Michael Crichton, eat your heart out.

I’ve been glued to the couch for the past 48 hours. I pinched a nerve in my back last week and had a stiff neck, but then on Friday morning I utterly obliterated that same nerve and lost the use of my upper self. Randy had to put my hair in a ponytail and prop me up on the couch. It was bad. But by Saturday night I could lift my arms again. Still couldn’t move my head, but I could move well enough to sit on the porch with the dogs and then go on a drive. Our short drive turned out to be more entertaining than we anticipated. It was just like Jurassic Park! (On a much smaller scale. And not quite so life-threatening. Fewer bad child-actor performances. In fact, the only three similarities were the beautiful landscape, some totally random animals, and Randy's operatic rendition of the Jurassic Park theme music).

We stopped off in Simon’s Town at a beach with lots of boulders. Randy pointed to some rocks and said, “Heather, look.” I turned my stiff self in the direction he was pointing and saw a family of penguins chilling out in the rocks. I’ve never wanted to squeeze anything so bad in my life. They were so cute. I went up and sat down right next to them and they didn’t budge. Then I gathered some cool shells from the beach before we took off again.

Our road continued along a cliff above the sea and we noticed large colonies of penguins hanging out on the rocks below. The sky was colorful and the air was cool after a hot day.

The road wound up over the mountain heading back to our house, but our drive was interrupted by baboons in the road. We stopped and watched for a little while. They, in turn, stopped and watched us. One of them (the banana eater) hopped up on the car and scanned the inside for traces of food.

Finally, as the sun was setting, we crossed the mountain and drove back towards our side of the peninsula. The sky and the sea turned lavender as the sun finally set.

Seafood.....

Our American friends took us to a seafood restaurant about an hour up the western coast of Africa. Just getting there was exciting for me. I love the experience of driving on an African country road that I’ve never been on before, and having no idea what is around the next bend. We had the windows rolled down and the sun was warm and the air was cool. Heaven.

First of all, you need to understand one thing about me: I hate seafood. So when I say that a restaurant that serves a 10-course seafood meal is “fantastic”, you know it has to be good. It’s a beach restaurant. You sit on rickety wooden benches around a stone table in the sand under a canopy of nets and buoys and watch the cooks smoke and grill all kinds of seafood. There was mussel stew and then grilled snoek, smoked angelfish, clams, yellow-tail, and something with legs that looked like an alien. But they also baked fresh bread in big ovens in the sand and served it with home-made butter and jam. And halfway through the courses, they whipped up these little drop-rolls that were unbelievable. So I had a tiny bite of almost everything, except the bread. I ate my weight in bread.

There was a man who played his guitar the whole time. (Andrew and Cristin would love to hear that he played that song that their neighbor “meat-head” is always blasting. The Meat-Head Song). There were kids playing in the sand and dogs running around. It was like a little colony of hippys eating seafood on the beach. We sat and talked and ate and watched the sun go down. It was heavenly.

Camera Givers

Meet the Gauthier Family. Dave and Sue are Randy's parents. Dave is an engineer and a pastor and Sue is a quilt manufacturer, basket weaver, computer technician and GRAMMY!
This is the whole clan. David (Randy's brother) and Kristi live in Georgetown with their 5 kids; Kayla, Emily, Timmy, Haley, and Zoey. David is a pastor and Kristi is queen of the universe (I don't know how she does it...its a gift).
You all know Andrew and Cristin, our beloved siblings. Amanda is our sister/cousin, who we love and miss. Toby is the sweet dog in Cristin's arms.
They came together and got us the camera we use and we are so, so thankful for it!
We love you all!
Heather

Warm Christmas night.

Last night we ate with new friends. They are the sweetest little old couple that you could ever meet; David and Annette. They live in Stellenbosch. He is a short, brilliant man, always getting up to pace and smoke his pipe. He has a PhD in Psychology and spends a great deal of time editing doctoral theses. Annette has been in and out of school for many years (gaining an art degree while raising five children) and has recently received her PhD in an area similar to Randy’s. You can only imagine the conversation over dinner. My contribution was, “Ooooh! Look! A snail!”

