2006 Starts off with a Bang!

We spend a relatively quiet New Year's Eve with our good friends the Fox's.
We decided against going to de beeeg celebrations and festivities happening at South Beach, the traffic congestion already starting in downtown Miami's CBD.

Some spectacular fireworks were to be seen all through the night around the big lake next to our apartment complex. We parked ourselves next to the water and contributed with some of our own.
Here's to an exciting 2006 and to courage and faith to take those risks.

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)

First Thanksgiving

God bless America!
Today I experienced my first Thanksgiving on US soil. While the lunch, the 15lb golden turkey, the lattice cherry pie, the sweet cranberry mousse, the mouthwatering corn pudding, more grazing, family time, and live football is all behind us now, I'm still incapable of moving! I must've picked up 5 lbs today and there is still more grazing to be done. And then some! Wonderful.

The large retailers like WalMart, Macy's, Target, Best Buy, and others are opening their doors tomorrow at 0500 hrs for their BIG Thanksgiving Sale. Already the more eager participants are camping outside the doors of these stores to be the first to the merchandise.
Traffic has been horrendous - it took us three hours to get out of Miami and past Fort Lauderdale - all of 55 miles.

Winter has now firmly arrived even here in tropical Florida. Already there is a briskness to the early mornings and evenings that has us pulling out warm clothes for the first time.

Wishing a Blessed Thanksgiving to all our American friends and family!

Marco and Sarah

South African Perspectives on the States - Part I

As a newcomer and still a relative outsider, there's still much strangeness about my newly adopted country - I that lacketh the cultural background and thus sufficient understanding of these intricacies!
Here's a humorous look at some sport phenomena:

Americans, and none the least Floridians, love their sport. Twenty miles South of our home is the NASCAR Oval of Homestead. Here, on certain chosen evenings, rupturous, screeching and wildly motoric noise erupts from within the high picked fences. According to the Miami Herald, Nashcar racing is the #1 growing sport in the country. I don't understand - who came up with this sport? Some dude watching his clothes spin in the dryer one day, "Gee this looks like fun. Let's make a day out of this!"
And where did they come up with the name? Maybe two Southern boys were trying to impress each other one day:
"Hey Bubba, did ye see ma new wheels?"
Bubba: "Gosh, nahhhssss car!"

And the football. They got it all wrong! Throwing a ball forward? Holding on in the tackle! Not passing the ball? It just doesn't seem right. Does anyone know that the 1904 Olympic Games was the last time rugby was held as an Olympic sport. Guess who's the last official holders of the rugby gold medal? The United States of America.

The draft system in football is another of those strange new concepts that I still have difficulty in grasping. How do the fans in Florida justify staying loyal to a sports team? Players are always changing and moving to other cities or states.
Therefore, a Dolphin fan is, in fact, cheering for his team's clothes to beat the clothes from another city! The same player wearing a different shirt - "Tackle him hard! Boo! Kick his shin!"
(Afterthought: I have to admit though, that I'm really starting to enjoy this sport.)

And lastly - according to comedian Jerry Seinfeld, a professional wrestler in America is struck down by a folding chair once every thirty-five seconds! While the referee is looking the other way, of course.
I've had a startling revelation regarding pro wrestling: The guy with the most ridiculous nickname will always win the fight. "From California comes the iron man, Hank the Purple Hammer Armstrong! And in the left corner we have.... Bob!"

Blog Visitors

A bunch of you have started your own Blogs since my introductory e-mail a few months ago. I have enjoyed reading from and about you, having not seen most for a long time.

Those of you who had started Blogs recently will be interested in the Webblog Site Visitor-function that you can instal. It provides you with all kinds of interesting info regarding the hits or visits your Blog receives. This week I we had 46 hits, compared to last week's 71, with each visitor spending an average of 12:49 minutes browsing through our pages.
There has been a steady increase since we made the Blog official in August. Those first four weeks we had less then 15 visitors/week.

It has been a pretty busy week and I apologize for the weeklong silence. There'll be news tomorrow.
Thank you for the e-mails and the comments.

A Visit from Grand Cayman

My good old friend Lundi Koen and her husband Juan made a quick stop in Miami this past weekend, and became our first "outside" visitors in Miami.

