We are in Heathow and Nicole is taking a nap....
Brayden was wonderful on the first 7 and 1/2 hour flight, we are hopeful about the final 11 hour flight. We will let you know when we have internet sorted in South Africa, until then, know we are safe and getting rested up for the second leg!
We have arrived safely and Nicole has already eaten a peppered meat-pie! Brayden slept through almost the entire 11 hours from the UK to Cape Town... Another passenger gave her a 10 out of 10 for babies on a flight.
On the way to Hermanus, Nicole insisted we make a stop for meat-pies, so we are fed and now sitting in the Du Toit house geating ready for a true South African meal made by Chef Lynn. Stay tuned for more...
We managed to hook up with a pretty decent 3G internet connection and so I started to break out my video camera. You can see more videos (first few from our last trip in the video section of the left hand column). I will be posting most videos on that Vimeo.com video channel but some will also appear here as well.
All the seeward's are tired and ready for bed so we will call it a night ` hope everyone is well!
Today we slept late for South African time (10:15am) which was great to catch up after the flights. We took a nice walk into the town however everything closes at around 1pm on Saturdays. We did browse a nice market and saw a whole stall full of nice purses (mom, can you hear me?).
The weather is so fantastic, not cold but nice and brisk. Brayden loved the walk and fell asleep on the bumpy parts. I went into an art gallery and fell in love with a local Cape Town artist who makes very humorous images that all involve sheep. I forgot her name but will post it in the comments later because I intend to go back and look some more.
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on if you ask Nicole :-) , the guitar shop was closed, so I just peered desperately through the darkened shop with my hand pressed against the glass. I will have to wait on that one.... Right now it is 6:25 pm and we are sitting in the living room eating Droewors (dried beef sausage), drinking Redbush tea (Rooibos), and watching Rugby on the telly. A true South African experience! Videos will be posted later on tonight of the amazing view we had on our walk and while we snacked. Oh and I also found some....
During our walk today I shot a bit of video and hope to shoot more when the whales fully come out for breeding. We still had great fun at the African Market and I saw a raw cow hide that I would love to bring home but I had no idea they were so expensive!(don't worry animal loving friends they have certificates to prove the animals were nt killed for their hides)
The air was so clear today today and almost not wind early on. The wind began to pick up as we were leaving and there is rain expected for a day or two which will make for some cozy indoor days and nights. If it clears up I will walk to the racks that are about two blocks from Nicole's parents and shoot more videos like this:
You can see that the town is over run with people looking for whales but today I only saw one breach out of the water and it was a very long way off. I decided that catching a jumping whale with my video camera is a bit like catching a full smile on Brayden with my phone camera. Luckily enough, catching her smiling on my video camera is MUCH easier and her attitude in this vieo sums up the feeling of the entire day!
Tomorrow we drive to a very nice but rustic restaurant that Nicole's parent's are crazy about and visit some of their friends on the way home who live in a beautiful little town named Klaeimond (which means small mouth, mom we won't take you there? =) Couldn't resist). If the weather is good I should get some fantastic videos to post.... The adventure has just begun.....
Today we went a bit north along the coast to a very special rustic seafood restaurant that is apparently rather famous. It is very small, run by a husband and wife and you have to make reservations well in advance. The whole while we were eating they were turning people away. The food and wine were superb! We have a giant seafood platter after a nice shrimp Bisque. Here are the highlights:
After the short ride home, Nicole and I went into town for a short walk and saw some whales jumping fully out of the water (sorry no pics of that yet...) The weather is cooling down a bit now but we are still very comfortable and having a great time. Tomorrow we will most likely go into town and have a walk around (and espresso). I am very impressed with South Africa's 3G internet system, the last few posts have been done through my phone... I just now figured out how to get my phone to act as a wifi router and allow my iPad to get on the internet. I really feel at home now and fully connected =) . This is the view from the main center of Hermanus:
This is Nicole's grandfather on her mom's side William Leonard Le Barrow. He was responsible for a wonderful road leading to a scenic site that you will see later in the trip on photo and video.
Today we went for a nice casual walk through town, did a little shopping and had lunch with Nicole's sister Rochelle. I spent sometime in the guitar store.... Bought nothing.... Yet! Brayden has been such a good girl and has been almost all the time! She has kept us all entertained and she is adjusting to the cooler air very well. It is still unseasonablly warm but there could be a cold front come through anytime and the temp could drop anyday. We are soon off to Joburg to see Nicole's sister Angelé but in the meantime we are enjoying the relaxation of Hermanus and the time with Nicole's parents.
Brayden is teething and we are using a tried and true Souh African method using Biltong on a string. It's dried beef that has a salty taste and it is perfectly hard enough to work on her soft gums and help her new teeth emerge. She loves it!
Tomorrow will be another relaxing day and we will most likely walk to the rocks to watch some whales and see if I can get some scenery and hopefully a video shot of a whale fully leaping out of the water..... We shall see!
Thanks to the people who have posted comments. If anyone is having problems, the first text field is for your name, the second is for the password which is "music" (without the quotes) and the third field is for your comment. I LOVE to read comments so if you are watching, please post something so I can feel the love!
Today was a fantastic day once again and I am sorry for making everyone jealous... I got my best cup os espresso from a little hidden cafe that I was introduced to by this fantastic man, Russel Holder. We spent the morning chatting and running errands in town and having a great time. He was able to get Internet sorted for my mom when she gets here, so she can still use the Facebook. He talked the owner into giving us the modem at half price and have a man fetch it from another store! After that, as Nicole and Brayden rested, I spent some time with the two lovely furry creatures: Sniffles and Stuart.
In the afternoon, I went for a walk on thte rocks that are one block from Nicole's parents cottage and took some video and photos. I spent time just soaking in the beauty and felt a bit overwhelmed thinking of how immense the earth is and the same ocean waters that wash onto the beautiful Bahamian beaches also makes it's way over the thousands of miles and crashes against the rocks here in South Africa. I felt a deep sense of connection and oneness between all things in creation that I had never experienced before.
