SmithsAfricanAdventures

  We have a Retractaline clothes line in our study - this is the clothes pin bag that was here - it reminded me of the hours I spent growing up - in our yard in Sandy, hanging up the clothes on the line!  Happy memories! This is the Mahi Mahi that Twitchell's son-in-law caught and we ate some of!   This is the Red Snapper and Sister Twitchell catching it!  Both fish dishes were delicious - and the Twitchell's so kind to share with us! These are our two Elders serving in Kwa-Thema right now.  We brought them some food and they are pictured eating the lemon squares - their note said: This is the best food we have ever eaten!!!  Funny guys! Most Monday mornings we attend the Employees Devotional in person.  This Monday we had to be somewhere else soon afterwards so we watched online - about 90+ participants!  Always a good thing to start the week off with prayers, songs and scriptures!   Our car needed to go in for repairs to the side ...

  Saturday, March 26, we had our monthly fourth Saturday Senior potluck.  Elder and Sister Peck were in charge and they decorated with African colors and dolls.  Here are the food tables - everyone brought salads, scalloped potatoes, rolls, etc.   See the African dolls on the tables?  Each sister took one home! It is always good food and great company to get together with the other senior couples. One doll at the end of the food table, others were all along it.  Sister Perkins said she nudged one and it face planted in the mashed potatoes!  Here is the six different meats that Elder Peck fixed for everyone to try.  All wild game in Africa, but the pork.  All were delicious!  I said Elder Smith needs to go Ostrich hunting - and someone said - to the grocery store!  It is available there. At the top of the picture is the pork and Hartbees, then in the middle the Oryx and Waterbuck, in front the Ostrich and Kudu.  He did most...

Monday, March 21st is a National Holiday in South Africa - Human Rights Day.  It commemorates a tragedy where people were killed protesting human rights.  The weather is a little cooler in the mornings when we walk and Elder Smith had worn a heavier coat that morning.  We were going grocery shopping and as we left the apartment - front door locked behind us - he reached into his coat pocket for the keys to the barred security gate - no keys!  He had changed to his lighter fleece jacket and the keys were in the apartment!  Yes - we felt like monkeys at the zoo!!!  We called our next door neighbors, Elder and Sister Swift, they came to offer support and laughter!!  Elder Forsyth, pictured above had done the same thing about 6 months ago - he called a locksmith who brought a piece of a plastic bottle and slid it between the crack of the door and opened it!  Here he is trying to do that on the outside gate - Elder Twitchell brought a butter knife and ...

  The gardens outside of the mansion were amazing - these hydrangeas reminded us of Lindsey and Dan's wedding flowers! A lemon tree!   The spires and Angel Moroni of the Johannesburg Temple can be seen above the trellis!  The highway goes between the two. More pretty flowers. The last of the flowers at Northwards. Sister Cleverly made this sign for her hosting couple - she is going to make one for us when we host the Walter's in May. This is a young adult from our Ward!

   The wonderful senior couples that went to Northwards - several are missing!  Front row: Elder and Sister Forsyth, Sister and Elder Swift, Sister Smith, Sister Elggren, Sister and Elder Goodson.  Back row: Elder and Sister Watson, Sister and Elder Perkins, Elder Smith, Elder Elggren. Elder Elggren and us - enjoying the pretty view. Front door of the mansion - we enjoy learning about the history of South Africa and Johannesburg.  This mansion and many others were built by Europeans with their wealth from the gold mines. Quite the house!  Built in 1904 - still pretty much the same!  They had running water in the house and electricity!   The City of Johannesburg built a highway through part of the gardens at the back of the house. Old pictures of Josie and her soon Lance.   When they built the house everyone had carriages and horses for transportation.  A large stable was demolished to build the highway.  Before the origina...

  On Saturday, March 19th - many of the senior couples enjoyed a tour of an old Mansion - Northwards.  It is near the Area Office and over 120 years old.  This is the keyboard of the Baby Grand Piano - all ivory keys! Beautiful inlaid wood piano - it has a water tray under the sound board to keep it moist in this dry climate! Before covid they had programs of classical music played on this piano.  Seniors in the Billiards room!  There are 52 rooms in this house! Counting the maids and servants quarters.  The formal ballroom - handsome Elder Smith at the far right! Josie and John Dale-Lace, original owners of the house - had it built with gold mine money!  She had one son, Lance. She had lavish parties and entertained all the time. The piano is in the corner - the guide uncovered it for us.  Panorama picture on the wall - interesting to see the lay of the land before all the building of this part of Johannesburg. 

  This is the front door of our new apartment - Number 213, Duke's Court - you need a key to open the bars door, than another key to open the front door. Elder and Sister Swift live next door to us in 214.  See our plants from our balcony - so far they are doing okay. This is the view down our hallway - Elder Smith says it reminds him of a mental hospital! See the shopping cart?  We can bring them across the street with our groceries and the store people come over and collect them.  It is convenient to have Killarney Mall across the street. Part of the new kitchen - there more storage space and cupboards here. Other side of the kitchen - we will miss not having a window over the sink - the washer and dryer are better than our other ones. Our bulletin board with our families pictures! Our living room, just inside the front door.  Picture of the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. The living room - off to the left at the back is the office.   Living r...