Ode to the Swiss Army Knife

Oh Swiss Army knife, I remember when I first saw you in the Canadian Tire display case, sitting beside a lesser useful knife with fewer handy attachments that was trying to entice me, but ultimately you won me over with your shiny red framework despite your price of $24.99...
At first I thought you'd only be useful as a lame weapon to deter would-be troublemakers during my travels, but oh no - you served even higher purposes - spreading my well-rationed peanut butter, cutting open the most delicious avocadoes, slicing up juicy pineapples, popping open refreshing Fanta bottles. You even made it through Kenyan Airways security checkpoints to make it to the boarding gate at the Kisumu airport, where Julie decided to eat her last heavenly Kenyan mango with your aid. Oh how you laughed in the face of airport security and stayed by my side. I knew from then on that you were a true keeper and that I must take care of you.
But alas, I so carelessly forgot about you in Europe, where I didn't require your talents as much, where I only used you once to spread pate on crackers stolen from our hostel breakfast spread. Oh, how could I betray you so, forgetting to transfer you from my purse to my checked-in luggage. How could fate be so cruel, that you would be stolen from me and torn from my side at the damn Schipol airport in Amsterdam where smoking areas are not properly barricaded from non-smoking areas!!
Oh Victorinox... you were meant to be passed on from generation to generation, a shining reminder of my time in Africa. I curse myself when I think of your early retirement which had to be in Europe of all places. Oh, how I miss you so. Oh, how I cried and continue to cry. With great reluctance, my dear Swiss Army Knife, I bid you adieu. Goodbye, Victorinox, goodbye.

***

Now that I have properly eulogized (Mike's word, heheh), I'd like to wish everyone a belated yet very wholehearted Happy Canada Day! I had a great long weekend celebrating Mike's birthday with him - I made a photobook for him of my most favourite safari pics and it arrived right on time, so I must announce that it's official: I love you Canada Post!!! I was also super well fed, with the weekend culminating in the most delicious BBQ ever with ribs and shishkebabs! Miam miam! On top of all this, I treated Mike to his first pedicure and his first massage by a man, so truly it was a weekend to remember.

And now, as promised, the second installment of my photo memories, the photo gallery part deux.

Photo Gallery 2 - The Town of Bondo, Kenya
and Environs

Luo Homestead

We met a family of one husband, seven wives and 50 children
(they're not all here!)

We visit Benta's home, who is one of the nurses at the clinic

Two generations - George, a community health worker and his father

The students of Dunya Primary School

Learning in the classroom

One of my fave pics - a grandmother and grandchild we met on our community visits

Stephen and Fredrick, two students and brothers from the Matangwe Primary School teach me about the Luo language

I loved the fact that there were animals everywhere in Bondo... gotta love 'dem chickens

This is Joshua, one of the bicycle taxi or poda poda drivers I met - I'm taking the picture from my seat right behind him on the bike!

Samuel on the left and his bicycle repair crew who saved us on more than one occasion!

My all time fave pic - the cutest little girl I met during community visits

The funniest ad I encountered in Bondo - I just had to post this, if not for it's medical relevance