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[JaneStarr]

LOVE the photos....LOVE the journal.

 

So excited that you are taking the time and making the effort to share with us. SO EXCITED. I know all the hard work involved in doing something like this and really want to be clear in expressing how wonderful it is to be on this side, reading and seeing...and knowing you as we do and getting to share this adventure with you. It is much more meaning full to know you when reading your experiences.

 

Very much enjoying all of this.

 

It's funny because many times, I don't want to reply to things people post too soon because I want everyone to see that the one we have all been waiting for has posted...but I wanted to post to express my gratitude and appreciation for what you are doing. I have to go back and look again at the photo while matching up your descriptions.

 

So happy. :)

 

I'm with Anita. I REALLY enjoyed watching the entire slide show. Very busy right now, but I look forward to reading Kim's journal!

Did anybody else notice all the great pics of animal behinds? Maybe I'm strange, but I really enjoyed seeing that perspective.

The mosquito nets, on the other hand, brought me back to reality :)

Jane from snowy CT (AGAIN! Ugh!)

[Member123]

Laughing. My favorite picture of them all is the Zebra Butts! So, I'm with you Jane! LOL.

 

I'm not going to say much to interrupt this wonderful story. I'll reserve all my questions and comments for the end. I just wanted to also say that this whole experience is simply amazing. Kim, you are so adventurous! Spectacular that you are sharing with us all. Thank you!

[Joby]

You are all so kind. I'm so glad I can share this with all of you and all of you have had such nice comments.

 

Please, if you have questions or comments, post away. it doesn't bother me in the least and if you are anything like I am--I have to ask while it's on my mind or I risk losing the question :eek:

 

Anita,

Thanks for the Snapfish idea. It worked very well and was quite easy to do.

 

Before our trip I had some photos in mind that I hoped to take, animals butts were one, another was eye photos, that didn't turn out so well--easier said than done (at least done well). I have lots more cat pictures that I think I will put in a separate folder. I didn't want to overdo my already too many 393 :)

 

My 2nd installment:

 

Friday, February 8—we had a beautiful sunrise this morning and I took some photos. We will miss the EASTCO camp and its setting. But, we’re on to our next adventure—the Ngorongoro Crater! I had read many things about the Crater—that it was like a zoo, that it was like looking at fish in an aquarium, that it was the 8th wonder of the world, that some wanted to spend 2 days there and not just 6 hours…..we weren’t sure what to think but, we were excited. We had a few hours’ drive and we always considered any time in the vehicle a “game drive”, as Ezekiel was always on the lookout for wildlife and I was always, well, just on the lookout! As Ezekiel always said “anything can happen at any time, anywhere”. Even if there weren’t animals to look at, there were people, people with camera lenses the length of a leg, other vehicles, landscapes, always something.

We got to the Crater around 11:30 am. We stopped at the gate and got out for a look. It was so pretty to look out over the Crater and see the lake. Down the bumpy road we went. The first thing we noticed was how laid back the animals seemed, not at all skittish. We saw some really good birds today; Gray Crowned Crane, male Kori Bustard decked out in all of his regalia, Long-tailed Widowbird, and Fan-tailed Widowbird. I wasn’t quick enough to get any photos of the Widowbirds, dang it. I did get a good close-up of a Spotted Hyena though. We saw a Black Rhino from a distance, Cheetah and a pride of 11 Lions all in a row sitting up and looking toward some Buffalo. We thought we were going to see some “action” and hung around for a while but, no such luck. I went to Tanzania thinking I did NOT want to see a kill or even the remnants of a kill, possibly a chase but, that was it! After a few days with Ezekiel, he had me actually WANTING to see some “action”! I’m not sure what it was but, I was on the lookout for “action” now.

We had lunch at the "hippo pool” with lots of others. It was a pretty site and the Weavers were flying all around our vehicle and that was fun. We left the Crater around 4:30 pm’ish to go to our lodging for the night—the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge. I had read some comments about the lodge that were not really favorable but, we thought it was very nice. Our room, #1, was located right next to the stairs and an outside leading door. It was clean, quiet, had a great location and the view was phenomenal. What more could we ask for? The views from the lodge’s balcony area were breathtaking. We looked through our binoculars and spotted Ellies, Buffalo, Zebra and Wildebeests on the Crater floor and watched the sun set. A much different perspective than we had a few hours ago when we were IN the Crater.

I took a wonderful, warm, long shower and WASHED MY HAIR not once but, twice! Oh, yeah, it felt good! Amazing what that can do for a person. We had a nice dinner, met up with our EASTCO tent neighbors, the Mom/daughter duo also spending the night there, chatted and then off to bed. We were so tired. After looking back on our day, we were glad that we visited the Crater once but, we decided that if we get to go back to Tanzania, we would probably skip it. We would add an extra day in the Serengeti instead :)

Saturday, February 9—we got up early this morning to see the sunrise and take some pictures. Our room had a beautiful view of the Crater and sunrise. We also went outside on the patio to take some more pictures. Just lovely. Our buffet breakfast was good and off we went to meet Ezekiel. This morning we went for a 2 hour Crater rim walk near the Serena Lodge area with a Ranger. We met up again with the Aussie Mom/daughter duo and their guide who went on the walk with us. At the gas station area at the Crater I found a small post office where I bought some interesting Tanzanian stamps and got change back in coins. Both on my “to get” list.—check.

Let me tell you that for us “flatlanders” who live at about 700 feet of elevation, the Crater walk was taxing. It is at about 7,000 feet of elevation and we could sure tell it. We aren’t in terribly bad shape, not overweight, are active, etc. but, we (especially me) were huffing and puffing and sweating on the hike up. We saw some lovely flowers, a really interesting looking beetle-like bug (that still needs ID’ed) and the views of the Crater were so nice. It was a great change of pace from driving around! After our Crater walk, we stopped at the Crater Visitor’s Center on the way out. It was very simple but had a nice diorama of the Crater area and a small gift shop. We spent $5 for a Coke, 3 post cards and a leather bookmark.

Next stop was Lake Babati. We drove through Karatu and Mto Wa Mbu which were both interesting towns. We saw lots of bananas in Mto Wa Mbu. It was around 4 pm when we arrived in Babati. What a busy spot. The town was bustling. Ezekiel had told me that Babati would be a good place to buy some kanga material. He stopped at a shop in town and we got out and looked around. Poor Ezekiel had to translate bargaining from me to the shop keeper. I found a pretty piece of material and off we went to the White Rose Guesthouse for our 2 night stay. The White Rose was a very simple place, clean, a fan, TV and restaurant. Nelson was the man in charge (although he was quite a young man) and very friendly. We had dinner there with Ezekiel and talked for a long while after dinner about many different things. Bedtime was at the usual time of 9:30’ish and sweet dreams about another great day in Tanzania!