They live in a back house that consists of 2 rooms. (The bathroom is the hallway connecting them) Their tiny backyard is spectacular. (pictures are blurry. It was dark out) It’s a narrow, bricked patio hemmed in by white stucco walls. On one side grows a fig tree and on the other, an enormous grape vine that arches over their dining table and connects with the fig branches. There are tiny white lights interspersed with the dangling grapes and figs and bright pink flowers hang down from another tree that has thrown its own limbs into the mix. We sat out there eating and drinking for nearly 6 hours. It was magical.

Merry Christmas from Africa

We had a brilliant Christmas morning, as did some shanty-town kids, thanks to the Chesser family. Cathy and her family mailed us gifts for Bernard and Ishmael so that we might have an opportunity to see them today. The package didn’t get here in time, but we were able to give them other gifts from the Chessers; two Bibles in the Xhosa language (and just so you know, there is a tongue-click at the beginning of that word). The Bibles were very cool: simple wording with great illustrations. I’m praying that even if they toss them out, the Bibles will fall into the hands of someone who can open them, read them, and understand that God’s son came to earth and was murdered on a cross, knowing that some day their salvation would be bought with His blood. It’s exciting to me.

Also from the Chesser family was a giant bucket full of candy for the kids who are always playing in the streets (they also had gifts in the box that hasn’t come yet). The kids didn’t seem too busy this Christmas morning. This kid carried his own bucket around and used it as a personal seating area (not a potty- just in case you were wondering...)

They were thrilled to each get a small bag of candy and water balloons. They loved the whistling straws and nearly drowned out the African music coming from all corners of the neighborhood.

They were so affectionate and it was hard to leave them when we were done.

We went into Bernard and Ishmael’s home for a while and sat around and talked over the loud music of the neighbors who sat outside doing each other’s hair.

It was such a cool experience to be somewhere so different on a Christmas morning. I couldn’t have imagined it a year ago, and I couldn’t have foreseen how happy Randy and I would be, doing this together. Thank you, Chessers for the gifts you gave these people, and thank you Andrew and Cristin for helping us buy Bernard and Ishmael a big box of fun food. Their eyes lit up when we pulled it all out. We wish y’all were here for this 85 degree weather and that we could all take a stroll to the beach together.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Silk Anniversary

Married on December 24^, 1995, this day marks our 12^th anniversary. Through the years we have lived in many places:

• Lubbock near the Texas Tech campus (Dec 1995-Dec 1996)
• But we were poor and decided we might venture to San Antonio
• We considered a move to northern CA, traveled for a short while and spent a little time with Heather’s Aunt and Uncle in Berkeley, CA, and her grandmother in Red Bluff, CA.
• But we were poor and decided we might venture back to TX.
• We quickly returned to San Antonio and lived there from 1997 until Jan. 2000.
• We moved to downtown Chicago and lived there from Jan. 2000 to May 2003.
• We moved to Glen Ellyn, IL, about 25 miles west of the center of Chicago.
• But we were poor and decided we might venture back to TX.
• In March 2007 we moved to San Antonio again, and stayed with Andrew and Cristin.
• In September 2007 we moved to Noordhoek, South Africa and here we are.

Through all of the change, some things never change. I never stop going back to school and we never stop moving around. One day we will end this transient life and throw out the anchor. Heather still works at Me & My House (she never really quit, though her job responsibilities have continually shifted to accommodate our long distance relationship).

In a lot of ways, the two of us have grown up together. Or rather, in the period of time that we should have grown up, we have been together. Here we are back then. I am now 50 + lbs fatter and Heather is exactly the same.

We went to an Indian restaurant for our anniversary.

Heather had Chicken Korma and I had Lamb Vindaloo. Excellent!

We drove home as the sun set and decided to hit the beach in hopes of another spectacular sunset.

Too late it seems!

Who knows where we’ll be after our years in Africa. As long as we’re together, it doesn’t really matter. I can say that through it all God has blessed me with a beautiful and wonderful wife.

Rubber Band + ein Hund = Fun

This Christmas Eve morning the weather is dreary (wind, rain, gloom).



But we found this pack of rubber bands that Andrew and Cristin sent to Enkidu (Doony) for Christmas.



Some of you may not know that Doony is a talented rubber band shooter. Here he is in action. Heather took some fantastic shots.

Before	After
Before	After

We, as weird dog people, are able to generate fun in the most mundane of situations. Merry Christmas!

The Weather Outside is Frightfull....

