FISH HOEK and CAPE TOWN, South Africa, October 9, 2005 — I can't believe it's my last full day here. Where did the time go?

We have tea planned but we aren't due at the elegant Mt. Nelson until 2:45. I go to the nearby store for papers. I eat a little yogurt and muesli and some strawberries.

Mags' son was gone when I got up. He returns from a 100 kilometer bike ride and heads for his golf game.

I go for another walk to the beach. I hope I'll see whales but I don't.

I head back and we dress up and go to Sue and Brian's. They will drive us into Cape Town to the Mt. Nelson hotel. As we enter the property on a drive lined with (they aren't indigenous here) palm trees a guy in a decidedly colonial uniform snaps us a salute. We are shown to our table for eight and while we wait for the others I walk around the garden. When we are all assembled, we get little plates of sandwiches and other savories and sweets of all manner, and consume them with our tea. I have tea, too, in honor of the occasion.

We talk about all sorts of subjects. At one stage we talk about mistaken identity between relatives. Sue's friend was an identical twin. After she died, her twin was visiting her niece from Canada and people were shocked, thinking that she'd been resurrected. This story prompted another woman whose sister was disabled in a car accident at a young age to describe bumping into someone who thought she was her sister and had been miraculously cured of needing a wheelchair. Of course, this reminded me of the time my disabled sister, using a cane and walking into my club with Forrest and my dad while I parked the car, was asked by someone "what happened to you!?" thinking that the person they were seeing was me, post accident or stroke.

A pleasant group. Hard to say goodbye to all of them. Who knows if I'll ever be back to invite them to tea? I passed around Austin's own Lammes Candy Texas Chewies (pecan pralines) and T-Shirts, hats, tote bags and magnets with versions of this logo on it.

We headed back after checking out the elegant restrooms. Brian and Sue had us in and an impromptu drinks party ensued. We sat around and talked for a couple of hours. I wish all these people lived a few thousand miles closer so I could see them more often.

I have to go home tomorrow? So when we get back to Mags' I pack up everything but my toiletries and the clothes I'm going to wear.