Hi all,
Back in June, we checked out this crazy tree in Pretoria that they claim is over 1,000 years old. The tree's called "Wonderboom" for "Miracle tree" in Afrikaans.
It's actually a bit underwhelming because I was expecting this giant
tree (perhaps a bit withered, walking with a cane), but instead you see
an original trunk (about 16 ft wide) plus 10-15 "daughter" and "grand-daughter" trunks spread out
over a wider area. It's a (willowleaf) fig tree and apparently those types of trees don't normally behave this way. ("Dude, what are you doing?!" - neighboring acacia tree.)
I found a cool 3D viewer that let's you walk around the tree.
Give it a try. (Don't worry, Amy. Your old SparcStation can handle it.)
They've built a wooden boardwalk so you can walk
around the trees without stomping on their roots.
Here's a blow-up shot so you can read it.
Noah was like, "Enough with the tree.", so we hiked up the hill that's part of the park complex and were rewarded with a nice view of Pretoria (our fair city).
Also at the top are the remains of an old Boer fort from the late 1800s. It made Noah hungry just thinking about it.
The fort is just sitting there, open to the public, with no cordoned-off areas or docents giving tours. The kids had a great time running through the barracks.
Noah communed with nature as he polished off his PB&J sandwich.
He asked if we could take this log home. ("Sure, if you can lift it!" - Cruel Dad)
Lucy's favorite part of the day.
As we drove out of the nature reserve, we noticed a traveling amusement parks that had set up in the shopping plaza across the street. I'm sure their safety standards were ISO-9000-compliant, so of course we each took a few rides.
Lucy and Ad reflect on the wonder tree.
"That's my favorite tree in the whole wide world!" - Lucy. "Can we ride this again next weekend?"
Noah was too small for everything, but they let me put him in the swing so I could scare the grandparents. I mean so he had something to do while his sister ran around trying every ride.
He seemed to think it was pretty nifty, even if it didn't move. (What does he know?)
Adam's apparently afraid of Ferris Wheels, so Lucy and I did this one.
"Now that's my kind of hike, Dad!" - Lucy
The safari spins ever forward. Happy Monday. xo,
Glenn
They've built a wooden boardwalk so you can walk
around the trees without stomping on their roots. 
We visited the Angel Oak Tree, angeloaktree.org, purportedly 1,500 years old on John's Island, SC. The live oak is surrounded by a chain link fence with barbed wire. And, of course, there's a gift shop. I love nature! Whatever you do, keep Noah in the dark about crazy rides. We used to be able to sit our kids on those tacky "rides" in front of stores where you put a quarter in and the ride jiggles. Until one day my dad said, "Hey, you want a quarter for that ride?" Game over.
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