Today was the hottest day we’ve had here so far. The wind is usually steady, but today there was barely a breeze. I cleaned the house whilst listening to the screams of a neighboring horse-owner who had just found a puff adder in the grass. Randy, who went out to help, came in several times trying to lure me out to look at the snake. I could not be lured.

We invited Jim and Julianna over for a hike and dinner. They brought two fun people. Julianna’s sister, Rachel, is visiting South Africa from her current home in Uganda. She is doing missionary work as a teacher there. A friend of hers, Craig, is doing agricultural missionary work in Mozambique and he flew down to meet Rachel here. (are they a couple? we're still trying to wrangle that information from them......)So the six of us drove to the beach and set out on a hike up the mountain.

It was hot! The sun was beating down and there wasn’t much wind. But we made it all the way over the mountain. We went on the same hike we did last week but then we kept going. Everybody but me made it to the top of the mountain. I chose to sit on a rock and watch for sharks (in other words, I wussed out). We were all jello-legged and red-faced and sweaty and grimy by the time we got down the mountain. Luckily, we were mere yards away from a cold, crystal blue ocean. Randy didn’t slow down. He walked right off the mountain and into the Atlantic, tennis shoes and all. Within a matter of minutes, we were all swimming in the ice-cold water. The waves were slow and tall and the water was as clear as day. After we’d cooled off, we came home and changed. Our out-of-town neighbors let us use their flat for dinner. Their flat is large and open, which is good because there were 6 of us and 4 animals. They also have a nice dining table and enough dishes for us to eat on (we don’t own 6 of anything). Randy cooked about 5 pounds of South African Pike that Peter the fisherman gave us. Julianna made a salad and sliced mango and I heated up the French bread. :)

We had wine and Pepsi and grapes and zucchini and corn. Afterwards we picked at a fairly gross cake from the store. Now I’m so exhausted that I can barely see straight. I’m going to bed. I’ll post this tomorrow.

Boring Blog

This blog has no philosophical importance, and very little substance, but I guess I like the simple as much as I do the profound.
We are taking care of our neighbor's animals while they are away. They live up the stairs on the side of our divided farmhouse.

Billy is the lab. He's about as dumb as a box of hair, but he's sweet.

The view from the top of the stairs is wonderful. Its amazing what ten extra feet will do.

Someone near the mountain is listening to music and because of the valley's acoustics, I can hear every note. Thankfully they have tolerable taste.
:)

Don't forget to vote

In view of the upcoming election season I thought it might be fun to reflect briefly on South African elections. The media has been all abuzz lately due to two significant elections: The presidential election for the country in 2009 and the ANC (African National Congress) presidential election. The ANC was one of the major shapers in anti-apartheid South Africa, and the political party Nelson Mandela supported. You can read all about it in his excellent book, “The Long Walk To Freedom.” In its “freedom fighter” days, that is, at the height of apartheid oppression, the ANC was outlawed and its members imprisoned. Mandela went underground and the ANC covertly fought back by advocating sabotage, and later violent protest. Mandela himself was sent to prison as a political subversive charged with sabotage. When Mandela was released from prison the ANC and other political parties previously banned were given legal right to exist. The leftist ANC joined forces with other parties in an effort to gain political leverage including the South African Communist Party and the Congress of South African Trade Unions. The ANC and Communist Party, though separate affiliations, held many of the same concerns for social action and so many affiliates were double members. Mandela says he was not a communist. By 1994, Mandela became the first black president of South Africa and the ANC became the populous choice for the ruling political party in the country. This is true today.

Many of the top government officials in this country were at one point either ANC militants or exiles to surrounding countries during grand Apartheid. Some served time on Robben Island, where Mandela was kept for 27 years. Among the Robben Islanders are two significant politicians in the news today – Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, both former political prisoners and ex militants.

Now, the president of the chief political party need not be the president of South Africa. Thabo Mbeki is the current president of the country, but as of December 18, 2007, he lost the presidency of the ANC to Jacob Zuma. Zuma and Mbeki have had a strained relationship for some time and the headlines have spared no opportunity to expose the political mudslinging. Nevertheless, now that Zuma is president of the ANC and Mbeki president of the country, things might get interesting. To add interest, Mbeki’s second (and final) term in office will conclude come the 2009 elections, and a new president must take office. The front-runners now are Zuma and a third potential candidate, Tokyo Sexwale (who is often in the news for not so good reasons). Undoubtedly, Zuma is in a strong position to take the office and many anticipate his presidency. Why do I mention all of this? I wanted to make you all feel a little more comfortable with the candidates the US gets to enjoy for a while longer.

