Civilized

Shopping at Doris
North Palm Beach, FL
March 5, 2025

 Chris and I occasionally shop at a market that I consider to be very civilized. The store is Doris Italian Market & Bakery. 

Why, you might ask do I consider it civilized? Simple. The store has a huge wine selection, and not the normal grocery store stuff, but they allow customers to buy wine by the glass and enjoy it while shopping! Civilized!

The store also hosts a huge wine sale a couple times per year. In fact one is coming up this month and in addition to wine a late dinner can also be enjoyed. 

I look forward to heading off to Doris to shop. I know, "shop" is a four-letter word, but it is a lot better than other four-letter words that begin with "S" like snow or, well you get the idea. 

We went to Doris yesterday and while we did not actually purchase much, Chris and I had a very good time.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

And it Rambled

 I felt that it was my civic duty to listen to the President's address to the joint session of Congress last night. 

All of it, to the end. 

It was long--far too long. And rambling.

I was appalled to see a member of the Congress removed for doing the same thing that Marjorie Taylor Green did to President Biden during his last address. Where is evenness? 

I was saddened to see that the small-minded man with the frail ego who was speaking could not get over blaming everything on the last president, but took credit for some things the last president accomplished. 

And as for the economy--his blatant lies that he was handed a sack of feces are just not true, but it plays well to the bandwagon followers. 

It is politics after all. 

But my stomach turned when it was revealed that American citizenship could be bought! Really? People die to get here to become Americans the old-fashioned way--but rich people can just buy their way in? That is wrong!

And the confirmation that Musk is, in fact, in charge of DOGE was interesting considering the recent court case where the DOJ assured the court that he was not in charge. It is all very confusing and it is clear that no one can keep the story straight. 

But at least the news can keep the story straight. I usrge a reading of the Fact Check of last night's address. 

I am worried that someone so out of touch with truth and reality is trying to run the country. 

It all reminded me of an old joke: "How can you tell a politician is lying? Their lips are moving."

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, MD

Final Project Complete

 There never really is a final project, right? It is only the final project until the next project is defined. 

But, I am three for three. All three minor projects which were identified after our trip are now completed: 

The light unit on the veranda

The fill valves on the washer

The new shower head in the bath

Wow!

So I hesitate to even think about what's next. 

There is always something next, that is the spice of life. 

I think I heard something about safety bars in the guest bathroom. 

Time will tell. 

I did get out for a short 12-mile bike ride yesterday! It felt good. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Monday Musings - March 3, 2025

 

Old Washer Fill Valves
Tequesta, FL
March 2, 2025

Monday Musings is Back!

1. Overnight, it seems, March arrived and with it the promise of springtime. This is the first Monday of the month and there are 43 Mondays remaining in the year. 

2. I had success fixing a problem that has been nagging us for well over a year--the washer! IT was filling slowly--too slowly. I had taken the hoses off to ensure that they were clean and running freely and I cleaned the screens on the fill valves--but no joy. Yesterday, the new fill valves I ordered arrived and after about a 30 minute job they were installed and, amazingly, the washer now works perfectly. A 27 minute cycle took 27 minutes and not the 1h12m cycle that I measured before we left on our trip. I can even hear the water rushing to fill the tub now! It was a $27 repair and saved about $1500 for a new washer/dryer pair.

3. It was different being an American in South Africa. Questions about politics came up often with the other people I met and I have to say that while I am a proud American, I am embarrassed by the un-American turn in our foreign policy. Many don't realize it, but South Africa has been in the president's sights as he tries to recruit white farmers to come to America because he believes they are being persecuted. One thing I took away from my visit was that while our elected leaders are turning away from diversity and inclusion--South Africa still embraces it and it is working for them. Take note.

4. Where are our elected representatives who support the freedom loving peoples of the world? How can we turn our backs on Ukraine? How can we suggest that Ukraine started the war? How could we vote with Russia on the U.N. resolution? We are seeing, people, the very definition of "high crimes and misdemeanors!"

