Happy Birthday to India (the person)
Greetings from Cape Town! We continue to have a fun and relaxing “vacation from our vacation,” so to speak. With my sister and family here, we have actually been going pretty hard for the last several days.
India has developed a foolproof method for getting us out of the house early. She leaves at about 7:30 am for a long run, with instructions to “pick me up at 9 o’clock at XXX.” We meet her, she changes clothes in the car, and off we go. Cape Town is unbelievably crowded, so these early starts have been hugely helpful.
Sunday - Aquarium Day. The weather was lousy in the early morning, so we went to the Two Oceans Aquarium, down in the waterfront. The aquarium did a big refresh in the last year, so it was great. Tallulah, in particular, had a fantastic time, running from exhibit to exhibit. In the afternoon, Andrew, Zola, Winston (our neighbor) and I went surfing in Muizenberg. It was pouring with rain, the surf was big, and very rough, and it had kicked up a lot of kelp and sand in the water. To my surprise, all three boys had a blast, shrieking and laughing in the surf. The rest of the group went back to Rhodes Memorial, and also got drenched having lunch outside (probably less shrieking and laughing). The weather cleared in the late afternoon, and we had a great boogie board session back over in Llandudno.
ZOLA AND EAGLE
Monday- Wine Country Day. We started at the Spier Estate in Stellenbosch, which has an orphaned-cheetah center and a raptor-rescue center. Again, getting there early was a big bonus: all of the kids got to pet cheetahs, cuddle baby barn owls, and hold an eagle. When we left, the line was hours long. We went to Morgenhof Estate for lunch, which has been a traditional favorite. It was fun to sit outside, and the kids had a grand time wrestling and running around, but the restaurant has lost its way. By the time we left, it was pouring rain. We visited two other favorite estates -Kanonkop, Uitkyk- bought some wine, and drove back to the city. The Cape Town wine country is so close by that it is an easy day trip. After we got back to Llandudno, Andrew and Zola played rugby on the beach, and I boogie boarded until until long after sunset.
SWIMMING WITH PENGUINS - BOULDERS BEACH
Tuesday - Penguin Day. We drove down to Boulders Beach as early as we could, trying to beat the crowds and catch the low tide. At low tide, the beach is literally five times larger than at high tide, and the whole experience is easy and pleasant. We got the timing just right (for the first time in three years), and had a great few hours swimming with penguins, taking pictures, and playing on the beach. Boulders is the best. In the afternoon, we drove up to Kalk Bay, and had a long lunch at Harbor House restaurant, overlooking the fishing pier. The Indian Ocean waves crash dramatically against the (second-floor) windows of the restaurant, and the seafood is always great.
BIRTHDAY HIKE
Wednesday- for India’s birthday, she wanted to run from Llandudno to Lion’s Head (about 15 kilometers), hike up Lion’s Head, then run to the base of Table Mountain and hike up that. We dropped off Tallulah to play with her friend Sienna, and a big group of us (including Zola) walked up Lion’s Head. It was a perfect morning for that hike: sunny and windless. India ran across to Table Mountain, but it was too crowded for us to get cable car tickets. Foiled again on that front. India and I will do both peaks next week, when Cape Town clears out a little bit.
We are having a relaxed rest of the day, boogie boarding at Llandudno beach, preparing a New year’s Eve feast, and generally slowing down for Su and Dave’s last full day in Cape Town.
Happy Birthday, India (the person), and happy new year to all. This has been a wonderful, interesting, challenging year for all of us. More of the same in 2009!
Eric Hundin said,
December 31, 2008 @ 6:32 am
I found your blog on MSN Search. Nice writing. I will check back to read more.
