A tired puppy is a happy puppy!

Kodi is almost a year old. An essential part of every one of our days is our never ending effort to wear out the puppy. Some days we do better than others. Today was a good day.

5th Grade Graduation - off to Middle School

Charlotte is off to Middle School in the fall. Where has the time gone?

Charlotte with her 5th grade teacher Ms. Aman

Friends -- Siboney, Charlotte, Leah and Paula

5th Grade Exhibition

The 5th grade class, as a culmination of all they have learned, prepared a self-guided research/community service project to finish out the year. Charlotte and her teammates chose to learn about and help animals. Charlotte's project focused on working animals. The community service project for the team focused on raising money for and spending time at an animal sanctuary in Harare called the Friend Foundation. The kids had bake sales to raise money and volunteered at the Foundation walking the dogs, socializing the puppies and playing with the kittens. All were moved by the plight of unwanted animals and vowed to continue their work with the Foundation.

Poinsettias in May

May here in the Southern Hemisphere heralds in winter much as November does in the Northern Hemisphere. Sweatshirts and fleece are coming out of closets as the mornings have a distinct chill in the air. Daytime temperatures are still reaching well into the upper 70's, which is lovely, but without that long hot day upon you feeling. Throughout this first year in Zimbabwe I have paid particular attention to the plants, some familiar as there are many of the same plants I grew up with in California, jade plants, bird of paradise, avocado trees, bottlebrush trees and many that I recognize but don't know their names. Our garden is one of my my favorite things here in Zimbabwe, there is something new to discover every time you take a look. Here are some of the more interesting plants in the garden.

I know, this isn't a plant, it's a locust and they ate a tree near our vehicle gate.
I love these! They feel rubbery to touch.
This is a poinsettia, I have never seen one with such small flowers. I call it the snowball tree.

3-7 April 2010 - Vilanculos Mozambique

Just what the doctor ordered... sun, sand and surf. Our holiday in Mozambique was fantastic, a wonderful hotel, great food, lovely weather and plenty of time on the beach, we were all overjoyed to be basking in the Indian Ocean. We will most certainly return!

2/3 April 2010 - Mutare Zimbabwe, The White Horse Inn

For the first night of our adventure to Mozambique we opted to stay overnight in Mutare, 3 hours east of Harare, at the White Horse Inn. A tired place that had obviously seen better days, but it was clean and available. What the rooms lacked in just about everything, the gardens and surround more than made up for it. Dinner was excellent, we all had the wildebeest and were not disappointed. The Vumba area of Zimbabwe is just beautiful, soft mountains, misty hills and lush lush greenery. We will have to come back to the area for more in depth exploration.

April 2, 2010 Orange Belt Test with the Grandmaster

Today Lucas was evaluated for his orange belt by the visiting 10th degree black belt Grandmaster, Santanu Srinivasan. Check out more about his visit at http://allafrica.com/stories/201004010478.html. Lucas spent two sessions with the Grandmaster along with other Karate students here in Harare. Day one was a two hour training session that left all the kids wonderfully spent. The next day was the belt evaluation. Lucas nailed his requirements and the Grandmaster told him he had been awarded his orange belt. Quite an experience for such a young Karate student.