It's been a few days since I've written but with Cara's return home it's been a flurry of activity and poor thing has just been running herself ragged with this she needs to get done. But that's a story for another day.
On Saturday at Kruger Park there weren't a lot of animals to be seen. Since it's rainy season here Liese said they were probably farther south than we were that day. You have to understand what a massive park this is. Stefan said that to travel the entire park you would need to be there for a week. And keep in mind that not all of this area has roads. Some of the roads are just dirt and they get damaged from all of the rain and vehicles traveling them. There are paved roads as well but I think there are more of the dirt roads through the park.
Late in the afternoon on Saturday after the air conditioning went out on the Combi with 6 of us in there, we had the fright of our lives. Stefan was driving and of course we were all looking in different directions for animals to see. All of the sudden a giraffe came galloping across the road! I think we all saw him at the same time! Stefan hit the brakes hard in order to stop from hitting the giraffe. Once he had crossed the road he stopped and began grazing on a tree. We were all laughing and to think, this giraffe doesn't know how close he had come to being hurt or killed! I found it amazing that he even tried this but I guess by this point they think cars are a natural part of their world.
It was very warm out on Saturday as we drove around the park but we survived the heat in the van with no air in it. I was fortunate to see a hippo out of the water in the middle of the day at one of our water stops. He/she was out grazing on the grass and it was amazing actually. I had seen hippo earlier in the day but they were in water so the only thing you could really see was a head bobbing up every once in a while. That was very cool to see on it's own! I think I got some pretty good shots with my telephoto lens on and they were uploaded to the photo album.
The park has picnic areas throughout and we stopped during the afternoon for lunch there on all 3 days we were there. None of us are much into breakfast so it was more of a brunch thing. There weren't as many birds hanging around the area as there was the last time I was there, but then again, there were no monkeys either. This time there were monkeys in the picnic area. We had an avacodo that had gotten mushy and squished so we set it aside for the trash. One enterprising mother who had a baby with her found the avacodo and decided this would be a wonderful lunch so she sat on one of the little tables and proceeded to eat her avacodo not far from where we were sitting! What a sight that was for me. Santi and her family are used to seeing this but for me it was awesome. I love the monkeys but here they are considered more of a pain.
Saturday night we spent at a different camp then on Friday. The weather was better but the power kept going out for some reason. Yes the wind was blowing and there was a storm coming but it wasn't like Friday night, it didn't come in so fast. We were able to get the bbq started without a problem but as the women were preparing the salad and other things the power went out. Santi was sitting in the dark making a salad by the Braile method! I don't know how she kept from cutting herself with her sharp knife but she did a wonderful job of it and the salad was great. Fortunately the lights came back on in time to serve dinner.
The South African rugby team was playing Ireland in preseason international play and there was a tv in the golf club so after dinner the men wandered down the path to watch the game. The women went to bed early again but it wasn't long until the thunder and lightening started. The wind was blowing and it was just pouring out there and the men were at the golf course... Now mind you, it was strange to think that even though the camp grounds are somewhat enclosed, that we slept there to begin with, but could you imagine playing golf inside the game park? I can't but then I live in a world where a deer crossing the road is a big deal!
Anyway, the men had to stay at the golf club until the rain subsided enough for them to come back. While they were there, the power was coming and going as well. It took them a while to get back to the camp and it was late when they did. Needless to say by morning they were all exhausted from the weekend and we still had one more day plus the drive home to deal with!
On Sunday there were no animals to see really so we packed it in early and started to head for home. We dropped Liese, Dylan and Declan off where they had parked their car and they headed out first. It wasn't long before Santi, Peter, Stefan and I also started the drive out of the park. Very near the gate we saw a croc out of the water sunning himself on a river bank. Can you image that? Our first animal for the day! LOL It wasn't long after that when Liese called to let us know there was a leopard on the side of the road in a tree. So we headed towards the gate. The speed limit in the park is about 30 miles an hour so you really can't zip through the park at break neck speed. We all wanted to get there and see the leopard before he decided that nap time was over. The park has speeding cameras through out and the tickets for speeding are quite steep I'm told.
You really don't have to worry about finding out exactly where the animals are, there are usually cars lined up to see. When you drive through the park and someone is pulled over on the road you also stop and see what they are looking at! Sometimes the road gets pretty congested when there is something to see and in this case we had no trouble finding where the leopard is. He was sitting in a tree not far off the road. How someone spotted him in the first place is amazing to me. We took our turn to get a better view of him and of course the cameras came out. I was trying to shoot through the windshield but I was afraid of all of the glare. Stefan was in the center set of seats and on the right side of the car so once he had finished with his camera I handed him mine to get some shots with. Stefans shots turned out a lot better than mine once we looked at them.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Kruger Park Weekend - Part 1
Last weekend was the Kruger Park weekend. Peter was able to take Friday off of work so we headed out of Middleburg just after 5pm. You have to keep in mind that this is summer here in South Africa and it's also the rain season. Last week there were storms most nights, where there thunder and lightening seemed close enough to turn off the computers. Thursday night a storm was moving into the area so we scooted out of town before it came. We stayed in Sabie on Thursday night which is about 2 and a half hours from Middleburg. We wanted to get an early start on Friday morning to go to the silk farm and see a few other things.
Friday morning was beautful, the sun was up early and we got an early start on the day. Our first stop of the day as we headed towards Hazy View was at MacMac Falls. A beautiful waterfall that can only be seen when you walk down the path a little way. Walking down the path is easy, it's that walking back up that can kill you! The path is a little steep shall we say, but well worth the effort! It was already beginning to get a little warm early in the morning but it wasn't too bad yet.
Our next stop was Graskop (grass head is the direct translation) at the Africa Silks shop. Now, we had planned a visit to a silk farm but Africa Silks now has their own display along with sales ladies who also go through the store and explain how the silk is made. Basically you start with a moth who lays egges. Those eggs hatch and begin eating mulberry trees that a grown specifically for the silk worms. From the time the eggs hatch until they begin spinnning their cocoons is 28 days. After the new moths emerge from the cocoon the new moths begin the cycle again.
