Florida North to South

Dis lekker maar dis nou verby.

Wednesday morning 04:00, 28 December 2005, Sarah and I were in our stacked car, turning the Corolla's nose onto I-95 South. There's not much to it. It's a straight drive for approximately 4,5 hours until you hit Miami, turn right at some stage and you'll eventually end up in front of our abode.


The further South you go, the flatter the land becomes. Florida's propably one of the few places on earth where you'll be able to see the enemy's aproach a week in advance.
But it's beautiful, a very scenic drive, this I-95 South. And I watched the sun appear on my left and witnessed the magnificent spreading of colors accross the sky with it's arrival. All the way to Miami on a near empty highway.
Starbucks coffee, Mark Knopfler, an open road combined with such tranquil beauty = sheer bliss.

Daytrips to St. Augustine, Florida

It's the last week of 2005 and we went exploring the historic area around St. Augustine.

The city was the first European settlement in North-America and the place where the Spanish set foot the very first time. Yes, unlike what we were told in South African History 114 in between the Groot Trek, Columbus did indeed throw anchor in what is now the Dominican Republic, not North-America.
St. Augustine was developed to be a refreshment station - not unlike the VOC's idea with the Cape of Good Hope - for the Spanish treasure ships that sailed past to the homeland.
There's a rich, well preserved history in the beautiful little town, with the Indians, the Spanish, ze French, and the British each playing a role. It was taken by a pirate fleet, nearly by the French and later the British.

Ford Matanzas ("Slaughter" in Spanish) was build to protect the city's rear end from sneaky attacks. The French tried once and where nearly obliterated by a hurricane. The 250 survivors were then massacred by the Spanish, hence the name.

We also visited the original Ripley's Believe it or Not. Yeah!
Then there is the Fountain of Youth. A legend the Spanish heard from the Indians told of a fountain which water would bring eternal youth to the fortunate drinker. The Spanish king alotted a small fortune to Ponce de Leon to find this miraculous fountain, of which water Sarah and I drank.
Yes, for my 101st birthday, I'd like to river raft the Zambezi!
Sure the Indians laughted in their sleeves...

Xmas 2005

It was a memorable, no actually a fantabulous Xmas spend with the in-laws. The 25th here in the States is a slight exaggeration on how we spend Xmas back home, but as such even more enjoyable.
At 23h50, Saturday 24/12 I picked Sarah up from Miami's International Airport and we sped home through the nightly hours. The idea was to reach the Christmas tree and have all the many gifts in position before Sarah's 4 young siblings woke up. Christmas morning in their household reminds strongly of the goldrush of the late nineteenth century in Pelgrim's Rust.
I notched up a raccoon as a roadkill and struggled heroically to stay awake on the road (read 4 coffee's), but we made it, with 30 minutes to spare. The little one's lit up faces is worth seven such trips.

Many Americans light up their houses and gardens with all kinds of Xmas lights and decorations. Driving through the suburbs was like being in Happy Valley in P.E. again as a kid - magic. I included one of the many pics I took. This Xmas-scene could be seen on many front lawns.

My mother-in-law would win a cooking show-down with Martha Steward any day and when I finally stopped eating the day was gone. Some great family time and an incompetent loss in a favourite card game concluded a memorable day with great people.

A Visit to Oregon

UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

The First Bouwer Xmas Tree

Our first Christmas tree in the States.
The aroma in our apartment is awesome and all of a sudden the whole Christmas feeling has arrived as soon as we finished decorating this huge tree. We feel quite in sync with the thousand neighbors who have used every imaginable decorating tool available to beautify the Kendall-area.
The tree'll keep me company next week when Sarah flies to Oregon early Saturday to visit our good ol' friends from Taiwan - Sara, Dan and Mindy.

Sarah will be back next weekend to celebrate Christmas with me and the rest of the fam'. Back from what is a very beautiful white Christmas in Portland, I'm told.

Thank you Curtis and Robin for the tree.

Experience...

