The pictures will be uploaded to testify that in fact I was 1) standing up on a surfboard, yes, I am goofy! and 2) in the water when the SHARK signal blew...It was a gorgeous day at the beach with the Daveys and Chandlers, almost all of us in wetsuits and taking turns sharing the 3 surfboards we rented. Easily a thousand people in the water along a long beach between 2 sets of lifegaurds. I saw masses of people carrying surfboards, splashing madly to exit the water. I wiped the water from my eyes to get a clearer view and indeed, my gut said "get out". I then heard the sounder, saw the flag race up the pole (a white flag with a black shark) and I headed for the beach. Dave and Chris Davey and 2 nephews were still farther out so those on the beach (Molly, Lyle, Margaret, Blair, etc..) came screaming over. Of course, it's hard to hear voices with a breeze and crashing surf, but somehow we all got out OK. We learned a few minutes later, just before they let people BACK into the ocean, that the shark spotted was 3 meters long and indeed, a Great White. Yikes! Some super drama for Lyle's 11th birthday!
Today we are off to the Cape of Good Hope for some Baboon and Ostrich seeking as well as awesome landscape. If there's gas left in our tanks, we'll tour vineyards late this afternoon. We have already strayed from "the schedule" I designed as the beach was too nice to leave yesterday. We will be applying and REapplying lots of sun stuff today. HOT and STRONG African sun!
Oh, one final thing...yesterday, while walking to the sandboarding dunes, Molly and I saw the skin of a black snake. I say Black Mamba. Molly says large earthworm. Either way, it was gross and Molly is a natural at sandboarding.
Gotta fly...
Monday, December 28, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
The 12 days before Christmas....
Our internet connection has been a MASSIVE limitation to keeping up with the blog and emails, etc...So, I issue apologies to any die-hards looking for daily updates... It's been a very full week plus - let's call it the twelve days before Christmas - and I will endeavor to write about it. These pictures are not our best- those reside on Dave's LAME laptop and it's all I can do to not heave that item directly out into the Atlantic Ocean - where the water is cold and there are great white sharks. I am using Molly's laptop and she has a few pics of her own which I have borrowed gratefully so this blog can meet the needs of the photo seekers out there.
Seal Island is a cool place near Hout Bay and we went with our 4 year old friend and local seal expert, Mungo Schmidt. He is Amanda von Weise's nephew. They live in a spectaular spot in Hout Bay and Mungo's mum, Kate, has been invaluable in helping us get settled.
We headed up the Garden Route last week to meet my sister Blair and her family who came west and south from Durban. It was a 9 hr drive from Cape Town so we broke the trip up and stayed half-way one night in Plettenberg Bay. On the way there, we stopped at the Kynsna Elephant Park and had an incredible opportunity - Molly and Lyle fed AND rode elephants. It was a highlight for sure.
The next day, we had hoped to sea kayak with dolphins (a Plettenberg Bay highlight) BUT as we got to the beach, the wind was not cooperating and the surf was too rough so we decided to hang at the beach instead of risk life and limb AND see no dolphins....It was a busy beach with lots of summer beach-goers. I noticed tons of people around a big tent with lots of hot pink signage so I went over to see what everyone was doing and it turned out to be the sign up for a FREE surfing class, sponsored by Neutrogena (skin care) and Billabong (surfing and clothing gear). This clinic was for girls only so Molly and Lyle jumped right in. It was a windy day so the surf was tough and a bit chilly but the kids had a GREAT time and we happened to catch another of their free clinics when it came to Cape Town a few days later. That time I surfed and we were all decked out in wetsuits as the Atlantic Ocean is chillier than the Indian Ocean (Plettenberg Bay!) The Atlantic was cold but beautiful, Table Mountain as my backdrop and yes, I call it surfing, even when I fell smack off the board time and time again. It was a GREAT time and I can't wait to do it again.
