This Year's Christmas Tree!

This will most likely be the most memorable Christmas tree we've ever had. We have three spruce tree in the front of the house. When we moved in they were the perfect size. Now, they've grown sho large that they cover the living room window. We thought we'd take one of them out in the Spring until Alyssa had the briliant idea to cut it down now and use it as our Christmas tree. It is about 23 feet tall, so we cut down the top 15 feet to use as our Christmas tree, then I cut down the rest. We had to put it in the entry in order to have it fit. We decorated it tonight (Dec 14th). We think it looks great. Enjoy the pics.

Germany photos and notes

Just about done....I leave for home tomorrow morning! Here are some pics and a couple of notes from the trip.

My hotel in Wiesbadden was built in 1486. Before Columbus discovered America! Wiessbadden wasn't bombed much during WW II so there is still a lot of cool old architecture. The suitecases on the ground is actually a display outside the train station. I've got a few more pics that I'll have to share later. I love you all!

Europe -- October 2008

No pictures yet from this trip. Why you ask? Because I'm still in Chicago:-)

Weather delays in Chicago and a mechanical problem on the plane in Salt Lake City meant I missed my Chicago to London flight. I got booked on a flight that leaves four hours later. Now I'm just waiting for the time to arrive to board.

I'll try and post some picutures during the week, so be sure to come back to the blog. I'm in London (actually Slough which is much more boring, but I think we are having dinner in Windsor -- no not with the queen --) on Monday and Tuesday. Then I fly to Germany on Tuesday night and I'm there (Dusseldorf and Hannover) until I fly out Friday morning. I have a train ride between cities one of the days, so that should make for some nice pictures.

Have you read this month's Ensign. Some really great articles. On the plane I also read President Ukdorf's article on the power of hope, from conference. Soooo good. Enjoy the rest of your Sabbath. I love you all!

It's Looking Like a Cabin!

Robyn and I went up to Timber Lakes on Saturday, just before the BYU game. The cabin is coming along. The roof is on, the inside railings are in, the decks are on, the rough electrical, plumbing, and heating is all done. Just a couple more things to get done before winter sets in. Then we'll hopefully get started again in the Spring. Everytime we drive up there it get's us excited for the day it will be done and we'll spend time with our family there!

Links to Africa Photos - and my favorite seven photos from the trip

Here is the link to my Africa photos. You might have to copy and paste it into your browser window. One album has the safari and the other has shots of Cape Town and some misc. stuff from the trip. To go to the second album, look for a link below the thumbnails on the Kodak site that says "browse all albums." Each album has about 50 photos -- a far cry from the 500+ that I took:-)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=3lzl5oj.26tfx6hf&Uy=aob69f&Ux=0&UV=894259740223_673019483603

Okay, now here are my top seven photos from the trip:

"Lunch for each of us?"

Not hardly. Luckily for these two impalas, Rhinos are herbivores.

"Sunset in the Bush"

I took this shot the evening of the first game drive. The sun was going down and we were stopped. I caught the sun sneaking through this partially dead tree. Everything around us was quiet, but still you had a sense of how alive the place was.

"Are you talkin to me?"

This one just makes me laugh. I like it because all five of the kudu are looking straight at the camera at the same time. To me they look like they are saying, "What? You need something?"

"The Kudu Lodge Staff"

This is the staff at the lodge. When you arrive in the Land Rover, they are all lined up waiting to great you. They assemble again when you depart to say goodbye. Leon (next to me) and his wife Arina (top right) manage the lodge. Leon knows EVERYTHING about the animals, birds, and plants. And his wife CAN COOK! She is one of the sweetest girls I've ever met. Everyone was so friendly.

"A Prehistoric Creature"

Terrible eyesight, but great hearing. They look like something that should had roamed the earth a million years ago. It was so cool to get so close.

"The Field Trip"

This entire trip was like a field trip for me (don't worry, I got a lot of work done too). On the top of table mountain I caught up with a school field trip. It made me realize that kids are kids no matter what part of the world you're in. This little guy was nice enough to stop and let me snap his picture -- didn't even need to ask, just point the camera at him.

"Do you see it Elder? Do ya?"

The composition of this shot won't ever win any photography awards, but it is a great memory for me. I sat across the aisle from three missionaries on the final leg of the trip - Atlanta to Salt Lake City. They were on their way home from Brasil. I'd already tried to help one of them in the customs line when he was panicked because he's misplaced his passport. Which I later found in one of his books. I took this picture as we flew over the Salt Lake valley on our final approach. All three of them were crowed around the window looking for landmarks that they recognized and pointing them out to one another. They had worked hard serving the Lord for the last two years. Their suits were worn out. They were tired and they were so excited to be home.

That's it. Quite an adventure. I hope you enjoy the photos. CTR!

August 15-20 Welgevonden and Cape Town:

BEWARE: LONG POST. READ AT OWN RISK!

