Spring is FINALLY here!

From blizzard to sunshine in less than one week. That's springtime in Utah. It was so cold and snowy we did an Easter craft instead of an Easter egg hunt. We even had Aunt Jenny in town for Easter. What Luck!  But a few short days later, the flowers are pushing up through the heretofore frozen ground and Papa Hugh is out in the yard trimming and raking. He will have our yard looking gorgeous soon. Gotta love him! And I do.

Check out the Family Pets

When Hugh and I got married, our family owned or were soon to own three dogs, one cat (who subsequently had 27 kittens), two rabbits, a boa constrictor, a monitor,and an iguana, just to name a few. I wonder if Hugh would let us bring home one of these?
Hey Grandkids---can you name all the animals?

Who is the Designer?

To quote President Monson, "If there is a design in this world, who is the designer?"

Who designed this sunrise? Who designed the trees so artistically outlining the colors of the sun? As an amatuer photographer, I took these photos from the bus window. With such an incredible designer in charge, it was impossible to take a less than perfect photo. We, too, are His design.

Isn't It Always the Children?

You travel to Africa to see the animals, but isn't it really about the children. There were so many heartwarming and heartbreaking images I couldn't capture, but here are a few I treasure.

Children in the mountaintop country of Lesotho. We drove 2.5 hours on a bumpy road with hairpin turns perched on high cliffs. Climate is too cold to grow much. Almost everything is imported over the dirt road. They raise mohair sheep for export. The average salary is $10 per month. The teenagers work as shepherds. These two tried to earn a bit of money by entertaining us with this "musical instrument." Begging is frowned upon. They must do something for money from the tourists.

A favorite little girl from Shakaland. When it was time for the group dance, she came into the audience of tourists and chose me by taking my hand and walking me to the "stage."

This one reminded me of Ella. A girl with Attitude!

Zambian Friends

Reminded me of Nelson doing his homework.

This boy caught my eye. He seemed to be the only child "playing." He had made a "car or bus" with this milk carton. The wheels are bottlecaps and he pushes it with a stick.

Ever had a lion smile at you?

We were lucky to see a number of lions while in Africa. I always pictured a wild lion as, well WILD! As we 4x4ed through the game parks, field glasses in hand, we searched and searched for animals. The BIG FIVE are the animals known in Africa as the five animals most difficult and dangerous to hunt. They are the Cape Buffalo, Rhino, Elephant, Leopard and Lion. Buffalo and Elephant are a dime a dozen. You see them everywhere. Rhino are a bit more difficult to spot, but we still saw plenty. When in Africa, you really want to see the CATS. Our group was lucky to see a number of lions. We found a mating pair sitting on the side of the road. They were accompanied by another female. They were just chillin' by the side of the road. One jeep in our group did see a lioness hunting which is also highly unusual. Another day we saw a large single male estimated to be about three-four years old sitting under a shade tree. These lions just sat and pretty much ignored us. There was even a herd of elephants that crossed the road right next to one of the male lions and he didn't flinch. Neither did they. I guess if you're not hungry, you get along with people. (Maybe that is a message we should take to the World Leaders.) Check out my photo of the Smiling Lion. (We never did see a leopard. Our guide indicated he sees one every 2-3 months and he is looking every day of the week.)

NOTE THE LION UNDER THE TREE IN THE BACKGROUND.

The Elephant leading the parade in front of the lion.

THE Smiling Lion

The Smiling Lion got bored and sauntered away.