Mbeki: Though Mbeki is not technically a candidate for the presidency, he is an interesting character, and obviously, the current president. He has been described as an academic, a powerful orator, a holder of many honorary doctorates, and a financial mover in South African economy. He was not only Mandela’s immediate successor in the presidency, and former ANC militant/Robben Island political prisoner, he has done his part in the “New” South African (that is the new and “free” post-Apartheid South Africa) socio-economic make-up. I recently perused the CIA website for statistics about HIV/AIDS in the world. Their statistics reflect the statistics I’ve read from this country. It appears that 21% of the South African population has HIV. Nearly 1 out of every 4 people I see when I walk down the street in this country has HIV.

So what governmental aid and intervention is taking place? Mbeki has been widely known to have followed a few rogue scientists in his belief that HIV does not cause AIDS. Instead, Mbeki has repeatedly gone on record indicating that he believes poverty causes AIDS, not HIV – seeming to at least implicitly root the cause of AIDS in racism, since racism (expressed in Apartheid) is a key factor in much of non-white South Africa’s past and current economic struggle. Of course whites suffer from HIV/AIDS too. As such, his regime has been about reducing poverty (which I understand is actually higher since the fall of Apartheid), not HIV, per se. Mbeki’s backward and obstinate beliefs have dealt great devastation on the health of this country, and all feel his slow response – or sheer lack of response. (I understand that Mbeki’s policies are now more mainstream than in earlier days.) His early denial of the HIV problem brought him under severe criticism from other countries as the average life expectancy continues to lower. But there is also an ideological problem. Many people here believe that AIDS is a “Western” (dare I say, white = non-African) concoction, and the sale of retrovirals is a way to leverage control over the people. I wonder where their suspicion of HIV/AIDS comes from?

Zuma: Zuma’s charisma and charm have also made him extremely popular among the people. And rightly so, I mean after all, just because Mbeki fired him in June 2005 from his office as Deputy President over corruption charges, why should that change anything? And just because he went to trial for raping a known HIV carrier, why should that have anything to do with his ability to lead people? Innocent until proven guilty. I mean, the court clearly saw through that woman’s lies. It was consensual. And he wasn’t deterred by a little thing like HIV. Though the act was admittedly unprotected, he said at the trail that he wasn’t worried about contracting the disease because he was careful to take a shower afterwards. Maybe if Zuma becomes president, South Africa will get some “progressive” HIV education techniques, unlike the slow-to-react, backwards policies of the current president. Forget retroviral and public education; let’s install public showers. But Zuma is charismatic and popular, and even more so now than ever. Why shouldn’t he be? I don’t think the current corruption charges he is facing by the National Prosecuting Authority should tarnish his otherwise spotless career. Like a rock star or professional athlete, these adversities will probably make him more desirable to be an influence over the people.

Aeon Flux

After dinner we decided to take a walk. We were going to take the “cardiac” hike up the first half of Chapman’s Peak again (the mountain we previously conquered on the beach)… just for exercise. But once we arrived, we suddenly began to walk the beach southward. I think we were drawn to the calm ocean this night. Often the wind is so harsh one gets sandblasted for standing still too long. Not tonight. At the expense of yanking the now hackneyed quote from Heraclites out of context – "A person can not descend to the same river twice” – and without buying the rest of his philosophical farm, I think this expression is nicely fitting to the South African sea and sky. And nor can a person visit the same beach or sea twice, nor see same sunset. In fact, one cannot view the same sunset in any two moments. All is in flux and this evening proved that to be true.

We walked at a steady clip for about 45 minutes, poaching photo-ops along the way. The beach was mostly deserted as usual and the lighting was perfect. We encountered a shipwreck well-nigh to the south pole of the beach, the Kakapo, a vessel that had run aground on May 26, 1900. El Capitan reputedly thought Chapman’s peak was Cape Point and rounded the continent onto Noordhoek beach instead. Oops. It is difficult to tell how long the ship was. Maybe 70 to 80 feet? There were flecks of wood and steel in the sand and a massive bulkhead (?) sitting in its midst.

