The sun is shining on this lovely March day in Nairobi–a rare occasion lately, as we have had seemingly nonstop rain for the past 10 or 12 days. But the rain has restored the color green to nature’s palette and the sun is being photosynthesized by a legion of happy plants cranking out rich, luscious oxygen by the bucketload. Continue reading “For the Birds”
Driving in Kenya is a very interesting experience. In theory, I won’t have to take the driving exam to get my Kenyan license, as I hold a valid US license and an international driving license from AAA. But if I did, here’s what I imagine would be on the exam. This is just a taste of what I deal with on my 15 minute commute in the morning. Continue reading “Just a peaceful Sunday drive”
The human species is incredibly adaptive. We have exploited essentially every ecological niche thanks to our large brains and tool-making abilities. In colonizing various habitats, humans have shown remarkable resiliency to a variety of climates, from hot and wet tropical forests to the cold arctic tundra and everything in between. Continue reading “A Nice Climate is Good to Have”
Jake ran, his feet treading on a soft cushion of dew-covered grass, down a narrow goat path bordered by heavily pruned pencil cedar trees. Ahead, clad as always in his worn gray suit coat and pants, Mzee Kang’ethe outpaced Jake, easily widening the distance between them. Kang’ethe was 72 years old and smoked 2 packs of Sportsman cigarettes every day. Jake was exactly fifty years younger and had never smoked in his life, yet he struggled to keep up with the older man. Continue reading “Kang’ethe and the Matatu”
2011 was also a big year for travel. I started in Kenya, attending my brother-in-law’s college graduation and visiting in-laws. I then continued flew to Yaounde, Cameroon via Kigali. From Yaounde, I drove with coworkers across eastern Cameroon to the forest of southeast Cameroon, and ultimately across the Sangha River by boat to visit Bayanga and the Dzanga Sangha Protected Area Complex, where I saw lowland gorillas in the wild for the first time. I will break this up into multiple parts because I have many photos from these trips. Continue reading “10 Years, 28 Countries: 2011. Part 1”
Time for the next installment of the photographic tour of ten years with my job. In 2010 I traveled a lot, visiting Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique in one trip and then going to Namibia twice, in February and July. I’m going to break this into two segments because I have a lot of pics from those trips. Continue reading “10 YEARS, 28 COUNTRIES: 2010. Part 1”
Okay fans, this is the long awaited next segment of For Tomorrow. This isn’t a full chapter, just a short but necessary scene.
Remember to read the previous chapters 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.
Fueled by adrenaline, Jake pushed his old Jeep to the limit for the first ten miles after the diner incident. When no motorcycle headlights appeared in his rear-view mirror he finally slowed down and breathed a sigh of relief. Old country songs on the scratchy AM radio kept him company as the miles rolled by. Continue reading “Chapter 8: Bombshells”
2007 was a transition year. I switched from working on Asian species conservation to African species conservation. I began the year with a trip to India and Nepal and ended it with trips to Tanzania and Kenya.
This month marks my 10th anniversary at my job, and I have been very fortunate to have traveled extensively throughout Asia and Africa over those 10 years. I’m going to photographically document some of those travels here, starting with the first trips I took in early 2005. Work related travel in 2005 took me to Cambodia, Indonesia, South Africa, Kenya and India, with layovers in Bangkok and Tokyo. I had a very cheap low resolution camera back in those days, so apologies for the poor resolution of these earlier pics.
Next installment of “For Tomorrow.” This is another flashback to Jake and Wakesho’s days in Kenya.
Remember to read the previous chapters 1,2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. All characters are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, alive or dead, is purely coincidental.
“Can’t you have one of your girlfriends do this?” Jake complained, shaking his hands to try to restore feeling to his fingertips.
“They all want money. Or they say they’re too busy. Besides, I like the way you do it, you’re very gentle,” Wakesho said.
She was sitting on the floor on a foam cushion from Jake’s sofa with her head between Jake’s knees as Jake sat on a stool from his kitchen. They were on the front porch of Jake’s house facing the ocean, watching the tide come in. Continue reading “Chapter 7: Extensions”
Upscale Shack 