Moving wood in circles
January 9, 2023
animals, fire fire, moonshine, moving wood, wood Leave a comment
The thing about having a fire is that you work on wood a bunch well before ever having the fire itself. The kitchen fire is going all winter when it is below 40. Why that cutoff? Because first you have to cut the wood, spilt the wood, move the wood, stack the wood, move the wood again, store some on the porch, move some inside and then finally burn it. See?
Fortunately, I have help most of the time.
In the truck again. Moonshine supervising.
The woodshed stack.
The porch stack with a photo bomb by my finger. Once again, moonshine is supervising.
The Stick (Fall 2021)
October 29, 2021
animals, dogs, ocean beach, home improvement, mr skaggs, ocean isle beach, OIB, photography, romey, the stick Leave a comment
Sunset and Moonshine (by Romey)
Who knew that installing a new washer/dryer combo thing could be so fun? That’s the nature of the Stick, I suppose. Now that I properly own it again, the time has come to spruce it up (a constant battle in the elements provided by the nearby Atlantic). We also fixed the ridiculously installed electricity, added some lights in the kitchen and over the bar, and installed a beautiful shelf in the bathroom.
Special thanks to Mr Skaggs for the help, as always above and beyond the call of duty. Anyway, here’s how all that unfolded over two visits
Moonshine and Rosie demonstrate how it feels to arrive at the Stick.
Mike learned about pickapeppa on cream cheese. A serious YUM.
The ocean is great when you are under one
Look at that professional grade piping!
The new shelf
Kitchen lighting. Now there is no excuse for not properly cleaning the kitchen.
The bar lights
Claudio and his family are going to do some major work next year. But first they need to see what they are getting into.
A second trip down with the Shepardsons and Romey was required to install the W/D (on order for several weeks).
Installing this thing required taking the entire closet apart, cleaning out 25 year worth of dryer lint, and putting it all back together (without improving the design one tad…LOL). Gotta say that drying sheets and towels is a thing.
How you feel after several days of partying at the Stick
Moonshine demonstrates what it feels like to leave the Stick.
Something Fishy in Sydney
February 2, 2020
animals, nature, ocean, photography, travel maritime museum, photography, sea life sydney aquarium, squarium, sydney, video 1 Comment
The aquarium was a first. So was the maritime museum. Visit both.
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Glamping in Tanzania with African Environments
October 9, 2018
animals, film, fire, hiking, photography, travel africa, african environments, arusha, denis mollel, environment, gem, glamping, hadza, maasai, nature, photography, safari, serengeti, tanzania, tents, travel, video Leave a comment
This posting is cross-posted on noplasticshowers.com
During our 15 day trip to Tanzania in September, we saw some remarkable things about as up close and personal as you could get. We hiked over 70km in four national parks. And we stayed in tents. But don’t let that last bit fool you, we were “glamping.”
So what, exactly is “glamping” anyway? That’s the subject of this posting. There are 92 pieces of media in this posting.
If you are going glamping, you will need a truck
This is the passenger seat. Just for the record.
On the way to our first tent, we did a game drive for a few hours and saw many things. Including an albino baboon. But that’s another posting.
Without further ado, our first tent in Arusha national park.
The tent in Arusha
These tents have multiple rooms, double beds, and non-plastic showers.
This bed is better than a thermarest pad
Of course, readers of noplasticshowers are going to want to know about the bathroom area. There was a chemical toilet. And some sinks that drained directly outside.
Sinks without water
Mirrors in a tent?! Dang.
The shower also had no running water. It was somebody’s job to put 3.5 liters (not quite enough, that is) into the dispenser just before a “glamping shower.”
Those little handles control the water flow.
The shower from outside
Home for a couple of nights
Then there was the food situation. Just great. Really. No camping food here. Fresh fruits and veggies. Great chefs. Delicious.
Our first lunch. This is a theme we will return to.
Of course, some lunch spots were better than others. Like, say, this one. No bees and only one land shark sighting.
The fig tree in Arusha is famous. This is a staged video.
Lots of stuff happened between camps. By the time we got to Ngorongoro crater we had seen elephants fighting, black hippos, and more. See this posting for all that nature stuff.
Driving between parks
The roads in Tanzania vary widely. This one, recently completed by a Japanese engineering firm was all shiny and new. We stopped for gas. That’s because in Africa, the cars take gas, just like ours.
