Heathers Mucky World

More updates on Eric's house

2012-01-22T18:16:00.003-08:00

Eric's house is moving along, slowly. Here are a few updates stolen from Eric

More of the ICF basement going up

Looks like a real room now

Some waterproofing. Eric and I raced the contractor Tom and his son to cover the walls with this elephant skin like stinky stuff. Damn those corners!

And another layer of of anti leak. Waterproof bomb shelter anyone?

Filling in the giant hole

There's more of course. There are even walls, a garage is framed. But pictures are held hostage on Eric's phone, so still waiting.

Baby Lada

2012-01-18T13:44:00.001-08:00

Dasa's beautiful new baby girl, Lada.

Hugomonster!

2012-01-15T17:18:00.002-08:00

We made it to Hluboka to see Dasa and Hugo! Dasa was just about ready to pop, being 8.75 months pregnant and the visit was a little uncertain. But baby Lada held off and we got to hang out for a little while.

Hugo is as cute as ever. So easy to make smile.

No idea what he said to me, but we laughed a lot.

I sure do miss these two (and soon 3)

Vienna

2012-01-15T17:03:00.002-08:00

Another day, another city. this time, Vienna.

a book store for Katherine

A much cleaner glitzier city than the others. this is Mozart's street

Christmas decorations. Fancy shops, the same as any other fancy city. So kind of boring

I know this picture is out of focus, but I still like it.

Sunsets were beautiful

Part of the imperial palace complex

The Rathaus

(or city hall for us english speakers, but I like the german with my current opinion of politics)

And a huge schnitzle to end the day. And yes, we were that tired by that point. ;)

Sopron hiking

2012-01-15T16:46:00.004-08:00

We spent the next day back in Sopron. This time exploring the hills surrounding the town. After about 12 miles of walking in Bratislava, we decided we wanted a mellow day. So we went for a hike. ha

This couple was cute.

At the edge of town, we found a watch tower that had pretty good views. Had to race an on=ld man with a cane to the top. Felt a bit pathetic at that.

From that tower we saw another and headed that way.

Only 100 years old and all

More views of Sopron

no idea who this guy is, but he's adorable

We tried to make it to this little castle, but they closed early

Beware of dog

And another walk into town for dinner. I missed this church on our original exploration, but it was pretty all lit up

Bratislava

2012-01-15T15:54:00.008-08:00

Since we were so close, we took a day to go to Bratislava Slovakia. The train dropped us off, not at the main station, but out in the suburbs. So we walked.

Post communist coloration cheers things up a bit

A slovak crow for Serin

finally, old town, across the bridge

Shabby cool

The north gate

main square

Cool dragons on the city hall

Fill in the old windows, but paint them pretty

street view

trees and churches

I guess we went in circles, cause there's the north gate, again

symbolic?

high crime area

Fun shop windows

The funky bridge is also famous apparently

castle on the hilltop

looking down

sunset

the city was very pretty as it lit up for the night

Sopron Hungary

2012-01-15T15:18:00.004-08:00

Eric and I finally had some time to ourselves in Sopron, Hungary. We got there new years eve. Our hotel was on top of the hill so we had an amazon view of the fireworks. Unlike our safety conscious American version of fireworks, in Europe everyone apparently sets off their own fireworks display. And not little ones either. So Sopron is a smallish town, but there were spectacular fireworks in every direction. We drank our $2 sparkling wine (that was actually really good, go Hungary), and watched fireworks till we froze. it was fun.

New Years Day we went in to the old town of Sopron. It is one of the few towns in Hungary that wasn't destroyed in the war, and it is charmingly shabby. On New years day though, it was spookily empty.

Hairstylist

Sopron's iconic fire watch tower. Under renovation, of course.

A cool alley

a short door

One of the cool things about this town is that it still has its ancient town wall. And here is an excavation of the old Roman town that started at this site.

The main square, empty empty empty

Fun street views

the old city wall, from outside this time

Munich

2012-01-14T15:31:00.003-08:00

After Schaffhausen, we stopped in Munich to hang out with Gudrun and Sebastian, who you may remember from my trip to Africa

I didn't really get any pictures of Munich, just these 2. but that's ok

Walk to the Rheinfalls

2012-01-14T15:18:00.003-08:00

Eric and I took a walk to the Rheinfalls. We started in a really cool old monastery in Schaffhausen. They had gardens divided up into the different periods of history. It was winter, and I can't read german, so it wasn't so informative. but with a guide, in summer, I bet it is super cool.

Then we went for a wonderful walk to the waterfall. This bridge spans the top of the falls.

An old mill converted to a tourist center

Hotel overlooking the falls.

Sunset and waterfalls, pretty cool

Back in Schaffhausen.

Stein am Rhein

2012-01-14T14:48:00.005-08:00

Thomas took us to Stein am Rhein for a bit of tourist fun. It is a famous town due to all the painted buildings. This church has a super high, skinny tower (the picture really doesn't show) that was last reproofed by a single man and some ropes. He apparently did a hand stand on the little gold ball on top. yikes!

Its an adorable little town

And the paintings are very grand

Overly touristy of course, but hey

watering trough

Pretty buildings

St. George, the patron cain, guards their sewers. fun for him

more paintings, blow them up and look at the stores, they are odd

Castle on the hill

Eric and Thomas

Just cause I like it

Part of an old monastery, I think

View from the castle

and the castle itself

More of Thomas and Denise's house

2011-12-29T02:36:00.002-08:00

Thomas's office

The garden from the living room

A tiny door, saved for the pure oddity of it

The second floor room that Eric and I are staying in.

The next door bedroom. The oddest long skinny room I've ever seen. All 3 main living floors were divided up like this

Christmas lights in town

Schaffhausen

2011-12-28T06:51:00.008-08:00

Eric and I have started our winter European trip in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen. We are staying with his friends Thomas and Denise who live below the castle.

The town of Schaffhausen is pretty cool. It has been rather foggy since we got here, so not the best views, but pretty.

The castle has its own resident deer

They live in the moat

The rest of the castle is surrounded by a vineyard where they grow all the grapes for the town's wine.

And they are protected.

Going up into the castle, we first passed through the stables which was a wonderfully cavernous place.

