An American in South Africa

The balcony at Spike and Rose's home

You'll notice a little American influence when visiting my parents' home in Simon's Town, near Cape Town.   On their large second floor balcony, they have two welcoming Adirondack chairs.

The precursor to today's Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903.  He was on vacation in Westport, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains, and needed outdoor chairs for his summer home.  He tested the first designs on his family before arriving at the final design for the "Westport plank chair," made with 11 flat wooden boards, a straight back and seat, and wide armrests.

Today's Adirondack chairs usually feature a rounded back and contoured seat.  The founder of this style seems to be Irving Wolpin who designed his chair as early as 1938.

Once you sit back into this chair, it's easy to feel why it's so popular for outdoor use.  The flat, wide armrests even provide a convenient spot for a small plate or cup... or wineglass.

Credit for this post goes to Clodagh, who expressed that she can just picture our early-riser, Allyse, enjoying a cup of coffee in one of these Adirondack chairs as dawn breaks.

The large second floor balcony of Spike and Rose's home

The view from the balcony, looking towards the naval base

Spike with the binoculars out, enjoying an evening yacht race

Bianca and me, slightly windblown, taking in the view from the Adirondack chairs