Hammond Ranch Safari Lodge!

Recently visited the Hammond Ranch in the Save Valley Conservancy in southeastern Zimbabwe.

The lodges were welcoming and rustic--mine had a loft!

The peace and quiet was a welcome getaway from Harare.

For some reason I really liked this ceiling.

My lodge had a view of the riverbed and serenity all around.

Hammond Ranch was constructing a lookout next to its dining area.

The ranch specializes in photography safaris (clearly my choice!) and hunting.

This thing was half the size of my fist and completely creeped me out.

I apparently have a thing for oddly shaped trees.  The elephants in the Save Valley helped me out by twisting the trees into odd shapes!

For more information on the Save Valley Conservancy.

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Snapshots from the Road

Passing villages in southeastern Zimbabwe.

Small farms in southeastern Zimbabwe.  How different the landscape is from Senegal.

Zimbabwe is filled with stunning rocks jutting out of unexpected places.

Attempting to capture villages from a moving vehicle...

More villages.

The landscape in Zimbabwe is breathtakingly beautiful.

More villages. 

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Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, United States.

The cemetery is a breathtakingly beautiful yet haunting and sobering experience.  

Men and women who served in several wars, to include the American Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, have been laid to rest here.  Others here also include military chaplains, nurses, Civil War contrabands, and countless memorials to those who never returned.  

The eternal flame marking the final resting place of American President John F. Kennedy and several family members.  

JFK and President William Howard Taft are the only American presidents buried at Arlington.

The cemetery also contains the Tomb of the Unknowns, or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and many military memorials as well as ones to those from the Space Shuttle Challenger and the victims of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.

Arlington House--the former estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his wife.  The half-mast flag indicated there was a funeral the day I visited.

It was a sobering reminder to see the family at the grave, to hear the gun salute, and to feel the chills that 'Taps' evokes as it runs down your spine.

But the budding new life the flowers reminded of the cycle of life...

...while the gravestones reminded of the sacrifices given for the next generation.

For more information on visiting Arlington National Cemetery.

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