It's a pretty simple castle. This winding ramp takes you up the tower to the battlements.

Eric at the door to the caretakers place on the top of the tower. It's a tiny bit small

Not a bad place to live, no?

The view over town and the Rhine

Thomas and Denise's house, from the castle

Schaffhausen in the fog

On the way back into town

The town has wonderful lights strung up for the holidays

A moment of pretty light, this was the coolest building around

I like this style of building for some reason

The church square

Thomas and Denise have a lovely old house in the middle of town. It is something like 600 years old.

The bottom floor used to be a wine bar or something. The stories of the 6 centuries of smoking stench are wild. It smells ok now, after a lot of hard work. or it did till my curiosity got the better of me and I opened up an old closet. oops.

I swear there isn't a right angle in the place, or even a strait line.

they have a lovely garden, quite big for an old city.

Thomas's machine shop, which is the old cellar

I will eventually take more pictures of this lovely place.

Freezing fog

2011-12-28T06:42:00.003-08:00

On the day of the final for my Saturday class, the fog that covered portland decided to freeze just over the school

Fall 2011 classes

2011-12-28T06:30:00.004-08:00

PCC classes

Early morning BI 101

Late morning BI 101

Let's just say, there were a lot of term papers to grade!

BI 101 lab

These poor saps were stuck with me for lecture and lab

CCC Classes

BI 112 Saturday. Troupers for sure.

(that's the mitosis interpretive dance, if you are wondering)

BI 101 night class.

This was a really great group.

BI 112 lab

Last bits of fall

2011-11-28T06:26:00.002-08:00

Since we had such a cold fall, there were really spectacular colors. My garden was surprisingly beautiful

My boys

Making wine

2011-11-15T06:10:00.000-08:00

Eric's neighborhood is so very cool. They have set up a wine cooperative. We all get together and smash up grapes under the supervision of Josh who actually knows what he's doing. Eventually, we get to drink it. Eventually.

I don't have pictures of the crushing party, but here are some of the pressing party pictures.

This is Josh, who conned us all into doing the heavy labor. ;)

Rin and his bud Chloe

Eric and I. Man it was cold.

Last hints of summer

2011-10-28T06:05:00.001-07:00

I realized that I didn't take any pictures of my garden this year, which is pretty silly of me. So, this is not at its best, but here is the last hint of summer in my garden. And Rin enjoying the sleepy sunshine

All of my summer effort here

Rin sure loves Eric

Eric's house

2011-10-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

This is all actually old news, but I'm finally posting, so no complaints anyone. Eric's house is actually much further along than this.

These are the building blocks for the basement. Yes, they are styrofoam.

The footing just poorer

A layer of recycled crushed concrete

Then sand, and it took some effort to get the compactor into the work area

Next, a bunch of layers of radon barriers and other goodies

more styrofoam insulation

And then its all about putting the lego blocks together

The basement is actually done and they are working on the main floor foundations now, but I don't have pictures yet. Oh well, progress is being made.

Deschutes trip

2011-10-15T20:51:00.002-07:00

I finally convinced Eric to take a quick camping trip to the Deschutes. It was a bit of work to drag him away from work, and haunting the permit office, but it was worth it.

wildflowers, in September?

2011-10-15T20:25:00.003-07:00

I went to California in September, to work on some leftover PhD stuff in Davis, and to spend some time with my Grandma in Arnold.

We went for a hike up on the pacific crest trail (not a long one, but still!)

The weather was sketchy, but there were wildflowers everywhere. Tons of them.

I haven't seen so many, in wildflower season, but the end of september at 8000 feet? crazy things

We eventually got chased out by the thunder storms. Beautiful, but a little unnerving

Framing the footing

2011-09-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost October, and still no building permit. The permit office folk are getting to know Eric real well at this point. I love the comment from one secretary: 'we wish you were a jerk, because then we wouldn't feel so guilty'

But, the framing is up for the footing and they are ready to go, the moment they get the signal

Vancouver BC

2011-08-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Eric and I went up to Vancouver to meet with some of his friends, and get away for a while. The camera didn't come out much, so this is basically the only picture I got, but it's pretty...

The birth of a hole

2011-08-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Now that the house is down, the hole is being dug for the basement. It is one big hole.

The well

The foreman, or so he thought.

Eric's place: the beginning

2011-08-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is the beginning (as far as I saw it, poor Eric had a year into this already) of the process to build Eric's dream home. The house on the lot was, according to the inspector, asbestos and mold held together by lead paint. yippie

The walls were black inside.

But, 2 acres

with the most amazing (admittedly overgrown) berries including raspberries, boysenberries, and cascade blackberries. yummmm

And a view that can't be beat

Summer Classes

2011-08-09T20:33:00.002-07:00

With the whole buying of a house thing, working in the summer became rather important.

I taught 2 classes, one at PCC and one at the University of Portland.

This is my PCC 101 class. This was a condensed version, 6 hours a day of biology. these guys did amazingly well.

This is my Env Sci 182 at UP.

These poor guys had 3.5 hours of lecture, in a dark, basement room. They made it though

And now Im free! until fall quarter starts again

Katie's Wedding

2011-07-09T20:48:00.001-07:00

My cousin Katie got married this summer, to a lovely man named Justin.

The wedding was in the Santa Cruz mountains, in a lovely garden setting.

My cousin in law Luke married them, how sweet.

I snuck some pictures as the photographer lined everyone up

The Nelsen clan

Eric and I

Polly and Luke

Awwww, first dance

wowza!

Katie and her poppa

Isn't my primita lovely?

The getaway vehicle

It was a wonderful wedding, and I am so happy for my primita!

Southern California

2011-06-12T20:29:00.002-07:00

Eric had a business trip in Pasadena. I needed a vacation so I went with him. Not that I think southern California is an ideal vacation spot, but hey...

One day we went for a hike up one of his favorite canyons.

Humbolt Lilies

This monster sat in the path for ages. We had to go around eventually, through the creek. Isn't it beautiful?

Spring classes

2011-06-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I forgot to take pictures of most of my spring classes. and I had a lot of them. oh well.