Standing on the rocks, one feels a deep sense of spiritual longing for your spirit to be fully realized and connected to the raging power that burns through the very same sun that rises and heats the Bahamian August summers and brightens the brisk winter of the Western Cape region. I realized heat vacations are for, for us to stop what we are doing and "notice" all at is around us. Even if what we are doing is good, it is still not the same as resting in the bigger picture of what is happening at every moment of life, in every part of the world. It's difficult to explain, maybe it was even mystical seeing, but I felt that I could feel the terrifying and wonderful complexity, of what we call "now", that is captured in a very small part by our limited senses. To quote one of my favorite theologians Nick Cave - "I don't know what it is but there's definitely something going on upstairs!". Looking at this power, scale and beauty, it's clear something is gluing on at a higher level and maybe because their is so clear, you can feel it!
On this same walk, i came across a little pool, called Fick's Pool, that Nicole's mom, who grew up in Hermanus, used to swim in when she was a little girl. Check it out on this little video:
Just imagine soaking in that pool and taking in the power of that sea and all of that beauty.
The scenery videos and photos will start to increase when my parents arrive and we start going on weekend and day trips. We have some amazing trips planned! We are looking forward to our trip to Joburg on Thursday when my parenats will join us on Friday(mom you will do fine!!). We return to Hermanus on Tuesday and then the trips begin as well as more wonderful rest among the beauty of this magical place called Hermanus. Nicole has been so wonderful and has taken care of almost everything(even making me Roiibos tea four times a day). Here is the luxury cottage we have set up for my parents to stay in, when we get back to Hermanus:
This morning I woke up to riotous laughter coming from the living room as Brayden was eating her first taste of Guava purée. It was quite a humorous site to behold but she ended up loving it at the end. Here is about mid-way through the first experience:
After I played around with Brayden a bit with the new hat you can see in the first photo, I went for an...... You guessed it, espresso with Russell. The place is the Doontown Cafe and this is the owner pictured here surrounded by the funky colorful paintings that adorn the inside of this little gem of a coffee shop. Great espresso as well!
We fought he rain and it was worth it because we came home to a house that was in full "Extreme Make-over" mode. This is Nicole's dad, Dave, working on the hanger of a antique gold plate.
Nicole was in charge and she has Russell and I hanging mirrors, patching drill holes and generally doing the heavy lifting while she re-organized the Du Toit cottage. She did a wonder on the book shelves and the paintings in the master bedroom as well. Here she is deciding if she wants to hang the gold plate or have it melted into a necklace.
Of course after the work was finished I sat back and had a nice relaxing cup of what has become my favorite tea, Roiibos with no cream. Which we have about seven to ten times a day to stay warm.
Brayden also showed us a new trick today and proved that her feet must taste like Biltong. We didn't realize that one foot could grow as quickly as her right one has.... She is now a size 10 1/2 for only her right foot!
The rain kept up for most of the day and we finally relaxed on the couch. Nicole's sister Rochelle and her fiancè Franklin stopped in for a nice visit and we talk about a possible game of golf. Here are two mommies taking after there little babies: Nicole and Brayden and Lynne and Sniffles. Brayden loves the dogs and gets so excited when they walk by or run around but she gets a bit startled if they leap up too close to her face.
Tomorrow we are off to Joburg to visit Nicole's sister Angelè, and her wonderful family. We also meet up, on Friday, with my parents, who should be in the air now headed this way via London. Mom if you are reading this in the London airport, I am proud of you and I will see you guys soon!
Yesterday didn't have a post because it was a very busy day. We left Hermanus and drove to the Cape Town airport. The picture above is a scenic shot just as you come over the mountains into the out skirts of Cape Town. It is my favorite view so far in South Africa and the first time I got to shoot it with the car stopped. Even though it was with my phone and I had to crop out my finger on the lens, I think you can appreciate the wonder.
Then we had a bit of a short wait in the airport and boarded out flight with no issues.
We had a cup of coffee in the airport and sat and watched the planes. In South Africa, as you can see, they really make the panes colorful. I liked the orange one we flew on but missed getting a photo of it because I was distracted by the two beauties sitting next to me.
We did have some issues with Brayden on the short 1 1/2 flight to Joburg though. She spent a good deal of time unhappy, fidgety and screaming. The only grace was that in the row in front of us was a one year old who screamed more often and louder so it made Brayden seem less distracting. Once we landed all was well and Brayden got to meet her Auntie Angele and COusin Genna for the first time in 3d instead of on the internet photos:
It was a wonderful time and a great reunion for all of us. Here is a shot of the two sisters, who look nothing alike at all....
Then the reason there was no post yesterday was because when we got home, I sat down with Angele's husband Uncle Pete and we opened a bottle of nice South African Merlot and I ended up liking it so much I finished the bottle.... =)
I thought I would be in pain when I woke up early to ride with Angele to fetch my parents from the airport, but I felt great! The folks arrived safely and a bit tired from all the traveling.
On the way home from the airport, we just happened upon a place called Marshall Musical Warehouse and I walked out with this little baby:
After the great deal I got on the guitar, I thought, "Why not get a vintage motorbike as well?". I think I might have to drive to Hermanus because it will not fit in the overhead luggage bin.
Last night we had a fantastic time with Nicole's sisters family and a bit of Klipdrift.
We were fed an amazing meal cooked by Pete, the man of the house, and enjoyed the evening with Angelè, Jenna and Joe.
Brayden really gets excited by the dogs and is even becoming brave enough to reach out and touch them. I think letting her wipe her hands on a doggy's nose is better than wet wipes but, for some reason, her mommy feels differently....?
