Reverie

North Carolina reminds me in many ways of my grandparents' cottage in Ludington, Michigan. There's a quiet stillness in the trees here (monkey-free) and everything is serene.

Even the birds seem sedate now, chirping through the rumbling rainstorm. I feel like I'm in another country, but I think that's more due to the company than the locale. One of the things I just adore about spending time with my loved ones "from Africa" is the sense of timelessness in our adventures.

Recounting the experiences, even multiple times, gives a bond, a kinship that's inexplicably unexplainable to people who haven't been through it. No journal or photo montage will ever really capture it for strangers.

I am, however, blogging and uploading some photos from our exciting three days in Chapel Hill.

We spent yesterday as responsible primatologists, visiting the Duke Lemur Center and paying attention to their prosimians and their gift shop. We each laughed during the introductory film, recognizing faces, both of the human-primate variety and the non.

I'm in a haze. A completely happy haze. So apologies for not answering emails, phonecalls, comments, etc, but Cleve leaves for Congo again in September, and I'm taking this time before he needs to finish his PhD in an every-second-counts mentality.

Tomorrow, we go to the beach, and then Saturday, Raleigh to see a movie and have dinner with his mom and Dad. Then it's up to MD. I regret that I probably will not make it to bkleber's bridgefest (only just barely) or meli123's bridal shower, but I am sincerely running out of time.

More later.

Completely Forgotten

Mmmm.. pondscum!
Originally uploaded by amalthya.

I totally forgot to recount the hilarity of yesterday... Cleve and I were at the lake letting Rusty go for a swim, and this German Shepherd and its owner came down the path towards us.

Rusty, being super-hyper-überfriendly, decided that he'd go over and say hi. Which, of course, was fine. But when the German Shepherd decided that she'd go into the lake herself (pond scum is apparently yummy) and Rusty just HAD to go in.

Cleve and I were talking, unawares, when suddenly, the leash (and Cleve's arm attached to it) go bulleting down the hill towards the lake.

He (amazingly) managed to stay upright until nearly the very edge of the lake, where he went into a squat-dive-faceplant, right into the pile of pond scum. I was amazed that he didn't let himself be pulled all the way into the lake, but he did end up on his belly, and me, the mean-observer, just laughed and laughed.

The NC Photo Set, thus far, is online too. Enjoy! I'm leaving the internetz again.