It was a quiet month in Kumasi, Ghana, nice and cool, with time for friends and gardening. We said goodbye to Nauzley and hello to Melanie, worked on the sanitation project, ate well and as always, saw many interesting sights.
OUR LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN IN WEST AFRICA
This is the entrance to the first floor of the house we call Casa Kumasi and these are two of our housemates frying falafel for Movie Nite. More photos of our humble abode can be found at: Casa Kumasi
BLUE COLLAR, WHITE COLLAR
The project which brought us to Ghana requires a mix of hand-on work, planning and paper writing. See what kind of progress they made this month here: FS2BD July, 2013
NEW FRIENDS
Ingrid and Tim invited us to a party at their house. Little Nana joined us. As did Allison and Tim’s daughter and friend.
GOOD FRIEND
The occasion for the party was to honor our joint friendship with Nauzley who returned to the States this month. Ingrid gave Nauzley a beautiful carved stool to remember her by and we asked her to pose on the stool with her glass of champagne and bowl of chocolate mousse.
SOUR RYE BREAD
The food at Ingrid’s was fabulous but her sour rye bread stole the show. Camille and Allison enthusiastically accepted an invitation to see how Ingrid bakes her delicious bread and went home with a whole loaf. Naturally, it found its way onto our plates pronto with avocado and scrambled tofu.
SIGHTS TO BEHOLD
While it would be unusual to see an upturned truck back home in the States, it isn’t an unusual sight in Ghana. Another uncommon sight (in the States) would be blood spilling from underneath a tarp outside the police station. Bob snapped this picture moments before a crowd arrived to take in the sight. One less bad guy is always a good thing and worth coming out in the rain to see. Actually, this kind of display is not a singular event as evidenced by this News Story from August 1st.
FINAL WALK WITH NAUZLEY
Camille and Nauzley walked around her part of town, Nauzley snapping photos to take home. This picture features the roundabout with the Asantehene and a lion with what’s left of the train tracks in the distance.
HARD WON PHOTO
When we tried to snap a picture of the Wesley Cathedral from this parking lot, the security guards forbade us to step foot into the lot. For revenge, Camille snapped this picture of one of the guards on her way past in the taxi she took home.
TURMERIC UPSTAIRS, BEETS IN THE BACK YARD
You can’t have too many vegetable gardens. We have two, one up and one down. See more on: Two Gardens
TRYING NEW THINGS
Allison holds the first Burkina Faso eggplant (that is not a tomato) and an armload of Asian eggplant from the garden. Jay celebrates a new custom-made shirt, fresh from the tailors.
ON THE SPOT
Spot welcomes Laura and her mother, who spent a night on their way through Kumasi and our newest house mate, Melanie.
More visitors for Spot to get excited about – Tim and Ariana.
THINK U JESUS
Get born again. Yes, you! Christianity is alive and thriving in Kumasi.
IRONY AND HEAD PANS
Bob caught these interesting images while out shopping for the project. On the left, laundry dries on a busy sidewalk railing next to a billboard advertising white man style plumbing in a place where few can afford that luxury. On the right, business as usual always involves street vendors and head pans. The colorful posters are the type on display in hair and nail salons and sewing shops.
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THIS MONTH’S QUOTES:
“So here’s the question : Will we build a renewable energy infrastructure to support a steady state economy, or will we try to pursue a Beverly Hillbillies’ lifestyle in a Hunger Games world?” – Richard Heinberg, TEDx Sonoma June 2013
“No nation could reserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare. Those truths are well established.” – James Madison, “Political Observations” April 20, 1795
“We misused energy and overpopulated the Earth. It is much too late for sustainable development; what we need is a sustainable retreat.” – James Lovelock, The Revenge of Gaia (2007)
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