Anyway, back to our Garden Route trip. We drove through some cute beach towns and miles of straight road lined with what appeared to be reforestation projects. These areas are teeming with Chacma Baboons so we had to be careful when driving. Off the major highway, near a town called Humansdorp - sounds like an IKEA sofa for the homospaiens species - we headed north on very dirt and unkept roads. While we were only about 30km from the main East-West highway, we felt like we were off the grid. Well, we were. We went to Terra Pi, a very cool, totally off the grid place where we slept in tee-pees for 2 nights and took some cool hikes and generally had a great time. We brought in all our food and managed to eat pretty well. Try being off the grid for a day or two. It's harder than you think and a great reminder of how awesome and peaceful life can be. Molly and Lyle had a superb time with their cousins, searching for caterpillars, bok, reptiles, and climbing tree stumps. I searched high and low for the Cape Cobra and the puff Adder but alas, came up dry. I did see a warthog at dawn's first light. It snorted and made itself scarce when I came out of the tee pee around 5:15 am.
Terra Pi is a very special spot and we would have NEVER gone there, much less known about it, if it hadn't been for my very green, eco-oriented brother-in-law, Peter Chandler. While at Terra Pi, I raided their organic garden and cooked myself up a fantastic onion, beet and squash medley inside of our tee-pee on a open fire. It was pretty cool - and very tasty. While at Terra Pi, we saw the Shangalolo caterpiller and many species of bok. My nephews Levi, Aiden and Ty can identify pretty much everything you might see - animals, birds, trees, tracks, it's amazing. Their knowledge and vocabulary is mind boggling. On our second night at Terra Pi, we had a huge bonfire and we all just watched it burn.
I met three people who live there - G - yup- that's his name, Rain - I suppose it could be short for Lorraine, but all I knew her as was Rain and then there is Harry - the real head honcho who gave me some honeybush tea leaves from the Terra Pi farm and our individual conversations were meaningful and lasting each in their own way. I also really enjoyed sharing this experience with my very green, eco, organic, all natural oriented sister and her family. Our kids had nothing but each other and had a fantastic time. I will be adding G, Rain and Harry to the ranks of the exalted. They offered me a LOT in a really short time.
We left Terra Pi and headed back to civilization and spent the day at the beach with Blair and her crew. We then drove towards Cape Town, stayed a night in Mossel Bay, where we did some more surfing the next morning. I met someone in the kitchen at the backpackers lodge where we stayed whose real story will resurface on this blog after Christmas. For the moment, remember Gary from Miami. We drove back to Cape Town via the Bontebok National Park where we had the great treat of seeing one of these boks up close. We also saw the Cape Mountain Zebra. It was amazing - absolutely mind boggling. Zebra have the most beautiful stripes. We returned to our great home and vowed to stay out of the car for a few days.
Blair's family arrived in Cape Town today and this afternoon at the beach, the five cousins all buried their eldest cousin Levi in lots of South African sand. Lots of laughter was had as they sculpted female body parts onto 14 year old male Levi. Blair and I got a great beach walk where we had the chance to revisit previous Christmases and think of the power of our own upbringing as we strive to make choices in parenting and making Christmas far away from our respective homes as special for our families as possible. Dave and Pete hang out a lot as every chance we get, Blair and I take off on a power walk and usually return inspired and supported by each other. I am inspired by her - and always have been.
We had a great Christmas eve dinner at our place this evening and had the pleasure of skyping with Dad, Wally and Sandy. Think we're now out of internet time for the next decade. Hopefully, it will restart on the first of January! We're headed to the beach tomorrow and the Chandler boys will, we predict, be VERY excited when they find out we are going to meet Gary from Miami. You see, Gary is a professional baseball player - has just signed with a South African Majors team and he pitches for them. I met him in the kitchen in the backpackers last week and he said he would be happy to throw baseballs on the beach with my three baseball crazed nephews. Talk about the perfect present! My holiday shopping was done while grilling ostrich fillets! We'll photo that one for sure...(the baseball, that is...)
