirable.

Rule #2 - Do not stick any body part outside of the open-sided Land Rover. We were in parks where animals are protected. They are not injured or harmed by these Land Rovers. The animals know this and, as long as you stay inside the shape of the Land Rover (from their perspective), they won't bother you. But if you are foolish enough to stick a hand out, suddenly stand up or put a leg over the edge - all bets are off. You may be attacked.

Okay, I found this one harder to believe. Really? They could smell us but would not attack if we stayed inside the open vehicle in which we were bouncing over the savanna? I mean, look at this photo - we are clearly visible to any animal nearby. Nice morsels. Easy access. Dinner.

Let's look at it from another perspective - here we are looking out from the Land Rover at the elephants - the lines at the top of the photo are the roof struts of the van.  We were VERY close - and the animals left us alone.

So, yes, the rule appears valid. The only three times we were ever in danger was when we did not follow this rule. But more about these particular incidents in another entry. Let me just say they put the word ADVENTURE in our Overseas Adventure Tour.

Rule #3 - If you have to go to the bathroom, wait for guides to check behind the bush that you intend to use. One never knows what might be back there.

Rule #4 - If walking across the savanna, walk in single file.  Walking as a group is potentially intimidating to animals.

Rule #5 - If you are in a hippo area, remember anything you THINK might be a big stone may be a sleeping hippo. Avoid.

Rule #6 - Don't trust baboons or monkeys - they'll be inside your tent in a nanosecond if there is anything of interest. They will destroy your belongings while searching for whatever enticed them in.

Rule #7 - And speaking of baboons, don't step in baboon dung - you can't get the smell out of your shoes. You'll have to throw them away.

Rule # 8 - Don't be on foot after sunset.  Once the sun goes down the hunter may become the hunted. The cats are out and looking for dinner.

Rule #9 - If danger approaches, circle your guide and make sure one of you runs slower than he does.  Ah, a little guide humor thrown in.

Okay, once we understood the rules, we were ready to venture onto the savanna. And it was exquisite. The animals are most active in the early morning and near sunset so that is when our two animal drives were scheduled each day. In the morning we bounced along, wrapped in layers under warm blankets; in the late afternoon we had shed most of the layers but had some ready to put back on as the sun began to set.

The Land Rovers held 10 passengers and 1 driver/guide.  We were a group of 15 - 8 in one Land Rover, 7 in the other. To get in you had to climb up the side of the vehicle to reach the higher seats in the back. You threw one leg up on a ridge over the wheels then worked your way up the side, putting your feet onto little platforms while swinging from the roof struts. You then swung yourself into your seat of choice. I was enchanted - it was just like the monkey bars I loved in Kindergarten.

Once we were all in place, off we went, careening down roads that twisted and turned in the savanna and scrub forest.

It was most interesting when we hit deep sand.

The driver threw the car into 4-wheel drive so that we could swim through the sand. It reminded me of driving over the first snowfall on Connecticut roads BEFORE Gary and I had put on our snow tires.

What was so interesting was that, if you stopped and looked, animals were actually everywhere, even big ones.  Giraffes are huge but their mottling matches the scrub forest. Someone would quietly (see rule #1 above) whisper "Giraffe at 4 o'clock" and sure enough, there was a giraffe, tall as could be, munching away on trees in which he blended. Although, of course with anything like this, once you saw it, how could you NOT see it?

Same with elephants.  I know, impossible, you say but it was true.  It was winter, the trees were bare and many had been damaged by elephants passing by. But, from a distance, a gray elephant could blend in with the sparse trees.

It took my breath away when we turned onto a new path, or the savanna suddenly opened up in front of us, and there they were.

And we got so close:

And not just zebras, but giraffes, elephant, lions leopards, and so on.

This is Anna's photo of the solitary lion.  She is a wonderful photographer.  She may have used her zoom for this particular photo but we got this close to lions on our outings.  See rule #2 above - it DID work.

It was this experience that most stunned me.  I could not believe how close we were to this mother and her cubs.  By the way, let's look at two photographers (and 2 cameras) - the photo above is Anna's. Let's look at my photo of the same scene.

I was using my very limited zoom - we were very close to these animals - but look at the quality of Anna's photo compared to mine. Do you even know what animals are in my photo? There are many reasons why I love Anna - she is a wonderful person to begin with, she takes excellent photos AND she shares them willingly.

We sat in our Land Rovers for 30 minutes watching this group of lions. There were 3 lionesses and 9 cubs. What was so amazing is that the lionesses absolutely ignored us - when we drove up, as we stayed in place, when we revved up our engines to leave whereas whenever we made any noise at all, 9 pairs of cub ears poked up above the grass and 9 pairs of cub eyes stared in wonder. Made me realize the Rule #2 really DOES work. One wonders how soon the cubs will learn to ignore us.

On our late afternoon outings we often visited water holes - great place to see herds of animals gathered together.

Too many to count.

