Hello there

Yesterday Diana and Alan arrived, and they brought instructions that we must start posting things to our blog again. The 10s of our rabid fans demand it. Well, fine. Here you go, then.

So we've been back for a while but have not been moved to post anything on this here blog.

That is not to say that we have been idle and have had nothing to report. Quite the contrary. Over Labor Day weekend 8 adults and 11 kids all went camping in Kafue National Park. Pretty nutty.

By Sunday night we were down to just 6 adults and 8 kids. The others went back on Sunday - they weren't eaten by wild animals or anything. We did hear lions in the distance at night, but they were not close to the camp site. Our friends did see a leopard about 2 km from camp, but leopards are wussies.

The 8 kids.


Sam taking a bush bath.


The African pike. Smaller than his American cousin (at least the ones we caught were) but much better fighters.



Then last weekend we went down to Lake Kariba with some friends to stay at a private home on a private island. It was very nice. Very, Very Nice.






Jack and Keira got a grilling lesson. Perhaps a bit premature, but at least now Jack can cook his own dinner.


The Nervigs enjoyed some corn.


Jack and Keira had plenty of pool time. Come to think of it, we all did. Keira is a swimming champ. Jack, still uses the assistance of a flotation device, but he's getting there.


Keira keeps her eye on the ball as she jumps into the pool. Really great concentration. Jack was not interested in jumping and/or trying to catch anything near the pool.


And, well...when your 1-year old kid has a 104 temperature, is lethargic, and you are stuck on an island with no medical care...


Actually, it was filled with boiled water. An island, you see. No potable water to speak of, so empty bottles become water bottles, no matter what they started out as.

Sam did have a fever throughout the weekend. On Saturday night it spiked at about 103.9. But it was dark, we were on an island, and 2.5 hours away from Lusaka. Safer to just wait than to try to drive at night. And the next day he was better.

But I pulled/strained my hamstring trying to waterski. Getting up on 1 ski after 12 years of not trying was not a good idea. And, as Lake Kariba is generally considered to be chock-a-block full of very large crocodiles, it was probably not a good idea regardless.

But I got out of the water with all my limbs intact, if a little humbled...

We did get a new camera. And while I dislike it greatly because for some unknown reason the technology geeks at Sony decided that users don't need the option to turn off the auto-preview so we have to wait 3 seconds after every picture to let the camera show us what picture we just took, at least it takes pictures. Good thing, too, because the shutter button on our other camera popped off all on its own and it is now being repaired.

Would you send your fancy camera by mail to a camera repair shop called darntoothysam.com that you found by googling "Sony Cybershot shutter button"?

Yeah, me too.