Serengeti

We are all looking forward to the end of this deployment...another indication that the end is near, our last pilot is enroute back from leave. Most of us spent a portion of  leave back home in the United States.  But there is always an exception...one of our adventurous pilots chose to go on a 10-day safari in the Serengeti National Park.  Located in northern Tanzania, the Serengeti is famous for the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra.  Afterwards, the remainder of his time was spent roaming the beaches of Zanzibar. 

The following is a sample from his 4,000 picture photo album.  Pictures in the Serengeti were taken with a Nikon D-3100 camera, using a 300 MM Zoom lens and vibration stabilization...be sure to click on your favorite pix to view the larger image.

To close out my final post on the animal kingdom, I leave you with a movie trailer from a recent German movie on the Serengeti...good luck understanding the audio, put the video will likely make you want to visit :)

Extremes Of Service

Part of my travel routine is to check email and the hometown paper website.  While in Uganda over the weekend, I saw that a Tennessee National Guard helicopter had crashed

I awoke this morning to see if the names of the flight crew were released yet...I was saddened to see a familiar face.

I then checked email, only to share in the joy of a family who had just dropped their son off at West Point, a United States Military Academy, where it is an honor to even be considered for enrollment.

I was overwhelmed by the extremes of military service...the joy and pride of one military family and the crushing sorrow experienced by another...my day began knowing God is in control.