There, now you can see my zoom capacity (or lack thereof). In the photo above this one - no zoom - in fact, note the hat of the person who sat by me in the bottom left corner.  The photo immediately above - same shot but the greatest extent of my zoom.  Not much.

I simply sat in wonder as I watched parades of elephants. They are majestic.

And, of course, the grandmother in me was thrilled whenever we saw babies - and we saw them all - giraffes, zebras, elephants, antelopes, wart hogs, hippos, etc but none got my maternal juices flowing as much as baby elephants.

It is trite to call a lion regal but they ARE as they glide across the savanna. I held my breath - somewhat in fear because we were so very close - but also in awe.  The same is true of leopards.

Another one of Anna's photos

The animals were amazing.

I felt privileged to have a front row seat.

* I deserved to be SSSHHHHHHed and didn't mind it at all, given that it came from members of a simply wonderful group of travelers who I know well. We traveled together in late December 2010 - mid January 2011 in Jordan and Egypt (we left Egypt 10 days before their revolution broke out). Many of the group members have known each other for more than 40 years. My cousin Pattie and I are relative newcomers and consider ourselves lucky to be part of this group. What a simply wonderful time we had bouncing over the savanna.  We travel together to Turkey next year. Can't wait.

Life in a Safari Camp

From the wee bit of research I have done it seems like there are 3 levels of Safari camps in the African Bush - truly luxurious, the essentials +, and very basic.  We were in the middle group - the essentials +.  Now "essentials plus" is up for interpretation - what is essential to me may not be essential to you. Remember, I love staying in Housekeeping at Yosemite so I thought our camps were beyond wonderful but you have to decide if they would meet your needs.  Let me try to be neutral in describing them:

The Main Lodge
Each of our 4 camps (we stayed in each for 3 days) had a Main Lodge where we met for discussions and meals. It included an area with couches and chairs where we could sit and talk, a bar, an eating area with a long table that sat 20 and a small shop.

All had wood roofs with open sides to let in the breeze during the heat of the afternoons. The first camp looked over the Chobe River in Botswana.

 This is taken from the Chobe lodge.  Note the baobab tree on the left edge.  

Why didn't I move the camera a bit to the left????

The second lodge was in the Okavanga Delta, also in Botswana. This lodge was on stilts and the walkways were elevated and looked out over scrub savanna.

This is the Delta (although not the view from our Lodge)

This is the elevated walkway going to one of the tents. 

The third camp looked over the Lufupa River in Zambia.  It was gorgeous.

You are looking at the deck off the dining area.  Our lodge was right on the river's bank.  
Hippos came up from the river to our camp site.

The final camp was at Lingwasha in Zimbabwe (in Hwange Park).  It looked out at this watering hole where animals gathered in the evening. It was spectacular.  

This is the dining area in our last camp in Zimbabwe.  

You can see the bar's roof out back, beyond the table.

Guest Cabins
Each camp had 8-10 cabins (plus separate staff quarters). I was impressed that each had its own bath (remember, at Housekeeping in Yosemite you share communal bathrooms and showers) until I realized they HAD to have bathrooms because you can't leave the cabins once it gets dark - too many animals around. The cabins were large and 20 - 75 feet apart. Minimally each cabin had a wood roof with canvas walls over wood support beams, two beds, a storage area for clothes, a shower and toilet and an outside seating area - a balcony or a deck.  Some cabins included a table and two chairs and the cabin in Zimbabwe had an additional outdoor shower. You had to be good friends with your cabin mate (and most were husband and wife pairs) because the bathroom wall was insignificant. You heard everything! But this was better than using the "green door" - going to the bathroom out in the Bush as we did during our animal viewing trips.

The outside of our tent in Zimbabwe.

Inside

Camp Routine
Each morning, usually at 6 a.m., a camp staff member came to our cabin door to wake us up - sometimes he hit a drum, other times, he just called out. We then had 30 minutes to get up and dressed. By 6:30 it was light enough to walk by ourselves to the Main Lodge for breakfast. If we encountered an animal on the way we were to walk back to our cabin and wait. If we didn't show up, a staff member would eventually come get us and guide us by the animal (by the way - this never happened among our group at camp). Breakfast was oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, toast, eggs, juice, and (this was really hard) instant coffee (come on, coffee is grown in Africa!).

At 7 a.m. we set off on our first animal viewing of the day. Now, remember it was winter in Southern Africa and it was COLD in the mornings. We wore long silk underwear, pants, tops, fleece, jackets, scarves, hats, gloves and then added a warm blanket over our laps in the open Land Rovers. The Land Rovers had 3 benches that rose up behind the driver's seat. It wasn't til close to the end of the trip that I realized that the best seat was "riding shotgun" - you experienced far less bounce when sitting in the front. Around 9 a.m. we would stop for tea and cookies somewhere on the savanna. If any of you have read The #1 Ladies Detective Agency series, we drank the same bush tea that Mma Ramotswe drinks. It was delicious. I brought some home with me.

This is in Chobe, our first camp.  We asked to have the canvas roofs removed from the Land Rovers because we could see better without them - especially if you were in the seat farthest back.