Sunday, February 10—today after breakfast we were off to see the Kolo Rock Paintings and then go for a canoe “cruise” (as we liked to call it) on Lake Babati in the afternoon. Kolo is about a 2 ½ hour drive from Babati, again, through interesting little villages and farm land. We were surprised to see so much corn in Tanzania. One of the things we hadn’t expected :) We picked up our Kolo guide at the museum in town. The small museum was interesting and fun to go through before we headed off to the paintings in the hills. After about 30 minutes on a very rough and bumpy vehicle path (not really a road), we reached the Rock Painting area and then we had about a 20 minute hike up to the paintings with many pretty views along the way. Again, we “flatlanders” had to stop and rest during the hike. It really made us feel like we were old fogies! Our guide was a very nice and informative guy who had been born and raised in the Kolo area and had studied the many paintings and sites for many years. We visited sites I, II, III of the paintings. There are many more in the surrounding areas but, these are the more commonly visited ones. The paintings were fascinating! Some are thought to be as old as 6,000 years. Just to see something that old was cool but, even more so was the idea that these were done by people many years ago and the meanings are just INTERPRETED and not really known. Leaves a lot to the imagination, doesn’t it? Going down was much easier than going up. We drove our Kolo guide back down to the museum area, dropped him off, ate our boxed lunch and headed back to Babati to go canoeing with the hippos.

We met our canoe guide at Lake Babati, got in the canoe and went out on our “cruise” for about 1 ½ hours on the lake. The canoe was hand dug out of Yellow Acacia wood. Very rustic looking, long and narrow. We felt a little tipsy in it at first but, soon got used to the feel. We found out that Ezekiel is not fond of water and had NO desire to go out with us. We tried but, failed. We saw some hippos in the distance in the water. They can move very quickly in water so our guide kept us a good distance away from them. We saw fishermen in dugouts like ours, a man wading in the water fishing, some nice water birds and just really enjoyed our time on the water. Again, it was a really nice change of pace from riding in the vehicle. Just add it to our growing list of different things that we did on this safari. Back to the White Rose, dinner with Ezekiel and off to bed.

Monday, February 11—Early morning birding at Lake Babati was on our itinerary today. It was nice to see some water birds for a change both today and yesterday. The area that we walked in was in a different spot than our canoe “cruise” was in yesterday. It was where EASTCO sometimes puts their semi-permanent camp at Babati. It is a lovely and peaceful area. We liked it a lot. We birded for a couple of hours and then went back and stopped in town for a little while again. I wanted to get some more kanga material and Ezekiel had an errand to do. It was so much fun to be out walking in town. We loved looking into the little shops and seeing what they had to offer. I bought material and my husband bought a sling shot, go figure. We saw the bus station, the tuk-tuk stop, the dala dala stop and the bustling center of town. I decided that I want a tuk-tuk. I think it could be a real money maker where we live and it would be just about my speed to drive around! My husband and Ezekiel laughed :)

Now we are headed to Boundary Hill Lodge (BHL) for a 3 night stay. We arrived to BHL around 3:30 pm. The trip there was down some bumpy roads but, we thought no worse than some in the Serengeti we had been on. Who needs smooth paved roads, we were in Africa and looking for an adventure! BHL is one of the most unique and lovely accommodations we have ever stayed in. Our room was like a fairy tale room—it had a beautiful king sized bed draped with netting, 2 soft leather chairs for relaxing, local art work, windows galore, a huge balcony, a massive walk-in shower downstairs, a toilet with a view and wait…drum roll… a bathtub out on the balcony with a view over the Conservation Area. Is that not storybook like???? As soon as we were settled in, my wonderful husband started the bath water for me. I soaked until I wrinkled. It was heavenly with a view to die for. And, the day was not done yet.

I had asked Simon before our trip if he knew of any tinga tinga painters. Well, of course he did! He arranged to have his favorite painter at BHL while we were staying there. Mr. Nchimbi had really nice quality tinga tinga paintings of all sizes and prices. He actually would have done something custom for us if we would have liked. As it turned out, we saw a large painting that was already completed and bought it. It was a hard choice to make as we liked all of his paintings. Our painting had a variety of animals on it but, what sold us was that there was a Leopard Tortoise on it.

Tonight we met up again with the Aussie couple from the EASTCO camp as well as the Aussie Mom/daughter. it was a fun reunion! We enjoyed their company so much. We all got along so well and shared stories. After another great dinner, we went to our room while the Aussies went on a night drive. We watched them for a while from our balcony. We did some star gazing tonight. The stars in Tanzania are just amazing. The night sky is so dark with no light pollution, the southern sky so different from our northern sky at home. We had a late night tonight--11 pm before we headed off to bed. Maybe we aren't as old as we think????

Next installment is Tuesday, February 12--Tarangire NP

[aoknkentucky]

Please, if you have questions or comments, post away. it doesn't bother me in the least and if you are anything like I am--I have to ask while it's on my mind or I risk losing the question

 

I share your risk of losing the question and wanted to interrupt because I read something on another thread and thought of you and hubby -- SOB, in the birding world means Spouse Of a Birder.

 

We have a friend that keeps annual records and sends them in to our state Fish and Wildlife personnel. He recommended a book for beginners that I gave to DH one year as a birthday present. My DH likes to birdwatch while we are camping, but he is very casual about it. Heck, he was excited to see an oriole last year because he had never seen one in the wild here. He says they aren't usually in our part of the country. Does that make me a SOB too? I think that's funny.

 

I thought seeing the pictures were great, but going back and matching them with the commentary is wonderful, Kim. Waiting for the next installment...

[Joby]

I share your risk of losing the question and wanted to interrupt because I read something on another thread and thought of you and hubby -- SOB, in the birding world means Spouse Of a Birder.

 

We have a friend that keeps annual records and sends them in to our state Fish and Wildlife personnel. He recommended a book for beginners that I gave to DH one year as a birthday present. My DH likes to birdwatch while we are camping, but he is very casual about it. Heck, he was excited to see an oriole last year because he had never seen one in the wild here. He says they aren't usually in our part of the country. Does that make me a SOB too? I think that's funny.

 

I thought seeing the pictures were great, but going back and matching them with the commentary is wonderful, Kim. Waiting for the next installment...

 

Hilarious, Debbie! It's going to be in my vocabulary from now on, for sure :eek:

 

Last installment coming up

[Joby]

Tuesday, February 12—We’re excited, as always, about today’s destination—Tarangire NP. When we woke up this morning in our fairy tale room at BHL we looked out our huge windows and saw giraffe in the distance. How cool is that? We had breakfast with the Aussie group; the couple was leaving to go home today. We said our good-byes and traded email info. Off to meet Ezekiel for another exciting day!

For those that don’t know, Tarangire NP is known for its Baobab trees and Ellies. The park has about 3,000 Ellies (I think that’s right). The landscape changes in Tarangire were just so beautiful. The Tarangire River, the savannah, the wooded Acacia areas… I’m really running out of new adjectives to describe our experiences in Tanzania :) How many times can one use: beautiful, breathtaking, amazing, fabulous, lovely, fantastic….. Adjectives just can’t do justice to the things we saw on this trip.

Back to our day—we stopped at the gate, did whatever needed to be done and were on our way to see whatever we came across.

We saw Tse flies very quickly, definitely not on our list of things to see today! We started Tse “dancing”, as Ezekiel called it, quickly. We even kept count of who killed the most that day. In some areas, they were not bad and in others, they were relentless. HATE those things and we still have marks to show after almost a month after. But, I digress. Definitely on our list today was Ellies! And, boy, oh, boy, did we see Ellies!!! My husband thought we saw 300, I just know we saw LOTS. The largest group we saw had 25 in it. Ezekiel said that he had seen much larger groups, we couldn’t imagine what that must look like. We saw an Ellie that had a big hole in her big ear, an Ellie with no tail, an Ellie with “L” shaped tusks, baby Ellies, mommy Ellies, babies nursing, some eating grass, some drinking water, Ellies scratching on a tree, Ellies flinging dust all over themselves, Ellies in the river, Ellies just standing around, and, last but not least, a big old bull with a “5th leg”. Oh, my, Lord, was it ever a “5th leg”!!! Too bad I didn’t get a photo of that. The guys laughed at me. Watching Elephants is never ending fun and oh, so, fascinating.

