Continued from this post.

We stopped at home for a nap (For me and for Cj. Sam and Mark were busy doing guy stuff.), then headed out for the 4th of July "bash". This was hosted by the owner of a local hotel, himself an American ... sort of ... and we went with the idea of hot dogs and burgers, some ice cold beer, and possibly ice cream or something 4th of July-ish. I'd expected to see a game of softball, maybe, or horseshoes (although I must admit I've never seen horseshoes... more

Some traditions just don't translate. Or perhaps it's that, like certain wines, they don't travel well.

The Americans in Seychelles, all of about twenty of us, got together today to celebrate the 4th of July. That was the intended point of the event, in any case, even though not one kid wore red, white and blue and "Old Glory" was nowhere to be seen. No one whistled the tune that goes with, "This is the cereal that's shot from guns ... boom, boom" (If you don't get that reference, it's because you're younger than I am.), and there were no sparklers or pyrotechnics of any sort.

What... more

After four hours of driving, Sam was a bit surprised that we headed for the car again soon after checking into our room at the Kilaguni Lodge.

When the answer to, "Where are we going?" came back, "We're not going anywhere ... just for a game drive," he looked confused, but for a kid who loves animals the way Sam does a game drive is the perfect thing follow to a long car session.

Within a very short time we'd spotted our first animal, a lone impala ... what a sight! All of a sudden, those of us in the car new to the safari experience knew we were in a... more

We had a bit of rain last night.

Yes, only a bit.

As Mark and I were sitting on the veranda watching the sunset, talking over the events of the day while dinner simmered and the kids climbed over both of us, a rather heavy rain began to fall ... but only on one end of the veranda. The other end, all of five meters away, had no rain at all.

The microclimates we have here used to amaze me, but now only amuse and reinforce my affection for life on a tropical island. Not only can I see rain coming ... a smearing of gray shifting over the open sea heading... more

My son is a Super Hero. Well, today he's a Super Hero. Last week he was a velociraptor , so this saving-the-world stint could also be short-lived. At least this persona comes with a bit of a hint ... one of his sister's cloth diapers tied around his neck flaps convincingly behind him when he flies through the living room. It may be stained and dingy, but it's apparently endowed with some amazing powers. The only clue to his previous dino-identity was a double limp-wristed pose intended to convey the image of 'tiny hands with big fingernails', a classic velociraptor trait.

Everyone... more

It's just not a beach Saturday today. Still about eighty degrees, but cloudy, raining and a bit windy, it's a stay-home-and-do-chores kind of day instead. And isn't Sam just thrilled!

Mark's taken it upon himself to face a job I hate ... defrosting the freezer. I'm a big believer in frost-free technology myself and resisted the purchase of a deep freeze that couldn't deal with its own ice. Mark chose economy over efficiency, however, so the build-up became his problem ... and Sam's joy.

It's snowing in our garden.

This kid was born in hot, humid, tropical Cambodia and has... more

Victoria, the capitol of Seychelles, is always and forever referred to only as "Town", En Ville. There's no need for more elucidation, as no place else in the country could be thought to be anything town-like. We have a couple of fairly large villages ... Anse Royale is one; having its own hospital, post office and bank ... but they're still barely a blip on anyone's radar.

I try to stay away from town. It's always just that much hotter there, due to the expanse of six or seven streets (okay, maybe ten) collecting heat to release in steamy waves throughout any real... more

With the whole Indian Ocean to swim in, where does Sam choose to cool off on this Sunday morning? Yep. In a barrel. He spent hours tucking himself down into constantly refreshed water as Mark worked outside, and enjoyed every minute of barrel filling, barrel dumping, barrel refilling, barrel scrubbing, barrel dumping all over again, and … well, you get the picture. He was busy with the barrel.

So, what is with boys? Just three and he’s already so okay with greasy and grimy that a trip to the garage to work on Dad’s old pickup sounds like more fun to him than making... more

"It’s Saturday, and Dad doesn’t go to work today! Yipeeeeee!"

And with that, the weekend has begun.

Sam is three, and at three helping Dad do stuff around the house is just the coolest possible way to spend a day. Lifting, toting, dragging, sweeping, hammering, watering, under the tropical sun is heaven on Earth for our boy. He’ll eagerly point out dog pooh piles needing disposal, pull the guts out of recently caught fish, and can be ready at the drop of a hat to head off on errands, do some shopping or get down to the beach for a dip. Anything is great,... more

Now that Sam is completely verbal … and that’s an understatement if ever there was one! … he’s very good at communicating his needs and wants. "I need to want some breakfast," is how he tells me he’s hungry in the morning, and he continues to need to want stuff on and off through the day.

He’s also a one-boy public address system and keeps us all abreast of vital events with enthusiastic announcements like, "We have cows in the garden today," and "Baby Sister stinks like poopy". "Dad’s home", is a shout as he runs out the door in the evenings,... more