Here it is with the canvas roof off.

We'd be back by 11:00 for "brunch" - meat, veggies, curries, casseroles - I called it "African Light" - delicious foods that were African-based but easily acceptable to non-African palates. I never had a bad meal while in Africa and I appreciate the planning it takes to develop meals that work for a wide range of guests. What I found interesting is that, because most groups stay 3 days, the camps have a 3-day plan of meals and just rotate them through the 3 days. I asked how they felt about the repetition and those I asked all smiled gamely.

We then had a siesta until 4 - people slept, walked around the camp (again, always on the look out for animals - we were only supposed to walk on the clearly marked paths), shopped at the camp's gift shop (staff members supplied the offerings - not necessarily made by them but collected by them), took showers, washed hair, etc.

At 4 we had our second animal drive of the day. We stopped in the evening for our "Sundowner" - drinks on the savanna while the gorgeous bright orange sun slipped down below the horizon. It was a favorite part of the day for me - watching animals (often at a watering hole) while sipping a gin and tonic, saluting the sun. In fact, it is a memory that will stay with me forever - the serenity, the beauty, the majesty of the animals gathered at day's end.

Back for dinner by 6:30 or 7:00 which was similar to lunch but also included dessert. Over dinner we talked and talked and talked - the day's adventures, plans for tomorrow, celebrations of what we had seen. By 8:30 or so, we were ready for bed. By that time it was pitch black so we had to have staff accompany us to our cabins. I was glad for their help when we walked back one night in Zambia (on the bank of the Lufupa River) - 2 hippos were resting in front of our cabin. They were big and, as you may know, more people are killed by hippos than any other animal in Africa. I was impressed by our guide. He calmly walked toward them, clapping his hands and telling them, softly, that they needed to move - which they did. He was good, that one.

Sleep - remember, it was winter in Southern Africa.  Although the afternoons could get quite warm it was COLD at night.  The walls of our cabins were canvas with screen windows that let the breeze in. Usually they were closed, but the wind still made its way through. The camp beds had either thick duvets or up to 6 blankets - that's how cold it was. There was one additional surprise, a treat. During dinner a staff member tucked a hot water bottle wrapped in a little quilt, inside each of our beds. This was heaven. It made the sheets warm and I could tuck my toes underneath it. The small quilt kept it warm until morning.  Truly delicious.

So, to me, this was Essentials +. Certainly far above my level of camping at Yosemite. But what do you think? Would you enjoy it or prefer more pampering?

The Olympics and Africa

I will admit it up front, I am an Olympics junkie. I can't get enough. I watch any game that is telecast - I don't care how odd. You know the one where they ski and then stop and shoot rifles? How did this EVER become an Olympic sport? I don't care, I watch fascinated.

All I have to do is hear the music - Dum dum, da dum dum dum dum, dum da da dum da da dum di dum dum dum  (you can hear it right now, yes?) and I leap toward the TV where I become one with the athletes - which is pretty amusing given that my favorite participatory sports are floating on a raft, water aerobics and watching my grandson play. When athletes win the gold, I am standing on the platform with them. "Yes!" I scream out, "We did it!" (note the "we" here - I am just so very proud of what "we" accomplished).

I am the perfect target for the "Up Close and Personal" stories. I get teary at the right place (when they describe how an athlete overcame a bad home life or an injury or bullying by others, etc), want the showcased athletes to win (even if they are not from the US) and feel personally victorious when they inevitably do.

I also love the stories about the venue - winter or summer - ski resort or urban center. But this year it was especially significant. I was in London in 2005 (I did a 6-week house exchange with a British family that summer) when the Brits learned they had been awarded the 2012 Olympics. To be exact, I was touring Hampton Court Palace with my sister-in-law Melinda, when one of the security guards said to me, with uncharacteristic excitement in his voice, "We got it - we got the Olympics! Can you believe it?" When I responded,"That's wonderful" in my American accent he quickly added "Oh, and I'm sure it would have been lovely if it had been awarded to New York instead." I burst out laughing and assured him that I knew it would be incredible in London. Of course, 15 hours later everything changed when bombs exploded in the subway and I then learned about another side of British life - that stiff upper lip that keeps going when all else is falling down around them.

So, I was really looking forward to these games. I wasn't concerned about possible comparisons with Beijing; this was London, for Pete's sake. Imagine my shock when I realized (about a month before leaving) that the Games would start the day after I left for Africa and end the day I came home. The trip's timing could not be worse. Because of this trip I would miss the whole thing. The entire event. I, #1 Olympics Fan, was going to miss the 2012 Summer Games. MISS THE OLYMPICS? Impossible. Inconceivable.

Well, let me say the Olympics are quite different when traveling outside of the country.

1. I only saw bits and pieces - usually when we were in airports that had televisions. Our 4 safari camps were out in the bush and had no television or cell power or even electricity in some of our rooms (well, solar power).

