PHOTO-A-DAY CHALLENGE

Yes, This is Home

Week 122 of the photographic documentary of my daily life

Yes, I can tell you that. It feels good to be back. Even with a stuffed nose and a body drained from all the travels and welcome-back parties. It still feels good.

The sun just set behind the couch I’m sitting on, and the sky was glowing yellow for so long. The sound of the ocean is the last thing I’m listening to before falling asleep and the first thing in the morning I hear when I wake up.

While I know this is home, I did have some wonderful walks down memory lane. There is just so much I connect to this place. No, I wasn’t born here, but Swakopmund is where I said yes and made a life-changing decision.

On Thursday, I was traveling the whole day. Arriving in Doha late at night, we took off just before sunrise on our second flight departing toward Africa. We landed in Johannesburg that afternoon and then took the third flight to get to Namibia. It was a short one but a very memorable one.

The sun was painting a stretch of the sky above the horizon in the brightest orange I had ever seen. And while it was raining all around us, I was stuck with my face on the window.

It was too beautiful to be real.

What a breathtaking welcome-back nature displayed for me.

As we arrived late that night, we did not drive further but checked into a well-known backpackers. I say well-known because I’ve stayed here more often than I remember.

And this is where you can find not only myself but my picture on the wall. Yes, that girl jumping high above the dunes is me, and I took the photograph with a tripod.

We left the capital just before lunchtime and couldn’t be happier about leaving Windhoek behind. Both of us have no desire to stay any minute longer than intended in this city. We’re not city people and especially this one has nothing attractive to offer us.

Meanwhile, we’re heading for the desert.

Deserted nothingness is describing most parts of this country.

And then we’re there. Home. With the ocean right out front of the window. There’s not even fog blocking the view of the setting sun. A miracle, many locals would say.

I don’t know what happened on Saturday. I have to admit I do not have a picture for you.

We went out to the dropzone, and I was hugging friends, laughing and smiling from one ear to the other. It was so good to reconnect that I surely forgot about taking pictures.

That afternoon friends had organized a braai (Afrikaans for barbecue) for us and even made some crayfish (rock lobster). My favorite seafood of all!

I dove in head first, and while I did think about taking a picture for you, I did not have my camera or phone with me. Therefore a picture from a previous visit must suffice...

While we did head out on Saturday for some jumps, the wind was too strong, and we only managed to do some paperwork before drinking beers with friends.

On Sunday, it all looked different, and I was even asked to do a coaching jump with one of the students. Happiness all around. I love teaching and this view. So let’s go!

Isn’t this the prettiest view in the world? The ocean on the one side, the dunes of the oldest desert in the world on the other side, and somewhere in between is Swakopmund, the town I lived in for almost five years.

It was such a happy day; I can’t leave it at one picture. After jumping, I went back home to the coast, and just as I felt like I was getting tired that afternoon, I decided on going for a walk on the beach instead of falling asleep.

I walked past yellow blooming flowers and fetched my best buddy. The dog that helped me to get over my fear of dogs. Zak doesn’t actually need a leash; he’s so well-behaved I can walk without one.

But he gets so excited when you take the leash off the hook that it’s become a ritual. As soon as we’re out of the door, he grabs the leash in his mouth and basically walks himself.

All this action, traveling and switching climates might have been a bit too much for me. I got a stuffed nose and feel weak. After resting most of the day, I felt better in the evening as the sun was setting behind the house.

Again, with a clear view of the horizon.

I’m starting to wonder. What happened to the fog that lived in this town?

Very spontaneously, I did get invited to a girl's Christmas dinner. Not that I was new to the group or a last-minute choice, but I had just arrived and many didn’t know I was coming.

It was wonderful. The girls had organized a catering that served a very Afrikaans fondue-style dinner. We all had our pots where we mixed small stews, curries or everything together.

The table was filled with meat, vegetables and lots of different spices.

We chatted the night away, laughed a lot and surely ate too much.

It was long planned, and finally, we “unwrapped” our rooftop tent expecting the worst but finding it in pretty good shape. We did some dusting off, and I cleaned all our other camping equipment as well.

I emptied boxes, wiped off everything with a wet towel and put it back together while writing an inventory. Noting down what we have and where and what we need to buy.

Yes, a big trip is planned, and while David is working on the car getting small fixes done, I work on the accessories.

This has been my week in photographs. 7 days. 7 photographs. Anyone can join. Once. Or weekly. It doesn’t matter. We welcome everyone! Dennett started this photography challenge in 2020 and many have participated ever since.

Erika / Eileen / K. Barrett / Juan / David / Mia / Susan / LensAfield / Kim / Barbara / Diana / Barb / Sandra / Shruthi / Ellie / Pene / Olive / Gustavo / Jane / Penny / Jillian / Shell / Ivy / Lisa / Lynne

And these are the previous weekly photo essays:

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