Senior Missionary Malady Antidote

Wednesday morning I put on Levi's and we headed south.  It was a four hour drive to the Zambezi River and border with Zimbabwe.  We then made a left turn and headed to the Kafue River to meet our boat.  

The view below was just before the little river lodge where we left our truck and met the boat.  This view is looking back to the north.  The mountains are known as the Zambezi escarpment.  Lusaka and most of Zambia sit on top of that wide plateau.  It is the reason Lusaka has such pleasant weather at 4000 feet.  It is a lot warmer down by the river.

All that dry territory and beautiful rivers.  Not much irrigation to speak of since the soil is so poor.

We were met by Louis then Kristi and I got a two and half hour tour of the rivers in the middle of Africa. 

We had to pinch ourselves that we were really here.

There were folks washing clothes and dishes and themselves all along the rivers.

It is sort of incredible considering all the wildlife around.  As long as you look out for each other and give wide berth, there aren't too many problems.

Just a traditional hollowed out log for a boat.  We saw several out fishing, or just paddling along the way.  I would be a little nervous with hippos and crocodiles about.

This is typical of the scenes that have stuck with me most of all.

It seemed so unreal with a sort of Jurassic Park feel.  Here are elephants and hippos and strange birds.  Everything comes to the river to drink, but the best grazing grasses are further and further away from the river until the rains come.

I would be content to just sit and watch an elephant or hippo all day.  They were everywhere.

The pods of hippo reminded me of the "Jungle Cruise" at Disneyland.  Most pods were between 8 and 25 hippos.  There would be nothing and then there they were.  Just as quickly and noiselessly they would disappear.  We were told that they kill more people than any other wild animal.

I asked several people what animal they feared most.  They all had different choices and reasons.  Many feared getting between a mom and baby elephant unintentionally.

The elephants seemed to be relaxed and own the land.

Everywhere we looked there were these black dots which emerged into flapping ears as we got closer.

Finally we turned in to our river lodge.  We were greeted with drinks and given a briefing on safety for our stay.

1.  Watch out for monkeys - they are "cheeky"

2.  Watch out for the baboons - they will steal anything.  The bathrooms are open so don't leave anything there they can take.

3.  There is a local elephant that still thinks this part of the river bank is his home.  It is, we just let him have his space and eventually he'll move on.

4.  Do not leave the camp area without a "guide".

5.  Do not leave the paths or bridges that lead to your room/tent.

6.  At night you will be escorted to or from your room/tent.

7.  Blow the whistle tied to your bed if you need any assistance in the night.  The night guard will come.

I am thinking - "Is this going to be fun?"  "Will I be lying awake all night listening to the sounds?"

8.  If you would like something, just ask  We are here to SERVE YOU.

Naw, I'm not nervous, I am in paradise! 

I am having fruit juice and ice and humming tunes from "Lion King".

It couldn't have been better!

We ended up with the honeymoon suite and this was our view out on a point all by ourselves with the sounds of hippos and elephants and lions, yes lions.  Sound on the river carries an incredible distance.

I could get addicted to the antidote for my "medical emergency."

Cleaning up the Desktop

 Every once in a while even a confirmed slob will clean up.

I suppose this is one of those times.  I am just throwing random photos that are on my computer desktop  in the blog and getting rid of them with a little bit of commentary.

First of all I have had this photo of a street vendor selling sunglasses because one of my sons collects sunglasses in a serious way and perhaps this photo would entice him to Zambia to find something unique.  If they don't have it, they will find it for you.

I have debated if it was a good thing to show a mission vehicle stuck in the mud.  Probably not since I am supposed to be the mission vehicle guru.  Then again I really believe that there should be more 4x4 trucks for just such occasions.  Or at least one for the vehicle coordinator.

This happened on the way back from the Blue Lagoon National Park.  We were on the axle and at least  50 kilometers to the next anything.  The two wheel drive truck doesn't even have posi-traction.  

We started filling the hole with branches and rocks but miracle of miracles, the only other car in the huge park was heading out right behind us.  When they saw us stopped they just drove out around us in the trees and I had to run after them to stop and help us out.  It only took a minute but it would have been an hour or two for us to do it alone.

I would have called it the highlight of the day after seeing all the birds and animals but the real highlight that day was driving out into the dry lagoon that was full of six foot high grass, no roads or paths and heading out at a high rate of speed looking for water buffalo.  It was an endless prairie in the isolated middle of Africa.  In January it will be under six feet of water.

