Oh, luckiest of days

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We got up, paid up, and scooted over to the shopping center near where we had supper with Viv (17th Ave and Main Road, Walmer) so we could try to complete Mom's errand. We were successful at Woolworths, and then took a quick look around the mall. Got some VERY expensive paperbacks at Exclusive Books, and checked email. Our sessions at Internet cafes are running about R30 for an hour (about $4.50) After getting gas, we headed down the road to Addo, and Lupus Den Country House. We arrived a little early, so Priscilla brought us tea and bars to nibble on. Once our room was ready, we got settled, and then took a leisurely stroll around the working citrus farm. It was so cool to walk through rows of orange and lemon trees! We saw guinea fowl and hadedas on our stroll. Once we got back to the house, we had just enought time to hit the loo, and grab jackets and sunglasses. Our game-drive host, Conor Ward had arrived. Dad would have called him a BSB, but he was fun to spend the afternoon with, and his tall Landrover gave us a height advantage as we drove through the park. It was another magical African day--blue skies, soft, warm air, and the incredible African light! Our first sighting of game was some haartebeest antelope, ad then we started to see all kinds of things. Kudu (male and female), young warthog, male and female ostrich, Cape buffalo (from a distance), a secretary bird in a tree, a black-backed jackal (Ross spotted the last 2!), eland (from a distance), vervet monkeys, zebra, several types of water birds, and far off in the distance, a couple of elephants. It was so neat!! Conor took us high up, and we looked down at an empty water hole. The sun was starting to think about thinking about setting, so Conor suggested we go down to the water hole, just in case animals were heading over there. We sat there for a while, watching Egyptian geese mess about in the water, and were just getting ready to move on, when over a ridge came 1 of the 6 Addo elephant families. It was just incredible. Moms and babies, and youngsters, the old (50+ year-old) matriarch, and a big bull, bringing up the rear! I could have wept! They had a pretty quick drink, and turned round and headed off the way they came. Conor had moved the car, so as they left, the elephants went round both sides of us--and they were close enough to touch. They are beautiful, magestic creatures, and they really do move around in a sort of military fashion, everyone in place, marching along in unison--ala Col. Hati's brigade in "The Jungle Book" (yes, I know that was India, not SA!!) That was the absolute crowning glory of a wonderful afternoon--UNFORGETTABLE! We stopped for sundowners at the base camp--sandwiches and a nice light white wine taste so good in the fresh evening air, with animal and bird sounds on the breeze. It was a quiet drive back to Lupus Den, and a fond goodbye to Conor. Priscilla, in the meanwhile, had been working on dinner, which may be the best we've had so far. Puff pastry topped with blue cheese, caramelized red onions and pear; lamb shanks, rice, peas, creamy cabbage, butternut with cinnamon-sugar and a lovely pinotage; and apple cake with whipped cream. Owen had smaller portions, but polished his plate each course!! We drank coffee by the fire, and caught our journals up, reliving the magical afternoon. Went to bed in our pretty poppy bedroom, extremely content

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