This is a picture of what we see when we look out our bedroom window.  There is a little family that farms this land, mostly growing corn.  It makes us so happy to look out the window and see them going about their daily routine.    They have little children who play around their mother as she works and she scrubs them up outside using a wash basin.         

Dean has Jiked the fruit we bought at the market and displayed them so nicely!   Jik is a solution that smells like Clorox and we soak everything before we eat it and use it when we wash and rinse the dishes.    It is used as a disinfectant.    

This is another picture of our neighbor's farm after they cleared a section of corn by hand.  The dad was out there for hours using a hoe to chop down the corn and get the land ready for another planting.  They are hard workers.             

TODAY WE WENT TO A BABY ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE ABOUT AN HOUR FROM OUR FLAT.  THESE BABIES HAVE LOST THEIR MAMAS BECAUSE OF POACHERS.

THEY KEEP THE BABIES FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS AND THEN INTRODUCE THEM BACK INTO THE WILD.  THERE WERE MORE MAZOONGOOS (WHITE PEOPLE) THERE TODAY THAN WE HAVE SEEN IN ALL THE TIME WE HAVE BEEN IN KENYA.  AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS IS ONE OF THE TOURISTY PLACES.                                 

IT WAS VERY FUN TO WATCH THE BABY ELEPHANTS PLAY WITH EACH OTHER ANDWITH  THEIR KEEPERS.  THEY ARE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH PEOPLE AND SEEMED TO EACH HAVE THEIR OWN PERSONALITY.         YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY LOOK KIND OF RED.  THAT'S BECAUSE THE SOIL IS RED AND THEY LIKE TO                THROW  THE  DUST UP ONTO THEIR BACKS AND ALSO PLAY IN MUD.                                                                                                                                                                      

AT NIGHT THE KEEPERS TAKE THE BABIES INTO BUILDINGS THAT LOOK LIKE STABLES AND THEY PUT A BLANKET ON THEM TO KEEP THEM WARM.  THE KEEPERS SLEEP THERE WITH THEM.    THE HOUSES THE EMPLOYEES LIVE IN LOOK VERY HUMBLE.  THEY HAD THEIR LAUNDRY DRYING ON LINES AT THE SIDE OF THEIR HOUSES AND CHILDREN WERE PLAYING AROUND IN THE YARD.                                                                    

THE ELEPHANTS WERE VERY PLAYFUL WITH EACH OTHER, THE KEEPERS AND THE VISITORS.

HERE THE TRAINERS ARE TAKING THE BABIES BACK INTO THE BUSH TO GET THEM USED TO BEING IN THE WILD.  THEY TRY NOT TO GET THEM TOO USED TO BEING AROUNG PEOPLE AND THEY TRADE TRAINERS SO THEY DON'T GET TOO ATTACHED TO ONE PERSON.                                                                                                               

THERE WAS A FAMILY OF WART HOGS THAT CAME VERY CLOSE TO WHERE WE WERE.  THERE WERE ALSO BABOONS PLAYING IN THE YARDS WHERE THE CHILDREN LIVE.  SOME OF THE BABOONS WERE BIGGER THAN THE CHILDREN.  THE PARENTS DIDN'T ACT CONCERNED AT ALL ABOUT THEIR SAFETY.

HERE THE BABIES AE BEING FED MILK FROM BIG BABY BOTTLES.  THEY COULD EMPTY THE BOTTLES IN LESS THAN  A MINUTE!                                                                                                                                                              

THEY LOVED PLAYING IN THE MUD PUDDLE -- JUST LIKE KIDS.  THE TRAINERS SAID IF THEY DON'T GET THEM BACK INTO THE WILD THEY GET TO BE LIKE AGGRESSIVE TEENAGERS AND CAN HURT EACH OTHER.  THEY ALSO SAID ELEPHANTS CAN BE VERY "NAUGHTY".

THIS IS A PICTURE OF A BLIND RHINO THAT WAS RESCUED AND LIVES AT THE ORPHANAGE.  HE WAS VERY LARGE AND VERY DOCILE.                                                                                                                                                                

REMEMBER THE MOVIE "OUT OF AFRICA"?  THIS IS THE HOME OF KAREN BLIXEN AND THE MOVIE WAS     THE STORY OF HER LIFE IN KENYA.  SHE  WAS FROM DENMARK.  SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAD A HUGE        FARM WHERE THEY GREW COFFEE  BEANS AND EMPLOYED MANY KENYANS.  SHE SCHOOLED THEIR            CHILDREN AND TREATED THEM AS EQUALS.  THE KENYANS LOVED HER AND HAVE NAMED A WHOLE          AREA AFTER HER ALONG WITH SCHOOLS, A HOSPITAL, ROADS, A COUNTRY CLUB, ETC.  IN THE MOVIE,          MERYL STREEP PLAYED KAREN AND ROBERT REDFORD PLAYED HER BOYFRIEND.  THIS IS THE                        ACTUAL  SITE OF THE FILMING OF THE MOVIE.  IT IS VERY BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL HERE.               

THIS IS THE BACK OF THE KAREN BLIXEN HOME WHERE SHE DID A LOT OF HER WRITING.  THOSE THREE LADIES ARE SHARON HALL, LINDA PUGMIRE AND GRANDMA OLSEN.