The Hosts with the Most!

I'm staying with Rich & Liz Boorman in Johannesburg! They're a fantastic British couple who've been living here several years. They have a beautiful home that they've graciously welcomed me into, and a brood of great pets who've already won my heart -- a solid black cat named Barney (who comes to snuggle for a bit around 6am each morning), a solid white lab named Kiara and a solid brown chocolate lab named Charlie (each dog is a bundle of personality and energy, and impressively well trained!). The Boormans have been so generous with me -- showing me the ropes in Joberg, carting me around, even hooking me up with a spare cell phone. They also mix an excellent gin & tonic, and pour a refreshing glass of wine, as a cool drink is a compulsory component to the world-class sunset viewings from their garden patio each afternoon (their backyard borders the Johannesburg Country Club, and the views are spectacular!).

How did I land such an incredible hook up? Well, now know I owe it all to Rich Boorman's significant buzz while enjoying a debauchery-filled reunion with his high school buddies on a recent trip to Orlando, FL!! You see Rich went to high school in Orlando, and was pals with some guys who I was friends with at FSU. On Rich's recent reunion visit, someone mentioned I was heading to South Africa, and Rich insisted they put me in touch with him, as it would be the "African way" to have me stay with him & Liz -- an insistence I recently learned he didn't even recall until he received my email introducing myself and asking if it was really okay to come & stay! :) He confessed this over dinner the other night! I sure hope he & Liz are not in complete regret, and moreover, I hope to wind up living somewhere fabulous one day to return the favor -- they are really great fun to spend time with.

Oh, and by the way, I checked the college football scores quickly -- is Wake Forest going to take the ACC?? (Congrats Beth -- you better be watching!)

Mere