Born Free

On the shores of Lake Naivasha is Elsamere, the home of Joy Adamson, the author of Born Free.  Her house and grounds have been turned into a museum, describing her life.  People can visit the museum, watch a video about her life, tour the grounds and have a high tea.

Joy Adamson was a remarkable woman who lived an amazing life. She was a naturalist, artist and author.  She is best known for her the book, Born Free, which details the life of Elsa the lioness.  Elsa was only a cub when she was rescued and then raised by Joy.  She acted like an overgrown housecat, but still managed to survive in the wild.  Joy was a scientific illustrator. She painted native Kenyans as well as  flowers and animals, which were featured in books about Kenya.  Her paintings are all over the walls at Elsamere and are beautiful.

In addition to Elsa the lioness, she raised and then observed Pippa the cheetah and Penny the leopard.  She documented intimate details of their lives, which helped scientists start to understand the biology of big cats.  She donated many royalties from her books to wildlife conservation charities. Her book, Born Free was made into a movie, which I definitely need to watch now.

I found her an inspiration. I loved that her life was so different from the norm, especially for a woman of her time. It was amazing to see the influence she had.  There was a time in my life where I wanted to be a naturalist like her.  Joy's example makes me think this may not be an impossible dream.

Now, onto the high tea.  There were plates and plates of cookies and cakes, along with tea, coffee and lemonade.  The cakes were amazing, and we ate until bursting.  It was the first time we'd had sweets since entering Africa. Kenyans don't have dessert. Isn't that terrible?