We spent most of our day today at MonteCasino which is a very large scale attraction with everything from a hotel, mall, concert stadium to, of course a casino. It is all done as if you were in an old Italian city. At one of the shops I got one of the most amazing things I had ever seen: a small ball made of Sunstone. It almost looks alive it shines so much. On the card it said that Sunstone symbolizes Leadership, which I felt was maybe the reason I was so attracted to it. While we were there, Nicole took a very dodgy taxi ride:
We had so much fun that eventually the Polizia had to come and calm us down. Their Polizia cars were not faster than our motorbikes and petal taxis, so we made a clean getaway.
Brayden got her first balloon and boy did she ever love it. She seemed a bit confused about this large strange butterfly tied to her wrist but she eventually got the idea and went crazy with the new toy:
We are really looking forward to tomorrow when we go to Ridgeway Church with Nicole's sisters family. I get to play some guitar with the band and do a bit of speaking as well. Afterwards we are having a proper African Braai (BBQ for non-Africans). More to come...
We have been running pretty busy since my parents arrived here in Johannesburg. I haven't hardly had much free time to post but judging from the lack of comments, no one seemed to notice(thx Henry!)....
The above video is from the church that we visited and served at on Sunday, Ridgeway Community Church. I got to play some acoustic guitar during the worship, share the sermon time with their Pastor and Nicole and I ended the service with one of my songs : You Carry Me. Here is some funky artwork that they have on their walls:
The service was very cool to join in on and I felt very much like I was back home at NPCC, about ten years or so ago when we were still in the old building. Very intimate but full of energy and life!
After church we went back to Nicole's sister's for a Braai, made by the spectacular Braai-master Pete Rooyekkers. It was great! We got to meet Sharon, a friend of a friend (Ryan), that we have wanted to meet and seen lots on Facebook!
Pastor Pete and I sat and talked theology and the future of the church for quite a while. He is a great guy and has a very blessed congregation with a lot of freedom and some great music as well. We also have mutual friends in Len Sweet (Pete's Phd advisor):
Then this morning we were up early for a 7 DAYS OF MADNESS SALE at the Golf Warehouse. My dad was in heaven with the 50-75% off discounts. Clearly they love thier golf in South Africa because the place was packed out at 8:30 am on the 1st day of the sale. Here he is holding onto two pairs of golf shoes but he eventually ended up only getting one. A great pair of black Nikes that look like you could wear them out for a fancy dinner.
Later today my mom and dad and I strolled a mall and had a lunch at Nicole's favorite restaurant The Spur. My mom was even brave enough to try the Monkey Gland sauce on a french fry:
Right now Nicole and Brayden are napping and I am trying to get this post in before Brayden's bathing time which is approaching rapidly. Tomorrow we fly back down to Hermanus and the photos and videos will become more scenic. It has been so great to spend time with Nicole's sister and her family. They are all awesome!
Today was a traveling day. We left Joburg and Nicole's sister Angele's family to return with my parents to Hermanus. It was sad to leave however we will see Pete and Ang at Nicole's other sister Shelly's wedding in a few weeks.
Brayden was much better on thus flight and even slept a bit while Nicole and I played Scabble on the iPad.
I had a window seat and the views were truly amazing:
It was a full moon as we drove from Cape Town to Hermanus and little Brayden slept the whole way, almost, laying on my chest with her arms wrapped firmly around me. I felt like a daddy more than I ever had before!
We will be taking it easy and resting up for the next few days and then heading to Stellenbosch this weekend for a taste of Wine Country. I am hoping to get some whale footage while we are resting so you may get lucky and see some amazing posts!
This morning we went out or a nice cup of espresso but our favorite little place was closed... (Dunn's House). WE still managed but the new place did not have the same quality coffee as Dunn's!
After that, and after the folks woke up, we went for a nice sccenic drive to see the city of Hermanus from the highest point on the mountain that shadows the city form the north. THe view was stunning:
Next we went to a beach that Nicole used to swim at as a teenager and looked for some whales. We saw a feew but they were pretty far off. The view was nice, non-the-less:
Here is a video of the action we saw:
The closest I have gotten, so far to a full whale breach is while we were sitting at our outside table at a cafe by the main harbor:
I will keep trying as tere re more whales coming everyday. One thing is certain: Brayden is enjoying all the attention of having four grandparents around!
Today we woke up to quite windy and cold winter weather in Hermanus but as you can see, With an umbrella and a strong will, one can still get a great cup of espresso. Today my favorite place, Dunn's Coffee House was open and I was sorted. Then Nicole's sister Rochelle came over for an amazing lunch of boiled lamb and lots of assorted side dishes.
After lunch, mom, dad and I went into town and did a bit of shopping. The weather began to break but it was still cold for our thin Bahamas blood. I was able to find a rare CD or reggae versions of Bob Dylan songs and a great t-shirt.
When we got back home, Nicole was ready to get out of the house, so we went for a walk along the rocks that are less than one block from her parent's home. We strapped Brayden into the sling (Nicole insisted that she wear the sling...?) and off we went for another walk with an amazing view.
Everywhere you turn the sites are breath-taking and with the cold brisk weather it makes it even more clear. Today, although the weather was cold and windy, the water was very still. Usually there is lots of noise from the crashing on the rocks but not today it was very calm and that made it even more peaceful.
Once we stopped out at the longest point Nicole told me a family secret about why she wanted to go out to these particular rocks instead of turning to the left on the path, as I had normally done on my personal walks.
On again the little "star of the show" was in bright spirits and having a great time no matter what the temperature. She is such an amazing girl, like her mother, I agree with Derek in yesterday's comments that she is setting the pace for international traveling babies. Check out is smile!
Tomorrow we go back to Hook, Line and Sinker and try to get my parents to eat rice with baby octopi in it. This time I am going for the number two, Canadian Maple Syrup, hot chili sauce from the start..... More to come so stay tuned, this weekend we are in Stellenbosch, wine country.