We did see other animals and birds today too when we could break ourselves away from watching the Ellies. Animals we saw: Dik Dik, Chameleon, Dwarf Mongoose, Wart Hogs, Vervet Monkeys, Buffalo, Baboons AND 2 Black-backed Jackals running and one had a tiny Dik Dik in its mouth.

Our birding was good today (although, when WASN’T our birding good???): Brown Parrot, European Bee-eater, Tawny Eagle, Long-tailed Fiscal, Brown Snake Eagle, Red-tailed Queleas, Saddle-billed Stork, Red & Yellow Barbet, African Fish Eagle, White Rumped Helmut Shrike, Ashy Starling and a Hoopoe. Most I didn’t get photos of. A wonderful day in a fabulous park! We really loved Tarangire NP.

We headed back to Boundary Hill about 5 pm, and my thoughts were gravitating toward that lovely bathtub on the balcony. BUT, we got back to our room just in time to see a big storm rolling in from across the Conservation area. Something else new for us to experience. I thought it was probably not a good idea to be out in the bathtub on a high balcony in a storm so, that idea was nixed. We loved watching the storm come toward us. It rained so hard and we even had hail on the balcony. It rained for maybe 30 minutes and then stopped. We had dinner with the Aussie Mom/daughter and as usual talked to each other about our days’ activities. We had talked with Ezekiel about going out on a night drive tonight but after dinner it was still lightening and he thought it wasn’t a good idea to go out. So, tomorrow night we will go on a night drive.

Wednesday, February 13—We had our last breakfast and said our good-byes to our Aussie Mom/daughter friends. They were going to the coast and then on to Zanzibar today to finish out their vacation. We had another full day planned: a walk around BHL, a visit to a local Massai boma and a night drive. What a day this was going to be!

My husband and I left with Loi and Pinga to go on a walk around the BHL area. Loi is a Massai who works at BHL and Pinga (or as we sometimes called him “rasta man”-he reminded us of a very young Bob Marley) does too. Both were very nice and quite funny too. Not too long into the walk we heard a big rustling and lots of running. We stopped, looked around and didn’t see anything but, Loi went to investigate. He came back a couple of minutes later and said it was a group of Impala that we had scared off. My thoughts were running toward it being a herd of Ellies or Giraffe or some other large mammal, not a group of Impala. With that excitement over, off we started again.

We saw several really pretty butterflies and flowers and a teeny tiny baby Leopard Tortoise and 2 Klipspringers. The guys also showed us a H U G E Baobab tree that we took our picture in. By that time in the hike I had downed a big bottle of water and needed to “check tire”. Loi and Pinga didn’t know what that meant when I told them. I then explained that “check tire” was what Ezekiel called using the bathroom and they absolutely cracked up. They laughed so hard, we all did! They couldn’t wait to get back to BHL and talk to Ezekiel about ‘check tire”!

After lunch we goofed around until 3:30 pm when we were going to visit the Massai boma with Loi and Pinga. We left and drove about 30 minutes to the boma. On the way to the boma, Pinga and Loi told us that they talked to Ezekiel about “check tire” and we all had a great laugh yet again! “Check tire” was STILL getting a lot of mileage and laughs. When we arrived at the boma we were warmly greeted by a group of Massai, sang and danced a bit and then were taken to one of the wives’ hut. The boma had maybe 8 huts and housed about 40 people. The hut we went into with a wife and her young son was about 6 foot X 6 foot, had only 4 tiny holes for ventilation and had a sleeping area for the husband when he visited, an area for the wife to sleep and a storage area above the sleeping area. Pinga and Loi were our translators. They said we were welcome to ask any questions and take photos. It started raining not long after we arrived so we stayed in the hut for probably 30 minutes or more to hear about the living area and general things about the boma and to ask any questions we had. Thought I was going to burst into flames I was so hot in the hut though—5 adults and a child in a 6’ x 6’ hut, oh my. The Massai lead such a hard life compared to what the average Westerner does. It was so interesting talking to them and learning a little about their lives and homes. We took some pictures and of course showed them to everyone who wanted to see. We all had good laughs. We felt very welcome there and so enjoyed our visit. We left the boma about 6 pm to head back to BHL.

Tonight was our long awaited NIGHT DRIVE! No rain-out for us tonight, thank goodness. We met Ezekiel and an older Massai man who was our spotlighter guy. Little did I realize that I would worry about our spotlighter the whole drive because he SAT on the roof of the vehicle, not hooked on at all, while we drove on the bumpy twisty roads! His feet hung down a little over the windshield on my side so as long as I saw his feet, I knew he was still on the roof and hadn’t fallen off!!!! Ezekiel told us that you never know what you might or might not see on a night drive. Oh, we were hoping for ANYTHING. How Ezekiel and our spotlighter saw anything was amazing to us. We knew our spotlighter had seen something when we heard a tap on the roof and some quiet words and then Ezekiel would stop or turn toward something. I was on pins and needles the whole drive, the tension was palpable! I really wanted to see a big cat but, knew it would be a stroke of luck to do so.

We saw some pretty cool stuff—a group of Impala, a sleeping Dove, a rabbit, some Spring Hares (that reminded us of little kangaroos), 2 Barn Owls (one was just standing in the middle of the road looking at us for about a minute and then he flew off—beautiful to see), 2 Hyenas, a Genet and an AARDWOLF! How exciting is that????

We have no proof of any of this as I didn’t bring the camera along ;) No big cats but, the excitement of driving around in the dark not knowing what might pop up next was exhilarating. What a fun and exciting time we had! It was a little difficult to go to sleep this night, ending the day with too much excitement with the night drive. We leave early in the morning. We’re headed to Mkomazi NP. It’s about a 5 hour’ish drive and we’re going to stop off in Arusha to meet Simon.

We have done so many different activities on this safari--driving, hiking, canoeing, night driving, shopping, new foods, cultural things. No two days have been alike. How fun!

Thursday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day)—Today was our last morning at BHL. Our alarm didn’t go off but, the birds woke us right on time. We will miss the spectacular view our room at BHL has! We left today for Same, Tanzania and Mkomazi NP. We ate breakfast early and then two staff members brought our bags to the reception area where the entire staff gathered to send us off. What a nice way to leave. We shook hands with all and told them how much we enjoyed our stay there. We will miss Joseph, Loi, Pinga and the others. Pinga is quite the funny guy and he and I fist bumped instead of shaking hands. He thought that was funny—bet he thought I didn’t know how to fist bump :)

We drove several hours to Arusha where we were to meet Simon at his office. On the way through the very busy town of Arusha we saw some interesting sights. We saw a young boy pushing a wheelbarrow full of dead chickens, lots of people selling produce from small stands, businesses, lots of traffic and people. We got to Simon’s place around 11 am. We chatted about many different things--he’s quite knowledgeable on many different topics. He even showed us the 7 different types of wasp nests there at his office. It was so nice to meet in person after all this time! We enjoyed our visit. We stayed about 2 hours and then headed off to finish our drive to Same.