5. Wouldn't we feel better if J.D. Vance's threats about Harris getting elected and $4 dozens of eggs came true? Look where we are now--and they fired all the researchers trying to stop the bird flu!

6. Today in History. On March 3, 1887, Anne Sullivan begins teaching six-year-old Helen Keller, who lost her sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age of 19 months. Under Sullivan’s tutelage, including her pioneering “touch teaching” techniques, Keller flourished, eventually graduating from college and becoming an international lecturer and activist. Sullivan, later dubbed “the miracle worker,” remained Keller’s interpreter and constant companion until the older woman’s death in 1936.

Sullivan, born in Massachusetts in 1866, had firsthand experience with being disabled: As a child, an infection impaired her vision. She then attended the Perkins Institution for the Blind where she learned the manual alphabet in order to communicate with a classmate who was deaf and blind. Eventually, Sullivan had several operations that improved her weakened eyesight.

Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, to Arthur Keller, a former Confederate army officer and newspaper publisher, and his wife Kate, of Tuscumbia, Alabama. As a baby, a brief illness, possibly scarlet fever or a form of bacterial meningitis, left Helen unable to see, hear or speak. She was considered a bright but spoiled and strong-willed child. Her parents eventually sought the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone and an authority on the deaf. He suggested the Kellers contact the Perkins Institution, which in turn recommended Anne Sullivan as a teacher.

UK, France propose partial one-month Ukraine truce - Reuters

Zelenskiy says he can salvage relationship with US - Reuters

Trump trade threats compound global ocean shipping uncertainty - Reuters

Israel says it will block Gaza humanitarian aid until Hamas agrees to new conditions - CNN

Pope Francis is in stable condition but ‘risk of crisis’ remains, Vatican sources say Mar 3, 2025 - CNN

‘They are harming ordinary people’: Trump’s funding cuts are taking a toll in North Carolina - CNN

Government shutdown looms as Trump tries to assert new spending powers - The Washington Post 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Back to the Real World

New Light Fixture on Veranda
Tequesta, FL
March 2, 2025

 I never left the real world, but there is definitely something different when on a trip. 

On coming home, however, the reality of life kinda hits me right in the face. 

Living in a 20+ year-old home means that things are starting to need repair. 

I knew the washer needed a new fill valve and it should be delivered today. If that doesn't fix its problem then a new washer/dryer combo is in the cards. More money. 

And then while we were away the veranda light decided that 20+ years of exposure to the elements was too much and it failed. Not a problem, I have already replaced the old, ugly, plastic contractor fixture with a new stylish one. 

But wait, there's more.

The shower in the owners suite needs replacing because it decided to leak like a sieve. It is only two years old, but I guess I didn't but a good enough one. So the new one is in the bathroom pending installation. It is not a great problem because it only leaks when it is in use. (get it?)

Welcome home. My homes have a way of penalizing me for being absent!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

South Africa - Reflections on the Trip

Mountains Adjoining Oldenburg Vineyard
Stellenbosch, ZA
February 13, 2025

 I am gonna bore everyone one last time as I reflect on the trip to South Africa. So much happened in the 17 days that I know I have not covered all of the highlights in what I have already written. So much was omitted in the interest of keeping the story interesting and of course I have so many more images to share. 

Ostrich
Cape of Good Hope, ZA
February 15, 2025

First off--I loved South Africa. The wine tour provided ma with a cross section of the Western Cape Province and then the safari provided some insight into the Gauteng (Johannesburg) and North West (Pilanesberg) Provinces.

What surprised me? 

Agriculture! Yes, in addition to the grape vines of the Western Cape Province, the fields of corn, wheat, and other crops in the northern provinces were really astounding. They reminded me of the expansive crop folds of the U.S. midwest. We even saw fields of sunflowers!

Waves Crashing on the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope, ZA
February 15, 2025

Abject poverty. There is a dark side to South Africa. An over 40 percent unemployment rate and the large townships of metal shacks that go one for miles where the unemployed live and die. I was told that it is possible to be born and live an entire life without ever leaving the townships. The government provides services, but seeing the townships reminded me that there is still much to do in South Africa and they are still overcoming their past.