Below is a street near the mission home that had Jacaranda trees in bloom.  I saved it as I wanted to paint it.

This chart below is posted in the water company office.

If you look closely the goals are amazing.

By 2015 they hope to have 80% of the homes hooked up to water.

The supply would be there on an average of 19 hours a day, at a public water supply 12 hours a day.

Their goal is to have that water, when it arrives, 95% bacteria free.

Those are great goals for the future, but what if you get water less than half the time and your water is of the 5% variety full of bacteria?

I'll never turn on a tap of water in California and think about it the same way again.

This lion is in front of the Zambian Supreme Court.  It is in front of the Immigration building where Kristi got "cramped" and had angels flying over her head.  It is decorated for Independence day.

Lady Justice was also decorated.  She is not blindfolded here in Zambia but she does have her eyes closed.  After seeing some of the newspaper headlines I wonder if she peeks at times.

Zambian Independence Day is October 24th.  The locals say it always rains that day and they look at it as a blessing and sign from heaven that their nation is blessed.

It rained the 24th, the activities went on as planned.

It rained hard for ten minutes at a time but we were surprised how quickly the ditches filled and the dirt dried.  The locals tell us the "real" rain will start around Christmas.

Below is a farewell dinner for two couples who were heading home.  Bruce and Vonda Louthan on the right are returning to Moab, Utah.  In the middle are Lincoln and Mary Harvey returning to Vancouver, British Columbia.  We will miss them both.

This is a lousy photo but each day I drive by I think I should paint that lady and her fruit stand.

Below was the only photo I took early one morning after Kristi woke me up.  

I have taken Kristi to the hospital exactly five times before now.  Each time we came back with a new baby.  Fortunately that was not the case this sixth time.  No baby.  Kristi did receive some shots and three types of pills for whatever caused her abdominal pain that soon went away.  

It is sort of a shotgun approach to medicine here.

This was at the "BEST" hospital and newest in Lusaka.  I woke up the guard to get in.  I woke up the receptionist to say hello.  I woke up the duty nurse to get directions.  We woke up the doctor to get examined.  I woke up the pharmacist to purchase the medication.  There were two men in the lab chatting so I didn't need to wake them up.  The doctor was asleep again for the final consultation.  However, this little guy below was not even sleepy and he had the run of the whole place.

I paid less than $45 USD for all that fun and medication in the middle of the night.  Quite a bargain!

I had this photo on my desktop just because this couple looked so modern Zambian.

A nice looking family.

Here is another dinner for the Louthans after the Harveys left.  In the middle are the Humpherys from Hyde Park, Utah.  They have replaced the Louthans as Public Affairs specialists.  The couple on the right are their neighbors, the Lyles, the Humanitarian specialists.

We had District Conference last weekend.  The count was over 700 in attendance.  Elder Ayubu thought I needed his hat more than he did as it started to rain afterwards.  I was happy to have a hat that style as it is the type of "andy cap" I usually wore at home.

So why am I cleaning up?

To be honest, I need a change.  We have been at this office thing for six months and I have never, never, never worked in an office before.  In fact for the last fifteen years I have been sort of carefree and when I reviewed Kristi's calendars we have been away from our home a total of four months out of every year on trips or overnight or visiting our children.  I am not used to being so consistent or doing the bidding of other people.  I asked for "hard things" and I think I got them.

So maybe I am "woosing" out.  One day I knew I had reached my limit and wrote on the President's calendar, "Skidmores Away".  I didn't have a plan or destination but I knew I was going to be gone for a few days or really be GONE.  I do have a tiny, tiny twinge of guilt but tomorrow I have booked a get-a-way at Chongwe River Camp next to the Lower Zambezi National Park for three nights.

I was most excited about the driving directions they sent to get there.  They included photos and "obstacles" labeled.  It also said a 4x4 was essential so I arranged to borrow one.  Three days ago they emailed to let us know the pontoon bridge was out of a river for repairs so now we will meet a boat for a two hour boat ride down the Zambezi to the camp.  This camp is opposite the famous Mana Hippo Pools on the Zimbabwe side of the river.  I am ready for quiet, outdoors, and being pampered.

I know the mission can survive without us.  I just don't want to tell the missionaries where I've been.

Would characterizing this as a "medical emergency" be too misleading?

Home Sweet Home, Zambian style

Our family and friends are curious how we are surviving in Zambia, so I thought I would let you peek in to our living conditions.  We feel very fortunate to be off on our own and feel very secure with good neighbors.  The little patch to the right of the driveway has been lately claimed by Kristi to improve.

