Part One of two part travel blog with posts by Tom and Nancy followed by Chuck's pics and videos in Part Two below

Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly
At long last, our Africa ’16 Safari pictures are ready for viewing (aren’t you lucky?! Ha!). I’ll be kind and just send a folder or two at a time every few days so as not to cause blindness. Hope you enjoy, but if tired of seeing animals in the wild, just delete. Yuk! BTW, what a great trip we had and chance of a lifetime to see the migration. Cheers, Tom #1 - Cape Buffalo
View 11 photos View Photos
Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly This is #2 and it’s of some of the native people with whom we came into contact. They were very, very friendly towards us and welcomed us (and our wallets) to their lands and homes. Of note, there are a few pictures of the Hadzabe tribe (ones with the bows) and they are about as primitive people as I will ever meet, for sure. What an experience to see them. Cheers, Tom View 85 photos View Photos Here is #3 -- the Dazzle of Zebras. These are Nancy's favorites. They do make for a nice photo -- is it black on white, or white on black? The ones here are the Plains Zebras just as an item of interest. Tom and Nancy View 8 photos View Photos #4 Giraffes -- Gave your eyes a rest, but wanted to let you see the giraffes over the weekend. These are the Rothschild variety - difference seems to be how high the white stockings come up the legs. Anyway, they are fun to see and fast once they get moving. Cheers, Tom View 15 photos View Photos Shutterfly Photos. #5 Towns and Cities – These pictures might be mostly throw-aways unless you were with us on the trip, but they do give a good cross-section of some of the larger towns and cities we went to. In Kenya it was Nairobi and in Tanzania it was Arusha. Cheers, Tom View 58 photos View Photos #6 Hippos -- now these guys are not nice. Smell to high heavens and are not ones to mess around with. In fact, they kill more humans than any other African animal. Not good. They roam at night and that is when you don't want to dance with them. Ugh! View 14 photos View Photos #7 Birds – eyes rested now? Well, hopefully so because here are some more pictures and this time of birds. Lots and lots of real pretty birds in Africa, but they are not easy to capture on film. Nonetheless, here is a sampling for your viewing pleasure. Cheers, Tom View 65 photos View Photos #8 Elephants --- From the smallest birds to the largest of them all. Here are the big guys – Elephants. Wow, are they neat to see and they are very family oriented, so that is fun to watch. The big guys take care of the little ones, not that anything except for man is a threat to them. Yes, there still are poachers there and the elephants and rhinos are at risk and just for their tusks if you can believe that. Such a shame …… View 26 photos View Photos #9 Native Dwellings --- here are a few examples of some of the dwellings we saw as we went along and also some we got to visit. Very basic, to say the least, but the people seemed happy and contented. Actually, there is a lot of electrification going on around the countryside; so they are making progress. The straw/stick huts you see are the lodgings of the Hadzabe Tribe and they are by far the most primitive people I will ever see in my lifetime. Basically, if the hunters don’t make a kill, they don’t eat. The tribe is decreasing in size sad to say, but we felt blessed to get to visit them. Cheers, Tom View 16 photos View Photos #10 Tour Lodgings --- On the other hand, here is a look at how we lived as we went around. There was a normal hotel in Nairobi, Kenya, but from then on we were in tented or framed lodgings. Nice places and they keep us well fed. Not much power, however, so the lights (if any) were very dim. On our first trip a few years ago in the southern parts of Africa, our lodgings were much more rustic and I think I liked that more --- one with the earth, and so on. Ha! And down south, we seemed to have to share the tents and land with the animals (elephants, hypos, lions) more than up north --- that was exciting!! Cheers, Tom View 43 photos View Photos #11 Warthogs --- Now these guys are amazing and are Tom’s favorites. You gotta admit that they are so cute that only their mothers could love them. When they run away (and they always do), their tails go straight up in the air like an antenna. Hilarious. Also, the young ones don’t have tusks yet, but they grow hair that is shaped like a tusk and that gives them some protection from the bad guys. Smart. Yep, Tom’s favorites! View 8 photos View Photos #12 School and Village --- One thing our Overseas Adventure travel company does is support local schools and we always get to visit them and interact with the students and staff. This one is in Kenya and and part of the Massai tribe. We spent over a half day with them and saw their village, spoke in private with the males and females about “life,” including dicey subjects such as birth control and multi-wife families. The school was great and they sang to us …... and we sang (?) to them. We picked “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” and “God Bless America,” and they sang their National Anthem (Everyone stood!). We also danced with them --- sorta --- but Tom got off the ground admirably and Nancy keep the rhythm okay, if you consider jumping up and down rhythm. The class we set down with was 8th grade and there are some sharp kids there who want to go on the higher education. The teachers seemed dedicated and we had a good sit-down Q&A with them. Great day! View 35 photos View Photos #13 Travel --- These pictures show some of the methods we used to get around, and also some shots of the various road (?) conditions we became accustomed to. Personally, I felt that the roads were better this trip over those we used on the trip we made three years ago to the southern countries, but we spent more time on the road this time and, thus, we still came away with some sore parts of our bodies. All our fellow travelers seem to be smiling in these pictures, so it can’t be too bad. The best part was that whatever road or path or trail we took got us to where the animals were ---- and that is what was important. Cheers, Tom View 39 photos View Photos Shutterfly Photos. #14 Hooved Animals --- Now, when you start thinking about the food chain, these critters come to mind. They have to be alert and fast, but as they say, you don’t have to be the fastest; just a little faster than the slowest in your group. Ha! The smallest one of the lot is called