A Gift from Me to Me

I treated myself to a birthday gift today and bought a painting. It was on display at a restaurant where I met missionary friends for lunch. It stared and stared at me till I took the plunge and bought it. (Very uncharacteristic of me, BTW. I do not buy art on the spur of the moment.) Now it's staring at me from the shelf at the missionary guest house where I am till tomorrow.

It's by the Kenyan artist Rix Butama and is called "Kiss of the Executive." I love the bizarre combination of colors (earth tones and bright colors), the contrast between abstract and realism, even the contrast between the stained glass windows in the back, and the matted look of the animal's skin in the foreground. And I love the contrast between what each of these represent. Anyway, I like the picture.

Now, I simply need to know where in the world I'll hang it.

I guess I'll say, "Home is where I hang my reticulated giraffe."

It is indeed a male reticulated giraffe. And you thought a giraffe is a giraffe? Just like a zebra's not just a zebra, there are different kinds of giraffes in Africa. Different kinds have different markings. And different habitats. This particular kind is found almost exclusively in Northern Kenya. And in zoos around the world, of course. How do I know it's a male? Both male and female giraffes have two horns, but as they grow older, the males have calcium deposits that grow on their skulls. Thus, the lump on its forehead is a third horn. They get two behind their regular horns, as well, so an older male giraffe will seem to have five horns. Just some fun trivia from Africa.

Oh. My. Word!

We just got back from Jon van Zyle's studio. He and his wife are neighbors to the Claus family. Wonderful people. Jon and Jona showed us their huskies. The dogs are all work dogs. Sled dogs. Incredible animals. Right now, they have 16. I neglected to take my camera. Can't believe it! We hope to go back next Sunday to take photos before we head back to the lower 48.

The Van Zyles are an amazing couple. We had a delightful time visiting, were at their place from perhaps 8 till 10:30! Jon even blessed us with some of his prints, signed by him. I'm still blown away by it! Jona's art is equally amazing, but she does mostly beading and leather work, not as many paintings as Jon. If ever you're around Anchorage, plan to visit their kennel and art studio. You will not only love their dogs and their art; you'll love the couple, too.

The visit to the kennels and studio was the cherry on top of an already-wonderful day. Grandpa and Grandma were assigned to show us around a bit, and boy, did we have fun! They took us to all kinds of interesting towns and places in the area--even a wildlife park--while entertaining us with stories of adventures. Then we stopped at their other daughter's house to visit with that family. Seriously, it was simply great visiting all day long.

Right now, it's almost midnight here, and the sun as just setting a bit. It's dusk, really. I should go to bed. Danette and I will most likely both be out on the deck by 5:30 again for coffee and quiet time, and by 8, we're supposed to run around town to pick up the last supplies. After that, Ellie is driving us 5 hours to something like "Chitna," the last town toward their place. From there, Paul will fly us in the Otter to the lodge. I think. Who knows.

The journey continues.

What fun.

If you don't see an update for a while, it's because there's no Internet access out in the boonies.

Treasure

I found this online tonight. It's too good not to share. It was created in response to a post on Beth Moore's blog, from words spoken in a Commission at the end of one of Beth’s conferences.

Enjoy! It's done by Maggie from this blog.