This first photo was from last night when the bad boys had a little time outside in the cold with our various ways of warming up.
After a quick trip to the coffee shop for some espresso by Nicole and I, we took a nice drive back to Hook, Line and Sinker. Today they only had fish and chips but it was fabulous in spite of them not having the usual cook(who made an appearance to bring me some hot sauce) and them not having the baby octopus on the menu. The wine was great and we are going to the wine farm, Fairview, this weekend while we are in Stellenbosch to get some more white wine and some of their famous cheeses.
While we ate seafood and drank fine wine, Brayden looked on with a knowing eye. Thinking one day she will be having to carry us out of restaurants like this... Just kidding! She was hungry for prawns!
I put together a short highlight video of some of the footage that I shot since we got back from Johannesburg(Nancy the music is from the new Dylan tribute album, I just read the liner notes and found out the band is all of the Wailers with different singers on each song and even Dylan, himself, on I and I). You get to see some great mountain views and a whale or two. We still haven't gotten the shot of a whale that I am looking for but there is still time and more whales keep arriving. Today they were only a few feet from the shore!
In the morning we leave for a weekend in the wine country of Stellenbosch. This time we are staying in the little university town instead of on a wine farm, so I am looking forward to the feel of the uni and the culture of the coffee shops and art galleries. Of course we will keep you posted (literally). If only you could taste the wines we will enjoy, over the Internet.....
We made it to our little Bed-and-breakfast cottage in the wine valley of South Africa called Stellenbosch. It is also the town where the most prestigious universities are as well. It was a rainy day here so we didn't hurry on our trip but Brayden has developed a real aversion to her car seat. We have had to distract her with pieces of salty meat attached to a string (Biltong).
Here is our cottage which is very cool and about 2km (work it out :) they are on the metric system over here!) outside of town.
The cottage is surrounded by nice little gardens and night blooming Jasmine, which I didn't realize could still smell so strong in this cold weather, it's about 8 degrees (c) (again work it out!)
This is inside the great room that all the cottages share and where we will have breakfast in the morning before heading into town to see (and capture) the sites.
To give Nicole a rest when we arrived at the cottage, I took Brayden for a walk through the area to get my bearings straight. There were no scenic views because of the low lying fog and the grey clouds but at least it had stopped raining!
We were strolling along and all of a sudden I heard a babbling Brock kind of sound and looked over and found a creek, or river, which turned out to be national reserve. It was a cool find and just as I was taking this picture, Brayden detached her pacifier and threw it towards the water. I was lucky enough to reach out and catch it just in time. Boy would Nicole and been upset if daddy came home without the pacifier on his first walk alone with Brayden in South Africa.
Everyone who knows me well, knows I am a fan of graffiti, so I was very pleased to see a nice two color stencil piece thrown up on an electrical box right in the middle of a very high end neighborhood. Good work, I say...
Today we began with a nice breakfast to get our energy up for the day. Stellenbosch is both a great little town and in the middle of the wine route of South Africa, so we had to split our time wisely. In the morning we walked around the shops and then headed out of town towards the farmlands. Wemhad so many great recomendations, but we settled for a small farm called Dornier that had an amazing view and a great, kid friendly, restaurant.
The view from our table was amazing, as the farm and cafe sat right in the valley of the huge mountains that almost surround Stellenbosch.
The view, the company and the wine we outstanding! From our table outside, we could see the whole mountain range and the farm as well.
I took a short walk before the food came and go to see the raw farm and mountain range. If you look closely you can see there are houses dotted along the hills, imagine what life must be life there....
There was also a beautiful garden as you walked into the restaurant and I got to see some native South African flowers and lots of nice wild ones as well.
After lunch we decided to take a drive to see if we could see any animals on the sode of the road. I remembered seeing Ostriches two years ago, so we gave it a go and we were very fortunate!
Then to close of an amazing day we went to see some of the last remaining white lions. Apparently there are only 300 left and we saw six of them. Here is one of the nicer videos I was able to get of four of them lazing around and one having a yawn:
Tomorrow I am hoping to meet up with a friend of a friend and have a theology/coffee time... Until them, I am going to help finish the bottle of flagship wine we purchased to bring back to the cottage!
We arrived in the little fishing village of Paternoster, on the upper Western Cape region of South Africa. The town began when an expedition of Portuguese sailors shipwrecked on the rough and numerous rocks that extend out beyond the shore. On the drive into the village, about three hours North of Cape Town, we got to see a different kind of African terrain.
It is the perfect place to just relax and unwind. It reminds me a great deal of Spanish Wells, both for it's isolation and for it's main export: lobster. When we pulled up there were men running up to our car trying to sell us HUGE live lobsters that they were carrying in their hands... Here is me on the patio updating seeward.com with a glass of Merlot:
Dad has also enjoyed the view and quite a few fine cigars out on the patio and we have only been here for one day so far!
There is a fantastic beach that stretches almost the entire length of the village. This is the view from our little guesthouse patio:
Of course as soon as we got settled, mom began the party! The weather was more than a bit chilly so she was always busy wrapping up and making funny faces:
This morning I was waken by a little trickster (she must take after her father!) who was hitting me and grabbing my, by now, long beard. Since there was no place to get espresso in this little town, Nicole was nice enough to make me three cups of very strong coffee..... Before telling me that it was only 8am... :( I was hoping to sleep till noon. I did finally get a double espresso later in the day at a nearby town we drove through and it was excellent!!
After Mom and Dad woke up (after 10!), dad and I went for a walk down onto the rocks and I found a little puddle within the rocks that was filled with crayfish babies. It always really amazes me how fertile this continent is. It seems that life just springs forth from everywhere. We are about 10 miles from what many scientists believe was the cradle of civilization. (More on that tomorrow...)
