A travel story in poems

Here is the travel story I submitted to the Facebook group, We Love Memoirs' travel story contest. Alas, it didn't win, but I thought I'd share it here anyway. ​It was fun to put together. Also, our African safari in the fall of 2013 was amazing. As usual when I travel, my goal is to write a poem a day. A Travel Story in Poems    Preparing to Go Even while I am on the elliptical reading my New Yorker I wonder: should I add more shirts? should I pick out some silver jewelry? do I need a pair of high heels? While my Pilates trainer says my form is excellent, I visualize the piles of shirts, pants, undies, jackets on the sofa, shoes scattered on the floor, and stuff bought especially for this Kenya and Tanzania trip: insect repellent, bite itch eraser, and a new camera with built in telescopic lens. Even while I do my last stretches I know I have more to do: put my toiletries in travel containers, get out my contact lens solutions, lay out my travel … [Read more...]

Poems and photos from Africa trip

While I've been awaiting comments on my novel from my beta readers I've been editing poems and gathering photos to illustrate the poems from our trip to Africa last summer. I know I have a long way to go, but I thought I'd try a few out on you. Your comments are most welcome. And I hope you enjoy the photos.   Boni A young person greets us at the airport in a light blue and red two-piece dress and hair tied in long tight braids at the back of his neck. So many beads in primary colors adorn his head, neck, wrists, and fingers, at first I think he is a girl. He introduces himself as our guide Boni, as he drives us to the lodge. He will lead our game tours during our stay in Kenya's Samburu district, promising we'll see this area's big five: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and lions. Boni's forte is tracking. As he drives he looks out the right side of our truck for footprints and fresh dung on the bumpy red dirt roads, clues to which animals we're … [Read more...]

Africa Trip Part 6 back in Nairobi

We spent our last night in Africa in Nairobi at the same hotel where we started the Fairmont Norfolk. It was nice to get back into civilization again with a working wifi system, a TV, and a lovely place to have dinner. We retrieved our luggage containing our city clothes that we had stored there, and immediately sent a big load to be washed.   The highlight of our stay in Nairobi, and probably one of the main highlights of our whole African trip, was meeting a young Nairobi man, Pascal, for breakfast the next morning. I had heard about him through my friend and writing instructor, Ellen Bass, and our tour director, Anastasia's Africa, helped arrange the meeting. My husband Bob and I spent an hour with him talking about the Kenyan orphan situation out of 30 million people in Kenya, 1.3 million are orphans caused by HIV/AIDS and cancer deaths of the parents the economy, the Chinese poaching, and the corruption in the Kenyan government. After breakfast we walked into … [Read more...]