Seeward is heading to the other side of the great ocean that constantly surrounds his home. Stay tuned for images and video (if I can secure a high speed connection in S Africa) Peace and Blessings!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.03 09:55

We arrived in South Africa and it is COLD! My nose is running and my brain is adjusting to the increased sinus pressure. The flight was not too bad except for the lack of comfort and sleep. The firsst image above is in London hanging with Nicole's old school pals who now live in London (Leo and his wife Nicole). Next are a few images taken just in front of Nicole's parent's home in Hermanus. They have an amaxing view and the scenery reminds me a lot or the Pacific North West - Portland Oregon and Seaside beach.
last night we slept for almost 12 hours. They have thinner air (refered to as champagne air by the locals) it puts tourists to sleep! Right now, as I type in a little internet cafe in Hermanus I feel like I could drop asleep at any moment - even though I have had my daily allowance of caffeine. I shot some good video waling through downtown London that I will try to post when I have a better internet connection (this one seems to be very slow)
Stay tuned for more images of Hermanus and Nicole's family.

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.06 06:24

Here are a few more images of the Whale watching spots. The little critter is a "rock bunny" they are very scary!! =] Also the little village is Hermanus, you can see the mountians in the background. We are having a great time but have not adjusted to the time change yet. More images to come soon!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.07 05:21

Today's images are from a breakfast trip to Hermanus with Nicole and her beautiful sister Rochelle (I know another Rochelle who is beautiful!) We sipped espresso with the most amazing view. We didn't see any whales but the whale watcher man was looking through his goggles. I had a bacon and banana sandwich (a south african treat) it was very tasty!
The exchange rate from US dollars to South African Rand is very cool. The last image is of a short shopping spree. All the items(and a pair of dress pants that I forgot to include) cost less than $200 US dollars total. If guitars are this cheap, I may come home with a dozen of them =]

Tomorrow we leave for the big city of Cape Town and then off to Pretoria to see Barry. We are having a wonderful time!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.08 04:08

Last night we had a real family night. Sitting around with the dogs(and sisters) watching the world cup. Lots of fun for all! The images are of Nicole's mom and dad and dog Sniffles. Earlier in the day we went to Voelklip Beach where Nicole used to play as a youngster. The image of us is taken from above that beach.
This morning we woke up early and went to an interesting church service in Hermanus. Afterwards we had a nice lunch (nicole made her famous greek flavored salad - tasty!)
We are about to leave for Cape Town and then onto Pretoria on Tuesday for the game lodge.

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.09 07:44

We made it to Cape Town safely and had a blast with Nicole's sister Shelley! She took us out to a true African dinner at Madame Zangara's. They made everyone wear funky hats (although I was already wearing the plastic fireman's hat =) We all had steak smothered in chocolate sauce. Very interesting and rich flavour. Next we went to Mama Africa's to hear the Marimba Vibrations play. They were fantastic and very African. They played Beatles and Maroon 5 songs along with African favorites. We had a fantastic time!
Right now we are in the Cape Town airport waiting to board our flight to Johannesburg. They just announced that we are going to be at least 20 minutes late in leaving - oh well, at least we have internet. The first image is of Nicole's family - what a beautiful bunch!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.11 01:22

Last night we stayed at the Mabula Game Lodge in the middle of the Bushvelt (African for bush field) We went on two safaris and saw so many cool animals - lions - giraffe - hippos - rhinos - monkeys - bucks and more! We took a few pictures but the videos really capture the mood! The smell and the COLD were overwhelming! We stayed in true bush style in a little tent. Well OK maybe a fancy five star tent but still a tent without any electricity at all.
The lodge was great and the people who ran it were very entertianing and knew a great deal about the animals.
At the end of our second game drive the ranger stopped the Range Rover and we got out on foot and creeped within 15 feet of a pair of a female Rhino and her baby. It was thrilling and scary at the same time. Even the Ranger said he had never walked up that close to a Rhino before. It was all perfectly safe since he had his rifle but when we stood up the mother Rhino gave us a very stern look.
We made it out of the bush alive and are now in Pretoria (Hatfield). Tonight we meet up with Barry Taylor and play some music at the conference (that may be more scary than the bush!)

