A Heap of Adventures

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Baby Animals

The baby animals are so cute even if they grow up to be ugly adults!

I know this looks like I photo shopped this baby in. This baby was less than 2 weeks old. When a baby giraffe is born the mother delivers standing and the baby drops 6 feet! They usually come out feet first!

Baby Hyena

Baby Zebras are a different lighter color when they are born. When the mother is about to give birth she leaves the herd, delivers the baby, and then the mother and baby stay away from the herd for a couple of days so that the baby can bond with the mother and learn her strip pattern

Did you know that each zebra has its own stripe pattern? No two stripe patterns are alike --kind of like our fingerprints!

Lion cub hiding in the bushes

Baby Elephant--their gestation period is 23 months!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Masai Mara

My brother Danny and his wife Dianna came to join us while we where in Kenya

We went up to Masai Mara to see the wildebeest migration. 1.9 million wildebeest migrate from Tanzania and the Serengeti to Kenya and the Masai Mara a trip of over 1,5000 miles following the rains in search of food and water. There are thousands of miles of plains with red oat grass which is their favorite food. There were just as many zebra too! They have to cross the Mara River to get to the grazing plains. Crocodiles just wait for the crossing and dinner!

Following the migration are the predators. Every safari drive we saw some sort of predator stalking for something to eat or with a kill!

The leopard was so close to us that at one time we could only get his head or his body in the picture!

We also got a chance to visit a Masai village. They still live in stick and dung huts and cook over open fires. The nearest power lines are 750 miles away.

This is the Masai War dance--can they jump! Love the bright colors they wear!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Man-Eaters of Tsavo

Ever see the movie Ghost in the Darkness? The movie is filmed here -- it is a true story -- 100 years ago a rail road was being built from the Mombasa --on the Indian Ocean-- to Nairobi across Kenya. This was to transport supplies, visitors, and hunters. While it was being built in the area of Tsavo, many workers lost their lives to these lions. Hence the name Man-eaters of Tsavo. The interesting thing about these lions is that they have unusually high testosterone levels which makes them more aggressive and they have no mane. Kind of like male patterned baldness. They learned to like the taste of humans and were easy to catch as they didn't run fast. Hundreds of people lost their lives building this railroad to these lions.

Kenya is in a draught--they have not had measurable rainfall for 3 years

As a result many animals that rely on grasses are dying!

Baby elephants are so cute!

Cheetah's getting ready to hunt! I think these are one of the most beautiful animals in Africa!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Anderson's In Kenya

We stayed with the Anderson's the senior couple that does humanitarian work there. This area where they live and work is very poor. Brother and Sister Anderson have helped these people establish gardens, taught them about water conservation and using fertilizers. As you can see by the photos the the smaller ears of corn were what they grew and his with a little fertilizer was 3 times the size.

They live in a small village about 4 hours from Nairobi. This is their combination bath and shower! First you roll up a towel and put it on the floor near the door so the water doesn't flow out into the rest of the house.

You turn the water on at the faucet and after your shower you squeegee the water to the end of room near the toilet out the drain the the floor! You can sit on the toilet and shower!

This is a "women garden" that 13 ladies tend. They have to hand pump the water into buckets, then they carry the water to their plot to water their gardens. Some of these ladies have had such success that they even sell their excess and are earning money.

The Anderson's are not only helping church members, but the whole community. When they see them coming in the white truck they come running to show off their gardens and ask for help.

This one of the small branches

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Kenya Mission Tour

We recently went on a mission tour to Kenya. Elder Renlund (the new counselor in the area presidency) and his wife where with us. The people of this area live still huts constructed of mud and sticks. They have no electricity or running water. Some walk up to 5 miles to get water for daily use. The Kenyan were so happy that a member of the 70's was coming to their remote village. They were so proud of the church that they spent two day getting the Stake Center ready for them.