My most relaxing place to be is on my surfboard out in the water. As I have stated before, time does not matter and the focus is on the here and now. It is a pure state of being in the moment. Rocking gently in the water up and down with the smaller swells and knowing that the larger ones that you will attempt will come in due time. No need to try and anticipate because you are not in control. The power of the ocean is incredible and you absolutely have no influence on it. You must be resigned and willing to surrender to the power. I find it very spiritual and relaxing to surrender completely in that way. If I had known that I would experience this the way I have I would have resumed my surfing way before getting to Cape Town. I am so glad I've been able to experience this again!
iphonephotography
Walking into the Fog - 221/365
Walking into the Fog. There are not many mornings in Cape Town when you encounter no wind at all. There is usually always a breeze. This was one of those morning where it seemed that if you followed the footsteps onto the beach you would disappear into the fog. Rather eerie. As if you are walking to an unknown whiteness.
Not Every Post Is Art LOL! - 211/365
An interesting thing about my blog is that it is evolving into some general information that I discover while I'm here in South Africa. This is a typical 220 vac plug. It would be OK if this was the ONLY type, but noooo! There are many and not all items fit into each one. So if you are going to travel here don't believe anyone in the States that they have a STANDARD South Africa plug. The good thing about 220 vac is that your appliances last longer. The bad thing is that if you latch onto it you're dead!
Comb Your Board Not Your Hair - 210/365
This is a comb to scrape through the wax on your board to rough it up for extra grip and/or clean and put on some more wax. My friends at Xpressiononthebeach gave me this. It acts as a a business card for a unique company in Muizenberg, South Africa called Wawawaves. They make old style traditional wooden surfboards, and some with a more modern flair. Very interesting site with some surfing history at www.wawawaves.com
Amarula! - 209/365
I love this stuff! It's really the only thing I'll drink other than beer LOL! Amarula is a cream liqueur from South Africa. It is made with sugar, cream and the fruit of the African marula tree (Sclerocarya birrea) which is also locally called the Elephant tree or the Marriage Tree. It has an alcohol content of 17% by volume. It has had some success at international spirit ratings competitions, winning a gold medal at the 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Brewer's & Union Bern Stein 196/365
If you don't know it already, I'll let you know up front that I am a beer snob. No Bud or Miller swill for me. In the wine producing paradise that is Cape Town there is a surge in craft breweries. This is but one of the beers that I like. Brewed locally by Brewers & Union in Cape Town. Funny story is that they have an outdoor pub in town with all of their beers and serve great burgers. It's called "& Union". They can't use the "Brewers" part because the part of the building that they rent is owned by a local church.
Moonlight over Cape Town 195/365
I made this image just outside of my place in Cape Town. It was evening and the sky was clear except for this beautiful moon. A beautiful moon lit night.
View from The Club - 192/365
Virgin Active here is much like an LA Fitness in the States. They are everywhere. I go to whichever one is convenient at the time. The club I went to on this day is at the upper part of Cape Town toward Table Mountain. Beautiful view!
A New Buddy in the Beach - 178/365
in image, photograph, Beach Scene
This guy is always running around the neighborhood and the beach. He lives on the corner and is so friendly. Sometimes I see him sitting up on a sand dune like Simba in the Lion King movie, as if he's overlooking HIS beach. This image was but one of many I made. I got right up in his face with my phone. He's so funny that he kept trying to grab my phone. I fear it would have met the same fate of the stick he has in the image!
Cape Town Winter Selfie - 174/365
The weather in Cape Town during Winter is much like Miami. It changes abruptly and can be extreme from one day to the next. Yesterday was a bright sunny day with no wind and beautiful waves. Today, very different and very cold. No run for me without cold protection as you see here!
Surfboard Casualty - 172/365
in Blog
I ran across this poor guy at one of the surf spots near my place called Hagaat. It's about four miles from my place on the way to Cape Town and has quite a hectic break. Evidently, he and his board ran into a large powerful wave. I never really saw this in Florida unless someone actually hit something like a rock or a reef. Here it's just the power of the waves. I've seen about four of these casualties recently. Wouldn't it be great to harness that power?
