We hit the road first thing and headed to Kruger National Park. When we got to the park, we decided to do a quick game drive in the truck (we would have to stay on the paved roads). We saw buffalo, impalas, zebras and giraffes and got geared up for the following day’s safari we had booked.

We got to camp, pitched our two room suite (we pitched one tent to hold all of our stuff and the other to all sleep in since none of the three of us were brave enough to sleep alone). We had some wine and dinner by the campfire and played a game “Two Truths and a Lie” to get to know each other a bit. The American girls then headed to bed since we were scheduled to leave on safari at 5 a.m.

Our tent was near an electric fence to keep out the animals. As we were stumbling to our tent in the pitch black, we panicked because the fence started sparking. Oh no, what animal was trying to get over? We shined our lights on the fence and realized the fence was just sparking, no animals. As we tried to let this make us feel better, we asked each other “Wait, is that better?”

In the middle of the night it started to rain. We had been told there might be some showers but those were forecasted to end mid morning (bold statement based on nothing). So we headed off in rain gear on our safari. It rained off and on all morning but we saw some amazing things. I think the most unique thing we saw that morning was the pack of wild dogs. There are only 300 in the entire park (which is the size of Israel) and we saw dozens. We thought it was just a couple by the road but when the “top dog” became spooked and stood up, a PACK of wild dogs emerged from the woods. As we left lunch, it was POURING and so WINDY. We were still yet to see a lion or an elephant. And this gets less likely as the day goes on. But the crazy weather had the animals all confused so first we spotted elephants including a little baby elephant and THEN a male lion who was not that far from us hunting a herd of buffalo. All in all despite the crazy weather, we had an amazing day on safari.

We returned to camp to find our campsite essentially a river. Everything was soaked. Everyone sought refuge on the truck to hang out. This is the night that led the American girls to learn the word upgrade and we never looked back. We were scheduled to hit the road for Mozambique the next morning and as the three of us were rolling up a muddy wet tent while standing in a river of water, I was pretty positive you couldn’t pay me to sleep in that tent ever again.

Some pictures from the safari…..

The other girls had rolled into the hotel late. I’m not going to lie to you. I have never been so excited to see other people. This was not an adventure I was about to embark on alone and for anyone that knows Kerry, being on time isn’t really her strong suit. She’s more of a fly by the seat of her pants, moment to moment type girl. So I spent most of my flight assuming they would miss their puddle jumper to J’berg and I would be about to head out into the wild alone ?.

The plan was to leave promptly at 7 so we were up early and ready to hit the road. And as the group gathered around the truck, the guides yelled from under the hood “We’ll hit the road as soon as we get the truck fixed.”

Oy.

And then while we were waiting one of the guides read the rules of the trip. One of which was “No whinging”…..which apparently is the S. African equivalent of “No whining”. Only funny because one of the later rules stated there would no cheese served with our whine. Of course when the guide read it he pronounced it whinging and then proceeded to ask if we got the joke…….um, do you???

Finally we all climbed on the truck and we were off. There were 19 of us (16 tourists, a head guide ill with malaria-Hendricks, his brother Yan- the driver and a third guide in training-James. We were the only Americans on the trip along with 4 guys from New Zealand, 4 girls from Norway, a gypsy who worked aboard cruise ships and spent the rest of the year on the road, a couple of single travelers from Australia and New Zealand and then a couple from the U.K. who were just a couple of weeks into a year long trip around the world. They were my favorites (Matt and Nic) and I really hope we get to see them when their travels bring them to the U.S later this year.

First stop- a mall to pick up supplies “munchies and crunchies”. Next up was what I like to call mall camping as they decided we would set up and make lunch next to the truck in the mall parking lot. Tomato, cucumber and kraft single sandwiches ?. With mayo. (Seriously this country liked mayo like no other. Their mayo aisle in the grocery store is the equivalent size of the cold cereal aisle in the states). Makes perfect sense in hot warm climate with limited refrigeration.