Nicole woke up before the sunrise and caught a fantastic series of photographs like this one:
We head back to our Hermanus homebase tomorrow but will be stopping for some scenic views along the way (if the weather is clear and shiny like it was today). Sorry for the break in posts but I needed a vacation from documenting my vacation. I promise if I get lots of comments, then I will keep up daily postings, but if there are no comments then I will slack off and save the photos and videos for when we get back to Nassau... :-)
Today we took the scenic route home from Paternoster back to Hermanus. Last night before we had a fantastic Braai (BBQ) made by Nicole's dad Dave, Nicole and I went to catch the sunset over the water. The above shot was a frame from my video camera (I will post some of Nicole's photo's in the bottom left column.) After the sun went down, athat dusky hour, a flock of noisy birds flew over and I caught them for a short while on tape:
On today's drive we stopped for breakfast in a little place close to Yzerfontein that was full of character (and beautiful birds and statues!) called The West Coast Grill.
Here is one of my favorite statues, of course since I am a Leo:
I also got to meet a wood carver who made this huge statue called "We Hold the World in Our Hands". I thought it was cool since the globe in between the hands was hooked up to slowly spin and show the whole earth.
Another attraction to the place was a wide selection of African Parrots that were all around the place. I got to see a live African Grey Parrot which I had only read about in books, given that they have been proven to be psychic by scientists such as Rupert Sheldrake. It was great to see them but they were plain grey so here is a video of some more colorful ones:
After breakfast, we hit the road! After a little while we saw one of the most famous landmarks in South Africa, Table Mountain, in Cape Town. You can make it out in the background of this photo. We are planning a day trip into Cape Town, so you will see nicer pics of the flat-topped mountain soon.
During the drive, we also got to see some of the latest South African hair fashions. Here is a video of Nicole and her mom walking off in the distance:
Nicole's dad planned our return trip on the most amazing mountain pass in South Africa. You drive through this little village that was fort settled by the French and still has it's influence with little street cafes and sidewalk diners. Once you get through the city, you immediately go directly up the side of a huge mountain. Once you are on the top here is what you see:
We are now safely back in Hermanus and have heard that there are over 127 whales in the harbor so we should be getting some good whale footage in the next few days! Thanks to everyone for the comments and I was only kidding about not posting... I love making the posts so I will keep ot up no matter what, however, I do LOVE to see that there are comments on a post and can hardly wait for the comment page to load to read who posted and what they have had to say.
Here's one for the Brayden Junkies.... More Brayden pics coming!
Yesterday dad and I went into town early and did some window shopping. I saw the sculpture above out in front of a little gallery that sells nice modern art.
Dad then said he wanted to get something for mom:
I am not quite sure what he meant by "for" but I will be keeping my eyes on him and making sure he doesn't try to take his new toy in his carry-on luggage.
One of the major reasons we are staying in South Africa so long is because of the special occasion of the wedding of Nicole's sister, Rochelle, to her fiancé Franklin. Yesterday was the 'stag day' where there women and the men both get together during the day and celebrate. As you can see, from Nicole's pictures, the women were much classier but no less fun!
The women were at Madre's Kitchen:
The men were at the Old Boy's Club. Here is a picture of the future groom (on the right) his brother (in the middle) and his father (on the left):
I can't speak for the ladies but the boys had a great time watching South Africa play Austrailia in a Rugby test. Unfortunately SA lost in the final seconds but, at least, it was a fair match.
Since there was no post yesterday, I am doing two today to bring us all up to date. Today we had a lazy day wandering around Hermanus and watching whales in the morning. It was another beautiful day and there were quite few whales to be seen. Most of them were very lazy and wouldn't jump for the camera. I was able to catch this one as I was adjusting my tri-pod:
I plan to get a much better shot later on in the week but this is a good start! This is a picture of the old harbor:
We had lunch at Nicole's favorite restaurant, Milkwoods, and the food was great! I had the leg of lamb, and you can't beat the view:
Since I already got a guitar and a motorcycle, on the way out of the restaurant I decided to negotiate the purchase of this little beach car, perfect for the Bahamas, don't ya think!
My mom was brave again and had wild prawns and even tasted the South African version of conch : Abalone. She'll be eating monkey soon! Here is a shot of the view while we were eating :
Finally one for Tammy and the other Brayden addicts out there:
More whale watching this week and a trip to a very special resort area called De Wilderness on the weekend, so more to come, as always....
Today started with Nicole doing some light reading of Einstein to relax with a cup of coffee before Brayden's morning feeding. After we all got out of bed and got sorted, we went to our favorite place that I have been going to everyday we have been in Hermanus : Dunn's House. It's a wonderful little place with a nice owner and fantastic espresso! Check out the video...
We were joined by our Buddy Russell, who Brayden really likes, as you can see in this photo:
I was going to have a scone but the owner of Dunn's, Liza (think that is spelled right!) talked me into a chocolate mouse slice instead. It was so good that I just had to take a picture and we had to order another one for the table at the end of everyone's egg's benedict:
Then I went for a haircut and beard trim to get ready for the upcoming wedding. Everyone else stayed in town and did some shopping. This picture is inside of a little arcade that is in the dead center of the town and is full of little boutique shops that carry everything you could imagine.
After we met back up, we sat by the sea and had a small snack and some drinks to warm up. We all had a great time but especially little Brayden. She was in such a great mood today even though she is cutting three teeth now (pics to come...). She is such a little trooper, being lugged around everyday is making her into a tough little traveler!
We arrived back at Nicole's parent's house, the Du Toit Estate, and the boys retired to the patio to have our own relaxation experience. Check out the video to share the moment:
What do you think of the new haircut and beard trim?