It was a first time meeting with Juan and also the first time in nearly four years seeing Lundi. Altogether a very enjoyable, although rushed few days. There was lots of catching up, reminiscience and shopping tours around the city crammed into a tiny time slot of two days - before finding myself on Sunday waving them goodbye at the airport.
The flight back to Grand Cayman is less than an hour. Distance-wise they live about as far away as Jacksonville, where our parents live. We should build a bridge!

We look forward to the new week -which includes a holiday on Friday! - refreshed by their visit.

Back in Miami

It's life as usual in Miami after returning from a week of R&R in Northern Florida with our family.
Our unexpected Wilma-induced long weekend became a proper, enjoyable week-long holiday after her Category 3-winds tore at Southern Florida. I won't bore you with old news details about the devastation she caused, but there are still thousands without power.

The last hundred odd miles to Miami on I-95 was pretty eerie, driving at night past Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Hollywood, and Northern Miami, some areas engulfed in total darkness. Gas is in high demand at the few open gas stations and we spend an hour at one station, just to drive off with only 4 gallons of gas.
Although all the trees in our area has been blown over or damaged, along with many roofs, other then lots of debris, we're thankful that there is little damage.

Last week thousands of people stood in lines for hours on end for water and gas and the complaints in the media against the state and federal governments were endless, just as it was in New Orleans after Katrina. It goes beyond me why mature citizens cannot heed warning calls and stock up on neccesities for them and their families in advance. Urgent warnings have been bellowing through all available state media when Wilma was still advancing towards the Mexican coastline, 5 days before she made landfall. Governnor Bush has said as much and made a mocking of the accusors. There is only so much even the most efficient government can do in a crisis situation of such magnitude.

I'm still actively seeking employment and in the meantime I'm substituting at a high school on a regular basis, while also doing a bit of freelance writing and editing. The problem with being unemployed is that as soon as you wake up in the morning - there you go - you're on the job! I've also learned that man was definitely not designed to be a home-maker and if I cannot kill the meat I prepare for dinner, at least I can go and buy it at the convenience store!

Sarah is counting her days at her present school and we appreciate Morrison and it's excellent administration just so much more. So too do we miss the Asian attitude towards education and educators. These little ones unfortunately do not strive for the same academic standards, nor do they attach the same meaning to the words respect and accountability. (There you have the core reason why any country eventually loses greatness.)

Dan and Mindy Slaughter, whom we have grown close to the last couple of years in Taichung, spend the last few weeks at Morrison before returning back to Oregon. They said they felt like they were home again.
We can just imagine guys!

Pic - Playing tourists in St. Augustine, America's oldest settlement, dating back to the 1580's.
- Sarah and her Mom on the battlement of the old Spanish fort.

Die Mooiste Mooiste Taal...

Saterdagmiddag stap ek ons huis binne, met my bloed wat vinnig bruis, my stem hees geskreeu, my hart vuurwarm en 'n onvermydelike glimlag op my bakkies.

Ek het vroegoggend die motor se neus Noord gedruk op die VS1 en geneig in die rigting van Fort Lauderdale (55 myl ver) - die Kalahari Bar my bestemming. Want sien, hulle bedien Castles, hoenderpastei, daar hang 'n kwaggavel teen die muur en meer belangrik - daar's 'n grootskerm en satelliet tv. Dis mos Curriebeker-finaal en Vrystaat speel!

Wat 'n ongelooflike wedstryd! En die toeskouers om my. Full house. Eerste keer wat ek Afrikaans hoor, sien en praat sedert einde Junie. Ek en die spul boere om my was in 'n japtrap op eerstenaam-basis. En toe ek uiteindelik daar uitstap, toe weet ek weer wie ek is, en waarheen ek eendag wil terugkeer.

Glashelder. In technicolor. In Afrikaans...


Naskrif
Enkele dinge wat ek geleer het Saterdagoggend:
- Daar is slegs een Staat en dis die Vrystaat.
- Bloemfontein is nog Bloemfontein, maar Pretoria is nou Tswane'.
- Blou Bulle eet nou wel van die vloer af.

