A hike, a swim, and dinner with the Gauthiers, 22 Dec 2007

We spent Saturday with Randy and Heather Gauthier in Noordhoek, hiking up Chapman’s Peak and enjoying the beach that is just down the street from their flat. Believe it or not, but the Noordhoek Beach is 6 km/4 mi long!

Welcome to Cape Town, Craig!

On 16 Dec we gained a second houseguest: Craig Frey. Craig is a friend of Rachel’s working as a missionary in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They met and became friends through a missionary training conference in December 2006. We’re glad to have him here over the Christmas holiday! Julianna served a traditional South African breakfast for Rachel and Craig: bangers (or sausage; we enjoyed ours made from ostrich meat) and mash (-ed potatoes), plus caramelized onions, fried eggs, fried peppers, and fried tomatoes. Of course we also included toast!


The next night Craig made Stromboli for us (a Frey specialty). It was amazing!


A few days later we enjoyed dinner and the view from atop Signal Hill, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Three days in Tulbagh, entry #2: Activities on the farm and in the area

We visited several vineyards in the valley, toured a sparkling wine (“champagne”) cellar, and splurged on ‘gourmet’ chocolate and coffee at a chocolatier’s factory located on a traditional Cape Dutch farm, the buildings of which are dated from 1795. Every building lining Church Street in Tulbagh proper is a historical monument, most of them dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Three days in Tulbagh, 17 – 19 Dec

One goal of ours during Rachel’s visit was to rent a cottage somewhere in the mountains around Cape Town. We decided on Isle of Sky, a farm which produces plums, pears, and grapes and is nestled in the corner of a gorgeous valley about 2 hours from the city. We relaxed, read our books, wandered around the farm, and did a few wine-tastings at several vineyards in the valley. There are only two ways to reach Tulbagh, both of which require traversing narrow mountain passes. Along the way we had to stop for a passing troupe of baboons…



Tulbagh is nestled in a valley between the Witzenberg and Winterhoek mountain ranges.

A small Wheaton Academy reunion, 3 Dec

One evening in early December we enjoyed a mini-reunion of Wheaton Academy graduates: Jim ’97, Lindsey Henley ‘96, and Doug Scott ’95. Lindsey has been working at a home for young men here in Cape Town for several years. She is a dynamic, warm person who is one of the central leaders at this ministry. During those first insecure years of high school Doug was an important model for me; he often sought to help me feel comfortable and included. Now as a videographer for Willow Creek Church in Barrington, IL, Doug was concluding a shoot in Malawi and decided to stop in Cape Town for a few days. I had seen neither of them since high school (10 years ago!). It was a great to spend an evening with such wonderful people.

As the guest of honor, Doug requested gatsbys for dinner. What is a gatsby, you ask? Well, it’s something many of us might never consider creating but which slides down rather easily, settling itself firmly in the bottom two-thirds of one’s belly. It consists of a large sub-sandwich type roll filled with a heavy layer of soggy French fries, thick slices of polony (bologna) or split russians (a type of hot dog), and topped with lettuce and tomato. Yum-yum. I think I can handle maybe one of these every six months…