Ships in Harbor
Kalk Bay, ZA
February 15, 2025
Photo by Mark Cronin

Stunning natural beauty. The mountains of both Western Cape and North West provinces provide a natural beauty and setting that is breathtaking. And then there is the coastline. The towns and villages along the coastline are every bit as beautiful as those along the U.S. Atlantic coast. And so, I guess you could say I was impressed with the diversity of the natural beauty from the ocean to the mountains, there always seemed to be something new to see and just enjoy. 

Looking Back at Cape Town and Table Mountain 
‎⁨Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve⁩, ⁨Cape Town⁩, ⁨
Western Cape⁩, ⁨South Africa⁩
From the Bus
February 16, 2025

Diversity. I know that diversity has become a bad word here in the U.S., but in South Africa that is how I would describe the people. And they seem to embrace diversity. There are, for instance, 12 official languages. Yup, 12! And they seem to be very OK with that. They are diverse and from diverse backgrounds--that is the model we used to have for the U.S., strength from diversity! Everyone is not the same, celebrate it.

Dessert
Springfontein Estate, Hermanus, ZA
February 17, 2025 

People. We met the greatest people in every place we visited. They were friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and just fun to be around. Whether English was their first or third language, they were understandable and did not care that we didn't speak IsiZulu of Afrikaans, or one of the other 9 official languages. They accepted us and we enjoyed meeting them. 

Protea Flower
Stellenbosch, ZA
February 17, 2025

Food. Wow! So the 10 day wine tour was accompanied by gourmet food--and it was. I enjoyed a widely diverse assortment of foods including antelope, seafood, and almost anything else imaginable. It was all enjoyable and, with only a couple exceptions, expertly prepared. There was a lamb dish that was so tough it could have been being prepared to be shoe leather.

Grapes
Glenwood Estate, Stellenbosch, ZA
February 18, 2025

Wines. How could I not mention the wines? This was one of my biggest misconceptions about South Africa. I knew of Pinotage, but I was not aware of the diversity of the wine industry in the country. They have all of the major varietals but are most proud of Pinotage and Chenin Blanc. And they do these wines very well. But, as we drove around Western Cape Province, the diversity of the wines became apparent and as we tasted over 100 different wines, I am pretty sure we got a fairly good cross-section of the quality--and it is excellent.

Impalas
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 24, 2024

Animals. And of course there are the animals. While wine dominated the tour, the animals became the stars once we mourned to Pilanesberg National Park for the safari. What is not to love about the animals. They were also present during the wine tour especially as we toured the Cape of Good Hope region and saw so many animals right from the start.

And so here are a few images of the trip to just enjoy.

Rhino in the Grass
Pilanesberg National Park
February 24, 2025

 

Zebras at Night
Pilanesberg National Park
February 24, 2025

Wildebeest at Night
Pilanesberg National Park
February 24, 2025

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Safari Day 3 - Morning Ride

Beginning our Last Safari Ride
Chris Riding Shotgun
Pilanesburg National Park, ZA
February 26, 2025

 This was the last safari ride of our journey. The morning safari ride began the journey home which lasted 40 hours. Ugh. I knew it was long but I had not computed it until now. 

Giraffes in the Morning
Pilanesburg National Park, ZA
February 26, 2025

Our final ride was primarily devoted to giraffes and elephants. We had started out heading to find a lion pride, but we came across so many giraffes and elephants that we just enjoyed watching them instead. 

We came across a journey of giraffes fairly soon after heading out. We were concerned that it was going be hard to find animals because we did not see any right from the start like previous rides. Chris had the honor of riding shotgun with the ranger and she has a great time. 

As we were completing our ride and heading for the lodge, we came upon our last animal sighting of the safari. It was a giraffe in the road way. I took a video of it as we came upon it and it moved off the road. 

