Piece of Mind...

I've kept this in my files over the years and like to dig it out once in a while and read it.
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Be so strong that nothing can disturb your piece of mind. Talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. Make all your friends feel there is something special in them. Look at the sunny side of everything. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best.

Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give everyone a smile. Spend so much time improving yourself that you have no time left to criticize others.

Be too big for worry and too noble for anger.

_ Milan Kundera -

Kruger National Park...Safari Time!

The top pic is the start of their safari through Kruger National Park. She said it was sooooo cool seeing a giraffe!! Looks like he's looking right at her, posing for the camera.

God's Window...Mpumalanga Province

"God's Window, Mpumalanga: Situated on the Drakensberg escarpment in Mpumalanga is God’s Window. Just one look down and you will begin to understand why it is called "God's Window".


This is one of the scenic spots they stopped along the Eastern escarpment on their way to Kruger National Park.

One more pic.....This Guy!!!

This one is just kinda thrown in here in the middle of things because I thought it was cute, she named it "This Guy". Just a little baboon she must've thought was pretty cute.

If you double click the pic you'll see he's actually a pretty little animal, probably more powerful than one would imagine!

This picture was taken somewhere along the way, on one of the safari's.

There are more pics like this, but not til later...

Still the first day in Johannesburg South Africa

Ok, the top pic is from the entrance to the Gold Reef City theme park, I'm kinda guessing here, but this is my impression.

Second one from the top is of the ferris wheel at the park, the third is taken from the top of the ferris wheel overlooking a freeway in Johannesburg.

And, of course the 4th is of Emma taken from the top of the ferris wheel. I figured I'd add this pic, even though she's 'not too fond of it' that's a direct quote!! I think it's a cute pic, she's smiling her little girl smile.

Don't forget to double click the pics for a larger view.

First day in Johannesburg....

I think these are the first two pictures she took upon stepping out of her hotel on her first day in Johannesburg, the top pic is of a tree outside her hotel and the second are birds on the grounds. She must've been pretty impressed by her beautiful surroundings she couldn't help taking pictures of a tree and two birds. That's a pretty cool lookin tree though!

I have a few more pictures to share with you from her first day there.

Ostrich....From looking in the camera...

to sitting on the plate.......Emma's plate. This is the ostrich steak! Looks pretty nummy uh?

She said it was so delicious that when she got home she was actually craving it, even dreaming about it! I keep telling her she has to revert back to being a meat eater. But then again, maybe regular ole meat isn't as good as this. And the wine....can't forget the wine....she said it was awesome..especially with this meal!!

I know she's broken her own vegetarian policies many times since, so there's still hope. Ha!

Opium Camps Bay...Cape Town

I downloaded this pic from the website...Thunda.com. It was taken on Friday 1/11/08 at the club named Opium Camps Bay. Kinda cool.

Apparently, she had a lot of fun that night. This guy was persistently trying to persuade her and her friends to go to another club.

Drakensberg Park

She finally got her pictures downloaded. This is one of my favorites of the Drakensberg Mountains. She took this picture from the trail they were hiking on that day.

She started out her by day by getting yelled at by her instructor for not having a hat, one of the other students loaned her a visor to wear so she wouldn't get sunburned. She put the towel on her head so her scalp wouldn't get sunburned. That day ended better than it began.

You can tell she doesn't look too happy in this picture!!

That was one of the nights she called me and needed to talk about her frustrating encounter with her instructor. I had to give her the good mom advice!!

JET LAGGED!!!!!

As you can tell, I'm a very happy mom tonight! She's home safe and sound but Jeg Lagged!!

Here's what she is currently experiencing: Fatigue and disorientation, interrupted sleep
confusion and fuzziness, getting uptight, dehydration (that dry air aboard your aircraft can give you headaches, irritate your nostrils and dry your skin. In addition, you'll be more susceptible to any colds, coughs, sore throats and flu that may be floating around the aircraft).

Her cell phone rang steadily on the ride home, she attempted to take a nap when she got home but could not sleep. Her eye's are droopy, but nonetheless, she still went out and met her very impatient friends.

She had a GREAT time and experience overall!! We sat down, shared some good wine and talked. I heard just a tiny bit of what she experienced.

I can see this experience was phenominal for her. I know she'll spend the next days processing everything she's seen and learned. I'm anxious for her to share her 'summations' with me.

Shark Trip I forgot to mention....and she's Airborne!! Tuesday, 15, 2008

I neglected to mention this activity. It was on her agenda, but since I haven't spoken with her in days, I don't know if she did it or not.

Even though it's still Tuesday here, when she boarded the plane in Cape Town it was already Wednesday morning. They departed Cape Town for Amsterdam at 12:30 a.m for a 12 hour flight. The temperature was 65 warm degrees with 100% humidity. They'll arrive in Amsterdam around noon Wednesday for a three hour lay over. The flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis is another 10 hours, arriving at 5:50 p.m it will still be Wednesday for her! Pretty cool uh? She either loses a day or gains one, haven't figured that one out yet.