Headed home somewhere over the Atlantic. From Dakar to Atlanta I heard those magic words, “Mr. Staples, your new seat assignment is 2B.” An upgrade to business class on an 8 ½ hour flight REALLY makes a difference. The seats almost lay flat. I slept for awhile.
I ended up with about 3 hours in Cape Town Tuesday morning after my press interview and before I needed to leave for the airport. So I took a trip to Table Mountain. A beautiful mountain that overlooks the city. You get to the top on a cable car. One interesting experience…(shows how jaded the world can make us). I had the same cab driver on the way back to the hotel that I had on my way to Table Mountain. All of a sudden, he is taking me the long way, stopping at multiple locations to let me take pictures. All the time while the meter is running. So now my 70 rand (about $9) cab ride is approaching 200 rand. I don’t have that much money. My thought was, “this guy is taking advantage of my running up the meter.” So I tell him that I don’t have that much money with me. His comment is, “That’s not a problem. It’s not about the money. I just wanted you to see my country. To be able to show the pictures to your family.” Wow! Made me feel bad for my initial thoughts.
So working backwards a bit, on Monday August 18th I gave my presentation at the Symposium. We had a good crowd. I would guess about 125. It was on a big stage in a large sloped auditorium at the convention center. I presented for an hour. I thought it went well. Earlier in the day we had done two other media interviews and worked the booth.
So now to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. (note that I will have a link posted by the end of this weekend to see the pictures. Not all 517 of them, so don't get alarmed). I got picked up at noon by a driver who drove me from the Monte Casino Hotel to the gate of the game reserve. It is a three hour drive. My driver’s name was Max, a big black guy with a laugh that seemed to go on forever. We talked a bunch on the way there. He “loves Jesus.” He hadn’t ever heard of the LDS church. Max then drops me off at the reserve gate as private cars can’t drive on the reserve. Leon, the lodge manager, picks me up on the Land Rover and we drive for about 20 minutes to the lodge. When I arrive all the staff is lined up in front to great me and shake my hand. A quick bite to eat, ditch my luggage, get a tour, and I talk Leon into going out on a late afternoon drive. Leon and his with Arina manage the lodge. They are young – 27 years old. She is really sweet and he knows everything about the bush, the animals, the birds – everything! On this drive we see Impala, Kudu, and a Brown Snake Eagle. On the drive with us are a local couple Dave and Gail – very nice. We stop for some snacks and water and watch the sunset over the bush.
When we get back, one other couple has checked in. Also local from South Africa. We have an incredible dinner then off to bed. You have to be escorted to your room after dark (so you don’t get eatenJ). You also are given a radio in case there is a problem during the night. The rooms are amazing. Very, very nice. Far from roughing it. Wake up call is 6 am to leave by 6:30 am.
Saturday morning and off we go. I’m up front. It’s kind of cold since it is winter. These Land Rovers are completely open, but the animals see it as a single item so they thing we are big! The first thing we find are fresh elephant tracks. We track him and the broken branches, dung, and fresh urine for about 20 minutes, but no success. Amazingly, the elephants climb the mountains and are hard to spot.
We then spot Rhinos. We are able to get very close and to get some great pictures. Rhino is what I wanted to see the most, so this was incredible. They look so prehistoric. We watch one of the baby rhinos charge a male who gets too close to the baby’s mother. The rest of the morning is filled with kudu, impala, zebra, wildebeest, wart hog, and clip springer. It was awesome. We also went looking for a lion that Leon had seen a couple days earlier, but no luck. Back to the lodge as the animals don’t move during the day.
Our lodge – Kudu Clearwater is one of 52 lodges, mostly private, on this 39000 hectare reserve. It only houses 10 guests at a time. It is owned by a woman who owns a winery. Lunch is great. We then head out about 3:45 in the afternoon. Leon is determined to find a Lion for me. Radios connect the different guides out on the reserve. Leon hears that there is a lion sighting. It is far, but we have time to get there. We hurry down the red dirt roads. It takes about an hour to get there, but we find them. Right when they are starting to move. A mom and three young lions. We follow them and watch them play with each other. Very cool. We’re with them for about 20-25 minutes.

It is getting late and so we start to head back. Then just before dusk we make a turn and in the middle of the dirt road is the big back side of a bull elephant. We stop and watch. He turns and begins watching us. We are about 25 yards from him not sure what he is going to do. They frequently charge vehicles, so Leon is ready to put it in reverse. Instead he goes off the trail and begins to climb the mountain. Amazing to watch this 5 ton animal climb. Wow. My elephant pictures aren’t very good because of the lack of light, but it was amazing to see. We then drive the rest of the way home in the dark.
Dinner Saturday night is outside around a large fire. The five guests all become pretty good friends. Then off to bed.
Sunday morning I get up. No hot water as a water line had burst, but it gets fixed by 8 am. I get ready, have some cereal and it’s time to leave. Zebra and Wildebeest graze just outside the back of the lodge. I was sad to go. What an amazing experience seeing Heavenly Father’s creations. This is something I never thought I would get to do. I quickly developed a friendship with Leon. I invited him and Arina to come to America and stay with us. We drove slowly back. He shows me the tracks of an elephant who had come into camp the night before to drink. Leon and I talk about religion, family, and just about everything else. At the gate the car doesn’t arrive. I call and they have the pickup scheduled for 11 instead of 10. Leon waits with me until the driver comes. It’s Max again. We listen to African gospel music all the way to the airport. On a plane and off to Cape Town.
Overall, this was a great trip. One of the highlights of the adventure-filled life that I’ve lived. By nature I have a STRONG curiosity gene (always want to know what's behind door number three) and this kind of stuff fits that well. I’m very appreciative to have had the opportunity. I hope to return with my family sometime in the future. All that said, I’m really excited to get home!

Good bye -- Cape Town

August 19, 2008:

I'm leaving for the airport in fifteen minutes. It is 11:45 a.m. in Cape Town and 3:45 a.m. in Utah. See you in ....I don't know lots of hours ;-) I love you all! I've very excited to be coming home.