May Christmas Day be filled with copious amounts of laughter and love and for my kids, their cousins. After all, I remember Christmases being filled with these time tested ingredients.
HoHoHope
Seal Island is a cool place near Hout Bay and we went with our 4 year old friend and local seal expert, Mungo Schmidt. He is Amanda von Weise's nephew. They live in a spectaular spot in Hout Bay and Mungo's mum, Kate, has been invaluable in helping us get settled.
Anyway, back to our Garden Route trip. We drove through some cute beach towns and miles of straight road lined with what appeared to be reforestation projects. These areas are teeming with Chacma Baboons so we had to be careful when driving. Off the major highway, near a town called Humansdorp - sounds like an IKEA sofa for the homospaiens species - we headed north on very dirt and unkept roads. While we were only about 30km from the main East-West highway, we felt like we were off the grid. Well, we were. We went to Terra Pi, a very cool, totally off the grid place where we slept in tee-pees for 2 nights and took some cool hikes and generally had a great time. We brought in all our food and managed to eat pretty well. Try being off the grid for a day or two. It's harder than you think and a great reminder of how awesome and peaceful life can be. Molly and Lyle had a superb time with their cousins, searching for caterpillars, bok, reptiles, and climbing tree stumps. I searched high and low for the Cape Cobra and the puff Adder but alas, came up dry. I did see a warthog at dawn's first light. It snorted and made itself scarce when I came out of the tee pee around 5:15 am.
Terra Pi is a very special spot and we would have NEVER gone there, much less known about it, if it hadn't been for my very green, eco-oriented brother-in-law, Peter Chandler. While at Terra Pi, I raided their organic garden and cooked myself up a fantastic onion, beet and squash medley inside of our tee-pee on a open fire. It was pretty cool - and very tasty. While at Terra Pi, we saw the Shangalolo caterpiller and many species of bok. My nephews Levi, Aiden and Ty can identify pretty much everything you might see - animals, birds, trees, tracks, it's amazing. Their knowledge and vocabulary is mind boggling. On our second night at Terra Pi, we had a huge bonfire and we all just watched it burn.
I met three people who live there - G - yup- that's his name, Rain - I suppose it could be short for Lorraine, but all I knew her as was Rain and then there is Harry - the real head honcho who gave me some honeybush tea leaves from the Terra Pi farm and our individual conversations were meaningful and lasting each in their own way. I also really enjoyed sharing this experience with my very green, eco, organic, all natural oriented sister and her family. Our kids had nothing but each other and had a fantastic time. I will be adding G, Rain and Harry to the ranks of the exalted. They offered me a LOT in a really short time.
Blair's family arrived in Cape Town today and this afternoon at the beach, the five cousins all buried their eldest cousin Levi in lots of South African sand. Lots of laughter was had as they sculpted female body parts onto 14 year old male Levi. Blair and I got a great beach walk where we had the chance to revisit previous Christmases and think of the power of our own upbringing as we strive to make choices in parenting and making Christmas far away from our respective homes as special for our families as possible. Dave and Pete hang out a lot as every chance we get, Blair and I take off on a power walk and usually return inspired and supported by each other. I am inspired by her - and always have been.
We had a great Christmas eve dinner at our place this evening and had the pleasure of skyping with Dad, Wally and Sandy. Think we're now out of internet time for the next decade. Hopefully, it will restart on the first of January! We're headed to the beach tomorrow and the Chandler boys will, we predict, be VERY excited when they find out we are going to meet Gary from Miami. You see, Gary is a professional baseball player - has just signed with a South African Majors team and he pitches for them. I met him in the kitchen in the backpackers last week and he said he would be happy to throw baseballs on the beach with my three baseball crazed nephews. Talk about the perfect present! My holiday shopping was done while grilling ostrich fillets! We'll photo that one for sure...(the baseball, that is...)
