“Giraffe, gentle ambler of the plains”

What a busy week! We celebrated the 4^th of July with a 6.4 earthquake, but we live far enough from the epicenter that we had no damage—just an interesting ride.

The next day we experienced a 7.1 earthquake but, again, because of our distance from the epicenter, we only felt the jolts and jerks. My heart goes out to those living in the disaster zone. May God hold them close and help them recover in so many ways.

Now we’re staying with our grandsons and our new baby grandpuppy for a few days and, as you might imagine, writing a blog post just hasn’t worked out.

Instead, I’ll share a couple of photos with you. What rich experiences I had in Africa! My favorite of the continent’s breathtaking animals is the giraffe, and I never dreamed I’d get so close to one. They are so graceful and gentle, and their eyes are so soft and beautiful.

The second is a photo I took and a Karen Blixen quote. If you haven’t seen the movie about her, Out of Africa, I encourage you to do so.

I still have to pinch myself when I think of all of Africa’s splendid animals I got to see up close and personal—sometimes in good ways, sometimes not. (More on that in future blog posts.)

So, enjoy these photos and come back next week. I have stories to tell you.

Welcome to my fresh, updated blog

Welcome to my fresh, updated blog about living in Africa and working as a missionary journalist with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

When you visit this blog, you’ll read of ups and downs of cross-cultural living, the stress of civil unrest, and the heartbreak of living half a world away from my kids and new grandkids.

But I’ll also share my joy in getting acquainted with Africa’s lovely people, their rich culture, and the splendor of Africa’s game parks—lions and leopards and cheetahs and elephants and giraffes. And crocodiles and baboons and warthogs and Cape buffalo—Oh, my!

You'll enjoy pictures from my scrapbook and links to places I visited in Africa, unforgettable places like Maasai Mara and Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

You'll read about Karen Blixen’s home and her famous Out of Africa. I loved that movie and—not only did I get to visit her lovely home many times, I eventually lived either on or bordering her farm’s land (I never could figure that out.)

You’ll hear from—and maybe interact with—some of the people you’ll meet in Grandma’s Letters from Africa, both Africans and missionaries. 

And I’ll share with you stories you won’t read in Grandma’s Letters from Africa. 

So be sure to come back soon! When God's at the wheel, Wheeeee—what a ride!


You can buy the memoir, Grandma’s Letters from Africa, through your local independent bookseller, through Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, and other booksellers. Powell’s Books in Portland currently has a special sale on the paperback (only $7.95), and Amazon has a great sale on the hardcover ($18.11).

Also be sure to click on and “like” the Facebook Page for Grandma’s Letters from Africa: A Memoir. You’ll find additional sharing going on there.