Tomorrow is another relaxing vacation day with maybe some whale watching if the weather is good. On Saturday we head to De Wilderness, which everyone tells us is another unique scenery and amazing beauty as well. Thanks to every one who is following our adventure and especially those who comment! =)
All of us have a bad tummy bug that is going around today. Even Brayden was up most of last night emptying all the food she drank ate, via the same place she ate it through... Needless to say we are from the bug and the stress of being up with Brayden. We have all chosen to stay in for the day so there won't be a post. I was going to go whale watching today (maybe tomorrow) but here is a whale for all those that are waiting for a good shot.
Back to normal posting tomorrow! For those that can't wait, I have uploaded some of Nicole's great photos to my Flickr.com account. To see them go :: here ::
Most of us, except poor Nicole, are over the tummy bug and back in action. She spent the day resting in bed with both Grandmas pulling Brayden duty. I was able to go and try to do some whale filming. First I had to go for an espresso! On the way I shot some great footage of a walk on a wooden bridge that I have been wanting to film:
I wasn't hurt by the fall and was able to film a bit more:
While I was filming right next to this monument in the picture for about ten minutes, waiting for this whale to jump up and give me a show:
He never did much bunt flip his tail for a hour or so... But when I turned around, I noticed that I was between the whale and a man with a very large and very professional video camera. I shouted an apology for being in his shot and he began to pack up his gear. I was a bit unsettled when he briskly headed my way with clear intentionality. When he got closer I could see the letters CNN on the side of his camera. He said "Yes, you were in my shot". Again I apologized and then he said "No, you were my shot. I was filming you, filming the whales." then he asked if he could interview me for a show they are doing on Africa and whale watching. I said "No way!!" Just kidding, I was happily interviewed for a show that will play four times this weekend on CNN called Inside Africa. The cameraman/reporter said he would definitely use my footage because I was the most interestingly dressed person that he had seen that day(I knew the blue hair and the kilt was, as my friend Barry says, a "strong look"). So if you watch CNN look out for me on the Inside Africa show this weekend.
After some, not very successful, whale taping, I went back home and took over Brayden duties. We sat outside and watched the birdies that come and sit on the power line behind the Du Toit house. She had such an intense stare:
Nicole's father Dave, dad and I sat ousted with her (not smoking this time!) and watched as she howled and squealed away each new bird that roosted on the line.
One bird, called the Jackhanger, was brave enough to stick around in spite of the screams or excitement. Apparently the Jackhanger is a predator bird that catches it's prey and hangs them alive on a hook that he makes and waits until it dies before he eats it. (just some side info for the Discovery Channel fans) Here he is:
Of course we shot him off the line with a BB-gun and threw him on the grill. He tasted rather gamey from all the locusts that he has eaten.
Here is a final shot of the haze of fog covering the mountain, Maanschynkoop (Moonlight Head), I took in the fairly early hours of the morning before the sun fully burned off all the low lying clouds and created a perfectly calm and warm day. Tomorrow might be a shopping trip day, depending if Nicole begins to feel better. If not then we will get her a pile of Dvd's and bring her jugs of red wine.... That's the South African way!
If the videos say that they are not ready yet, give them some time and come back to watch them, they are worth it! Also a good tip whenever you watch Internet video, press "Play" and then press "Pause" right away so the video can have some time to load. Then after a minute or two, when you press "Play" again, the video will not stop and will play more smoothly.
This bug is far worse than we originally thought. I think you can draw your own conclusions from the fact that, this morning, Nicole's parents had to have their septic tank pumped. Nicole and Baby went to the Doctor to get some breastfeeding safe meds and the rest of us just laid in bed and tried to rest between lavatory visits.
The picture above is the only thing worth seeing from our trip today... Pray we get better soon, before our (paid for) trip this weekend.
As you can see, at least Brayden is back in her rare form! Everyone else is in different stages of recovery. My mom seems to have been hit the hardest and has not left bed for the last two days. Even those of us that are out of bed ar feeling very weak and wobbly.
A few of us had the energy to take a short trip into town this morning (some of us have an extreme need for espresso that overrides any tummy bug!) This shot is down one of the little arcade alleys that give the town of Hermanus such character.
On the way back we stopped along the water to watch lots of whales but I didn't have my video camera so I could only take shots of the scenery because my camera has no zoom. We stayed inside and rested for the remainder of the day so there is no video today.
Nicole's mom is a trooper and, eventhough she has the bug as well, she has been taking care of all of us. She should have been a nurse instead of a phone exchange operator. Here is two of her patients that are slowly being resurected:
Nicole And I are beginning to come right but still feeling the weakness of caring for a little one (who turns 8 months tomorrow-where does the time go?) Brayden wants to eat everything, and I do mean everything. Here is an example:
Yes, she is trying to eat an empty tissue box that she managed to grab off of a table that was well out of her reach.... Sometimes children are a mystery if you turn your back! Final Brayden update: she is starting to crawl. Not full forward motion yet but she has all the mechanics down and it's only a matter of time before she puts them all together and becomes fully mobile. I suspect it will be sometime next week. Hoping to get it on video if it happens.
We were able to postpone, due to the illness, the weekend trip until Monday. So the weekend will give me a few more chances to catch a good whale video. The weather is meant to be superb so all signs point to a positive result. Pray that my mom gets over her bout with this tummy flu, which seems to have hit her the hardest. More of the ups and downs of he McCabe adventures to come!
Today most of us are finally fully over the tummy flu!! Except my mom is still struggling. She did make a brief appearance to watch Inside Africa to see if I was on (Which I wasn't - don't know what's up with that? - Maybe we caught last week's show?)
WE Started out our day with our regular trip into town for espresso at Dunn House Coffee Shop (check them out on Facebook) Here is Nicole and Brayden enjoying the great food and atomosphere. Check out Brayden's stare!
