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Hurricanes and the kindness of strangers

I did not live in Charleston in September 1989, but it doesn’t take long after moving here to have the date etched on your consciousness. It is the day the clock stopped and all the rules were rewritten,the day the setbacks and flood lines were redrawn, and the day that most people redefined their relationship […]

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Kayaking with Manatees

Today we woke up in crystal river and went downstairs to have continental breakfast. Of course, Emily was still in bed. So, I made an extra trip down there with her once everyone else was finished. There was an awesome pancake machine which made pancakes for you. One of the nice things is that our […]

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The Rookery

As I have previously mentioned, I wasn’t exactly the most focused angler on this trip. I loved being on the water, and watching the birds and wildlife, but I lacked the concentration for fishing. At one point, we had headed for a fishing spot on the Chobe/Zambezi over near the Namibian customs/immigration office. As we […]

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A pride of recently fed lions

We catch up to Colin later the same day to find his vehicle parked in the midst of a pride of lions.  It is evident that this group has just killed something large enough to feed a crowd, and they are sated and quite relaxed.  In fact, I don’t think I have ever seen animals […]

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Leopard with cubs

I did not actually see leopard babies, but here is a follow-up to Kate’s post on the leopard cubs. Our first game drive, and I am in Darryl’s car, and we head over to see where the water is in the new marsh at Savuti.  We are watching a large crocodile sleep on the bank in […]

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Mobile camping

Posted by Judy Colin and Darryl pick us up in safari vehicles, and I admit to feeling totally ludicrous riding around town in them. We climb up to the top and feel totally exposed, especially at high speeds on the tar roads, without so much as a seat belt. Our first destination is Khwai, about […]

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Maun

By Judy It’s hard to describe Maun. Officially the gateway to the Okavango Delta, Maun is an interesting place of its own. Stephanie lives on the outskirts of town, but everywhere you go she knows someone. The main streets are paved (known as “tar roads”) but the sidewalks and some of the side roads are […]

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My day at school

Posted by Ted I am in a Maun school and I’m having a good time there are a lot of differences here from America. For instance they have a swimming pool and one class for each grade level. When I got to school there were a bunch of welcoming people and they were all really […]

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Along the Zambezi and Chobe rivers

Posted by Judy On the pride of the Zambezi, we wake to the herons hunting in the marsh, spoonbills, kites, harriers, egrets, and I am struck by the similarity of the ecosystem. The marsh is freshwater, and the birds are all different species in the same niches we have at home– spoonbills (all white) feed […]

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What will the kids be learning?

We struggled with the decision to take the kids out of school: for Emily, this is a serious problem with her AP classes.  Our timing choices for Stephanie were September or March, and September is far more preferable from an academic standpoint.  From a political perspective, I think it is a shame that this sort […]

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