Sunday, July 30 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

It's winter in South Africa, and the morning and evenings are chilly, but that doesn't stop the flowers from coming out in full bloom.  In front of our apartment is a flower garden with roses, irises, callalilies, and some flowers that I don't recognize but are pretty all the same.

Saturday, July 30 (Johannesburg, Gauteng)

Today we went and visited the Newsome family, a family who works for World Vision and is moving back to the states.  Just as we couldn't take our dog, Barnum, they can't take their dogs, Max (purebred mutt) and Minnie (labrador) with them.  So we get to keep them instead.  Anya Newsome, standing to the left of me, is my age, and the boy in the yellow shirt behind me, Luke Newsome, is 12.  The dog in front of me is Minnie, and the dog behind me is Max.  Both are really sweet dogs, very friendly, although Minnie is a little skittish.  

Friday, July 29 (Johannesburg, South Africa)

 Since we don't have a house yet here in Johannesburg, we're staying at a local Bed and Breakfast called the Goose's Nest.  It's a very nice place, clean and comfortable and secure.  The bottom picture is the view from the yard of some city houses.  At the moment, although you can't tell from the picture, Jo'burg is rather brown, but Mom says that'll all turn green in the summer when the rains come.  Even though it's winter, the roses are blooming and the sun is out, although the morning started out rather gray.  It's about 8 degrees here; centigrade, of course.  Right now it's 15:09 because over here there is no AM/PM; they use a 24-hour clock

Thursday, July 28 (Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa)

On our way from the airport to the B&B where we are staying for a while; chilly, dark, we're hungry and falling asleep, but the sunset is rather pretty

Wednesday, July 27 (Atlanta, Georgia)

After we left the lake, we went to Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with our friends the Salmons and the Magnells.  Normally, the Hinds are also included in this group, creating our group the SaMaHiDes but it was just the SaMaDes this time.  Our first day there we went to the local water park because it was HOT, for us Washingtonians anyways.  I didn't bring my camera to that, fearing water damage, so no picture from there on my camera, but I'm hoping that the Salmons will be able to send me a couple to post.  So if I post Atlanta pictures from Georgia, you know why.  The second and final day in Atlanta, before boarding our 15 hour flight to Johannesburg, we visited the Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world.  We got to see an indoor dolphin show, touch stingrays and sharks, see belugas, and visit the South African Penguins.  Bit of a coincidence there :)  That's what this picture is of, and we're planning to visit the actual South African penguins sometime while we're here.

Sunday, July 24 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

 I love skiing.  I can't remember a summer when I haven't.  I wanted to try slaloming (one ski only) this year, but I didn't get the chance.  I'll try in a couple of years.

Saturday, July 23 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

 These are my cousins Michael and James.  Sometimes they are...... odd....... but I love them all the same :)

Friday, July 22 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

In the middle of the day, it's nice to go out into deeper water, dock the pontoon, and jump off. Backwards. 

Thursday, July 21 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

We often dock the pontoon out in the middle of our bay and jump off and sunbath right out on the water.  Once docked, there's only two ways to get there: kayak/canoe/paddleboat, or swim.  I usually opt for kayaking because I often take a book, or my camera or ipod out to the pontoon, and I'd really rather those not get wet.  We have two kayaks at the lake, a lime green one and a neon yellow one.  Very visible on the water.

Wednesday, July 20 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

My Uncle John and Uncle Matt both play guitar.  Uncle John left last weekend, but I've been learning to play from Uncle Matt, on the lake guitar.  I really like it, and I found it to be easy once I got the concept down... I just have to memorize the chord fingerings.  But that just takes practice.

Tuesday, July 19 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

With so many cousins, 'jumping off the dock' competitions are fun and hilarious.  We've played charades and we've done acting, or we just have to impress Uncle Matt.  This is a picture he took right before we jumped and yelled "Uncle Matt Rocks!", and it's of all my sisters and me.  P.s. We won, girls vs. boys. :)

Monday, July 18 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

This is my cousin Anna, whom I have already introduced you to, and me, baking chocolate chip cookies.  Anna is a very helpful stirrer and she loves to eat cookie dough.

Sunday, July 17 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

This is my Dad, with the bass he caught out of Long Lake.  He'd been down fishing with Aunt Elizabeth and she asked him to show her how to cast without getting the line caught with weeds.  He figured, ok, one last cast.  Well, look what that one last cast caught...

Saturday, July 16 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

This is a loon, the Minnesota state bird.  The picture on top was taken by my Aunt Amy, and the picture on the bottom was from http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/ birds/mn_common_loon.htm.  Loons are looked upon as a rarity among my siblings and cousins, although sightings of them really aren't.  But they are beautiful birds, with an eery call.

Friday, July 15 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

This is my cousin Maddy and me, after jumping off of our pontoon into the lake.

Thursday, July 14 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

Sweet Home Minnesota

By Matt Shultz, summer 2006

Big wheels keep on turning

Carry me north to see my kin

There we'll eat a lot of junk food

Playing cards till 3 AM

Just beyond Reese's cabin

Turn at the Derr Crossing sign

Driveway's chock full of minivans

A tree limb just landed on mine

Sweet home Minnesota

Jumping off the pontoon

Sweet home Minnesota

Try not to land on a loon

Amy said she caught a big fish

But I suspect it was litte

Instead for lunch we'll eat some pancakes

With Drewfus cooking at the griddle

Sweet home Minnesota

Where the kids love to dance

Sweet home Minnesota

With strawberry weevils in our pants

The put boulders round the firepit

And built a staircase out of rocks

At midnight we can't find the children

'Cus they're still jumping off the dock

Sweet home Minnesota

Take a bath in the lake

Sweet home Minnesota

The come grab some birthday cake

Sweet home Minnesota

Eating corn by the ear

Sweet home Minnesota

We hope to see you next year!

