This afternoon I found myself browsing through an external hard drive of Jon’s. I came upon this photo.
2Summers enjoying coconut juice, straight from the source, at the Newtown Diwali Festival. (Photo courtesy of Jon/Joe.)
Jon, formerly known as Joe, took this photo in October at the Newtown Diwali Festival. I had planned to write a blog post about the festival, but it turned out to be rather boring and I never wrote about it. So I never asked Jon to give me the picture. I hadn’t seen it until today. Unbeknownst to me, he must have PhotoShopped it after the festival and then saved it on his hard drive.
As far as I remember, this is the last picture Jon took of me.
Many people don’t realize this about me, but I’m a little bit vain. I love having my photo taken. Comfort in front of the camera was bred into me from an early age by my dad, who is a photographer.
This is one of the reasons why Jon and I got on so well. I love being in front of the camera and he loved being behind it, especially when I was the subject.
Stumbling across the last photo Jon ever took of me inspired me to go dig up the first photo he ever took of me, snapped almost five years ago in Tanzania.
Taken at the Nkoaranga Orphanage, March 2007. The child’s name is Emmanuel. Read more about the day this photo was taken here. (Photo courtesy of Jon/Joe.)
Thank God for digital photography.
In fact, Jon took several lovely pictures of me on that trip to Tanzania. I’ve shared them below. (As I said, I’m vain. And Jon was really good at making me look nice in photos.)
All of these were taken as part of AIDS Walk Africa 2007, a fundraiser for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
I love how the baby is staring at me like I come from another planet. (Photo courtesy of Jon/Joe.)
Also taken at the Nkoaranga Orphanage. I love this baby. His name is Praygod. I often wonder where he is today. (Photo courtesy of Jon/Joe.)
Taken at the Nkoanekoli Primary School. I’ve shared this photo in my blog before but never tire of it. (Photo courtesy of Jon/Joe.)
The last time Jon and I saw each other was about two weeks before he died. It wasn’t a good day for either of us. But I’ll never forget one of the last things he said to me. He said, ‘Joe loves 2Summers’.
Thank God I have these photos to remind me of that.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.