In the evening, we gather at the boma for drinks and to watch the sunset.

JC is the new arrival at the ranch, the son of Palinka and Heindrick.

Carol has adopted Ozzie,whi loves a lap to sit on.

The fire is really appreciated for its warmth in the evenings. Temperatures are probably in the 50's (F)?

After drinks, we move into the main house dining room for dinner.

Behind Jim is another big fireplace keeping the dining room comfortable.

The mantel of the fireplace is a beautiful hand carved piece with representations of the game animals found in the vicinity.

Heindrick points out one of the animals that decorate the whole facility. I think this one is a Springbok?

From the boma (the next morning), we can see the open air barbecue pit plaza, on the other side of the housing area.

From the barbecue, we can see the chalet we stayed in, with the boma just out of sight on the right. To the near right is where the dining room is located.

This is the "big" house, which is several hundred yards away through the bush from the main facility.

This is the kitchen area in the main room of the big house.

From the kitchen sink, there is a nice view of an enclosed back yard.

The fireplace in the main room is another handcarved piece commissioned for this location.

We move to the back of the house for a tour.

From the bedroom windows, one is overlooking the area where the game comes in to feed.

All the bathrooms throughout the facility are beautifully configured.

The Master bathroom in the big house!

Jim & Carol survey the large porch at the back of the house.

There is a small hot tub located on one section of the porch behind the bedrooms.

The porch extends across the entire back of the house with this large sitting area overlooking the feeders.

The large deck of the porch overlooks the feeders in the field below.

The house staff: M'Po, Maria and Lizzie.

These are their new uniforms that they had recently purchased.

When we arrived at the ranch, we were greeted by the giraffes at the feeder in front of our chalet.

While they are fairly comfortable aroung the housing, they do move away from people.

Wildebeest herd comes in just after the giraffes leave.

The rhinos come in around the house as well.

These are Inyalla(?), and are very comfortable around the housing, as they were recently kept in the pens near the house.

Around the feeder near the big house, we encounter our first Eland, the largest of the antelope on the grounds.

There are about a dozen zebras on the ranch.

Wildebeest are known as the "clowns of Africa" because of their ungainly appearance and their playfulness.

These are Impala, which very much remind me of the Whitetail Deer in the Hill Country of Texas.

There are a few Cape Bufalo on the ranch, but they keep their distance from us. We never got closer than this.

Driving around the ranch, we run into the rhinos again. This rhino male is an intimidating animal!

Several of the giraffe pairs have young.

I tried walking up on the giraffes around the feeder. The female watched me closely all the time as I moved in, but the male semed much more unconcerned.

Wart hogs are considered pest animals and are killed when there is an opportunity.

Since wart hogs will tear up fences, the ranch has "gates" built under the fences to provide a means for them to cross easily. These are similar to "pet doors" that you might see in someone's home here in the States.

In the evening, we went out to the riverside for a "sundowner".

The fire is always required (after all, this is "winter" in Africa!)

Life can be hard out in the bush!

Ozzie heard something in the brush and brought it to our attention.

It turned out to be a Pangolin, sort of an African Armadillo.

This is actually an anteater, and is a rare and rarely seen animal. It is nocturnal and very hard to see in poor light. When we got to Botswana and told the guides there, they were very impressed, saying that they nad never seen this creature.

It walks mostly on its rear legs and uses the front legs with the big claws for digging up the ant hills.