I planted about a hundred Walla Walla sweets in the spring and of course they’re all coming ready for harvest about the same time, so my diet has definitely been tilting heavily to the onion side the past couple weeks. Not the worst problem in the world. Oh no, too many onions! Also, pulled the first potato plant of the year. I remember digging up potatoes with a pitchfork at the old garden on Perkins, but the soil these were planted in here is so compost-heavy and loose that when I yanked the plant a dozen potatoes just popped right out. Pretty neat.

I installed a couple more windows last weekend. The one pictured below is the living room window, which was just a beast to heave into place by myself. Also put a new window in one of the second story bedrooms. Highlight of that install being a dropped open gallon can of trim paint while I was perched on a ladder fifteen feet off the ground that somehow managed to not spill a drop.

Coco the dog (pseudonym Donkey) is still here for a couple more days at least. She may have a new home tomorrow.

Before I forget:

5/26 – YKM-SEA-CDG red eye

5/27 – CDG-NBO-JRO red eye

5/28 – Moshi, Lutheran Uruhu Hotel, meet dad

5/29 – Moshi-Arusha-Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara view point, Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge

5/30 – Ngorongoro Crater safari, 4 of 5 big five, lion eating kill!

5/31 – Car breakdown, great Kilimanjaro views

6/1 – Bus Arusha-NBO, Lithuanians, giraffes, NBO-AMS red eye

6/2 – AMS-CDG-ORY-CLY, walk/hitchhike to Calenzana, evening hike

6/3 – Hike GR 20: Calenzana-Refuge d’Ortu di u Piobbu-Refuge de Carrozzu (double stage day, out of food, ridge thunderstorm), search/rescue for missing hiker (success!)

6/4 – Hike GR 20: Refuge de Carrozzu-A Muvrella-Refuge de Carrozzu-Bonifatu, Auberge de la Foret

6/5 – Hike Mare e Monti: Bonifatu-Calenzana, explore Calenzana

6/6 – Walk Calenzana-Calvi, explore city all day

6/7 – Calvi chill day, explore, beach

6/8 – CLY-ORY-CDG, walk Paris: Eiffel Tower, Seine River, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Tuileries, Louvre, Notre Dame, sleep in airport

6/9 – CDG-SEA-YKM

Tanzania was great, but too short; an extra five days I think would’ve been good for this trip (maybe even just two or three), but it would’ve been easy to fill another two weeks too. Really like the dusty travel. I’d like to go back and climb Meru. Ngorongoro Crater was spectacular and unquestionably the highlight.

Corsica was really, really beautiful. Fun athletic hiking along more rugged than I expected mountains. I basically did three stages of the GR 20 the first day and my legs expressed their displeasure the rest of the trip. I had to tweak my trail itinerary based on snow conditions after that, otherwise I think I would’ve pushed through the entire north half of the GR 20 trail. It worked out really well though, as I enjoyed slowing down and exploring Calvi and the coast.

Also really enjoyed my layover day in Paris, much more so than I expected to. Walked all over and hit the big highlight reel tourist spots.

A few photos:

Mary’s in Michigan for two weeks, reminding herself what humidity feels like. This photo is just to prove that I’m not going to die of starvation while she’s gone. Also a chance to show off the first garden onions of the year. Walla Walla sweets, good stuff.

Yard fruit season! Cherries, currants, and raspberries all coming ripe about the same time. It’s so fun to roam the yard grazing like a bear in the mountains. The cherries are mostly bird-fodder at this point, but I’m definitely digging the currants and raspberries still. Eating raspberries especially always reminds me of being a kid, riding my bike to the secret neighborhood wild berry patches. The dogs have discovered them this year though along with the cherries, so it’s a bit of a race to the good stuff.

Oh, and who’s the balancing dog above you may ask? Yet another boxer? Yup, four boxers. This is Coco. Mary took her in as a rescue of sorts. And by “took in”, I mean everyday on her way to work for a couple months Mary saw this boxer chained up in a backyard and finally she went up to the owner’s front door and asked if perhaps they were no longer interested in owning their dog.

Evidently Mary made a compelling case and I came home from my trip to extra dog mayhem. Not too much mayhem though; she’s a really sweet dog. We had her spayed and her dew claws removed to avoid future problems. Hence the cone head.

Tons and tons of energy. Coco and Parko are roughhouse dopplegangers. They run together for hours.

Sadly Coco probably won’t be running Parko ragged for too much longer as we have a tentative home lined up for her in Spokane. Three dogs will seem downright sensible in comparison I’m sure.

Yes, yes, I know, I skipped over the Africa/Corsica trip. I actually haven’t even gone through my photos at all yet. I’ll get something up when I get a chance. It’s just tough to be inside in front of a computer when it’s 84 degrees and sunny every day and there are berries to eat. I did post an old post from May 18 (scroll down) that was sitting in my draft folder. Something at least.

Back in Africa! Flew into CDG yesterday and into NBO this morning. One more leg to JRO to go in a couple hours.