The Travels of Father and Son

I do believe that one of Art's favorite trips was without me. It's true. It was in January of 2002. My son, Jon was in Mali as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Art was retired and wanting to see and experience the adventures that our son wrote about. I was teaching and couldn't leave for a month to go off to Africa. Granted, I wasn't exactly needing to go once I heard about the toilets being a hole in the ground, about mosquitoes carrying malaria, and the joy of roughing it. The most I want to rough it is Motel 6, thank you.

Instead, while Art was gone, I tackled below zero weather in the Midwest with record snowfalls. The neighbors had to push my car out into the street so that I could get to school. OK... never mind. That's another story.


Jon met Art in Mali's capital city of Bamako and then took him to his home village near Koutiala. Art loved every single minute and enjoyed meeting the people of the village as well as the other Peace Corps Volunteers when Jon threw a fete for him.

On one memorable outing Jon took Art for a boat trip on the river. Art was amazed at all the birds he saw around him and tried to take some photos from the leaking boat.





Don't these look like pigeons?


Back at the village they saw a few of these guinea hens. They're not pets. They're food.


After a few days they traveled to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro (Remember what I said about Motel 6?) and go on a safari where they saw this golden crowned crane.


I do believe these must be ostriches.


Nope, no idea what this is.


Jon chided me later for not coming another time when school was not in session. I do think they had a much better time without me holding them back. In this instance, it was a good trip for father and son.