Goblet of Fire is done.

Toni is reading (aloud) all the "Harry Potter" books. Book 4, the Goblet of Fire, was completed today. As this rate, she should be complete with the books in time for the new book in the series.

What a View

We never seem to tire of watching the Walberg's Eagles that have a nest in a nearby tree. The eagle on the right has just returned from hunting and has something clasped in its talons.

Children at Play

Every afternoon, I take the boys outside for some playtime.
Anyone who knows me will know that I rarely go anywhere without a frisbee - Kenya is no exception. We found a couple of cheap soccer balls in Nairobi, so we can not only play in the air, but on the ground.

Thursday was not exception. We try to play outside for at least an hour.
We all feel better after we move a bit.


Forest runs to make the catch!

It is a real challange to have a frisbee tossed to you while you are trying to take a shot.
(I did catch the frisbee, Nice throw, River!)

Forest prepares to make me chase down another ball...

River's fancy footwork.
We try to not only pass the ball, but to concentrate on trying to use our left feet as much as possible.
That way, the less dominate leg and foot can get better.

One Month Down

We've been here a month!

We have settled into a daily routine:

• Toni gets up and readies herself.
• I get up sometime after she does (usually about 0800) and fix breakfast for the boys.
• Toni leaves before mid-morning to take matatu to the organization or location where she will do her research.
• The boys play during the morning while I do research, blog, do housework, laundry, dishes, etc.
• After I fix lunch for the boys, we go outside in the afternoon to play ball and frisbee.
• Later in the afternoon, Toni arrives home.
• I prepare dinner and we eat at the table about 1800 (6:00p).
• We enjoy each others' company in the evening, Toni reads some in a Harry Potter book, perhaps some TV.
• The boys go to bed.
• Toni and I retire near midnight.

Toni discovered that on Tuesdays, the local Pizza Inn restaurant runs a Buy-one-get-one special, so we have pizza on Tuesdays when she gets back early enough to pick it up.

We try to go out, at least, every other weekend to see some of Nairobi.

We, also, walk to the store once or twice a week for groceries and to get out.

We have settled into a life here in Nairobi.

26 Things in Kenya

Inspired by ...


I noticed, a little late, that the new list of 26 Things was posted. The list officially closed on 1 June, but I decided to try a "26 Things" list for Kenya.

Here are the things I will try to find:

1. keys
2. dance
3. fold
4. soft
5. tangle
6. panoramic
7. truck
8. sparkle
9. nose
10. round
11. currency
12. electronic
13. large
14. fake
15. stop
16. feast
17. multicoloured
18. before
19. after
20. landmark
21. from the hip
22. front page
23. a difference
24. telephone
25. the number 9
26. sticky

Keep watching.... Let's see how we do.

Happy Solstice

... well Winter Solstice, anyway.

I was surprised to learn that, even though Nairobi sits several kilometers South of Equator, Winter definitely shows itself here. The altitude of Nairobi is approximately that of Denver. It is the altitude of the city that grants it seasonal changes.

Because we are in the Southern Hemisphere (barely), what would normally be the Summer Solstice back home is the Winter Solstice here.

Winter here is marked by overcast skies and because of the lack of sun, cooler temperatures. The rains normally come in late Summer to early Autumn (March - May), but this year the rains came late and have caused some flooding around the city. Winter is normally a drier season with light rains returning in the Spring.

Winter in Nairobi promises to be cool, cloudy, and dreary.

For us, this year is the Year without a Summer.....

Last swim before Winter

Back home, this would be as normal as temperatures spiking into the 90s, but we are not at home... We are 8000 miles from home.

The day was sunny after several cloudy ones. The weather was warm, even though the Winter Solstice was 2 days away.
The boys felt the pool and said that it would be fine, so I gave in - not knowing when they would have another opportunity.


River showing off his style.

Forest is more traditional with his cannonball.

After only 30 minutes in the water, the boys emerged shivering.

Some time dozing by the pool to warm up and dry off is the perfect end to our swim day

We hope you have as much fun as we are!

Scaffolding - Kenyan Style

Toni had told me about the scaffolding used in Nairobi when building or repairing a building. Here is an example...

It is really nothing more than bits of wood or branches, sometimes bamboo, lashed together with rope. Workers use nothing more than this when working on the outside of buildings.

Remarkable.

Out and About: Uhuru Park

Today, after the Snake Park, we went to walk around for a while in Uhuru Park. The park sits adjacent to the downtown area of Nairobi, so many people walk through it during the day. Some take a break there or even a nap. It is a beautiful place.

Out and About: National Park

Today, we went to visit the National Museum, only to find out that it is being renovated. We hope it will be open before we leave in Mid-October. While at National Park, we walked through the "Snake Park" {shivver}.

Traditional Hut Construction

The sign says it all.....

My favorite animals in the park were the turtles. Our guide picked up one of the small ones so we could get a better look.

Despite the subject matter (snakes, yuck), it was a good visit.

Swimming

Yesterday and Today the sun was out, so we let the boys go swimming.
They had a blast, even though the water was C-O-L-D.

It will take another couple of days of sun before I will brave that water....

Journaling

In addition to my blogging, I am keeping a journal of our experiences. Toni, Forest and River are each keeping their own journals of our adventures.