Week of 20250511 - Ghana Week 61: Steph Taught; Lists; Gizzards; Sirloin; Bikes to Nyanesi and Agona Abrem; Great Visit with the Campbells; Doll; Kotokuraba Market; Shoes and Sneakers; House Angst
= Sunday, Steph led scripture discussion without having planned to do so. We reviewed lists of members and lists of callings with the Branch President and his clerk. They might not have realized that they could run these lists.
= Home, I had chicken gizzards for I think the very first time, though I've lived in the South since 1988: good.
= Monday, Brother Bright had spoken with the person who asked us to contribute to fixing the ditch below our compound; President Morgan agreed for the mission to fund "its" share of the cost. I worked on bicycle issues; Steph had her medical meeting. I learned that I have a role in the coming periodic audit. Home, I helped an Elder with family history and brought a hot water bottle and pain pills to an Elder next door.
= Tuesday, we gave up our truck to be worked on. I interacted with Office Elders regarding where to bring bikes next and when. I tried making puffy flour tortillas to eat with egg, shredded fake spam, and part of a jar of mango with chili; spicy but edible. Torrential rain; Elders next door laughed in the rain. One of the power phases dropped; I ran extension cords from a working outlet; we're blessed that the phase that powers the refrigerator and freezer stays up when this happens. Tiny ants found the shrimp bouillon cubes, their foil not airtight. I packed the cubes in salt and baking soda overnight to desiccate ants clinging to them.
= Wednesday, Steph dealt with medical issues long before I woke up. Kojo Dadson returned our truck past 1, tires rotated and lights working. Steph fixed sirloin. It has been so long since we’ve had a steak, we didn’t remember how we used to cook it! (pan-seared in butter and thyme) Steph studied anatomy with materials from Brookbush; I put pictures in the blog. I found citizenship paperwork for our middle daughter for her to use in a job application.
= Thursday, we picked up bicycles from the office, drove to Nyanesi, a couple of hours north up Jukwa Road, swapped good bikes for bad, and had a very nice time with the Campbells. They interact with locals the way we had thought we would, and they're involved in helping members make items to sell. Sister Campbell gave Steph a doll that she had just completed: nice face, nice dress, nice hair, nicely constructed, and with earrings! When we had visited together for a bit, they treated us to lunch: chicken wraps. We were sorry to leave.
= Friday, we picked up bicycles and drove to the Agona Abrem apartment, less than an hour away. We noted things to be fixed in the apartment and swapped good bikes for bad. After dropping off the bikes at the office, we shopped in Kotokuraba Market and found shoes for me and (yea) sneakers for Steph.
= Saturday, I documented apartment issues and tested our generator. Our favorite neighbor next door to our house in Montgomery told us that the City is ready to fine us for the condition of the lawn and it appears that the renters have moved out. I punted the situation to the management company.
To church. Steph shares three things in her Sunday Snippets, available at this blog.
The ditch still can't be driven over. Our truck is behind the red car, visible here; not a big deal.
Having learned, she carries her good shoes now and wears Crocs for this.
She's shading her eyes from the sun.
The man who make door frames now displays doors as well.
Still Forget Obiaa Still Forget Everyone [!]
..
Big brother must know where to go.
We aren't the only church up here
Waiting patiently for response
Make where you stand a holy place.
Progress in the new building near us (across from the Audit building)
Steph's Sunday Snippets have three points.
..
The can contents readily crush. The bones have dissolved.
So it's easy to turn this into a sauce.
I tried to change the consistency of groundnut spread (peanut butter).
I won't repeat this; buying the variety with honey in it works better to get something that won't tear the bread.
President Morgan suggested I remove the filters to see whether that would permit some water to flow. [no, but every apartment is different]
Some of that ballooning of this shirt is the "wallet" dangling from my neck. Most is just a big shirt to get a big neck size.
Police glance at these window stickers to see whether your insurance and roadworthiness validation are up to date.