I did remember to take this one,.

my night 102 class

I babysat one of these kids when he was little. 2 of the boys were serious trouble. I had to confiscate cell phones many times. After they were stolen back from my desk time after time, I started putting them in my pocket. That was not the greatest idea. when both my back pockets had phones and they went off, vibrating away, I think my red cheeked squeal lost me a serious bit of respect. whoo boy

Eagle Creek Trail

2011-05-29T20:27:00.001-07:00

Eric and I took a hike in the Columbia Gorge, the Eagle Creek trail I believe.

Winter term classes

2011-04-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

My 102 night class.

This was a really fun group of kids

101 lab

tiny group

101 night class

man was this an interesting group. One for the history books

Clamming!

2011-03-19T20:10:00.001-07:00

Eric and I went to go visit his parents. They live on the coast of Washington, prime clamming territory

It was a very early, and very cold experience. Think ice on the sand.

This is Eric with his mom, waiting for Jim to get back with the shovels

There was talk that maybe he pretended to forget the shovels so he could sneak away and get his clams before we did, but no... he came back, once we were thoroughly frozen of course

Now, time to get into the ocean. weeeee

Those clams are stubborn little buggers

Rin fretted at the edge of the water, but wouldn't come into the waves

we froze, but we made it!

Yummy clams!

Big news!

2011-03-04T23:22:00.002-08:00

I bought a house! Crazy isn't it?
It is tiny and cute. Here is my new living room.

The side entrance to the kitchen

My new claw foot tub! I need to fix the pain in there though, ugh. I'm struggling with color though. It sort of looks like with the tile accents that red or rose works best. I won't have a pink bathroom (!) so it might have to be red. But that sort of seems overwhelming. Oh well, save that paint job for last.

The back yard has potential. All in all, it is a very cute place. I got the keys this afternoon (though these are actually pics from when I got the inspection, lazy me). I am slowly moving stuff over, one carload at a time. I am going to start painting tomorrow, the kitchen first. Weeeeeee

My girls

2011-03-04T23:08:00.002-08:00

I got to hang out with my girls last weekend. Finally, I remembered to take some pictures of them. They are growing up!
Lexie is a very fun baby and let me hold her lots. Even though Ive been bad and haven't visited for ages

Bella was a bit shy at first. I think she was mad at me for not visiting her. But she warmed up and we had fun.

Lexie Lou

John and Bella having fun

It is very hard to get a picture of Bella because she would much rather be the one taking the photo

Rin tolerates the girls, but it sure tries his patience

Miracle of miracles

2011-01-26T08:51:00.004-08:00

I put in an offer on this place, not expecting anything since that has been the trend, but the accepted my offer yesterday!!! It took a little negotiating, and it is going to be an expensive one for me, but it is actually really nice! Too many exclamation points, sorry. Anyways, it is still up in the air obviously. There are inspections, appraisals, and money to gather. But, it is a very cute little house, and maybe, just maybe, it could be mine.

and it goes on

2011-01-21T17:19:00.005-08:00

Well, I fell in love with the place on Mollala avenue, the Victorian. It was adorable. Unfortunately, due to zoning issues, a FHA loan wont fly so I'm back at it again. It was pretty sad.

But I did find another cute house today. It is also pretty adorable, but expensive (for me). It's at the top of my budget. I don't have any pictures since I forgot my camera, but you can look at the link for the listing pictures.

This one was super nice inside. And the garden is sad, but obviously set up by someone who cared. There are some pretty cool plants. Not a reason to buy a house obviously, but the place really was nice. Amusingly, it is right next to my real estate agent's house.

The search goes on

Interesting possibilities

2011-01-08T17:45:00.003-08:00

So I'm back looking. I have found a few cute looking options, though not nearly as good of a deal as the Hazel place was. And I haven't been to them yet to see how bad they actually are. Its amazing what sins a picture can cover. Go ahead and click on the links, it should take you to a listing with more pictures.

This one seems adorable, but it is on Molalla Avenue in Oregon City. Its a very busy street which I really don't like. But its a short sale, cheap, and has a huge yard.

This house is small and cute looking, but right next to 205 and on the edge of felony flats. maybe even in the middle, I need to find that out.

These two houses seem adorable, if they aren't falling apart. But they are both in that region east of 205 that seems sort of depressing. I haven't been there in ages though so maybe its not so bad?

This one is on Harold Street
And this on Boise Street This one is interesting. It is actually a condo. 1/4 of a big old Victorian house in Goose Hollow. Super nice inside (based on pictures). Even affordable, except for one thing. The HOA fees are almost equal to the mortgage! It would be kind of fun though.So I am going to look at these hopefully soon. I will let you know how disappointing they are. Ha!

Disappointment

2011-01-08T17:39:00.005-08:00

Well, I put an offer in on the Hazel pl house. I got beat out by someone else though. While real estate is moving slowly overall right now, at my price range it is moving very fast. If it is livable at least. I mean, come on, a livable house going for $100,000? Of course it went quick. Oh well

Beautiful

2010-12-30T10:36:00.002-08:00

Things have been rather on the unpleasant side lately. I've been horridly sick, we got snowed in, and we lost power over and over yesterday. But... I woke up to this

Spectacular sunshine on snow. Its a winter wonderland out there
Unfortunately I can't go out and play in it since I'm still feeling rotten, but man oh man is it pretty

And I want to buy a house in town? am I nuts?

This is what woke me up this morning. AS the snow slides off the roof, it makes quite the sound. And if a big enough chunk actually falls, the whole house shakes. weeee

My new adventure

2010-12-26T13:46:00.013-08:00

I'm starting on my next big adventure. For all that it is the supposedly normal thing to do, it feels like the craziest thing possible. Next to this, going to Africa solo, or completing my PhD field work on a minuscule budget (sometimes solo as well), well, they are nothin.

I think I'm going to try to buy a house.

Since the market is so low right now, and it is comparable to rent vs buy, it sort of makes sense. Plus, I really want my own place where my garden cant be ripped up according to a landlord's whim.

So, I met with a loan officer (who is really cool by the way) and found out it is actually possible. Then I started looking. Since I'm at the borderline of the borderline of possibility, it is pretty dismal. Seriously dismal. Even vile in some cases. But, I have seen a few possibilities.