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.12 07:37

We made it to the Urban Ministry Conference and met up with Barry Taylor last night. It was an interesting mix of international (mostly African) people with an interest in urban ministry. Barry spoke about the beauty of people's search for meaning and trancendance through life in the city. The music was fun but my little amp was not loud enough to be heard well. Tonight we hope to rectify the situation and jam on!
We haven't taken many images yet so stay tuned for more to come.

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.13 02:15

We spent the day hanging with Barry Taylor in Pretoria. We met up at the conference and caught his workshop on pop culture. It was very interesting and i always love to hear Barry talk about the intersections between faith - longing - identity and Jesus.
Next we had a nice lunch at a French cafe near the Church Square. The first three images above are from the cafe and the square. Next we went to the Pretoria Art Gallery and saw some very interesting works by South African artists. My favorite was a guy named Pressler. He did quite a wide variety of styles and subject matter throughout his life. There was a large exhibit by a guy named Van der Merwe. All of his work was made with rusted metal. Two pieces struck me: one called Rust and Water was a church style pulpit and baptismal font with a little video embedded showing water drops. I t made me think he was saying that the church is just contributing to the decay of our world. I don't fully agree but it is worth considering. The next piece was a ful darkened movie theater of over one hundred seats all empty except for rusted personal effects like handbags and coats. The room was fully dark except for the backs of each chair embedded with a little lamp and the movie screen running loops of "the end" sequences from old black and white movies. The overall effect was erie and powerful and reminded me that nothing lasts forever.
Thats all for now, tomorrow we are going to travel around Pretoria some more and see the sights before the big music celebration at the end of the conference. They are bringing in drummers and marimba players to join the fun!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.13 11:47

We are safely back in Hermanus! We had a great time with Barry on the final day of the Urban Ministries Conference. The first shot is Barry and I playing with some African musicians during the final concert/celebration. The second shot is the rhythm section!
On Saturday we drove up to Nicole sister's house in Jo-burg. We took Nicole's niece and nephew out for a quick lunch and then arcade games. The arcade was in a new fancy mall that is painted like it is an outdoor european town. I was stuck by the sign that greeted us before we entered the parking garage elevators saying "gun-free zone". I thought the sign was just a formality until we had to pass through metal detectors and were patted down before entering the mall. It sets a very different vibe to your shopping when you are forced to go through a security checkpoint before you feel comfortable.
Nicole's sister and her husband showed us a great time and we ate a huge Braai (african for BBQ). I really loved their dog Duke who reminded me of Che since he was a Staffordshire Terrior (pit bull). We are going to spend the next week looking around here in the Hermanus area which is the most beautiful part we have seen so far. Yesterday we drove back from the Cape Town airport along the coast and it was breathtaking even though it was cloudy and raining. We took a few nice shots that I will post tomorrow. We found a new internet cafe that has the fastest connection we have found yet! Stay tuned for more great images (the videos will have to wait since I forgot the upload cable back in Nassau but they are amazing!)

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.18 04:15

I guess no one wants to comment unless the pictures are beautiful and of the scenery, so here are a few scenic shots. The first three are from our drive down to Hermanus from Cape Town on Monday. It was rainy but the coast was so amazing.
The fourth shot is from right in front of Nicole's parents place. We spent an hour watching whales. Let me tell you that you have not fully lived until you spend an hour watching whales humping! They were only a few feet away from the rocks we were sitting on but they are hard to capture. A bit like trying to photgraph the Lock Ness Monster, they are very stealthy, as you are when you are trying to mate in public.
Today we are taking a drive further into the mountains to get Nicole a new passport and have a nice lunch to celebrate Nicole's mom's birthday. We will post more images (if there are new comments =)

