Lots and lots of flowers

Today I was picked up and taken up the west coast out of town to see the wildflowers. Another professor in the department took me around this time instead of my host. Tomorrow my host has worked out for me to go on a tour of the wine lands. Tuesday I'll have to get back to work! Today was very nice though. We went to a park on the coast that has some wildlife and lots of wild flowers. It also has a few beautiful beaches, and I played some on the sand and in the water. Among the animals I saw were ostriches and a zebra. I also saw some hoofed animals I didn't recognize. I'll have to ask the guy again what they were called. The flowers were absolutely terrific - so many vibrant colors, and the land was blanketed with them. I tried to get the perspective of the masses of them, and also up close to see their individual beauty. Some of the flowers had many colors even within a single flower or single clump of flowers, where others were vibrantly singular. After that we went to a small town called Darling where I bought some more gifts (at much better prices than in the city - and I got to meet the person who made the crafts) and we had a late lunch at a little cafe that was very Afrikaans. It was nice to experience something different from the city and the academic areas.. Here they are - and a pic of me playing in the water... proof there's more to staying here than my research!