I'm very anxious to talk to her. Her dad is picking her up at the airport, and he said he'll have her call me as soon as she can!!

Sunday, 12 January 2008

This is a picture of Robben Island, one of her many stops for today. I particularly like this picture because it shows Cape Town and Table Mountain in the background.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life here as a political prisoner in a tiny cell. Mandela himself describes his 27 years on Robben Island very impressively in his autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom". I personally have not read his autobiography, but I have read 'snippets' of it.

Here's an excerpt from one of the many internet sites I came across:

"For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, about 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of exile and imprisonment where rulers sent those they regarded as outcasts and troublemakers. Since 1997 Robben Island has been a museum acting as a focal point of South African heritage. Daily tours of about 4 hours long, including the two half-hour ferry rides are offered (weather permitting) from the V & A Waterfront in Cape Town. In 1999 the island was declared a World Heritage Site. During the apartheid years Robben Island was used to isolate opponents of apartheid and to crush their morale. Freedom fighters, like Nelson Mandela, spent more than a quarter of a century in prison for their beliefs". Here's an interesing link: http://africanhistory.about.com/od/apartheid/p/RobbenIsland.htm

Also on her agenda today were visits to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Castle of Good Hope, and Houses of Parliament .

http://www.sanbi.org/frames/kirstfram.htm; http://www.places.co.za/html/ct_castle.html; http://www.sa-venues.com/attractionswc/parliament.htm;

Believe it or not all of the above was suppose to happen during the day and they have their evening free! They must be moving around at the speed of sound, light, or something!

Table Mountain - Saturday - 1/12/08

Got a myspace message from her today, she's spending part of today @ http://www.tablemountain.net/main/index.asp. She will ascend/descend via cable car.

The 2nd picture is the view from the top of Table Mountain! A little on the scary side for me.

The remainder of their day is free....from what she say's about the cost in Cape Town, that's all that's free! She had to pay 10 rands for 10 minutes of computer time to send out messages.

When she called the other day, she said she's anxious to get home and hang out with her friends, and wear the cute top she bought for a night out on the town!

Cape Town - Friday, 11 January 2008

She's finally in Cape Town. For the remainder of their time they will be staying here http://www.africa-adventure.org/b/breakwater/index.htm. Today on their agenda is a visit to Simonstown, the Penguin Colony and on to the Cape of Good Hope. http://www.simonstown.com/, and http://www.sunsetbeach.co.za/cape_point/cape_of_good_hope_information.htm.

They will have another free afternoon at the beach, she will love that!

Thursday, 1/10/08

Finally got a call from her this morning @ 4:30 a.m. They were at a little road-side diner for lunch. She's having a great time! They spent part of their day visiting:

http://www.oudtshoorninfo.com/attractions.php?id=3&category=100 yesterday, including a visit to an ostrich and crocodile farm. She actually ate an ostrich steak, she said it was very good. The wine there is excellent.

They also spent some time four-wheeling. She had the smallest 4 wheeler of the group, the terrain was pretty rugged, she fell off a few times and got a few bumps and bruises but she said it was a lot of fun.

When she called, they were on their last few miles to Cape Town. The weather there was clear, sunny and about 80 degrees. Her plan for the afternoon was to check in to her room, and catch some South African rays - laying on the beach!

One more little ditty here..

The distance between Knysna and Oudsthoorn is only 57 miles. I'm thinking whoever planned this itinerary knew what they were doing.

Needless to say, but I will say it anyway - - I'm getting so excited for her to come home next week. No-body EVEN knows. Her ole momma misses her sooooo much.

Here's my plan......with her permission of course. To post the pictures she's taken during this entire adventure with her really nice digital camera she got from grandma/grandpa for Christmas - to coincide with some of my ramblings.

I'm thinking this can become a very interesting blog.

Oops, I skipped a whole day -

And just for that, you're getting two day's worth.

As Freedom would say....sorry blogger bay-beez! Ha. GET READY FOR A LOT OF LINKS!

Emma's adventure started early Monday morning for the Garden Route and Knysna.

http://www.gardenroute.co.za/knysna/index.htm or http://www.knysnaonsale.co.za/ .

She's finally by the ocean and very happy, well getting closer to the ocean anyway. This pic has a description: Knysna Lagoon - The town of Knysna, clustered around a vast tidal lagoon which opens to the sea through a narrow inlet guarded by two sandstone cliffs known as ‘The Heads’, is the hub of the Garden Route.

She ran out of minutes on her phone card, so she messaged me on MySpace. She spent the day in the quaint little town of Knysna, enjoying some free time exploring. In reading her message, I know her voice so well, I could hear the happiness and excitement in her written words.

Her accommodations for Monday night were http://www.knysnaquays.co.za/. So, after looking at this link, we all understand her excitiement!

They arose early Tuesday morning (today) for an outdoor land/sea adventure in Knysna. After dinner, they left for the historic town of Oudsthoorn. http://www.gardenroute.co.za/oudts/oudthome.htm probably arriving late I'm sure, checking into http://www.queenshotel.co.za/ - where they will be for the next two nights - c'mon you have to check it out!

