Dogs on the Runway

So, we're still hangin' out in Africa praying that the Lord provides our aircraft soon. We've made great use of the 3 months that we've been here so far and have the foundation set for things to launch. We're looking at an aircraft in the states (Cessna 207 outfitted with a turbo-prop) but are about $160,000 - $170,000 short of the price tag (over $600,000). So, if you guys can just tell all your wealthy friends and relatives, that'd be cool.

Today, I am flying for SIAT, the Belgium agricultural company. Their main pilot, Egmont, has finally taken some vacation time back to his homeland in Germany. I'm sure that he's enjoying his grandson, daughter, and other friends and family about now.

This morning I flew 2 of their executives from Libreville to Lamberene (the place made famous from Dr. Albert Sweitzer) for a meeting. As I right this, they are in the next room- through the glass I see them discussing their plans regarding their company that manufactures soap, vegetable oil, and rubber. They seem to be replacing a lot of people lately... new faces.

The flight was good, but foggy. Lamberene is right on a river and last night it rained quite a lot. Those 2 factors can make for some foggy conditions. I decended over the river to about 1500 feet above the airport and caught a glimpse of the runway through the clouds. Then I was able to maintain visual connection with the river as I descended in a circular fashion while setting up for a landing heading South West.

As is normally the case,there were people using the runway as their walking path. They had all seen my landing light and moved off to the side. However, a dog was rolling around on the ground right at the intersection of the runway and the taxiway to the terminal. Apparently, the dog had one of those "hard to reach" itches and could think of no better place to search for satisfaction than on the town's asphalt runway. By the time that we landed and reached that point of the runway, we were rolling along at "taxiing speed" so it didn't pose a problem. One of the exec's sitting upfront with me pointed at the dog on the runway and said "Only in Africa!" ...you get a lot of that around here.