i'm going to do a different thing now and post pages from my journal one year ago this month...my journal of africa. one of the things my mum loved was to read my travel journals. it started with the first one i wrote back when i was 17 years old and our family took a 6 week trip across and around the United States. I was appointed the trip journalist slash photographer. plus i did alot of the driving, remember how much fun we had lindy? everything was great until we got home and my mom and dad wanted to read the diary of our trip. read it?? i didn't think they'd actually want to read it. my poor mum, here i'd gone and added a few expletives (f***n this, and f****n that), i was 17 after all and not happy about missing all of summer, surfing, the beach, friends...
but my mom, being a very good sport, looked beyond that and continued to read every thing i'd write. and up until this last trip, she's always been my biggest fan. my only fan. so if you don't mind, here is a journal entry from last may, 2009. from zimbabwe, africa.
clicking on photos should enlarge them (i hope)
i hope you enjoyed :)
♥ lori
Hi Lori :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to return when I have more time to read what you are sharing here.
You never fail but to inspire me and I love you for that.
I hope you have a win of a very large sum of money to do all that you desire.
I'm off to an introductory QiGong class... I'm told it's medicine for the body, mind and spirit.
love to you
xx robyn
I am with Robyn - except for theQiGong which does sound interesting... your journals are a delight to read and visually - truly inspirational. You must continue to write for your Mother and family - it is a wonderful gift. xxx
ReplyDeleteoh these are great. I love the photos inserted into the journal, wonderful. I've always wanted to go to Africa, missed my chance a few years ago - so I enjoy these journal entries.
ReplyDeleteLovely.
ReplyDeleteI was taught that Saint Louis, King of an early version of France, started us all off, by exorting his clergy thus: "Sribite, scribite.". Of course England's Bede was ruining his eyesight somewhat earlier. The Latins, the Greeks, Alexandria and those blessed Muslems. We come from a long line. As my dead father used to say, "Bless you", I say keep on, keep on, whatever it is you want to express.
Fantastic you've brought it over to the blog!!!
ReplyDeletexxxx
Lori - I read every single word -- and loved it. I felt as though I was right along with you. And now you have kicked up my excitement for my own Africa trip another big notch. Your journal is simply awesome. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lori, I am such a nervous nelly, such a chicken - I got cold sweaty hands just reading about your adventures canoeing. I would have needed a change of underwear after the hippo charge. Even a mock charge would have done me in. I'm glad we only have snakes and alligators here. They almost seem like pets in comparison. You are my hero!! Love, Silke
ReplyDeleteP.S. Stop by with chocolate anytime... In fact, this afternoon would be perfect!
You are living a complete life embracing all of the joy and sorrow. The beauty that you witness and share is inspiring. Thank you! If I win the lottery, I too will 'share the chocolate.' This may become one of my new favorite expressions.
ReplyDeleteI hope you win that lottery!
ReplyDeleteAh, Lori.... I did enjoy "Travelling" to Africa with you! I always have kept travel journals too.... but, have not visited Africa....yet.
ReplyDeleteYour trip was "my kind" of trip - lots of adventure (with a splash of "danger" to spice it up) mixed with comfortable lodgings, pools to swim naked (I love doing that when no one is about) and gin 'n' tonics in the middle of a river with hippos and crocs looking on!
How lucky you were to experience the Fish Eagle "shopping" for his dinner. (Though I am sure the Fish was not as excited.)
Your journal was beautifully done - and I am sure every time you and your family read it and look at the photos and keepsakes, it brings back the sights and smells of Africa.
Sending you love and courage daily,
♥ Robin ♥
Hi Lori - what a neat way to share your trip. It is great that we can click on the journal pages and read about it in your own handwriting.
ReplyDeleteI need to go find my journal from an Alaskan adventure years ago. Longing for some adventure!
Bonne chance with the lottery, I like dark chocolate, thanks!
LL
Oh Lori! How amazing!!!! Thank you for sharing... I am at the edge of my seat... I want more!
ReplyDelete{{hugs}} from Indy!
robyn, val,
ReplyDeleteno worries, it's a lot to read (should have chosen a shorter entry...) i imagine these being read maybe a hundred years from now, maybe one of my future relatives will be as interested as i am in personal journals. however, if it never happens, i love writing them.
qigong? i am looking forward to know how it goes. thank you!
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mim,
i'm so glad you enjoyed, your so young, your chance can come again, yes?
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mr.aurel,
i shall! i shall! thank you, merci, asante sana.
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janet,
i'm reliving the time, cannot believe it's been a year already!!
