Landmans Lake

Yesterday I posted a picture of the lake on Lakeside Road saying that I haven't been able to find any information on the internet where the actual name of the lake is given.  In general people just talk of Lake Farm but you never hear a proper name. Last night Grant Slater, one of PEDP's regular followers, sent me the above which is a Surveyor General map dating back to 1860.  On the map the lake is named as Landmans Lake.  Just shows there is always something new to learn around Port Elizabeth.

The lake on Lakeside Road

After all the rain we had in Port Elizabeth the lake on Lakeside Road flooded its banks and closed the road for quite some time.  I took a drive past there the other day to see how high it still was but it seems to have dropped back to its normal level.  The lake is the biggest natural fresh water lake in Port Elizabeth.  Just one problem.  I can't really find what the lake's proper name is other than the area being called Lake Farm. Anybody knows? 

St Francis of the animals

Outside the Animal Welfare Society's offices on Victoria Drive stands the figure of St Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment.  A fitting place for him to bestow his blessings on.

Why you come empty handed?

SAMREC and the East Cape Horse Care Unit are my two favorite animal good causes.  Both places do an amazing job, one for penguin conservation and the other for donkeys and horses in the townships.  I don't have a lot of time to give to them but I try to do my part through giving exposure on my blog whenever I get the opportunity.  Popped by the donks the other day and this is the look I received when we ran out of carrots.   

TGIF - Late afternoon on the Donkin

TGIF.  The week is over.  Not just one week but actually two that just flowed into each other as I attended Tourism Indaba that included this past weekend.  Indaba was good, not just from a destination marketing point of view but also from a personal one.  Amongst others I got to attend the SA Tourism #MeetSouthAfrica bloggers conference and picked up a lot of tips on social media attached to a travel blog.  Some of these I really need to concentrate more on so to grow my following both on the blogs (here on PEDP and The Firefly Photo Files) as well as on Facebook and Twitter.  I also need to get to a point where I get my name as a blogger out there more and perhaps even pick up a couple of sponsors / advertisers.  But I will slowly work up to that.  For now I'm just glad the (two) week(s) is over.

 

The picture is of the giant flag on the Donkin Reserve taken late in the afternoon.

The lady with the chair

The lady with the chair on the Donkin Reserve is an Untitled Anton Momberg art piece installed as part of Route 67.  The female piece with its neutral features is meant to be a conversation piece and is said to represent the women of Nelson Mandela Bay.

Uitenhage Concentration Camp Memorial

Not a lot of people know that Uitenhage had a concentration camp right on their doorstep during the Anglo-Boer War between 1899 and 1902.  The concentration camp used to be situated on 10 hectares of land on the outskirts of town where the festival grounds can be found.  During the war a large number of women and children were dying in a Bloemfontein camp because of extreme temperatures.  It was decided to establish a new one which had to be somewhere near water and a train line.  Uitenhage was ideal for that and a camp was built for 2000 people, although only 1800 stayed there.  At first the residents looked down on the people in the camp but then realised that they were their own people.  The locals started to go to the camp to talk to those held there and even played records for the women and children.  All the houses were built of zinc and wood as opposed to the tents of the other camps. Today, only the house that is believed to have been the commander’s stands on the site. The rest of the houses were broken down and rebuilt in Port Elizabeth’s Red Location.  In front of the house visitors will find a memorial statue as well as a monument made out of high cement walls and pillars in memory of the eight children and adults who died in the camp.

Railroad switch

A railroad switch on the narrow gauge line west of Port Elizabeth.  So sad that there is no Apple Express running along this historic line at the moment, but from what I hear there are a lot of people working hard behind the scenes to get her back on the line.

Lighthouse shadow

Some people are fascinated by shadows and shadow photography.  I like reflections better, but for those shadow people out there, here is a pic of the Donkin Lighthouse's shadow taken from the top of the lighthouse.

Lining up for carrots

We popped into the East Cape Horse Care Unit last weekend and I just couldn't help snapping this pic of Drama Princess feeding the donks .  It looked like they were lining up to each get a turn for a carrot.