Cape Town, you old friend

A reason for a business trip is a reason for another short vacation to Cape Town, in our book. So, we loaded up the wagon and headed for the airport. This time, we caught some fantastic weather, making a trip up the cable car to Table Mountain a no-brainer (above). Up there, you can marvel at the whole city below, and peer around the corner to the peninsula that heads south of the city towards the Cape of Good Hope.

And, if you can squint hard enough at the cable car below, you can even see the sweetest corporate branding this side of the Mississip'...brought to you by Visa. (They were a major sponsor of the World Cup in 2010.)

Not a bad view, eh? We even got to meet a few 'dassies', or rock hyrax. These little critters are something akin to the pika that roam the rocks atop the peaks of Colorado. Cute little buggers.

Ryder and Ginger, taking it all in...



...and me too.

Now, a trip to Cape Town is a special occasion, right? So, why would you rent just any car, some boring, lame-o Toyota for such a special occasion, when you could rent a 'classic' car for a few dollars less. Exactly. What kind of classic do I mean, you ask? Well, I found a German ex-pat who lives in Cape Town on our last trip, and he specializes in (not surprisingly) the Benz. However, since most of his actual classic rides are 2-seaters, we went for the more family-friendly option, complete with seat belts in the back. This time around, he had a 1980 350 SE olive green sedan for us. Nooiice! Complete with the original interior (in great shape) and push-button radio, she purred like a kitten.

On road up to Table Mountain, we happen to pass by one of my favorite bizarre cars in the world, the old 1968 Citroen DS Pallas. In the late 60's and early 70's, this baby ran you about $4,000. Totally worth it? You decide. Something about it just says 'I am ze French, oui?'

Before we got up to the mountain, we spent a couple days staying downtown, near the marina with our friends, The Ali's, from Kigali. It was nice to be able to walk up and down the colorful streets (below) of the city, and be so close to the water. The Ali's were at the end of a 2 week stay, so they kindly let us share their apartment. The boys got in some play time, and we hit the sandy beaches of Camp's Bay for some tide pooling.

The 3 pictures above were taken over the course of about 30 minutes - clouds rolling back behind Table Mountain. Very cool. The tide pools were a great place to throw some sand, climb on the rocks, get some sun, and let Ryder meet the local honeys. (She was diggin' the swimmy diaper/taupe Crocs combo.)

Orion relaxing at the beach (above), and a cloud hat (below).






Ginger took a swig from Ryder's cup before making it into the
background for Eric's rasta-James Bond cover shot. Classy.



Sunset at the marina/downtown.

As you might expect, the chill vibes of lovely Cape Town were soon drowned out by our need to escape into the wine country, only an hour away. This time around, we checked out a new town in this area called Paarl, just up the road from Stellenbosch, where we were the last time. It's pretty much like shooting fish in a barrel up there, as far as picking a gorgeous place to stay and sipping on some wine. What we didn't know, though, was that we happened to pick a small vineyard that boasted the coolest single sandbox south of the equator:

Yes, it was a hit. The grounds included this sandbox, a
little trampoline/playground combo, and a beautiful pool.








Oh, and they had a few thousand olive trees on the property, and did olive oil tastings.



The trampoline was a nice touch - recessed into the ground for better-ish safety. Ryder had fun.






So did Mama (show off).

The best was when another couple's 2 year old got on the trampoline with Ginger and she had to put her in her place. "Bam! Get outta my kitchen, chica!" Take down!

The vineyard also had some little trails through the olive groves that made for some nice shots...

One other nice feature of Cascade Valley Farm was the resident cat, Rex. Now, those who know me well are familiar with my well-documented hatred of cats. Maybe hatred is too strong a word, but let's just say I'd never pick one up that was hitch-hiking, but I would pick up every dog I laid my eyes on. That being said, the universe was probably sticking its finger in my eye by making this cat really cool, exceptionally beautiful, and a great friend to Ryder. He had the greatest time watching him and playing around the sandbox with him. Ok, yes, I'll admit it, I liked this cat, too.

"Haha, Dad, this cat is awesome."

(Yes, we've had the advent of a new phenomenon where Ryder will enthusiastically 'cheese' for the camera. I'm sure he'll soon learn from me that a smile is just too plain. Cross-eyed is much better.)

On the trail that lead to the small waterfall. Love this place!















On the way back to the ranch one day, we stopped by a new winery that had a great outdoor dining area, and was gorgeously tucked below this mountain.



It also gave me a serious case of garden-envy...






...and Emu envy?



Back at the ranch, Ryder grappled with the very real problem of cheese tray item selection. Nerve-racking.



Ok, this one!

After heading out of Paarl, we flew back to Johannesburg for a couple days. Ginger had some business to take care of, so Ryder and I took it easy. If you've been wondering what it looks like when we're on the go, below you can see G working away, while Ryder's tent waits patiently for its tenant.

A dramatic Johannesburg skyline at sunset.







Thankfully, the hotel was situated in a mall complex that had a great book store, complete with kids' play area. I'm pretty sure we spent close to 3 hours one day, playing with the toy train and wooden hammer set.



Ryder attempts chop-sticks...



...then takes a step back for some contemplation time in the 'Ohm-chair.'

By the end of the trip, the big man was ready to kick it in the taxi back to the airport and on back to our house. Thanks again, South Africa! Nice to see you again.