At this point I think we were all wondering what the next 12 days had in store. Finally we hit the road and headed off to Blyde River Canyon. When we got there, the trip started becoming more of what I expected. We all unpacked and set up our tents at this cute campsite with monkeys running around trying to steal our stuff. We left camp to head out on a hike to watch sunset. We didn’t actually know which way to head although up the mountain seemed the way to go. As we walked on, we passed 4 men with machine guys draped on their backs. Kerry assured me they were just security (bold statement based on nothing). It started to get dark and we started to go downhill. I asked Kerry if she thought we should turn around. It’s dark, we don’t know where we going, there were no signs, etc. etc. She assured me it was just ahead (bold statement based on nothing).

And so glad we listened to her. Because moments later we were standing overlooking sunset at Blyde River Canyon. The pictures can’t even begin to do it justice. It was nothing short of amazing. We were all immediately in our happy places. We headed back to camp where hot dinner was waiting and then even better….hot showers. We then went to bed and slept great under the African stars. Turns out camping in Africa was going to be amazing.

The rules of the trip and the guides “just fixing the truck.”

The Potholes formed where two rivers meet.

Hiking to God’s Window

Three Sisters Canyon.

I wasn’t going to go.  The timing wasn’t great and I reluctantly decided that I would have to catch them for the next trip.  Then they sent me the itinerary for the trip they booked.  South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland.  Big game safari in Kruger National Park.   Camping in the Milwane Wildlife Sanctuary.  Boat cruises and game driving in Zululand.  Hiking and snorkeling at a world heritage site.  I was so intrigued.   I had to go right??  And then I kept reading the detailed itinerary and we were going to really be roughing it.  Camping most nights, “simple hotels” and hostels the other nights.  Chipping in to cook meals.  It was made clear that showers would be a luxury and hot showers even more so.  And we would travel in an overland vehicle in a group.  I hesitated.  I have become accustomed to vacations of the non-camping variety and this girl likes to start each day with a shower…a warm one.  But I did it.  I signed up and was booked on what was sure to be an adventure to remember.

Turns out the other girls hadn’t done a ton of research into the type of trip we were headed out on.  And by a ton, I mean they didn’t do any.   Vaccinations and visas we needed were all news to them when I mentioned them.  And it wasn’t until a couple of weeks before we left that they actually read the itinerary “Wow we’re really roughing it huh??”  But this type of innocent ignorance is what led to two weeks of non stop laughing as we braved our African adventure.

But we headed off to meet up in Johannesburg (the other two via Detroit).  I was greeted at the airport by the shuttle from the first “simple hotel” we were staying at. The guide was super friendly and had a ton of energy and asked if I minded if we made a quick stop first.

Me:  “Sure.  Where?”

Shuttle Driver:  “To the hospital….I have to pick up your tour guide.  He has the malaria. “

And the adventure had begun………

Here’s a pic of the first hotel room.  This was  a really nice surprise to arrive to after traveling for 24 hours.  Unfortunately they did not save the best for last.

My travel companions….. Jaime a.k.a. Ranger Bert. She got her name because after day 2 of the trip she wore her hair in a bun on the top of her head and we noted one night that her silhouette could second as Bert’s


Ranger Bob a.k.a Kerry got her name because if we sat still for 10 minutes she would immediately fall asleep and her head would bob…..and bob and bob and bob and bob….at times we thought it was going to bob right off. Kerry also fully embraced her Ranger persona. See image on the right. She also became known for her bold statements based on nothing (stay tuned for most posts).

I was named Ranger Lorraine because one of our tour guides called me that for the entire trip. Even though he had a sheet with our names on it. Here’s a shot of two of our tour guides getting their pic taken at the Three Sisters because they had never seen it before. I mean, why would they have? They were just the tour guides. Leading the group. Turns out we were “flying blind” for much of our tour.

I can’t believe little K is already five. It really does not seem that long ago that we raced to the hospital to see her bright wide eyes and full head of hair and completely fell in love with her. It’s fun she’s getting older because there is nothing better than a conversation with that sweet little voice. Especially the ones that start with “Remember when I was little and…..” As if her being little was so long ago.

We had a little family birthday party for her last Sunday and it was one of the first beautiful spring weekends so we spent the day outside. I got to see her and her brother enjoy their new swingset we had given them for Christmas and I THINK they like it .

Happy Birthday to my favorite little girl.

