Midpoint update?

If all had gone according to plan, this would be something of a midpoint update. But we all know what happens to plans, they change. And ours changed in a big way this week. Marcia had been making noises about already knowing she wouldn't want to leave when the time came. And that there was so much more to see, and since we were already here we might as well... Get the picture? So she called the airline and found there were a few dates available for us to change our flights. And supposedly the change fee wasn't too much! So we did it! We get to stay in South Africa almost one month longer. WOW! Our new departure date is December 3rd. Isn't that exciting! And what was very nice was to hear was how pleased everyone here was that we were going to be here a bit longer. As I keep saying, everybody we have met has been so terrific. We couldn't feel more welcome and comfortable. Thanks to all of them! And thanks to all back in VA who made it possible for us to even consider doing this. And especially to our three girls, your support has meant so much to us. Thanks!! We love you.

There will be a cost, aside from the monetary one, to this extension. There will be no time in Amsterdam. We fly from Cape Town to Amsterdam to Detroit to Norfolk with only a few airport hours in between flights. When we arrive in Norfolk late on the 4th I suspect we will be in pretty bad shape. Oh well, we get to miss Amsterdam in December following three months in spring and early summer in South Africa!

Now to what's up here. I spent the last three days taking a Botanical Latin workshop. Yeah, yeah, I know, who would willingly sign up for such a course! We covered too much in this time, but it was very informative and quite enjoyable. Who would have guessed I would be able to do this. And in two weeks I will participate in a workshop on identifying sedges. I have tried my best to not deal with these plants as their taxonomy is based on such minute detail and is such a mess. But this will give me a chance to really work with these plants and to gain a bit more familiarity. Another neat opportunity!

And to the week ahead. As it turned out the CREW folks will be away in Pretoria for the week. So Marcia and I will also be out of our offices for the week. We head to Beaufort West tomorrow. Beaufort West is in the Karoo, the arid region that fills much of the central to western part of the country. We will visit Karoo National Park while we are there. From B.W. we head to Calitzdorp, which is in the Klein (Little) Karoo. This area is also very dry but is closer to the coast and filled with mountain ranges. This is the area that experienced the ostrich boom and bust. The area is still known for its ostrich farms and for a number of spectacular caves. We will let you know what we find. And then we drop down to the coast and stary in Knysna, which is on the Garden Route. This is an area where the mountains come down to the coast and moisture levels are high so forests are supported. The scenery and native flora are the highlights of this area. And then we head back to Cape Town and a quick overnight before we return to Darling to see Pat and Bobby. Dorothy, Jon, and Robyn wil also be there. That will be fun. And then it is time to go back to the office.

That's it for our news and for what the next week has in store for us. Probably won't be able to post any updates until we are back in Cape Town. Until then, Edward.