Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well. I hope you are enjoying your weekend and can have some fun today.

We spent the day driving over bumpy roads in the middle of nowhere. We left Swakompmond early on Friday morning and drove to a uranium exploration site. We visited with the crews and spent some time with a supervisor named Raymond. He has been in the drilling industry since before I was born and was a nice guy. When we were done he took us through a dry river bed to the next mining site. We saw some Kudu ( a large animal that looks like a grey elk) and lots of birds.

We ended the day by driving to the capital of Namibia, Windhoek. As we drove here the terrain started changing from Desert to grasslands with trees. On the drive we saw a (herd, flock, tribe, group?) of baboons, a few girrafe, and alot of antelope.

We visited our local office for a few minutes then went to check in at the hotel. We went to a local place for dinner called Joe's. It was an outdoor resturant that specialized in different game meats. I had a great Orynx steak and since it is cold here (55 at night) we sat by a huge fire pit that was probably 4 or 5 feet across. It was a great meal an interesting experience.

I am staying at the Safari Court, a really nice hotel by local standards. It seems to be a jumping off point for safari groups in the area. Staying at the hotel there was a group of fifty or sixty American tourists who were headed out on a bus tour to some local game parks. I am going to be flying back to Cape Town on Saturday and then headed up to a mine site about eight hours drive from Cape Town called Black Mountain. The idea of driving eight hours to do a rig visit does not sound appealing but the client there and the crews seem impressed that someone would travel all the way from the States to visit so away we go.

I love you all and hop you are doing well. Nat, I hope the scrapbook night went well and the kids enjoyed their sleepover at Grandpa's house. I miss you all very much and wish you guys were here with me. I hope the kids remember who I am when I get home this time.

Love,
Ben