Freaks of Nature

By Jacob -


A picture is worth a thousand words. Jason, this is only the beginning.

Frozen fruit popsicles for the first time.




You see the baby gate on the left? Ya, someone left it open. They are supposed to be on the other side...

At least they are cute about it


The other night Carmen and I were on a night stroll when we heard something shuffling around in the bushes. Upon discovering the source of the noise to be a kurunguyeye (hedgehog) I attempted to reach my arm into the thorn bush to take a snapshot with my phone. This little guy, however, was not very photogenic or helpful. 

Now, I will take a moment to say that hedgehogs are one of Carmen's favourite animals. In fact, at one point while living in Texas she was in the process of obtaining one as a pet until we were informed of the no-pet policy in our apartment. Bummer.

Anyway, as you may imagine, we were both filled with tingly feelings of wonder at the beauty of cute and cuddly creation. So we decided to continue our walk through a small corn field to find more cute and cuddlies. We hardly made it five feet before I ran into something. At first, I thought someone had strung up a net or a bunch of old fishing line as it did not break despite my carefree plunge into the darkness. I took out my phone to take advantage of the flashlight. As the light uncovered the darkness before me, I lurched back in complete horror. You see, I HATE SPIDERS. There are few things in this world which freak me out more. And this one was the biggest freak of nature I had ever run into. Good nature feelings over. 

Long story short, I was completely freaked out and could not stop shaking for about ten minutes. Carmen was not so helpful either as she periodically ran a piece of grass or shrubbery across the back of my neck. Thanks honey :)

Not being able to see (or get much nerve to get close enough for a picture) I went the following day with my big camera and zoom lens.


This particular spider is of the Golden Orb Web spider family. Its web spanned about 6 feet (2 meters), its body alone measured over an inch (3cm), and its legs measured around 4 inches (10cm). As you can see from the pictures, the web glows golden when exposed to the sunlight. It is actually quite beautiful. Though not as poisonous as many creatures in Tanzania, its bite hurts and can cause blistering. Don't ask me to test the veracity of this detail.


Comments

  1. Wings 4 ChristAugust 8, 2017 at 2:56 AM

    Ah, you're finding some of the wildlife in the garden. That spider had a massive web in the tree near the gate for a long time, I was happy with it there because it meant I knew where it was rather than running into it unexpectedly like you did. Have you found the mini tortoise yet?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Recent Posts

Growing Sweethearts

By Jacob -
Image
It is about time we updated pictures of the children. The girls are growing and changing so fast! Every day they learn new things and get faster at crawling. Tivoli says Mama regularly and said Dada for the first time the other day! Esther is seriously addicted to her fingers and Tivoli decided a pacifier is a wonderful thing. They are nine months now. Tivoli (yellow headband)  Esther (purple headband) Many struggles over who gets which toy occur every day... And usually the result is one happy baby and one sad baby. Tivoli is almost always happy, steady, and consistent. However, she loves to explore and escapes every time the door is left open. She really likes the dogs who are probably five times her size and like to lick her face. Unfortunately, her explorations outside usually end with a very happy but filthy baby.  Well, this is 100% Esther when we say smile. She loves to snuffle her nose at you and once she is comfortable with someone she over
Read more

The Girls

By Jacob -
Image
It has been a while since I have posted pictures of the girls and people have been asking. In the meantime, I decided to give a little update on their progress in life. At 5 months and 12 pounds each, our two little princesses have been quickly growing and learning about life. They are able to sit up when supported, hold their heads up very well, roll over and grab their feet, and they love standing. Of course, they have two big brothers who love them a lot! Maybe a little too much sometimes... Their Mommy has been amazing with them, and their smiles tell us every day how happy they are.  And of course, their Daddy is great at making their day. At the end of the day Esther, and Tivoli are very tired and ready for a good night's sleep. Life for them is so simple right now. Before I know it, they will be crawling, walking, talking, and then having their own life adventures. Lord, please give us strength and wisd
Read more

A Trip to "Hobby Lobby"

By -
Image
I needed to pick up a few items for my sewing projects, however, I was not having any success finding what I needed. After asking around I was told of a market that would likely have what I needed. Kariakoo. Not knowing much about this newfound market other than that it is big and in the general direction of downtown, I debated how to go about a trip to "Hobby Lobby". Feeling as if going solo on this expedition was not the best idea, I had been contemplating on who would come with me. It so happened that the day before I was to go I met a lady at a used clothing market while I was looking for the next size for the girls. She helped me find a few items that were tucked away in an obscure corner of the market, walked me through the back neighbourhood, and helped me to the bus stop before going home. In the process of talking, I asked her if she had any plans for the following day. As she did not, I asked if she would like to go with me to Kariakoo. She agreed and we sor
Read more

JAARS Day

By Jacob -
Image
Yesterday we spent at JAARS Day. It is a day long presentation done biannually by the JAARS Center showing how Bible translation relies on JAARS for boats, airplanes, 4WD, media, software, and many other practical technologies available today. There are booths set up around campus describing the different support roles JAARS serves in with many practical demonstrations and even some hands on activities for the kids! Silas, pointing out where we will be going in Africa! The cafeteria at the JAARS Center. Tanzania's flag is the one on the top left of the photo (blue, black, yellow, and green stripes) One of the shelves of Bibles that have been translated around the world (there is another cabinet on the other side of the stage). Silas "Daddy, when I was big like you I used to fly airplanes like this one!" The Helio Courier that I am currently training in! During the JAARS Day event, two Helio Couriers and one R-44
Read more