My father, Lt. Col. Albert C. Erbes, Retired, was a native of Buffalo, New York. Yes, I am half Yankee. Who would have thought?
The fact is that growing up with a Western New Yorker father and Georgian mother provided a very interesting way for an observer of things, like me, to view the world. The culture clash wasn't that obvious between husband and wife, but spending any amount of time around either sets of family members was fascinating.
So, even though I spent the majority of my childhood in Atlanta, most summers we would pile into the Chevy station wagon - along with our German Shepard, Heidi and head for the "farm". My Aunt Mildred (Daddy's sister), her husband, Pat and Grandma Erbes lived on the property that had belonged to Pat's parents in rural Boston, NY, south of Buffalo.
I had a wildly happy childhood, but even for me, our summer visits to the farm are my most cherished memories. It was the perfect place for a tomboy like me.
I don't know how many times we visited Niagara Falls during those summers but we went enough for it to seem very familiar to me. And I can remember being told, many times, that the only falls that come close to this majesty were in Africa - Victoria Falls.
Now, I have been to a lot of places in my travels that have moved me emotionally. Seeing pictures of some of the most famous places on earth and then getting to see them in person can't be described (or at least I have difficulty finding the proper words). I have seen Big Ben, The Eiffel Tower, The Coliseum, The Taj Majal and because they are all so iconic, the moments of that first sight will never leave me.
The most excited I ever got, believe it or not, was seeing Mount Rushmore for the first time. I turned into a giggling little girl at the sight of it.
And then there is the Grand Canyon - no pictures, no matter how beautifully taken, can ever do it justice. You just have to stand there (for hours, I think) and take it in.
So, I was ready to be awed by Victoria Falls. And I was. Awed. It was hard to walk and look at the same time because I just wanted to stand there and absorb it - as I did with the Grand Canyon. We were fortunate that the water levels were just right.
Sometimes, the water is too low and you are only looking at a huge cliff . Other times, if the water is really flowing, the mist coming off the falls is so dense you can't see anything.
I had traveled with two vials of ashes. One held Eddie and the other held Ardys Kellerman. I wasn't quite sure how or where I was going to spread their ashes but I knew it had to be just perfect. Eddie has flown to quite a lot of places with me only to be put back in the suitcase because something about the location didn't feel right to me.
Ian had pointed out that we could walk above the falls on the Zambian side. So, after seeing all we could of the falls themselves (they go on for miles & you can even go over to the Zimbabwe side,
although we didn't.) So, we headed up the trail to the Zambezi river and sure enough, the perfect site presented itself.
Many moments on this trip brought me to tears. The beauty of Africa was sometimes overwhelming. And I knew the act of leaving my sweet, sweet Eddie and my wonderful friend Ardys, together, at one of the most spectacular places on earth was going to be the most emotional of all. And it was. And still is.
I cannot thank Ian, Colleen & Sharni enough for inviting me on this wonderful journey and sharing this moment with me. And thank you Sharni for the comic relief. If you shake the camera really hard, it will work. I promise.
Take a look at where Eddie & Ardys are now....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIXjy5_qULw
Next stop - "The Site"
The fact is that growing up with a Western New Yorker father and Georgian mother provided a very interesting way for an observer of things, like me, to view the world. The culture clash wasn't that obvious between husband and wife, but spending any amount of time around either sets of family members was fascinating.
So, even though I spent the majority of my childhood in Atlanta, most summers we would pile into the Chevy station wagon - along with our German Shepard, Heidi and head for the "farm". My Aunt Mildred (Daddy's sister), her husband, Pat and Grandma Erbes lived on the property that had belonged to Pat's parents in rural Boston, NY, south of Buffalo.
I had a wildly happy childhood, but even for me, our summer visits to the farm are my most cherished memories. It was the perfect place for a tomboy like me.
I don't know how many times we visited Niagara Falls during those summers but we went enough for it to seem very familiar to me. And I can remember being told, many times, that the only falls that come close to this majesty were in Africa - Victoria Falls.
Now, I have been to a lot of places in my travels that have moved me emotionally. Seeing pictures of some of the most famous places on earth and then getting to see them in person can't be described (or at least I have difficulty finding the proper words). I have seen Big Ben, The Eiffel Tower, The Coliseum, The Taj Majal and because they are all so iconic, the moments of that first sight will never leave me.
The most excited I ever got, believe it or not, was seeing Mount Rushmore for the first time. I turned into a giggling little girl at the sight of it.
And then there is the Grand Canyon - no pictures, no matter how beautifully taken, can ever do it justice. You just have to stand there (for hours, I think) and take it in.So, I was ready to be awed by Victoria Falls. And I was. Awed. It was hard to walk and look at the same time because I just wanted to stand there and absorb it - as I did with the Grand Canyon. We were fortunate that the water levels were just right.
Sometimes, the water is too low and you are only looking at a huge cliff . Other times, if the water is really flowing, the mist coming off the falls is so dense you can't see anything.
I had traveled with two vials of ashes. One held Eddie and the other held Ardys Kellerman. I wasn't quite sure how or where I was going to spread their ashes but I knew it had to be just perfect. Eddie has flown to quite a lot of places with me only to be put back in the suitcase because something about the location didn't feel right to me.
Ian had pointed out that we could walk above the falls on the Zambian side. So, after seeing all we could of the falls themselves (they go on for miles & you can even go over to the Zimbabwe side,
Many moments on this trip brought me to tears. The beauty of Africa was sometimes overwhelming. And I knew the act of leaving my sweet, sweet Eddie and my wonderful friend Ardys, together, at one of the most spectacular places on earth was going to be the most emotional of all. And it was. And still is.
I cannot thank Ian, Colleen & Sharni enough for inviting me on this wonderful journey and sharing this moment with me. And thank you Sharni for the comic relief. If you shake the camera really hard, it will work. I promise.
Take a look at where Eddie & Ardys are now....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIXjy5_qULw
Next stop - "The Site"
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