As we were walking through town, one of the places had a very cool singer/band playing live music that we listened too for a bit:
It is almost the Whale Festival (Two Weeks away...) so the town is really filling up with all sorts of people who are drawn to the whales, and not all of them are normal:
My dad and I stopped off to buy Samosas from a little Indian man who has the sharpest sense of humor I have ever come across:
When I asked if I could take his picture he said "sure, but you must pay", I said "how much?" he said, "I'll tell you afterwards!". another customer came in asking for ice and he said "give me a minute to go into the back and heat it up it's frozen", he is so funny!!
I wasn't able to catch any whales due to the fact that they had all moved out for the day toward the more southern areas. I did get to see three young boys enjoying the youth of a saturday afternoon just playing in the water and it made me remember how great it was to be young and out of school for the summer and just playing:
When we got home the South African Saturday tradition of watching Rugby began, apparently the Blue Balls scored quite a few times, which must have been quite a relief!
Later on we went out to Nicole's favorite place The Spur to celebrate Brayden's 8th month Birthday! She had a 200mil steak
Please continue to pray for mom, a she has not yet fully recovered from the bug. She has, at least, checked her Facebook account so that's a start! More to come...
When one lives on an island such as Nassau, of one of the many beach ridden isles in our blessed country, it has an impact on our life, as all things, and our view of God. The environment, as the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans Chapter 1, has an enormous impact on how much, or little, we see and therefore understand about God. On top of that, living on an island in general has a naturally isolating effect on what we are able to see and experience. I find myself, half infected and weak, reflecting on the contrasts that arise while experiencing some of the same aspects of nature but, what feels like, on the other side of the world.
In the Bahamas the ocean, what could serve as a powerful image for the scale, power and force of God's presence, because of the mostly gentle and laid back way that the ocean interacts with the soft white pristine beaches, this symbolism of God lends itself towards the gentle and nurturing aspects of God's nature. Over and over again we are reminded of God's nurturing kindness as the crystal clear and inviting ocean lap against the purity of our white sands. There is a beauty so striking yet addressable that is captured and communicated with each rolling wave and calm blue Seaview. This is certainly an aspect of God's nature, an important and sustaining one, but it is a limited symbol for the God of the Bible who is also revealed as a God worthy of fear and holding out a judgment of death and damnation for many who choose to turn away from his presence. This is where the symbolism, as all symbolism does, breaks down, the ocean even with its sustaining power and tremendous beauty is a pure and total reflection of God.
Sitting on the rocks in Hermanus, South Africa, taking the same image of the ocean as a refection of God, One is confronted by quite another image and aspect of the ocean as symbol. The rugged and cracked outline of the shore towering ten or more stories above the chaos and churning down below, immediately gives you a sense of the unknowability and ultimate Otherness of God. The shattered, yet marked by their own earthy beauty, of the rocks draw One's mind to the violence of creation and the fracturing that must have taken place, either instantly or over time, that Moses relates as the simple word "separates". These shores seem like they were torn from each other and what we read as mountainous terrain are the scars from this tearing.
As one who has stood on the sandy and unthreatening beaches of my Bahamian home and reflected on being surrounded by the ocean, as we are surrounded by God, standing on the cliffs of Hermanus, I can dig more fully into the idea of fearing God. Not that I think God is one to be afraid of, but you can sense that God is one that is so tremendous that our humanity takes on a different, and smaller more fragile, perspective. This is a wild ocean and one that is inhabited by large and powerful beasts. This is an ocean that reminds us that to be held and nurtured by such a God God is a grace and privilege. One cannot fully appreciate the kindness and softness of God without a deep sense of God's nature that is destructive and chaotic as well.
Today I am reflecting on the power of bringing these two aspects of God's nature together into a churning and crushing, like the sea waves, collision that is redemption.
This morning, although not everyone was feeling up to snuff, we headed out for our three day trip to a southern part of Africa called The Wilderness. As you can see, Brayden was ready to go! The drive was meant to only take a few hours but road works made it much longer than expected and we arrived just before sunset. The extra time gave me opportunity to play creative with my phone camera:
We also stopped along the way for photos and video shots:
I was very impressed once we arrived because I didn't know what to expect. With a name like The Wilderness, I was thinking bushes and wild animals, not a huge beach that appears out of nowhere on the drive through a mountain pass.
We were all happy to be out of the car but Brayden was especially happy:
Even mom began to feel better by the time we arrived, as you can witness by the large smile on her face in this shot:
Nicole and her mom worked up a wonderful meal and dad cooked it on the grill. So we had a real South African Braai cooked by a Canadian!
Nicole's dad Dave and I just sat back and waited to be fed. We know what real living is like!! The view and the food were fantastic!
My mom and dad have their own secluded romantic ( lol ) room away from the rest of us in the cottage that you see here.
Also my dad found another girl friend on the trip and it took me awhile to pull him away from her. She is nailed down, so if mom notices him mising tonight she knows where to find him.
Brayden continues to be the little superstar. Every time the camera is pointed at her, she lights up and either smiles or does something funny like this Austin Powers pose:
The sun has set and the food has been eaten and we are now all headed off to an early bed to catch up on rest and maybe get an early start on whatever tomorrow might bring... Blessing to everyone!
TOday started as all great days should, with a cup of the sweet juice pictured above! There was no post yesterday because we were relaxing in the most beautiful place I have ever seen yet, here in South Africa. Here is a shot of Nicole looking off of our balcony at the reason people flock to this little part of the Indian Ocean coast:
Today was mostly spent taking a long drive back to Hermanus. As usual Brayden was super chilled. She even asked to borrow my iPod for most of the trip and ran down the batteries:
While we were there, Nicole got to take out her good camera and shoot some pictures of the rest of us. They came out really well, as expected! I love these two of me and my dad:
At night she captured this shot that looks to me like the sea is on fire!
