A walk around in more detail

I realized the first walk around gave you general idea so I thought I would add some details.

This is the first house down the road from the Outdoor Ministry project.  It belonged to their parents and the adult children come to stay when they need a get away in the quiet bush.

This is the new house being constructed across the road from it by one of the brothers Manike.

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This is one of the most delightful folks around- Jaydeen- age 4, her favorite song is This Little Light of Mine which we initially sang over and over when we walk.  Now it is the first song but we can sing other songs which we have both learned in English and Afrikaans.  She lives next door to the new house.

Her smile is as sweet as it looks and she has a sweet personality but wait until you see her imitation of a model on the catwalk!  She is quite a mix of sweet and sassy!

This is Jaydeen's house with her and her dogs Terry and Tessie.  She lives there with her parents Jacqeline and Jacob and 7 y/o brother Geraldo.

Looking down to the end/curve in the road where the cemetery is.

The cemetery with 12 rows and 16 spaces in each row.  It is almost full with family from 1930s to now.

Looking toward the newer rows with silk flower adornment.

There are also jars with preserved flowers.  In the desert fresh flowers and plants don't last very long and silk flowers fade and blow away so this is an innovative alternative.

Aunty Thomas' house, around the curve from Jaydeen's house.  She is the elder of Kalkveld at 95.  Her daughter Katherine and son-in-law Kenny live with her since she broke her hip last year.  She is working on getting back on her feet.  Everyone visits Aunty Thomas when they come to Kalkveld as she has taught them all in Sunday School up until last year.

This is Om Ansi's (Uncle George) house across from Aunty Thomas.

This is Aunty Sarah's house - a deacon and lay preacher.  Her son Clive and wife Sanette and children William (12), Sharifa (8) and Cyril (4) live in the back house.  Sarah's house is closest to the new and old church buildings and the new house pictured above and Jaydeen's house are behind hers.
 

This is the vacant parsonage which is used for work crews for the Outdoor Ministry building.

A ruin of a house behind Om Jon and Aunty Poppies house- haven't got the story yet.

Another ruin. Same unknown story.  Many of the original people who lived here have passed to the cemetery and when the stores and milk factory closed there were no jobs so their children migrated to Otjiwarango, Windhoek and other places for jobs.

Jon and Poppie's house.  They have several buildings and a great garden and back yard.  Their sons and daughters visit and granddaughter Vanessa (18) lives with them.  She has become our Sunday School helper and is eager to be the teacher this week!  The dogs peeking through the gate are Dexter, Jessie and Zoe.  At first they were mad at me for moving in across the street.  Now they decided I am theirs to visit and protect on their territory.   They chase the cows and it is hysterically funny to see those little dogs get the herd of 10 on the run!

Next door is another family house used for visiting the great quiet bush- Nora and her sister Baby were there last week from Otjiwarango and Okahanja.



Another ruin. Same unknown story.

This is where Abe lives.  You can see the side of the ruined house above in this picture.  He is brother in law to Om Garrett who owns the house I am living in and who has been so helpful to getting me settled.

And next door is Aunty Lokkies's house- where she lives with her grand children Armando (18) and Charlene/Chantel (16) and the dog with puppies.

Now we have gone in a full counterclockwise circle from my house (not pictured) and back again. 

A 'little' more construction

In the midst of all the big people's construction projects there was another very important one coming along.  These are Aunty Lokkie's dogs five puppies.  They were a couple days old here- eyes still shut.  She did a great job don't you think?

She wanted to know where we took them for the pictures...

I think that is an evil eye- don't take my puppies again.

Now see what you did I can't keep this one in the nest!

 Ah... folks, this is breast feeding... a little privacy here please.

And the Outdoor Ministry building keeps moving along...

A reminder- it is all done by hand, all the hauling water, mixing cement, shoveling sand...

A little constructive work

 Next day- update on the construction at the Outdoor Ministry site.  First they poured the foundation for the brick wall that will enclose and attach the bathrooms.  Originally they were to be inside the floor plan.  After seeing how things were coming they decided to add more space to the building.

The walls are going up up up!

Decided to do a little bit of constructive work myself.  My first laundry day in Kalkfeld- all hand washing.  Here is the wash cycle.

Here is the rinse cycle.  Mostly I got things clean.

 But I also got things very wet and made a bit of mud along the way.

But I used the rinse water to water the trees so that there wasn't too much waste.  There are 12 fruit trees in the yard- these are some of the smaller ones.  Can't remember what they all are- and it is winter so I cannot tell.  Oranges and nectarines for sure.