2. What I saw was usually quick overviews - 10 seconds here, 15 seconds there - nothing in depth.

3. No Up Close and Personal moments about individual athletes; nothing about London.

4. Understandably, everything focused on African athletes.

What I DID experience:
1.  At about Day #3 I learned that the US had 3 medals, a few behind China. Didn't know if they were gold, silver or bronze or what they were for, but we had them. That was the last I heard of number of medals won.

2.  A single paragraph from a NY Times editorial was printed on an airport TV screen that said the opening ceremony was amazing but odd. Wondered what THAT was about.

3.  Saw a 1-minute story about African athletes in a badminton game - didn't know badminton was an Olympic event - and a 3-minute story about the cricket game between England and South Africa. Same thing.

4.  About half way through the Games, while waiting at the Victoria Falls airport in Zimbabwe, we saw about 20 minutes of a women's beach volleyball game between Italy and the US. Have no idea why the African network chose to show it given no Africans were participating - chalk it up to the skimpy outfits? Unfortunately, our plane was called when they were ahead 15-10. Learned later, of course, they won the gold.

5. While having high tea at the Victoria Falls hotel in Zimbabwe I heard from a young South African woman that the American women's team had won the gold in Gymnastics. I was delighted but the person telling me couldn't give me the additional info I wanted. How did individual medals fall out? How did the men do? Anyone fall off the balance beam? Have trouble with those pesky uneven bars? Any additional drama?

6. Once in Cape Town in South Africa we had a TV but was really surprised at the limited coverage - at least on the channels at our hotel. One evening there was nothing on. Did see the semi-final and final women's soccer games - much fun. Saw lots of snippets of other African-related events but nothing from the US.

7. The big news was Chad le Clos's victory over Michael Phelps in the butterfly.  BIG BIG NEWS. Even though I, of course, would have rooted for Michael, it was also interesting to witness the great pride South Africans expressed. Their athlete beat the great Michael. The other major story was  Oscar Pistorius but I didn't hear about it until I got home. Obviously it must have been BIG news in South Africa, just not mentioned while I was watching TV there.

8. Finally, on my flight home I watched 8 movies - two were to get me in the mood for watching whatever was taped in Portland:  Chariots of Fire and Cool Runnings.  Such great movies.

Now that I am home, I bless my sister, Mary, for taping whatever she could but, you know what, it's just not the same. I try to put myself into the right mood but I know that the medals have already been awarded, nothing is yet to be determined, the athletes are all home. I did see the opening ceremony and  really liked it. Yes, it did have its odd moments but loved Danny Boyle's use of film. And the Queen - who knew?

So, overall, was it worth it? Yes, unquestionably, Africa was worth missing the Games but I hope I never have to make that choice again. To cope with my sense of loss I am thinking ahead to 2014, to Sochi, Russia. Ah, the Winter Games - what fun.  Skiing, bobsledding, the absolutely insane luge - but you know what? This is hard, given that it's 100 degrees in Portland today.

Okay, accept that I missed them and move on. The world has not come to an end. I can cope. Africa was more than worth it but put your ear down toward the screen where you are reading this - can you hear it?  Lean close. . .

There it is: Sigh.

The End of My Summer Adventure - Africa

I am back and am still a bit breathless about what I saw and experienced. It was incredibly wonderful and I now better understand what my friend Sally meant when she said, "You can divide travel into two groups - the rest of the world and Africa." It was such a different type of trip, different from anything else I have experienced. I suspect all eco-tours are that way - instead of focusing on what humans have done you look at nature. And what nature it was.

I saw thousands of animals in their natural setting. Before I left I had decided to count the number of animals I saw and divide it by the cost of the trip. Given that this trip cost more than any I have ever taken (just getting to Africa is really expensive) I decided to look at it in terms of cost per animal. Was it worth it? Or was going to a zoo more cost effective? So stupid of me. There is nothing better than seeing animals in their natural environment. I know, duh. But also, how do you accurately count a herd of zebra? A flock of guinea hens? A field full of baboons cavorting in front of you? A raft of hippos whose heads rise and sink in the river bed while you watch? I quickly gave up counting. My first African sunset - standing on the savanna (gin and tonic in hand) looking out over hundreds of zebras and elephants at the big, fat, bright orange African sun sinking below the horizon - well, that single experience was worth the entire cost of the trip.

I am still gathering thoughts about how to best convey my African experience so plan to write about it in several entries to follow but here are some general thoughts:

1.  It takes a LONG TIME to get to and from Africa. The trip home?  Between stepping foot in the Cape Town, South Africa airport and stepping out of the plane at San Francisco?  35 hours.  Yes, 35 hours.  4 flights (Cape Town to Johannesburg - 2 hours; Johannesburg to Dakar, Senegal - 8 hours, Senegal to Washington D. C. - 8 hours, Washington to SFO - 6 hours and then add 11 hours waiting for flights in the various airports). God bless inflight movies - I watched 8 on the way home.