Standing at the bow, you can see the outline of the ship in the sand…

Heather took the lookout position on the rudder itself!

Here we are looking back from the ship from whence we came. I’d guess Chapman’s Peak (the one on the right) it is about three miles from here.

The calm ocean began to swell as we headed back. The tide was rising. The winds began to howl against the water causing a misty vapor to fight back against the ocean at the crests of the waves. As the sun descended we watched the aquamarine water turn to battleship gray. The beach is a completely different place at every visit. Every sunset and every shifting moment of each sunset has been well worth the wait – certainly worth a six mile trek to a ghost ship and back again.

Randy~

Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Today we decided to take a walk on the beach and then up the mountainside beyond Chapman’s Peak drive. We’ve been attempting a less than hyper but more than sedentary lifestyle since we moved here. The tide was low as the tidal pan was nearly dry. As a result all of the normal sediments clouding the shoreline had been suctioned out to deeper waters. The shallows were an iridescent aqua that faded into a deep cobalt color beyond the initial breakers.

The water was too tempting for us, but we quickly learned, again, that the Atlantic side is ice. We could see a couple of rays in the shallow just ahead bobbing up and down from the incoming waves.

Once we dried off we headed up the hidden trail that we had documented in another post. We slowly made or way to Chapman’s Peak and then up another trail carved into the mountain side. From there the flora is exceptionally diverse. And the trail turned from wooden planks and retaining walls to stacked stones and dirt.

We moved along the trail to where we had once explored when we first moved here. Evidently the trees on this mountain side had burned in a fire at some point. The dead wood foreground with aqua sea background makes for a beautiful contrast.

The trail continued to snake continually upward and slowly around the mountain itself. We see this mountain every day from our flat, but we had never considered that we might actual climb it to its apex. We were but 20 to 35 feet from the top at one point.

In several places the trail was about a foot wide and the wind was shearing across the cliff face. A step in the wrong direction could have been a quick trip to the catch nets far below. Though, I do not think the nets would do anything but collapse at the dead weight of a falling body. They certainly don’t withstand falling rocks, which is what they are designed to catch.

In the pictures below we turned so that we were looking South East. We were standing just north of Noordhoek beach.

To the right is the Atlantic Ocean. Straight ahead and out toward the left (south east) is Fish hoek and Kalk Bay. It is difficult to tell from this photo, but you can also see False Bay. The Cape peninsula is narrow, a relatively easy walk.

As we turned around from the direction of the previous photo, now traveling NW, we continued around just below the peak of the mountain and quickly made visual contact with Hout Bay – though this time we didn’t have to pay a toll to see it! We continued on until we could see a full view of the bay and “Lion’s Head” the small mountain towering to the west of the city.

Within this one walk we could see Noordhoek, Fish hoek, Sun Valley, Kommetjie, Site 5 (where Bernard lives), the beginning of Simon’s Town, and Hout Bay. We could see the Atlantic Ocean, Hout Bay (the bay itself as well as the city by the same name), and False Bay.

We decided to turn around when we saw that the trail appeared to continue on along the face of the mountain range, presumably all the way to Hout Bay. Some of the rock peaks ahead were quite a bit higher than we were.

Sitting at a great height, we looked out into the Atlantic Ocean due west.

A direct route west from this location would land one in Uruguay, South America. Has anyone been there?

I hope you don’t mind these blog entries that tend to recycle the same subjects – us at the beach! Just know that it wasn’t all magnificent fun; it was also a heavy workout from which we burned many calories, or kilojoules, as they say here in Matieland.

Cheers.

South African-isms

Here are some words/phrases that one might encounter in South Africa. They may have an awkward ring to an American ear. Many of these are clearly British in origin.

Nouns:

A cookie in the United States is a biscuit in South Africa.
A cupcake in the US is a cookie in SA.
Dessert of any kind is pudding.
A pillow is a cushion.
vacation = holiday
great = supa
math = maths
doctor = physio
doctor’s office = hospital
hospital = doctor’s office or hospital
gasoline = petrol
gas station = garage
convenience store = café
university = varsity
trunk (of car) = boot
windshield = windscreen
traffic light = robot
stop sign = stop street
a bill = an account
a loan = a bond
flash light = torch
a wrench = a spanner
student = learner
a day planner = a diary

Verbs:

to update a day planner = to diarize
to proctor an exam = to invidulate
to catch = to fetch
to put someone (X) in his/her place = to send X up

Phrases and other idiosyncrasies:

How are you? or “What’s up?” = How’s it?