May Christmas Day be filled with copious amounts of laughter and love and for my kids, their cousins. After all, I remember Christmases being filled with these time tested ingredients.
HoHoHope
Monday, December 14, 2009
Quick Report on Ukraine
My overdue greetings to anyone who's actually reading all this! Hope has finally convinced me to take the time to post something about my September trip to Ukraine, although that now seems like it happened years ago.
In the interest of brevity, I'll just share a few of my main observations. Ukraine struck me as a country rich in natural resources (primarily fertile soil and a long growing season) but with a decaying infrastructure and tortured, convoluted history which still casts its shadow over the land. Even so, the Ukrainians we met are extremely warm, friendly people who welcomed us as though we were Sunday regulars rather than (mostly) distant cousins they had never met before. In every home we entered, the hospitality was identical. We were immediately ushered to a neatly-set table, which in some cases was the only table in a small house. Seating us usually seemed to involve every chair and sofa available, but platters would soon begin to arrive, heaped with enough traditional Ukrainian food for our hosts to eat for days. Since some of the hosts were subsistance farmers and none had much to spare, their outpouring of warm hospitality was especially noteworthy and touching.
The Ukrainian economy seems to be very bad and has only gotten worse in the past year, but the people tend to embrace and support those around them while (probably rightfully) blaming distant governmental forces for their difficult circumstances. They also maintain a strong sense of family, and a tour through a photo album generations deep was part of a few of our visits.
Some of the relatives we met are actively trying to find ways to get ahead financially, but with limited success (due to unreliable markets for the grain and meat they are trying to sell). Others seemed resigned to just making do as well as possible and taking care of each other along the way. To portray those in small villages in grossly broad strokes, they will share a toast, a song and a hug with family, shake a fist at the government and then get back to the hard work of scraping by.
In the interest of brevity, I'll just share a few of my main observations. Ukraine struck me as a country rich in natural resources (primarily fertile soil and a long growing season) but with a decaying infrastructure and tortured, convoluted history which still casts its shadow over the land. Even so, the Ukrainians we met are extremely warm, friendly people who welcomed us as though we were Sunday regulars rather than (mostly) distant cousins they had never met before. In every home we entered, the hospitality was identical. We were immediately ushered to a neatly-set table, which in some cases was the only table in a small house. Seating us usually seemed to involve every chair and sofa available, but platters would soon begin to arrive, heaped with enough traditional Ukrainian food for our hosts to eat for days. Since some of the hosts were subsistance farmers and none had much to spare, their outpouring of warm hospitality was especially noteworthy and touching.
The Ukrainian economy seems to be very bad and has only gotten worse in the past year, but the people tend to embrace and support those around them while (probably rightfully) blaming distant governmental forces for their difficult circumstances. They also maintain a strong sense of family, and a tour through a photo album generations deep was part of a few of our visits.
Over but not out,
Dave
Saturday, December 12, 2009
We hear it's cold and snowy in the Northeast. It's warm and sunny here - about 80 degrees and dry each day. The wind kicks up a bit late in the day, but that's what helped draw tons of kiteboarders to the Muizenberg beach yesterday late afternoon. (see photo) We continue to have GREAT days and have taken them slowly to be sure we are properly pacing ourselves. There is a lot to take in and when the proverbial gas tank is empty with fatigue, hunger, or any number of unpredictable human conditions, noone benefits at all. So, we've tried to be realistic about what we are capable of doing well in a day. Home is a great spot to relax, swim, braii (BBQ) and look at the map or guidebook for our next outing.
We miss our dog Mayzie a LOT and while we were walking down the beautiful Hout Bay beach a few days ago, we came across this yellow lab, Rupert, who substituted for dear Mayzie for a quick round of "puppy love." She is the only yellow lab we've seen. South Africans are dog crazy - beaches have dog zones and there are many jack russells and lots of mixed breed, small rescue dogs. When we saw Rupert, we HAD to snap a picture.
