May 7, 2018
Last night we watched some of the black people skin the zebra. Today, we went back to the skinning shed and looked at the meat and heart. The bullet hadn't gone out [after entering the zebra], so [since the skinners found it] Dad got to keep it.
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| Skinning the gemsbuck |
They have a very cool shed for skinning and salting. [Salting the hides and skulls is one of the steps of preserving them and helps dry it out/keeps away bugs.] [One of] my favorite spots is the salting area, [as I mentioned in the last post]. The floor slopes in the middle and they put the hide on the floor. They then dump salt and cover the entire hide/skull. Because that whole part of the room is for salting, they can get it everywhere and do what they need to without worrying about making a mess.
Even though it's going into winter here, there are still quite a lot of different flowers. There is even Blue stem, like at home.
The roofs at this lodge (Palala River lodge) are made from grass. J.L. said it only needs to be redone every 20 some years.
Today, Dad, S., J.L, and I went to hunt in a spot which looked more like what we pictured Africa to be. It was not as brushy, and grass was thicker. Fewer trees were here and there.
We saw a herd of sables and got good pictures of them. We saw leopard and hyena tracks. I saw one and part of another centipede. They [centipedes] are quite large and look as if to have a shell. But I think they have been dead, so I'm not sure if they actually look like that.
J.L. gave us a couple of guinea fowl feathers and a huge porcupine quill.
Then we found them. The gemsbuck. We saw one at first, but Dad passed it up. Then we saw 2. Dad shot one from J.L.'s shoulder as we were all in the back of the pickup. We got out and went to find it. It took a while and S. and J.L. put their tracking skills to work. It was some time later when they finally spotted blood.
We followed it and found the shot gemsbuck. That one was tough. Dad shot it correctly, but it was still up as best as it could and running. When Dad got a chance, he shot it again, ending it completely. It was a nice one. We took a bunch of pictures and the 3 men loaded it.
As we drove out, we saw a large herd of wildebeest. We came in, watched part of the skinning process, and then came into the lodge to eat dinner [noon meal].
This afternoon we have visited and relaxed. The weather is so beautiful. There is only a slight breeze, if any.
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| When we were told to duck or watch out for the trees, they weren't kidding. Plants like this were plentiful. |
9:18PM
Around 4PM, we 5 went with S. and J.L.. This time we drove around and saw quite a bunch of animals. Impalas, steen bucks, warthogs...birds. At one spot in the road, warthogs ran one way across and some type of buck ran the other.
All at once, as we drove through a really open area, J.L. pointed out a warthog. And after it lifted its head to show off its tucks, J.L. told me to shoot it.
I shot myself one "pretty" warthog!
Okay, maybe not pretty in most people's opinion. It was in very poor condition. She was OLD and had no teeth. Her skin was like old leather and she looked as though she had already been dead for days. The poor girl. I did her a favor by putting her out. But I am pleased--very pleased--with her for she has such character and her tucks are so unique! [And I like abnormal things, so she was perfect for me.]
I think I'll call her Aunt Matilda.
We drove around and saw still more animals. The sunset was so gorgeous.
After dark, we spotlighted and were able to see new critters. Rabbits, some of what we have [already] seen, bats, porcupines, waterbuck, etc., and the cutest little bush babies.
I asked Big J. how he's going to mount his monkey and he said he wasn't sure. I thought then that he should have it holding a rope. Dad added he should also put a little bandana on it. J.L. and the rest of us got such a big kick out of it while in the back of the truck, spotlighting after dark.
Tonight we ate zebra for the first time and we all truly liked it.
Fun facts:
- Aunt Matilda (my warthog) was at least 9 years old. Old for a warthog.
- Are you being aware of the lions and ticks? It's crazy how both are or can be equally as deadly.
- Still no wifi, so we haven't been able to contact anyone in the States since we left the airport in Johannesburg. The monkeys climbed up to it and messed it up before we got here.
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| One of the many meals we ate |