Countless “things” are described as “hectic.” I’ve yet to nail down exactly what it means here, but hectic is extremely common and refers generally to something negative. I’ve heard it used to describe conversations, a doctor, the beach, cats, yoga, and ice cream. When I asked a person what she meant by it, she looked at me as though I didn’t understand English and then actually said, “You know, it’s like when something is hectic.”

When something unfortunate happens, we in the US might say something like “Oh, that’s too bad,” but here it is “O’ shame!”

An extremely common South African collocation is “just now.” This refers to doing something at some unspecified point in the future (10 minutes to 5 hours). E.g., “I am going to the store just now.” It never refers to doing something presently.

As a programmed response or nicety (=glad to help) to end a conversation, be it with a bank teller or waiter, often the term “pleasure!” is thrown out, even when it is crystal clear that it is disingenuous. I’ve been given a “pleasure!” on a number of occasions before I was done speaking to a person! (For you Harry Potter fans out there, imagine Professor Snape uttering “pleasure” with his sarcastic and irritated tone)

“Have a good day” in the US is “Cheers” in SA.

One’s issues do not get “sorted out” in SA, but merely “sorted.” E.g., “I spoke to him on the phone and am sorted.”

I’ve not heard this, but I was told by someone who grew up in SA that everything that was interesting, neat, or “groovy” to use an older term was once “poison.” I guess that one may have died.

I’ll add more as I think of them.

Randomness

This is one of our favorite scenes. The mountains are standing against a clear blue sky, when suddenly a thick cloud comes creeping over the peaks, hugging the mountain like a fat blanket of cotton. Isn't it beautiful?I had to show y'all this card that my mom sent.
I dare someone to show me a cuter card! Don't you just want to squeeze him?!

We're doing good. We keep our shades down these days because ever since Bernard was fired, Audrey feeds the horses. Her face is in our window far too often. The lady next door (who has about 6 witches brooms.....We saw them as she was packing her stuff) is cutting out on her lease because she can't handle the drama anymore. But now that we've resorted to shade-closing, our lives have been so nice and quiet. Randy has been doing an unusual amount of reading(for his dissertation), and I have been doing an unusual amount of thinking (for my book). We're eating soup and losing weight and things are good.
I think its a gift from God that He has shown us happiness even when we have nothing. He keeps throwing stuff at us from the general direction of the US, and it has blown us away. We're so thankful for y'all. (Or, for those not in Texas, you guys)

Tiny creature

Yesterday I was standing in the kitchen/bathroom/livingroom making tuna sandwiches when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a tiny creature standing on the floor next to me.

It was as if Enkidu had shrunk down to a quarter of his size.
We had the gate shut on the door but he fit right through the slats.
Who knows where he came from.
Enkidu and Wumpus must has smelled him because they were down the stairs and were all up in his grill in a matter of seconds.

I have never seen Enkidu stand next to a dog that makes him look like a giant fatty. But this dog probably weighed about 3 or four pounds. If that much.

So cute.

Our peeps...

How many groups of friends would all get together to do “the wave” on camera, just for you? This group would. This is our “small group” from College Church in Wheaton. Most churches have small groups where you can get together with the same people and have a sense of community and accountability. Ours was supposed to meet twice a month, but that quickly turned into 3 times a week. And that’s the way community should be! They sent us a great Christmas package this year with a fantastically subtitled and fabulously edited video of themselves going about their daily activities. I wanted to simultaneously laugh, cry and vomit (home movies make me sick-but I kept watching this one ……and I’ll watch it over and over again even if it makes me barf)

This is the only group shot I have. I always thought it would be fun to play “match the couple”, so we’ll see if anyone gets it right. I’ll tell you the girls (from left to right). Julie, Heather R, Ester, Teri (on lap), me, and Tamara. (I’m missing pictures of Daniel and Faith-but be aware of their existence).

Which guy goes with which girl? Anybody got a guess? Even one?

I love you, small group. Thank you for loving us even after we’ve gone!

Hout Bay

(for Mark and Lizzy….)

