The desert, a tree and a forgotten child

Merry Christmas

 I hope you have visited http://www.bestforreading.com and made a selection of Christmas gifts from my store. If you did not buy anything, there always is a next time. Remember that you can find many items at http://www.bestforreading.com, just go to the search bar in the top right corner.

I was born in the then South West Africa, known today as Namibia, in a small one horse town called Aranos ...

or a link on a map..

http://www.tageo.com/index-e-wa-v-30-d-m3551189.htm. Aranos is near the Botswana border in the south east of Namibia. My grandfather had an hotel and my father was the local diesel mechanic. I am now speaking of the days when wild life roamed fairly freely, even lions.

An aerial vie of Aranos

Lion teeth coming from those days. I kept it.                                                                            

A molar and a canine tooth 

Aranos is situated in the Kalahari Desert and is known for its red sand dunes with the flat streets in between the dunes. See photo below

I was the youngest of five children with about 11 years difference between me and my oldest brother. One day my folks and friends decided to go for a picnic in the desert under one of the very far and in between Camel Thorn Trees. See below.

Kalaharicamel Tree

I presume my siblings and I were not the only children about and that there were others as well. Remember, I was a baby and this is story still told today in our family. Everybody had  a lot of fun and later that day it was time to pack up. When everything was packed up, the drove off. Children and all. Except me. I was left under the Kalaharicamel Tree.

A short while later, as my parents where driving, my mom asked where I was and that is when they realized that they have forgotten about me under the tree. I must have been an exceptional well behaved baby or I was asleep. Or there where too many children around! Either way, I was collected and survived to tell the tale many years later. 

My book choice this week from http://www.bestfroreading.com is

History of Modern Art (Paper cover) (6th Edition) [Paperback]

H. H. Arnason (Author), Elizabeth C. Mansfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0136062067 | ISBN-13: 978-0136062066 | Edition: 6

Long considered the survey of modern art, this engrossing and liberally illustrated text traces the development of trends and influences in painting, sculpture, photography and architecture from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Retaining its comprehensive nature and chronological approach, it now comes thoroughly reworked by Elizabeth Mansfield, an experienced art historian and writer, with refreshing new analyses, a considerably expanded picture program, and a more absorbing and unified narrative.

AND my recipe is:

Sousboontjies/Beans in a delicious sauce

500 g dry butter or sugar beans
Boiling water to cover beans
60 ml (1/4 cup) sugar
125 ml (1/2) Brown vinegar
2.5 ml salt (1/2 t)
1.25 ml (1/4) fresh black pepper

Cover beans with hot water and soak for about an hour.
Drain, cover again with boiling water and cook slowly until beans are soft. If it cooks too fast, the skin of the beans will come off and foam might form.
Add sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper to cooked beans and boil through thoroughly. Too sweet? Add little bit of vinegar. Too sour? Add little bit of sugar.

Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy and remember to visit http://www.bestforreading.com