While Andy and I are planning to take off on our travels, our friend Margaret is currently laid up recovering from her second major back surgery. This was the second attempt to correct the curvature of her spine from scoliosis. She's started a blog to tell her story and track her progress and if you're interested, I'd definitely recommend taking a look! (Be sure to see the x-rays at the bottom.)
We hate that she's struggling with a long recovery just as the weather is getting nice, but we'll be thinking about her and she's got lots of friends and family to keep her company... and Bryan at her beck and call!
Wishing you the best Maggie!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Start of Summer
I know any mention of summer probably doesn't go over well with my family and friends in Joplin (and that whole area) because they've been buried in ice for several days now as winter rolls in. Missouri has declared a state of emergency, has thousands without power and from the pictures I saw, a lot of destruction - trees, power lines, etc. Luckily, my family is safe and (somewhat) warm and are working through the storm. Here are the pictures my mom posted.
Lucky for me, on the other side of the world, things are warming up nicely for summer! There have still been plenty of gloomy, cloudy, rainy days mixed with stretches of sun, but we've learned that that's just how things are on an island. However, the pohutukawa trees are blooming red all around and it's looking very festive for the holidays! The temperature has been steadily increasing and oddly enough, the South Island has been even sunnier and warmer... and that just happens to be where we're headed!
Tomorrow morning we leave for the Nelson region on the north coast of the South Island. On Monday we'll take the huge ferry from Wellington to Picton w/ our car in tow. The first week we're staying on a beach in Kaiteriteri just minutes away from the Abel Tasman National Park (it's stunning from the photos we've seen). For the second week we'll be in French Pass, Marlborough Sounds at a "sea safari & accommodation" resort where we hope to get up close and personal with some marine life. After Christmas there, we'll have a few more days to wander around Nelson and celebrate New Year's. We're planning lots of "tramping", sea kayaking, fishing (for Andy), and relaxing with a veiw!
We'll be missing family this year, but we're thinking of you all and wish you a Merry Christmas! Thanks to our families who sent us presents so we have something to put under our tree (if we find one). Enjoy the holidays and we'll keep you posted on our "holiday"!
Lucky for me, on the other side of the world, things are warming up nicely for summer! There have still been plenty of gloomy, cloudy, rainy days mixed with stretches of sun, but we've learned that that's just how things are on an island. However, the pohutukawa trees are blooming red all around and it's looking very festive for the holidays! The temperature has been steadily increasing and oddly enough, the South Island has been even sunnier and warmer... and that just happens to be where we're headed!
Tomorrow morning we leave for the Nelson region on the north coast of the South Island. On Monday we'll take the huge ferry from Wellington to Picton w/ our car in tow. The first week we're staying on a beach in Kaiteriteri just minutes away from the Abel Tasman National Park (it's stunning from the photos we've seen). For the second week we'll be in French Pass, Marlborough Sounds at a "sea safari & accommodation" resort where we hope to get up close and personal with some marine life. After Christmas there, we'll have a few more days to wander around Nelson and celebrate New Year's. We're planning lots of "tramping", sea kayaking, fishing (for Andy), and relaxing with a veiw!
We'll be missing family this year, but we're thinking of you all and wish you a Merry Christmas! Thanks to our families who sent us presents so we have something to put under our tree (if we find one). Enjoy the holidays and we'll keep you posted on our "holiday"!
Friday, December 7, 2007
Yachting
Last weekend Bryan took us out on "Megastar", his family's yacht, for a great weekend! We had a little sun and enough wind to do some sailing around the Hauraki Gulf. We picked up Margaret's friend Liz on our second morning and took a nice walk in Mahurangi and saw some great views of the harbor. We dredged for scallops which was really exciting. Andy helped shuck them and we cooked them for an appetizer that night... can't get any fresher! Fishing for snapper was good too. Andy caught 3 and I caught the fourth... not bad for our first time sea fishing! We also had a (cold) swim, ate and drank lots and relaxed... not a bad way to start the summer!