Wednesday, July 13 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

Uncle Andrew decided he wanted to try surfing.  Only, we don't have a surfboard, neither do we have waves big enough to surf on.  So he improvised by standing up in the kayak and giving himself a shove off.  It worked pretty well; for a while.

Tuesday, July 12 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

There's not much explanation for this picture; it's just a really good picture of Daddy and me.

Monday, July 11 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

Let me introduce you to my cousin Bella Derr.  She's four years old, and the third youngest of my cousins.  Hobbies: playing house, pretending to be a princess, and playing in the sand.  Bella is an adorable little girl, very bouncy, and with gorgeous hair; totally loveable. Today, in the sand, she made applesauce.

Sunday, July 10 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

This is my great grandmother, Evelyn Reese.  She's 99 years old, and will be 100 next April.  Even though by this point in life, most older folks are in assisted living homes and such, Great Grandma is still independent, and she still has her memory.  She sits and reads and watches us for most of the day, in her special chair in the corner of the living room, and as you can see, she still plays piano.  She has fantastic stories, too, of when she was younger; she taught in a one room schoolhouse when she was a teenager.  My great grandma Reese is wonderful.

Saturday, July 9 (Long Lake Minnesota)

I miss my friends.  Normally I wouldn't because I'm in Minnesota, and every year previous to this, after Minnesota, I've gone home.  But this year it's different since I know I won't be going home. Not for two more years, and two years seems like such a long time.

Friday, July 8 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

Today started out with our intending to rent a ski boat, and be on the water all day.  It was the perfect day for it, too; sunny, low humidity, no clouds, next to no wind.  But the boat, when put in the water, didn't start.  We agreed to just get it two hours later, after it had been fixed.  Two hours later, same problem.  Instead we got a Seadoo, free of charge, and the boat another day.  And it was good; jet skis are so much fun because they can go really fast, and make really tight turns.

July 7, 2010 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

When my parents and aunts and uncles (and Grandpa, too) were younger, Grandpa Jack ran for senate.  As part of his election campaign, shirts were designed that said DERR for Senate.  Years later, Grandma Joy still has these shirts, and she decided it would be a great picture to have all of us grandchildren wearing the campaign shirts.  She was right.

July 6, 2011 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

I love my cousins.  And being the oldest of them, I often get put in charge of watching them, so it's a good thing I love them so much.  Often, I'm told to follow Lucas around and make sure he doesn't put legos in his mouth, or something like that, and then sometimes I'm put in charge of Anna.  I love Anna.  At three and a half years, she has the sweetest personality, and she loves to "wrestle" and jump on top of me.  This is a picture of Anna and me.

Hand and Foot

After a long day at the lake, for everyone, it's a favorite past time to sit down to a game of hand and foot.  It's an often confusing card game, but fun all the same, especially with Grandpa Jack joking around, and me threatening him with a rubber band...  Great Grandma Reese is a wonderful hand and foot player, as she should be after almost a hundred years of life, and life well lived.  Tonight, Grandpa Jack and Teresa took on Great Grandma and me.... and beat us sorely :P.  So much so that we didn't even bother counting out the last hand.  Rematch soon, and they had better watch out!

July 4, 2011 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

 

I have a VERY large family, and a very fun one as well.  In this picture, there are four generation, with me being the third oldest of the youngest generation, and the oldest of all my cousins (I have two second cousins once removed that are older than me). From left to right, top to bottom we have second cousin Mike, great uncle Dave, great aunt Pam, second cousin Tyler, second cousin John, second cousin once removed Alex, second cousin Jill, second cousin Julia, second cousin Kathy, second cousin Jeff, great aunt Diane, great uncle Don, second cousin once removed Nichole, me (Sara Derr), second cousin Stacy, second cousin once removed Steven, cousin Michael, uncle Matt, second cousin Sara, sister Teresa, second cousin once removed Sophia, sister Esther, brother Jonathon, cousin James, second cousin once removed Max, father David, uncle John, cousin Maddy, grandpa Jack, second cousin once removed Mikayla, sister Rebecca, brother Ivan, cousin Andrew, mother Martha, grandma Joy, aunt Molly, aunt Amy, cousin Hannah,  great grandma Evelyn Reese, cousin Samantha, second cousin once removed Alyssa, uncle Andrew, cousin Bella, second cousin once removed, cousin Bella, cousin Anna, and aunt Elizabeth.  Big family, huh? But that just means big fun... :)

July 3, 2011 (Long Lake, Minnesota)

We got here, to our lake cabin on Long Lake, in Park Rapids, Minnesota, around seven yesterday evening.    It's such a beautiful lake, and so relaxing..... until the cousins show up!  Just a couple properties over from us is Reese's Retreat (we stay at Derr Crossing, and my great grandmother was a Reese) and it gets really crazy on the beach in the heat of the day.  The water is a cool 70 degrees, and the sun bakes the sand; all in all, a wonderful day.