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lyn,
thank you, i am like you, before a trip i'm reading every thing i can get my hands on. if you'd like to read the entire journal (all 91 pages) i have it in a private blog, email me and i'll send you an invite. :)
lorigrahamx5@gmail.com
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silke,
haha, i am that way with spiders. UGH! i did get a little nervous, mostly i was worried about my cameras, and while the guys were paddling madly i was stuffing them in my dry bag, fast fast fast!
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jennifer,
thank you. i have a blank book i've earmarked for nepal...i can only imagine that trip, i really want to make it happen.
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3years,
you are sweet. thank you.
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robin,
i'm so excited to hear you keep travel journals too. with your beautiful poetic writing i imagine they are perfect treasures. no one in my family reads them.someday maybe. it was only my mom.
but i enjoy them so much, and you know, they bring everything back!!
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lori lynn,
alaska?! how exciting, i'd love to go there. i shall bring lots of dark chocolate!
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janis,
thank you, i am so glad you enjoyed! it was really exciting. read my comment to lyn if you'd like to read the whole thing, but i ought to warn you it's 91 pages long! (lots photos though).
Aah Lori, wonderful! Each new page holds new surprises. I love your comments and all the pictures and how you see it - you take us right into your boat! By the way, when you win that lottery and come to visit us - a part of our beach is for bathing in the nude! No one looks, actually, and it`s wonderful in the sun. And NO crocs or hippos here! No flying fish, either, which is a shame. Thank you for sharing this journal with us!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing adventure you did in Africa and it makes me want to take a plane right now!Oh, and good luck ; when you win the lottery, please come by with a box of Dark chocolate and we will share some Brazilian sweets, too!
ReplyDeleteI love how you journal your travels. Really enjoyed browsing through them. About your last post - your mom is so beautiful. Now i know where you get your good looks from. I went through something similar with my grandmother. she was 70, had a stroke and lost most of her memory. I took care of her for 6 months and she didn't know who I was. It was so hard - I would mourn losing her even though her body was still there.
ReplyDeletebe well my friend.
i want to swim naked in a pool!!! it's one of the things i've always wanted to do. :) is that weird? probably not to you since you understand how luxurious it must be!
ReplyDeletei am so selfish. know what i like best about this post? that i've held your pogo layout and beautiful handwriting in my own hands.
ReplyDeletei have to come back to read each word. i will love to do that. forgive me that ms. stella and the demands of life have competed today. but i will be here again.
and did you have to mention those spiders to silke? remember we kind of 'met' over spiders. hahaha, doesn't that seem like a good while ago?
love love lori!
kj
I'm impressed with how thorough you record your experiences. This is a treasure trove, indeed.Thanks for sharing with us.
ReplyDeleteWow! I love your journal, Lori! Love how you've put it together, your words and pictures. As Val says, totally inspirational! xxx
ReplyDeletebeautiful♡
ReplyDeletei journal as well when i travel but i enjoy a peek into what other people do. i love the feathers, photos.......there is nothing like a handwritten journal of a trip
you will always have this as a permanent log to relive wonderful memories.....and you have given me great ideas to use on my next journey -- thanks for sharing with us!!
Your journal writing is wonderful. Thank you for sharing this unique adventure, we are travelling to Africa with you and it is great !
ReplyDeleteYour journals are gorgeous - so well organized and so visually beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I totally laughed out loud that you forgot the 5th danger that your guide warned you about - I think I'd have written those down first! Gah!
geli,
ReplyDeleteah thanks, when i come i'll have a book with me, it's going to be so fun to fill. so, i won't need my bikini? okay!
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mina,
oh it makes me want to take a plane too, in a BIG way! i'd love to share brazilian treats with you!
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bhavana,
thank you for your lovely words, i appreciate them more than you know. we are alike in so many ways.
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kavita,
hahaha! you are so cute, of course you must and soon! take that hubby of yours and make it happen. skinny dipping is one of lifes great pleasures!
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kj,
spiders, i'm afraid i've already blocked that from my mind! urg!
please give stella a gentle pat and hug, i hope she's good as new soon.
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rosaria,
thank you, it's funny, i think how much i left out (and i wrote over 90 pages), but to me, something is better than nothing. and i really enjoy it(journaling).
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nicky,
wow! thanks a lot, i'm really flattered. i want to hang around you some more!
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amanda,
i love reading any and all travel journals, i have a collection of old trip diarys i found at flea markets and 2nd hand shops. isn't it fun to reread your old books?
i'm so glad you enjoyed.
check out the Pogo by Poloroid to make the photo stickers. it's a lot of fun to use. and great to share photos when your traveling.