the Dick-dick and it is difficult to get them on film, but Nancy did a good job with one of them and you’ll be able to pick him out. Lots of gazelles, wildebeest, and impalas (I call them Chevy’s), plus some more allusive ones such as the water buck, eland, and hartebeest. Bottom line – these guys are just about everywhere and it makes for a nice viewing every time you see them. View 25 photos View Photos #16 Landscape --- I’m adding these just to give you a feel for the beautiful countryside we were traveling through. So varied, but so “way out there” in many respects. A lot like our own west, but with a few bigger animals roaming around. Ha! This is Kenya and Tanzania, by the way. On our first trip, a few years ago, we were in Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa and Botswana, but I liked this up north a bit better. More mountains and so on to give contrast. Nancy liked the south better -- go figure. :-) View 70 photos View Photos Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly #18 Reptiles – You thought I had forgotten this project, didn’t you? Not so fast …. We are now home from our east coast trip to see our son’s new digs up in CT and to visit dear friends in MD and VA; so now I will quickly “share” the rest of our pictures with you lucky people. Ha! The reptiles we were most impressed with were the crocodiles, for sure. Those guys are huge! Not that we got too close to them, but where we were was close enough. Saw some snakes and lizards (yes, that is me taking a picture of that big python on the rock), but most of the time they keep a low profile. Enjoy the rest of the pictures that I should get out in the next day or so. View 18 photos View Photos Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly #20 Signage – Here are a few pictures of some of the entry signage for the places we visited. Of interest, look at the costs associated with going into the Serengeti park in Tanzania – more than a visit to Disneyland, ha! Don’t you love the one about the evolution of man? I think I stopped developing somewhere around the Homo Erectus stage. Did you know about The Rift Valley? I didn’t, but guess it runs from the top of the Red Sea to the bottom of Africa along the east side – interesting, and it provides for some great topography. There only remains a small city park in Nairobi, Kenya, honoring the US Embassy that was bombed in 1998, but at least they still mark the location. We have moved our embassy outside the city to a safer location! Go figure. Cheers, Tom View 18 photos View Photos Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly #19 OAT Guests – Thought I would share some pictures of our gang of 10 courageous souls who braved this “dangerous” African safari trip. :-) We were a tough lot, and as long as we were able to get a little beer, wine or whiskey in the evening, we were ready and able to take on the next day. Actually, we were a very simpatico group and we had lots of fun together. We were fortunate to have a great trip leader/guide and the local guides and drivers were super. Made for a 4.0 trip!!! View 95 photos View Photos Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly #20 Signage – Here are a few pictures of some of the entry signage for the places we visited. Of interest, look at the costs associated with going into the Serengeti park in Tanzania – more than a visit to Disneyland, ha! Don’t you love the one about the evolution of man? I think I stopped developing somewhere around the Homo Erectus stage. Did you know about The Rift Valley? I didn’t, but guess it runs from the top of the Red Sea to the bottom of Africa along the east side – interesting, and it provides for some great topography. There only remains a small city park in Nairobi, Kenya, honoring the US Embassy that was bombed in 1998, but at least they still mark the location. We have moved our embassy outside the city to a safer location! Go figure. Cheers, Tom View 18 photos Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly #21 Cats – Now, this is what it is all about. Who goes to Africa without the hope of seeing these big boys (and girls)? The lions are obvious, and I think you will recognize the cheetahs, but the leopards are hard to see up in the trees. There are some other critters with this posting, too, and the foxes are neat, but the hyenas (dogs?) are not our favorites. Credit for the great picture of the lion with the very clean teeth goes to our travel mates, Mike and Karen. View 52 photos Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly #22 Odds and ends – What the heck …. Just some left over pictures of whatever …. Ha! Only one more picture batch to go after this one; so your eyes will get some rest at long last. Yuk! View 16 photos View Photos Thomas has shared photos with you from Shutterfly #23 Migration – Finally, the long awaited and much sought after, final edition. This is our last photo file to share and it is of the most amazing event we experienced while on this trip. In fact, we became very much aware of just how lucky we were to be able to see the migration at all. The wildebeest follow their keen instincts and begin their 1,000-mile round trip migration based upon the rainy season. Who can predict that? Regardless, somehow over 2,000,000 of them make their way north from the southern Serengeti in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara area of Kenya, and later back south again in a clockwise pattern. Zebras, too, as well as gazelles. Anyway, the highlight of the migration is when they cross the Mara River, and through luck, perseverance, and some good guides, we lucked out and were able to see the crossing. For you who watch the nature shows on TV, you’ll remember the pictures of the frantic animals jumping into the river and attempting to cross against the strong current, and the even more threatening (and hungry) crocodiles. We only witnessed “one” attack by a croc, but the threat was always there. By the way, those crocodiles are HUGE! Anyway, we are now able to check this off our bucket list, and what a big check that is. BTW, highly recommend this trip for those who are true adventurers. Cheers --- and Merry Christmas, Tom and Nancy Sommers View 18 photos View Photos #15 Monkeys --- These guys were everywhere; so, I’ve just put a few pictures here for you. There’re smarter than we are I sort of think. At least they know how to climb and some hunt in packs with a lot of coordinated skills. Other than that, I think the thing they do best is breed (deleted those pictures, however, ha!). Ha! Cheers, Tom View 8 photos View Photos