We arrived to the Elephant Motel in Same, Tanzania about 4 pm. It was a great little motel for our 2 night stay. Our room was simple and had AC—nice! We had a great dinner at the restaurant with the very friendly, Agnes, as our server. Agnes would be our server for most of our meals there. She was a sweetie.

Could there be a more romantic Valentine’s Day than being in Africa with your husband/wife of 35 years??? We didn’t think so!

Friday, February 15—Today we’re spending the whole day in Mkomazi NP. I’m hoping against hope to see the Wild Dogs! Will we? Mkomazi is the newest Tanzanian National Park being gazetted maybe 5-6 years ago and it was hunted until then, so the animals are very skittish and shy. The park is surrounded by the Pare and Usambara mountains. It doesn’t get many visitors and has some unique animals—Wild Dogs, Gerenuk and Kudu and over 400 species of birds. It has a very wild feel to it.

We started the morning off by picking up our armed Ranger, Juma, and driving to the spot where he said to stop  Ezekiel parked the vehicle and we told him to have a nice nap (not really!) as he was staying with the vehicle. Juma, my husband and I started our 2 hour hike. Juma gave us instructions to whisper or hand signal if we wanted to say something, not to run at any time and keep our eyes peeled. Well, he didn’t say peeled but, you get the idea. I felt like I did during the night drive at Boundary Hill. I was on pins and needles wondering what we might scare up or see. It was very exciting!

We didn’t see a lot of animals on our walk but, it was fun. The landscape in Mkomazi was just spectacular-- acacia, baobabs, mountains, tall grasses… different than any of the previous parks we had been in. After a couple of hours walking we met back up with Ezekiel and off we went to drive around the park and see what we could see. Some new sights were: Hartebeest, Eland, Pin-tailed Wydah, African Drongo, Little Bee-eater and Ground Hornbill. We shared our lunch with Juma under a nice shady Baobab tree and explored the park until mid-day. Sadly, no Wild Dogs for us on this visit. We didn’t see another vehicle the entire day other than one with some workers in it. It was quite lovely having an entire National Park to ourselves! We loved Mkomazi NP! The feeling of excitement it had, the possibility of seeing new and unique (to us) animals, the remote and wild feeling of the park, the solitude, and, the fact that we saw a woman Ranger. It was a great visit.

We had a delicious dinner tonight at the Elephant Motel—carrot soup, fish, a huge mound of mashed potatoes, spinach and some crepes with really dark delicious honey. Loved it! Sadly, our last sleep in Tanzania! Tomorrow evening we start our trip home from JRO airport.

Saturday, February 16—Today came way too fast for us! Our safari was nearing the end. We spent the morning at the Elephant Motel mostly watching the monkeys and trying to get a good photo of the Silvery-cheeked Hornbill birds that were eating berries in a tree. There were lots of them but, do you think I could get a good picture of one singled out or in a clear area of the tree—noooooo. We started our drive to the KIA Lodge for a few hours of downtime before our flight from JRO at 9:30 pm.

The KIA Lodge was really another accommodation that I had read just luke warm reviews about. Like the rest of our lodging had been, it was just fine. The setting of the lodges’ rooms was pretty. We saw birds right away and even a pretty female Agama Lizard. The rooms were like duplexes—2 individual rooms hooked together in one building. Ours was toward the rear of the property. Our AC remote was missing, we called the desk and they sent someone right away to get us another remote. Problem solved. We wouldn’t have any qualms staying there for a day or so.

Our good-bye to Ezekiel was sad, but also had a good feeling to it as we had made a new friend. We took a couple of pictures together, said our good-byes, hugged and then we turned and walked back to our room. I don’t like to watch someone leave after saying good-bye.

The KIA van took us to JRO for our flight home. JRO was a very small informal airport. Our flight from JRO to Amsterdam left on-time and was very smooth, as were all our flights.

Last installment—tying up loose ends.

WOW, we went to Tanzania and went on safari!!! How cool is that?

We saw and learned about animals that some people only see in books or at zoos. We met people who were different than us. We learned about another culture. We saw places that looked like movie sets from “Out of Africa”. We hiked to see ancient rock paintings. We went on a night drive in search of all things nocturnal. We canoed with Hippos. We learned some Swahili. We learned so much about tires too and to “check tire” VERY well :) We made new friends. We enriched our lives!

It started with much research, lots of reading, lots of emailing, lots of questions, lots of comparisons, lots of budget considerations, lots of “should we go here, should we do this”, and lots of thought. In the end, it was worth every minute of time, every bit of nerves and all of the effort that was put into it.

Looking back on the whole adventure: from dreaming to planning to actually going was like watching a movie in the making and seeing it through to the end.

Our EASTCO safari was just right for us! We had a safari operator in Simon King who fit the bill for us, we had a guide in Ezekiel who helped make our safari a great success, an itinerary that was interesting, diverse and a little off-the-beaten-path.

It was the trip-of-a-lifetime for us!

[snuggles]

Kim, I'm sooooo glad you posted your journal! I oohhed, awed, smiled and laughed along with you...and even cried at the end as you said your goodbyes! Thank you so much for sharing! Even though I had no desire to physicaly visit Africa I feel as though I have. And can't thank you enough! What an experience! Whew, I'm exhausted though!:D DH is still laughing about "check tire" and the "fifth leg"

[Joby]

Linda,

 

You are soooo funny! Oh, my, Lord, we laughed many times on our safari! I'm glad you and your DH enjoyed reading it. Certainly enjoyed writing it. It let me relive for just a little while. I think of Tanzania each and every day. It really struck my heart and my DH's too.

 

Pam,

How is the rat situation?????

[MJC]

Kim, thank you so, so much for posting your photos and journal of Africa. I want to go! Right now! Your pictures are amazing. I especially like the little tortoise in your palm. I normally hang out on the EARTH thread but I've been lurking here waiting for your pictures! Awesome!

 

I have been reading a lot about safaris and it seems like such a lot of info to wade through. My wish list is Kenya and Tanzania as well, plus a side trip to Victoria Falls.

 

I have two questions for you: first, how did you decide what time of year to go, and second did you have any reaction to the yellow fever vaccine?

[Member123]

Linda,

 

You are soooo funny! Oh, my, Lord, we laughed many times on our safari! I'm glad you and your DH enjoyed reading it. Certainly enjoyed writing it. It let me relive for just a little while. I think of Tanzania each and every day. It really struck my heart and my DH's too.

 

Pam,

How is the rat situation?????

 

I think my "rats" are taken care of, for now. Today/tomorrow we are having some roof repair and, as part of that, we are having the entrances from the roof sealed. So, I feel confident that we won't have to deal with the four-legged type of "rats" after this; I still want to look into Linda's device to just add another layer of rat avoidance.

 

And, speaking of rats... we also had the two-legged variety. It's been long enough now that I can talk aBout it without getting emotional. When we were visiting Anita and family over the Christmas holiday, we had a home burglary. We got to find out a few things: how much financial damage thieves can do in a short amount of time AND how unprepared we were to have an insurance claim AND how much we needed to do to beef up security in the home. Thank goodness we did have a security alarm and we have noisy (actually lovely) neighbors. Between the alarm and the neighbors, the thieves were driven out of the house pretty rapidly, BUT they did steal some precious items (irreplaceable really) and MY CAR!!!!

 

It just sent us on a tailspin of activity; we had to repair the damage from the windows which prompted us to repair some other windows that needed attention; we added double deadbolt locks on every single exterior door AND we added a special security lock on the sliding glass doors. We are reworking our courtyard walls and adding a security gate to enclose the area AND adding a security gate for the access to the backyard.