Baby Elephant
Pilanesburg National Park, ZA
February 26, 2025

Elephant Browsing
Pilanesburg National Park, ZA
February 26, 2025

The exciting highlights of the day came when we happened into a herd of elephants. We had seen the herd earlier on the mountain but decided to they and find an elusive leopard. We spent some time listening to the baboons make warning calls presumably about the leopard, but never saw the leopard. We then book off the leopard search catch up with the elephants we had seen as they crossed the road.

Momma and Baby
Pilanesburg National Park, ZA
February 26, 2025

Chris had one female sniff her and then sneeze at her. It was pretty exciting. And then of course there were babies! The ranger noted that one of the small elephants we were watching was only about 3 months old. They were cure and there were many of them in this herd.

We spent probably half of our almost four-hour ride watching the elephants in this herd and then another grouping that we came upon as we were leaving the park. That is where the second exciting thing happened--we saw two bulls fight. It is somewhat scary when you realize how big they are and we are in a vehicle not too far away. 

The video is long, but I think worth watching. There are elephants doing all sorts of things including a fight between two bulls. 

And that was that. We had four safari rides into the park and we saw lots of animals. The rides were supposed to be three hours each, totaling 12 hours of animal watching, but our ranger was very generous and we had closer to 16 hours of safari animal watching over the three days! 

After the safari ride, we had to checkout of our room and begin the process of returning home. We were awakened at 4:15 AM South African time on Wednesday for the morning safari ride and did not finally make it home until the equivalent of 9 PM South African time on Thursday! Ugh! But more of that later. 

Oh, by the way, I have been up this morning since 2:30 AM, equivalent of 9:30 AM in South Africa! Adjusting to the 7-hour time change is going to be a process.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

#pilanesberg #safari

Safari Day 2 - Evening Ride

 

Giraffe on Afternoon Ride
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA 
February 25, 2025

The second evening safari ride was equally as exciting as the first, perhaps even more so because we knew what to expect. Our driver/ranger was very knowledgeable of animals and animal activity. 

White Rhino
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

At 4:30 PM we headed out into the park to find animals. We did not get very far before sighting giraffes a short 7 minutes into the ride. MY iPhone telephoto lens continues not to work and so I ditched my camera and started using Chris', which worked great. These giraffes were close to the lodge and we followed them for a bit before running into white rhinos.

It is truly amazing that the animals just appear without warning because of the tall brush and grass. We could be coming around a corner and find almost anything in the road. 

White Rhino
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

The rhinos were very photogenic and even posed for a nice picture. 

From there the ranger received word of a leopard on the move near our lodging and we headed back to try sighting it. This was the first of two failed attempts to find a leopard. We spent a while driving and stopping to listen for the leopard, but we were thwarted.

Zebra Road
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

As we headed deeper into the park we again found a journey of giraffes. We stopped for a while to enjoy them and we subsequently continued on eventually coming across a herd of zebras making use of the road.

And then, it happened. We spotted a lone bull elephant and thus began an afternoon of elephant sightings and watching. We were all excited because to date the only evidence we had seen to confirm that there were elephants in the area was the dung on the road. And there was a lot of elephant dung on the roadways. 

We passed the elephant and drove to spot a Cape Buffalo with the intent of returning for the elephant later. After driving over the incredibly rough roads, we arrived at the location where the Cape Buffalo was spotted, but it had already moved a long way up a hill. We were able to see the buffalo with binoculars, and let me tell you it was huge! But, there was no picture to be taken. 

Bull Elephant
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

Returning to the bull elephant, we found him and after watching him trudge for a while, the ranger knew where he was going to cross the road and so we drove away and staked out our spot. It was a thing of beauty. He was on a trail and we were positioned so as not to block the trail and yesterday be close to the elephant as he passed. 

Sunset over the Park
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

After our elephant encounter we drove off for happy hour and sighting hippos at dusk. We saw quite a few hippos out of the water, but they were a great distance away and the images were not great. Darkness fell while we enjoyed gin and tonics and then we began the nighttime portion of our safari.

