Bye, TX

George Hamilton, IV... You, good sir, are a liar. Or have a different set of values than I.

So, though you had a few fine things to offer - solace with a lovely dog listening in on guitar and xylophone duets on a ranch, an unusually large number of good coworkers passing through and an unprecedented amount of disc golf, I bid you a belated adieu. You provided this only after relenting from giving me one of the most politically charged and psychologically exhausting jobs in recent memory. You coupled this with my loathing of hotels to prevent my seeing the clear cutting of a forest that was a plan. My happiness lies not with you. A traffic engineer, culture, geologic upheaval or a soul would all lead to vast improvements.

In proper 'Atta boy sandwich style, I did appreciate the little things. Apologies to the arachnids, mud daubers and stick bugs that did not make the cut. Apology retracted for the mud daubers; you are vile terrible creatures.

So, again:

TtSTB T8

Those waiting can now exhale and once again look forward to more abstruse references.

To recap:

Colorado->New York->South Africa->New York->Delaware->Maine->Quebec->North Carolina->Illinois->Delaware->Illinois->Texas



Some pictures from SA are here, here and here.





Lived, danced, bled, played, cried, smiled, burned, laughed, scarred, loved and learned a lot. Not finished yet.
Here's reassurance:

Tentative: TX->CO->CA->IA(OR?)->IL->UT->CO->Snow

Mitote

When you peel away all of your fear, subvert all of your pride and finally get over yourself, you're going to find genuinely good people trying their best to be happy.

















The reason for this result is that if you enact these things, you will personally be happy; people are but a reflection of the self.

Disclosure:

Closure is entirely an internal process.


UPDATE: While this statement remains true, closure isn't always necessary.

So, Canada, rematch?

Even after this?



go here

sodomy and e

éolienne

You May Ask Yourself.

Well...
































Gaspesie, Quebec. I apparently do not have enough photos of wind turbines. We are at the end of the Appalachians, where the French first landed 475 years ago. I'm still trying to make sense of the language.

What is probably tacit is that I miss someone daily.

Stay in your lifeboats people

Dyer Island, Shark Alley...













I may have lost the camera over this...

More

hiking

From another loop up the face of Table Mountain, and heading back down India-Venster:
















"3 Rocky Peaks" near Constantia Nek, towards Hout Bay:






And Since we moved into the new flat, Devil's Peak is the new view:





So, logically... First the clouds tried to swallow me near the King's Blockhouse:



This is looking across the spine towards Minor Peak. The top of the cableway on Table Mountain is visible in the background:














Views from the peak:

































And, I suppose, this can be read many ways, depending on your perspective:

India-Venster -> Union Ravine

Tried another route on Table Mountain, this one involving a traverse on the face.

First a scramble up India-Venster, the main approach for climbing routes on the mountain. The route goes directly under the cable way. Every 10 minutes, a can carrying another group of tourists to the top. They all seemed so excited to see people walking on the mountain below them.







































Then a traverse with some climbing and sneaking behind rock walls. When coming out from behind them, you get some great views of the city and some nice vertical exposure.

jetLAG

Time to get the hours straight. I'm actually sleeping through most of the night, and my appetite shows up at appropriate times.

3 weeks and a day ago, I left Colorado. I headed East, stopping at a good friend's in Illinois to see his cliff, dropped to Charlotte to see another friend off on on his honeymoon, headed North to Delware, loaded up on furniture and a bed to take to my brother in Connecticut, drove back through Pennsylvania to see a friend's first child, and arrived back in Delaware to pack.






8 days ago, with nothing left to do, I made a novel trip to swim in the warm side of the Atlantic before boarding a plane the following day.



D.C. down to Atlanta, then somehow got First Class to Cape Town.









Sarah and I had Sunday to relax and headed out for a drink to look back at the city that's now my home.




















With Sarah back to work on Monday, I had a day to play guitar and accomplished little else. On Tuesday, Sarah, ever trusting, let me loose on the streets, so I hiked up Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge from Kirstenbosch, the botanical gardens. I made it to the highest point on the mountain; however, I feel it is somewhat contrived.






















I had enough time to hike up Lion's Head yesterday to have another view of the city as the clouds started rolling over Table Mountain.





By the time I was back at the car, Lion's Head was also covered. We moved all Sarah's furniture to her mom's, who I met for the first time while carrying a bookshelf in the rain. A second load completed the evening, and here's to hoping we can finally relax.

Upcoming in the next week is hopefully surfing, climbing, unmentionable sport, and job hunting/interview scheduling. Ok then. I suppose many subjects require individual posts. I suppose I have time. I suppose this post has been far too straight forward, and does not fit this blog thematically.

Zion(s) again

Life

While I can always find something to complain about, should I ever complain to you, please refer me to the perspective of this photo:



Thanks.