The silk worms eat non stop until they begin to spin their cocoons. When we arrived at the store there were only scraps of leaves in the silk worm boxes. The staff continually feeds the worms! If you take a look at the photos (in the link to the right of this screen) you will see how much of the leaves the silk worms ate in the short time we were in the store. It's amazing to watch them eat really. I think from the time they hatch until they spin their mouths never stop moving!
The cocoons are then taken an boiled in a mixture that makes them white. From there the silk is combed and then spun. There are different thicknesses of silk for weaving. In the photos you can see that a fairly bulky because they are all hand spun and woven. What I found interesting is that they use silk in duvets! I have never heard of such a thing but apparently Santi was aware of it. It conducts better than a goose down duvet with much less weight to it.
Once we finished shopping at Africa Silks we strolled across the street to a little cafe and enjoyed lunch and coffee while we discussed what we had just learned. Now, you can see from what I've written here that I have forgotten most of what I learned but if you want more information you can certainly google it and get more details if you are interested.
Next we went to "God's Window". On a clear day you can see the countryside for miles and miles. Unfortunately for us, we had low clouds that hindered the view. But again, if you take a look at the photos you can get an idea of the view from "God's Window". While we were admiring the view we came across a beautiful grasshopper. It had such vibriant colors it could be spotted from quite a distance. Luckily for me, this little guy was sitting on top of a post or I would have missed him.
The plan for that day was that Liese and her husband Dylan would drive down with Stefan (Cara's husband) Declan and we would meet up to continue the weekend. Santi, Peter and I arrived at Kurger Park early enough to take the scenic route to where we would be staying inside of the park during our stay. During our wandering through the park we did see giraffes, a herd of water buffalo, kudu, rhinos (which didn't photograph well at all) and of course impallas.
We finally met up with Liese, Dylan, Declan (baby Zoe stayed with her other grandmother) and Stefan and drove to the camp ground. The facilities in the park are actually very nice. The rondawels were equipped with with little kitchenettes on the verandas. There are bbq grills ready to go but you bring your own charcoal or purchase it from the store inside of the park. We don't want to talk about the prices at the store inside of the shop though!
Friday night the men started the charcoal about the same time as the wind started to blow a little bit. It was obvious that we were in for a storm and we hoped that we would get through the bbq before the rain started. Well, that didn't happen. The guys finally got the coals hot enough to start cooking and the first of the rain began! It wasn't bad at first and it didn't put the charcoal out. There was a lull in the rain so the guys put more charcoal on the fire and got it going again. The men were finally able to put the meat on the grill and just about the time they did that the bottom fell out of the clouds and the downpour began! At least the grill was under a tree but that didn't provide as much protection from the rain as we had hoped. I'm not sure what Plan B was for dinner but the men weren't going to give up! Santi and Liese worked on a salad and garlic bread. Since we couldn't put the garlic bread on the grill Santi put it on the 2 burners of the electric stove. Have you ever tried to warm bread on an electric stove? Well, what happens is that the bottom gets burned before the top of the bread gets warm... so we were looking at the possiblity of salad and bread for dinner!
Santi finally found some foil and the guys covered as much of the grill as they were able to. We stood on the veranda and watched as the coals began to cool, we wondered if the meat would cook or not. We were out of charcoal and the store was closed so we were on our own here. Peter, Dylan and Stefan took turns going out into the rain to check the meat. And then when you thought nothing else could go wrong the power went out! There was only 1 flashlight which had to be shared between the grill and the veranda!
I have seen some pretty intense thunder storms but the light show on Friday night was spectacular to say the least! The thunder cracked as if it were right above our heads and there were times I think it was right above our head! So we had salad working and garlic bread toasting and meat on the grill. We all hoped that te coals would stay hot enough to finish cooking the meat and luckily for us, it did! But it was touch and go there for a while...
After dinner the ladies retired for the evening while the men continued to stand by the grill and do what men do! Liese, Santi and I were probably fast asleep by 10pm while Peter, Dylan and Stefan stayed up late into the evening talking. Santi said at one point they were laughing a little loudly so she went out to quiet them down. I didn't hear any of that, I was sound asleep!
And so ended our first night in Kruger Park....
It's late and I need to go to bed for now, I will continue with the weekends events in the morning. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy bringing it to you...
Friday morning was beautful, the sun was up early and we got an early start on the day. Our first stop of the day as we headed towards Hazy View was at MacMac Falls. A beautiful waterfall that can only be seen when you walk down the path a little way. Walking down the path is easy, it's that walking back up that can kill you! The path is a little steep shall we say, but well worth the effort! It was already beginning to get a little warm early in the morning but it wasn't too bad yet.
Our next stop was Graskop (grass head is the direct translation) at the Africa Silks shop. Now, we had planned a visit to a silk farm but Africa Silks now has their own display along with sales ladies who also go through the store and explain how the silk is made. Basically you start with a moth who lays egges. Those eggs hatch and begin eating mulberry trees that a grown specifically for the silk worms. From the time the eggs hatch until they begin spinnning their cocoons is 28 days. After the new moths emerge from the cocoon the new moths begin the cycle again.
The silk worms eat non stop until they begin to spin their cocoons. When we arrived at the store there were only scraps of leaves in the silk worm boxes. The staff continually feeds the worms! If you take a look at the photos (in the link to the right of this screen) you will see how much of the leaves the silk worms ate in the short time we were in the store. It's amazing to watch them eat really. I think from the time they hatch until they spin their mouths never stop moving!
The cocoons are then taken an boiled in a mixture that makes them white. From there the silk is combed and then spun. There are different thicknesses of silk for weaving. In the photos you can see that a fairly bulky because they are all hand spun and woven. What I found interesting is that they use silk in duvets! I have never heard of such a thing but apparently Santi was aware of it. It conducts better than a goose down duvet with much less weight to it.
