Years of Procrastination Ended

I had a fairly good business-type suit that I think I wore once or twice. I didn't want to give it to the thrift shop because it was "too good." I know; I'll sell it on eBay. Oh yeah, I've been planning to do that for about five years -- honestly it could be longer. Today when Marilyn was here, I finally gave up on that plan and off to the thrift shop it went. I thought about blessing someone else with it. I can't tell you the absurd, ridiculous amount of energy I have given this decision over the years... why? so I can make $30? Anyway, it actually feels lighter to have that suit out of here.

As a sidenote, I have also given up on salad bags because they'd stay fresh and edible about three days and I returned to the old-fashioned head of iceberg lettuce. I had a few grocery items for Marilyn to buy, including this amazing Salsas, which she found at this gourmet type grocery store near me called Fairway. She couldn't see the lettuce and when she asked for "iceberg lettuce" the produce guy turned his nose up as if she was asking for dog doo. So she had to go to another story to buy some lowly iceberg.

Thursday in South Africa

Mary writes:

We left Capetown today and stopped at a lovely town called Stellenbosch. Art galleries, shops, restaurants, a college, and a small botanical garden.  Here are pictures at lunch (I had tomato soup and a cheese sandwich and Tom and Michelle had burgers but I didn't get a picture of Meredith and Dave's harvest sampler plate) and in the garden.

 

Botanical garden

Meredith and Dave



Mary's lunch -- tomato soup and grilled cheese is such a great combo.

.... and the burger and fries...

 

Celebrating Michelle's Birthday

Mary writes:

We celebrated Michelle's birthday last night and I forgot to send the picture. We ate at the Cod father, a wonderful seafood restaurant where you talk to the chef and pick an assortment of seafood and they prepare and serve it with rice and vegetables. We had prawns, langostines, blue marlin, angel fish and kling fish (hope I spelled that right). Everything was delicious).

Stopping for a School Bus

I saw a piece on the national news tonight about the menace of people not stopping for a school bus when it's picking up or dropping off kids on its route. They had dashboard cam/films of drivers doing the most ridculous things like driving up on the sidewalk to go around the bus or mainly just speeding by. There were a few cases where a kid came very close to being hit.

When I was riding a bus, back when the crust of the earth was cooling, there was one busdriver named Jack. Busdrivers were the only adults we could call by their first name. When a car blew by when he was stopped with his stoplights on, he would lose it. He would blast his horn, shake his fist, and curse.

Oddly, this made me feel very secure. I loved that Jack cared so much.

Watching this news report tonight, you wonder how much of a hurry can you be in... or maybe how important do you think you are... to drive up on a sidewalk?

When I learned to drive, hitting a kid was probably my number one fear. Even today if I'm in a neighborhood and kids are around, especially on bikes, I just totally slow down to like 15 mph. I don't want that on my conscience, but perhaps these folks who are so important have no conscience.

Robben Island

First the lesson:
Robben Island is internationally known for the fact that Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of  apartheid. Kgalema Motlanthe, who also served as President of South Africa, spent 10 years on Robben Island as a political prisoner, as did the current President of South Africa  Jacob Zuma.

Robben Island is both a South African National Heritage Site as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

And now the photos of Mary's visit:

Mandela's cell

Sample of Prisoner ID card

This is the place where Mandela hid his book manuscript which

 was later smuggled out, published and read worldwide.

Sixty minute boat ride to Robben Island.

 

 



Meanwhile... back in DC

In addition to a professional cat sitter, Milo has a designated visitor in the form of Ms. Fran. On her way to Mary's, she came upon this Halloween sight which she says is the same house that has the serene Buddha. I guess they are covering all bases.

 

 

This is Milo on Fran's knee.

Fran calls this Milo's selfie.

Lunch at Kalk Bay

I don't know who ate what, but on the table were mussels, fish, salad and polenta.

Gimme a piece of crusty bread to sop up that juice!

And now for your edification and interest:

Kalk Bay is a fishing village on the coast of False Bay, South Africa, and is now a suburb of greater Cape Town. It lies between the ocean and sharply rising mountainous heights that are buttressed by crags of grey sandstone.  A literal translation from the Dutch/Afrikaans name "Kalkbaai" is "Lime Bay". This derives from the vast deposits of mussel shells found there, which early settlers burned to make lime for construction. Lime kilns to roast mussel shells are still found along the west coast. The railway from the central business district of Cape Town to  Simon's Town passes through Kalk Bay and in some places the line is only metres from the water's edge.

You can see the railroad tracks here:

Kalk Bay Harbor