The Catch Up Post!

Been too long since my last post.  Life's gotten busy; what can I say?  Today I'm going do a series of small "catch up" posts so I can finally start blogging in real time (e.g., Noah just poured his spaghetti all over the floor.  Judy, come quick!)

We bought a car!
After visiting a few dealerships, we scored a car from an outgoing British diplomat.  A sweet little Honda Jazz that Lucy has named "Alice."   (The Jazz is called the Fit in the US and UK.)  It's comfortable, fuel efficient and actually packs quite a bit in the boot (note use of local dialect!). We've already taken a few road trips in it.  Meet Alice...

Lucy and Alice are fast friends...

Rhino and Lion Park
With Alice in hand, we ventured out to the Rhino & Lion Park, about 30 minutes outside of Pretoria.  They do animal rehab, but the main attraction is the feeding of the lions and cheetahs, which you witness from your car only 50 feet away.  Crazy stuff.  "Keep your car idling at all times," says the handout. 

 

This was the most amazing scene of the day. I looked over and spotted a male lion strutting past a few cars on the other side of the feeding area.  (That guy should have had his window up, but who am I to judge?)

Lunch time for lazy lions.  These Afrikanner guys in short-shorts and no visible safety protections pulled up in a Toyota pickup and dropped a freshly-killed wildebeest close to the lions.  Take Out, African-style.

 

We drive around a bit and spot some other animals.

Elsewhere in the reserve, they let you pet the baby lion cubs.  For the record, grandmas, I was not in favor of this, but Papa Adam said something about being a trained medical professional and that he would supervise.  Lucy loved it, of course, and asked if he we could get a puppy, if not one of the cubs.

They breed white rhinos and according to their website, 18 white rhino calves have been born at the reserve so far.

The Safari continues... xo,
Glenn