After nearly 18 hours on a plane, we reached South Africa yesterday around noon. We’re staying on the outskirts of Johannesburg, near the airport, convenient for our flight tomorrow morning to Victoria Falls. 

Everyone is a little jet lagged so this morning some of us caught a train to a very fancy mall, while the other half of our group opted for a city tour. You can probably guess what I chose. Of course — the mall. And what a mall it was. Clearly South Africans have access to everything, and perhaps a little cheaper than we pay for those same items in the states. The local currency — the rand — dropped in value against the dollar recently. We’re paying about $2.50 for a beer at our hotel bar. 

  I had to take a photo of this shop. Funny how my family is always close by wherever I go.

 

Time flies. Seems like the older I get the faster it moves. Barnaby and I are celebrating 37 years of living together today. Okay, we celebrate almost every day. We have a lot to be grateful for.

On this anniversary I am particularly grateful for our little town of Idyllwild being spared from the recent fire. There were several days when it could have gone either way. The fire started a few hundred yards from our house in Mountain Center and then traveled up into the wilderness only to move again toward Idyllwild. We were spared. We are so lucky.

I am also grateful for our wonderful family and friends. We are so blessed.

I am grateful for our little dog Abby.

And I feel so lucky to be able to travel and see the world.