Just Another Cape Town Evening Storm - 226/365

If you've been following my posts, you can probably tell I love photographing the weather here. I never lived on the beach, and never realized how quickly the weather changes and how beautiful and dramatic it is when it is extreme and combined with a sunset. This is another image of "The Cape of Storms" in all it's glory.

Thabo Hermanus originally shared:

Cape Of Good Hope : Bartolomeu Dias originally named it the "Cape of Storms". If you have felt the winds in the Cape, you can draw your own conclusions as to why he named it that.

However, it was later renamed by John II of Portugal as "Cape of Good Hope" because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to India and the East, which would be fruitful for trade.

Home Cooking - 225/365

One of my rare attempts at a real home cooked meal. Most of my meals are ready made from a chain in Cape Town called Woolworths. No connection I hear now. Think they just stole the name. It's like a high end grocery store. Better than Publix, but not as good as Whole Foods. Anyway, they make great ready to heat refrigerated meals. This time I tried my hand at some Pork Chops. They were quite good. In my opinion, the food is tastier here.

My Missing Mailman - 224/365

Here is my Mailman. He is missing. The letter carriers have been on strike for over a month. Therefore I cannot vote, as my absentee ballot did not get here, nor will it go anywhere if it does. Strikes are not uncommon in Cape Town. As a matter of fact, it is rare when there is not a strike or some demonstration about something. A few months ago groups were throwing human feces at the airport protesting inadequate sanitation at squatter camps (some call them townships) (some call them informal settlements). Yes, land they do not even own that they built a corrugated box upon. The courts said that throwing feces was part of freedom of speech. Ah yes, African logic. I hope my mail does not arrive with feces on it!

Can't Imagine Seeing this at Any Other Workplace - 223/365

I posted an image similar to this a while back, however, it does not change my amazement. When I step out of my office I don't know what animal I may encounter. Pretty amazing!

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.

Alexander Bar Theatre - 220/365

There's a really classy, upscale bar in Cape Town called  The Alexander Bar and Theatre. They have a small theatre upstairs where they show movies free of charge. The owners are fans of quirky, foreign, artsy movies, as am I. I love going there.

Artist's Palate at Cape Town Art Walk - 219/365

This artist's palate with fresh oil paint caught my eye at an exhibit during the First Thursday's Art Walk every month in Cape Town. The mystery is that I can't really say whether it was there because a piece was being worked on, or if it was part of the exhibit. There was no one present that could answer that question. That in itself makes the placement of the palate brilliant. At least to me. Plus I loved the colors and texture.

Coat Rack at the Italian Restaurant - 218/365

Made this image while awaiting a Pizza at the local Italian restaurant. For some reason it just reminded me of what should be typical in an Italian restaurant.

When All Else Fails, Selfie! - 217/365

Sometimes I like to just make a Selfie and always try to make it different from the last.

More of Mom's Work - 216/365

I get these all the time and it never ceases to amaze me. My Mom is so talented! It's just too cool to get original watercolor cards in the mail! This was inspired by my photos from Kruger National Park. Though the scene you see never happened, the poses of each animal is real.

Storm at Sunset, Cape Town - 215/365

Storm at Sunset, Cape Town shows the impressive colors that can be experienced by the combination of the two. This is an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image where three images at different exposures are combined to be able to get detail in the shadows, and highlights where one would normally not be seen. It's not as easy as it sounds as you have to determine on your own what the initial exposure should be. If you want to know more about HDR a photographer named Trey Ratcliff gives a tutorial on how to produce the images at www.stuckincustoms.com .

White Flag, Black Shark on Muizenberg Beach - 214/365

The white flag with the black shark indicates that a shark has been seen in the area and the beach is closed. The day before there had been an attack on a surfer. The detailed report is published here on Shark Spotters. The surfer escaped with relatively minor injuries compared to the size of the shark. One surfer was initially unsure whether the animal was a shark or a whale, but stated that b the size leaned toward thinking it was a whale. This is the first attack in Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa in ten years much of this credited to the success of http://sharkspotters.org.za/.

Another Fun Abstract - 213/365

This is where this type of a project really starts to make you exercise your creative mind. What am I going to do today. So driving down the road, well stopped at at stoplight, I set mt shutter speed for a very long exposure and drove while holding the camera and twisting it. Several images were made and this was the one that I liked. Simple. Just think!

Another Package from Mom - 212/365

My Mom still sends me "old school" mail. I love it. She collects clippings from Newspapers that she thinks I'll find interesting, and real photos. Very cool.

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

Another Day in Muizenberg - 208/365

People having fun in the water. Some surfing, taking lessons, jumping in the waves, or a girl with a surfboard just walking by. That's why I love Muizenberg! Another Day in Muizenberg - 208/365

The Colorful Muizenberg Cabanas - 207/365

It never gets old seeing these Cabanas when I round the circle to Surfers Corner in Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa. They are the symbol of the Cape Peninsula towns of St. James, Muizenberg, and Khalk Bay. I really don't know how old they are, but you must walk gingerly on the planks of the steps as they seem like they'll collapse at any moment. I could photograph these cabanas all day and sometimes I do.

An An Evening at the Alexander Bar in Downtown Cape Town - 206/365

The Alexander Bar in downtown Cape Town is a cool place to just relax with friends, have a drink and something light to eat. What makes it special is that upstairs they show Indie films for free. The owners love Indie films and they show them every couple of weeks. People have fun and it brings in customers.