In those eyes

Your voice comes to me from afar
   floating away
through the cotton of my mind.
Black vibrations that I drift from.

"Are you alright?" I hear muffled
  over and over again.

Where am I?
With floor cool to the cheek
I want to embrace the darkness
just lie here forever.
Forever.

Louder.

The voice becomes clear.
"Are you alright?"
Now I can see you,
  touch you
You are so close.

   Those eyes?
Have I seen them before?
   I am in them
(how can that be?)
Fear wilts in the corners
I smell concern
Confused, I am lost.

Groggy,
Eyes down
What does this mean?
Slowly, slowly.

"Stay there."

Clear as the night sky
as the wind whisks away
yesterday's clouds
You take care of me.

Gentle,
gentle
I can not.
I must not.
Find love in tender touches
They will not be there tomorrow
(will they?)

Then
"How are you?"
Did I hear that?
What? No.
Sigh.
Where am I now...

Home again, home again, jiggety, jig

Ahhhh, I am home. I love road trips, truly I do, but I so love coming home. I will be able to crawl into my own bed tonight and my children their's. No more little feet kicking me in the middle of the night. No more fears of waking up to a puddle at 2AM from my little girlie whose bladder is still growing and learning the art of control. We will eat what we are used to eating (whatever that might be!) and know where everything belongs. I know I will miss the adults in my world at that point, as it is wonderful to have others around to help prepare meals, clean up meals and converse over meals. I love them beyond measure, but my little ones conversations are not always as stimulating as they could be. And they also usually serve to extend dinner towards the hour mark and beyond, if I let it. Which tends to drive me mental at the best of times. Of course I know some adults who are not at the top of the stimulation chain either I guess. Oh well. Without friends and family at the ready, I will have to go back to my other love; my laptop. I return to you my virtual friends and am happy to do so. I bid adieu to the friends and family that stimulated me this past week though. 

   I am grateful for all the sunshine we were offered. The miles that I put on my aching legs appreciate it, as does the reduced glare off my pastie person. Tonight, I will smile with the glow of a week spent in activity and love, as I reflect from the warmth of home and my tub. Cheers, welcome home to me.

Go wild

Swimming,

Floating,

Chilling,

Wandering,

Watching,

Waiting,

All for us to come 

and hang out with the animals of the world

(Gone) to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

How about you?

(and Me and She)

Where Am I?

Where am I?
   I have left the confines of my home in South-Western Ontario. For a hint on where, we are two hours from our doorstep.  I am wandering with the kids in tow. Oh where, oh where did we go?

Do you think that we are here? Anybody guess where this is?

Now where am I? Is this scenic location two hours from my home?

I have been here before, but not today. Honeymoon capital of the world, it is nick-named. Can you guess this watery location?

One more place I have seen up close. Magnificent to be sure, but can you guess where?

Now this is where I was hanging today,

staring at the world below us with awe at the tiny pieces of our world.

The claim of tallest freestanding structure is what it says on the advertisements.

Can you guess,

Where I am?

Survival of the Fittest

While the Okavengo Delta was all about being one with nature, our next stop held a different feel. While our guides stocked up on supplies again, I wished the Delta goodbye with a splurge on a flight over it in a 6-seater plane. Flying over massive herds of zebras mixed with wildebeest and chasing after gangly giraffes took my breath away. It also took lunch away from a couple of the ladies that I flew with, but yellow was a colour that suited them and gave me a laugh. We spent the night in town to partake in food prepared by others.  Also to partake in a bevy or two. After the first month of sobriety at my aunt and uncle’s house, my poor liver was getting a proper workout. The beers flowed fast and free, and I was belly up to the bar. I was often a little worse for wear in the morning, but somehow seemed to survive the shakes and thrive on the adventure at hand.

 Chobe was next up for game parks and it was a treat that I will never forget. This time the Samil brought us into the park and stayed with us. Its presence was a comfort on our game viewing. Not that walking through the wilds of Africa wasn’t exhilarating, but I did appreciate the security that the truck seemed to offer, despite its open sides. Staring agape at a herd of wild dogs as they ran down and subsequently devoured a baby impala was phenomenal. A little gruesome, but this was life in its finest survival imagery. Spying lions, elephants and even a leopard eating an impala in a tree were experiences that one just did not come across every day in urban Ontario. Life and death were directly linked. The survival of one being was dependent on the sacrifice of another.