Once we finished shopping at Africa Silks we strolled across the street to a little cafe and enjoyed lunch and coffee while we discussed what we had just learned. Now, you can see from what I've written here that I have forgotten most of what I learned but if you want more information you can certainly google it and get more details if you are interested.
Next we went to "God's Window". On a clear day you can see the countryside for miles and miles. Unfortunately for us, we had low clouds that hindered the view. But again, if you take a look at the photos you can get an idea of the view from "God's Window". While we were admiring the view we came across a beautiful grasshopper. It had such vibriant colors it could be spotted from quite a distance. Luckily for me, this little guy was sitting on top of a post or I would have missed him.
The plan for that day was that Liese and her husband Dylan would drive down with Stefan (Cara's husband) Declan and we would meet up to continue the weekend. Santi, Peter and I arrived at Kurger Park early enough to take the scenic route to where we would be staying inside of the park during our stay. During our wandering through the park we did see giraffes, a herd of water buffalo, kudu, rhinos (which didn't photograph well at all) and of course impallas.
We finally met up with Liese, Dylan, Declan (baby Zoe stayed with her other grandmother) and Stefan and drove to the camp ground. The facilities in the park are actually very nice. The rondawels were equipped with with little kitchenettes on the verandas. There are bbq grills ready to go but you bring your own charcoal or purchase it from the store inside of the park. We don't want to talk about the prices at the store inside of the shop though!
Friday night the men started the charcoal about the same time as the wind started to blow a little bit. It was obvious that we were in for a storm and we hoped that we would get through the bbq before the rain started. Well, that didn't happen. The guys finally got the coals hot enough to start cooking and the first of the rain began! It wasn't bad at first and it didn't put the charcoal out. There was a lull in the rain so the guys put more charcoal on the fire and got it going again. The men were finally able to put the meat on the grill and just about the time they did that the bottom fell out of the clouds and the downpour began! At least the grill was under a tree but that didn't provide as much protection from the rain as we had hoped. I'm not sure what Plan B was for dinner but the men weren't going to give up! Santi and Liese worked on a salad and garlic bread. Since we couldn't put the garlic bread on the grill Santi put it on the 2 burners of the electric stove. Have you ever tried to warm bread on an electric stove? Well, what happens is that the bottom gets burned before the top of the bread gets warm... so we were looking at the possiblity of salad and bread for dinner!
Santi finally found some foil and the guys covered as much of the grill as they were able to. We stood on the veranda and watched as the coals began to cool, we wondered if the meat would cook or not. We were out of charcoal and the store was closed so we were on our own here. Peter, Dylan and Stefan took turns going out into the rain to check the meat. And then when you thought nothing else could go wrong the power went out! There was only 1 flashlight which had to be shared between the grill and the veranda!
I have seen some pretty intense thunder storms but the light show on Friday night was spectacular to say the least! The thunder cracked as if it were right above our heads and there were times I think it was right above our head! So we had salad working and garlic bread toasting and meat on the grill. We all hoped that te coals would stay hot enough to finish cooking the meat and luckily for us, it did! But it was touch and go there for a while...
After dinner the ladies retired for the evening while the men continued to stand by the grill and do what men do! Liese, Santi and I were probably fast asleep by 10pm while Peter, Dylan and Stefan stayed up late into the evening talking. Santi said at one point they were laughing a little loudly so she went out to quiet them down. I didn't hear any of that, I was sound asleep!
And so ended our first night in Kruger Park....
It's late and I need to go to bed for now, I will continue with the weekends events in the morning. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy bringing it to you...
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Rainbow Around the Sun - November 1, 2010
Yesterday we saw the most amazing thing. There was a rainbow around the sun! I have uploaded photos that Liese took to the Picassa album (use the link to the right to get there.) The rainbow around the sun is a very rare event and it's caused by the sun reflecting off of ice crystals in the atmosphere. Liese called us to tell us about it or we would have missed it, what a shame that would have been.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday 10/31/2010
This has been a very lazy weekend. After the flurry of releasing the designs on Friday, not to mention my arrival, we just kind of kept the weekend quiet. While Peter was busy getting his apartment painted on Saturday, Santi and I took a nap! We had to be all rested for the Rugby finals yesterday! Santi's Sharks were playing Western Province for the championship. Peter and Santi got a little unhappy when Western Provience scored in the first minute of the game but the Sharks made a comback and won by a score of 30 to 10! Needless to say, Santi was thrilled!
After dinner Santi and I came back into the office to work/play on the computers and with the software. I'm not sure what time she finally went to bed but it wasn't that late. I know she was exhausted after last week. I don't know what time she was up this morning but it was long before me! I think it was about 10:30 before I came downstairs. The sun comes up early here and I've been up kind of early. I look outside and see the sun is out and think I should be up... well after a few mornings of being up at 7 I decided today I wasn't falling for that bright shinny day outside to fool me! Ha! Now look who got fooled!
Today Peter and Stefan grilled and they did a wonderful job! Dinner was wonderful and the company was awesome. Peter's daughter Celeste came by with her daughter Kayla, Peter's other grand daughter. She stayed for a while and chatted while the guys were grilling. Kayla is 3 now and just a beautiful little girl!
After dinner Santi took a little nap today, one of her medications she takes tends to make her drowsey and I still say she got up too early this morning. I played with software for a while and did a little email while I waited for her to wake up. Then of course it was back into the office for more computer work! It never ends with her! She always has several things on the drawing board at any given time. I won't tease about some of the stuff I have seen because we don't know when it will be finished and released but there is a lot more coming from Hatched!
Well, I did have a chance to talk to Kelly (my boyfriend) tonight which was nice. I didn't really get an opportunity to talk to him this weekend. I think he's still unhappy I'm here and not there with him... men are so spoiled! But that's our fault I guess, we spoil them!
