Texas is WARM!

Texas is sunny yellow :)

Well, we haven't been so faithful with keeping up with our adventure updates.  This is our 'Road Trip.'  We had a couple days in New Orleans.  Great food, great music, great hotel, great time.

Then on to visit our friends John and Nikki Daniels in Rockport, TX, via Galveston Island.  It finally got warm in Texas.  We had a great time reminiscing about our first trip to Galveston several years ago.  Our room had a Gulf View and everyone was in their shirtsleeves :)

We left for Rockport on Sunday.  It was so good to reconnect with these friends we met in Yuma, AZ, six years ago. It was like no time had elapsed and we took up where we left off.  They have a lovely home and we had a great three days with them.  We drove north to San Antonio and the wonderful Riverwalk.  We had been there before and wanted to return.  We found a hotel that was antique, but updated and very wonderful.  We were a block from the Riverwalk and spent some good time eating, walking, and shopping.

This afternoon we drove to Beaumont.  There is a Carrabbas Restaurant next door to our hotel.  Had Chicken Bryan, my favorite.  Yumm.  Now we're doing laundry.  We are going to continue east to Baton Rouge tomorrow.  Going to make another run at the Mississippi.  Hopefully no snow this time.

Having a wonderful time.
N and P

We're going south and it's getting colder!!

Ok, it's 13 degrees here just north of Mt. Vernon. Illinois.  What's up with this?  We're going SOUTH!
So far, it's been tough, but uneventful.  Tough only until south of Chicago.  Our visibility from Allendale to south of Benton Harbor was about 20 yds at best.  Then an accident on the 80/94 kept us at a 10mph crawl.  Then we missed our 57 south exit and lost about 20 minutes :(  From then on it's been uneventful.  They don't have nearly as much snow here in southern Illinois as we do, but it's going to be frigid for them throughout this week.  Single digits during the day and -10 to -20 at night.
We're heading for Mt. Vernon, Ill, to call it a day.  Thankful to have Sue and Barry staying in our house to paint for us.  Yea! 
Hoping to warm up some tomorrow.
Good night for now.
N and P

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Orange (and blue) for the Bird of Paradise plant at the KBG.  It was a beautiful place with so many things to feast your eyes on.  There are many wonderful sculptures as well as plants and trees.  We had lunch at the KBT Tea Room...fancy.  With all the English influence here, tea is a big deal.  If we come again N will definitely be having high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel :)  It's on the 'must do' list for many.  Evidently this hotel is on the list of places to see and be seen.  The bus tour info said once a patron reported seeing a 'vagrant' on the lawn.  Turned out to be John Lennon meditating :)
After we visited the gardens we returned to the Blue Bus and took the tour once again to return to Sea Point. 
We also did some shopping at the Green Market Square again this morning.  It is fun to bargain and I did get some fantastic deals today :)
Tonight is the South African dinner buffet.  We love this food!  It's a good thing we walked miles and miles today.  Perhaps our pants will still fit when we return home.

Good Sabbath!

Green, the  color of life, fellowship!  Pastor Trevor Rich picked us up for church again today.  What a blessing that was for us.  We enjoyed chatting on the way, then we arrive at the Nazarene Church and are so warmly welcomed by all the wonderful people in that church family.  Edna had called last night to invite us to lunch with them after church.  We couldn't accept fast enough!  What a blessing to be able to continue the wonderful fellowship through the afternoon.  They fed us wonderful baked chicken, chicken curry, rice, salad, and a lovely dessert.  The only thing to top the food was the sharing of our love of God and family.  It's always amazing that wherever you are in the world, your brother/sisterhood with other Christians is so precious.  We love this couple, and God willing, we will have a long relationship. 
I wish our family could all be here with us.  It has been a wonderful experience on so many levels. 
We will be returning to the Green Market Square tomorrow, then on to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.  Pictures for Rachel!  We will be going on the Red Bus which goes to both places.  It is such a great opportunity to listen to information about this incredible place.  We will be taking wonderful memories home with us.