My friends recently had a baby girl and last weekend she joined us for her first ladies lunch. The weather was perfect to grill out on the deck and Baby K totally pulled off being the center of the attention. She is so adorable and makes these most perfect little girl noises. We snagged a few quick pictures while she was here. I had to break the news to her that most of our visits together will probably involve a camera .

Is this not the face of someone who is LOVING ladies lunch???

I met Baby L when she was just six weeks old and I can’t get enough of this sweet little face. Baby L was also the first baby born in their town in the year 2012 so came into the world a little bit famous with her picture in the paper. She is also the first granddaughter in the family and has a closet that any girl would be jealous of. I mean, she has an accessories drawer. Not only is this girl going to be showered with love, she’s going to look good while it happens.

Already looking forward to you sitting up so we can do our six month shoot. Welcome to world Baby L.

When Heather and Jesse were planning their wedding for the last weekend of October in Connecticut, I’m sure neither even considered their wedding could be snowed out. It’s October, the perfect time of year for foliage and a chance for a mild fall day. But not this year.

On the night before their wedding, more than a foot of snow fell in Danbury, CT. Because the leaves were still yet to fall from the trees, the snow stuck to the leaves and the weight of it all led to branches, limbs and full trees snapping left and right. There were trees down everywhere. Across roads, across buildings and across power lines. Power was knocked out to most of the area and stayed out for close to a week.

On the morning of their wedding, they found out their planned venue had no power, no generator and no back up plan. Most people would go into full panic mode. Heather and Jesse were the exact opposite. They were completely calm throwing their hands up knowing there was nothing they could do except not let it ruin their day. All they cared about was that they no matter what they would end that day as a married couple.

When I arrived at the hotel there was a list on the coffee table for what they would need to host a pizza party reception. A nearby church offered to host their reception in their church hall which had a generator. Calls to a local restaurant led to them pulling together a wedding dinner from what they had in their freezers. The original venue was able to send their linens, staff and bar to the church and within a few hours the hard work of their friends and family pulled together a very fun wedding.

During dinner, a meatball soaked in italian sauce popped off the bride’s plate and rolled down the front of her wedding dress. Again, Heather did not panic. She simply wiped off what she could and headed out to the dance floor. Congratulations to Heather and Jesse. I know you guys will have a long and happy marriage if you can deal with everything as well as you dealt with the hand you were dealt on your wedding day.

I met Baby K when she was two weeks old. And she did not want to miss a moment of her photo shoot. She was the most wide awake and alert 2 week old. She just wanted to hang out with us. Mom was finally able to work some magic so we could get a few shots of her sleeping as well. I cannot get enough of this cute little face. Looking forward to another shoot with Baby K this weekend.

I met E & G when they were just 3 and 5 when we did pictures in their yard. I fell in love with them during our first shoot because they were complete hams for the camera. I have been lucky enough to shoot them several times since then. Now 5 and 7, they just welcomed a new baby brother into the world. This little guy is going to be smothered with love. They were so sweet with him and as you can see he’s one happy little guy.

Here’s a sneak peek…

A few years ago a few of us headed up to Sugarloaf for a long ski weekend. We headed up in a snowstorm so the usual 4 hour trip turned into more than twice that. When we finally arrived exhausted, we gathered around for a board game night.

First game up was Catch Phrase. If you have never played, it is essentially the $10,000 Pyramid game show hot potato style. There is a disk that acts as a timer and displays one word in a window. You can say pretty much anything to get your team to guess that word so you can pass it along to the next team. If the buzzer goes off while you are still holding the disk, your team loses. The rules on giving clues are such that you are allowed to make any physical gesture and almost any verbal clue. It is however, against the Catch Phrase rules to say a word that rhymes, give the first letter or say part of the guessing word. ANY physical gesture AND almost ANY verbal clue EXCEPT a word that rhymes or say part of the guessing word……and these are the words chosen by my friend Jen when it’s her turn to get her team guessing…. in a sing song fashion….”Blankle Blankle Little Star”. We all stare at her. Clearly the word can’t be twinkle. Can it? No. The real clue must be coming. Nope. Answer = Twinkle. Needless to say we lost the point.

A few weeks ago Jen and her husband had their first baby. A beautiful baby girl whose first lullaby will no doubt be Blankle Blankle Little Star. Here are a few shots from her first photo shoot.