Kruger Park and Farewell to Morehead scholars

Hi everyone,
We had a fabulous 4 days in Kruger Park. We were blessed with the best of both worlds: Kruger is located just north of Swaziland, so access was easy and we traveled with Peter, Michelle, their 2 kids and his parents - all of whom had been to the park numerous times. First of all, Kruger is big - bigger than Yellowstone. It has great paved roads, with lots of gravel side roads for exploring. Because it includes predatory animals, there are strict regulations about remaining in your car except at designated areas. I thought that would restrict our access and visibility to the animals, but quite the contrary, the animals are not threatened by vehicle movement, noise or smell. In fact, we often had to get out of the way of animals wanting to cross the road in our path. I'm glad we went at this time, since it's winter here, and quite dry, the grass was low and the temperatures mild. That way, we could open our windows and hear the sounds of animal & birdlife. Despite the more open viewing, I was amazed at how well camoflaged some big beasts were. We did manage to see 4 of the big 5 - somehow missing out on the lion, but did see lots of elephant & buffalo, 1 rhino, and 1 leopard. The highlight for everyone was seeing the elusive cheetah - a first for everyone in the car, and he walked right across the road. In addition, we saw hippo, giraffe, zebra, warthog, wildebeest, kudu, waterbuck,baboons and at least 1,000 imphala. We saw 2 recent kills - making us quite glad that each accommodation site is well fenced, and we get locked in at 6 pm.
p.m. The accommodations were perfect for us: modest huts to sleep in, a common cooking and washing up site and nearby bathing/toilets. All was kept clean and best of all, the guests were so respectful of others - no loud partying, etc. We brought in our own food, but there was a nice restaurant and a lovely gift shop/grocery. We also got into bird sightings - others spotted them for us, but so fascinating to see: Cape parrot, sunbird, lilacbreasted roller, starling (much different than ours) and lots more. There's lots to be said for going to a smaller park where you culd see all they have, but we had a great experience, despite only getting to 1/4 of the park.
Where did the last 2 mos. go? It seems like we were just welcoming our 3 collegiate volunteers from Univ. of North Carolina, and on Thurs. eve. we said good-bye. They blended into the chemistry of Pasture Valley so well that they hardly seemed like volunteers - helping with farm maintenance (painting roofs, digging fence poles, controlled burns, etc.) to helping with tutoring and supervising farm chores with the kids. Best of all, they were great role models for the kids. We'll miss them and wish them a great trip to Kruger and Capetown before returning to Carolina.
We're nearing the end of the school term - which is offically Aug. 10, but the kids are already taking exams now. That means between now and then, very little teaching/learning will happen, but the schools will still be operational. In one way it's good - we can focus on supplemental learning during our tutoring time, but still sad that the kids effectively miss out on 2 weeks of school each term. Gotta go. Love to all, Gail & Mike