Day 66, Year 6 Second Day with the Tedders
Date: Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Weather: Low Clouds; Still SE 30-35 ‘Round the Clock
Location: Hout Bay, Western Cape, South Africa
W got off to a leisurely start today. We spent the night at Bruce and Nadine’s beautiful home well up the side of a mountain with views to die for. After breakfast, we went with Bruce, Tristen, and her friend Oliver to a cute little shop that only sells items made from used tea bags. It sounds strange, but they have been quite creative with the many uses they make of these bags. There are painted tea bags laminated to tiles, bags painted and made into greeting cards, bags formed into figurines, and dozens of other things. Judy especially liked the little Christmas tree angels.
Afterward we went to the marina in Hout Bay where we boarded a sight-seeing boat to go out to Seal Island. Since Bruce and Nadine work in the boating industry, they know everyone involved in the business so we were allowed to be in the pilot house protected from wind and spray. The winds were kicking up quite a sea but the pilot took us right up to the rocks around which hundreds of seals were playing in the surf and sunning themselves on the rocks. It was great fun to watch, though I question bringing the boat so close to the rocks in such conditions.
After a quick stop for a scoop of ice cream, we headed off to the World of Birds. This is a terrific wildlife sanctuary and monkey park. We spent a couple hours wondering the paths through what must have been thousands of birds. Judy has been studying the birds of South Africa and knew the names of many of them. Some were indigenous to South Africa and we had seen many in the wild but not so close-up as in the sanctuary.
After returning to the Tedder’s for lunch, Nadine joined us and we all went to visit Nadine’s father, Giovanni and his wife Nola. Their lovely home is in Noordhoek on a hill with a view of beautiful Long Beach and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. They have landscaped the garden below the house with plants native to the southern Cape. Nola’s garden has been featured in South African home and gardening magazines and is called a mini-Kirstenbosch. Giovanni and Nola’s home is decorated with some of Nola’s paintings. We are hopeful they will join us on New Year’s Eve for lunch at a sushi restaurant here in Simon’s Town where her paintings are on display.
We ended the day back at the False Bay Yacht Club where we joined Pieter and Carla for Happy Hour and then it was back to Windbird. It is always good to get home, but the wind is still blowing hard and we fear it is taking its toll on Windbird. Tomorrow we will check things carefully and maybe try to put on some extra lines to pull us somewhat away from the finger pier. The covers on our fenders have been rubbed until they are in tatters and we know the constant rubbing can’t be good for the finish on the hull.
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| 101229 Day 66a South Africa–Boat Trip to Seal Island |
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| 101229 Day 66b South Africa–World of Birds |
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| 101229 Day 66c South Africa–Visiting Nola and Giovanni |
