Bright Morning Light: Summer, in December?

Finally, the day had come. I was so very excited! I carted my (very) heavy suitcases down the stairs of L'Internat (the dorm) and waited in the lobby for my ride. She arrived a short time later and we loaded my suitcases into the back of the van. It was shortly after 4pm and I was itching to be on my way. I said goodbye to Jazzi and jumped into the van. Arriving at the airport a short time later, I unloaded my suitcases and carted them across the road and into the airport. I checked into my flight and then wandered off to my gate.
About 18 hours later I stepped off the plane and into the Cape Town International Airport. My family was there to greet me and I was whisked off to a day of sightseeing and fun. After visiting the Pier we headed off to a boat tour of seal island. I laughed at the seals and took pictures of the mountains before settling down in the oh-so-warm sun for a relaxing nap. A short few hours later we found ourselves at Kirstenbosh gardens for a relaxing picnic and Carols by Candlelight. Sufficiently tired, I fell asleep quickly once we arrived home.
The next morning was a flourish of activity as we packed up our stuff and piled into the vehicles for a camping weekend in the Cederberg Mountains. We had a little cottage in the valley where we could step out the door right onto a mountain. However there were only two rooms in the cottage where the married people stayed while the rest of us camped out on the lawn out front - Bruce and Liam actually in their tent. The rest of us, Erica, Craig, Lyndon, and I camped out on the lawn with blankets and air mattresses. The view was beautiful as we could look up at the stars sparkling brightly above the top of the mountains.
Our Sabbath activity was a climb up to the Cracks. Which, as the name implies, were large cracks in rocks. Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Erica, Craig, Lyndon, and I spent the day climbing in and around rocks before heading back to the cottage for a delicious meal. We spent some time swimming in the creek, but since it was cold we probably spent more time laying in the sun. The weekend concluded with a visit to climb some bigger rocks before heading back to Cape town.
The rest of Christmas break was spent relaxing and doing various other activities. We spent time at the beach and time at the mall. Other time was spent having meals together or just vegged out in Lyndsay and Francois's house.
One day was spent on an excursion to Table Mountain and Cape Point. We piled into the cars and headed to Cape Point first. True to form, the Point was very windy. We climbed up to the lighthouse and then took the trail around to the lookout. Doing our best not to get blown right off the mountain, we clambered around taking pictures and trying our best not to eat our hair. After seeing what there was to see, we drove back around to a beach where we set up a picnic lunch. Excitedly, we noticed a herd (group, bunch?...) of Ostriches wandering around.
The next stop was Table Mountain. We had a picnic supper out the back of our cars before standing in the line to go up the mountain. We arrived at the top of the mountain a little bit of time before sunset and spent time wandering around the trail on the plateau before sitting to watch the sun dip below the horizon. Tired from a full day, we then headed back home to enjoy rest and sleep.
For Christmas weekend we headed to Lyndsay and Francois's farm. The beautiful farm allowed us with time to rest, sleep, swim, and play. We spent quite a bit of time playing croquet or cricket out on the lawn before playing games in the pool. I quite enjoyed the warm breezes and sounds that wafted through my perch in the hammock on the front porch. We had many delicious meals and fun times. On Sunday (I think) we headed to the creek/river nearby to swim in a natural pool. For some reason, we decided to take the trail around, which involved clambering around and over logs and ferns. Somehow, Erica managed to get a piece of fern stuck in her leg and subsequently passed out. We spent the next... oh probably half an hour... tramping down the remainder of the trail and well... Lyndon and Mom enjoyed the creek. It was rather unfortunate for Erica but as I'm fascinated with wounds and injuries I found it rather exciting and invigorating to help her recover from shock and later extract the thorn. I wish I had the picture because it was quite an impressive thorn. (probably 3 inches long and 1/4 inch wide.)

Our departure from SA happened in waves. Erica and Craig left on Monday evening (or Tuesday?) when we got back from the farm. The next day Grandpa, Dad, Lyndon, Liam, and I took an excursion to Spier - a wildlife rescue place - where we hung out with cheetahs for a while. That evening, Dad, Mom, and Lyndon left and I moved from staying in Lyndsay and Francois's house to hanging out with Grams, Gramps, Liam, and Bruce at Grams and Gramps's house. In true Gramps and Grams fashion we spent the time just chillin' before I left the next afternoon around 5.

The journey was terribly long and I was well tired by the time I landed in Chicago. A short time later I was back at home, for the first time in four months. It was good to be home.