On the beginning of our drive home, we stopped at the "most Photographed Spot in South Africa". Here is the video I shot from there, capturing someone's beautiful hilltop home:
Nicole took the shot that everyone stops for: the old railway tracks that head into the little hole in the side of the seaside mountain.
We stopped a few times along the way. Once for a South African delicacy called Grid Cake, which is bread, butter and cheese made in a fire. Here is the nice lady who made the one that Nicole and her dad devoured:
We all got hungry at the same time for lunch at the third oldest town in South Africa, Swellendam. It was raining and we decided to stop at the first place we saw, which ended up being an old restaurant called the Vagabond. It was quite a hit! Nice atmosphere and old world feel with large wall paintings, candles on the tables and a cross between a farmhouse and a french cafe feel:
Nicole's father Dave had enough of hearing about me getting "this espresso dinges" (Dave's SA slang for thingum). So he decided to have one for himself! He liked it ... ALOT and decided to have two! His eyes were rather wide for the rest of the ride:
It was a good thing because we saw some interesting things on the rest of the drive like Big Birds:
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I am also glad we saw some Baboons because I didn't want my parents to go home without seeing some wild ones and we did see a pack running with a herd of cattle:
Along with the wildlife we saw other amazing sights. Besides the mountains and farmlands (which I will post on the Flickr stream on the bottom left), we also saw about 10 separate rainbows as the rain cleared. We all decided that it was a blessing from God just for us and our trip! :-)
So that was our Wilderness trip! We are back at home base and gearing up for the wedding of Nicole's sister, Rochelle, this weekend. Dad and I may go play a round on the links tomorrow if the weather cooperates tomorrow. Thanks for the comments, everyone who did! More to come as the adventure rolls on....
Today, after almost a month of waiting, my Dad finally made it out onto the golf course. He and I drove a little north to a town called Kleinmond (small mouth) and played the local municipal links. It was a fun day, if not a little chilly for our Bahamian thinned blood:
As you can see, the weather didn't effect my swing and the scenery was really great! Dad played a good round although I went over 100 to 107 (and lost at least 8 balls!)
Here is dad's swing and the view that surrounded us all day:
Things are truly more rustic here in Africa. Small things that you mitt not expect. On a golf course in many parts of the world, when you want some water, you get it from a cooler. Not in Africa:
While we were playing we smoked some of dad's cigars and I think at one point I think it all went to his head, judging from this reaction in the following video:
We were lucky enough to come home to these two cuties:
What an amazing outfit on Brayden!!! Nicole found it over here and I wish she could wear it for years, but the way she is growing it will most likely only be days. Brayden also got great chance to hang with her South African Grandpa (Oupa). He taught her to play with her new musical instrument, the shaker.
Tomorrow things really begin to heat up for the wedding with the ladies all getting hair done and such. Who knows what the boys will get up to but Nicole's other sister, Angele and her husband Pete, arrive so that will be exciting! It is about 8pm here but we are all tired and sitting by the fire deciding if we are going to go to bed early or not. I am voting YES..... See you later!
Yesterday was Wedding Day for Nicole's youngest sister, Rochelle. She looked stunning, as most brides do (especially from the du Toit clan). It made me remember how beautiful Nicole looked when she walked down the garden aisle to meet me at the altar:
You can't expect anything but stunning beauty when you see Lynne, Nicole and Shelly's mom (I think I also saw some one famous poking his head into the picture in the background):
Brayden was in rare form and got the hiccups as soon as the service began and got louder and louder as it went on... It made the mood a bit lighter for sure! By the reception time she wanted to get in on the action and be a bride, with her own viel, herself:
We all had such a lovely time celebrating as you can see from the large smiles on the face of Nicole's parents Dave and Lynne du Toit. As Lynne keeps repeating from her grandchild "Granny your running out of daughters!". Well last night they finally did and in rare form. A great time was had by all and there were some great speaches. Many were in Afrikaaans so Nicile had to translate the gist of them in my ear as the speakers went along. One that was in english and very touch was by Nicole's sister Angele's husband Pete, who spoke about Dave and Lynne. It made my mom cry he was so good!
The day was so blessed that I have been trying to capture a whale jumping for the whole time I have been here and, so far only got one little quick flash of one. While we were getting out of the van at the reception, I was waiting for Nicole and I glanced out at the cold grey Harbour and saw a whale jump and create a huge splash. Dave had given me a tip that they usually jump three or four times in a row, so I reached into my pocket and pulled out my video camera and zoomed out to the bay quickly to catch the same whale breech three more times in a row:
Today we had a slow relaxing morning with some sad family news about my brother-in-law Pete's father dying suddenly. We are all in prayer for him and his family during this time of loss.
After Pete and Angele left for the flight back to Joburg, we had a casual lunch with the bride at The Harbour Rock. Here is a picture that Nicole snapped of me right before I had a Ponjo (coffee tequila) shot (wow!).
My mom says that no place in Hermanus has a bad view unless it has no windows, and she is right! We ate lunch next to the most amazing scenery! It was a nice highlight to the calm do wafter the wedding and the news about the Pete and his family's loss.
I can't wrap my head around the fact that tomorrow is our last day here. This is our third trip in six years and every other trip I was itching to go by the end. This time I am truly torn. I could easily stay forever! I think it has to do with a growing love for Nicole's family and the fact that my parent's are here so I still have that home connection. Whatever the reason, Tuesday will be a difficult day for both Nicole and I (and her parents as well).
Can't we make the earth smaller? Or the plane prices cheaper?
Today we are beginning our long journey back to our Bahamas home. For the first time, I feel like I am leaving my South African home. It is a bittersweet mood as the hours approach that we have to climb into the van (with an enormous amount of luggage!) and head to the Cape Town airport headed for London.
One exciting thing is that Brayden is now playing the harmonica brilliantly and wants to join the NPCC worship team. :-)
Here is a final picture of my South African parents who I love deeply!
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