Before I get into more show and tell about the fun we had (and the amazing food we ate) in Cape Town, I have to tell you that the trip was
exactly what I needed after the exhausting and heartbreaking year that was 2010. (Don't get me wrong, there were some high points to 2010 -- not least among them starting this blog and connecting with some amazing people through it -- but I'm hoping 2011 is... uneventful.)
I returned from our trip feeling rested, happy and blessed to have married into a family of such smart, creative, funny, generous, kind, warm, loving and close-knit people -- people with whom I would absolutely choose to be friends if I weren't related to them. Knowing how hectic (and sleep deprived) our lives are -- especially now that we're raising a puppy -- our family made sure we could do (or
not do) whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Which for the first two weeks was pretty much nothing.
Okay, I'm speaking for myself, because Laird worked on his right hand drive American cars (a 1970 Mach 1 Mustang and a
1956 Chevy). I, on the other hand, lounged around, slept, read several books, played with kittens, played in the kitchen with my sisters in law, did a few improvised Bar Method workouts, hiked around the beach and napped. A lot.
We also had some fantastic outings with family and friends, about which I'm working on separate posts. In the meantime, below are some photos from our first two weeks at Llandudno. See if you can spot (pun intended) the point at which my camera lens acquired a spot that I didn't notice until the end of our trip. Awesome.
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The view from the deck. (Doesn't it look like the house has a bushy beard that I'm shooting over?)
And that's not editing, folks -- the sky and water are really that blue, if not more so. |
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| One of my favorite lounge spots. |
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| The view from across the beach. The sand is white and clean, and feels like velvet underfoot. |
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Vintage life guard lookout.
There was swell all but one day of our trip, but the water is about 45 degrees F. Brr. |
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| Lizzie, the rock lizard I befriended on a hike. |
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| Pride and joy. |
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| Mimzy the kitteh. |
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| One of the dozens of scones I baked. |
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| Salad ingredients. |
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| Peppers roasted on the braai. |
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| More salad ingredients. |
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| Sister in law Maya's homemade quinoa salad. That girl can cook... |
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| ...and bake. (Maya's mini cheesecakes.) |
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| Maya's almond biscotti. |
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Last but not least, sister in law Tyler's batch of Buzz Buzz cookies. She nailed it -- they were perfect.
(Note to self: back away from the food, Maggie. This shot would be so much better if I'd stepped back a foot.) |
