Stew and news from Malawi !

Fall and winter are a great time to brew up some stew.......so that was last weekend's adventure.

Three letters from Bryan in Malawi, he is settling into the routine, getting adjusted to his host family and teaching. The family of six, all children between 15 and 5, does not speak English but their native Chichewa so it is a challenge to communicate about the most basic things, but he is adapting and learning quickly, hey it's either that or starve. He is getting comfortable in his 10' X 10' mud walled, grass roofed hut that he stays in, in his host family's back yard. complete with sleeping pad and mosquito netting, all the comforts of home ! No inside toilet and cooking is done over an open fire. He is getting runs in and reading much, easing into a very slow pace of life.

The initial teaching is getting easier, he will be in this village of Mpalale, near Lilongwe in southern Malawi, for 3 months and then be re-assigned to his own class in a new village. He is now filling in teaching biology to secondary students while in training. The training staff are all natives and he is very pleased with his language trainer. In this same village are five other Peace Corps trainees who he is bonding with well.

This is one of the poorest countries in the world, de-forestation, overpopulation and health problems are some of the country's primary issues. Due to HIV-AIDs their life expectancy is half of that in the US, their's is age 37. 13 million people live within the country, which is the size of Indiana. The gross national income percapita is $160 and their main commercial production is tobacco, tea, cotton, coffee and sugar.

I send care packages filled with newspapers, magazines, powered drink mixes and photos. He may eventually have computer access during trips to local larger towns, and a cell phone, also usable once in larger towns, I have no clue how cells work from Africa, when I can get moderate reception living 30 miles from Minneapolis, but know they can work overseas.

Workouts have tapered a bit with a strained hip muscle, still getting all workouts in but have back off.

Reading an interesting book this week, Wilderness Journey, The Life of William Clark, of Lewis and Clark, written by a Central Missouri State Univ prof William Foley. A good history lesson !

And that's as exciting as the week has been in the swimbikerun4fun household.

Hope everyone is having a great week !

Stay warm !

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snooooooow.....

Not the greatest photo, but....... fresh bread made Saturday, such a nice smell it leaves, wheat/white combo from scratch.

My new toy! New snowshoes from REI, Atlas 925. Now we need snow !

Good workouts this week, backed down a bit and am going with lower duration and higher frequency, basebuilding, no major aches or pains yeah !

I'm working on flip turns while lap swimming, decided to try something new to break the monotony of multiple laps. I know I provided good entertainment to the few in the pool area watching, not nearly as easy as they look in "Swimming for Dummies" Tuck, roll, plant, push off and twist........and try to not come up spitting and coughing water that has run up your nose. Open lake swimming was lots easier.

The Hornets have their playoff game Tuesday night, Jeff probably won't play due to his bum ankle, but I'll go cheer em on none-the-less.

Awaiting my passport, 2 weeks ago I applied, quite a process, first had to get a birth ceriificate, which was lost long ago ($15), then a "passport photo", not just any will do of course ($13), then off to the County Courthouse to apply ($100). But......within 4 wks it should arrive. Then to price tickets to Malawi :-( :-) :-) love ya Bryan !

Have an awesome week !

Branson....

A great family trip with Mom and Dad, they just love this type of entertainment and have been after me to go for awhile, so drove off to Des Moines last weekend and rode down with them. The weekend was very busy and then things calmed quite a bit Mon and Tues. We saw three shows, the Baldknobbers, Presleys and Yakov Smirnoff. Fun shows with music, dancing and humor.



Russian dancers !

Don't I just look thrilled in the pic below?

But.................much happier the next day, why, driving a duckboat on Table Rock Lake. As most of you know I love the water. Note the duck whistle around my neck, we were all required to blow them on command ! WTH is a duckboat?

This is duck boat, amphibious.... land or water, toured Branson area then Table Rock from the water.

Back home..............

Last night Jeff's HS football team played their last regular season game, it wasn't pretty but we did score, in fact, twice ! He re-injured his ankle that has plagued him all season so may miss Tuesday night's playoff game at St Michael. But...the good news is that at this game..... when entering and paying my admission....... I wasn't asked "senior?" as I was at the previous game. "Yeah sure lady, whatever." But hey, I saved $2 ! !

Just.............. yet another........day in paradise..... ends !

Weekend on the SHT

The following are a mix of pics taken the weekend of Oct 4-5 along the Superior Hiking Trail. Some are from the trail section between Crosby-Manitou State Park and the Caribou River, others are from the Section 13 area which is northeast of Finland, MN. Saturday was a group hike attended by about 33 folks and on Sunday and Monday I trekked through the Section 13 area solo, staying overnight at a campsite near the Finland Rec Center. As you can see, the colors were at a peak for the Sugar Maples. The cliff photos are from the Section 13 cliffs, and fog photo is also from those cliffs and was taken on Monday's return trip when the fog rolled in.

My favorite one is the 12th one down taken from one of the Sect 13 cliffs, how about yours?

And the next adventure is....................Branson, Missouri with Mom and Dad ! Heading down to Des Moines and then on south this coming Saturday morning, early, and returning Tuesday evening. A totally different type of trip for sure !

I'll share that story, plus pics.

Adios............hope you had a great day !

Jim