This house was adorable. But it is at the top of my price range. It has a tiny second bedroom - and I need the insurance of being able to get a roommate to make this happen. It is also on a very busy street, and while it is cute, it is falling apart. And, they have linoleum over hardwood in the bedrooms! Obviously fixable, but I would have no money.

This house is kind of cute on the outside, but we walked in, and immediately turned and walked back out again. Can you say stinky?
This one seemed perfect. Way cuter inside than I expected, with an added bonus of a little cottage in the back. I could rent that out, and not have to share my living space! But, the cottage was a little sketch, and probably not legal - they city could object any time. And the house itself had issues that would have to be fixed by the owner before the FHA loan would go through. But, it is bank owned, so no go.

The cottage

The house itself

Now this one I liked.
It was a funky old house that had been remodeled.

The kitchen was great (finally)
But, it only has one bedroom. The whole roommate insurance thing again. It is frustratingly close, but since my summer employment is not guaranteed, I'm not comfy with the idea of having even an $850 a month mortgage without that extra income. sigh...

Now these next houses were all duds. And I didn't even take pictures of most of the duds

This one was cute, if you had tons of money to fix it up

The floor bounced when you walked on it Ever heard of taking the dogs outside to pee? The most bizarre remodel ummmm, sketch. that's about all I can say Then I found this house It's not the cutest thing ever, but it actually isn't that bad in person.

The floors are funThe kitchen has an interesting start, but needs some finishes. And some appliances. And a floor. But that's not impossible...
Even the yard has potential, not great, but it is fenced in and I could work on it.
The best thing though is that it is a foreclosure and therefore super super cheap
I will admit, this one is tempting.
We shall see

Fall 2010 classes

2010-12-11T14:36:00.003-08:00

My class load this quarter was bigger than normal and it was quite an adventure. Here are my lovely students, the ones that made it to the end at least.

The joy of my Monday and Wednesday nights

BI101

Tuesday afternoon BI 112 lab
Wednesday BI 112 lab

On Thursdays I made my way to PCC for a 101 lab

And every Saturday at 9-4 (ugh), I had the joy of this BI 112 class

I wonder who is more relieved that the term is over, me or them?

Gansbaai: Shark Alley

2010-10-17T14:22:00.008-07:00

For my last adventure in Africa, I had to take a 3 hour trip south of Capetown to a little town called Gansbaai.
This is the starting point for trips to the famous Shark Alley. Home to the breaching great white shark that you may have seen if you are a fan of wildlife documentaries. We were on the lookout for an ever so slightly tamer view.

So, we went 'fishing' for the sharks, using this smelly bait

Beautiful animals

This was a little guy

Even though the water was not super clear, I had to take the opportunity, since I was here, to do the whole 'swim with the sharks thing'. So, for a little while, I got into the cage that you can see in many of these pics.

This is a BIG shark!

Guess he's practicing for the seals?

It was amazing to watch

So cute and little, only a little bit longer than me...

Just to give you a size reference, you can see the heads of some people in this picture

It was amazing to be in the water with these amazing animals (with a nice sturdy cage in between). It was also spectacular to stand above and watch them float so gracefully by.

Great White Sharks!

On the way back, this gull hovered for a photo. I love the way it turned out.

Another shark viewing boat

Back in the harbor, these young boys were passing the afternoon playing in the waves

Brave mothers was all I could think.
After this lovely farewell, I started my 30 hour trip home. Back to Capetown (with a shower stop at the shark peoples office, thank goodness. Can you imagine travelling 30 hours on a plane, with a body covered in salt?), strait to the airport, and on to home. After a stop in California to see my family and pick up my lovely Rinsters, I made the final 10 hour leg of the journey, to start teaching the next day. Weeeeeee, life. Isn't it grand?

Cape Town

2010-10-17T12:09:00.013-07:00

And finally, the final destination of our GAP tour, Cape Town.

Our first sight of Table Mountain lasted quite a while, as we arrived during rush hour.
After listening to all the dire warnings to take the cable way up to the top the moment it was clear, since clear skies are a rarity and the mountain closes when topped with clouds, we decided to go up immediately
The cable ride was fun, and the view amazing, but man o man was it cold!

Sunny as it was down below, the mountain itself had a table cloth of clouds

Even though we were frozen, we were determined to make the walk around the top, the basic one at least.

It was wonderfully quiet and serene

watching the end of the world disappear into the mist was a little unnerving

It was windy up there too, and wet

It would be so easy to get lost up here in the mist

In fact, they close the mountain when it gets too cloudy for that reason, among others

Gudrun in her purple, looked pretty amongst the yellow of the flowers

The port

We meant to take a picture of us as icicles, but couldn't get our fingers to work the camera. So, this is us, slightly thawed. Like the silly hat I bought up top? Without it, I would never have been able to make the walk

The cable car ride down was interesting. The other reason they close the car when there are clouds is the wind. It was a bumpy ride. Moments after we reached the bottom, they sounded the siren that alerts visitors that the last car would be leaving soon. i.e. get your butt off this mountain!

Gurdrun, Sebastian and I ran into others of our group . Kaja introducing himself by flying into our picture

Our taxi driver kidnapped us in a way, taking us to see signal hill.

We weren't that mad, because it was beautiful, but it was kind of funny
Guinea fowl

We were just up there

Signal hill, I think

Cape Town is a pretty place, for sure

In the city itself, I didn't take too many pictures being who I am, but here are a few
The Museum

A church seen from the gardens

Some interesting buildings

Beyond these buildings you can see what was district 6, an old apartheid neighborhood that nevertheless was a hotbed of culture and art. Compared to Harlem in its heyday. It was torn down though, in an attempt to make some politician happy. Its now a big green scar on the face of the city

I took a tourist bus around the city and the mountain.

My first stop was Kirstenbosch gardens

Unfortunately, for the sake of the money I shelled out for the ticket, it was also my last stop. For good reason though, I had such a good time I missed the last bus

As I wandered through the garden, I realized I was getting higher and higher

Cool flower

Eventually, I realized that I was halfway up the mountain. And though I was completely unprepared for this hike, I thought, why not?