The other day, we decided to explore the Victoria & Albert waterfront area - as we heard there was a great craft and wellness shed there. There were some amazing crafts and ayurvedic booths for massage, shiatsu, etc...I plan to return for a massage at some stage. Just in front of the craft shed, there was a(see photo) Mobile Reptile wagon. I HAD to face my fears and go inside. There were some of the most revolting reptiles - some of which live on nearby Table Mountain. The giant Puff Adder is something I dont wish to see, though I am told I might encounter on a walk sometime. I made it out of the Mobile Reptile thing alive and grateful to be unscathed so I was ready to celebrate by dumping tourism dollars into the craft shed! There are some great crafts for sale where the profits go to needy charities that help empower women and children, many with HIV/Aids and those that seek to stop human trafficking. The charities are extensive and powerful.
We visited the Imizamo Yethu township yesterday, a settlement of more than 20,000 Africans, located about 5 miles from where we live. Our tour, (see photo) by the grand-daddy of the township, Eric, lasted about 90 HOT minutes. We witnessed the destitute conditions and heard many shocking statistics including that 500 homes of people share 4 toilets in a certain part of the township. They also share one water spout - fortunately, it's clean water! Wow!
On Muizenberg Beach at low tide, we saw a Blue Bottle. This is a jellyfish that is the most striking blue and purple. It has a vicous sting when it's alive. The snails here are feeding on this dead Blue Bottle.
Muizenberg beach is known for its coloful changing shacks. This picture is JUST like as if you googled it. These changing rooms make for a vibrant addition to a simply stunning beach.
No pictures from the local food/craft Porter Market, as cameraman Dave didn't join Lyle and me on this mornings outing. I sampled so many yummy, natural foods - Lyle and I got a fruit smoothie, and drooled as we watched it being made, I sampled the falafel (a memory of my trip to Cairo), and then I bee-lined for the curry booth, where I purchased a homemade chicken curry, black eyed peas and eggplant dish. The WILDCARD success of the day is that Lyle tasted the chicken curry/potato dish and she loved it AND her stuffed nose began to run like the wind...I have been serving both as mother and family doctor as Lyle's long standing cold still hangs on. I also got a GREAT idea for an elephant craft I cant wait to bring back to my friend, Cathy "I can make something out of nothing and for like 2 cents" Karp. Watch out eBay!
I think it's time to upload pictures. We'll post again before we head out on Wednesday. We are heading up the Garden Route to meet my sister, Blair, and her family for a few nights in a tee-pee eco-resort in the middle of nowhere. Did I mention that frequent visitors to the tee-pee camp include reptiles and scorpions? Blair and her crew will follow us back to Cape Town for Xmas and New Years. We are also very excited to welcome, SA-style, our friends from Groton, the Daveys. Hoping to serve them some grilled ostrich burgers and some fine Constantia wine. We have a whole lot of fun things, including a safari, to enjoy with them.
Tomorrow we are headed to the Kirstenbosch National Gardens and their well known holiday fair. Once the tour buses arrive, we'll promptly get outta there and head straight for Muizenberg beach for some low tide boogie boarding. Monday, we have plans to take our Concord, MA friend's sister and 5 year old nephew (who lives here in Hout Bay) on a boat trip to the seal colony. By the way, Muizenberg beach, one of our popular hot spots, is about 10 minutes drive from our home. We continue to marvel at how centrally located our home is to our important things like the beach, market, school, squash club, etc...
So, maybe you're still waiting on Dave's Ukraine write-up...I think any day now...
Love from us all!
We miss our dog Mayzie a LOT and while we were walking down the beautiful Hout Bay beach a few days ago, we came across this yellow lab, Rupert, who substituted for dear Mayzie for a quick round of "puppy love." She is the only yellow lab we've seen. South Africans are dog crazy - beaches have dog zones and there are many jack russells and lots of mixed breed, small rescue dogs. When we saw Rupert, we HAD to snap a picture.