Table Mountain

We said good bye to Ardjan deBlaeij this morning.  He stayed in our room until he left today.  He is flying through Dubaij (sp) and we prayed for his safety.
About 10:00am we took the shuttle to Table Mountain.  The sky and the water are this color blue.  We had a great ride up the tramway.  P kept his eyes closed for the ride up, but on the way down he was very brave and wide eyed!!! 
While on the top we took a hike all around.  The views are so spectacular.  I can't wait to post my pictures when I get home.  We had a little snack in the Cafe while we looked out at the ocean and Robben Island, etc.  Breathtaking!
When we reached the botton of the tramway, our driver was waiting for us.  This shuttle service from the hotel is fantastic.  We were driven to the Waterfront where we had a little lunch and then shopped in the Blue Market.  Picked up some more souvenirs :) 
Later, we walked around the Victoria and Alfred Hotel area and watched some great street performers.  Ice cream cones and then back to the shuttle pick up area. 
We had a message from Pastor Trevor's wife when we returned to the hotel.  Now she's it in phone tag.  We are excited that we may get to worship with them again tomorrow.  What a fine family!
Two more days here in this beautiful country.  So blessed.

Brown, the color of the township roads, grey, the color of the tin shacks, blue, red, yellow, green, the color of the children's clothes and the pictures on the wall in the Township Kindergarten.  It is the Imizamo Yethu Township near Hout Bay.  They do have tour guides (a.k.a. guards) as it is not safe to walk through on your own.

"In South Africa, the term township and location usually refers to the (often underdeveloped) urban living areas that, from the late 19^th century until the end of Apartheid, were reserved for non-whites (principally black Africans and Coloureds, but also working-class Indians). Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities."

We talked with some of the women who had developed craft ideas into businesses.  Not really in stores, just in their homes or on the sidewalk.  Bought a few things.  Visited a 'tavern.' Why they have those I'm not sure.  There is not much money.  The homes are shacks, except for the homes the Irish are building for them.  An Irishman saw the way these folks were living and donated money, and organized teams to go and build small dwellings of cement blocks.  We visited a woman who was living in one of these homes.

At one place there was a table outside where about five pig heads were lined up.  They were heating up the fire to begin cooking the meat.  Good thing I didn't have to eat for quite a while.  The smell was unforgettable!

We also went to a 'Kindergarten,' the only school in the township.  The older kids may go to school 'on the outside,'  though not all do.  The children were wondrously curious.  They all wanted to have their picture taken.  Can't wait to post my own pictures after we return home.  I will post some I found which are much like my own.

We did the Blue Bus Tour but we didn't have enough time to do Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden.  We hope to do it before we leave.

Tomorrow.....Table Mountain Cableway.  So excited!

In case you haven't seen yet, we welcomed Liam Joshua Ralya to our family last night.  We cannot wait to hold him.  We are indeed blessed!  And in a couple of weeks we will welcome another little great grandson!  It just keeps getting better.

Talk tomorrow!

Robben Island

Grey for the color of the cells in the prison at Robben Island.  Apartheid was a terrible thing.  What precipitates a thought in one person that he is better than and must take dominion over another because of skin color?  It always baffles me. 
This morning we rose early again and caught the shuttle to the waterfront where we boarded the ferry to Robben Island.

1961-1994: Apartheid Republic of South Africa

• 1961-1991: Maximum security prison for political prisoners
• 1961-1996: Medium security prison for criminal prisoners

Our prison guide was a political prisoner from 1978-1982.  He was an anti-apartheid politically active student at the time of his arrest.  Mandela was already there when he arrived.  Our guide shared his personal experience and it was very moving.  We toured the prison and saw the cell in which Mandela had been housed.  There were many interesting facts and personal stories of how the prisoners actually made a conscious decision to triumph in this situation.  Many of them consider it a blessing to have been there.  The older, well educated gentlemen turned the prison into a 'university' where they taught the younger men mathmatics, geography, philosophy, etc.  They actually flourished in this place of terrible adversity.  Learning about the results of apartheid was one of the things we were hoping to do.  It was a good experience.

On a sunnier, lighter note, we spent some great time with Catherine, Julianna, and Rebecca, Adrian, Louie in our hotel room.  Sadly they are leaving tonight to return home.  We will miss the laughter and tic tac toe games they play with Papa.  Today they presented him with a gift.  It is a tic tac toe board in a South African motif.  Many games have already been played to 'break it in.'  The deal is he must take it along to the Conference Grounds next summer so they can play without always having to find paper and pencils :)

Now we are waiting for news from Josh to learn of our newest great grandchild.  Maybe it's a girl, maybe a boy.  We are just so excited to be great grandparents again.  And then in another couple weeks Jessica will present us with our new little great grandson, Judah.  How blessed we are.

Next post will have baby info.