Bopcha Blog

Hey everybody,



Sorry for the break between emails. I wish I could have gotten all the last days details out in the first one but I was too tired to think. My biological clock has a mind of it's own so I have no idea when I'll be sleepy or awake at this point. Anyways, after deciding to get 1-2 hours of sleep the night before departing Mercer Island I slept beautifully on the first leg of the trip to JFK airport. I think I woke up twice maybe. Professor Harriet and Van Pham were at the airport in NY so we grabbed some food and hopped our next flight: New York to Accra. I believe we were airborne for 9ish hours, but I am not absolutely sure as I slept for the first couple hours and took cat naps for the next 7 or so. It is easy to lose track of time when you are going forward. So we took off from New York at 4 something and arrived in Accra at 8 something in the morning. Pretty wild, I think we may have time travelled. We got our bags, met a couple of the people who would be taking care of us, Youngs? and Sammie. They both have connections with Womens Trust, and A Village Net, which are the two main microlending institutions here in Accra. A Village Net is actually the company Professor Stephenson helped start. We got to Joy Family Lodge and to my liking, pretty much everywhere is air conditioned. Our room, while small, is of very cool and I highly doubt I will be needing s mosquito net. After my first nap, we met for lunch at noon Ghana time, ate some delicious chicken and rice, which I am about to have for dinner again in a few moments, and ventured out to Ofankor, which is a "neighborhood" slightly outside of Accra form what I am told. We went to the office where Sammie runs AVN and met his assistant Jonathan. He spoke to us a little it about the goals and daily activities of AVN which was very interesting to me. We then walked the barely paved roads and met some of the borrowers who had started their own businesses (mostly roadside stores and stands). Don't worry I took a bunch of pictures. After a short day, we came back to the lodge at about 4 where I proceeded to take another nap. I am now getting ready for dinner so I will be back shortly with another update for you guys. Oh ya, it seems like its about 70 degrees but the humidity is unreal, at least for me.



Love,



Noah

I have the opportunity to get away for a bit, so I thought I'd add to the household, if only for a few days. I haven't read the blog for a few days--yeow!! Sid!! You are a genuine farmer boy--no doubt a red neck under all that brown, you think? Kitties sound SO cute Sandra--and Nina looks like dynamite. What a beauty.



United 6663

Arrive Eugene

Sat, Aug 14, 2010 at 01:51 PM

Depart Eugene

Tue, Aug 17, 2010 at 02:15 PM



I'll plan on taking the shuttle to Corvallis, unless advised differently.



Lots of love, KC

I am looking forward to my trip out west. Its been almost 9 years to the day since I last went to Oregon. If I remember right the green apples should be ready (at least for my taste). We took a walk down to the stream behind the farm, if you remember Bopcha you showed me that spot.



Sid, I hope you have a project of hard labor like last time. I tried to attach some photo's last posting but they did not show up. Here's one of Matt and myself and our new sign.



Best to All

Joe

Sandra, I say adopt all those stray kittens. It is a darn good thing I live in a little trailer or else I would surround myself with orphan dogs.



This is not a good day for us - Judi is weak and still in bed, I am very dizzy and Sid is out mowing. Judi has her doctor's appointment tomorrow (thank heavens). I do not know why I am dizzy but Bopcha is wearing her cell phone in case I collapse and I have mine in case she needs help. We are indeed a sad group this weekend. When Sid returns, I am going home and lay on the couch.



We had a bit of rain this morning and we could certainly use a lot more. Actually, it was more like a spray than actual rain.

I

A friend sent me this video (youtube) It is so funny athough I don't think it was meant to be. Here all these years I've been thinking that designing and making clothes required some skill and some idea of how to sew, but apparently that is not the case. All you really need is the ability to cut. Take your scissors out everybody and let's design our own line

Adam mit den Scherenhänden Click here

www.youtube.com



I have a view of a mommy cat and her litter of five adorable playful angelic looking kittens from our balcony off the kitchen. I think it is quite possibly "Luna's" mother who had the kittens. She is gray and white and I think I recognize her as the mother of the litter that Sid rescued when he brought home one of them (our beloved Luna). I feel sad for these innocent little kittens because if they don't have a home, they will be street cats. They are so sweet as they jump around the backyard of what looks like a vacant house. Right now they play with each other and look like happy little creatures, but don't they need a home???? I am not sure what to do as I feel like I should do something to find them homes. But I can not really get into the backyard. Hmmmm ........what to do?????



One of our cats (the younger male cat) has been making himself available to the neighbor next door. He goes into their kitchen when they leave the back door open and explores their apartment. This is definitely an example that looks really do matter. When they see this small all white cat with an angelic face how in the world are they supposed to be annoyed and throw him out???/But seriously, their grandaughter is visiting from London for a week (she is nine years old) and she has been able to play with Zuki as he makes himself available to her by going into her grandparents' condo. She is of course thrilled to have such a cute little kitty to play with. He is just a regular clown. Luna of course if more reserved but still quite the polite little lady to strangers.



Anyway, stop me before I turn into one of those crazy "cat ladies." Sid is not tan he is brown as dark brown, my goodness I have never seen anything like it. Diana, yours is a beautiful sophisticated looking tan, Sid's is well .......hmmmm not sure. No just kidding he looks like he got a lot of sun. Sid hope you are using sunscreen, not that I EVER do but I definitely tell others to use it.



Bopcha, take good care and stay strong. I think about you all the time. I am sending good thoughts, positive vibs your way, the works.



With love,



Sandra

Kay here. Dee that is mostly dirt but even after he showered, he is really really really brown. That is what haying will do. Kind of resembles Unc's tan.

Please tell me Sid does not have a better tan than I have!!

That's just dirt, right?

Made the mistake of taking a summer squash over to a widower a few trailers down and had the hardest time getting away from him and his logging stories and his driving an 18 wheeler story. Dear Lord above spare me from any more loggers.



Nina you look absolutely fantastic.



Sid has been working like a dog cutting the fields and today he ended up with sunburned legs. When he comes in from the farm he really resembles a farmhand. I'm thinking it's the dirt and hours in the sun. I also did some mowing today but it was only my postage stamp size yard.

Kay speaking. Sid mowed Bopcha side yard out by the railroad tracks and garden and then went out to the farm to use his new tractor to mow some fields. He came back a bit ago looking like a true field hand and is now off having a quick brewsky with his friend.



My neighbor gave me another large box of cherries so I brought them to Bopchas to pit. Judi came in with her cherry pitter but I did not make a dent in the box. So the box and the pitted cherries went back to the farm with Judith. Don't know how they did it in the old days but I am sure they made their children help.



Thursday is senior day at the fair so I am hoping to go for a couple of hours. I can taste the elephant ear already. Been working on a baby blanket for Crystal's baby and also brought that to Bopchas to work on. Was doing okay until I came to a spot that was wrong so that means pulling out a row and a half. Darn. To bad I am such a perfectionist (can we all say RIGHT).



Lovely pictures of Diana and that stranger she is standing by. Wonder who the awesome photographer was?????

Sid and his lovely sister.