2.  It is really important to have a good camera when going on Safari - note to Donna - get a new one.  How stupid I was. I bought my camera in 2004 - it's now 2012 - 8 years later; digital technology has greatly changed. When I looked at what others were producing with their cameras I wanted to cry. I gave up half way through when I realized how horrid the quality of my shots were. Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, others have offered to share so in later entries you will see some great shots. Here is an example of one of my shots:

The good thing about this photo? You can see how close we got to animals (and were much closer on later outings). I didn't have much zoom capacity and this is without using my limited zoom. The bad thing? Note the pink tinge on the top. No idea what caused this but it appears on many of my photos. I know - can anyone be more stupid than to not thoroughly check their camera BEFORE going on Safari?

3. As always, the people I met were wonderful. I will never forget their kindness and enthusiasm in sharing their part of Africa with me. This includes all of our guides, the staff in the 4 camps where we stayed, the villagers, the bush pilots, the school children and the charming people who convinced me to buy more African trinkets than I could possibly use!

4.  And the memories.  I saw thousands of animals as I bounced around on the seats of open-sided Land Rovers, slept in tent cabins among the animals (and slept right through the noise of elephants eating the trees and shrubs around our tent and the hippos honking from the nearby river), took an outdoor shower next to a termite mound while zebras and elephants munched savanna grasses nearby, played the role of "co-pilot" in a tiny bush plane, was almost killed by stampeding elephants in Botswana, fished in the Lufupa River in Zambia, played with children in a school in Zimbabwe, sat on the floor of a village hut while learning about village ways, stood in awe of the thundering sounds and mist created by the water falling over Victoria Falls then crawled along the original catwalk underneath the 100 year-old Victoria Falls bridge, stood in the doorway of Nelson Mendela's prison cell on Robben Island, had dinner with a "colored" family in Cape Town and discussed their post-Apartheid lives, walked through a black Township where people were forced to move when Cape Town's District 6 was razed, stood and looked out at the ocean from the Cape of Good Hope - and interacted with such wonderful people every step of the way.

Much more to come.

Week #4 of My Summer Adventure - Marin

It's all done - everything is packed. I leave tomorrow morning. I learned a BIG lesson in Egypt last year when my suitcase went missing for the first week of the trip. Now, to be fair, we got the first flight to Cairo out of JFK after the airport had been closed for several days due to a major snow storm so conditions were a bit crazy but living without a suitcase teaches one lessons. I learned. I have a 15 pound carry-on that will see me though the 3 weeks of safari if all else is lost - 2 outfits, meds, hiking boots, jacket, sweater, necessary docs, etc. The other duffle, 17 pounds, has the less critical, stuff.

It is a little challenging because it is winter in the part of Africa we are visiting - Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa (we will spend 5 days in Cape Town at the end) and we sleep in tents with no heat. It will be in the high 30s at night and when we do our first animal viewings of the day thus hats, gloves, warm jackets, long underwear, etc. are recommended. It warms up by mid day so I'll be shedding layers however it means packing much more than one would if touring in summer.

This is a tour like none other I have done. In past trips I have marveled at the wonders of geography and human creativity, this time I am observing animals in their natural setting. How glorious. However I also know that I want them to remain content with their own diet and be uninterested in munching on me! Apparently we hear animal noises all around us as we sleep in our tents at night. A friend who went on this same trip two years ago had elephants stand right next to her tent. Another had baboons break in during the day because she left candy inside. That I understand - reminds me of the bears at Yosemite.

The only thing I actually dread is the flight. 5 hours to Washington D.C. then 17 hours to Johannesburg (and 19 hours on the way back). That's a LONG time to be squished into an airline seat. I hope I can sleep through a lot of it. Hmmm, perhaps some wine is in order.

I'll be in contact when I get back.  Oh my.

Week #3 of My Summer Adventure - Yosemite

The drive to and from Yosemite is spectacular - gotta love the western side of the Sierras. The golden hills were a feast for my eyes. That aside, my decision (which I do not regret) to visit friends Sunday morning and afternoon in Carmel Valley meant that I entered the park about 9:30 p.m.. Finding a specific camp site in the dark is VERY difficult. I finally gave up, pulled over and asked a father, with a young daughter in tow, for the number of any site he could see so I could figure out which way to head when, incredibly, my brother Carroll appeared. I don't know who was more surprised - he or I - but I was grateful to have blindly stumbled into the right area. By the way, that 5-year old daughter who accompanied her father looked up at me and said, softly, "You are going to have a really good time here."  I told her, quite solemnly, that I knew I would.

It took 3 trips, stumbling in the dark, to unload my few belongings - sleeping bag and pillow, small suitcase, camp chair, carton of stuff that might help when camping and cooler.  I tried to be as quiet as possible because it was 10 by the time I started loading food, lotion, toothpaste etc. into the 2 bear lockers outside my tent.