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sally,
thank you! i have so much fun making them, and it was fun to share.
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tracy,
haha! i guess i did get a little worried at one point, but really it was too exciting to be nervous! mostly i was worried about my cameras when the hippo charged! i didn't remember the 5th warning until later that evening (alot of good it did me then, haha).
A year already? Doesn't time fly so fast?
ReplyDeleteI have read your jounals before, but I am so happy to see you sharing a little more of your beautiful self. ♥ Natsy♥
beautiful journal lori xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Lori,
ReplyDeleteI was so enthralled by your journal...
it transported me to another world and I felt like I was almost there.
Your journal is such a beautiful combination of words and art and photos...it is such a wonderful thing for you to have forever to remember such an incredible experience. Would love to see more!
natsy,
ReplyDeletepretty amazing, i know! i can't even believe i've been blogging almost 2 years already.
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sammi,
thank you so much. it's fun to do i'm glad you enjoyed these few pages.
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nan,
thank you very much, it is indeed really fun for me to do and re-live. there is about 80 something pages more (photos take up some space). if you think you'd like to read more about this african safari, let me know, i'll send you an invite to a blog of the entire journal.
Dear Lori - thank you for sharing your journal of your time in Africa - it is a beautiful account and beautifully written - and the pics are great. No wonder your Mum used to love reading them. I went to Africa (overland trip of 4 months over 20 years ago) and it was AWESOME. Your journal bought back some magical memories. My time there was just so so so amazing.
ReplyDeleteI have missed a few of your last posts and have just caught up with reading them. I just wanted to send you a big hug and tell you I am thinking of you and you Mum. Watching your Mother go through this must be heart breaking and I feel for you.
Lots of love to you, Jacinta
good morning dear lori!
ReplyDeleteso i just melted into that library room and read about the hippo and the mock charge card, oh no, that is what emily said, i meant mock charge.
your journals will be read by your great great grandchildren, and you know, lori, i think they will feel a sadness that they did not have a chance to know you.
my wish is that at some time your Mother may let you read some of these entries to her again, even if they just bring a faint smile. i know that may not be possible, but wishes have their own transportation sometimes.
anyway, i'm here to wish you a good day. you are up already, i'm sure, and i am on my way to dig up that garden, mix in good soil, plant the tomatoes, and i'll probably go buying more more more. book stores and garden centers: those are my churches.
i love you lori ann! just so you know!
:)
Lori,
ReplyDeleteOh, I would love to read more, that would be great if you could send me an invite....
thanks so much!
Nan
A blog friend is in Africa right now ... I can only hope she brings back a tiny fragment of what you have so beautifully shared with all of us!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, dear Lori!
Your journal pages look awesome!
ReplyDeleteWish I could do that.....
I did last year when I went to Sweden but nothing much came out of it except a couple of pages with watercolors. Well not bad since I took my journal to Egypt and .......did nothing. Guess I have to store the trip in my memory ;)
Thanks Lori for visiting my blog and leaving such sweet comments!
Nice to meet you!
Wonderful pic I saw of you at KJ's blog!
Have a nice weekend!
Priceless! What an amazing journal. I bet you can remember exactly where you were, what you were feeling when you wrote each word. I love the addition of the feather! Oh, Lori, the photos and words are fantastic. One of these days, I would love to take my girls to Africa for a photo safari.
ReplyDeleteFantastic!! A peek inside your incredible journals. You know that word, "journal" is not adequate to describe what you do. They are illuminated books. Thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThis was lovely. Especially the captions to the pogo photos ;)
ReplyDeleteI remember driving up to a bush dinner at the end of my first Phinda game drive in SA. It was like entering the land of elves. Firelights and lanterns flickering in the dark enclave, the bonfire, the quiet, the smiles, the AWESOME food... And that sky! Oh, I have chills just thinking about it. It marked the end of a perfect day in which we spotted hippos, zebra, antelopes, a mama Cheetah with 2 cubs, and last but not least a roaring alpha male Lion calling his pride! Despite my pre-departure nightmares of being eaten by a lion, I wasn't scared, not even for an instant. Just in awe to be witnessing nature and her creatures. I felt like I belonged...
See? Africa will never stop being a part of me, of us.
Thank you for the beautiful reminder. I love your journals.
And I'm with Robyn on the lottery win. Hope you hit the biggest of jackpots!
Love & Sawbona,
Lola xx