The other day, we decided to explore the Victoria & Albert waterfront area - as we heard there was a great craft and wellness shed there. There were some amazing crafts and ayurvedic booths for massage, shiatsu, etc...I plan to return for a massage at some stage. Just in front of the craft shed, there was a(see photo) Mobile Reptile wagon. I HAD to face my fears and go inside. There were some of the most revolting reptiles - some of which live on nearby Table Mountain. The giant Puff Adder is something I dont wish to see, though I am told I might encounter on a walk sometime. I made it out of the Mobile Reptile thing alive and grateful to be unscathed so I was ready to celebrate by dumping tourism dollars into the craft shed! There are some great crafts for sale where the profits go to needy charities that help empower women and children, many with HIV/Aids and those that seek to stop human trafficking. The charities are extensive and powerful.
We visited the Imizamo Yethu township yesterday, a settlement of more than 20,000 Africans, located about 5 miles from where we live. Our tour, (see photo) by the grand-daddy of the township, Eric, lasted about 90 HOT minutes. We witnessed the destitute conditions and heard many shocking statistics including that 500 homes of people share 4 toilets in a certain part of the township. They also share one water spout - fortunately, it's clean water! Wow!
On Muizenberg Beach at low tide, we saw a Blue Bottle. This is a jellyfish that is the most striking blue and purple. It has a vicous sting when it's alive. The snails here are feeding on this dead Blue Bottle.
Muizenberg beach is known for its coloful changing shacks. This picture is JUST like as if you googled it. These changing rooms make for a vibrant addition to a simply stunning beach.
No pictures from the local food/craft Porter Market, as cameraman Dave didn't join Lyle and me on this mornings outing. I sampled so many yummy, natural foods - Lyle and I got a fruit smoothie, and drooled as we watched it being made, I sampled the falafel (a memory of my trip to Cairo), and then I bee-lined for the curry booth, where I purchased a homemade chicken curry, black eyed peas and eggplant dish. The WILDCARD success of the day is that Lyle tasted the chicken curry/potato dish and she loved it AND her stuffed nose began to run like the wind...I have been serving both as mother and family doctor as Lyle's long standing cold still hangs on. I also got a GREAT idea for an elephant craft I cant wait to bring back to my friend, Cathy "I can make something out of nothing and for like 2 cents" Karp. Watch out eBay!
I think it's time to upload pictures. We'll post again before we head out on Wednesday. We are heading up the Garden Route to meet my sister, Blair, and her family for a few nights in a tee-pee eco-resort in the middle of nowhere. Did I mention that frequent visitors to the tee-pee camp include reptiles and scorpions? Blair and her crew will follow us back to Cape Town for Xmas and New Years. We are also very excited to welcome, SA-style, our friends from Groton, the Daveys. Hoping to serve them some grilled ostrich burgers and some fine Constantia wine. We have a whole lot of fun things, including a safari, to enjoy with them.
Tomorrow we are headed to the Kirstenbosch National Gardens and their well known holiday fair. Once the tour buses arrive, we'll promptly get outta there and head straight for Muizenberg beach for some low tide boogie boarding. Monday, we have plans to take our Concord, MA friend's sister and 5 year old nephew (who lives here in Hout Bay) on a boat trip to the seal colony. By the way, Muizenberg beach, one of our popular hot spots, is about 10 minutes drive from our home. We continue to marvel at how centrally located our home is to our important things like the beach, market, school, squash club, etc...
So, maybe you're still waiting on Dave's Ukraine write-up...I think any day now...
Love from us all!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Greetings from Cape Town!
Well, we made it! A 15 hr flight from JFK to Johannesberg, a few hours to mend some nausea from the turbulence over Namibia, a 2 hr jump to Cape Town, where we were met by our awesome landlord, Garry, and many World Cup enthusiasts throwing soccer ball stove pipe hats at every arriving passenger. We have settled into our lovely apartment and managed to find a nearby market to shop for groceries. I was happy to find, albeit small, but a selection of free range meat and chicken and a very few organic items. About 2 hours from here is a cherry picking farm and about 2 minutes form here are vineyards - cherries and grapes are 2 of my favorite fruits!