I love the Housekeeping units and am also aware that they are at the very bottom of the luxury scale at Yosemite (well, setting up your own tent would be more challenging). If any of you are unfamiliar with Housekeeping, let me share how the Wall Street Journal described it several years ago in an article about the infrastructure at the park. Let's see, their exact words were "worse than a Third World refugee camp." Unfair. Sure, you get your water from leaky faucets scattered among the sites and the actual tent canvases appear to been through the war. And, yes, there is dust everywhere but hey, we are talking camping here. Slowly Yosemite is updating the units. Mine had new beds (a double and a bunk bed) - gone are the twisted, tilting beds with lumpy mattresses of the past.

My unit - note how few supplies I have.

This photo shows the table, seats and counter along the back wall that are attached to the unit.  Inside the curtain (you can see it on the right edge of the photo) is the space with beds and storage unit. The bear lockers are outside. What elevates this from good ol' tent camping? There are two lights and two sockets.  Ah, electricity!  It changes everything.

Candy's Unit

Here is my sister's unit, next door - before half of her belongings were unloaded. See the difference? I was a minimalist - out of necessity. And thank goodness my extended family and friends in the other 9 tents of our group were even better stocked. Some brought grills, ice makers, massive coolers, bicycles, rafts, computers, and lots of power strips.

What is of major importance is the string of lights each family brings to hang from their stockade wall. Why so important? You use these to locate your tent after you have gone to the bathroom (in the communal facility some distance away) in the middle of the night. Of course, this assumes you have also put on your glasses. Several years ago I made the mistake of forgetting to put mine on and spent abut 30 minutes, in the dark, trying to find my tent.

The 10 tents rented by my extended family stretched along the Merced River.  That doesn't always happen. There are 300+ units in Housekeeping and probably 20% are along the river so we were lucky.

My cousin, Pattie, joined me Tuesday morning and stayed until the group broke camp on Saturday. It was lots and lots of fun.  We all spent time visiting among the tents, sitting on the beach (or, this year, because the river was so low that the water was warmer than usual, IN the river), helping whichever family was preparing dinner for the group, hiking, rafting, reading, golfing at Wawona, and visiting museums and sites within the park.

I snapped these photos on a walk Pattie and I took in the Wawona area.  So beautiful and so different from the Valley floor with its sheer walls of granite.

One of my favorite things to do while at Yosemite is to have an "Ahwahnee Day."  I pretend I am staying at the grand old hotel.

The back of the hotel - by the way, I learned on this visit (on a guided tour of the hotel) that the rocks in the towers are identified (from the bottom to the top) as 4-man, 3-man, 2-man and 1-man - according to how many men it took to lift each one.

If I can catch an early shuttle from Housekeeping to the hotel I slip in to join the hotel residents who are sipping their free coffee on the mezzanine. One of the best things about my white hair is that people assume I am legitimate - I could NOT possibly be the type to sneak in where not wanted. Wrong, oh they are so wrong.

Then I peruse the things in their wonderful stores and pick spots around the hotel to sit and read. I start in the large lounge but move every half hour or so to take advantage of all the public rooms.  This year I sat at one of the lovely old desks and wrote postcards to mail to family in Oregon.

I have lunch in the restaurant and . . . .

Drinks at the two bars (inside and outside). 

For our first drink both Pattie and I ordered El Capitanis - note the caribiners at the base of our drinks. I am sure that anyone spotting them assumed we were climbers just returned from some major feat.  Yea, right.

What I love about my Ahwahnee Day is noting the HUGE differences between life at this lovely hotel and at the Housekeeping Units.

Let's look at some of these:

Note that the Ahwahee has their own wine (and crystal glasses) for sale in the hotel store.  The photos below show the wine for sale in the Housekeeping store.

The Ahwahnee store has gorgeous leather purses, fine jewelry, lovely clothing, books and Native American artifacts for sale.  The Housekeeping store?

 S'Mores supplies - for crowds both large and small.

Although there are differences, don't get me wrong, I love everything about Housekeeping. It is somewhat amazing that 1000+ people lived in the 300 tent sites and there seemed to be no theft (and it would be so easy - everything is left out in the open) and little unpleasantness. This is especially nice in light of the fact that budget cuts have greatly reduced the number of rangers. We used to have daily visits from rangers who checked that we were properly storing anything with a scent in the available bear lockers. This year we did not have a single visit. Yes, there were some problems with campers leaving food out and we did have visits by raccoons but bears stayed away.

On the hottest afternoon Pattie and I rafted down the Merced River - we rented a raft at Curry Village.  I have since added inner tubes to the list of things to bring next year. Much cheaper to use your own than to rent but whether on raft or inner tube, it was wonderful to float along the river, with moments of frantic paddling to keep on course.

Whoops - we are on the back raft, the one having trouble - heading right toward the bank!

Looking back over the week, how much did our minimalist camping require mooching off others? Not much. We brought coffee but used my brother's technology to make it (given the electricity at our sites I have added electric coffee maker to my list for next year). My sister offered us food (which we happily ate) but, technically, we didn't ask for it. She also loaned us a second chair. That was about it for mooching.  We thus found that minimalist camping works and we liked how easy it was to pack up at the end. I have been lucky to be part of this group for the past 5 years or so - but it started 30 years ago so I am a relative newbie.