 

Of course, this all meant that we had to cancel our cruises for this year. Since we had to do that, we're thinking of getting some things for the house that we've been postponing.. because, frankly, we'd rather travel! Anyway, we are looking into replacing our outdoor grill... things like that.

 

SO, it's been so much FUN to read about the safari. Although I've never had the strong desire to go to Africa.. more of a passing fancy and I'd go if someone else planned the trip and I "trusted" them... I DO want to go to the Galapagos Islands! I'm pretty nervous, apprehensive, and a little scared about the idea. Much like what Kim described her feelings to be. I'm so impressed with Kim's trip and the awe and wonder of it all... that it's making me feel like I should get my hiney in gear and just start planning Machu Picchu, for real.

 

Kim, first I looked at the pictures. Then, I read the details of the trip. Now, I'm going to go back and match up the pictures and reread the journal entries. What fun!

[Joby]

Kim, thank you so, so much for posting your photos and journal of Africa. I want to go! Right now! Your pictures are amazing. I especially like the little tortoise in your palm. I normally hang out on the EARTH thread but I've been lurking here waiting for your pictures! Awesome!

 

I have been reading a lot about safaris and it seems like such a lot of info to wade through. My wish list is Kenya and Tanzania as well, plus a side trip to Victoria Falls.

 

I have two questions for you: first, how did you decide what time of year to go, and second did you have any reaction to the yellow fever vaccine?

 

Hi Margaret,

 

Thanks for reading AND lurking.

 

I could talk forever about Tanzania and safari! The amount of learning to do before our trip was enormous. Where to go, when to go, what kind of lodging, trip operator to go with, how long to stay, the list goes on and on. It was fun for me as I am a researcher/planner/dreamer/etc. :)

 

Yellow Fever shot-- our doctor gave us a waiver for it. He felt that the risk of the live vaccine and chance for a reaction plus with our age, wasn't a good combo. You will find many different opinions on this.

 

We went in February because that is the time that the Great Migration gathers in the Ndutu area to calve. In turn, the calving draws lots of predators. A win-win situation for us!

 

Please ask anything. I asked TONS of questions!

[Joby]

I think my "rats" are taken care of, for now. Today/tomorrow we are having some roof repair and, as part of that, we are having the entrances from the roof sealed. So, I feel confident that we won't have to deal with the four-legged type of "rats" after this; I still want to look into Linda's device to just add another layer of rat avoidance.

 

And, speaking of rats... we also had the two-legged variety. It's been long enough now that I can talk aBout it without getting emotional. When we were visiting Anita and family over the Christmas holiday, we had a home burglary. We got to find out a few things: how much financial damage thieves can do in a short amount of time AND how unprepared we were to have an insurance claim AND how much we needed to do to beef up security in the home. Thank goodness we did have a security alarm and we have noisy (actually lovely) neighbors. Between the alarm and the neighbors, the thieves were driven out of the house pretty rapidly, BUT they did steal some precious items (irreplaceable really) and MY CAR!!!!

 

It just sent us on a tailspin of activity; we had to repair the damage from the windows which prompted us to repair some other windows that needed attention; we added double deadbolt locks on every single exterior door AND we added a special security lock on the sliding glass doors. We are reworking our courtyard walls and adding a security gate to enclose the area AND adding a security gate for the access to the backyard.

 

Of course, this all meant that we had to cancel our cruises for this year. Since we had to do that, we're thinking of getting some things for the house that we've been postponing.. because, frankly, we'd rather travel! Anyway, we are looking into replacing our outdoor grill... things like that.

 

SO, it's been so much FUN to read about the safari. Although I've never had the strong desire to go to Africa.. more of a passing fancy and I'd go if someone else planned the trip and I "trusted" them... I DO want to go to the Galapagos Islands! I'm pretty nervous, apprehensive, and a little scared about the idea. Much like what Kim described her feelings to be. I'm so impressed with Kim's trip and the awe and wonder of it all... that it's making me feel like I should get my hiney in gear and just start planning Machu Picchu, for real.

 

Kim, first I looked at the pictures. Then, I read the details of the trip. Now, I'm going to go back and match up the pictures and reread the journal entries. What fun!

 

Oh, my Lord, Pam. I can't imagine what that must be like. How violated you must feel! The irreplaceable things are what I always worry about. They can have our TV, etc. but, not my special things, photos, things that can never be replaced. I always worry about a fire in our house too. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your DH.

 

I'm glad you found some entertainment in my blog and photos.

[snuggles]

I think my "rats" are taken care of, for now. Today/tomorrow we are having some roof repair and, as part of that, we are having the entrances from the roof sealed. So, I feel confident that we won't have to deal with the four-legged type of "rats" after this; I still want to look into Linda's device to just add another layer of rat avoidance.

 

Pam, here is a link to the "pest controller thingy" I was talking about. They are available all over the place. Check your local home improvement store. http://www.bing.com/shopping/bell-howell-50153-ultrasonic-electromagnetic-pest-repeller/p/43E588ABA30D080D5012?q=ultrasonic+pest+controller&lpf=0&lpq=ultrasonic%2bpest%2bcontroller&FORM=CMSMEE

 

And, speaking of rats... we also had the two-legged variety. It's been long enough now that I can talk aBout it without getting emotional. When we were visiting Anita and family over the Christmas holiday, we had a home burglary. We got to find out a few things: how much financial damage thieves can do in a short amount of time AND how unprepared we were to have an insurance claim AND how much we needed to do to beef up security in the home. Thank goodness we did have a security alarm and we have noisy (actually lovely) neighbors. Between the alarm and the neighbors, the thieves were driven out of the house pretty rapidly, BUT they did steal some precious items (irreplaceable really) and MY CAR!!!!

I know how you feel! We have had the same problem, not once, but several times! Although they were unable to get anything of real value, (some kids toys, plants, outdoor chairs, etc.) it still makes one feel so violated! Why do some people think they can just take what others have? I can't put anything outside if it's not bolted, or chained down...so I don't do much outside anymore. We live behind locked doors at all times..even the storm doors are locked. We have beefed up security here also, but if they want in they'll find a way~Maybe it'll just take a little longer than normal. We have repaired and replaced doors they tried to kick in. Thank heaven we have double dead bolted metal doors now! It is so frustrating to work so hard for what you have, even though it's nothing spectacular, and have some *@# inexplicable thing they call human come and take it away..AND I live in a small college town!!

We do tell one of our neighbors to keep a lookout anymore if we leave for an extended time. I have a wonderful neighbor! and the local police make their rounds for us also, but it's still touch and go. Keep smiling...I know that's not easy.

[Joby]

Everyone doing OK? I miss our chatting, surely someone has SOMETHING to talk about:D

[snuggles]

:DHi Kim! It has been rather quiet here lately. Let's wake everyone up!

Who has gone shopping lately?

 

me..just online stuff..mostly craft stuff for my cards..no clothes. Last time I bought clothing was back in November. Got a coral pair of pants I've worn 2 times because I thought they might work better in spring and summer as they are lighter weight. The first time I wore them around Christmas time and ended up with tiny bug bites on my knee and thigh. At least that's what I thought they were. They were red, itchy and bumpy things that I still have marks from. I've never had a reaction to clothes before. Guess that's what I get for not washing them first like I usually do. Got in a hurry and threw them on one night because I thought they looked very festive! Ha! Those bugs had a party!

