Adventures with Mum

Right now my Mum is struggling in a hospital thousands of miles away.  It's hard to accept that age catches up with you with all its misery.  The body doesn't want to cooperate anymore in many ways yet the spirit doesn't age.  Such a profound conundrum and one that requires such wisdom and compassion.  I wish I was able to be there, but failing that, I'm so glad that I was with her just a couple of short weeks ago.  As an example of that irrespressible spirit, here are some images of her at age 87 joining me on a helicopter flight over the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa.  She was feeling pretty poorly at the time, but that didn't stop her.  Mum, you are amazing!

McLeod Plantation Oaks in the Fog

This morning when I woke and saw the fog thick outside my window, I took the opportunity to scoot down to McLeod Plantation to take a few moody shots.  I have photographed McLeod over the years, indeed it is one of my very special personal places, and I knew this morning would be perfect.  Not many folks would come crowding early in this weather and I supposed (correctly) that I would probably have the place to myself.  I am still going to edit some of these further to give them a different, arty look, but here are a couple pretty much straight out of the camera.

Merry Christmas from Charleston, SC

Wishing all a very Merry Christmas. May the spirit of Christmas remain with us throughout the year. "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests".  Luke 2:14  This was Christmas Eve on Folly Beach this morning.  Gotta love Charleston!

Durban's Beautiful Coastline

I'm back Stateside (at least my body is - my head is still in some time zone between here and there) and before I left I took an hour or so to walk along some of the most beautiful coastline on the planet.  Durban has some wonderful promenades that stretch for miles along the beach. They are paved and smooth and perfect for wheelchairs, strollers, joggers, bikes, skateboards, etc.  I was out early in the morning and there were all kinds of folks out there enjoying just being there. Afterwards I passed by the Umgeni River mouth on my way back and spotted these white pelicans hanging out on a sand bar at low tide. Goodbye South Africa until next time ....

Wildlife and Landscapes of Tala Game Reserve

We spent some time in the Tala Private Game Reserve in the midlands region of Kwazulu Natal.  No time on this trip to venture deep into the remote African bush, but this had to satisfy for the moment.  A beautiful pocket of over 3,000 hectares stocked with a diverse spread of bird and animal species, surrounded by farms and not too far from civilization.  Here are some images from that visit.

Back in Africa ...

I've been off the grid for a few days, necessitated by lack of wireless communication and my travel schedule.  I am visiting my hometown of Durban in South Africa and spending time with my mom.  We recently took a road trip (one of my favorite things to do) in the Kwazulu Natal Midlands.  We stayed at a guesthouse on the Enaleni Farm, self-described as a mixed agro-ecological farm, celebrating diversity. Diversity is an understatement.  It is an animal heaven where sheep, cattle, turkeys, poultry, rabbits, donkeys, peacocks, geese, pigs, and others happily range free just the way it used to be on a farm. Here are a couple of examples ...