Paradise

This

is a

Paradise

to me.

The voice of the salt

" I shivered in those solitudes

when I heard the voice of the salt

in the desert."

- Pablo Neruda

In the end

"The pupil dilates in darkness and in the end finds light, just as the soul dilates in misfortune and in the end finds God."

- Victor Hugo

Les Miserables

Bewildered

"When you're lost in those woods, it sometimes takes you a while to realize that you are lost.  For the longest time, you can convince yourself that you've just wandered off the path, that you'll find your way back to the trailhead any moment now.  Then night falls again and again, and you still have no idea where you are, and it's time to admit that you have bewildered yourself so far off the path that you don't even know from which direction the sun rises anymore."

- Elizabeth Gilbert

Loneliness

"Sometimes loneliness makes the loudest noise."

- Aaron Ben-e'ev

Weary eyes

In October 2015, we took a camping trip to Spitzkoppe, one of the most picturesque and beautiful places in Namibia.  We spent an unforgettable evening under the stars.  On our way back, I couldn't help noticing how thin the cattle alongside the road were.  

In this past week, about 20mm of rain fell in the region, turning the arid landscape into a lush landscape with waterfalls and rock pools.  How I wish I could be there to see it!  I hope to see these ladies nourished and healthy and not looking so desperately thin.  In this photo, even their eyes seamed weary and tired.  What a difference the rain makes, and what a true blessing it is for all nature and creatures.  

I haven't had enough desert yet

"Shall I run back into the desert... and stay there until the devil has passed out of me and I am fit to meet humankind again without driving it to despair at the first look?  I haven't had enough desert yet."

- Saul Bellow

Henderson the Rain King

Freedom

"In the desert I had found a freedom unattainable in civilization;

a life unhampered by possessions,

since everything that was not a necessity was an encumbrance.

I had found too, a comradeship inherent in the circumstances,

and the belief that tranquility was to be found there."

-Wilfred Thesiger

Stories

"You have no control over how your story begins or ends. But by now, you should know that all things have an ending. Every spark returns to darkness. Every sound returns to silence. Every flower returns to sleep with the earth. The journey of the sun and moon is predictable. But yours, is your ultimate art."

- Suzy Kassem

Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

Holding on

"And life is what we make of it.

Always has been, always will be."

- Grandma Moses

It's incredibly easy to become despondent when things do not go our way or work out as we planned. It's easy to give in to our own negative thoughts and to affirm that, yes, there is very little good left in this world.  It's hard to hold onto hope when we see and hear so little of what's good in this world.  

But this is the essence of character building.  It's an uncomfortable process, but hopefully, in me, as I go through this unsettling process, it will draw in me courage, hope and perspective.  In this world, we will perhaps never have it easy, but comfort comes from knowing that the One I serve have overcome this world and by His grace, I will too... 

World at your feet

Once, this was a scene in turmoil, a world turned upside down...  A great flood passed through here, the evidence is still there.  How beautifully preserved, right?   

Lord, I surrender

Lord, I surrender.

Have YOUR way with me

and my family.

This photograph was taken sitting on the Blutkopje, looking back west towards the ocean.  The day was very hot with only a few airy clouds floating around.  The sun was just starting to set over our campsite when we spotted this beautiful rainbow in the clouds.  Rainbows, for us, are very special. They are a reminder of a promise from our Creator.  The rainbow brings us great hope and comfort...

Lord, please give us eyes to "see" beyond just the confines of this earthly world and its sufferings. Please keep us in Your will and show us the way.  You are our only hope in life and beyond. We surrender.

  

The world

"The world is a comedy 

to those that think,

a tragedy to those

that feel"

- Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of Oxford

Letter, 1776

Exploring

"I can speak to my soul

only

when the two of us are off exploring deserts

or cities or mountains or roads"

- Paul Coelho

Rain

Last night it rained in the desert.  A very unusual phenomena.  The rain that fell last night were for us, a blessing.  We had just stepped outside the restaurant and were greeted by this delightful fresh soft shower of rain walking back to our car and we just soaked it in.  The smell of fallen rain is a most unforgettable smell and awakens senses.  We haven't experienced rain for such a long time and it was a reminder of home's rainy days.  It brought back many happy memories and we were feeling quite nostalgic.  It's so true - you don't know what you have until it's taken from you.  May we never take what we have for granted...

The photo is a side view of Rossing Mountain.  Most of the rain that fell last night were in this region.  Can't wait for the greenery to shoot up!

   

The 1905 Jetty

This is the structure that in history brought life and commerce to Swakopmund.  Over the years, it has suffered many revamps and closures, but today, it's a proud structure looming over the town.  And she is a photogenic beauty!

Life's journey

"Life is a journey

that must be traveled

no matter

how bad the road or accommodation"

Never let a stumble in the road be the end of your journey...

Sunsets

I delight in sunsets.  Always have.  For a few moments each day, the sky turns the most magnificent hues and colours, painted by a Master's Hand...

My life partner moved to Namibia six months before I moved.  We've been together for 11 years and we thoroughly enjoy spending time together, whether idle or busy.  He is my best friend, best lover, best carer and best provider - he is my everything and much of what I do revolves around him.  He is my North.  Naturally, being apart for such a long time was very hard for both of us.  Although working hard during the day, evenings were long and lonely.  

Some colleagues became aware that we were apart and started inviting him for sundowners after work.  But every night, when dusk came, this sweet man of mine would turn his back deliberately to the sunset, close his eyes and refuse to watch.  Every night for six months.  No amount of coaxing or teasing would entice him to turn around and look at the sun setting.  Why?  

Because he wanted to share his first sunset in this beautiful country with me.  Because he knows how special they are to me.  To him, it was a way of telling me he missed me and wished I was with him.

It was love.

On 04 December 2014, we shared our first Namibian sunset together.  And have been trying to catch them together ever since.

May we never spend another sunset apart.

I love you my Desert Wolf.   

So much unsaid...

I just love this photograph.  So many things are left unsaid, but the image is striking.

Perhaps because the individuals in the photograph is known to me?  

Or perhaps it is that I've caught them in a moment.  

A moment of laughter and joy.

A moment of forgetting the world.

A moment of demonstrated unconditional love from a father to his daughter.

This is love in it's purest form.

  

Contrasts

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.

What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."

Henry David Thoreau

Walden