I was on the Nursery Ravine trail up the mountain

It wasn't an easy hike, pretty much strait up

But the view was spectacular

and it was a much warmer day then my previous table mountain experience

I did eventually make it to the top, but it was pretty tough on my bus conditioned legs (5000 km of sitting on my butt)

Worth it though, to make it to the top by my own power

Now I just had to get back down in time to catch my bus, ha!

Because I could, I made my hike into a loup and took the next trail, Skeleton Gorge, down the mountain. Not the best choice I was later to find out

It didn't look too bad from the top

But halfway down I realized that I was lost. I had no idea where the trail went from here. As my time began to run, and my legs get sketchier and sketchier, I resolved to turn back and take the nursery gorge trail down, that one at least I knew. I didn't relish the hike back up to the top though. But, luckily, a wonderful Dutch man by the name of Bart was coming down as well and undertook to guide me through the rough spot. It turned out that the trail just followed the stream course for about 1/2 a kilometer, with no warning or indication. And this was a steep little creek! We made it though. Obviously. I missed my bus unfortunately, but Bart was kind enough to give me a ride home. He was a neat man, here with his wife who was studying medicine with a renowned surgeon, and their two kids. Luckily for me, he makes the hike up the mountain often. I was really really not looking forward to the climb back up the mountain to find a more reliable trail. As it was, I literally could not walk two days later. I have never paid so much for a test of mind over body. Mostly due to the fact that I was sitting on a plane (economy, of course) at the time, perfect muscle cramping conditions if there are any. But, it was worth it! I hiked to the top of Table Mountain. Totally unexpectedly

Lambert's Bay

2010-10-14T19:27:00.013-07:00

Our second to last night on the tour was the coastal South African town of Lambert's Bay

It was recommended to us for two reasons.

One, by the general tourists estimation, it is an absolutely spectacular spot to see some rare and beautiful birds
The is the Cape Gannet
and it nests exclusively off the coast of South Africa and Namibia

Each pair claims a nesting spot. Just far enough from the neighbors to prevent theft, just close enough so all can fit in the space defined by the tide

It was amazing to watch them fly in and land precisely in their nest amidst all that chaos

Interestingly, they have blue eyes

This is one of my favorite pictures

Honey, I'm home!

Digging a nest

He's got something to say

Pretty birds

After seeing the birds, we wandered to the end of the pier, where a fleet of diamond boats anchored. Practically the entire coast of Namibia is off limits due to the fact that diamonds literally just wash down the river beds (in the odd time there is actually water that is)If a diamond makes it past the gauntlet of government sanctioned seekers, it sits at the bottom of the ocean waiting to be found by enterprising people who literally vacuum the sea floor in search of such treasures

Regardless of that, I thought they made pretty pastel pictures in the afternoon light

Apparently, they protect the harbor simply by telling the water which way to go.

One last look at the wheeling colony of Gannets

Back in town, I took a little walk and found more lovely birds. flamingos this time

It really was a beautiful day

Greater and Lesser Flamingos

As well as a smattering of other birds

On my way back, I noticed these little cuties in the brush. No idea what they are, but oh well

The second reason we went to Lambert's Bay was to fulfil Jan's wish for good food.
This is Muisbosskerm Restaurant

It is an open air restaurant where they cook the food over an open flame. And get everything from the ocean just beyond. even your eating utensils come from the beach!

While we waited for our food to cook, we had a glass of wine and watched the sun set.

Gudrun and Sebastian

Dear Jimmy, a little over protective of his beer, maybe, but beloved for all that

Drinking lovely wine, watching the sun set, smelling all the wonderful smells...

Gudrun and I

Jan, Jimmy, and I. As the lone single on this trip, I spent most of my time with these boys.

John and Joan

Martin and Marian

Kaja and Carrie

When the food came, it was better that you could even imagine. Fish after fish, of every kind the ocean could offer that day, cooked to perfection and set out without ceremony. The beauty of the food was all the ceremony needed. And yes, Jan, the sweet potatoes were to die for.

What a final evening! I did find it funny that while the group remembered me as the elephant whisperer, and my interest in plants, the boys in front remembered me for pointing out a mountain that looked like a boob. Guess I should have known better

The next day, we took the scenic route to Cape Town, driving past a number of beautiful little beach towns and bays

Wildflower country, wildflower season, but no wildflowers?

2010-10-14T19:22:00.003-07:00

The drive south through South Africa was beautiful, but ever so slightly disappointing.

It was wildflower season, and we were in world famous wildflower country
But, alas, while the rocks were lovely, there were very few flowers to be had

bad rains the year before presumably

In good years, this little beauty carpets the ground as far as the eye can see

It must be beautiful

Well, I still enjoyed the mountains

This little church was quite picturesque as we drove by

A lot of the land we drove through was non irrigated grain fields. They alternate strips of native vegetation with the crop, to provide extra sheep fodder in the off season, and provide a windbreak

Pretty rocks

Jimmy was so meticulous about cleaning his bus, a fact that we all appreciated to be sure. but when he started cleaning while driving... well that's when I began to be afraid.
;)

Orange River

2010-10-14T17:42:00.004-07:00

Orange River was almost shocking after all that desert. But the green did not go very far.

I took a walk up the cliffs in the evening to catch a view of the sunset

I found all sorts of really cool rocks and fossils in this shaley stuff

The sunset was also really cool

To the left, Namibia. To the right, South Africa.

One of the cool rocks I found was this. I found the first piece, then the next, and so on as I went up the hill.

They fit together in a perfect sphere. I actually found quite a few and turned the group onto them after which they found more. I liked this one the best though. It was too big to bring home, these things were heavy. I actually brought a much smaller one, though Gudrun actually took this monster. Wonder what the airport security thought?

It was a very interesting place

Fish River Canyon, and the end of Namibia

2010-10-12T21:35:00.010-07:00

Tourist stops in the middle of nowhere can be fun. this one had a naked person on the wall in the bathroom, sex depending on the sign on the door, that had a box in the obvious spot. If anyone got curious and opened the box, a big flashing siren went off to alert the whole store.

This was all in preparation for Fish River Canyon
The second largest canyon in the world. See the crocodile?