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.19 02:58

I was spoiled into thinking this would be a two way street of me posting and everyone making comments but I guess its just me posting - oh well! Here are some more images for you to enjoy.
Yesterday we went on a little road trip to Calendon to renew Nicole's passport. The trip was through the mountains and farmland. It was very beautiful. The two images were taken while we were driving at about 60 miles per hour with Nicole's nifty camera that has a "action" setting to capture things moving at high speeds. The third image is of a golf resort in the area of Hermanus called AreoBella. Nicole's dad said it was rated number five among the top South African courses and that it costs lots to play there. Next we stopped for a little lunch at a very interesting farm restaurant and right outside they had goats. I am glad they didn't also have goat stew on the menu! We had a great time and they baked fresh bread for our dinner later. The next few images were taken later in the afternoon when we returned to Hermanus and went for a little drive. The large mountain is called Babylon mountain and Nicole's parent's house is practically in its shadow it is so close! We saw the whales again for a bit and this time took videos.
The final image is of the internet cafe where I am posting right now just to prove that I am still alive and well!
Today we are driving again - this time to Stellenbosch to see where Nicole's dad went to university. The town is meant to be very old and full of character so the images should be great. There is a huge cold front/rain storm rolling in tonight so we will have to bundle up to keep warm. So far this has been the most amazing trip EVER!
Please post some comments so I know that you are out there!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.20 02:47

Thanks for the comments! It feels nice to come to the internet cafe and see that people have commented! Just for the record, Nicole informed me that the critter in yesterday's images was actually a Donkey (not a goat!).
Yesterday's journey didn't produce very many images since the weather was very cloudy and overcast. Nicole and I drove from Hermanus to Stellenbosch which is a small little town where the university is located. We drove into the Uni section of town and the streets were lined with cafe's and little shops full of antiques and African odds and ends. We sat for a quick cup of coffee among the students who had nothing better to do with their time than sip espresso. We walked around for a bit and enjoyed the posh shops.
We stopped to snap the landscapes during the drive. You would not believe how picturesque everything is. You could fill up a memory stick at every turn in the road! Just for the record Nicole has been maning the digital camera and i have been on video duty - so the beauty of the images is her doing! Thats also why she is not in any of the shots.
Today is a simple day - we have been dropped off in Hermanus and are going to stroll around until the mighty winds lift us off the pavement. It is getting very cold and there is a chance of snow in the mountains this evening! Tomorrow is Nicole's mom Lynn's birthday and her sister Shelley is driving down from Cape Town. It is a bit sad that we have only a few days left - maybe we won't return...

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.21 03:04

Yesterday after we left the internet cafe the rains poured down in buckets! It got shockingly cold even in the house! It has been raining on and off ever since so I was afriad to bring my laptop out in the weather so no images today. We did decide to fight the rain and wind and make a short trip into town to secure some South African specialty foods that Nicole wants to take back home - yes we ARE coming home (on monday afternoon)
I will try to post a few more images tomorrow either at the Cape Town or London airports (if we get a connection) Untill then, I have had a great time and I am also looking forward to coming home and reconnecting. Peace.

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.22 05:14

We are sitting in the Cape Town airport watching Tiger Woods struggle in the British Open and making our final post of the trip. What a trip it has been! The final images are of:
1- Nicole's parents little dog Mia showing that she is a pure breed fox terrior by burrowing into the couch pillows like she was bred to do into fox holes.
2- The next image is of one of my favorite things in South Africa - Biltong and Droewors! It is dried meat (beef, Kudu or various game meats and spices) pushed into a pig's intestine and hung up to dry. It tastes wondeful and we brought lots home for you to try (if we decide to share =)
3- This image is of the storm rolling into Hermanus on Friday. The cold and rain has lasted and it is still black outside from the cloud cover (I hope we don't get a delayed flight and miss our connection in London)
4- That's us sipping espresso and watching the Open on the little TV in the coffee shop. (it only seems right to finish our time watching golf since we have watched almost every minute of televised golf since we arrived.) I now have a tiny golf bug and began wondering where my clubs are? If anyone know where they can be found, I would be up for a few afternoon 9-hole rounds. - and I have the perfect hat!

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.23 10:17

We had a rather speedy and uneventful flight from Cape Town to London Heathrow last night. Things began to go off kilter when we landed and they announced that due to a medical emergency we would have to remain seated for an extra few minutes. Those extra few minutes proved precious since, after rushing through Heathrow onto a shuttle bus and through the chaotic terminal, we missed our connecting Virgin Atlantic flight direct to Nassau. Opps! There were a few very tense moments but eventually all proved to be well as we are now in Orlando (home of Mickey Mouse the Money Machine!). We are headed home on BahamasAir (fingers crossed) at 8:30. When we finally arrive we will have been travelling a total of 36 hours give or take a few minutes.
Everything on this trip has been so over the top fabulous that we had to re-enter the real world eventually!

post catagory: personal posted on:2006.07.24 16:38