Now it's sunny again and back to civilization.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Sue and Lee are here and they set off for 4 days along the Heaphy Track. That's the last we saw of them before they headed off into the bush....

The mist and rain set it on day two. Just keep saying to yourself.... there are no dinosaurs. There are no dinosaurs.

See hydroslide post below in October. Ah, well. I guess it's not all good.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/5202547/hydroslide-closed-69-injured/

Mind you that's a different slide, but I can see how it happens.

We call it the bullet. It is a mussel float that we are using as a sled. When I first saw the plan, and the 2 trees down below, I figured this could well be the kind of thing you do on the show Jackass. But so far it's all good.




A Triple:




Andrew goes higher:






Mr. Knieval, Sir, a quick word with the media?

Thank you!!!!!

We have a lot of catching up to do and we'll do it soon. For now, I want to thank Christi and Michelle for keeping us in Mac cheese for the next year. Thank you also to Judy and John and Magda for sending us some good joe. Ya'll are the best!

Looks like we are signing another year lease. So, there's still time to come visit us in the land of milk and honey. Miss you.

Schadenfreude

From the country that gave us angst, we also have schadenfreude - that happiness one feels from another's misfortune. Oh, I know we don't like to admit it, but it's there.

Anyway, you'll be happy to know it's not all peaches and cream in the Franklet garden. Our broccoli are being ravaged by moths and our carrots have mutated.

............. tomorrow's the big day. May the best man win.

It tastes like... freedom.

October is the month of birthdays. This year we took Andrew and a few friends to the "Hydroslide" at Tahunanui beach. We had never been before and here is a pic that caputures the bumper boats and most of the slide works.Those final turns get you to whipping around quite fast and then you shoot out into a pool in the glass house off to the right.

As we queued at the ticket booth, I must confess to thoughts of, How quaint, only 1 slide. How long will this keep our interest? Quite a while, as it turns out. I found myself doing comparison/contrast with Splashtown, a giant water park in Houston now owned I believe by Six Flags. At Splashtown, where we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, by the way, you operate in a tightly controlled corporate environment. You don't realize it so much at the time, but you stand in line to get to the start of the ride, there are height requirements, riding rules like face forward, can't lie down, that kind of thing. The whole is watched over by a team of lifeguard/monitors. They tell you when and how to go, they watch you all the way down, and then wait till you come out the bottom and swim to the side, all before releasing the next person. No wonder there are long lines!

I can now tell you that there is another way. And this is it, at the Tahunanui Hydroslide, no one minds over you at all. The whole thing operates self service. You run up the stairs, you decide whether you want to use a rubber mat or ride down bareskinned. You decide when and how to launch, and you decide how you want to come down. Face first on your stomach? OK! Lying back with your eyes closed? If you dare! A chain of eight years olds? Go for it. And even though there is only one slide, there is plenty of variety to keep you occupied.

What I came to realize in watching this operation is that people, even very young ones, do have an innate capacity to figure out how to make things work (and for self preservation). When you shoot out into the pool, for example, it's probably a good idea to get out of the way because in a few seconds someone else is likely to come out right behind you. It works. Or maybe sometimes it doesn't. One kid in our party came out rubbing his head. "I took a bump," he said. He rubbed
the top of his head for a bit and then took off back up the stairs. Whatever he did, he probably won't try it next time. I saw another kid come out and check his teeth, as though making sure they were all still there. I am imagining he did a face plant into one of the turns. He sat for a bit to recover, and then back in for another go. From the look of things this slide has been there for 20 years, and I'll be they haven't had a lawsuit yet.

The proprietors are an older couple who simultaneously sell tickets, operate the snack bar, get you started in the boats, handle the mini golf, and generally run interference wherever necessary. I had gone to the park dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt because I wasn't in fun mode, I was in I'm-watching-six-kids mode. Alas I soon realized that the kids didn't need much watching. When the guy walked over for a look at the pool area, he stood next to me for a minute and I commented, I wish I'd brought my swim togs.

