Christmas 4th of July Beach Party Mashup

Abe receiving his award at the end of year ceremony.

Abe and Zach began summer break two weeks ago. This was preceded by a week of the hearty self-congratulation that private schools excel at; picnics, awards ceremonies, and galas. On the whole, I still find it all pleasant. The weather has eased into a smooth trajectory through warm sunny days and cool nights. The holidays are coming, there's a certain buzz of familial emotion in the air. Shops are stocked with specialty meats, fudges, puddings, and cakes. The campus is abandoned, and the streets of Cape Town have lost some of their manic energy. The youth wear small clothing and big sunglasses. Somehow, all of this is familiar, but is triggering memories from several different times of the year, and at least one show that I saw once (ok, twice) on MTV. What was Jesus thinking, arriving on the longest day of the year? Right now, I'm having a hard time reflecting on anything deeper than my tan.

Leisure, here we come!

As pleasant as this backdrop may seem, there are hazards. Our routines are broken, there are no family or friends to fill the void. The requests for work from Northern Hemisphere colleges have slowed down. Left unattended, such periods of low stimulation can become distressing periods of listless boredom, quenched with mean spirited barbs, sibling combat, filial antagonism, and marital bickering.

But I don't want that. I've put my efforts into a serious and studied life of leisure. Not hard here, and perhaps becoming a recurring, even boring theme on this blog. What sorts of fun are the Johnson's up to now? New and different kinds of fun that you're going to love reading about!

Pomegranate cottage with pomegranate trees in foreground.

We celebrated the end of the school year by going to Citrusdal, which by car is some two hours north of Cape Town. We settled into 'the pomegranate cottage' which rests along the reservoir formed by a dam on a working citrus farm. The rhythms of the place were enjoyable; hot days and cool nights. Walks and runs were restricted to the mornings. Afternoons were reserved for swimming in the dam. Evenings we braaied over the coals of an open fire, then settled on a blanket under brilliant stars. All in all, a very good time.

We stayed cool by hiking up the creek bed.

I found the local nerd shop in Cape Town and bought the boys the 'Finland game of the year 2005'. As you might have guessed, what is big in Finland is usually pretty sweet. "Alhambra"; construct your Spanish wonder, impress the Sultan, manage your economy, crush your opponents. Something nice to do when not swimming.

There are some culturally interesting facts about the Ceaderburg /Citrusdal area. The land is primarily owned by Afrikaaners. Afrikaans is the the first language of most of the whites that live there. It's not a big tourist destination, the daytime temperatures are too high, and there isn't a lot to attract tourists. Without editorial, here are some observations (clues?) about the post-apartheid puzzle, as witnessed in Citrusdal:

Sunset posing, 'Merry Christmas, from the Johnsons'

Sunset from the stoop of the cottage.

• A team of 5 Africans were cleaning out the Mrs' Mercedes when we arrived.
• The workers quarters on this farm were some of the best I've ever seen, spacious and well kept. There were pleasant gardens, and satellite dishes on most. Nearby, there seemed to be a farm subsidized primary school and clinic. All very tidy.
• The Mrs. told us about her children. One is attending public primary school in Citrusdal. The other has started attending a private boarding school in Stellenbosch. She says that the public secondary schools are no longer an option in Citrusdal, and the primary schools are deteriorating quickly. Public schools were adequate 15, even 10 years ago. One of the hazards of having a team of Mercedes washers is that their children will join yours at the public school. But I'm editorializing.
• The Mrs. likes to hide behind some bushes near the house and steal a smoke when her husband is out. She's got a fluffy little dog that accompanies her.
• All the land west of the approach is for the laborers to grow what they like on. Presumably they keep the profits. It looks to be mostly grapes and tea and is a big track of land.

Jump in!

I'll leave as an exercise for the reader how all of this will all work out. That's enough for now. In a few days, I'll fill you in on our Christmas plans.