Back home

Well, lil miss Brenna has made it home safe and sound. Her Tanzania trip was a great experience for her. For one, she now looks at our life and clearly sees the contrasts. It was heartening for her to see people with so little, but happy and proud and needing so little...

Here are some photos...


Mount Kilimanjaro view from her 'dorm' room





Primary school visit

Strange encounter with a reptile...

Hard at work! What a team....





Cliff jumping for fun after lots of hard work.








And of course a dromedary ride...

Lunch...note the corncob fuel...

Posing with friend Oliver and students from the local school

More shots....

Long walk to one of the girl's home. This was really an eye opener for Brenna.

Goodbye hugs

Hmm...nice wings to fly our girl back home....

Beek Freeday

.....at least that's how the locals pronounce the large "Bike Friday" printed on my bike. Today I rode up Mont Tendre with colleagues Mike and Ron. At the top, I stopped to pose for a shot near the summit sign and suddenly found myself surrounded by a group of geriatric hikers. They couldn't get over the "beek freeday" and kept tapping and poking it with their canes and walking sticks.

The views from the top were incredible. It was a very foggy morning but about 3/4 of the way up the climb, I popped up out of the clouds and was treated to sunshine and spectacular views of the Alps. Even the view of Mont Blanc was superb!

The bike was fast and stable and I finally broke the 1 hour barrier for my climb. For you bike teckies..58'45" vs. my previous PR of about 62' (I think). I actually felt like I was slower than when riding my road bike, but I think it was the lower gear options only gave the illusion of slowness...

The ride home was fast and fun and for once I was home on time! We had a nice relaxed afternoon and are just getting back from a hike thru St-Sulpice. ...and dinner is in the making! Life is good.

Tanzania Bound

Well Brenna is packed up and ready for her trip to Tanzania. We are a bit nervous but definitely excited for her. She'll be helping build a new school and this will be an experience of a lifetime for her. I've also learned a bit...until I questioned her 10 hour flight, I never really grasped how big Africa really is...check out this map!

But even more amazing than all of this was her comment to me today..."Isn't it incredible that France beat New Zealand in their quarter final rugby match? 20-18!"

Wow, when did this happen??? (not the game, but her awareness of Rugby news!!!!!!)...our world is changing!!!

Bike Friday in hand

Got my bike today, just in time to take advantage of a free afternoon. It rode like a dream! Wish I had this bike 3 years ago!