Cricketing World Leaders!

It's hard to believe, but the South African national cricket team - the Proteas - are now leading the pack on the LG ICC One Day International Cricket World Rankings. Yes, we're numero uno heading into the World cup to be held in the West Indies later this month.

This came after the South African demolition of Pakistan and Australia's unexpected loss of form. I stayed up untill the wee hours of the morning twice, glued to the screen for the Kiwi's two come-from-behind wins against the Aussies in the recent Chappel-Hadlee Series. The most incredible two matches I've ever watched apart from THAT game last year between Aus. and SA.

Points
Rating
South Africa
128
Australia
125
New Zealand
111

Homework Taboo?

The Washington Post reported last week about the California legislature that has received a proposal that homework be banned in public schools.
Yes, that homework be made illegal, because it places to much of a burden on the poor kids, who has no time to just be that - kids.
That's right. Don't teach children responsibility. The same as my earlier mention of the total lack of accountability we notice parents display, and not just in Miami.
Sounds like cracks in the dam's wall...

Laser Tag

Thought I'd be too old to enjoy this, but it was grrreat!

Here's a bunch of us friends afterwards at the venue in Fort Lauderdale.

The Importance Of Being Earnest...

Jupiter, Florida's East Coast

Die uitgestrekte wit strande van Florida se Ooskus, 90 myl Noord van Miami.

Die foto is geneem sowat 2 myl van Jupiter Inlet, die rykste residentiële area in die VSA. Tiger, Nick Price en ander bekendes het elk 'n ou plekkie hier naby om die mooi strande en warm weer te geniet.

Jonathan Dickinson State Park - Part ll

The park has some nice walking trails and Sarah, Art, Adele and I even tried an hour-long one.

I've found that the term "hiking trail" has a very different connotation in the US of A than in South Africa. A hiking trail in the Republic is typically something you do spending anything from a few hours to a few days doing, often impying that you carry some provisions with you for the journey. Having a nice hut with beds and firewood, as provided by the friendly SA Parks Board, waiting at the end of a day's hike, is something totally foreign to Sarah. In the American Hiking Bible, according to Sarah Bouwer, you carry your own tent and you "rough" it!

Oh yes, the Park.... The Lokahotchee River runs through it, with awesome mangroe swamps, aligators, bobcats, deer, the works! Great cayaking available too.

Op die hiking trail kom ons af op 'n armadillo. Nog 'n ernstige dom dier! Nadat ek hom 'n paar keer gekiek het, is ek toe nuuskierig om Gertjie se gevreetjie te sien, maar hy grawe net gat, sy gatkant steeds in ons rigting. Eers toe ek agter hom gaan staan en kug wat gehasie besef potensieel is daar gevaar naby en toe's dit 'n affêre soos hy army-rolle doen en wegskarrel. As ek 'n slang was...

Jonathan Dickinson State Park - Hobe Mountain

This past long weekend we visited Jonathan Dickinson State Park, between Jupiter and Stuart, about 100 miles North of Miami. We visited - and ascended - Hobe "mountain", the highest natural point South of Lake Okeechobee, all 86 feet of it!
The 10-minute walk up to the peak was strenuous and left us flatlanders quite breathless! Not being used to overlooking anything in Florida, the view was very pretty. The observation tower gives a view of the Atlantic Ocean, the intracoastal waterway, the entire expanse of the park, as well as a glimpse of Tiger Wood's East Coast home on the Jupiter Inlet.


Bottom Pic: Optical Illusion. Although the walkway appears to be slanting upwards, it is dropping down.

Miami's East Coast

Driving straight East from where we live, you'll hit Deering Estate eventually, a preserved area in Pinecrest, Miami.

This is what the East coast of Florida looks like, from Miami Southwards towards the Keys (picture). Far off you can faintly make out the skyscrapers of South Beach.