 

I've been looking at all the catalogs that have come in the mail and marked a few things, but then I look at the cost and think, ehh I could use those $ somewhere else, so they go in a pile. I should just throw them out, but then I pick them up and think "well maybe"..What the heck is wrong with me? Could it be the weather? We haven't had much sun around here this past month. Sunshine has been at a premium. As has been fair weather. We had snow yesterday! Sun today and warmer, but not by much.

 

Anyhooo, has anyone got a new polish lined up for this spring? I'm trying to get my nerve up to try a blue one, but I don't know. I'm more of a light peach, pink, coral gal. I did get brave and put on gold for the holidays, but it was a transparent sparkly gold that didn't last long. :D

[Member123]

Hi, everybody.

 

Well, I've been spending money like a crazy woman! But, I'm not really having any FUN. Let's see: new dishwasher (actually this dishwasher is so great it's like having an extra pair of hands in the kitchen, so maybe a little bit of FUN), partial new roof, repair to courtyard wall, new locks on doors, replacement windows, repair to threshold damage from rain, removal of dry rot around exterior door thresholds, repair to water feature recirculating pump, new circuit board for pool chlorination unit... SEE WHAT I MEAN?!? :p

 

And I've been doing NOTHING that is worth mentioning to anyone! OK, I did buy some new Ryka shoes for Zumba. Again, :p

 

Linda, please, please, please get yourself some blue nail polish. It's so much FUN. And, since you love to cruise, it's such a great reminder of the ocean blue water. OMG. I started out painting my toes and that was such a great, fun look that I ended up painting my nails. I simply love the blues.

 

But, be warned! It just opens up a sweet Pandora's box. Yes! After the blue nail purchase, all he## broke loose and I ended up buying PURPLE, which I love.

 

I'm a huge OPI fan. I love the names of the polishes and admit that sometimes I've bought the polish just for its name. Anyway, here's my collection: OPI Austintatious Turquoise, Dior's St Tropez, Deborah Lippmann's On The Beach... are all blues that I adore. My purple is OPI Purple with a Purpose. And, I bought a GREEN that I haven't tried yet... OPI Jade is the New Black.

 

Future purchase: I'm looking for a fantastic Emerald shade with some gold shimmer in it!

 

I'm all over these new colors. Of course, I mainly have the corals on my shelf. I'm actually considering buying some sort of a display for my polish so that I can see them... smiling at me and giving me come-hither looks... and motivating me to keep my nails in better condition so that I can apply these wonderful colors. Right now, my nails are completely naked because I've been doing so much Spring Cleaning that my nails are just... well... awful.

 

OK. So, another purchase that I made is Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery book. I checked it out from the library and didn't want to return it, but when I tried to renew it SOMEONE ELSE had put it on hold! OMG. So, I just had to go to Amazon and get busy with my credit card! LOL. With my fantastic new dishwasher, I'm just looking for excuses to make dirty dishes!

 

Wow. I'm in a sarcastic mood today for some reason.

 

Anyway. I am so uninspired by clothing right now. I don't know what my problem is! There's just nothing that is making me feel like I need to go shopping. Maybe it is a matter of having to spend too much money on necessary, big budget items. Right now, I'm just living in athletic clothes. Tank tops. Yoga capris. Things I can sweat in. But, I have to be honest, I can be seen at the grocery store in this outfit as well. No big deal; no body knows me there, right?!?

 

P.S. Linda, thank you for sharing your story. I was so unhappy to read about your situation with the break ins. It is a maddening experience and so infuriating that it really takes a huge effort to get past it. Thanks for the rat zapper link as well. Good grief, right?!?

Edited April 11, 2013 by Member123

[Joby]

Hi Linda and Pam,

 

Glad to hear from both of you!

 

Linda, Pam is right, go find a blue polish and wear it!!! I did and it really is fun. The one thing I did NOT do and SHOULD have the first time, was use a base coat. I didn't and the blue polish stained my nails for a few days. I don't always follow the correct nail polish practices ;)

 

Pam, thanks for the actual names of the polishes. We have a lot of OPI polishes around here. Maybe if anyone gets a new polish they could post the name on here and we could keep a list going of good FIRE polishes?

 

Guess what, we're considering going back to Tanzania in a year and a half. This time to the southern part and in our summer. It is much more remote than the northern part we just came back from. BUT, to go back we are going to have to give up going to Ireland ( which was going to be our next big trip) and, any other big trips for about the next five years. It's so expensive and the airfare is so expensive but, we loved Tanzania sooooo much and had the most amazing trip. We think it may be a good trade off especially as we would be younger and more fit to do a southern trip sooner versus later in our lives. It's a big trade off though! Lots to think about and consider!

 

Anita, how was your Disney trip?

 

Debbie, you still kickin' ?

 

Anyone have plans for the summer?

 

I want to post a photo of the materials I purchased in Tanzania and see what the general consensus is on how it might look on me as clothing, accessory, ideas on how to use it for myself or in the house, etc. it's definitely not a perfect FIRE, probably more toward the EARTH and ICE sides but, I 'll see what all of you think.

[Member123]

OK.

So, I figured out my problem! I need to look forward to a cruise. DH and I had a long, serious conversation about priorities... life priorities... health priorities... house priorities... family priorities...

 

Wow, Kim, Tanzania just took a huge hunk of your heart, right?!? The only place I've ever been that did that to me was Italy. When we went to Italy in 2010, we were going on a TA and did some land time before hand. So, we flew into Rome, spent the night, traveled to Venice for 3 nights, back to Rome for 4 nights, to Civitavecchia for 2 nights... boarded the Equinox. When we got home, I just couldn't stand myself... I wanted to go back to Italy so much! My excuse was that I was celebrating a milestone birthday... and I booked a return to Italy just a few months later. Wow. Italy did it to me. I have since tried to learn Italian (but I must try harder) and... yes... we booked another TA for the end of 2014 leaving from Rome! I love Italy! Which is to say, I know how you must feel about Tanzania!

 

Do you like to cook? I have two cookbooks that are amazing. Marcus Samuelsson's Soul of a New Cuisine and Mourad Lahlou's New Moroccan. You might find some flavors in those books to tide you over until you can return! It'll be fun to go through the planning stages with you. I must admit that I feel that trip would be a bit rugged for my taste, but I so adored your pictures.

 

Anyway, back to my cruise plans. So, Australia got put back on the calendar! I'm so happy, excited about it... but... I really, really have to get started with the planning now, for real. I never cancelled the booking because I just couldn't bring myself to call and cancel... and now I'm glad for that. So, we will leave for Hawaii on 3rd October and sail from Hawaii to Sydney, stay in Sydney for 3 nights, go back to Hawaii for a few nights, and return home.

 

Then, I found a short cruise for Spring Break 2014 and I'm so hoping that we can get the family together to enjoy that sailing... I noticed that Anita promptly changed her CC signature to include the information! What a funny girl, right?!? Maybe she's as excited to go cruising as we are to take her! (them...)!, right?!?

 

LOL.

 

So, what did all this activity lead me to do? Call for a hair appointment! LOL. Can't get started too soon! It just made me realize how important having something to look forward to... how motivational that is to keep me trying to look my best in all areas.

