Presidents, Markets and life

Yes I know it's been a while since I shared my worldly wisdom with you all. I'm back.

Goodness, it's been a busy few weeks.

Hurricane Ike caused major havoc, wiping out homes along the coast. Residents who live along the coast could not get back for weeks to assess the damage. Another good reason why I live in Denver.

The US Economy seems to have lost the plot. Financial institutions going bankrupt and having to be bailed out by the US Government. AIG, Lehman Bros, Freddie Mac and Fanny May mortgage giants, and last but not least, Wall Street itself. You'll be excused about thinking back to the great depression.

Wall Street dropped more than 700 points yesterday when the bailout of $700 billion was rejected by the House of Representatives. Not sure on what's going to happen next, at this point anything can happen.

South Africa has also seen some major changes in government. So Mbeki's out and Motlanthe's in. I'm keen to see this story unfold. I really hope that things get better and that SA grows back to the amazing place that we know and love. After all, "I am an African"...

Work has been interesting, challenging. Still feeling a little like a fish out of water, but I guess it will take some time to get the lay of the land, watch this space...

One of the beautiful things about Colorado is the changing of the seasons. Fall is in the air, the leaves are changing, the Aspens are almost gold in colour and the weather's stunning, not too hot and not too cold. We enjoyed a great drive up to Mount Evans to witness this amazing sight, stunning!

We were lucky to see such an amazing sighting of elk at the Evergreen Golf Course. All the males were making the mating calls, and there were tons of elk walking on the practice green right in front of us. I took some pics but the Blackberry was not on top form.

One of the highlights of my week was going to my first Ice-Hockey game, to see the Denver team, the Avalanches. Melissa got a some free tickets, it's great to have friends that can organise. This is definitely my favourite US sport now, def beats baseball. The players fly on the ice, every now and again, crashing into each other into the glass. The vibe, music and fast pace of the game is fantastic to watch.

Outside the Pepsi-Centre in Downtown Denver - where they play Ice-Hockey

Chris and I then enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Breckenridge, to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. I can not believe it's been 2 years, so much has happened, we've done in 2 years what some people do in their lifetime.

Stunning drive to Breck

A golden aspen tree in a Breckenridge street



The streets of Breckenridge

Breckenridge was amazing, it has this European feel, quaint little shops and sidewalk cafes. All we needed was the snow, but we were a month early. Chris booked this amazing lodge, Pine Ridge, complete with fireplace. Definitely my favourite skiing spot thus far.

Our Lodge

We decided to try our hand at Ice-skating, we almost had the outside rink to our selves as they were playing ice-hockey on the inside rink.

Very tiring

Chris was a natural and was soon skating around like a pro. I on the other hand felt like a spaz, falling on my ass, almost taking out my elbow. Apparently most of the parks create outdoor ice-rinks in winter, our park is one of them, so I would love to get this right, it could be tons of fun.

Halloween fever is all around. October 31st is when all the witches and goblins come out. Here were having some fun at out local Walmart. It's an improvement, don't you think?

Well, that's all my news for now. I'm off to Dallas for the first time next week, looking forward to it, so keep checking for the latest news on my new life.