Jet lag is not over for us in South Africa. We are all up late and then we sleep late. Not bad for vacation, but not great for our rythyms. Our days have been very busy and exciting. We arrived late Thursday afternoon and managed to make our way to the Herschel School for Girls holiday concert just before it ended. This gave us the chance to see the school and student body that Molly and Lyle will join in January. The next day, Friday, we spent a few hours at Herschel getting toured and acquainted. We will return Tuesday for the step-up day where the kids will meet their teachers and classmates. Over the weekend, we explored the southern suburbs of Cape Town - namely the penguin beach - and also the Cape of Good Hope National Park where we saw Chacma baboons, wild ostriches and a bok (antelope) of some sort. We also had the chance to walk out to Cape Point - the place where the Atlantic Ocean is on one side and the Indian Ocean is on the other. The walk out there is 283 ft or so above sea level and the wind is always blowing. It was just perfect in every way. We have also made short stops at a few local beaches and have learned of the very real dangers of the Great White Sharks. We haven't gone swimming yet - as the water is a bit chilly - it will warm a bit - AND despite some of the beaches looking as populated as the jersey shore, we are proceeding with the water sports VERY slowly.
We are absolutely blown away by the beauty of this land and we've only been to the southern suburbs. Table Mountain gives amazing views from anywhere. The trees are so green, the flowers are so colorful. We have joined a squash club and the people are very friendly - there is a huge cricket contingent and we have watched parts of a few games. The pictures I will post are pretty self explanatory. A few of us in case you forgot what we looked like, but mostly landscape as it's so amazing and words just don't do it justice. The landscape is so large and so beautiful, as I walked out to the Cape Point and looked out over 2 enormous and powerful oceans, I felt as if I was the teeniest thing in the world. Way below me - though I couldnt see them - swam southern right whales, great white sharks, tuna, etc..Above and around me flew terns, oystercatchers, seagulls. There is no question in my mind, this land suits these creatures who use it so gracefully and naturally.
As promised, there will be some Ukraine blogging by Dave at some point. Stay tuned.
-Hope
Jet lag is not over for us in South Africa. We are all up late and then we sleep late. Not bad for vacation, but not great for our rythyms. Our days have been very busy and exciting. We arrived late Thursday afternoon and managed to make our way to the Herschel School for Girls holiday concert just before it ended. This gave us the chance to see the school and student body that Molly and Lyle will join in January. The next day, Friday, we spent a few hours at Herschel getting toured and acquainted. We will return Tuesday for the step-up day where the kids will meet their teachers and classmates. Over the weekend, we explored the southern suburbs of Cape Town - namely the penguin beach - and also the Cape of Good Hope National Park where we saw Chacma baboons, wild ostriches and a bok (antelope) of some sort. We also had the chance to walk out to Cape Point - the place where the Atlantic Ocean is on one side and the Indian Ocean is on the other. The walk out there is 283 ft or so above sea level and the wind is always blowing. It was just perfect in every way. We have also made short stops at a few local beaches and have learned of the very real dangers of the Great White Sharks. We haven't gone swimming yet - as the water is a bit chilly - it will warm a bit - AND despite some of the beaches looking as populated as the jersey shore, we are proceeding with the water sports VERY slowly.
We are absolutely blown away by the beauty of this land and we've only been to the southern suburbs. Table Mountain gives amazing views from anywhere. The trees are so green, the flowers are so colorful. We have joined a squash club and the people are very friendly - there is a huge cricket contingent and we have watched parts of a few games. The pictures I will post are pretty self explanatory. A few of us in case you forgot what we looked like, but mostly landscape as it's so amazing and words just don't do it justice. The landscape is so large and so beautiful, as I walked out to the Cape Point and looked out over 2 enormous and powerful oceans, I felt as if I was the teeniest thing in the world. Way below me - though I couldnt see them - swam southern right whales, great white sharks, tuna, etc..Above and around me flew terns, oystercatchers, seagulls. There is no question in my mind, this land suits these creatures who use it so gracefully and naturally.