The sun
Don't Miss This (scripture discussion)
Our neighbors are also affected by the ditch work.
The heart of this meal is mango in a jar.
It turned out to be very spicy.
A nicer photo of the man in the mirror
..
Somebody's motorcycle must be pretty muddy.
The storm didn't help some of our plants.
Admiring a neighbor's new roof
This bird pecks at his reflection.
Salt and baking soda to remove the ants from the outside of these bullion cubes
Cleaning the spice cabinet
The complement to the meal
The blue rounded items at the left may look familiar to grillers.
(that's the name they chose)
(Many shops feature bread delivered from Hutchland City Bakery in Cape Coast.)
They will leave these plant here and trust you to call when you want one.
I'm searching for photos, but I'm pretty sure this old church was without a roof when we arrived.
A second horse. At the park, a horse is available for posing with your children.
Sure we can make this fit.
People have left their pans at this well.
Some people don't find it hot.
She's holding the board that he's cutting.
Large, unusual construction
Missionaries
Bikes, ready to serve
Agye Nyame {Except for God}
Placing the polytanks on the bluff avoids the need for towers to hold them.
More unusual construction.
No dumping of refuse here
(Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP))
Logs, individually marked
Yes, you can bring your firewood.
(Both buses make that statement.)
Adom Bi Nti {Therefore, Grace}
Jehovah-Nissi {The Lord is my Banner}
After successfully fighting Amalek...
Exodus 17:15 - And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:
This partly constructed building becomes a clothing rack for her store.
There are safer ways to ride.
Longer than the KK, no problem.
Vehicles kick up dust on this otherwise very nice dirt road.
Ironic name for a place to press oil.
This bicycle serves as a cart.
An example of one of the problems of driving at night. Would you see this in time?
A better starting point..
Our destination: this half of this duplex
I walked back in because I had forgotten to pin the location
Casual conversation while holding a cutlass
There is life beyond the road.
OdiyifoÉ” {Prophet}
Driving can look a little like rugby.
Notice the brand of chain saw is what the church usually sends to deal with disasters in the United States.
..
Mangos!
Sister and Elder Campbell, resting
An important place to them. The round shapes are due to computer-controlled irrigation from a sprinkler in the middle of the circle
Yes, you can pick them right off the tree.
But their state of ripeness is another question.
Finding our way out
Fa Yesus {Take Jesus}
A grave with a fence around it.
Other commodities are just left at the side of the road for pickup. This appears to be a locked pickup point for water (when it's locked; it isn't right now).
God is God
Nhyira Nka BoafoÉ” {Blessed Be the Helper}
Traveling in different ways
Warning: No Open Defecation
(Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP))
Notice the swirl of color, even between school uniforms.
Adding baked treats to his ice cream sales
Gravestones can be elaborate.
As is wise practice here, the fence went up to "show face" before adding a substantial building. If there is conflict regarding who owns the property, it's better to lose a fence than a building.
It appears that this bamboo is being junked for firewood.
Propped to work on the underside of the vehicle
Imagine carrying this back to your home so you can wash.
(The poster in the background says we [youth] are the future.)
[Handwritten below the phone number...]
Me BoafoÉ” Nye Nyame {My Helper Is God}
(I find it odd that the headboard looks like a gravestone.)
Cuttings to propagate plants
We used to think this was hard to say. Actually, it was just hard to read because we weren't expecting it. Hold the doubled vowel longer, that's all.
The mission satellite phone has stopped working. Billing is handled outside the mission.
The truck at the left barely made it..
But the driver will leapfrog the next vehicle.
And now it's this van's turn.
Someone else also took the risk and won.
These cuttings have been labeled.
Nyame Nye Boafo {God Is the Helper} Bakery
The more you carry, the more you might sell.
(The tree to the right is wrapped for a funeral: red and black.)
Our trees here come in all shapes..
(But look closely at the gray car.)
