Getting Ready To Leave

This is my last Saturday in the States for the next six months and I'm enjoying not having anything planned for the day. That doesn't mean that I am doing nothing, however, as there is much to do to prepare for our departure on next Friday, June 26th.

Getting all the normal details of wrapping one's life up for six months is not easy, and there are a lot of loose ends to tie up. Reducing the cable bill (wife, Susan, does not watch much television so she won't be needing all the channels I have), cutting down on the rate plan for my cell phone (again, Susan doesn't talk much on the cell phone), and that sort of thing will reduce my spending footprint here while increasing it South Africa as I must find accommodation there. I am shipping my motorcycle to Cape Town, so that will provide me transportation in a country that drives on the left side of the road.

I'm wrapping up my Issues in Management Class at Northwest University, but will have final papers to grade on the 30+ hours of flying we have to endure to get to paradise. I have really enjoyed my teaching there and love the students in my class. They are all quality people and have earned my respect. I hope that they, too, will be following my blog during my Larry Ishmael's Big African Adventure (not to be confused with PeeWee Herman's Big Adventure).

This trip will be the first time we have returned to Africa since leaving in 1981. We've promised the kids we would take them all with us someday, and that time is now. Clay and Erin are expecting in October, so once the grandkids start coming there is not going to be any time when we can all get together again like this for a big trip. Our son, Greg, is going through a divorce and needs to be surrounded by family, and Reese is a recent college graduate and is getting ready to set out on his big adventure as well.

There are a lot of changes coming in the Ishmael family, and I hope you will stay tuned to find out how it all develops. But first, we need to get to Africa for the next three weeks! We'll arrive into Cape Town, then on to Durban for Clay and Erin's anniversary (and Clay's 31st birthday), then on to Sabi Sabi for safari, then to Johannesburg to visit our old haunts from when we lived there (and where Greg was born), before leaving for Botswana and Zimbabwe for more safaris and visiting Victoria Falls.

Thanks for following our lives....

Larry