[Anita Latte]

I AM so excited to have a big trip to look forward to!! *happy dance* *happy dance*

 

Disney was great. It was fabulous to get away from these hills and trees...I know, it sounds crazy...but I actually really, really dislike all these hills and super tall trees...they make me crazy...my sky is so small...there is shade everywhere...and I CAN'T SEE...and we went into the big FLAT with a HUGE SKY and a HORIZON!! It was heaven...

 

I didn't know what to expect of the Star Wars exhibit. The first trilogy, being filmed prior to the digital abilities of the filming industry, was filmed with MODELS that were filmed with stop motion photography. :eek: One statistic that blew my mind...the glow for the light sabers had to be added by hand frame by frame for the entire first trilogy. :eek: Can you imagine that job? Anyway...the exhibit included a tremendous number of models. Short films with details about how the film was made including very interesting tidbits regarding the sound effects, etc. That was Saturday night.

 

Sunday we went to Magic Kingdom park and we were there from about 9:30 AM until about 11:30 PM! We had a great time. It was pretty good with DH's family too. I was happy that we all got along so well and toured so well together because we are pretty close to polar opposites.

 

Monday we had a family day and went to a place called Disney Quest before leaving town and driving home. It was just over a 7 hour drive with no accidents for the drive home.

 

It was a whirlwind weekend, but it was a great break.

 

Fashion-wise...

 

I'm embarrassed to admit that my shorts don't fit...:o And so, I needed a new pair of shorts for the trip. The biggest pair of shorts I saved was a size 10 and they JUST didn't fit...so I hit Good Will and I think I may have found a new way to buy SOME shorts. Because I found a great pair of pants that fit me very well...had good pockets...and a nice upper leg. And I bought them for under $5 and chopped the legs off at the most flattering length! I didn't hem them for the trip...LOL...because I didn't have time. But I didn't really care. Unfortunately, the pants (size 12) have that spandex and so I was yanking them up all weekend once they stretched a bit.

 

*sigh*

 

But I have to say that I could really get into shopping for pants and them putting the length for shorts that I want...because I have a hard time finding a shorts length that I prefer.

 

And there is something happening with the POV over here...

 

I really, REALLY want purple hair. I can't explain it...but I am definitely going to be doing some funky hair color this summer. I'm researching the demi-permanent dyes in non-standard hair colors to try to get info about them. I'm a little concerned over the idea that the dye rubs off? I have even thought that it would be fun to get it done before my Zumba subbing job that starts a week from Tuesday. My hairdresser has purple highlights in her black hair...and we have talked about it. I may just bite the bullet and let her do some purple highlights in my hair. The great thing about knowing my colors is that I KNOW what kind of purple SHOULD look good on me...and go with all my clothes!

 

The only problem with that idea is that most of my Zumba clothes aren't in my colors because it's hard to find Earth colors in technical fabrics...and Zumbawear. The fact is that I'm not completely happy with my hair because I couldn't quite get the cut I wanted because it wasn't quite long enough to get there...so I'm in an in-between cut...and I think adding color will increase my satisfaction with my current hair.

 

And I've decided that there is no reason not too, if I want to...

 

For summer plans...I'm trying to figure out how I my family could make a visit out to Arizona to visit Mom and Dad. DH can't take too much time off work...and DS and I are free all summer...so I'm researching different ideas.

 

We are going back to Disney for Memorial Day weekend for another fast weekend.

 

I'm also thinking about several camping trips. We want to try kayaking and get into some of the water sports that are here and easily accessible...including river tubing.

 

And I'm debating what to do over Independence Day. Our anniversary is July 5...16 years this year. A sweet sixteen. And DH had a nice plan last year...so I'm debating different plans for this year...

 

Next!

[snuggles]

Oh, gosh where to begin!

I'm soooo glad ya'll have trips to look forward to now!

DH surprised me with a weeks stay in Ocean City next month! Woohoo! Warm sun and sand!

AND...I bit the bullet and took your advise Kim and Pam..I went shopping this past week and looked for nail polish in a pretty blue.. Well, I never should have left the house because I couldn't make up my mind and after 3 stores I came home with..are ya ready.. 6 bottles of shades of blue, and aqua polish!!!:eek: I couldn't make up my mind about any of them and they're all different brands and I had coupons, so I got them for a song. The funny thing is they all look alike to me! I should have taken them into the store to compare colors I already bought, but didn't think of it til I got home and saw what I had done. LOL I wanted to get OPI, but it's very hard to find here. Only 1 drug store sells any OPI and that was a Sephora one. Any way..what do ya think of this one? It's called Plenty of Fish in the Sea by Wet'nWild. Excuse the paint job as this was a rush job last night at 10 pm and I didn't have my contacts in so I had my nose to my hands trying to see. Obviously, I can't see very well!

Anita- you would look marvelous in Purple Hair! Go for it!!

Edited April 14, 2013 by snuggles

[Member123]

Linda, How FUN. I think the color is beautiful on you. You know, I've found, sometimes polish is kind of funny in that it looks so similar in the bottle and then polishes up so different. I bet that even though your polish purchases all look the same that there will be a subtle variance in color (or hue) that will make one become your favorite.

 

If you ever, ever see an OPI color that you just must have, you can find OPI online at Ulta dot com. You can have tons of fun at opi dot com cause they have a section called Try On This Color and you can see what a color looks like (sort of) on a hand. It's just fun. You can save the color you want and do a print out and then take the list with you when you go shopping, either online or at a store. Just an FYI.

 

But, yeah! Blue is the bomb! or is that expression "so last week?"

[aoknkentucky]

So much conversation to catch up on! I'm sooo glad we are talking again.

 

Let's see. Where to begin?

 

I think I've already told everybody my plans for the summer. We are going to ALASKA!!! I am so excited. I keep saying this is my First Alaska Trip. We leave Seattle on July 23 for a 7-day that includes the port cities of Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. I'd love to go on a longer trip someday that includes more port cities, a few days in Anchorage and a few days in the interior to see more wildlife, but we needed to be realistic and plan a trip that money-wise and time-wise would fit our current lifestyle. We simply cannot be away from from home longer during the summer months. I'd rather go and do now what we can instead of waiting for the "someday". We have life experience that proves that "someday" may not come.

 

Anita, glad to hear you enjoyed your family trip. I'm also trying to purchase second-hand first, or whatever it's called these days. There are some fantastic things waiting for us at some of these places. I can't fit into my 12s (or the 10s I purchased but never wore) this summer either. I tried to maintain this winter, but have slowly put back on a few pounds. I'm not going to beat myself up about it; I just plan to start fresh and work my plan. I may never wear those 10s I purchased on sale when I thought that was my next step, but I'm healthier than I was when I started and I intend to stay healthy. The number on the scale and the size of my jeans aren't as important as my healthy lifestyle. They aren't as important as the smore I ate this weekend at the campground with my granddaughter either! Such fun!

 

Pam, I agree with the idea of planning future adventures. It took several years to realize that the years that we haven't planned a trip for the January-February time-frame were absolutely miserable for me. I'm not sure if it's the dreary weather, the let-down from Christmas, or what, but I MUST have something to look forward to during that time or I become depressed. Last summer we had our summer trip to Yellowstone to look forward to and I was ok. I wasn't sure if it would be enough to have something planned and not actually going where the sun was shining during January, but I didn't get down and I know it was because I had something planned. I think it's very important to have something to look forward to. This has become a life priority for me and my husband.

 

Kim. Tanzania? We get to go again? I can't wait. I'm almost certain this is the closest I'll ever get to going myself and if the experience is as good as our first trip with you, I'm ready to go whenever you're ready to take us there! How thrilling for you to be able to realize your dreams!