Well, it's almost 2am and I'm heading for bed. I think Santi is waiting for me to finish this so she can turn off the lights and go to bed herself. So for Santi and I, we wish you a good day!
After dinner Santi and I came back into the office to work/play on the computers and with the software. I'm not sure what time she finally went to bed but it wasn't that late. I know she was exhausted after last week. I don't know what time she was up this morning but it was long before me! I think it was about 10:30 before I came downstairs. The sun comes up early here and I've been up kind of early. I look outside and see the sun is out and think I should be up... well after a few mornings of being up at 7 I decided today I wasn't falling for that bright shinny day outside to fool me! Ha! Now look who got fooled!
Today Peter and Stefan grilled and they did a wonderful job! Dinner was wonderful and the company was awesome. Peter's daughter Celeste came by with her daughter Kayla, Peter's other grand daughter. She stayed for a while and chatted while the guys were grilling. Kayla is 3 now and just a beautiful little girl!
After dinner Santi took a little nap today, one of her medications she takes tends to make her drowsey and I still say she got up too early this morning. I played with software for a while and did a little email while I waited for her to wake up. Then of course it was back into the office for more computer work! It never ends with her! She always has several things on the drawing board at any given time. I won't tease about some of the stuff I have seen because we don't know when it will be finished and released but there is a lot more coming from Hatched!
Well, I did have a chance to talk to Kelly (my boyfriend) tonight which was nice. I didn't really get an opportunity to talk to him this weekend. I think he's still unhappy I'm here and not there with him... men are so spoiled! But that's our fault I guess, we spoil them!
Well, it's almost 2am and I'm heading for bed. I think Santi is waiting for me to finish this so she can turn off the lights and go to bed herself. So for Santi and I, we wish you a good day!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday 10/29 - Paisley Flair Launch Day
The day started with a flurry of activity as Prisca and Amanda arrived to do the final stitch outs of the new Paisley Flair design collection! There was so much excitement in the air you could almost feel it! Santi was able to make her Paisley Butterfly to add to the collection after working most of the night on it. Prisca stitched it out with out a single problem, we are all so excited about it...
It's almost 8pm and Liese, her husband Dylan and the kids are there. Liese is working hard to get the designs uploaded and the webpage finished. She says she won't give up until it's done! It's difficult being the mother of 2 and holding down a full time job as most of us know and Liese is handling it pretty well even though she has a new one on the way. Her workload is heavier than normal with Cara traveling right now but she's getting it all done. She has created the color charts and keep in mind that there are 2 color variations to this collection so her work is doubled here.
Next comes converting all of the files to all of the different formats and hoop sizes and making sure that each zip file is correct and has the color charts in them. Then there is building the webpage and making sure that all of the links are correct and working. The amount of work involved in launching one new set is unbelieveable and to think of how many design sets have been launched in the last week or so and how many there are still to come!
Liese got a dinner break and now she's off to grab some clothes for Declan. Declan will be staying the night with Oma and Opa tonight. Peter is going to go do some errands tomorrow and Declan wants to go with him s it will be easier for him to spend the night. Peter is wonderful with Declan while Zoe is Oma's girl! Declan has just discovered Liese left for a few minutes to go get him some clothes and he's not too happy that she left. Zoe on the other hand is asleep in Oma's arms.
Liese is about done uploading the new page and from what I see here it looks beautiful :) I have to give her a lot of credit for sticking with it today to get these uploaded and ready for us to enjoy. It's been an experience being here watching what goes on around here to get those designs sets up on the Internet. I didin't think it was an easy job but I had no idea that it took as long as it did!
It's almost 8pm and Liese, her husband Dylan and the kids are there. Liese is working hard to get the designs uploaded and the webpage finished. She says she won't give up until it's done! It's difficult being the mother of 2 and holding down a full time job as most of us know and Liese is handling it pretty well even though she has a new one on the way. Her workload is heavier than normal with Cara traveling right now but she's getting it all done. She has created the color charts and keep in mind that there are 2 color variations to this collection so her work is doubled here.
Next comes converting all of the files to all of the different formats and hoop sizes and making sure that each zip file is correct and has the color charts in them. Then there is building the webpage and making sure that all of the links are correct and working. The amount of work involved in launching one new set is unbelieveable and to think of how many design sets have been launched in the last week or so and how many there are still to come!
Liese got a dinner break and now she's off to grab some clothes for Declan. Declan will be staying the night with Oma and Opa tonight. Peter is going to go do some errands tomorrow and Declan wants to go with him s it will be easier for him to spend the night. Peter is wonderful with Declan while Zoe is Oma's girl! Declan has just discovered Liese left for a few minutes to go get him some clothes and he's not too happy that she left. Zoe on the other hand is asleep in Oma's arms.
Liese is about done uploading the new page and from what I see here it looks beautiful :) I have to give her a lot of credit for sticking with it today to get these uploaded and ready for us to enjoy. It's been an experience being here watching what goes on around here to get those designs sets up on the Internet. I didin't think it was an easy job but I had no idea that it took as long as it did!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday - More Work on the Paisley Collection
I think that the time difference caught up with me today. Of course Santi and I going to bed at 3 this morning probably didn't help, but I got up at 7, saw what time it was and decided that wasn't working for me today and I went back to bed. I finally got back up at 11:30 this morning. Of course Santi was up at 7 and stayed up, but she had work to do. It was enough work for me to keep my eyes open!
Santi is still working on the paisley collection and they are coming along. She has to do some color sorting on 3 designs and then I think there is one more to finish. She started it a while ago and then for some reason moved on to another one and left this one unfinished. It's just awesome to watch her work. She is so meticulous about her work. She doesn't like jump stitches and that is one thing I love about her work. You'll only find them where there is absolutely no way to hide them. How she keeps up with where she is and what she's doing is beyond me. I asked her about it last night as she was color sorting one of the designs and she said that it used to be harder for her but the more she does it the easier it gets. That doesn't mean she doesn't use use that UNDO button LOL. Anyone who works with embroidery software knows that UNDO and his cousin REDO are your 2 favorite tools!
