My first full day back

After a rare eight hours of sleep I was working on tasks by 8 a.m. I got the coop all set up with feed and water containers hanging from the ceiling and the chicks chickens moved in. They grew a lot while I was gone and this relocation is overdue. Then I went to work on the path that now leads to the coop, putting down about three square yards of gravel, one wheel barrow load at a time. From there I moved to the far side of Fred where I used the chain saw to cut down some trees with branches that grew over the roof and then dig the post holes that will be part of the support system for the Marion berries I'll plant this weekend.
Wheel barrows, chain saws, post hole diggers...my man card is fully charged.

I'm still getting pics of the Tanzania trip from my phone to my laptop, so here's the next dump.

We drove from Mumba back to Mbeya on Monday and the plan was for me to do a 5-hour leadership conference with the Mbeya churches Tuesday. But the funeral of a key individual meant that many wouldn't be able to attend so it got cancelled. We took advantage of that to visit the Mbeya zoo where admission is the equivalent of $1. It's a very small zoo but what it lacks in size it makes up for in the access it gives visitors.
This is a hyena, and yes, I'm that close to it. The gap between the two chain link fences was just barely too great to allow me to touch this very dangerous animal.

This is an eland, the largest antelope in Africa. There's a chain link fence here, too, but I held my phone close enough that I could shoot through it. That guy (the females are much smaller) is about 4' away from me and not the least bit concerned.

I was surprised to see Donald Trump there.

On one of the trips from Mumba to Sumbawanga Cory's Toyota Land Cruiser started making an ominous clunking sound. Mike discovered that a bolt that held the front sway bar in place had sheared off. We drove slowly into town so I could teach and Cory could translate while Mike drove it to a shop for the fairly simple repair.
Stopping on a dirt road miles from anywhere with vehicle problems takes on greater import when you know it may be hours before another vehicle goes by and AAA isn't an option.
(BTW, driving that vehicle is almost as beneficial for someone's man card as using a chain saw.)

I saw lots of interesting things, including this very impressive poinsettia. Who knew they could be a tree? This was one of two about the same size within 50 yards of each other.

That's Cory >

Here are some pics of the church in Mbeya. (Yes, I know I'm jumping all over the place, but I'm still to hung over from the travel to put things in order.) The inside is lit by a few bare lightbulbs, there are no windows, and people sit on benches without backs. That's dirt outside that got really muddy during the pouring rain that came down while we were inside. 

I took this pic from across the dirt road. The guy in that shop out front is making boards out of logs. By hand. In the foreground you can see parts of the beds they make in another shop with the boards he produces. They crank those things out at a surprising rate considering everything is done by hand. 

Here's a view down the road with more beds in various stages of production. This must be furniture row because there were several shops turning them out. I think they went from here to stores around the city, transported on big carts pushed by hand. 

That's one of the elders from this church. I don't remember his name. For a meeting like this, especially with a speaker from America, everyone dresses in their very best. In this case that means his suit (singular). 

When you buy a suit or sport coat from a clothing store it has a label similar to what's on the inside neck of a dress shirt, but in this case it's sewn to the outside of the left sleeve just up from the bottom edge. We'd remove it as soon as we got home. In Tanzania they leave the label in place. I'm not sure why. 

I see another early bedtime in my future. I'd better get that cup of coffee and brownie now or it ain't gonna happen.