moonshine (the celestial kind)

I was going to write about our excavations, but I had to change topics after the spectacular moonrise we had this evening. It's a full moon tonight (or nearly so), and early this evening this soft glowing orange orb was visible just above the horizon after sunset, rising ever higher, and becoming ever brighter, into the starry night sky. There is nothing like watching a moonrise in the African bush. I would have taken a picture of it after it rose, but I don't have the photographic expertise - here's one I took of the full moonrise last year. Last night, the moon was so bright that when I got up in the middle of the night to pee (a sign I'm keeping well hydrated!), it was casting shadows everywhere, and I didn't even need my flashlight. It's perfectly gorgeous.

The moon isn't the only gorgeous thing here - beauty can be found growing delicately among the rocks,

or singing a song in the trees, in the form of a colorful red and yellow barbet.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Hiya, it's Rob here! My stripydonkey addresses are all up the spout at the moment so I've only just found your message, but it's good to have this chance to catch up on your adventures. I'll comment some more when I've had a chance to read some more :)

I'm at CCF full-time now, and still loving every moment. Will post more on that sometime soon - hopefully. It's real busy, seemingly all the time!

Speak soon.

xx

July 19, 2008 at 9:59 AM

SafariBriana said…

Hey Rob! I've been following your Namibian adventures - sounds great. Keep in touch.

July 27, 2008 at 12:57 AM

D minus a week and a day

I'm leaving for my annual migration to Kenya soon, just like the wildebeest.... well, only there's a few million less of me than there are of them. Also, I'd like to think I run in a few less circles than they do, given that they spend their year basically making a big circle between Kenya and Tanzania in the Serengeti/Mara ecosystem (though that's debatable!). I'm going through my usual 'I'm leaving soon' routine: getting together with friends who want to spend a little time before I leave for a few months; making sure I can take care of all my (as my fab friend Fire calls it) "personal admin" online while I'm gone - banking, paying utilities, etc.; adding things to the duffel bag I keep stocked during the rest of the year with my 'going to Kenya' things. It's always hectic, and no matter how well I plan - and those of you who know me know I plan! - there's always a lot to do at the last minute. So it's D (departure) mi...

bones and animals

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99 transects for bones in the bush, 99 transects for bones…

(sing the title of this blog post to the tune of 99 bottles of beer on the wall) We completed our 99th transect this morning – and then our 100th! It was a momentous occasion. I started doing bone transects here on my own in 2003, and while I always envisioned this as a long-term research project, it’s exciting to see it really happening. Team photo after our 100th transect today - Fire, me, Isaack, and Kari (Ella was in camp not feeling well) Ella, Fire, and Kari looking at and measuring bones in a bush transect Fire and Kari walking around a small muddy water puddle Ella and Fire getting ready for a transect Our vehicle with "gari ya mifupa" (which means "bones car" in Kiswahili) written in the dirt on the back door Ella, Fire, and Kari hard at work Kari still drinks a can of Coke at the turnaround point on every transect Ella and Isaack with their weapons of choice, a giraffe radius and a rifle Kari asking Fire ...

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