One of the biggest problems I have is that I never know when she's talking to me and when she's talking to her computer! I told her that she has to let me know when she's talking to me otherwise she may think I'm ignoring her. Then there are the times when I'm convinced she's talking to me and she isn't!
Liese came by this afternoon for a few minutes. She looks wonderful but a little tired. She's chasing after 2 kids and that would make anyone tired. The 3rd, a boy, is due in February and right now they haven't come up with a name. It took them a while to come up with Declan's name but Liese said that Zoe came easy. Liese is looking for a name that will be the same in English as it is in Afrikaans. I never even thought that a name might change but after she went through a few they had discussed it made more sense to me. I suppose since I only speak one language it's just something that I don't think about. Liese said if this were a girl they wouldn't have any problems coming up with a name but the boy name is proving more difficult. Apparently Declan didn't have a name until just before he was born.
Stephan came by last night for a bit and he and Peter visited in the living room while Santi and I stayed in the office working on her designs. It was good to see him again! I met him the last time I was here and I was so happy when he and Cara decided to get married. They make a good team I think. I know that when Cara comes home on the 8th of November, Stefan is going to be very happy. Santi makes dinner for him about once a week to make sure he gets a home cooked meal LOL.
Tonight she is working on some ox tails. I keep telling her just to cook it and I'll eat what's put in front of me, just don't tell me what it is! It's not that I'm a picky eater but I don't know how brave I am at times. My mother had her list of things she made, and she was a very good cook, but she didn't do a lot of experimentation when I was growing up. Now, E.K. (one of our moderators) said she loves ox tails and she uses it in her home made vegetable soup. Her family came from a farm so she eats a wider variety of foods than I do! Santi just laughed when I told her that E.K. eats ox tails in her soup. She thinks I'm a coward at times I know LOL.
Peter is Peter, charming as ever for those who have met him. He comes in from work in the evenings and makes sure that Santi and I have coffee or tea. He's very attentive. He's one who always makes you feel at home even if it's in the States when they travel! I think he really does enjoy the traveling and meeting everyone. He's quite a good salesman as well.
I saw Mari for a few minutes yesterday. She's doing good :) We are going to get together for lunch while I'm here. I see Mari more than I see Betsi when I'm here. I haven't seen Betsi yet. With Cara in the States Betsi is taking care of the office and doing a lot of Cara's chores. I think Betsi is going to be very happy to see Cara back too. Not everyone loves the admin type of work she does. Hatched has a large following here in South Africa and their customers often come to the office to make their purchases. How cool would that be? Just to walk into the office and see the girls? I haven't seen the new office just yet, Santi has been busy working and I'm the slave driver!
I don't know about Santi but I'm going to be in bed early tonight! I know her, she's going to work until these paisley designs are finished tonight. She's determined to get them up on the webpage tomorrow! It's a lot of work to get these designs ready to sell once they are finished. There are webpages to be built, files to be converted, images to create for the webpages. There is actually more work than I think most of us realize in getting a set of designs up. There are still more sets that are waiting for final testing so we can expect more goodies in the next few weeks!
Santi is still working on the paisley collection and they are coming along. She has to do some color sorting on 3 designs and then I think there is one more to finish. She started it a while ago and then for some reason moved on to another one and left this one unfinished. It's just awesome to watch her work. She is so meticulous about her work. She doesn't like jump stitches and that is one thing I love about her work. You'll only find them where there is absolutely no way to hide them. How she keeps up with where she is and what she's doing is beyond me. I asked her about it last night as she was color sorting one of the designs and she said that it used to be harder for her but the more she does it the easier it gets. That doesn't mean she doesn't use use that UNDO button LOL. Anyone who works with embroidery software knows that UNDO and his cousin REDO are your 2 favorite tools!
One of the biggest problems I have is that I never know when she's talking to me and when she's talking to her computer! I told her that she has to let me know when she's talking to me otherwise she may think I'm ignoring her. Then there are the times when I'm convinced she's talking to me and she isn't!
Liese came by this afternoon for a few minutes. She looks wonderful but a little tired. She's chasing after 2 kids and that would make anyone tired. The 3rd, a boy, is due in February and right now they haven't come up with a name. It took them a while to come up with Declan's name but Liese said that Zoe came easy. Liese is looking for a name that will be the same in English as it is in Afrikaans. I never even thought that a name might change but after she went through a few they had discussed it made more sense to me. I suppose since I only speak one language it's just something that I don't think about. Liese said if this were a girl they wouldn't have any problems coming up with a name but the boy name is proving more difficult. Apparently Declan didn't have a name until just before he was born.
Stephan came by last night for a bit and he and Peter visited in the living room while Santi and I stayed in the office working on her designs. It was good to see him again! I met him the last time I was here and I was so happy when he and Cara decided to get married. They make a good team I think. I know that when Cara comes home on the 8th of November, Stefan is going to be very happy. Santi makes dinner for him about once a week to make sure he gets a home cooked meal LOL.
Tonight she is working on some ox tails. I keep telling her just to cook it and I'll eat what's put in front of me, just don't tell me what it is! It's not that I'm a picky eater but I don't know how brave I am at times. My mother had her list of things she made, and she was a very good cook, but she didn't do a lot of experimentation when I was growing up. Now, E.K. (one of our moderators) said she loves ox tails and she uses it in her home made vegetable soup. Her family came from a farm so she eats a wider variety of foods than I do! Santi just laughed when I told her that E.K. eats ox tails in her soup. She thinks I'm a coward at times I know LOL.