Instead of sandy beaches, it is mangrove swamps that provides an estuary to many animals. And check out the water! Like a mirror - awesome for cayaking.

These Days...

If anyone can give me Time Management advice, I'll pay you!
With the recent departure of our Director, our Office have taken on several new projects and now it feels like time is disappearing faster than I can make use of it. It kinda slips through the fingers. But its all incredibly exciting.
Still, is this our calling? Each one in his own corner, toiling away. What is ultimately the value added? Sarah and I are contemplating, praying, seeking, for Biblically there is certainly much, much more:

It reminded me of a quote by George Bernard Shaw that always inspires me:

"This is the true joy in life - that being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. That being a force of nature, instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work the more I live.
I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It's a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations."

Wave Boarding!

Saturday we went wave-boarding. They went, I tried... Still awesome.
Here's Grant being skillful at dusk, Las Olas area, Fort Lauderdale.

Besige Week-Dae

Hierdie M.B.A.-kursussie verwag baie van vlees en bloed hierdie week. Hy druk my gort kwansuis op 'n knop en my wange trek hol van die spanning net om hierdie week met sy Organizational Diagnostic deur te sien.
My hoof het gister bedank en Ontwikkeling-sake reen neer op hierdie skouerknoppies, juis h-i-e-rdie week.

"Captain, I canna hol' her, we'ra losin' power!"

(Vlge Blog-bydrae sal dus effe vertraag wees!!)))

Anniversary

Sunday happened to be our 2-year anniversary.
Had the shower filled with balloons and a card saying something regarding "showering you with warm wishes or blessings..." Hehehe...

Superbowl 2007 - Miami

After two weeks of city-wide preparations, and pre-pre-pre-pre-final shows, the Superbowl happened on Sunday night - in spectacular fashion - for more than one reason. (It's the American Currie cup-final, Afrikaners.)

Apart from the Halftime show and the TV ads, the game was electrifying. In a bruising encounter, quarterback Payton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears 29-17.

Coach Tony Dungy is the first African American coach to win the Superbowl in it's 43-year history. This is big news in the States.

What was very special, was when Dungy stated that it's the first time that the coaches from both teams were born-again Christian believers. and he humbly and clearly gave praise where Praise was due.

Even before he said it, it was clear that there was something different about this guy. Dit was fantasties. And refreshing, in an age where admitting you're a christian in public, is taboo. What an example to the millions of kids who were watching.

Prince entertaining FOOTBALL fans during the halftime show. It's like having Nataniel replace Steve Hofmeyer at Loftus. The mind boggles.

Laastens, en liewer in Afrikaans - Die aankondiger oorhandig toe die troefee aan, soos hy dit gestel het, die nuwe "Wereldkampioene".... But this time the game came second and a coach shifted the focus to more important things.

(Pictures courtesy of SI. The Colts are in white.)

Another Successful Event Completed!

Wednesday evening our Development Department were responsible for hosting a hugely successful Scholarship Award Evening.

Here's me and Andrea in the aftermath of a hurricane-like week leading up to the event.

A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y

Sarah come's home with weekly horror stories of injustice - how teachers are treated by parents at her "upperclass" public school. Somehow teachers are held accountable for EVERYthing - from the child's bad behaviour, to poor grades to homework not handed in.

Let's calculate:
Sarah has 3 classes, with an average of 20 students/class. She spends an hour and a half per class, which comes down to about 4.5 minutes/child/day = 22.5 minutes/week that she theoretically has to spend with each child.

Of course, parents only have evenings after school AND weekends to monitor their child's academic diligence and progress. How can they possibly be expected to take ownership for their child AND also RAISE their kids.
Let's rather blame the teacher! It's much easier for the accountability of education and raising of the child to be placed onto the educators' broad shoulders. It's their job, isn't it!

"The Buck Stops Here," seems a long forgotten saying.