Oh, he says, I'll let you borrow some. Really? (Brain quickly parsing if he is serious or is this the kind of offer one politely declines) Sure, I tell him, that would be fabulous. He pulls down a few pairs of shorts off a shelf and I pick out a pair of black togs with green trim and velcro fasteners, in case I've got the sizing wrong. He also gives me a towel.

You know, Splashtown probably wouldn't work as a free-for-all. I'm not sure exactly why that is, but it's probably about scale. A model that works with small numbers tends to break down when you throw thousands of people at it. In part it's the old, One bad apple WILL spoil the whole bunch, girl. One person who is really bent on messing up the system (blocking the top of the tube? Smashing over the little kids like tenpins?) ruins it for the rest of us. And as the numbers go up, the chance of finding that person in the park with you go up, too. And so you wind up with all these rules and big brother-ness that are not so much directed at the bulk of the riders, but that all of us wind up having to conform to.

The next time I'm at Splashtown, operating under the watchful eye of the red-suited staff, I'll be thinking maybe there's some middle ground.

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

Who knew New Zealand was so lush? Calla Lilies appear wild in the bush. If there's a crack, it will be filled with a viola. Every week there's a surprise in the garden. And, it all grows effortlessly!

Even in New Zealand October is a busy month. Can you believe we just had spring break? Even though Duane now has a proper job, we managed to go over to Golden Bay for several days. The weather was blustery, the scenery spectacular. The hills are lush and green. Little lambs bleat about searching for there mums .......they are adorable (although I've heard not the sharpest knives in the drawer).

It's broccoli time.

I know you've all been waiting for an update on the seedlings we planted back here: http://franklet.blogspot.com/2008/04/veggie-garden-is-on.html

Well here you go. That's silverbeet in the deep background. It is amazingly self-regenerating. We saute it up with some onions, yum yum yum. The purple-ish little guys are beetroot coming up from seed. All in all the garden has been a great and easy operation, only way too small. So many veggies... so little real estate.



Check out that beauty.

Deano, can you pick us a broc for supper?

A Day at the Beach

Since returning from Colorado in July, Nelson weather (for being the sunny spot of NZ) has been less than spectacular. After what some claim to be the coldest, wettest winter in memory, the promise of summer has finally begun to cast her spell.

Two weeks ago we took a road trip to Kaiteriteri. It's about a 45 minute drive to a lovely beach and access to Abel Tasman Park.

While there, we road the "Flying Fox,"

played in the water,

wiggled in quicksand,
and scrambled some rocks that led to this bathing beauty!

My New Line of Greeting Cards

(now for sale)

I've always wanted to turn some of my images into greeting cards. Mockingbird Studio has given me the impetus to do so. Anyway, I thought these would make lovely holiday gifts. If you have any interest in them, let me know. A pack of 6 cards is $20usd, plus $4 shipping. You can send checks to Sister Sue or we do accept paypal....Duane can handle that one.

Hope everyone in Houston has recovered. Miss you. Barbara

Hello, friends. Just wanted to let you know we've been thinking about everyone in Houston. We hope your homes withstood the winds. I know many of you are without electricity and some have had terrible damage to your homes. Our hearts are with you.

We still miss our dear friends in Houston....in a weird way we wish we could have been there with you as a community to band together as needed. Anyway, check in when you get a chance.

xoxoxox, Barbara

My New Baby

When I got back from Denver this July, Duane said he had learned about a downtown space for lease.

I was kind of ready for a rest, but knew that this was a one of a kind opportunity. Attached to the Independent Theater and right by the cathedral, the location was fab.

Good location, great light, right price......

It was time to get to work.

After painting and cleaning, hanging lights and buying furniture, we now have Mockingbird Studio - named in honor of the state bird of Texas.

I open officially September 1. But, Friday I had a few drop-ins. One who kindly took my picture.

I even had my first NZ sale!

And, so the adventure begins.