This past July (2018) Annyth and I spent a week at Zulu Nyala, a private game reserve near Hluhluwe Kwazulu Natal. We were lucky; we managed to see all five of Africa’s big five game animals: lion, leopard, rhinoceros (black and white), elephant, and the African buffalo. We saw plenty of others as well – up close! Beforehand, we spent a week and a half first in Cape Town and then in Johannesburg, where we toured with an old friend, Ruth, whom we hadn’t seen for 25 years.

Annyth, Ruth, and I met in 1989 in Washington, DC at American University, where the three of us were graduate students in anthropology. Ruth is from Johannesburg and still lives in Johannesburg. Learn more about Ruth here. With the exception of a few emails and maybe a Skype call several years ago, we had no contact with Ruth, but we somehow always regarded her as a dear friend. So it wasn’t a surprise that, after a quarter of a century, our time with Ruth was spectacularly awesome. We got to meet her partner, Toni; her colleague, Meryl; her brother, Jonathan and his family; others as well; plus, we got to see Cape Town and Johannesburg through Ruth’s eyes to a large extent. It turns out that our friendship had quietly grown over the years, and now because of our reunion, it’ll continue to grow for years to come.

Here’s the image I sent Ruth a week or so before Annyth and I showed up in South Africa: {Please click on all images to enlarge.}

They didn’t really put this sign up…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, iColorama (click on image to enlarge)

Getting there by air…(practice/play time with my iPad Pro and mainly the Sketch Club drawing/painting ap:

On the runway…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama (click on image to enlarge)

Still waiting…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama (click on image to enlarge)

Some guy in Atlanta also going on our 13 hour flight…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama (click on image to enlarge)

Started wondering…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama (click on image to enlarge)

Cape Town, Robben Island:

Rainbow Ruth in Muizenberg…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama (click on image to enlarge)

South African penguins: iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama (click on the rest of these images to enlarge, ok?)

Our guide at Robben Island Museum, a former political prisoner himself…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Short hop to Richards Bay from Johannesburg:

Short Hop from Joburg to Richards Bay

Zulu Nyala:

Giraffes…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Impala…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Zebra…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

The noble warthog…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Hippo…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Elephant…(She co-stared in the video below) iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

You just have to see this:

ok, back to my iPad drawing:

Rhino (white)…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Lion…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Our tent…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, Procreate, and iColorama

Our excellent guide, Chris (senior)…iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Sketch Club, and iColorama

Thanks for visiting!! Comment below, if you’re so inclined.