Another Orange Ball dips behind the horizon over the Atlantic…

Yes- another take on last weeks’ Orange Photo Challenge!

The one thing orange I really love, is a good sunset. Here where I live in the South African Bushveld, north of Pretoria, we do have some magnificent sunsets! But we love to travel to see our world through different eyes. So- totally different from my normal world is a sunset over the ocean, only possible over the West Coast of our Country…

And here was last Tuesday’s sunset. I really, really enjoyed it a lot. I sat in awesome wonder at the beauty of something that happens every day…

The location is Tietiesbaai, near Paternoster, about 150 km north of Cape Town on the West Coast. Tietiesbaai would roughly translate as “Boobie Bay”- but it does not refer to beautiful female anatomy, it was named after a certain Mr Tieties. It is a lovely place to visit, in Cape Columbine Nature reserve, there is no electricity, also no cellphone reception. Just you and nature… like a good day of rest is supposed to be…

Tripadvisor Link: http://www.tripadvisor.co.za/Attraction_Review-g1055305-d1204559-Reviews-Tietiesbaai-Paternoster_Western_Cape.html

Orange- The Southernmost flower in Africa- WPC

I know, I know! It is so last week’s Photo Challenge… but I was far away from civilization, ok?! Ok…

The theme last week was Orange… and I was standing in front of the Southernmost flower in the whole continent of Africa… at Cape Agulhas, South Africa. Where Ewan and Charlie ended their Long Way Down bike ride. Where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

These flowers grow all over the place in that beautiful part of my country. And still I do not know what they are called. People like Seegogga and Toortsie living nearby might know…

But here goes my take on orange- the flowers and some lichens on the rocks…

The Wall at Williston Mall- Weekly Photo Challenge

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Just a little background: Williston is a very small town in the Karoo region of South Africa. It is very dry around here, and towns are far apart. In this rustic little town of Williston there is a must-visit site. The Williston Mall…

On my road trip with my son the past two weeks we stopped there after a long day driving of nearly 1000 km. It was very hot. They promised the best milkshakes in the Northern Cape province. And it was!

The walls of this travellers delight kept me busy a while. My son remarked how a Discovery program like American Pickers would love all these old artifacts, craftfully adorning every bit of wall space…

Refraction- WPC

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It was a happy day. We were on our way to Cape Town via my mother in law. As it is on the other side of the country, we departed real early that morning. And just outside the city of Welkom in the Free State, the sun rose. The lakes around Welkom are renowned for the multitude of pink flamingo’s, making it an awesome sight, and really beautiful if you can look past all the old gold mine dumps in this region. Nature sure is beautiful, but man can really mess it up!

As I sit here behind my desk on a Monday Morning, I really wish I was on my way to Cape Town again. Or any other place where there is a beautiful beach and mountains… My soul yearns for some salt water…

Matric Farewell (Prom) South African Style…

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dreamy...

I am suffering from severe writers block at the moment. It is also extremely hot in our town at present, and extremely dry… so we are just barely surviving until the real rain starts.  So inspiration is at an all time low…. But dreamy…   There is one function in every school kid’s life that might be considered to be dreamy…

Every school kid in South Africa dreams about their matric farewell function, shortly before they write the last examns ever at school.

It is my eldest son’s turn this year…

The last one, with his beautiful date, was unfortunately taken with my mobile phone in extreme bad light, without a flash- the battery was nearly flat. But you do get the idea…

I hope to find some inspiration soon, or some time to take a decent photo again…  a dreamy landscape perhaps…

Coffee in Franschhoek, South Africa

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Yes, it might be a bit touristy in Franschhoek. But there is a reason for that. Spectacular landscapes, in the heart of the South African winelands. Here you will also find some of our best restaurants in South Africa. Reuben Riffel is one of our South African Masterchef judges. His cuisine is excellent. But the coffee of Deluxe Coffeeworks… yes it is as advertised!

Harley Endurance…

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I am still way too young to even consider riding a Harley! But sometimes…

Yesterday was South Africa’s Heritage Day, a good public holiday to take to the road on a motorbike.

At one of the rural crossroads on the other side of the next town (Naboomspruit), I waited to meet a friend at the elephant…  (with my decent bike, not a Harley…)

And then, at the crossroads, we saw an old biker, really an endurance example! With a bike suitable to claim the title with him- a 1942 Harley Davidson, war years bike complete with sidecar, and stock standard…

 

Endurance

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There was nothing more demonstrative of “Endurance” as the Rhino in the African Bush. Until the humans came along, and needing it’s horn because they don’t have one… this magnificent creature was also killed in our region…

 

Also enduring despite the riks of becoming soup, is the giant mountain turtles you see in the Karoo National Park outside Beaufort West, South Africa…

Then of course- a 71 year old Harley still in working condition would also be worthy of this title…

 

And an Antonov A1 old Biplane, still keeping on keeping on… 65 years later…

 

Humanity… Brothers (WPC)

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My second contribution to the Weekly Photographic Challenge- Brothers at play… This is from 2001, they are both much taller than me these days…

 

Humanity playing weird games…

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Humanity comes in lots of different shapes, sizes, colors, emotions… One of these, very South African forms of humanity is the game of Rugby (this passion is also seen in New Zealand, and our two mighty nations will clash again in 20 minutes time…oh happy days!)

There is just nearly nothing as self assured as a winning team, running onto the field of play, and then forming a circle to just recommit to give their all…

This is our local High School’s First Team… one of these humans is my eldest son.

And then play gets underway, and as seen in the fantastic book Asterix in Great Britain, the game without rules starts playing and the blood starts flowing…

Well- off to the television to see the Springboks beat up the All Blacks again ( I wish!!!) Top experience of the game of Rugby, played by very weird humans…