We all had much much fun at one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

I am now back at Pattie's house in Novato. We have written our next To Do list - what is still needed before we leave for Africa this coming Saturday. We have been re-reading all the docs, getting visa applications in order, packing. We will spend 15 days in 4 animal parks in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana and 4 days in Capetown, South Africa. Thank goodness there are great photographers in the group - would hate to depend on my abilities for this upcoming safari.

Animals, here we come.

Week #2 of My Summer Adventure: Pacific Grove

It is wonderful to be back on the Monterey Peninsula. As I left Gilroy and began the ascent over the hills to the coast, I did the usual – held my left hand out the window to feel the temperature drop 10 degrees as the car met coastal temperatures. Ah, that welcome tang of foggy air! You know what would be truly weather-challenging? Spending summers in PG and the rest of the year in Portland – you’d have overcast gray skies all year round. Yes, fog greeted me, just as I expected. What else is new in Pacific Grove?

Last trip I reverted to California-style driving within 5 miles of my arrival at the San Jose airport. This time I was a good Oregonian driver until I hit Carmel last Sunday afternoon. What caused the sudden shift? Tourists - I had forgotten about them. The streets were full of 'em and we were all looking for the same parking space. Out the window went my kind Oregonian driving – I was late to meet friends at the Cypress Inn and DON’T GET IN MY WAY. I snagged a space just half a block from the hotel and was unapologetic. All is fair in parking battles in Carmel-By-The-Sea.

The Cypress Inn is unique. Doris Day, the owner, is a dog lover and the place encourages guests to bring their pets. Dogs were everywhere - sitting on a towel on the couch in the living room (where we had tea), in the lobby, on the terrace – and all so well behaved, so sweet. I thought about my former dog, Murphy, and how she would have, in under one minute, created complete chaos among all these well-behaved pooches. Although later dogs of mine were better behaved, none had that special attitude that was Miss Murphy's. I do miss that dog. 

My week in Pacific Grove was truly wonderful. I visited friends and places on the Central Coast dear to me. I stayed across the street from my own house (now rented) with my neighbors, Sharon and Warren.  Their house is a charming PG cottage and I can attest to the comfort of the guest bed and their hospitality - perfection in all ways.

The deck of my house.  When I walked by, the tenant called out to say hello.  I suggested that, as owner of the house, did I own part of the meat he was barbecuing at the moment?  He laughed and we caught up on how they were doing at my house.  

This is Sharon and Warren's house - across the street - where I am staying.  They are both artists and everything about their house and garden reflects their talents and skills.  

What else did I do?  I worked one morning at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I have been a volunteer there in several different capacities over the past 24 years and refused to give back my badge when I moved to Oregon last summer. I told Ruth (head of the volunteer program) that I would volunteer every time I visited. Thankfully, she wasn't willing to fight me for the badge so our relationship continues. I let them know when I will be in the area, they find a job for me, and I happily comply. This time I updated info in the volunteer database.

I celebrated the Fourth of July with my friend, Helen, at Spreckels – a late 19th century town outside of Salinas that developed around the Spreckel's Sugar Company.  It is one of the best preserved "company towns" in the U.S. - with most of its buildings built by the sugar company for its employees. It is charming – the homes are Craftsmen style - and many are well preserved. What is amazing is that the town remains small – population of 485 - so that one can still feel what it was like there 100 years ago.

This is one of the original company homes near the park where we celebrated the 4th.

The Fourth of July celebration is home grown in Spreckels.  Folks gather on the park in the center of  town. Lots of food booths lined two sides of the park with space for sitting in the middle.  The parade began at noon - I suspect every child in Spreckels had a part as a scout, Future Farmer of America or 4-Her.  Lots of cars - old and muscle - and fire engines for added pizazz.  The celebrating families clearly enjoyed the sun, food and music.

I liked this woman's attitude and attire.  Laid back and colorful.

Parking was a challenge - far more than the 450+ residents were in attendance. We parked outside town along the lettuce fields that make the Salinas Valley so famous. I have always liked living in an agricultural area. I find myself checking the crops whenever I pass by a field. First I have to figure out what is growing and then assess how well it is doing. This field really surprised me. I have never seen 8 different types of lettuce, both red and green, grown together like this. It was spectacular.

My birthday, yesterday, was full of delights. Sharon and Warren asked where I would most like to have breakfast and, with little hesitation, I said, "Deetjen's." If you haven't been there, it's an hour's drive down the coast. Think old time Big Sur. Rustic cabins for rent surround the old wood restaurant. And what was on the menu? Easy choice for me - French toast stuffed with raspberry cream. It is INCREDIBLE. Although it was just warm enough to eat outside in the dappled light, the coffee certainly helped.

After breakfast we started north on Route 1 but stopped almost immediately at Nepenthe. Their shop called - a must if down in Big Sur. Such unique things. We celebrated our finds with cappuccinos on the deck looking out at the incredible views - both the golden hills and the Pacific Ocean.