I didn't get any pictures of the the cabin or exterior this year, but it's an impressive 45 footer that sleeps 6, with 2 toilets, a full kitchen and living room. Granted, the only available shower is off the back deck, but otherwise, it's quite comfortable! Bryan has been sailing all his life (recreationally and competitively) and it's pretty amazing to watch him run the whole operation. Margaret has also been sailing with him for years and contributes a lot and they got us involved too. After all this, Andy's ready to learn to sail and buy his own boat! :)
Here's a few of the photos (be SURE to check out the rest on Picasa):
I didn't get any pictures of the the cabin or exterior this year, but it's an impressive 45 footer that sleeps 6, with 2 toilets, a full kitchen and living room. Granted, the only available shower is off the back deck, but otherwise, it's quite comfortable! Bryan has been sailing all his life (recreationally and competitively) and it's pretty amazing to watch him run the whole operation. Margaret has also been sailing with him for years and contributes a lot and they got us involved too. After all this, Andy's ready to learn to sail and buy his own boat! :)
Here's a few of the photos (be SURE to check out the rest on Picasa):
Kiwi/American Thanksgiving
(23 November 2007)
Happy Thanksgiving!
We just finished up our Thanksgiving and had a really nice evening at our landlord's! They went to so much work to make a traditional Thanksgiving feast for us (with a few Kiwi touches) and did a great job! We finally met Chas and Diane's kids, Brad and Amy (who are a couple years older than us), and we all had a nice time drinking wine on the balcony as the sun set over the harbor then had a big dinner that was finished off by our pumpkin pie.
They went to so much work to celebrate this very American holiday with us... a "Happy Thanksgiving" sign, a turkey (roasted on the grill) with all the trimmings, and the good china. :) We filled them in on traditional celebrating at home and they loved the idea of a holiday where you're only required to eat and hang out with friends and family (with no presents required)!
Andy and I spend all yesterday evening, well into the early morning, making pumpkin and apple pies from SCRATCH! Canned pumpkin is unheard of here, so we had to roast and puree our own and Andy peeled, sliced and prepared apple filling by hand. It was a first for both of us, and we were really sad when the apple pie burnt on the bottom, but the pumpkin was a HUGE success. (Turns out the apple was really good too when we ate it for breakfast today ;), minus the bottom crust). New Zealanders don't eat pumpkin pie, only roast pumpkin, so this was quite a novelty... and they were fans! Good thing we made two, because we ended up leaving one there for them to finish off and share with their friends.
(The pumpkins here are small and pale green on the outside... we used some butternuts too.)
Happy Thanksgiving!
We just finished up our Thanksgiving and had a really nice evening at our landlord's! They went to so much work to make a traditional Thanksgiving feast for us (with a few Kiwi touches) and did a great job! We finally met Chas and Diane's kids, Brad and Amy (who are a couple years older than us), and we all had a nice time drinking wine on the balcony as the sun set over the harbor then had a big dinner that was finished off by our pumpkin pie.
They went to so much work to celebrate this very American holiday with us... a "Happy Thanksgiving" sign, a turkey (roasted on the grill) with all the trimmings, and the good china. :) We filled them in on traditional celebrating at home and they loved the idea of a holiday where you're only required to eat and hang out with friends and family (with no presents required)!
Andy and I spend all yesterday evening, well into the early morning, making pumpkin and apple pies from SCRATCH! Canned pumpkin is unheard of here, so we had to roast and puree our own and Andy peeled, sliced and prepared apple filling by hand. It was a first for both of us, and we were really sad when the apple pie burnt on the bottom, but the pumpkin was a HUGE success. (Turns out the apple was really good too when we ate it for breakfast today ;), minus the bottom crust). New Zealanders don't eat pumpkin pie, only roast pumpkin, so this was quite a novelty... and they were fans! Good thing we made two, because we ended up leaving one there for them to finish off and share with their friends.
(The pumpkins here are small and pale green on the outside... we used some butternuts too.)
Day Trip North
At the end of October, we took a day trip north of Auckland. We had our favorite NZ beef pizza (hard to find around here) in Wellsford at a little cafe and stopped to take a few pictures along the roadside on the way.
Pakiri beach was our main destination and was a beautiful, huge, white sand beach. There wasn't much sun, but we spent some time there taking photos and enjoying the view... and planning to come back in warmer weather.
On the way back we stopped off at some scenic overlooks and Goat Island Marina, which we saw for the first time in the sun. We could finally see some fish off the rocks!
Pakiri beach was our main destination and was a beautiful, huge, white sand beach. There wasn't much sun, but we spent some time there taking photos and enjoying the view... and planning to come back in warmer weather.
On the way back we stopped off at some scenic overlooks and Goat Island Marina, which we saw for the first time in the sun. We could finally see some fish off the rocks!
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