(Bye bye rain. Oh, and while I am using parentheses, my new spring classes are up! Check them out and I really hope to see you! And another thing, the winner of the Bialetti pan is Jentry! She loves her Le Creuset Dutch oven.)
Every October, Randy and I go to a most amazing auction for the Boyer Clinic. It is a cause very near and dear to our hearts. Graham did preschool and his very first round of speech therapy at Boyer and it was a beacon of light during a very dark and confusing time for us.
Because we had such an amazing experience there, we have continued to support them in multiple ways. We attend the auction, we donate to the auction, we ask friends to donate to the auction, and Randy is on the board at Boyer. An event like this auction is something we don’t often experience in Seattle. People dressed to the nines in a lovely room bidding on amazing items. Seattle is a city that is casual to a fault, so this auction feels extra fancy.
We have been going for many years and something that is always donated is a safari in South Africa. In October of 2010, that trip came up in the live auction, and Randy starting raising his paddle.
Now, this was shocking to me. We had not discussed it beforehand. Usually we have a little pow wow before the live auction begins where we talk about things we are interested in buying. We decide on what items and how much we are willing to spend. It almost always happens that the bidding goes out of our reach very quickly. But there we were. Trip to South Africa on the line, Randy raising his paddle, and me asking him, “Are you f***ing crazy?” Everyone at our table was egging us on, promising to watch our children for us, until whatever imaginary number Randy had in his head came and went and he put his paddle down. That was when the auctioneer came over to us and asked the magic question, “If we can get you another trip for your top bid price, would you take it?” And Randy, again without consulting me, nodded his head yes. I was simultaneously horrified and exhilarated.
And so, we are going to Africa. Today. It has been a long time in the planning. Soon after the auction, we bought our plane tickets and also secured multiple people to help watch the boys while we are gone. (Yes, we thought about bringing them. But ultimately decided that they are too young and it is too far for them to appreciate at this time.) And then we kind of forgot about it. I would look at the calendar periodically for some far off date and think to myself, “Wow, I am going to be in South Africa in March of 2012.”
And here it is. We fly out tonight and have a stop in London. We arrive in Capetown the morning of March 15th. We spend five days there and then board another plane to take us to Durban. From there we have a 4 hour car ride to a game park where we will spend the next six days. Considering we are flying to the country that is as far from Seattle as you can get, and considering we are spending a small fortune for this trip, I know very little about what we are doing.
I know there will be a day trip down to the Cape of Good Hope and another day trip to the wine country near Capetown. I know, once we get to the safari part of the trip, there will be elephants, lions, and giraffes. And many other animals. At least I hope there will be. I know there will be an optional trip to Victoria Falls. And that’s about it. I know I have some new camera equipment and I hope to take a million bazillion good photos, and I hope my kids are all right without us. I’m feeling a bit (a lot) guilty about leaving them here without us.
So, I have one food post waiting in the wings. And I hope to be able to eek out another post while we are in Capetown. I also hope to be able to upload photos to my Flickr account, but we shall see. It might be that you don’t hear from me again until early April. In that case, I’m sure I will have some stories to tell.
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Have so much fun!
Comment by Jess — March 13, 2012 @ 9:55 pm
Have a wonderful trip, Dana! I can not WAIT to hear all about it!!
Comment by Ashley — March 13, 2012 @ 10:12 pm
I grew up in South Africa – have a wonderful time! Enjoy the wine, the scenery and the animals. Oh the food – biltong, boerewors, melktert, braaivleis, I am jealous oh you are going to have such a good time – I look forward to your reports on your return.
Comment by GILLIAN — March 13, 2012 @ 11:56 pm
Dana you will have a wonderful time! We were in SA and Namibia in 2008 and loved it! Definitely go to Victoria Falls, and go over to the Zimbabwe side, the views are MUCH better. Take a million photos, eat some great food and drink some wonderful wine and have fun! And watch out for the baboons on the Cape!
Comment by Juliet — March 14, 2012 @ 12:25 am
Have a safe and beautiful time!
Comment by Toni — March 14, 2012 @ 12:53 am
have a fabulous time! What a great trip for you and randy, especially since it wasn’t “planned”. Your boys will miss you but be fine, enjoy yourself! Can’t wait to hear about it.
Comment by sara — March 14, 2012 @ 1:08 am
It’ll be a fun as well as a learning/growing experience. Enjoy!
Comment by Nisrine M. — March 14, 2012 @ 1:13 am
Go and come back safely my friend.
Enjoy!
Comment by stacey snacks — March 14, 2012 @ 2:37 am
Wow! What a wonderful opportunity. Enjoy and can’t wait to see the pictures and hear about your adventures.
Comment by Kate — March 14, 2012 @ 3:23 am
What an amazing trip you will have! So many memories. I often read blogs from South Africa and see beautiful photos of the coastline.
Comment by bellini — March 14, 2012 @ 3:42 am
Have a wonderful time! You’ll miss your boys and they will miss you but what an opportunity. Can’t wait to see your pictures!
Comment by Charlotte — March 14, 2012 @ 3:53 am
you are going to have SUCH an amazing time. i went on a trip to africa right after i graduated college back in ’98. we climbed kilimanjaro, visted orphanages, and did a safari, and that trip holds some of my favorite memories EVER in my life! you can’t take too many pictures! snap snap snap snap! in addition to the elephants, lions, and giraffes, you’ll also hopefully see cheetahs, zebra, rhinoceros, baboons, hyenas, and warthogs or “puumbas” as we liked to call them! i’m jealous! my goal is to go back when my girls are all old enough to remember the trip.
Comment by Meredith — March 14, 2012 @ 5:44 am
Bon voyage, Dana–have a wonderful time!
Comment by tea_austen — March 14, 2012 @ 6:18 am
I went to SA once and had an extraordinary time. Wish you all the best and maybe you´ll relax a lot and come back with no psoriasis! Have a safe and amazing trip.
Comment by Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes — March 14, 2012 @ 11:00 am
Go, Randy! What an amazing husband! Have the best time, Dana- can’t wit to hear all about it when you get back. xoxo
Comment by Clara — March 14, 2012 @ 12:32 pm
Have a fantastic trip! I am so excited for you and can’t wait to hear about it and see pictures!
Safe Travels!
Deborah
Comment by Deborah — March 14, 2012 @ 3:36 pm
This trip sounds amazing!! Have a wonderful time :)
Comment by Nicole — March 14, 2012 @ 6:03 pm
amazing! I can’t wait to hear about it… I went to Zambia several years ago and it was fantastic!
Comment by natalie (the sweets life) — March 14, 2012 @ 8:36 pm
I am SO excited for you!! Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Comment by Joanne — March 15, 2012 @ 12:23 am
Nice! I have always wanted to South Africa. (In fact we almost went there for our honeymoon). I hope you have fun and get some sun. Hopefully we can catch up when you get back. Work is finally staring to settle.
Comment by Kelly — March 15, 2012 @ 3:54 am