As Close as I Could Get

Shark diving was cancelled for today, due to large swells. Pretty bummed is an understatement. This video is from the Two Oceans Aquarium, hake feeding of ragged tooth sharks.

New Friends!

Joycelyn and Fariba from the Air Force. Heaps of laughs.

Fear Not

I hate heights, but this view was worth the anxiety. I had a dream that night that I broke my arm, so my subconscious downloaded on me, for the pain and suffering on Table Mountain.

Supper near the end of the African continent

 Butternut and narttije soup. Amazing. Naartjie is a citrus fruit from South Africa.

My entree was venison potjie, which is a method of cooking in a three legged cast iron pot. I endeavor to attempt this with my cast iron at home, because one of these pots (small version shown) won't fit in my suitcase. Side dish was putu (like cous cous made from corn) and chakalaka (spiced beans and vegetables).

 Liz had springbok shank! She says the meat fell right off the bone, but just to be sure, she gnawed on the bone. Springbok is the national animal of South Africa, the mascot for the rugby team, and resembles a small deer.

 We were sitting outside, and each chair had a small throw. I put mine to use!

First night in Cape Town was good times.

Harbeespoort Dam near Pretoria, South Africa

 Lots of time spent in conference rooms...not great for jet lag and adjusting to local time.

 But on Wednesday afternoon, we toured a local dam (their word for reservoir) that has severe water quality issues, resulting in algal blooms and poor air quality in later summer. There was a cable car to get to the top of the mountains. The smile on my face was a function of being out of the cable car. I am not a fan of heights, but I convince myself it is not as bad as I think, then I have a mini panic attack. Good times.

 Gulp.

Nice day for a tour.

Yawn.

Despite sleeping more than usual on the plane ride over (thanks, Benadryl), I was wide awake at 2 am the first night here. I decided to put some time into my presentation, read a book, and catch the sunrise. Meetings went until 8 pm that day, so I was more than tired enough to sleep through the next night.

Winning is Great

At the Emerald Coast Beer Festival, Delta Brews placed third in the club kolsch competition. Thanks to Nate and his Pale Rider Kolsch. 

 In the Beer Olympics, I joined the team with some guys that I met from FWB, and won the female keg toss competition. My trainer is so proud.

This is my trophy, an amazing homemade ceramic mug. Everything tastes better in this thing.

On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful

Pizza puttanesca!

Homemade crust that went through delayed fermentation, at cold temperatures, turned out really thin and crispy. Don't know if that means there was no fermentation, but I opted not to over analyze and just eat it! Toppings includes sliced garlic, onions, Arkansas banana peppers, anchovies, olives and shrimp! Crushed red pepper added while still hot from the oven. My house smelled amazing.

Busted roadtrip, busy weekend

Once I snapped out of survival mode, I knew I would need some projects to occupy my attention. Well, first a day full of football. Then I got my chores going! Lots of hurricane debris to pick up, which led to trimming ivy near the garage, and discovering a wildlife wonderland.

the kitties were tortured by a skink who got in the house and perched out of reach.

So they laid there and pretended to fit on the windowsill.

For the upcoming brewing marathon, I made a chalkboard in the basement. Plus I can maybe use it for sketching out new projects with Arch. Har har chuckle chuckle.

And my beloved outdoor chairs got a fresh coat of paint. They weren't rusty so much as stained from falling, rotting pecans. 

Visit to the Country

Lauchlin, Olivia and Grady and I were invited to dinner in the country over the weekend. It was still warm, but we enjoyed ourselves. Grady loved riding the ATV mile named "Cecilene" and even took a seat behind the wheel. However, as we walked back to the cabin, he was stung on the head by a red wasp. His moms did everything they could to make it better while quite concerned about the potential for an allergic reaction while I donned a can of poison and launched a counter attack on the winged assholes.

Tennessee Toast

Despite the size of these pieces of french toast, they were not prepared in Texas. After our race, Jenny and I went to Noshville on West End for omelets and a bloody mary. As we were finishing up, the girl at the bar next to us ordered french toast, and I knew we had to have some. I begged the waitress for a loaf of challah bread, which is traditional Jewish bread made with lots of eggs. Note the strong yellow color in the picture. It was YUMMY for Sunday breakfast, but the pieces were gigantic. Next time I am at Noshville, I am ordering the french toast, but I will have to skip the bloody mary. Maybe a mimosa would be better.