The storm from the western cape

The sun shone in Pt. Elizabeth as we boarded the bus for George. As we
proceeded west, the cold front and accompanying rain squall rolled
over us. If we're lucky, we'll slip through the front on the bus, and
have good weather from George onward.

We attend the Congregationalist church in Port Elizabeth

The photo is the small chapel in which we dressed and prepared for
church.

St. Marks Congregational Church ( www.stmarks.org.za ) is an enormous
community of 1,000 families. Their vast sanctuary was filled with
adults. Small children filed in to sit in the aisles during our first
two songs. Meanwhile, some 150 or so teenagers had their own service
in a nearby room.

We sang a variety of pieces, ending with a rousing version of "When
the Saints Go Marching In." As we sang, we were mindful of the news
that hurricane Gustav is projected to re-destroy New Orleans. We
requested prayers.

After worship, we enjoyed tea with the congregation, in a very very
Victorian-looking hall. Tea was somewhat truncated by the need to doff
and pack our choir robes, then hop onto the bus for the four hour ride
to George. We will rehearse and then perform with a men's choir there.
I don't suspect that the men's choir in George is like the average
(=gay) "men's chorus" in the U.S., but, you never know...

Photo: The Indian Ocean port of Port Elizabeth

Photo: Port Elizabeth: Helpful directions

Katie, adding a fresh, youthful aspect to the tour.

Her voice is really sweet, too. By the way, my iPhone doesn't have
image editing capabilities. She really looks like this. Not all the
time, of course...

We arrive in Port Elizabeth

It is warm and sunny in PE, the "friendly city," also the windiest in
SA.

The Indian Ocean influences the climate, warm and mild. Meanwhile, my
relatives in Cape Town report that the worst late winter storm in
years is underway. The forecast for here is that the Atlantic storm
will push in, lowering temperatures sharply and making things all
Seattle-like.

Veldt fires outside of Johannesburg

As we flew out of Joburg, several large grass fires were visible through the dusty haze. The veldt (praire) burns frequently, either naturally or by human cause (cigarettes mostly). The fire renews the tall grass, usually around now, at the end of the dry tropical winter. The spring rains (due soon) will turn the dry yellow and the blackened parts a lush green.

All safely aboard for Pt. Elizabeth

With all the hilarious trepidations that accompany a group of our size
and demographics, we seem to all be aboard.

Animals on the game drives

We saw (among other things):

Lions
Zebras (live and lion-killed)
Giraffes
Gnus (wildebeest)
Impala
Hippos
Wart hogs
Rhinos (both white and black)
Springbok
Stienbok
Other various antelopes
Termite mounds
Weaverbird nests
Elephants
Various birds
Blue vervet monkeys
Really scary-looking hornets

I got many photos on my freestanding camera, which has a zoom lens and
better image control than my iPhone camera. I'll post those after I'm
home, and able to offload them to my computer.

Arriving at the braai

It was a nice outdoor buffet dinner, with open fires. Fortunately,
there were no acoustic guitars, and no endless renditions of "Kumbaya."

Photo: Hippos!

Photo: Rhinos!

Photo: Zebras!

Photo: Euphorbia tree

The native peoples used to catch fish by tossing the poisonous sap
into small ponds. A few hours after sap deployment, the dead fish were
easily collected. Sounds yummy, no?

Photo: Our game drive drivers

Photo; Debi and Randy at Bakgatala

Photo: Sue at Bakgatala

Our "game drive" vehicles

We fit into three.

Photo: Safety Queen reminds you...

Photo: correct spelling of our lodge's name

It's "Bakgatala," not whatever I spelled in my previous post.