Nighttime Bull Elephant
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

Our nighttime safari was equally as exciting as the night before. We spied white rhinos, a small chameleon, and a different bull elephant. We watched the elephant for a while before heading back to the lodge for dinner.

Wow! What a day!

We have one more ride to go. A morning ride on our day of departure. 

-- Bob Doan, Hartsfield-International Airport, Georgia

Safari Day 2 Morning Ride

Heading out before Dawn with High Intensity Light
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

 Who would have believed that getting up at 4:30 AM to be out on safari at 5:30 AM would be a thing? But it was. 

Big Cat on the Move
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

We headed out into the park bright and early, no, wait, it wasn't bright--it was dark and we could only just begin to see some color in the eastern sky as we rode out looking for big game. The ranger used his high intensity lamp to try and find game hidden in the bushes, trees, and under the trees. We did find an impala, but nothing else until after dawn and we could see without additional illumination.  

But after dawn, it did not take long before we encountered our first big cat, a lioness walking down the road towards us. We stopped and she continued her march unfazed by the people and the cameras. Yes, she has a tracking collar. It is part of the wildlife management that the park is doing. If you look closely you can see that she is a nursing mother. 

Lion cubs
Pilanesberg National Park, ZA
February 25, 2025

From this stop, we heard that there was a group of cubs under a tree near the road and headed off to find them. There were three cubs when we arrived, but one of the cubs decided to wander off towards their mother, who was keeping a watchful eye on them and us from a distance.  

I was amazed, and this was not the first time today that it happened, how many safari trucks show up when a significant animal is found. There must have been 10 trucks all vying to see the cubs at play. I can't even imagine the number of images and videos that were taken of the two this morning. We stayed for a long while and then departed to give other tours the opportunity to get closer and enjoy nature at play.

Leopard
Pilanesberg National Park
February 25, 2025

Next up was the search for the leopard! Yes, one was on the move and we headed off across the park to find it. The early word was that they had lost sight of her, but by the time we got close, it was clear that she was generating a lot of activity. Along the way we saw herds of impala and wildebeest. Turns out, the leopard was hunting and one of the impala's became dinner. We found her in a tree eating her fresh kill. Fortunately she was far enough away that I did not try to take a photograph of the carnage.

Giraffe 
Pilanesberg National Park
February 25, 2025

As the day continued to deepen we were excited to see zebras and giraffes.

Each new animal increased our excitement and we soon realized that this was far more of an experience than either of us had dreamed it would be. 

But there was even more to come and this was only our second of four rides into the park.

Zebras
Pilanesberg National Park
February 25, 2025

-- Bob Doan, Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa

The Safari

4 yo Male Lion at Night
Pilanesberg Nature Reserve
February 24, 2025

 The final portion of our South African trip has arrived. We successfully completed on of four planned safari rides last evening and arrived back at the lodge exhausted. 

White Rhinos
Pilanesberg Nature Reserve
February 24, 2025 

The ride was a wild success. We saw White Rhinos, a Black Rhino, Impalas, Wildebeest, some Hippos playing in the water, birds, giraffes in the distance, zebras, some other antelope breeds and we actually saw a lion. The lion was something that Chris dearly wanted to see and I am happy that the last sighting of the night was the lion imaged here.

Impala Crossing
Pilanesberg Nature Reserve
February 24, 2025

We departed the lodge at 4:30 PM and arrived back at about 9 PM. All of the rides are scheduled for three hours, but more if hunting is good. Of course, we are hunting with a camera.

The area has been blessed with rain of late and it is very green. There is water still standing in many places on the trails and the animals are very active. We saw many herds of Impalas, but one of them was huge with maybe 100 animals all told. 

Today we have two rides, one at 5:30 AM in the morning and another 4:30 PM ride until after dark.

We are hoping for some close-up time with giraffes and hippos. And who knows what other animals we may see. We were told that seeing a Black Rhino was rare--but we saw one. 

-- Bob Doan, Pilanesberg Nature Reserve, South Africa