Gas station. Mostly familiar.
We’re here for the tents, though, and so tents it is. These tents are manufactured in Arusha. They are sturdy and must weigh several hundred pounds. Fortunately, whenever we arrived, they were already set up. Oh, and the best part about the tents? The views.
Another cushy double bed
In the morning, hot coffee was always delivered here. Just outside the door, er, flap.
There was a lunch, this time close to some bees.
Denis does not serve honey near bees
Base camp with the Maasai includes solar panels
Our little panel pales in comparison
The Ngorongoro base camp was another two night thing.
This lion is checking the exhaust system
More lunch is in order.
Fresh
Product placement opportunity
Did we mention that lunch was great?
Lunch was at hippo-land. I counted 53 trucks.
After Ngorongoro, it was off to the Serengeti for a completely different thing.
You go, Denis!
Your faithful crew enters the Serengeti
Pre lunch yoga
Yeah, there was lunch.
More lunch
Our guide Denis was by this time a great friend.
The roads in the Serengeti get some serious use. And so they also get repaired.
Road repair happens
Our third tent in the Serengeti looked suspiciously similar
We arrived at sunset and were delayed when we came across a pair of mating lions less than a kilometer from camp. For more about the lions, see this posting.
The camp lions. We saw this pair 4 times.
Solar
Our tent was cushy
The common areas in the Serengeti base camp were all hipster and very cool.
Firepit. The sand had lion tracks in the morning.
The Living Room tent, charging station and location of cold beer
Stuff
The mess tent
Breakfast was also good
Hitchhiker. This guy forgot his towel.
Make sure that you make up some Pele Pele for every meal. It is best if it stews in the sun for a week in some vinegar.
Dinner setting in the Serengeti
Base camp was great, but our plan was to do some hiking. Actually, it turned out to be mostly a walk in the park.
The scariest thing we came across on foot was this.
Camp was set up each night. Two different camps within walking distance.
Serengeti field camp
Even in the field, there was wine.
Who needs civilization?
Our tent in the afternoon. Sweltering.
Reading
Sunset was spectacular everywhere we were. This view from a Kopfe was typical in its atypical beauty.
Sundown on the Serengeti
Though the walking camps were less cushy than the base camps, they were still pretty cushy. Like, they were all set up, there was no carrying in stuff in a backpack, there were field showers with warm water, and so on. Yeah. We’ve backpacked 65 miles in Montana. This was definitely not the same thing.
Home glow
Field camp 2
Oh, and even when walking the Serengeti…there was lunch. This time buffalo.
Hiking lunch
Grill
The guys tried to surprise us with lunch, but we had binoculars and a sense of what was up.
Lunch was trucked in
James was our walking guide
Everyone was armed, though they were not really paying much attention to their rifles.
Morning at field camp
Then it was back to base camp for a night.
Glamping involves chairs and a fire at sunset
We had another lunch. Just under these bees.
And holy cow. On our way to the Hadza bushmen, there was this cheetah. In a tree. Remarkable. Cheetahs do not climb trees.
Sometimes there were goats in the road
Fire at night in the Hadza camp
Denis was a very serious person
Even while hanging around in camp, the Hadza were busy. Making arrows.
On occasion, one must stop for onions.
Onion stop!
Street vendors. Read the signs.
Another lunch shot. Because lunch!
Our last camp in Tarangire was at a tent lodge. The lodge had power, running water, a bar, and a pool. There was net too. Talk about glamping!
Civilization
A pool
Of course we were still, technically, in a tent.
The luxe tent
Which had a view.
View from the lodge
Though the showers were not all that, they did have LOTS of hot water that did not stop after 2 minutes. Woo hoo!
Not the best shower in the world, but hot water.
Anyway, that is pretty much what glamping in Africa is like. African Environments makes everything incredibly easy and fun. If you’re a real camper (like we are), it will seem unbelievably luxurious.
More product placement. We cannot recommend this firm any more highly.
Arusha HQ of African Environments. Where we had…anyone? anyone? Lunch!
Our guide Denis Mollel made the trip outstanding. Best guide in Africa. Ask for him by name.
