It’s boiling hot in Joburg this week. But I’m in a winter wonderland in Colorado.
My best friend Claire lives in Colorado Springs and I’m visiting her, between visits to Washington D.C., Baltimore, Taos, Santa Fe, and Middlebury. It’s a long trip, happening right as autumn changes to winter, which means this year I’m kind of having 2Winters instead of 2Summers.
It snowed a few inches this morning – my first snowfall in nearly a decade – and it was the prettiest, fluffiest snow I’ve ever seen.
I went outside and discovered a soft, silent, snow-white utopia. Falling snow somehow makes sub-freezing temperatures feel less cold – I crunched around comfortably despite the 17° Fahrenheit (-8 Celsius) air. I had the best time taking photos.
My mom and I took a walk into town. The snow piled up on the colorful little Craftsman-style houses in the most delightful way.
I’m not usually crazy about winter weather but this beats the Joburg heat wave. I’m returning to summer next week.
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.