The African Collection

While this is not the first of the African collection, it is two new additions. The beginning of the collection goes back several years to Chris’s first and only trip to Johannesburg where he purchased three pieces that are considered antiquities and which are in our container, so that when we return to the US, we will have to pay tax on. Oh well.
When we were here in January, we purchased our first African folk art painting. Then, the first month we were here, we purchased the carved ebony standing man and woman. We heard recently the traders at the Eko were going to be moved out of the Eko compound. The entire time we were at the Eko, we kept admiring the giraffes, but didn’t have room for them in our hotel room and we also wanted to look at Lekki Market before we bought. They have some at Lekki but not nearly as nice as the ones from Eko traders, so last weekend we went back there and bought the two we wanted. While they look rather small in the pictures, they are about four feet tall and very charming. Please meet Ralph and Raphaella.

We saw this painting at Lekki Market about a month ago and loved it. We didn’t have the money to buy it then but Chris said we would return in a month and if they still had it we would buy. We went back on Saturday and purchased it. This is titled “Dreams of an African Child” by Darlington A. Chukulumezie, 2008. The photo doesn’t do it justice but we love it. We bought hooks at the Game before going to Lekki, but we forgot that we also needed wire. Oh well. The painting is very well done and also has an emotional pull that probably hooked us as much as his very fine painting style.

They have everything at Lekki Market. It is the Oyibo market. So, we also purchased our fruit and vegetables while we were there. It’s not that far away, out on Lekki Peninsula, but a rapidly developing area. It didn’t take too long to get there, less than a half hour, but well over an hour to get home. It started raining on the return trip which always makes bad traffic worse.
Last week, I had my first lesson in Mah Jong, so for the rest of my time here, every Tuesday afternoon, I will be playing Mah Jong. I came home and ordered four books on Amazon, waited a few days and ordered a set.

The big thing we are doing now is planning our first home visit in October. Chris is taking the entire month of October for our visit but one week of the trip we will spend in Peru. Our trip is very complicated and we are now in our second revision and there may be more. We will be visiting Charlotte, NC; Roanoke, VA; Dallas, Lubbock, Alpine and Houston. We are using Atlanta as our home base, mostly because we like the direct flight between Atlanta and Lagos via Delta.

That’s all for now! We enjoy hearing from you and look forward to seeing some of you on our home visit in October.

Ciao!

Chris & Donnie