25 August 2021

I'm back.  I'm back, though I've never really been away.  I can make all sorts of excuses and blame all sorts of personal and world events as to why I stopped writing here, but none of that really matters.  1 year and 8 months after my last post, here I am again, showing up at the page.  Quite a lot has changed, yet in some ways, nothing has changed at all.  I am still living and working in Northern Kenya.  I am still traveling around a lot.  I am still enjoying the life of working with community, having livestock and enjoying the wildlife of Kenya whereever I find myself.  

Today I want to talk about parrots.  Yes, parrots.  African orange bellied parrots.  This last year has been full of joyful encounters with this beautiful bird.  I had seen them now a then in a fleeting way around Ngurunit.  In January of 2021, they took up residence very close to my village home.  Since then, I have spent long hours watching them eat the fruits of the tree outside my kitchen doors, flying around in the big acacia trees in the dry river bed that passes behind my house and hearing their whistles and hoots outside my window as I work in the living room.  I have amazing pictures and videos of both the resident male and his several female friends.  I am convinced they have been nesting up in a crook of the biggest acacia tree, but it is so thick that I haven't gotten a good view to know for sure.  

Another parrot encounter is with a flock at Salato Tourist Camp in Ngurunit that PEAR Innovations has been managing on behalf of the community.  They come into the tops of the tall trees along the riverbed in the evening, whistling and doing acrobatics high up in the canopy.  I have been inspired by these parrots and other bird species and wildlife to use them as the subjects of camp buildings beautification.  I spent most of July painting murals around the camp and fixing up the living spaces so the camp can be running again after over a year of being mostly dormant.  New manager.  New artwork.  New lighting system.  The camp is looking beautiful and open for business.  In fact, I am sitting here at the camp using the electricity outlet writing as I wait for our latest customer to arrive.  Fun fun.  

With this humble restart to my writing about life and work in Northern Kenya, I will leave it here for today with a few pictures.  Be well.  Stay safe.  Till next time.