 

Linda, I played with green and blue nail polish last year, but bought the cheap stuff since I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull it off. It takes several (3-4) coats to give the depth of color that OPI gives. I currently have two coats of lime green that I slapped on when I realized that I was wearing sandals for the first time this year and needed something on those toenails. I need to take a shopping trip and pick out better polishes. I love the blue that you chose.

 

Pam, I love the OPI names and colors too. I wonder if one of those little display cases for tiny knick-knacks from years gone by would work to disply the polish. We have a couple of antique malls that I bet would have something like that. I may see what I can find, because I love to look at my polishes too. The names are so funny. Thanks for the name of the purple. It is my favorite color, but I haven't tried purple polish yet. I'll have to take a look.

 

Maybe one of you could help me with my nail situation. For several years, I haven't been able to put polish on my fingernails, but I polished my toes. My fingernails are very very very thin. I learned not to clip my nails because the clipper would cause my nail to split. Actually they would layer and I could put my thumb nail under the top layer and peel it away. Using a glass file seals the nail or atleast doesn't let it split into layers. I've thought it might be a vitamin deficiency or possibly a reaction to nail polish remover. Now my toenails are becoming super thin also. Some people need to visit the podiatrist to clip their thick toenails. Not me. I can tear my toenail straight across. I then follow up with the glass file to shape the nail. I'm afraid I won't be able to polish my toenails soon if this keeps up. I've let my nails rest from polish all winter, but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. I've been told that nails grow from the nailbed to tip in 6 months. I've taken biotin for over a year now and it's caused my hair to grow faster, but I can't see a remarkable change in my nails. Do any of you have any ideas? I can't stop taking any of my prescribed medications, but wonder if there might be something I can take to counteract whatever is causing my nail defenciency?

 

Okay. I've got to post more often. Huge post! More later! --Debbie

[Anita Latte]

love, Love, LOVE the blue!!

 

I'm a big fan of blue now...after last summer. The thing I learned with dealing with the blue polish is to be incredibly wasteful with cotton balls when you remove it. Use a fresh cotton ball on each nail...and try really hard to keep the cotton ball on the nail and not to touch the surrounding skin. If necessary...just keep using new cotton balls to avoid staining the skin around your nails when you remove the blue polish. This isn't as big of a deal if you are going to just repaint your nails blue...but if you are trying to change your color...you could have a blue rim around your new color which looks a bit off.

 

Linda, you have totally inspired me to do my nails today! I didn't do them before my Disney vacay because I realized that I would NOT be wearing sandals...I would be wearing walking shoes...and socks...so why waste time on the toes? Spring Break is over and DS is in school and DH is at work and so I am doing a little me time today...

 

I did my hands too with a totally neutral color because my nails are short...very short right now.

 

Debbie...in doing research for hair color, I've come across some info about nails. First, my initial research showed that other characteristics are associated with vitamin deficiency, like ridges, etc. Thin nails seem to be associated with dehydration, chemicals, and over exposure to water. Dehydration is more associated with the creation of new nails...and that they aren't being created with enough moisture. Chemicals refers to anything and everything that touches your nails and ALSO medicines, which can affect the nails. So these are ones you probably know about...

 

The exposure to water and how that works. Apparently our skin, hair and nails has an acidic pH around 5.0 give or take. Things that are alkaline with open up pores, hair cuticles and nails...however nails are opened. Opening up the hair cuticle is good if you are trying to dye your hair (I read that you use baking soda in your hair to open it up)...and you can use this chemistry lesson to open up pores to clean them. You don't want to leave your pores or cuticles open...so you need to apply something acid to close them up.

 

If your nails are being exposed to alkaline a lot and then getting exposed to water, which penetrates the layers of your nails...then you get nails that will peel off in layers. If you think this sounds like a potential culprit for you...then you need to think about what you can do to limit your nails' exposure to the alkaline products/environments and also excess water...and maybe use a product that will help provide a protective coat on your nails without drying them out further.

 

Also...I have to say it...Mom knows it's coming.

 

Bone broth.

 

Get some bone broth in your diet. ALL the minerals, etc. that you need to help strengthen your nails are in bone broth. Have you read what I wrote about bone broth already? Basically, it's when you make broth or stock from bones...you let the bone simmer to form the broth for around 24-hours for poultry. You know that the broth is done when you can dent the bones with your fingernail. This reveals the fact that you have leached out everything that you can from the bones.

 

Use bone broth as you would any other broth. As a soup base. A gravy base. Cook rice in it. Add it to any sauce.

 

You need to try to think of bone broth a medicinal food that you need to take every day. I'm actually in the process of figuring out how to do this in the most practical way for my family.

 

I know there's more I wanted to say...but this post is already so long...

 

And my me time is calling...;)

[aoknkentucky]

Blue is the bomb! or is that expression "so last week?"

 

This may also be "so last week" and I may have jumped on the bandwagon too late for colored pants, but I recently went shopping with my daughter and bought two pairs of red pants. One is a red ponte knit pant that will feel wonderful in the air-conditioned refrigerated office that I work in. They look dressy, but it's like wearing yoga pants. Sooo comfy! The other pair is this season's poppy red ankle pant. It looks good with wedge sandals. I also bought three 3/4 sleeve v-neck sweaters in cream, light khaki, and poppy red. I recently bought two drape-neck 3/4 sleeve tops. One is a star-burst pattern of khaki, red, bright blue and dark bright blue. The other pattern is blotches of red, blue and our FIRE lime green. Both tops work well under the assortment of cardigans and blazers I have now.

 

I have also recently purchased several Vera Neumann scarves on Etsy that I'm excited about. (I am realizing a pattern here. I'm easily excited!) One uses brown and caramel/cognac to display leaves, much like a science project. Two scarves use bright blue and brown together and I plan to wear them together. I also bought two that use bright yellow and bright blue in the design. One is a sun design and the other uses large and small yellow and blue daisies in a diagnonal design that occasionally incorporates a coral center. The design of each scarf is like looking at a piece of art and it becomes something new each time I fold it differently. I really like wearing scarves to work. They help keep my neck warm and draw attention to my face. Necklaces have a habit of not hanging properly on my body. Scarves drape rather than hang in the crevices and cover my cleavage if the v-neck slips lower than I expect. I'm learning to overcome my hesitancy about wearing scarves. As the weather gets warmer, my next hurdle to overcome is making sure I've slapped on some self-tanner so I can wear all those skirts that I love but never wear!

 

I'd like to find the perfect pair of khaki slim-leg crops that end just below my knee, and that should complete my shopping until the fall.

[aoknkentucky]

Third post today! Wowsers!

 

Thanks a million, Anita, for the quick response. I remember the post about bone broth. I'll go back and reread it. Thanks for the help. I'm afraid that water is the culprit. Too much on the outside and not nearly enough on the inside. Between dehydration and hand-washing dishes while camping, I'm sabotaging myself. DH will just need to take over the weekend cleanup. Sorry, Honey.

 

Do you think nail polish with minimal polish removing would help to seal the moisture in? I'm thinking about the green polish that I mentioned earlier to Linda. The polish isn't deeply saturated, and seems to have a lot of clear base but it would coat throughly and could be layered repeatedly for touch-ups without using polish remover to dry out further. Enjoy your "me time". I'm not in any hurry for the answer, but wanted to put it in writing before it flitted out of my brain.