tim is running around an abandoned house that sits on a hill above the lagoon. 
when he wasn't running around, he was eating sand and dirt, earning a case of worms for his effort
our picnic
this position allows him to get the optimum amount of dirt in his mouth and up his noseTim's Great Aunt Cath warned me about worms in the Western Cape, so I bought de-worming medication the morning that we departed. It can be given even if worms aren't detected. I didn't want to give it to him while we were traveling. Two days after returning home, he started to constantly scratch at his bum and was very restless at night, kicking and squirming. We never saw the worms, tiny white threads, but I'm sure that he had them. After the three-day dosage, his discomfort disappeared. Thanks Cath!
around cape town
Aunt Melissa organized a play date for Tim with the children, Sarah and Ollie, of two of her friends. We met them at the Blue Train, a small train that children can ride around a park beside the sea. The train was being repaired, but with a few rand from Grand-da, the men that were on duty pushed Tim up and down the platform. Lissa and Gran rode with him.
all aboard!
lissa and tim on the trainSarah has a large vocabulary of animal sounds and through her example and the expert tutelage of Aunt Lissa, Tim began to produce 'roar' for lion and 'sssss' for snake on demand.
play date with Lissa's friendstokai forest and the barnyard for lunch
Wanting to limit the amount of travel that Tim had to endure so close to the long flight, Jenny and Neville suggested an outing at Tokai forest. We planned to eat lunch there, but the restaurant was closed. We took a short walk through the lush forest of mostly alien and towering trees. We all decided that Tim looked like Christopher Robin as he walked along the path and, you guessed it, ate dirt.
christopher robin?Because the Tokai restaurant was closed, we went to a farm with all kinds of animals for children to view. Tim was able to play in the large sand pit as well as see pigs, goats and all kinds of birds. It's the perfect place to take kids.
enjoying the animals with grand-dathe spur
The Spur is a restaurant in South Africa similar to Red Robin in the United States. They serve great burgers, and Tim recommends their milkshakes. The theme is an American West theme, dominated by pictures and statues of Native American Indians.
yummy milkshake
probably wouldn't get away with this in the america, but tim and i enjoyed itThe flight home was almost a replay of the flight over. The long flight from Jburg to DC had more people on board, so we didn't have as much space to spread out, but Tim did get his own seat, and we were in the section where there are just two seats: one on the isle and one window seat. He slept, but I didn't. Our stop in Dakar was interesting in that the plane was treated to a high security search. Every unoccupied seat was thoroughly searched, including removing the cushions. We also had to take our baggage out of the overhead bin and stand next to our seat with it. Obviously, the US has strict security procedures that South Africa doesn't have. The jet lag was a little easier. I do better going west than I do east. It helped that Tim was in his own bed and in his own room. Paul was a dear, getting up in the night and early in the morning even though he had to work. Being pregnant certainly made the travel and the jet lag harder, and I wouldn't do it again, but watching Tim with his family was worth every bit of lost sleep and every ache and pain. As the only grandchild, he is the chosen one. It was a joy beyond words to watch Tim with his Great-Gran. Every member of Paul's family lavished him with attention and love. Jenny and Neville, thank you for bringing us to Cape Town and giving us this priceless gift.
