Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Random Photos #1

I have a whole bunch of photos that don't go with any cute or funny anecdote, and I love the photos anyway, so I'm giving myself permission to put together random photo albums. That are in no particular order. So ha!


Mus has always had a fascination with funny-looking pajamas, so I brought him some long underwear from the states. He first got to try it out when we went to the Eastern Region (because it was cold at night).

He looked like he was having so much fun dancing in them, when he went out to buy some food, I thought I'd give it a try...






Those things hanging from our mouths are plantain chips- homemade. Yum!


These sneakers were Mus's birthday present from me. When I gave them to him, he put them on and started tap-dancing around the room. Little did I know he was tap-dancing in my socks! (I think this particular sock Mus is modeling was a gift from Carol's Mom).



This is Roger, the masochistic, love-deprived cat. Apparently, he and Mus were close when he was a kitten, and now he's always searching for some affection from unlikely sources. Sources include: my feet when I'm walking up stairs, adult dogs, and puppies who only want to wrestle. But the puppies will give him kisses occasionally (they tend to lick anything they're about to bite). Roger appreciates the kisses but whacks them when they bite him.



This is Ama, walking through the alleys of Nkwanta with corn on her head.



I found this sign on the lawn in front of a hotel in the Eastern Region. Feel free to walk or run- but DO NOT DANCE!


Mus, the invincible warrior.





This is Mus with Pudge, taking her for a dunk in the sea. News flash, by the way- Pudge is FEMALE! You learn somehting new everyday...





Here's Pudge looking miserable and like a drowned rat. Honestly they're getting funner everyday- they're developing unique colorings, unique habits, unique personalities... Pudge is quickly losing the rights to her name, because she's the dumbest of the three and therefore the worst at getting food. She's the strongest and the fastest runner, but she can't seem to ever find the food once she gets to where I drop it. She's still built like a tank, though. As for me, she usually could care less about me unless I have food- she's a fighter, not a lover, and she gives the other two a good trouncing once in awhile. But occasionally she'll surprise me with an affectionate moment... She's by far the prettiest of the three in terms of markings.


Jay is all about the limelight. She wants to be petted, loved, kissed- she's a lap dog at heart. She doesn't care if you're digging in her ear for ticks as long as you're touching her. And she'll do anything for a scratch and a "Good girl, Jay." She literally jumps in front of my camera when I take it out- she loves having her picture taken. She just likes the fact that I'm moving her and touching her and looking at her.


Aww... Aren't they so cute in their Ghanaian clothes?




This is an OLD picture of Clem- he looks so young and little! Clem is the best at getting food- he's little but agile and has good senses and reflexes. It's probably good for him, since he was the runt of the litter- but he eats so much that his stomach bulges out like he's pregnant! Today he was literally waddling because he stuffed so much food in his stomach. He also finds he likes attention, though not nearly so much as Jay.



A baby picture of Jay...










This is the pool we went to on Christmas






Ok, so maybe Pudge deserves her name a little...



Photos from the Wild Kingdom

These photos go along with my blog entry "Jess on Safari."

I have no pictures of the chickens because they are my nemesis. Birds are to be feared above all else.

As for the rest of my adventure, here's a photo essay.


Here are the horses, as displayed by my lovely and brave assistants, Mom and Mus.


Kinda weird to see horses with hanging out among the palm trees, huh?
And here the beggars are, nice as can be when they think there's a sugar cube in it for them. Jerks.
The all too-friendly dog. He's just a beach bum looking for a little action...

The ant hill- the dark red-brown bloch are the flesh-eating ants. Or sandal-eating, in my case.

ANd my one and only friend, Mr. Crocodile. Look, he's even smiling for the camera.


Monday, December 05, 2005

Photo Album #1

I think I should start every blog entry with a pretty picture of the beach....




And people tell me I don't post enough pics of myself, so here's one of me during my beach bum weeks... (Compliments of Mus)



Speaking of Mus, here's the International Man of Mystery himself...





Here are my oh-so-wonderful creations that I made from my ruined clothes... (I bet you don't even recognize your old clothes, do you mom?)




And by the end of the afternoon, the clothes weren't the only thing colored...





This group here are some of my favorite photos so far. As many of you know, my new obsession are these three little puppies who live at Auntie Naana's house, where Mus and I are currently staying. They are my babies (just ask my mom, she's shipping me flea shampoo from the states). They are so fun and adorable. I used to be a cat person, but now I don't give the two cats hanging around a second look- I'm puppy-crazy right now. Mus and I spend a lot of time with them- and I shoot videos of them on my digital camera and we sit by the computer and watch our home videos... Anyhow, they have a major flea problem, which is so sad 'cause they're really suffering. So until the flea shampoo arrives, Mus and I came up with another solution- soak the puppies in salt water. In our first attempt, we took the puppies to the beach. Bad idea. The nearest beach was really rough with strong currents... Mus held onto his puppies well, but mine slippd away and poor thing almost drowned. I had to run after him to pull him out of the waves- he was going head over heels. Afterwards he shook for hours from the trauma of it- I think he was in shock. But, thank God, we went home with all three puppies in tow. Now we mix up a salt and antiseptic solution in a bucket and dunk them- much safer.

Below is Pudge, held in the sturdy hands of Mus, looking like a drowned rat. Pudge is the biggest of the group, and he's a cross between a brat and Eeyore from Winnie-the-Pooh. He likes to throw his weight around to get extra food and trounce the other two, but as soon as he feels left out or left behind he starts to whine. Also has a tendency to fall into gutters and get stuck. But he has his endearing moments, like when he's socking wet and trying to furiously paddle in the water, even though Mus has him firmly in his grasp.



Here's Clem (L) and Pudge (R). After their dip, they went crazy rubbing themselves in the warm dry sand. All these puppies hate water, by the way, because one stormy night they almost drowned in their den as it filled with rain. Luckily Mus heard them crying and rescued them, but they're all a bit hydrophobic ever since. Clem on the left is the one who almost drowned. He's the runt of the litter and the least rambunctious, but he's a sweetheart with lots of love to give, and these hilarious ears that stick out, making him look like such a sweet, lovable dork when he grins with his tongue hanging out. His favorite activity is sleeping and heaping love on his mom, since he's her favorite.



This is Clem again. See what I mean about the ears?

Pudge again. Feeling sorry for himself.


This is Jay. She's my favorite. She's rowdy and smart and the leader of the three. She doesn't let Pudge push her around, and she's always the first to explore. She knows she's my favorite, though, and follows me around until I put her on my lap and scratch behind her ears. Her favorite activity is terrorizing one of the cats, Roger. She also has markings somewhat similar to our beloved Gracie, with patches of brown like eyebrows.
More to come- I hope all of you read this far because it took me two and a half hours to get these posted!