Christmas Day with the Edmondsons in Ghana

Christmas at our house was pretty peaceful.  We cleaned some, watched an episode or two of "Deadwood" on DVD and ate dinner  at the restaurant/hotel across the street.  Laur made a Christmas tree out of a piece of old plywood (our former doggy-gate) with a green highlighter, ribbons from relatives' gifts and magazine pictures. The stockings were courtesy of Laur's mom.    

Trip to Beach near Accra with Ma & Pa

We went to this great beach on the more western coast of Ghana with Scott's folks. With only a few minor vehicle mishaps, we made it safely and enjoyed a quiet paradise. Essien loved the beach; we're definitely going to live nearer to the beach when we move back to L.A. for our last year there.

Mole National Park with Ray and Denise

September 21, 2007: We met at 6:30 AM to tromp through the park on the lookout for elephants, baboons, etc. We were knee-deep in muddy water most of the two hour walk. Denise needed a little extra help from the guide. :)

Laur with Essie and Scooby

December 2, 2007: Yep, a sundress in December. Laur's playin with Essien and his best friend, our landlord's dog.

Oheneba ('Prince') Essien and his Entourage

September 16, 2007: Doting on the mongrel: On the Edmondsons' trip to Ghana, Essien was definitely the main attraction.

Host Family Asante

September 16, 2007: We took our American mom and dad to meet our Ghana parents. This is the family we lived with for 3 weeks when we first got to Kumasi. They have 7 daughters- 6 biological and one adopted. Emmanuella, Jessica, Abigail and Vanessa are pictured here with their parents, Patricia and Zimbo.

Back from Wedding, At a Funeral

In July, I was in a Canadian teacher's wedding. She married a Ghanaian that works at our school. It was a huge to-do, with everyone wanting to see the obruneh bridal party. Scott, of course, was photographer. This picture was taken by our landlord after the shindig.

Scott's artist friend and his wife invited us to a funeral in early summer. Funerals are parties with a lot of greeting, shaking hands, sitting and giving money.