According to locals there are many whales in the ocean this summer. We didn't see any BUT did see something equally wonderful and so unexpected. While looking back at the golden hills we spotted two large birds. Were they condors? 

Warren told me that condors can be identified by the white band on the underside of their wings. We watched in awe as the two birds dipped and soared on the wind currents and then one broke away and flew right toward us. He flew overhead - about 40 feet above us - and there was the white band. It was simply amazing to see these grand birds in flight. And no, they are not in the photo - couldn't grab my camera in time - too busy gawking.

That evening Warren, Sharon, Emily, Rod, Greg and Robin took me out to dinner in Carmel - such fun -  with the requisite candle on my dessert. And then, to finish an amazing day, off we all went to see the local production of 39 Steps - a spoof of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film - at the Golden Bough Theater in Carmel. We had watched the original via Netflix the night before so thoroughly enjoyed watching how the 4 actors played all the parts with much mugging, quick costume changes and hilarious staging to convey the essence of the film. I think even Alfred Hitchcock would have grinned.

A simply wonderful birthday with good good friends.

The week now comes to a close.  Much thanks to all the friends I visited. I loved every minute. Next it's on to a week of camping at Yosemite. This is going to be interesting. I have never camped with so little gear - one small suitcase, a sleeping bag and pillow, a camp chair, a cooler, and one plastic bin of anything I could find in Portland that might help in the outdoors. Thank goodness I found a string of lights to decorate the outside of my camp space. Now THAT is important. 

Week #1 of My Summer Adventure: The Family Wedding

It was wonderful, of course.  The bride was beautiful, the groom was smitten, the mothers cried, the bridesmaids strutted, the ducks quacked, the sun shone, the garden was heavy with blooms – what not to love? The entire process was a lot of fun.

I arrived at my brother’s house in Redwood City, the house where I grew up, last Monday, June 25^th, and immediately plunged into wedding plans. We discussed what had already been done, drew up lists of remaining tasks and reviewed what had worked at previous family weddings in the garden. My mantra? What does the bride want and how can we facilitate it? Jessica, my nephew’s beautiful fiancée, quietly beamed as she described how she hoped the day would unfold – and, for the most part, it did. The week flew by as we crossed items off our lists. It was fun to be back in Redwood City. I think the last time I spent a week there was before my own marriage in 1971. The city has changed quite a bit!

The only unfortunate part is that, as families expand, the number of relatives grow while available garden space remains the same. Oh how I wish we could have either squeezed more people in or had fewer relatives so that a greater percentage could attend. It just doesn’t seem quite right when all cannot share the day. I guess this will become even more of a problem as we age and generations fill in below us. On the other hand, what a nice commentary it is that life is so full of people we love that all cannot fit into one space. 

I was happy to be the go-to person on the big day. My sibs had done the same for me, 6 years before, when my daughter was married in the garden. I wanted Carroll and Melinda to have the same experience – to have as few responsibilities as possible on the actual day. Didn’t quite happen that way – we were all up early setting up tables, pinning swaths of tulle to the pergola, filling buckets with ice, moving chairs. We corralled the ducks and chickens into their coops – although the ducks, swimming on their small pond, were delightfully visible to guests. But by 4, when guests began to arrive, all was as it should be in the garden.

I look back on the day with joy but, let me add, my feet do not. Oooohhhhhh they hurt by the end of the evening. I bet I walked several miles as I moved back and forth among the bartender, DJ, caterers, photographer and guests. And that does not include the mileage on the feet of my other sibs (and in-laws) who stepped in to help as well. It would not have gone as well without all their work. The only significant mistake I made was forgetting to move the decorated cart with the cake to its correct place after the ceremony and, by the time I remembered, there was no path available between the tables. My son insisted it could be done – and he was partly right. He made it half way – and there the cart stood until the cake was cut. Everyone laughed as we watched it move, inch by inch, through the crowd.

Now, here’s the sad part – I didn’t have time to take photos – not a single one – so thanks Melinda and Melissa for sending me these two. I would like one or two of the garden and one of the cake (or the happy ducks!) so anyone who attended the wedding and has some photos can you email them to me?

Paul and Jessica exchanging vows.

Paul and Jessica Collins!

Still waiting for a photo of Paul and Jessica's cake - this is Stephanie and Dan's cake but in the same wrought iron cart.

For sentimental reasons - here are Stephanie and Dan at their wedding 6 years ago.

As Carroll shared with guests, our parents moved into this house in July of 1952, 60 years ago this summer. In that time 5 of us have celebrated our marriages in the garden – my older sister, my older brother, me, my daughter and now my nephew Paul (Carroll’s youngest son) and his new wife, Jessica.  Okay, the first marriage didn’t survive but the magic of the garden has worked well on the next 3 and, I am sure, will bless Jessica and Paul.

Early Monday morning I packed up my car and drove to Pacific Grove for a week with friends - on to the next stage of my summer adventures.