Tanzania with African Environments: Seven Remarkable Things
October 5, 2018
animals, film, hiking, nature, photography africa, albino baboon, arusha, black rhinos mate, bushmen, bushmen eat a monkey, cheetah, cheetah climbs a tree, denis mollel, elephant, elephants fight, hunting, lion, manyara, massai dance, mating lions, ngorongoro, photography, safari, serengeti, tanzania, tarangire, vervet monkey, video 9 Comments
We’ve been talking about making a trip to Africa for twenty years, and we finally did it. We visited Tanzania for a private safari with the African Environments company from August 31st to September 14th. Our very high expectations were exceeded on every front. If you are thinking about going to Africa, do what we did!
On the first day off the plane, we were blown away by the wildlife that we saw during a first short game drive on the way to camp. Seriously. During our trip, we took thousands of pictures and saw every animal you might imagine seeing, up close and personal.
So how do you even begin to share an experience like that without boring someone to death? Chop the trip up into bite size chunks? Divide by animal groupings? Cross cut through the trip?? OK, we can do that.
This is posting one. In this posting, we’ll focus on seven remarkable things.
Yeah, everything was remarkable. But we set the bar way high for this posting. If we had an experience that even the guides who do this every day found special, then it made its way onto this list of remarkable things. Honestly. Remarkable.
In a nutshell here’s what we’ll cover. In addition to seeing four world class Tanzanian national parks with all of the associated animals and scenery, we got to see these remarkable things:
- Albino baboons (2) in Arusha
- Elephants fighting in Lake Manyara
- Black rhinos mating in Ngorongoro
- Daily visits with a pair of mating lions less than 1km from our camp in the Serengeti
- A cheetah climb a tree (twice)
- Bushmen eat a big male vervet monkey during a hunt we participated in
- Lions hunting in Tarangire
Even one of these things would have been a highlight. Together, they simply blew our socks off.
We’ll post another couple of contextual pictures and videos with each remarkable thing so you get a feel for the places we were. All in all, there are 68 pieces of media in this posting.
Off we go.
1. Albino baboons
Our first camp was in Arusha national park. On our drive in from the airport on the first day, we saw lots of animals, including two albino baboons.
Albino baboon in Arusha national park
Albino baboon in Arusha national park
A second albino baboon in Arusha national park
Albino baboon with a baby
Arusha is a rain forest up high and shrouded in fog in places, verdant and wet with strangler figs and other interesting flora.
Incidentally, this lunch setup is indicative of the kind of hospitality that the African Environments people provide by default.
Amy in a fig tree way up high
We hiked 15km in Arusha, sometimes bushwhacking through the forest.
2. Elephants fighting
The second national park we visited was Lake Manyara. This park as a much different feel than Arusha and is definitely more crowded. We visited for lunch and an afternoon game drive. We saw our first elephants here.
We even saw an elephant fight.
We can’t say for sure, but it looks like one of these elephants broke a tusk. All of this happened within 40 feet of our vehicle.
This old man seemed un-phased when we drove within a foot of him
3. Black rhinos mating in Ngorongoro
When we arrived in Ngorongoro, we were running late. But a stop by the overlook at the top of the entrance road was in order. Remarkably we spotted a rare black rhino from the overlook. That was only a taste of things to come.
We were greeted at our camp by the Massai.
Hovering in the air is a thing the Massai do
Sunsets and sunrises in Africa are not to be missed
The next day, we spotted a group of three black rhinos. Two of them were mating. One of our guides later told us that he had only seen something like this once in twenty years.
That is three black rhinos across the body of water. Two of them are mating.
More rhino mating.
We also saw some lions in Ngorongoro. They did not seem to mind the humans (as long as the humans were in trucks). One of them was so close that we could reach out the window and touch it. Doing so was not advised.
This lion likes trucks more than the other lions
Another fantastic lunch by the hippos
Our friend Kambatai
3. A pair of mating lions
On our way in to the Serengeti base camp we were running behind (because pole pole!). About 1km outside of camp was a pair of lions who were off from the pride mating. This ritual can last up to 21 days. We saw this same pair 3 more times on the way in and out of camp. The most memorable time was the first.
The sun set while we watched the lions 50 feet from our car.
African sunset. Look carefully to see the lions.
This lion pair stayed very close to base camp for days
This picture gives you some idea of where the lions were in relation to our vehicle
Of course the Serengeti was full of animals.
And the animals were this close
We set out from base camp for three days of walking in the bush. Amy and I were accompanied by our guide James and a hilarious ranger named Safe. Both Safe and James were armed. All together, we walked 36km in the Serengeti.