Peter is Peter, charming as ever for those who have met him. He comes in from work in the evenings and makes sure that Santi and I have coffee or tea. He's very attentive. He's one who always makes you feel at home even if it's in the States when they travel! I think he really does enjoy the traveling and meeting everyone. He's quite a good salesman as well.
I saw Mari for a few minutes yesterday. She's doing good :) We are going to get together for lunch while I'm here. I see Mari more than I see Betsi when I'm here. I haven't seen Betsi yet. With Cara in the States Betsi is taking care of the office and doing a lot of Cara's chores. I think Betsi is going to be very happy to see Cara back too. Not everyone loves the admin type of work she does. Hatched has a large following here in South Africa and their customers often come to the office to make their purchases. How cool would that be? Just to walk into the office and see the girls? I haven't seen the new office just yet, Santi has been busy working and I'm the slave driver!
I don't know about Santi but I'm going to be in bed early tonight! I know her, she's going to work until these paisley designs are finished tonight. She's determined to get them up on the webpage tomorrow! It's a lot of work to get these designs ready to sell once they are finished. There are webpages to be built, files to be converted, images to create for the webpages. There is actually more work than I think most of us realize in getting a set of designs up. There are still more sets that are waiting for final testing so we can expect more goodies in the next few weeks!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Good Morning South Africa
I slept well last night and was up a little after 8am surprisingly after being up so long the days before the trip. This morning I'm watching Santi work. I love to watch Santi at work on her designs. I learn so much just by watching although she can't teach me her "artistry". Of course there is the "work" part of the design. Right now Santi is color sorting her new Paisley collection to make sure it all sews in the right order and there are as few jump stitches as possible. I think that is the real beauty of her designs. She doesn't make you work as much as other digitizers.
It's a beautiful morning here. It's not too hot and I'm not sure if it will get hot or stay as beautiful as it is now. One thing I didn't realize is that summer here the days don't stay light longer. I just assumed it was like summer at home! Silly me! We all know what happens when we assume now don't we? I need to get the camera out today and see if I can get some pictures of Santi's office so you can get an idea of where she works.
They recently had to move the "office" into a new facility. For so many years they worked out of the convertered garage at Santi's condo until someone complained about the parking situation here. There isn't a whole lot of parking here in the complex and with the girls coming and going it created a little mess. So the office was moved down the street. It makes life a little more difficult for Santi when she is working on her designs. It use to be that she would digitize one element of a design and have the girls test it out to see if she was on the right track. Now it takes a little longer to get the testing done which can be a distraction of it's own.
Right now, doing the color sorting and the finishing touches on a collection with 10 designs, she needs to concentrate on what she's doing. That's kind of difficult to do with the phone ringing all day long. Add into the mix she now has company sitting on her lap watching her every move. She's funny as she sits here and talks to her computer. I know I do it when I'm at home hoping that the computer will do what I want it to do and not what I tell it to do! LOL
I saw Liese and the kids last night. Declan is growing like a weed and his little sister Zoe looks so much like him. I think both of the kids look a lot like Liese! Liese looks good and I think she's done with her morning sickness. The new baby boy is due in February and of course Liese has that glow of a new mother! I won't see Cara until after the 8th of November since she is still traveling in the US. I'm sure Stefan will be happy she's back home after 5 weeks on the road.
Well, we have some running around to do today and I guess we'll get started on it soon!
It's a beautiful morning here. It's not too hot and I'm not sure if it will get hot or stay as beautiful as it is now. One thing I didn't realize is that summer here the days don't stay light longer. I just assumed it was like summer at home! Silly me! We all know what happens when we assume now don't we? I need to get the camera out today and see if I can get some pictures of Santi's office so you can get an idea of where she works.
They recently had to move the "office" into a new facility. For so many years they worked out of the convertered garage at Santi's condo until someone complained about the parking situation here. There isn't a whole lot of parking here in the complex and with the girls coming and going it created a little mess. So the office was moved down the street. It makes life a little more difficult for Santi when she is working on her designs. It use to be that she would digitize one element of a design and have the girls test it out to see if she was on the right track. Now it takes a little longer to get the testing done which can be a distraction of it's own.
Right now, doing the color sorting and the finishing touches on a collection with 10 designs, she needs to concentrate on what she's doing. That's kind of difficult to do with the phone ringing all day long. Add into the mix she now has company sitting on her lap watching her every move. She's funny as she sits here and talks to her computer. I know I do it when I'm at home hoping that the computer will do what I want it to do and not what I tell it to do! LOL
I saw Liese and the kids last night. Declan is growing like a weed and his little sister Zoe looks so much like him. I think both of the kids look a lot like Liese! Liese looks good and I think she's done with her morning sickness. The new baby boy is due in February and of course Liese has that glow of a new mother! I won't see Cara until after the 8th of November since she is still traveling in the US. I'm sure Stefan will be happy she's back home after 5 weeks on the road.
Well, we have some running around to do today and I guess we'll get started on it soon!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Only Hours Left to Go
I'm packed. The iPod is charged as is my phone and laptop. I won't be able to use my phone after I board the plane in Washington DC but in the meantime I can certainly wear down that battery! I woke up this morning ready to go. I didn't need my coffee but I made it anyway. The only thing left for me to do before my cousin Donna arrives to take me to the airport at 12:30pm is to hit the shower!
I really didn't think I would be as excited about this trip as I was the last time I went but I was wrong. I didn't sleep well last night, I kept waking up and looking at the clock to see if it was time to get up. Finally at 6:30am I gave up after laying there for over an hour. I hope this means that I'll be able to sleep on the flight! This time tomorrow I'll still be in the air! 20.5 hour of traveling this time! There is one stop, in Dakar, Senigal but I don't have to change planes there. I thought I had booked a non-stop flight but silly me! I do things like that when I get in a hurry and at the time that I booked this flight I shouldn't have been in a hurry. I guess it was all of the excitement about going again.
