We were met at Kat River by David, our guide for the next stretch of our trip. We drove about 2 hours to the Stormberg area of the Eastern Cape……
This was a COMPLETELY different countryside…..
….with huge plains ridged by tall mesa-esque hills…..
Isn’t this view amazing…..
I love the lone tree!!
And as you get further onto the plain, the mountains in the background emerge…..
We arrived at our home for the next three days…..
It had a British Country feel to it and the rooms were amazing….
….with sweet common spaces for relaxing…..
Our first breakfast was wonderful, including toast….
(Don’t you love these toast stands!!!)
and Bramble/Raspberry jam….
Our hosts were Robbie and Angela Streeton. Robbie’s Great-Great-Great Grandfather purchased this property and used it as an inn for people traveling across the area. At one point, he kept oxen on the property and when travelers would arrive with tired oxen, he would trade them for ones that were fed and ready to go. Much like the pony express but not as fast!!
Much of our first day out was spent glassing for animals….
I asked our guide, David, to take pictures of me glassing, and all of a sudden my phone appeared in the binocular lens. This is the photo……
Is that a person or a character from Dr. Who?
We were looking for game animals and Stormberg did not disappoint!!
As we left the house, we saw this flock of Blue Cranes….
….and herds of Blesbok….
We saw several Ostriches and even found a nest of their unfertilized eggs…..
Through out the day we saw Black Wildebeest, Springbok, Ground Squirrels, Ducks, Bat-Eared Fox, Yellow Mongoose, Warthog and Egyptian Geese!! It was quite an assortment.
Even thought this area is gorgeous, it REALLY comes into it’s own at sunset…….
The sunsets got prettier…..
….and deeper……
….and more exciting as night approached…..
As we left, it was fun to see the silhouette of these antelope on the horizon….
Unfortunately it also got COLDER as the night fell…..
At this point I was wearing almost every piece of clothing that I brought!!!
When we arrived back at the house for dinner, they surprised me with a birthday cake (a day late but so VERY sweet)……
It was a great first day in Stormberg!!
While I enjoy all aspects of the wonderful art of quilting, I equally enjoy presenting inspirations and stories from around the world. To make sure that you don’t miss a single one, be sure to subscribe to this blog!!