Eric Hundin
Erik said,
January 1, 2009 @ 10:20 am
Happy New Year and Happy Birthday! Here’s hoping this fresh new year brings prosperity and good health to everyone.
coco said,
January 2, 2009 @ 9:02 am
Happy Birthday India! I did try to call on your birthday but I must’ve had the wrong number again (upgraded the blackberry to curve, not storm). I love you lots and cannot wait to read posts. I have quit writing on mine because my patience and good humor have eroded. (dialysis is still taking 5-8 hours per day) My dear old friends Angie Moffit and Emily Baker (married David Tobin in march, pres of Mission Capitol Advisors ? he is an old Nyorker and hilarious) are visiting which is lots of fun and keeps me very busy. I was thrilled to learn that Angie follows your blog as well and she is also delighted by your writing. We’ve had many out of town visiters with game nights and pot luck dinners and lots of laughter. Tom and Rob came from San Fran — Tom with an excel spread sheet of all the Meat and Threes in Nashville with hours open, whether they served catfish or homemade biscuits and other critical info. If i suggested a place that wasn’t “on the grid” it started a whole flurry of research and phone calls, even a drive-by on off hours to see if we could peak at the menu. You can imagine that in between the long hours of dialysis, I was eating stuff that I never eat. On the first day that theywere to arrive, I drove home at 4:30pm in the complete dark. I believe it was the shortest day in the year). Tom & Rob’s plane was to land and I was to pick up the first installment of food at Sylvan pak, specific orders of course. I panicked when I drove home and all the lights were out in Green Hills and on West End! What if the electricity was out at Sylvan Park? No food or cold food for Tommy! so i rushed over to Sylvan park (1 mile away) and was pleased to see the lights on, the only ones on the whole street.
Tom Wofford came as well and it just feels more complete with him here. I feed off of his IQ - I cannot get enough of him. We laughed for 3 days but my mind was calculating the entire time. I’m trying to get all 3 to move here. Rob & Tom are thinking of Savannah for retirement- Rob says it gets too cold here. I took them to Radnor which I think really impressed Rob. He took a dozen pictures and made one his screen saver. It was smoggy and cold and goregous. Evidence of beavers everywhere. Took them on a tour of the “star’s” homes. Gene taught us how to make up the owner’s of the houses as we drove past the giant estates. “That is Donna Summer’s house” or “That is Michael McDonald’s house” That is Dolly Parton’s and so on… we did know where Donna and Dolly lived, but we didn’t necessarily drive down to that neighborhood.. We played games with the Baker Family (in from all over) and Johnna even came to dinner one night. Instead of our usual party, we had a small party with 24 people. The list was very hard to whittle down. I’m afraid Johnna left too early with the real “dish” going on after 10 while I sat on the couch doing dialysis. Seems like every dinner party now finishes with me doing another exchange while someone else cleans the kitchen. I am so blessed.
So it has been a beautiful month of lots of visitors. I am sending Rob weather reports of freezes in Savannah and lots of gay-interest art and events here in Nashville. Tom H and Tom W are both pulling to move here. One night we played Balderdash and got so tickled when David (big Italian, old downtowner from NYC) used the definition “a beautiful flower that grows above the treeline and is a harbinger of spring” Tom said, “I don’t think the dictionary is so romantic” and we laughed for 2 hours about how each player thought differently but consistantly. The next day he wrote a thank you that said “I want to live in a place where people talk about the NYTimes OpEd piece and laugh atthings like the ‘harbinger of spring’” It made me feel so good! I think I may get them here in the end.
The other big change this holiday is all the parties I had to miss. John and I have been getting away with 2 parties a night - Nashville is so small and since we are mostly sober, we can go from place to place easily. This year we’ve had to stay home, which has been mostly fine. I still have a lot of calls to make about why I said I was attending their party and then didn’t. But the visitors to my home have been nice.. oh, and John had a last minute Holiday Open house and Art Show. Sold 5 paintings!
Also cousins came and other friends to the Musci City Bowl and today Christine from Hawaii arrives. I am on my 2nd hour of my first exchange (i do four) and you’d think I could accomplish alot here on the couch. but i am feeling stuck and fighting the anger and tired of waiting. Tara Brach has some quote about pain being multiplied by resistance and I do understand that. I just have to keep occupied! Anyhoo, thanks for reading my long notes and rambling. Let me know what the plans are. Don’t forget pictures !
Scott said,
January 19, 2009 @ 7:42 am
India
Happy Birthday!
The pictures on Lion’s head remind me of super times - and other birthdays.
All the best