So, I am excited, more so than I thought I would be. I got up this morning to thunder storm and tornado warnings! I guess that is just to keep me wondering if my flights will be on time. I checked the weather in Washington DC and they also have heavy storms for today and this evening. Hopefully all of my flights will be on time and there won't be any problems today! I don't like delayed flights and cancelled flights! I only have an hour and a half in Washington so I can't afford delays!
I'm trying to think of anything that I may have forgotten and I can't think of a thing! I'm wearing warm clothes to the airport and on the flights. I expect that winter weather will set in by the time I get back just before Thanksgiving and I don't want to freeze my butt off coming back from the airport or waiting outside for my ride to arrive. Besides, it's always chilly on the airplane. I'll be arriving to summer in South Africa where I'll go back to hot days and nights but that's ok, I'm kind of use to that after the summer here in the South!
I can hear the thunder outside right now. It's raining here right now and there is a steady rumbling of thunder outside. It's not cold, I have the sliding door open just listening to the sound of the rain. Such a lovely sound and I sleep so well during storms. I love the sound of rain on the roof of my bedroom. The wind is blowing but it isn't too bad. The thunderstorm/tornado warnings are supposed to end about 10am so there is only a little time left to worry about them. I think it's going to rain here most of the day. Bad news for my brother, Brian, who works construction though. If this continues he may be here in time to take me to the airport instead of Donna!
With 3 hours left before I head for the airport I guess I should get into the shower and get that over with and get dressed. I hope to be able to add to the blog in Washington DC since I do have a short layover. Long enough to get the laptop out at least :) I'm going to spend more time on the family in the blog this time keeping everyone posted on what is going on there. I know everyone is hard at work on new designs right now. Plus they are getting ready for the cruise for those of you who are going to go with them :) I think I made a good choice between the cruise and the trip to South Africa LOL.
I look forward to your comments and questions as we go along on this journey together again!
I really didn't think I would be as excited about this trip as I was the last time I went but I was wrong. I didn't sleep well last night, I kept waking up and looking at the clock to see if it was time to get up. Finally at 6:30am I gave up after laying there for over an hour. I hope this means that I'll be able to sleep on the flight! This time tomorrow I'll still be in the air! 20.5 hour of traveling this time! There is one stop, in Dakar, Senigal but I don't have to change planes there. I thought I had booked a non-stop flight but silly me! I do things like that when I get in a hurry and at the time that I booked this flight I shouldn't have been in a hurry. I guess it was all of the excitement about going again.
So, I am excited, more so than I thought I would be. I got up this morning to thunder storm and tornado warnings! I guess that is just to keep me wondering if my flights will be on time. I checked the weather in Washington DC and they also have heavy storms for today and this evening. Hopefully all of my flights will be on time and there won't be any problems today! I don't like delayed flights and cancelled flights! I only have an hour and a half in Washington so I can't afford delays!
I'm trying to think of anything that I may have forgotten and I can't think of a thing! I'm wearing warm clothes to the airport and on the flights. I expect that winter weather will set in by the time I get back just before Thanksgiving and I don't want to freeze my butt off coming back from the airport or waiting outside for my ride to arrive. Besides, it's always chilly on the airplane. I'll be arriving to summer in South Africa where I'll go back to hot days and nights but that's ok, I'm kind of use to that after the summer here in the South!
I can hear the thunder outside right now. It's raining here right now and there is a steady rumbling of thunder outside. It's not cold, I have the sliding door open just listening to the sound of the rain. Such a lovely sound and I sleep so well during storms. I love the sound of rain on the roof of my bedroom. The wind is blowing but it isn't too bad. The thunderstorm/tornado warnings are supposed to end about 10am so there is only a little time left to worry about them. I think it's going to rain here most of the day. Bad news for my brother, Brian, who works construction though. If this continues he may be here in time to take me to the airport instead of Donna!
With 3 hours left before I head for the airport I guess I should get into the shower and get that over with and get dressed. I hope to be able to add to the blog in Washington DC since I do have a short layover. Long enough to get the laptop out at least :) I'm going to spend more time on the family in the blog this time keeping everyone posted on what is going on there. I know everyone is hard at work on new designs right now. Plus they are getting ready for the cruise for those of you who are going to go with them :) I think I made a good choice between the cruise and the trip to South Africa LOL.
I look forward to your comments and questions as we go along on this journey together again!
Friday, October 22, 2010
3 Days and Counting
Wow, only 3 more days until I leave! Funny part is that I have most of my stuff done! I pretty much stay packed because of my trips to see Kelly, well, at least the electronics are packed. I got a wonderful new laptop bag for my birthday from Kelly and this was before we knew I was going to South Africa so I get a chance to give this baby a workout! The electronics are all gathered in 1 place at least so all I need to do is to repack the laptop case and that's ready to go. Since it's summer there I will be able to pack light, no heavy sweats and sweaters that I'd need here. I'm leaving here with temps in the 70's and I'm sure by the time I get back, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, it's going to be pretty sporty around here so I'll have to find at least 1 warm outfit to take to come back in. Then it's always pretty chilly in those planes too. The only uncomfortable part will be going to and from airports.
I can't believe how organized I am for this trip. Got all of my paperwork together and in one place as well. I actually found my visitors guide for Kruger Park so I can keep track of the animals we find on this trip! I thought it was still packed from the move but I came across it last night in about 5 minutes! I guess I'm not as disorganized as I thought I was!
I guess I should go out and get a few last minute things taken care of today. I don't have a lot to do and I think I can get it all taken care of today and then I'll just be able to relax for the weekend! My flight from Greenville SC doesn't leave until 2:30pm but I'll have my stuff packed up and ready to go on Sunday and then can just sit around on Monday and get antsy about leaving for the airport! I'll probably be up early that morning, which is OK since the flight for South Africa leaves Washington DC about 7 in the evening. I'll be able to sleep for a while on the plane. That 15 hour flight isn't half as bad as I thought it would be though. I kind of thought the first time I went it would be pure torture but it wasn't bad at all. Then there was the family there to meet me at the airport when I got there. Hopefully this time I won't lose my purse when leaving the airport! I think I'll pack what I need in the laptop bag and have only 1 carry on to deal with. I'll pack the purse for when I get there.