Nag ou grote

Evacuating North

A storm warning for the whole of South Florida has finally been issued late last night, with mandatory evacuation of certain areas. The whole country is still shaken by what happened in New Orleans recently. Rather safe than sorry.

We're going to leave shortly - Sunday morning, 06h30 am, to miss the rush and the rain, should either one actually happen. Power outages have been predicted, as Wilma is expected to increase speed accross the Gulf before making landfall around the Keys. So we're taking all our frozen foods in cooler bags with us.
(When Katrina came past, we had power outages for 4 days, lost everything in our fridge/freezer and it was just miserable without air con in the hot, humid weather. By then it was also too late to leave, flooding everywhere and the roads filled with evacuees.)

We should be out of harms way in wat North, by lunchtime, having lunch with the parents.
Schools and businesses will be closed on Monday.

(Satellite image - Miami Herald)

Friends, Romans...

Welcome to our Blog!

Instead of sending out newsletters - and in keeping with the times, we decided it'll be less boring and way more fun to keep you, our much missed and much appreciated family and friends, up to date in this way.

Firstly, we're hoping that this will be an effective way to keep in contact with you and keep you up to date with what we're doing on this side of the globe. We just know that after reading our blog you'll immediately be absolutely inspired to start writing to us!

Secondly, apparently a picture speaks a thousand words. Being able to share with you our pictures, and also providing links to our online photo albums, we should be able to write less. This will save us time and more importantly, save you from having to delete yet another mass newsletter from your inbox. We'll be updating this blog more or less every third/fourth day.

So please, sit back and take a few moments to enjoy these news "articles" of ours. Save some time though, to write back to us at bouwerblog@gmail.com
We'd love to hear from you.

Marco and Sarah
Miami
Florida

Bracing Ourselves for Wilma

Wilma exploded this morning into the most intense hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, a Category 5, with winds of 175 mph.
Warnings of "catastrophic" (sic-CNN) risk to Florida residents have been predicted, while officials announced at lunchtime the mandatory evacuation of all visitors and non-residents from the Keys, just South of Miami.

Experts at the National Hurricane Center has made it known that if Wilma is a Category 4 at landfall, we can expect storm surges of up to 25 feet into the many bays and rivers in South Florida.
We're hoping it will either turn or decrease quickly in intensity, for looking at the predicted path on the picture, where to evacuate to will be a problem!

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
(Picture - Miami Herald)

Sarah turns 26!

It's Saturday, 15 October - Sarah's birthday.
This weekend we're in the North child minding Sarah's siblings, while our parents are out of state, looking at property.

Happy birthday (She accepts large packages via mail!) This coming year is bursting with Promise and there is none whom I'd rather share it with.

Other than that, blissful, wonderful Fall has arrived in Florida. The hot, humid days are cooler and the evenings are actually chilly. We're postponing on getting a TV-set and this has been a successful experiment. Man CAN in fact live from companionship, outdoor expeditions, books, Internet and silence alone! And as soon as I've joined Kuduklub for online acces to the important rugby/cricket games, I'll be set.

We do miss our friends and family in Taiwan and South Africa and are grateful to be able to Skype regularly. We look forward to the visit of Lundie and Juan Koen from Grand Cayman early in November.

Thanks for all the replies and news. (Use my Hotmail address or better: bouwerblog@gmail.com)
We enjoy reading it.

My last word: VRYSTAAT!!

Big Brother is Watching You

I'm constantly amazed by all kinds of small technological miracles that appear every day. Google has a function - EarthCam - that combines satellite imagery, maps and Google Search to, literally, allow you to find anything, anywhere on Earth.

You can zoom in from outer space right up to the address you want, fly over the Kruger National Park, gaze at Kuta beach in Bali (Where 2 more terrorist bombs just helped their own tourism-industry slide even further.), take a nice 3D-look at Table Mountain, or find a restaurant in downtown Miami - the possibilities are endless. I went straight to my parents's house in Cape Town and got a close-up view of it. Not close enough to see if the lawn is mowed, but still.

For the geographically handicapped, the picture displayed is Florida, tilted to give a good view of what lies further North. (Click on the picture for a larger image.)