A little sad that I've been to the second largest that is halfway across the world, but not to the largest, which is in by back yard. so to speak.

A cool and toxic plant

pretty rocks

We took a walk along the rim

Jan kept freaking out and complaining of all the paperwork he would have to fill out if one of us were dumb enough to fall in

It was a pretty impressive place

Klipspringer

On the way out, we passed this group of motorcyclists. What a trip. Hot, dusty, gravel...

Pretty country though

We passed some amazing landscapes.

Here are a few through the window pics

This area was so incredible. We were just north of the border with South Africa

There was nothing to see but rock in every direction

These pictures don't show it at all, but it was so spectacularly harsh and grandly beautiful

Just nothing, as far as you could see

and yet, there were ranches out here.

What a place

this low spot had some of the first vegetation we had seen in hours

The colors were all reds browns and blacks from the rocks, instead of the greens and yellows of plants

When we reached the Orange river, the only perennial river in the whole of southern Namibia, we came upon an interesting sight.

In the middle of the desert, on the banks of the Orange River, there is the worlds biggest producer of Sultanas, or grapes.

These fields are maintained by hoards of migrant workers from all over southern africa, and since wood is obviously hard to find in this environment, they live in houses made of reeds pulled from the river.

Jimmy named our bus Mavis, and obviously loved her so

Some actual sultana fields

Headed south, again

2010-10-12T21:28:00.004-07:00

Back on the road once again. More amazing desert to see
Wish I remembered what kind of bird this was

A sociable weavers nest. Notice that it's a pretty good size compared to the bus

Seeheim Lodge, a very surreal place in the middle of some very dead desert. This was the perfect setting for a ghost story. Twisty turny passages, secret rooms, nothing else for miles..

Seriously, rock and a few dead looking plants was all there was to be found

This place really creeped me out for some reason

It was an old fort to protect the railroad

Then expanded for crazy people to stop at

They did have a pet meercatFunny little creature

It had all the dogs scared of it (he just ran by and they were quite quick to get out of his way)

The most imaginative alcohol decanter I've been forced to see

The joy of african roads

2010-10-12T19:01:00.010-07:00

After days on southern Namibia's lovely gravel roads, all that bouncing began to take its toll on more than butts. The windshield had all but shaken right out of its frame. Every bump bounced the glass far enough that if you were fast enough, as well as stupid of course, you could have fit your finger in the space. When we stopped to fix it, of course every man in the vicinity had to take a look.Even the young ones
We provided quite the excitement for this small farm

The kids were so very cute, so I employed my new found bargaining tool

Take a picture and show it to the kids, they clamor for more, and we all are happy

This little guy was very outgoing and did everything he could to get me to take more pictures

This one was super shy, but curious

I loved this little girl

I'm so cool!

They would laugh and squeal when they found themselves on my tiny screen

Even the adults wanted in the fun

Joan got this picture of me covered in kids as I showed the pictures offFinally, Jan and Jimmy shoved the windshield into its proper place, and we left these hilarious kids behind. What a wonderful detour!

Nubib Nature Camp

2010-10-12T18:52:00.006-07:00

After Sossusvlei, we drove through more amazing desert

Then we stayed the night at the Nubib Nature Camp

This was another stunningly beautiful place that I could have stayed at for much longerthe red earth, golden grass, purple mountains...

I just loved it.

After the previous night of very little sleep though,

I contented myself with plopping down and watching the light change as the sun sank towards the horizon

This little girl lived at the lodge and kept me company for a while

I loved this backwards question mark tree

The sun set somewhat early behind the mountains.

The next morning, it was still stunning

On our way out, Jan had to get the one plant that he thought cool enough to show off, bushman's tea, a resurrection plant that goes from a dead dried twig to a brilliant green photosynthesizer within hours of exposure to water

Sossusvlei

2010-10-12T18:28:00.010-07:00

We woke up at 4 in the morning to get on the bus so we could get to Sossusvlei for the morning light. Annoyingly though, the gate man refused to open due to some bureaucratic thing (they had just changed daylight savings time or something) so we waited there till the sun was fully up.
The dunes were stunning even so

The sand dunes here are stationary, unlike in many other places. only their tops move a few meters depending on the wind.

People really like to see the dunes with all the crisp lines

It was very pretty

As the sun rose further, the colors changed from pastes and pinks, to orange

The only tree that survives here is the camel thorn acacia

We went on a little tour led by a man named Bossman. He kindly told us that he walked rather fast, so there was no need to try to keep up with him, he would wait when he got someplace interesting. Ha! I took this picture just moments after he walked away. Barefoot cruiser.

One of our first stops was to see this little lizard

Prince of the desert for sure. Oryx on a dune

This is Deadvlei, a place I really was looking forward to seeing

The white is leftover organic matter and minerals from when there was once water in this place. It was a long time ago though. These trees have been dead for over 800 years.

It was a pretty surreal place

I think this is one of my favorite pics

I love how you can see the old water paths through this very dry land

Camel thorn

Pretty serious armament.

Distances were deceiving. From where I stood to the base of that far dune was about 7 km according to Bossman.

So, when water does come here, these places would thrive. Until a dune blocks it off into oblivion.

Deadvlei here was the old pan,

and the main area of the park, Sossusvlei, is the current pan that gets the occasional flow from the highlands. Much happier trees for sure

Dune 45 is reasonably famous because you can climb it. It is by no means the highest. I think the highest is something like 250 meters

By the time we got there at noon, that sand was hot! These guys were in sandals and turned back shortly after, with bright pink toes.

The sand can get up to 70 C reportedly. All I know is that that hot sand blowing against your bare legs hurt.

It was quite a view from up top

Here's most of us that braved the burning sands and scorching sun

It doesn't look nearly so big from below.

Solitaire

2010-10-05T21:35:00.006-07:00

Solitaire, Namibia. Where the desert rules. ha ha haWe ended our amazing drive in a place called the Solitaire Guest Farm. It was one of my absolute favorite places to stay on the entire trip.
I wish we could have stayed there for so much longer. But alas, an afternoon was all we had. Gudrun, Sebastian and I took a walk in the early evening
It was so beautiful there

There were trails up in these mountains that I wish I had the time to explore

Springbok

Look at the ratio of thorn to leaf. Who in their right mind would want to eat that?

