Another month in Kumasi with three more of the same to go. Our August photo essays feature a walking tour of our Kumasi neighborhood, the joys of gardening in the tropics, a busy FS2BD project and fun time with fellow expatriates.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Pamela by the Sea from 2004 and Pam with goat, 2013. Close friends who stay in touch help us feel at home wherever we may be. The picture on the left came from a party Pam and Shaun threw on Maui. See Ruben’s Party for more.
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
Bob likes to say we are becoming more and more like his Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Hank every day. They loved to garden and watch their soaps. We love working in the garden and watching reruns of the TV show “Soap” that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1981. Bob is trimming Lime Basil. Camille is searching for Winged Beans. More about our outdoor life around home, here: Kumasi Yard and Gardens
OUT AND ABOUT
There are lots of shopping opportunities here in Kumasi. Camille met Kirsten at the Cultural Center and they bought some gifts to bring home. Bob routinely visits Shady Acres to buy drinking water. See pictures of our Neighborhood Shops and more at: Kumasi-Here
HOME OFFICE
Bob’s office on the left, Cookie’s on the right. With Cookie, who likes to eat at her desk.
THE DECK
The deck above Bob’s office is a nice place to hang out. Jeremy recently returned from Costa Rica via Michigan where he met our friend Nauzley. Nauzley sent him home with a bag of Chocolate Cherry Turtles which did not last long. Jeremy, Camille, Allison and Bob ate at least one each on the deck. The upstairs garden also thrives on the deck.
HAMMOCK TIME
Melanie took this picture of Bob enjoying some well-deserved down time.
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY FRUIT BOWL
Camille prepares to add a mango to the pineapple in our orange and black bowls. At 6:48am, the sun has barely risen and the windows are still dark. By 10am we will be well into our day. Bob bought this beautiful carving from Mr. Ali and put it on the wall beneath the clock.
HIGH HUMIDITY
Jay has begun measuring the ambient humidity inside the house and says it sometimes reaches 100% even though it is not raining. Camille went looking for her North Carolina Driver’s License and found that her wallet had turned green. Happily it cleaned up nicely but surely will turn green again soon.
POO TO FUEL
August marked another busy month in the sanitation research world. See more pictures of the project that brought us to Ghana here: FS2BD August, 2013
CAMILLE AND ELISABETH
Camille is happy to show off her new suit, fashioned in traditional Ghana style. Elisabeth, who was traveling for a couple of months returned and came over for a visit where she met Spot. It’s great to see our friends returning to Kumasi.
ANOTHER TWO PARTY MONTH
Both outings gave two groups of expats an opportunity to meet each other – old friends who have been away on holiday and new friends from the Kumasi Expats facebook group Camille created to connect people and resources.
Party #1 – Two groups of expatriates met at Villa Sankofa Guest House. Marvil, the owner of the Villa is in the blue and yellow dress to the right of the picture on the left.
Party #2 was at Ingrid’s house in honor of her 55th birthday. More fun with Expats at: Expat Parties
NEW HOUSE MATES
BJ, meet Spot. And Shashwat. BJ will ride the Biodiesel Poo Train all the way to the station while Shashwat has already returned to Columbia University. Because both arrived during the same time period, they had a lot of fun exploring Kumasi together, packing an amazing array of experiences into Shashwat’s nine day stay.
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THIS MONTH’S QUOTES:
“Trickle-Down economics is a con perpetuated by the rich that has convinced millions of middle class and low-income Americans that somehow they will become rich by giving rich people more money.”- Allen Clifton, co-founder of Forward Progressives
“Supercapitalism does not permit acts of corporate virtue that erode the bottom line. No corporation can ‘voluntarily’ take on an extra cost that its competitors don’t also take on.” – Economist Robert Reich
“Conventional Economics is a form of brain damage. Economics is so fundamentally disconnected from the real world, it is destructive!” – David Suzuki
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