The passenger door is tied almost shut.
The window says...
Advice [Advise] Yourself
TV dish going to a new home
Odd place to check your trunk.
Whoever piled this dirt didn't care about the clothesline.
Someone is clearing bamboo. It's too small for construction. It's just being cut down.
Heaven Helps Lodge
Abrem-Agona
[Agona-Abrem]
The Cambells have helped clean oil palm fruit, preparing it for oil extraction.
It's mid-day. The shadow is from a passing cloud.
This surface is like cobblestone.
This pool is usually full of water and life. Not now.
The grass must be tastier inside the fence.
This sign is the only indication that you are near a clinic.
Someone has provided a walkway to these graves.
The taxi driver hopes they would like
a ride. The side of the street, direction of travel, doesn't matter to him.
Still The Battle Is the Lord['s]
1 Samuel 17:47 - And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
Nice building, surrounded by ordinary ones, as if it had been lowered into place
Balancing a sewing machine does not depend on its remaining perfectly level..
The common model has a heavy wooden base and is made in China.
If you needed an ambulance and this pulled up, would seeing it put you into shock?
The melon slices are wrapped to discourage flies.
On the Cape Coast breakwater
New Takoradi/Elmina Emergency Sea Defense Project Phase II. Contractor: Veluxx Company Limited. Client: Ministry of Works and Housing Consultant: Hydrological Authority. www.veluxx.org
You can see one of the machines building a new finger of rock parallel to this road but not touching it. Water flows between.
The blue object is a net.
Steph, seeking a better photograph.
A closer view. The plank is where the outboard motor is attached, near the stern. I had thought the motor was in a fixed position, but researchers cataloguing these craft say that a combination of a steering oar and motor movement is used to maneuver.
Hutchland Beach Resturant and Pavilion
Buildings like this and shops across the street are the only buildings on this stretch of road. Houses on the land side of the road are nowhere near the road; they seem safe from flooding.
Carrying an outboard motor
Parking garage at the Kotokuraba Market
Walking down to the market
Sneakers (not visible here) for Steph; I bought shoes here.
..
Head for the book shop to find sewing notions in front of it..
Charcoal. The ominous shadow is me with my camera.
If you head west along the coast to Cape Coast Castle, turn at "Oasis Beach Resort".
We don't know whether this kite-like object was a kite on purpose or by accident, but it was clearly attached to something even though we couldn't see the string.
Vehicles at a very tight spot
Nyame Tease {God Lives}
Forgive [on the bus]
is in stars above and stripes below.
A small RV outside Cape Coast Castle. It would be easier to drive than our Majestic Penny, but it would lack the dining/ cooking/ toilet/ shower space that ours has.
Awurade Kasa {The Lord Speaks}
Kokodo Guest House [and restaurant]
We ate outdoors. The plate kept the juice clean.
Our host lit a mosquito coil under our table.
Our problem wasn't mosquitoes; it was flies.
The food was ample and good..
But we raced to eat it ahead of the flies, eating with one hand and swishing with the other. We might do take away {takeout}, but we won't eat in their backyard again.
Holding boards - there are two men doing that - in a vehicle that's hauling a cement mixer.
The cement mixer might have been headed here.
I took my time unloading the truck.
Star Trek - Next Generation
Testing the generator
Here's a good photo of the double switch to the right of the battery inside the machine. Moving the lever to the right as shown here is necessary for the engine to "catch". Pressing the red switch below it flicks the lever to the left, killing the engine.
(Depressing the kill switch)
Fuel cover removed, checking for diesel
Our truck, as seen from near the generator
The shape is why they call it star fruit. (I don't like the taste, but we had to find out.)
Kidney beans, fried eggs, shredded pickles, and rice
Past five, I had probably left to fill the truck with diesel for Sunday.
Activity
They will leave these plant here and trust you to call when you want one.
Our trees here come in all shapes..
No comments:
Post a Comment