As promised, there will be some Ukraine blogging by Dave at some point. Stay tuned.
-Hope
Monday, November 2, 2009
Volunteer day!
Dave and I spent the morning at the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry in Wilmington, VT helping them build a building for food storage. It's sort of a garage but for food storage not cars and tools. We had a gorgeous day, sunny, rising temperatures, and easy work and great other volunteers. We were reminded of how much we love to hammer nails, make things level, cut pieces to size...and about the venue itself, how lucky we are to eat as well as we do. Dave will spend the rest of the week there and I will be at Broadband rehearsal!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Halloween...
I forgot to mention that the kids are excited about this upcoming candy craziness. Lyle will be a Ninja Pig and Molly will be a crayon. I cant wait for the candy witch to come and remove ALL the glutened candy. Poof! Actually, this post is really just a test to see if it links up with my Facebook page....
Countdown....
No, not to the South Africa trip but rather to the BroadBand concert at Passim (Harvard Square) on Sunday November 15th at 4:30pm. Show will last about 45 minutes and you can get tickets on-line. www.clubpassim.org
So here in Vermont, the leaves have almost all fallen off the trees, the sun sets at 3p, the kids soccer seasons have ended and we have just put the hugely underperforming summer garden to bed. We are routinely using a woodstove and frost covers our car each morning. Notice the singular car. A few weeks ago, a deer accidentally hit the minivan and said minivan has been in the shop since. Thankfully, everyone was fine, including the deer, but the car, and our deductible took the hit.
We have thus far managed to dodge swine flu. Phew! The girls are looking forward to performing in Groton School's production of Pippin next weekend. Molly is unicycling and Lyle will be walking on a globe. These cool circus tricks they enjoyed from summer camp will come in handy on the stage!
Thanks to this rainy day, I managed to complete the seat weaving for the kitchen chairs we picked up this fall. Each is a different pattern and color. I will post pics of them when I master THAT technology. I am also working on our Holiday card, which will be electronic and early and highly suggestive that we wont read them until we return from Africa.
Dave has been reading a lot and spending lots of time dealing with the insurance company and autobody shop.
That's all for now. We hope to see you at Passim in a few short weeks!
So here in Vermont, the leaves have almost all fallen off the trees, the sun sets at 3p, the kids soccer seasons have ended and we have just put the hugely underperforming summer garden to bed. We are routinely using a woodstove and frost covers our car each morning. Notice the singular car. A few weeks ago, a deer accidentally hit the minivan and said minivan has been in the shop since. Thankfully, everyone was fine, including the deer, but the car, and our deductible took the hit.
We have thus far managed to dodge swine flu. Phew! The girls are looking forward to performing in Groton School's production of Pippin next weekend. Molly is unicycling and Lyle will be walking on a globe. These cool circus tricks they enjoyed from summer camp will come in handy on the stage!
Thanks to this rainy day, I managed to complete the seat weaving for the kitchen chairs we picked up this fall. Each is a different pattern and color. I will post pics of them when I master THAT technology. I am also working on our Holiday card, which will be electronic and early and highly suggestive that we wont read them until we return from Africa.
Dave has been reading a lot and spending lots of time dealing with the insurance company and autobody shop.
That's all for now. We hope to see you at Passim in a few short weeks!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Hi everyone - Hope this finds you all well. We are just getting up to speed with staying connected during this exciting year. South African blogging will begin in December. Until then, you might find news of the year either on Hope's Facebook page or here. The kids are keeping their own blogs. We have had a great summer and the kids start school tomorrow.
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