Yesterday another no-brain "Duh"-moment from yours truly.

Never, under no circumstance, ever, make a comment to a lady about her pregnancy and/or growing tummy, unless you are certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is, in fact, pregnant. Don't....

Isshhh!

The "Happy Holidays" vs "Merry Christmas"-Debate

To be politically correct or not to be...

Following the raging media issue of the week, one now has to think twice before saying to your neighbor "Merry Christmas".
This being the United States, where Christians, Muslims, Atheists, Jews and Buddhists live side by side, one can all too easily offend someone by doing so. What is actually sad is that the complaints are coming from fellow Christians. It 's the same old story.

Christmas for true believers - the holiest holiday on the Christian calendar - is in essence about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. In spite of all the tradition surrounding this wonderful festive season, it is also supposed to be a time of peace, of being with family, of taking time to reflect on the past year, of counting our blessings.

My first reaction to hearing a radio commentator explaining on air why he wishes all a "Happy Holiday" instead, was one of outrage. Why discriminate against Christians!? What about Ramadan? Or any of the Jewish holidays? Isn't this supposed to be a Christian country?!

But then isn't this senseless bickering distracting us from what's important as Christians - Jesus being the reason for the season? As a true believer I know that I'm a minority and as a Christian I realise that I live among thousands that follow a different God than I do, be it Allah, Buddah, money, themselves etc.

"Happy holidays" or "Merry Christmas" apart, aren't we all in the great gift-buying tradition? Will you boycott a store for displaying a "Happy Holiday"-sign? Don't we all decorate our homes? Don't we all go to the Christmas office parties, have reindeer/snowmen/Santa Claus in our garden or house? What does these wonderful traditions actually have to do with Christmas other than light up childrens' faces? Maybe we're missing the point. Maybe we take ourselves a little too seriously on occasion.

An illustration in point:
House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert has told officials last week that the decorated tree on the West lawn of Capitol Hill, known as "The Holiday Tree", has been renamed "The Christmas Tree". Talk about a politically charged name for a ....tree! And in Boston a large Christian group - the Liberty Council - has threatened to sue the city council for naming the large decorated tree in the middle of the city, "The Holiday Tree".

Taken from The Washington Times

My heart warms that Christians are taking a stand, but I wondering if they are not defending the wrong wall...

No, Christmas is about sharing God's love, peace and harmony and frankly, I don't care much for this debate that has respected church leaders sparring on state radio and TV with their accusors.
I've decided to try to rise above the petty arguments and celebrate Christmas like a true Christian.

May you experience the true joy and the true meaning of this festive season, and may you find rest in that knowledge.
Merry Christmas and a happy holiday!

A Chill in the Air

It is amazing how strongly one's perspective is influenced by the environment you grew up in.

It's Winter in Miami. I notice it, because nowadays it's dark when I exit the office at the end of the day and there's a chill in the air. As recently as early November it was so hot in this city that the palm trees fought over passing dogs.
The past weekend the temperatures dropped once to just under the 70'ties. Older folks in town have been heard saying however, that the cold front has passed and that the "worst" is over!

On the flipside ABC News reported that the first snow has started to fall this week in the nation's capital. Children making snowmen, a layer of cold magical white starting to cover Washington. In sub-20 temperatures the weatherman is predicting it's going to get even colder. (The news station had an interview with a politician and it was so cold, he stood with his hands in his own pockets.)

Last night I watched Monday night football - the Seattle Seahawks blowing away the Philadelphia Eagles - while it's snowing!
A rugby test between South Africa and France played in Paris last week caused some frantic penhandling by the local South African media. Why? Snow was predicted before the game. Often games are called off if it rains heavily.
Yet, those Norterners played in sleeting snow and passes stuck. Amazing. I guess you can handle what you're used to.

(Pic 1 - Typical crisp, cloudy morning at the lake next to our apartment. Miami-Dade at 06:30 am.
Pic 2 - Philadelphia quarterback on the charge Monday night - Picture from SI.com)