 And here is the drying cycle.

And I thought this was particularly important to show- this is where a seminary education takes you.

Anywhere in the world the Spirit calls!

I opened some suitcases and did some decorating from home- my mom's quilt.

Scarves from around the world.

Pictures of family and friends and items that make a home including my menorrah, God is Still Speaking communion set, and a clock mom gave me years ago which tells me what time it is all around the world.

The kitchen got some additions too- a table for a small "office" for my computer where I can construct sermons, blog posts, email, Sunday school and Bible study.

And I can sit and look out the side porch door as I work.

Here is a view of the side porch.

And a view of the outside laundry room where things dry in minutes!

And Sharifa came by to to help me fold socks.

And with all the constructive projects today, God's splendor was the best construction of all.  This is a view out the side porch at sunset and one very bright first star.

A Walk Around Continued again

6/11/2013

I  mentioned the church buildings earlier.  Here is the old church building circa 1939 to 1975.  There is some talk about turning it into a museum in recognition of the fact that Kalkfeld was the site of the first Congregational church in Namibia.  The very first building (moved to become part of the school across the highway) was used as a school M-F and church on Sunday until this building was built.

 The second church building is on the right.  It was built because the congregation was too large for the old building.

 Walking down the road toward the highway and the school you cross railroad tracks which are for cargo trains.  Though this is about a 15 minute walk from the house, you hear one rumble by all the way at the house about once a day.

I don't know why but I decided to take pictures along the way, but not all the pictures of everything along the way.  On the left side of the road is the municipal building and the bed and breakfast and the road to the school.  Perhaps I have already posted those pictures from my earlier trip in April but it seems incomplete.  Now that I have been here a while I see things with new eyes and I see things I think I missed before...  But here is a goat on the road.  Goats, and dogs and donkeys and horses and cows around Kalkfeld.  On the road on the way between Otjiwarango and Kalkfeld are warthogs, guinea fowl and kudu and oryx and gemsbock and dik diks.  Some of them I will have pictures of but most we pass too quickly so enjoy the goat.

Quite a few old and abandoned buildings from when Kalkfeld was a town and not a settlement.  Homes, shops, a bank, gas station and a church now used for a preschool.

Here is the abandoned gas station with the donkeys who now pull carts or just hang out along the road.

The next couple of pictures are the new construction in Kalkfeld along the highway at the center of the settlement- the visitor's center and some retail space and some public restrooms.  Construction started in September 2012 and you can see slow progress every week.

 A sign for a private safari lodge but Mount Etjo is the sight of a famous battle between the Herero and German battalion.  I believe the Herero were terribly overpowered.

A rare sight for me to be where the train is and watch it go by.

Kalkfeld settlement is almost centrally located!  70 kilometers (approximately 50 miles) to Otjiwarango (a town of 20,000) and 70 kilometers to Omaruru (a somewhat smaller town).

I walked down the main street in but did not take any pictures (see my previous trip in April) until I saw these children on their way home from school in their uniforms.  They like to see their pictures on my camera even if they don't get a paper one to keep.

Some goats crossing the main street in Kalkveld.

The main street in Kalkfeld with a couple homes and closed shops on the left.  Also down the road are the sewing project (in the old bank building), post office and police station.  I caught the street at "rush hour."

And these are the "folks" rushing at rush hour.  A farmer and his herd and helper- a pretty large herd with lots of calves.  I complimented him on the fine herd and he was very happy/proud.  He lives down the street on the right side in a traditional style home.  I included pictures on my trip before...

The road from the main street back to the church grounds- "Queldom B"  There is one house on the right where staff member from the school lives with her parents and some calm dogs and some very healthy looking chickens and roosters.  There is a larger house/complex on the left which you cannot see with many pieces of equipment.  Haven't met them yet- the kids are afraid of the dog and since they are my tour guides I only go where they lead!

It is a fifteen minute walk from the main street to the church grounds- almost there!

Back to the church grounds and almost home.  Here is the gate.  The church buildings are off to the left and the old parsonage/manse is the light pink building ahead.  The house of my neighbors across the street is on the left and if you could see through it you would see my house.

And this was the treat I had to reward me for my walk-about.  I bought it at the Roadhouse, the convenience store/bar near the construction for the visitor's center (pictures included before).  This is a real find with chocolate AND ice cream and a rare treat- otherwise I will have to walk twice as far each day!