Kragdadige(-lose) Kaapstad

Part 12 - Cycling in the Everglades National Park

Dis die voor-laaste dag wat die Bouwers hier kuier, maar Marli, Sarah en J.P. besluit ons moet uitglip vir 'n rukkie wyl die ouers inpak en wegpak voor hulle die grote terugreis aanpak.
Shark Valley in die Everglades was met al ons vorige kuiergaste telkens 'n wenner en Sarah voel haar gestel het lug en lig nodig. It is also the US's only sub-tropical wildernis. Shark Valley it is.

Sowat 20 myl van ons huis af, vanuit Aligator Alley wat Oos-Wes strek dwarsdeur die Everglades strek, is 'n 15 myl fietsroete in Indiaan-kontrei, kompleet met 'n uitkyktoring by die halfpadmerk.

The South-Florida sawgrass with the "islands" of trees, reminds very much of the Highveld, of an African scene. Only here are aligators, deer and waterbirds alien to the Dark Continent.

We saw a Great Blue Heron trying to gulp down a fish three times the size of it's thin throat. It was quite funny watching the big wading bird's antics as it tried everything to get the food in it's stomach!

'n Verfrissende rit en as julle kom kuier, is dit julle beurt. Dalk sorg ek dat ons volgende keer 'n aligator-toebroodjie proe.

Part 11 - The Fish Farm

Ons goeie vrint Michael Joubert van forelplaas-faam Suid langs die Everglades het goedgunstiglik ingestem om my ouers die prosesse met die forelle te wys.
Wyl ons daar was, het ons dan ook 'n terplaatse ondersoek geloods met Mike as gedugte gids. Ons was gelukkig om te sien hoe die forel ge-oes word ook en dan's dit nog so vrekmooi langs die Everglades se water ook.

'n Paar duisend kg vis is ge-oes, en almal is bestem om opgeroep te word vir hoër diens in die beste restaurante in New York en Tokio. Dis 'n ander tipe visvang-storie om te vertel daai!

Part 10 - Second Cruise

Na hierdie besige week was almal reg vir 'n blaaskansie. Ons het die Bouwers terstonds Sondag gaan aflaai by Miami Port vir hul tweede vaart oor die oseaan, na eilande waarvan ek nog net droom. Die groot spul saamreisende skare op die skip het my effe afgesit, alhoewel die weelde en die verskriklike hoeveelheid kos my laat kwyl het. Dit moet sonde wees. Dis 'n grote vakansie wat vir my Pa-le voorlê.

Middagete saam met Tian op die skip was heerlik. Ek sien my broer min deur die jaar en dis lekker om te sien waar die siel leef en speel.

Part 9 - Miami

The week before their second weeklong cruise, my family spend with us in Miami. Seven days were a very restricted time for me to show them where we live - "our valley".

Sarah and I took them everywhere we thought they'd find cool. And in the end - guess what excited my sister Marli and JP the most - the USPS truck and plain ol' Burger King and Taco Bell!

Pictures: Ice hockey game in Kendall, Sunday afternoon. This was pretty exciting and I'm glad they got to experience the fastest game on earth.

Second picture: The UPS truck seemed to have all of Marli's attention. She loved the little Postman Pat truck.

3rd Picture: Marli and J.P. at Bayside, a huge mall on the waterfront where the yachts dock and the cruise ships come in, close to Downtown Miami. Very similar to the Waterfront in Cape Town, a little spiced up with Latino bands and influence.

Picture: J.P. on South Beach. This was their favorite place. For any hotblooded man, of course! But South Beach has a funky young vibe, lots of restaurants, clubs, artsy shops, galleries, cobble stone streets. There's always a chance you'll see a celebrity here - and of course it's recognizable if you watch CSI Miami or have watched Miami Vice.

Last picture: I took them to a real old-style diner for lunch and milk shakes. They were "oo-ing" and "aaaa-ing" just like I did the first time I stepped into one. This is Sarah and my big joke. She hates American food and I love it!