I can't possibly see why I need most of the stuff I carry around in my purse anyway! Well... I guess I should get off to the groicery store and pick up some stuff for the guys here before I go. I guess I'll have to cook for them as well before I go cause it won't be anything but fast food while I'm gone!
I can't believe how organized I am for this trip. Got all of my paperwork together and in one place as well. I actually found my visitors guide for Kruger Park so I can keep track of the animals we find on this trip! I thought it was still packed from the move but I came across it last night in about 5 minutes! I guess I'm not as disorganized as I thought I was!
I guess I should go out and get a few last minute things taken care of today. I don't have a lot to do and I think I can get it all taken care of today and then I'll just be able to relax for the weekend! My flight from Greenville SC doesn't leave until 2:30pm but I'll have my stuff packed up and ready to go on Sunday and then can just sit around on Monday and get antsy about leaving for the airport! I'll probably be up early that morning, which is OK since the flight for South Africa leaves Washington DC about 7 in the evening. I'll be able to sleep for a while on the plane. That 15 hour flight isn't half as bad as I thought it would be though. I kind of thought the first time I went it would be pure torture but it wasn't bad at all. Then there was the family there to meet me at the airport when I got there. Hopefully this time I won't lose my purse when leaving the airport! I think I'll pack what I need in the laptop bag and have only 1 carry on to deal with. I'll pack the purse for when I get there.
I can't possibly see why I need most of the stuff I carry around in my purse anyway! Well... I guess I should get off to the groicery store and pick up some stuff for the guys here before I go. I guess I'll have to cook for them as well before I go cause it won't be anything but fast food while I'm gone!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Getting Ready for South Africa
I'm in Ohio visiting my boyfriend, his name is Kelly. I met him a couple of months after my husband passed away. Anyway, right now I'm spending 2 weeks at my new home in South Carolina and then 2 weeks here in Ohio where Kelly is working right now. It's an interesting relationship but I like it for now, it feels comfortable :)
Someone asked me how Kelly is taking the news that I'll be gone for a month and he's doing OK with it. I know that he is happy for me but at the same time he'll be missing our visits. I told my brother and son that I was going and they seem happy enough for me, maybe a bit jealous? I'm so excited I'm going through my phone looking for someone else to tell LOL. I honestly didn't think I'd have this opportunity again in my lifetime.
I have good flights and the trip will only take 21 hours this time. I think last time, because I flew out of Sacramento CA it was closer to 24 or 26 hours because I had to get from Washington DC back to CA, this time I don't have to go as far which means less travel time. My connections are good and I have enough time in Washington but not too much. I saw one flight out of JFK in New York that had an 8 hour layover before I flew back to SC. Needless to say I didn't take that flight! So I go from Greenville SC to Washington DC and then on to Johannasburg South Africa. The Washington to Johannasburg is a non-stop flight. I could have gone through the Netherlands but after the problem that Santi had last time I wasn't taking any chances on volcanos erupting! LOL
I only have a few days to wait until I'm on my way and I'm getting as much done here in Ohio as I can. There is only so much I can do but I can get a little shopping out of the way and then all that is left is a little laundry and packing when I get back to South Carolina on Thursday this week. Trust me there are a few other things that need to get taken care of before I leave but these shouldn't present much of a problem for me.
Anyway, on to the grocery store to decide what we are going to have for dinner here tonight. Too many choices and I don't have too many days left to cook for Kelly before I head back home.
Someone asked me how Kelly is taking the news that I'll be gone for a month and he's doing OK with it. I know that he is happy for me but at the same time he'll be missing our visits. I told my brother and son that I was going and they seem happy enough for me, maybe a bit jealous? I'm so excited I'm going through my phone looking for someone else to tell LOL. I honestly didn't think I'd have this opportunity again in my lifetime.
I have good flights and the trip will only take 21 hours this time. I think last time, because I flew out of Sacramento CA it was closer to 24 or 26 hours because I had to get from Washington DC back to CA, this time I don't have to go as far which means less travel time. My connections are good and I have enough time in Washington but not too much. I saw one flight out of JFK in New York that had an 8 hour layover before I flew back to SC. Needless to say I didn't take that flight! So I go from Greenville SC to Washington DC and then on to Johannasburg South Africa. The Washington to Johannasburg is a non-stop flight. I could have gone through the Netherlands but after the problem that Santi had last time I wasn't taking any chances on volcanos erupting! LOL
I only have a few days to wait until I'm on my way and I'm getting as much done here in Ohio as I can. There is only so much I can do but I can get a little shopping out of the way and then all that is left is a little laundry and packing when I get back to South Carolina on Thursday this week. Trust me there are a few other things that need to get taken care of before I leave but these shouldn't present much of a problem for me.
Anyway, on to the grocery store to decide what we are going to have for dinner here tonight. Too many choices and I don't have too many days left to cook for Kelly before I head back home.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Topping the "Trip of a Lifetime"
So, how does one top top the "Trip of a Lifetime"? I guess to take that trip once again and see if it was real or just a figment of your imagination! I'll be leaving South Carolina on October 25th to see my friends in South Africa once again! I'm not trying to recreate that trip by any means but create new memories of friends so far away. I'll be invading Santi and Peter's home for a month again and I'll be there for Peter's 60th birthday! Whoever would have guessed he was 60!
So sit back and grab a cup of coffee and join me once again while I leave beautiful falls days for summer in South Africa!
So sit back and grab a cup of coffee and join me once again while I leave beautiful falls days for summer in South Africa!
Friday, February 5, 2010
New Baby
We still don't have a name for her yet but I'm posting photos to the Picasa album if you'd like to see her :)
Pat
Pat
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