George!

Meet George, the new animal that Matthew would love to bring home with him. Unfortunately, I don't believe he would fit on carry-on. This is a tortoise that lives at the American Embassy in Niamey, where we had lunch one day while at the conference. Speedy he is not, but he does love to pose for photos. The Embassy is a lovely setting, and served wonderful Mexican food, which we ate by the pool. The pool was closed for the "cold" season, which I am sad to say is becoming our reality. Long-sleeved shirts are what we wear these days, as the winds have picked up and the temperatures have dropped. However, we continue to see sunshine for which we are thankful. We have been amazed at God's creativity in creation, both the animal kingdom and the diversity of plants and topography here in Niger. One would think that with the country composed of over 80% desert it would look the same from one location to the next, but there are some interesting differences. You can always tell when you are coming to the river or a reservoir, with palm trees (!) around. Scrub brush exists in abundance in some areas the further away from the river you get, but there is still quite a lot of vegetation throughout the area where we've travelled. Since this is the dry season, there are few green crops growing, but where there are, the contrast to the rest of the landscape is startling. The onions around Galmi are now beginning to be harvested, and the vegetables planted a few short weeks ago are growing so quickly. We continue to be on the lookout for new and interesting bugs - both inside and outside! The other morning while pouring a glass of water, I glanced down to see a lizard watching me from his post next to the fridge! An early morning workout ensued!