Sunday, 06 January 2008 - Graaf Reinet

Well she was off on her long bus ride early this morning, heading to http://www.graaffreinet.com/ . Her accommodations for tonight will be here: http://www.drostdy.co.za/home.html.

This is a view of Desolation Valley, one of the many sights during her stay in Graaf Reinet.

This is the type of terrain she's been hiking in. It scares me to think she wanted to venture off alone.

I have a feeling that

Someone's finally starting to miss his sister.

Well I've been 'dinkin' around with my settings, trying to figure out how to add/edit my html and it's not working. I will keep trying!

You Finally Answered Your Phone!!!!

Is what I heard when I greeted her with happiness and love this morning when she called. She really needed to hear her momma's voice too. We talked for quite a while. She's enjoying her trip and the beautiful sights.

Of course there are some dynamics she's dealing with, observing personality conflicts amongst a few, gladly she's not directly involved in that. I had to give her some good mom advice that she's use to getting from me, had her laughing. I told her to throw her bandana on her head, get good and greasy and tell everyone to 'fuck off'! ha. We had a good laugh @ that visual. She's waaay too classy to do that though, but I have to put funny thoughts like that in her beautiful head so she can laugh off certain situations. Oddly, we share the same sense of humor and feed off of each other.

They're still in the Golden Gate National Park, she said it's beautiful and cool. She's enjoying the bungalows they're staying in, including the pool side barbeques. She said the area they're in is somewhat remote, she checked out the computers and they were pretty old, she logged on briefly but it was so slow, she's not sure if the messages she sent went through.

She's a little frustrated that they're chaperoned so closely, but I told her that's a good thing. I think she was hoping to venture off by herself on the hike, but was unable to - Thank Goodness!! Being chaperoned that close is a good thing.

She is anxious to get to Cape Town!

Golden Gate National Park

Here it is Friday evening, 1/4/08. She didn't 'bother' to call me today, she's teaching me a lesson! She'll call me tomorrow for sure, she can't go too long without hearing her momma's voice.

This is where she will spend the next two days:

http://www.ecoafrica.com/african/travel/GoldenGateNationalPark.html enjoying day activities and hikes. http://travel.iafrica.com/outdoors/hiking/201449.htm.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will be able to include some personal info. from her after she calls me. If not, I will continue to wing it because I do have her day to day schedule of activities.

Another missed call today...on to Cape Town!

Here's a pic of Emma and her buddies the night before she left. I actually hung with them for a while that night and had a good time. It seems like only yesterday they were all going to Lincoln Elementary school together - little girls running around the playground. Now they've evolved into beautiful, young women.

Not much new to add today, they continued their game viewing of Kruger National Park. Today the high reached 'only' 76 degrees with rain.

Currently it's almost 2:00 a.m. @ 62 degrees with steady, light rain. Tomorrow will bring showers in the a.m. and sunny conditions in the afternoon with a temperature of 82 degrees.

Yeah, I missed her call again this morning. I'll have to keep my phone by me at all times from now on!

Tomorrow they start journeying towards the city of Cape Town which will include some very interesting stops along the way.

She still hasn't logged onto a computer yet. Probably too busy enjoying her surroundings!

Missed Call...Wednesday January 2

She called me at 6:11 this morning, wouldv'e been 2:11 p.m. her time and I missed her call. She also called grandma/grandpa and did get to talk with them. Sounds like she's feeling better and enjoying herself. She did leave me a voice message, she was calling from Kruger National Park: http://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/

If you look closely at the map, you'll see Graskop. This was the point of entrance into the park.

They will be touring the south side of the park tomorrow as well with game viewing as the main activity.

Tuesday, 1/1/08 - Mpumalanga

The next "jaunt" of her trip began early this morning for the Mpumalanga Province. They will be travelling along the Eastern escarpment with visits to the scenic spots listed below. A lunch stop is planned at Graskop. http://www.countryroads.co.za/graskop.html

Here's a little excerpt:

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En route to the Kruger National Park through Mpumalanga, you have the advantage of some stunning scenery. Turn off the N4 to the village of Dullstroom, travel over the Long Tom Pass and its splendid panoramic views to Lone Creek Falls and the charming forestry town of Sabie. Just beyond Sabie, the Mac Mac Falls are worth stopping for; and you can treat yourself to a swim in the crystal-clear pools.

A small detour leads to Pilgrims Rest; a fascinating historic town, well worth exploring before continuing to Blyderivierspoort Nature Reserve. In the reserve, you can feast your eyes on the Blyde River Canyon and the rich bird life. At the southern tip of the reserve, the view from Gods Window stretches to eternity across the lowveld. From there, its a short and easy drive to some of the finest private game reserves in the country and Orpen Gate to the Kruger National Park.

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Her day will conclude by checking into http://www.wheretostay.co.za/riverhilllodge/ where they will remain for the next 3 nights! Check it out, it's pretty exciting.