The beginning of another adventure, destination Africa!

Those who know me know that travel is key to my life, Lou and I have been in over 23 countries. I believe that seeing, experiencing, and meeting people from other cultures gives you the truth about our world, not the slanted lopsided view that the media would have you believe. The world is full of wonderful, beautiful, compassionate people. Even in some of the scarier places we have been, Israel, Egypt, Morrocco, Jordan, you find people who just want to live their lives in peace, to provide for their families and a better life for their children. Our family started Dustin's GreenHouse http://www.dustinsgreenhouse.org/ to teach students that there is a much bigger and better world then they ever imagined, that tanyone can make a difference and that to be born an American is one of the greatest gifts of all.

Each time we go to one of these amazing places there is always some fear and trepidation of the unknown, partly because of the perception that others bring to the table, "You're going where! Are you crazy?". The answer is yes, I am crazy enough to think that God put us on this earth to see his wonderful creations and that we can make a difference.

We are 4 days from our biggest adventure. Lou and I have traveled the world but this time is truly the farthest out I have ever been. Our first trip to Africa about 10 years ago put something in me that is drawing me to return, like a magnet, I loved the wild wild west atmosphere, I believe there is much that should and can be done to save the children who are starving and dealing with an AIDS ridden world.

Our itinerary starts with New Years Eve in Paris, the plane has a 24 hour layover so we are going to take advantage of it. We are going to have dinner with Heather, with CNH Tours who worked with us to set up two incredible trips to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands for Dustin's Greenhouse, http://www.dustinsgreenhouse.org/.

From there we fly to Johannesburg for one night and then into Kigali Rwanda. A couple of days in the beautiful Rwanda and Uganda mountains making friends with the local Hutu's and Tutsis, then off to the Masai Mara in Tanzania. From there we go to Mombasa to stay with a Kenyan couple where we will do some service work.

On Jan 23rd we head back to Jo-burg and on to Kruger National Park, a week in Kruger then we do another home stay with Paul Bruce-Brand in White River, South Africa and do some more service work with an organization called Helping Hands. On Feb 15th we head back to the grind.

So you can follow us on our adventure, Ashlie created A Father's Playground. I will try to post our adventures as we explore a new part of the world. I hope you enjoy and that it creates a wanderlust in you, a desire to see and share.

Getting Started, A Christmas Tradition

My family has a Christmas tradition that involves hand-making one of our gifts. Over the years I have painted pictures, sewn yoga bags, made bulletin boards, and designed cooking aprons (to name a few). This year I drew my father's name and almost-immediately I knew I wanted to make him a journal.

This "electronic" journal is intended to become a chronicle for my father's adventurous journies through life. He and my mom are leaving for a 6-week stint in Africa at the end of the month; if you want to hear about life in Kenya, trekking with the Bwindi Gorillas, or South African Safaris, stay tuned!