Today we walked up Chapman’s Peak Drive, only to discover that they’d finally opened it to traffic. When it was closed, we could bypass the initial gate (on foot) and walk on the cliff-side road for almost a mile before we hit an enormous fence to keep people out. We could never see around that final bend. So today we jumped in the car to finally drive around the bend and see what was on the other side. The other side is spectacular. It’s Hout Bay. The road is long and twisty and part of it is carved right out of the rock itself.

We drove into the village (and up a scary dirt road to get a better look at this random castle~ The Lichtenstein Castle)

Then we turned around and came home. The whole drive was amazing. I still can’t believe these sites are right around the corner from our house. Do people really get used to it? I guess they do. If they can get used to the ugliness around them, I guess it makes sense that they would get used to the beauty as well.

The Hidden Trail

We hiked up Chapman's Peak the other day and found old wooden steps leading down into the forest on the mountain. We could see the path for a while and then it disappeared into the trees. We decided to follow it. The mountain on the coast is much higher than it looks, so we weren't sure where we would end up. The steps eventually turned into a wood-planked path, built right through the low branches of the trees. Most of the walkway twisted underneath a canopy of branches, completely hidden from view. But eventually it straightened out and the trees began to open.

After quite a distance, the boards turned to rock and sand and the road spit us out into the rocks above the beach. We have stood on this beach dozens of times but have never seen the hidden trail up the mountain. It was spectacular.

Late Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful late Thanksgiving on Saturday night.

We went to Jim and Julianna’s and ate all the usual T-day stuff. They invited some friends from church which was fun. We set a large table in the garden under an enormous palm tree and ate out there. It was warm and beautiful.

The highlight of the evening was the sweet potatoes. I remarked that it was the best sweet potato dish I’d ever eaten. (They were cut up and cooked with oranges and some type of syrup). I told the girl who made them that they were amazing. She said, “Well, I had no idea what to make. Julianna just told me to bring an orange sweet potato dish.”

The sweet-potatoes here are not orange in color, they are yellow. But you can find orange sweet-potatoes. Julianna was saying to bring the sweet potatoes that were orange in color, and this girl took it to mean that we ate oranges and sweet-potatoes together. We discovered this as we’re all chowing down on a mixture of oranges and potatoes.

Pray for us with the landlady. Things are still very unstable and she has continued to be aggressive. Pray that we will find a good stable place to be where Randy can concentrate and I can have one day without her banging on the door several times and yelling out my name when I don’t answer. Also pray for Bernard. There has been a new groom here and we have not heard from him.

On a lighter note, we had a great evening together.

It was nice out and the horses were in a grassier paddock, so we had the dirt patch by our porch all to ourselves. I managed to pull a pound of fur off Wumpy (look at the step) and afterwards he went bananas and flew around the yard knocking up dirt and playing with Enkidu.

These are my favorite times.

Cathy

I’d like to introduce you to my family (the one I’m not related to). Ten years ago I wandered into San Antonio, having just discovered Jesus had been waiting for me my entire life. I was still beat up in many ways. My mother-in-law (coming soon to a blog near you) pointed out an ad in the paper for a “Display Person” at a company called Me & My House. I went in to interview and saw the writing on the wall. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. My hiring had nothing to do with my credentials (didn’t have any) or my convincing presence in an interview (no convincing presence here). It had everything to do with the fact that God knew I needed a mentor and that mentor was Cathy, the owner. I don’t know how we became such good friends. She has five kids and runs an enormous business. I drove a VW bug and had tattoos.

I’ve been working for her for 10 years now (thanks for the job tip, Sue) even though we only lived in San Antonio for 3. I miss her kids (Alyrose, Cassidy, Seth, Caleb and Will) like I miss my own brothers and sisters. Her husband, Robin is a good friend. He bought me my first set of tools!

As it is with Andrew and Cristin, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Cathy and Robin (so you can blame them).
(and also thank them for the internet airtime that has made this blog possible!)

:)

This is the whole family! Older sister Carol (dark hair) designs funky furniture and owns Homestead in Fredericksburg Texas, younger sister Janet (behind Carol) is one of the most creative people I know, and her husband Tom designs the huge stencils that everyone has seen me obsess over. Mother Rose is in the middle. (…and then there are the 47 million offspring)