This is our living space.  The photo was taken from the left of the front door.  Notice the stairs and banister looks a little uneven and squ-omp-y, they are.

All the walls were white and bare when we arrived.  We hung up a few things but still white walls.

This painting was the first thing we found.  It is a very typical scene of Zambians going to church in a village.  I really liked it and worked for about an hour to get the price down to a local price.  I doubt if we take it home with us but I have really enjoyed looking at all the different figures.

For our big white wall around the TV/VCR we decided to have some wooden frames made and stretch African print material on them.  This is the fellow who made them.  I had to give exact measurements and diagrams how to brace them.  We had ten of them made.  After picking them up I had to get diesel in the jerry cans and rearranged the frames and all of them flew out the back of the truck.

I was pretty bummed.  I threw the pile of sticks back in the truck after a car drove over them.

Life would be much easier with your own set of tools.

I got some white glue and used masking tape and renailed and finally got them almost square.

This was the plan we were working from.

I told you that being on a mission with your wife is sort of like early marriage all over again.

Here is Kristi in the largest fabric store in Lusaka down next to the Kamwala Market.

This is me attaching the last two frames with material.

This was the end result.  Since we only get one and one-half channels on TV, I have spent a lot of time counting different items on the wall.

We found a pot and painted it a primer grey, the outside pots became blue to brighten things up a bit.

One pot for flowers....

And one for tomatoes or vegetables.

More local art for the wall.

Extra kitchen space.  That is a downstairs bathroom and washing machine to the left. On the right is the door to the backyard.

This is the kitchen tucked under the stairs.  The above doors are on the right side of this photo.

Here is our backyard.  The only one in the complex without a pool.

You can see all the plumbing is on the outside.  The white boxes are air conditioners and the silver tank is the water heater or "geezer".

Under the stairs is our luggage, extra water bottles and a two foot Christmas tree I can hardly wait to help decorate.

Each missionary flat is "authorized" a bookshelf.

We are fortunate to have a full size fridge.  It is decorated much like our fridge was in Clayton.

This is my little corner.  If the internet worked as advertised I would be happier.  I checked with the competition today and I hope to soon have more reliable service.

I really enjoy looking at the painting style of the painting/print on the wall.  A very unusual composition and use of darks and lights.

Of course this is our main supply of drinking water.  We might be a little too cautious, but it is a good habit for when we are out of Lusaka.

Going up the stairs I put the picture of Christ that was found in the flat when we arrived.

At the top of the stairs is a small room that has the dryer in it.  Kristi irons here and hangs some of the clothes to dry.

This is the second bedroom.  It is a queen size bed and you are all welcome at any time.

We are not kidding, we need a little variety in our lives and would love to have guests.

This is the view of the neighbors from upstairs.

Looking down the hall to our bedroom.  The bathroom is shared and on the left.

Yep, I am even showing you our bathroom.

This beauty looks like a great place to relax.  Just try it with a little dribble of cold water and being unable to turn around or pick up anything you drop.  I consider it a torture chamber.

Our bedroom and the rug I carried on my head.

Nice closets, and nothing squished since we haven't lived here thirty years not throwing much out.

The stairs here at home and in the mission home are a little disconcerting at first.  If you look closely, they are at random heights and random widths.  I am a lot more careful walking now than when I first arrived.  No footing should be taken for granted.

I suppose there would be less stumbles in my life if I was certain of every place I put my weight for footing. Expectations not being met are really a personal problem, and no one else's.

It would be fun to chat about TRUST and HOPE with someone about now.

As far as our accommodations in Zambia, we are blessed.

Tyred ?

British spelling prevails here.  Even the office computers auto correct to the British spelling.  It has plagued me since my mission to England and I thought I had overcome most of my U.S. spelling errors.  Now I am back to including lots of "U's" in the words;  colour,  neighbour, Saviour and favour.  It is looking quite natural again to me as I look at it.  Tyre is just one more British spelling along with getting them "mended" that is slipping into our vocabulary.

I count at least 25 on the wheelbarrow in front and 16 on the one across the road.

I  saw him coming in my rearview mirror and hoped he wouldn't loose his balance as he wove between cars getting to the other side of a divided road.  I didn't want tyres crushing the truck or windscreen and me having to pay for the damage.  He finally got in the right hand turn lane where I could get a photo.

I am always impressed with the physical shape the street merchants are in.

Everything has value and the Zambian economy moves on.