On foot in the serengeti (being armed is not an option)
Temporary home on the African plains
Sunset by campfire
Amy climbs a Kopfe
4. A cheetah climb a tree
Even driving around between parks is a treat. On our way to see the bushmen, we drove through one of the most remarkable areas and were lucky enough to spot a cheetah climbing a tree. Our intrepid guide Denis, who is known for palling around with cheetahs, said this is remarkable. Cheetahs do not climb trees.
BTW, this is Denis Mollel, the best guide in Africa.
Denis Mollel, our intrepid guide for 15 days
On the way to that impossible sight, we watched this huge male lion on his way to water.
Meh, humans.
This female cheetah was nursing cubs and very hungry
She climbed a tree to look around for a meal
Cheetah in a tree
Cheetahs do not climb trees
Amy has way better pictures of all of these remarkable things
5. Bushmen eat a monkey
One of our most memorable and treasured experiences in Africa involved visiting the Bushmen. We spent time hanging out with the men from the (temporary) village in our camp, around the fire and under a huge baobab tree. We also went hunting. All told we walked/ran/chased 20km with the bushmen.
Our hunt was a big success from the Bushman perspective. We came home with a mongoose, 4 small monkeys, and the remaining haunch of a big male vervet monkey. The bushmen live the same way they did 10,000 years ago, venerating the sun, and waking up every day to see what they can find to eat.
We came home with the arrowhead from the hunt.
Walking to camp with the Bushmen
Arrowheads
Amy by the fire.
Hunting
How to carry home a monkey
Drinking directly from a stream
Shooting (mostly up). The bushmen are fantastic shots
After the big male
Once the vervet was cornered high up in a coconut palm, getting him down was a thing. The hunt paused for an hour while the monkey was finally targeted. Julian, the chief, shot him directly through the heart about 60 feet up. The bushmen were psyched and decided to eat the monkey directly on the spot.
Lunch
The monkey “cooks.” Every single bit was consumed.
Everyone always asks us if we ate the monkey. Of course we didn’t! Bush meat is riddled with parasites and things that we Americans (even if we’re from Tennessee) can’t eat. They did offer us the liver, though, just for the record.
Later that evening after returning to camp, we went to the lake to see the sun go down. Sharing our pictures with the Bushmen was really fun.
Talking about the hunt
Humans bonding
The next morning, before we departed, the bushmen danced and sang for us.
Friends
7. Lions hunting in Tarangire
Our final national park was Tarangire. This park was arid (we visited during the dry season), though there were waterholes and a river. As always, we saw lots and lots of animals: wildebeast, giraffe, zebra, elephants, lions, jackals, dik dik, water buffalo, cheetah, and more. We stayed at a tent resort with a lodge and running water.
Our guide Denis once again showed his remarkable understanding of the creatures we were observing. We found this female lion and her three cubs.
Lioness
Three cubs
Lots of other trucks gathered around us. Another female (with a radio collar) walked right by us. Denis said, “Now we will be patient and have some coffee. Pole pole.” He knew the lions were going to hunt. We watched and waited for 45 minutes. All of the others left, off to see zebras or something.
Then it was time to zoom off to another location to catch the hunt itself just around the bend of the river. “Let’s go there,” said Denis. And we were off.
Instead of taking pictures or video of the resulting hunt, I watched it happen in real time. Amy has some fantastic video that she will share later (I know, this is like an Uncle Wiggly story).
After we got to our observation post, we watched the lions emerge from the bush and slink down the riverbed. A large herd of wildebeest and zebras was completely unaware of their approach. Finally, the lead lion took off running and spooked the herd just as she arrived in their midsts. Dust! Chaos! Confusion! Sadly for the lion, nobody was taken down and the hunt ended as 80% do, with no prey.
Incredible to watch.
Later that evening we returned to find the same lions. They climbed a tree beside us and together we watched the sun go down.
What we look like on safari (binoculars and cameras)
The trusty Landcruiser
Those were the seven most remarkable things we saw on our trip to Africa. Of course we saw many other sights. An awesome experience to be sure. Our planet is an incredible place.
