“Buy local” has become a popular retail catch phrase lately. But I have always loved buying locally made gifts, especially gifts in the realm of African arts and crafts. December seems like the best time to add this category to my Jozi Top Fives series.
Bank of Lisbon: The Implosion of a Jozi SkyScraper
Yesterday morning I watched the Bank of Lisbon Building, a 31-storey tower in downtown Joburg, fold inward on itself and collapse to the ground in a cloud of dust.
I photographed the implosion from just under three blocks away, on the eighth floor of Corner House – one of Joburg’s oldest and most iconic buildings – while peering through the porthole-shaped window of a turret with a giant jacuzzi tub in it.
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Green Chile Cheeseburgers (and Other Wonderful Things in New Mexico)
I lived 45 years without knowing there was such a thing as a green chile cheeseburger. Then I went to New Mexico and my world changed.
A quick word on spelling. In most of America, this spicy pepper is a “chili” with one L. In British English, it’s a “chilli” with two Ls. Due to Spanish influence in the southwestern United States, the spelling in that part of the world is “chile” – one L, one I, one E. (Learn more on merriam-webster.com.) Confusing, I know.
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2Winters: Colorado Snow
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.
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Jozi Restaurant Round-Up
When I first started 2Summers, I blogged about practically every Jozi restaurant I went to. (Even Spur.) I’m a bit more selective these days, as writing about every restaurant in town is neither feasible nor desirable. But I’ve been to quite a few interesting Jozi restaurants in the past few weeks, and as I don’t have time to write eight individual posts I’m lumping them all into one.
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My 2020 Challenge: 10 South African Towns
In June 2020 the 2Summers blog will turn ten years old.
One decade of blogging. This means I’ve been blogging for more than 20 percent of my life. It also means a baby born on the day I published my first post in June 2010 – here it is, in case you’re curious – is now old enough to actually read and comprehend this blog. It means I’ve currently published 951 blog posts, including this one, and will probably surpass the 1000-post mark in 2020.