As the sun went down, it began to get prettier and prettier

This hill, and the trees on it seamed to glow

I never did get a picture of a baobab (a big disappointment, let me tell you), but this looks like its tiny cousin

I love this place!

The grass almost glowed

We all climbed a little hill to watch the sun set. The view in the other direction turned out to be much more interesting

If you look hard, you can see part of the farm at the base of that hill

Gudrun and Sebastian, looking very sweet

Sunset

Amazing place

Driving through the Namib desert

2010-10-05T20:49:00.003-07:00

After Swakopmund, we headed south through the Namib desert.

And yes, those are ostriches in the middle of nowhere. It was a stunningly beautiful drive. Though, oddly enough, most of my fellow tourists slept or read through most of the trip.

This is a Quiver tree, related to the aloe that we all know so well for treatment of sunburns

Mountains, sweeping grasslands, bizarre trees. What more could you ask for?

I took a lot of these pictures through the window. We were on such a long drive that no one was about to stop to take another picture of yet another mountain. It was one of those things where you know that in the right light, and possibly the right time of year, this place would be knock your socks off beautiful

Kuiseb Pass
This was an amazing canyon / mountain pass.

There is a story about two German brothers who hid out here in protest of world war 2. They survived in this harsh environment for two years

When we stopped to take in the view, of course boys will be boys

It was hot already, and only the very beginning of spring. How harsh it must be in the heat of the summer?

The grass looks so thick here, but only because you see it from the side.

We crossed the tropic of Capricorn mid day

Amazingly, even in this harsh, dry environment, there is life. And big life at that. Ostriches are pretty hardy birds

Who knew that they would line up to cross the road?

I loved the colors here. Ah, to have timing, light, skill? I wish I could have shown you the beauty I saw here.
I loved this orange grass

Ah, what an amazing day!

Swakopmund: sand boarding, welwitschia, but alas, no racing dolphins

2010-10-05T10:12:00.013-07:00

As we drove towards the coast of Namibia, the landscape began to change dramatically. Spitzkoppe

This little mountain is rather famous for Namibia, I guess it looks a bit like the Matterhorn back in the homeland.
Things kept getting dryer and dryer as we made our way through the Namib desert to the Pacific Ocean.
I took a little desert tour on the side, since not too many people cared about plants but I was determined to see the famous (if you are a botanist) Welwitschia.
The desert itself was spectacular

We spent a lot of our time 4 wheeling up old river beds that probably see water once every 500 years.

I think every desert has some area that they call the 'moon landscape' or something. But it works, so why not?

One of the fun things was the strips of black volcanic rock that outlined many of the hills

It's pretty, isn't it?

My first Lithops, or living stone plants, so very cool

More crazy landscapes

This one looked a bit like a dragon, frozen in stone

It doesn't really show in these pictures, but these rocks aren't simply black. They have almost a coppery sheen that is really pretty against the white.

Eventually, we entered the old river bed. Apparently, 100 years ago, while there was no running water per say, the river bed was muddy with pockets of standing water. Elephants, lions, leopards lived there, and German farmers had a heyday.But due to intentional drying up of the riverbed by planting eucalyptus (always a smart idea in a desert, get rid of the water), and use of the fresh water by an increasing population as well as a number of uranium mines, the water table is dropping at an alarming rate. It is now thought that within 20 years, the riverbed will no longer support even the hardy plants that reach their roots ever so far down to the water below.

In this region, I saw a pile of rocks that I unfortunately didn't get a picture of. But it looked very much like a sleeping rock monster, like in the never ending story. And finally, Welwitschia!

This is a very bizarre ancient gymnosperm that only grows in the Namib desert. The inflorescences are old, but this is a female

and this a male

They only have 2 leaves, and they can live for a very long time. These are younglings at ~500 years

I loved these swirly rocksPretty amazing place, isn't it?

On our way out, we drove up to the rim of the canyon and I must say, it was pretty impressive.

Then we stopped to see some sand dunes as a final hurrah before ending our tour

This little bird was very persistent in his beggingThe dunes were very pretty

The next morning I woke up super early to take a kayaking tour of Walvis Bay. Talking to the tour guide while we waited for the rest of our party, I learned we would be getting super close to cape fur seals, possibly racing dolphins, and if we were lucky, even seeing a whale or two. and then we waited, and waited, till it was obvious that no one was coming. Since singles don't cover cost (travelling in Africa alone is difficult for many reasons, but this is the main one), I got up for nothing, and the guide drove an hour for the same.

As a consolation prize, I got to slide down a sand dune on a piece of greased particle board. woo hoo. Fun sure, but compared to racing dolphins?

The dunes were admittedly stunning in the morning light, but I was a little bit cranky for some reason.

Here's my little revenge though. When I asked someone to take my picture on my turn down the dune, they used this opportunity to fill my camera with fascinating shots. To slightly soften the blow I will name no names, but boys, I told you these would make it on the internet!

Here I am, at the top getting my starting push

It was quite a long ways down, and we did get going rather fastSo it was kind of fun

Swakopmund itself was a sleepy little town

The main thing I can say is that it was cold. After weeks in the tropical heat, to be reminded that it was technically still winter was a bit of a shock.

Otjibamba and beyond

2010-10-05T10:01:00.003-07:00

After Etosha we stayed in a little lodge called Otjibamba just outside of the town of Otjiwarango.
Admittedly mellow after the wonders of Etosha, there were still some fun things to see. And there is something to be said about seeing these animals while standing on your own two feet with no one else around. Compared to jockeying for position among a bunch giant tourist trucks and then doing the same with the tourists on your own giant vehicle.
Afterwards, on our way south, we stopped at this place for a simple restroom break. Or so Jan thought. Almost all of us fell in love with the beautiful sculptures made of root wood.

I bought this wonderful elephant made by Ndingi here

Another day in Etosha

2010-10-04T10:49:00.014-07:00

The next morning we went back to Nebrownii to see who had discovered the dead zebra.

This turned out to be a pretty big list

The lions had finally found it and claimed it full bellies at lastIs this some sort of kiss of death or something?They weren't the only ones around though. Scores of jackals and hyenas hung around waiting for the lions to be distracted.