Sunset with baobabs
Fin
Green Turtle Cay: Turtles, Sharks and Pristine Beaches
August 24, 2018
animals, nature, photography abaco, bahamas, bananaquit, beach, breakfast at the liquor store, brendal's dive shop, diving, green turtle cay, nurse sharks, sting rays, turtles Leave a comment
Our previous visit to Green Turtle Cay in Abaco, Bahamas was 28 years ago as honeymoon phase 2. Arriving in Green Turtle Cay after spending two weeks in the Ecuadorian rain forest with the Cofan Indians was interesting to say the least.
The island looks and feels pretty much the same as it did in 1990 with the exception of more fancy houses (one of which we rented) and a paved main road. Before 2016, the main road was still a packed sand and concrete filled holes one laner. Now it is a wide, freshly-paved expanse. Also, the New Plymouth Inn is no longer. Ah progress.
Our house was called Bannanaquit, which everyone on the island has a slightly different opinion about how to pronounce. The consensus seems to average out around “quit” versus “keet.” Great house with a beautiful pool situated smack dab in the middle of the two island nexuses.
Here are some pictures and videos from our trip.
Amy’s socks, specially designed for flying
Some unsolicited travel advice: avoid Silver Airways if you can. Their ops and maintenance needs serious work. We flew into Marsh Harbor and got an (expensive) cab up to the ferry. The ferry is super quick.
The ferry
Arrival means beach. Bita bay is great. Clear water, good snorkeling, and its own small coral barrier.
We built a bar. It was good.
The Bananquit home bar
When on Green Turtle, the best place for breakfast (bar none) is the liquor store. Really. We went twice.
Liquor store for breakfast?
Liquor store for breakfast
Go diving with Brendal. The diving off Green Turtle is pretty good, but the fish that Brendal has trained are remarkable. Ever seen a pet grouper? How about a school of fish waiting patiently for you to turn over rocks exposing worms. Brendal is a fun guy and an expert diver. (Thanks to Bebe Jacque for sharing bits from her gopro.)
Charter a boat
We chartered a boat one day, did some fishing then had one of the best wildlife experiences in our lives swimming with the turtles, nurse sharks, and sting rays. About 15 years ago, an enterprising boat captain started conditioning the wildlife inhabiting one of the bays to like humans. The result makes a great experience.
Amy meets the turtle
Do some nothing.
Amy
Sunset up north
We’ll be back in another 28 years!
Busting Ice and Bothering Geese!
January 11, 2018
animals, cute, dogs, humor, nature, photography, river, who knows animals, dogs, environment, golden retreiver, humor, ice, paddling, photography, shenandoah river, video Leave a comment
With age does not always wisdom come. But, fun it was! We had a crazy-cold week that froze the river, and now a crazy-warm day to test out the water. Nice.
Mogli leads the way.
The mic on my phone was broken, but just imaging the sound of crunching ice.
Time for a break.
Here, imagine geese honking their displeasure! and ice popping as it melts. Hit ‘play’ and it is not upside down.
Sweet Mogli has captured a hunk of ice to take home! (Video is correct when plays)
Dirty hand is happy hand.
Exactly how i feel! :)
Walkin’ On Water!
January 8, 2018
animals, cute, farm, humor, nature, photography, river, who knows animals, basset hound, dogs, environment, frozen, golden retreiver, humor, ice, lab, mogli, photography, puck, shenandoah river, sophie Leave a comment
Yes, no holy man, but pretty damn cute. And risky! Shenandoah is frozen fun. No human i know would head out that far, naked!
Cautious, she is.
Dude! Come on back.
He’s a Beauty.
Not everyone has that…Je ne sais quoi!
Sweet Sycamore Cradles Both Eagles and the Moon.
December 4, 2017
animals, hiking, nature, photography, plants, river, trees, who knows blue sky, eagle's nest, eagles, environment, moon, nature, photography, river, shenandoah river, sunset, sycamore Leave a comment
On this day I knew the shot, the reason I brought my camera on the expedition. The day before there was a magnificent scene of the moon high over an eagles nest along the river. I wanted to capture it on “film.” This next day, I got that shot, but did not. Over the 24 hours the moon had moved more than I knew, and was beyond the nest when I arrived at the spot shown in the last photo here. That was good luck! I took photos of this and more, and as I headed home an eagle soared over me, and as I turned to watch, did 3 large 360’s over the *other* nest mounted along the river nearby. The eagle drew me back to a high perch above the nest and tree to take the first 2 photos here. It’s in there!
moon moving to super, eagle nest 90′ high