At one point, something set them all off, and they took off running

No idea what set them off, but it sure got them goingHyenas are such interesting animals. Ugly to be sure, but fascinating

With full bellies, many of the lions returned to the watering hole

Absolutely beautiful in the morning light

They were quite playful too

I especially like this sequence

ah, peace again

full, full belly

Peace returns to the watering hole

We also went back to see if there was anything new at Gemsbokvlatke

On the way, another ostrich

The watering hole simply had more zebra

but they also were very beautiful in the morning light

The rush for the watering hole was amazing, too bad it was directly into the light

The landscape was very simple there, but beautiful in a waterless way

These guys were just out wandering

Back at Okaukuejo we begged to stay just a little longer

Oryx, springbok, and kudu

It didn't take very much to set these guys off, which I guess is a pretty good survival mechanism, if exhausting. If one got startled, it set the entire watering hole into a frenzy to flee

But, peace would return and everyone would wander back again

Now it's zebra and wildebeest

This black backed jackal was taking a nap when some rude tourist woke him up

yawn!

Wildebeests have this wonderful almost shimmery coat

Some sort of crane in and amongst the springbok

So many animals!Beautiful Oryx

Springbok sparring

Like I said before, all you have to do is sit by a watering hole, and they come to you

Lined up zebras covered in lines

and of course and elephantJan wanted this picture for a potential Gap advertisement. It didnt turn out super great, but it is kind of fun

and a giraffe comes to join the party

This is Douglas and Jessica, one of the couples in our group. They were pretty serious about photography and had all the gadgets to proove it

Such big ears this kudu lady has

It was time to go, but I desperately wanted a picture of a giraffe drinking in daylight.

Giraffes are pretty wary, this guy kept teasing me, and the bus was about to leave!

Finally! click, run!

Etosha National Park, day 1

2010-10-03T22:05:00.029-07:00

Etosha National park, one of the most amazing places to see wildlife in the world.

This is one of my favorite giraffe pics

Okaukuejo watering hole

Springbok and black faced impala
Etosha apparently has a pretty big problem with anthrax. Yes, anthrax. It is killing off a large number of herbivores, though apparently is not affecting humans at the moment. These guys are testing this zebra to see if it is infected. A little disconcerting I must say
This watering hole was right next to our campsite. Most of our time in camp was happily spent here.
The elephants like clean water, so they would predictably walk all the way around the watering hole to the source

Back at camp, Jimmy is protecting his head

As the sun set, the animals drinking took on a ethereal look

Early morning hyena and Egyptian geese

Black backed jackal

Morning zebras

Okondeka watering hole

We set out early the next day to go to this watering hole in search of lions. They were pretty far away, but fun to watch as they played and brought out their babies

Yellow mongoose

Korhaan, or upside down bird, I think

One of the reason Etosha is so great for seeing animals is because there is so little plant life to block your view. You can see for ages.

Zebra butts

Jan and our driver for the day

Blue wildebeest

Springbok

Oryx, or gemsbok. Known as the prince of the desert. Very elegant animals

I'm not sure what this bird is, but I like it

Nebrownii watering hole

This place was amazing. The other reason Etosha is so wonderful is that it is a desert and there is no water anywhere except at the watering holes. Consequently, you don't really need to go off searching for game, you simply sit and let it come to you.

Here we encountered a pride of very young lions who were obviously very hungry.
This is the first of many hunting attempts we witnessed.

Try, try again

These beauties obviously weren't very experienced

It's quite amazing to have a lion walk right by your vehicle. They are big! (this is a theme on this trip, yes)

Another try

Look at her run

She was after an oryx this time

hmm, regroup

Go!

Almost!

She walked so close, that this was as far back as I could pull the zoom!

damn

food, food, everywhere, but not a bite to eat

What are you looking at?

Now he just looks like a house cat

drinking time

oh look, another hunting attempt

but we aren't concerned

I obviously had a hard time choosing which pics to post

I love this picture, sphynx like, no?

sigh

Ostrich and springbok

Just hanging out now

Things got interesting when the elephant showed up

Everyone gives way to the elephant, even the lion

Out of my way punk, it's bath time!

Etosha actually has white elephants

it just takes a little work to get them that way

It looks like fun though

la ti da

singing in the bath?

What are you looking at?

my space!

hmmmm

He eventually got the lion to leave, temporarily

Now that he's got that one all muddy, up to the clean water for a drink

I love how he's crossing his legs

the trunk gets tired after all that work

the now white elephant, off to do his thing

Slowly, everyone returns to the water, wary of the lions of course.

Oryx, looking elegant and powerful

Oryx sparring

Zebra nursing

Eventually, we left (sniff) to check out other watering holes

Kori bustard, a really big bird

Gemsbokvlatke watering hole

this watering hole mostly had zebra, lots of them

This little ground squirrel was fun

very curious about our truck

back at Nebrownii, our driver scared the lions out of the shady culvert they had retreated to after the unsuccesful morning of hunting.

Not 1/2 km away, there was a truck with a flat tire. All the tourist were out on the road. When we asked if they knew there was lions just down the road, they enthusiastically said they did. Idiots.

These guys were so close that I didn't have to zoom in to get these pics

You can see how young they are, the boys don't have their full manes yet

I love the texture of the grass in this pic

Pretty girl

oops, sorry! tough girl

phew

While we were gone, more elephants came to the water

Ironically, after all the hunting attempts, there was a zebra dead of anthrax (presumably) on the outskirts of the watering hole. And these dunderheads didn't even notice.

I do love these multi species pictures

Elephant love

Zebra love

5 legged elephant

peace on the watering hole, for the moment

back at Okaukuejo, eating dinner with this view. Beats TV any day

Getting these pics was difficult. No flash because it was 1. useless and 2. rude. So I set the camera on the wall, pressed the button, and hoped the animal didnt move. I have a lot of fuzzy pics for sure.
Rhino in repose

Momma and baby black rhino

lots of black rhinos

While everyone gives way to the elephants, the rhinos don't really like to and stubbornly stick it out for as long as possible

Rhino butt

Funny looking things, arent they?