FrankletRandomThoughts

2011-11-21T13:35:00.001-08:00

Going to School in New Zealand

Yesterday I dropped Dean off for a week long "ropes styled" sailing trip where he'll learn to sail, gain some leadership skills and hopefully have an awesome time in the Marlborough Sounds. Last week I had the pleasure of joining Andrew's class as they spent the week at Abel Tasman Park. And, a month ago Dean spent a week in the Nelson Lakes District hiking and really roughing it in the backcountry where they practically slept under the starts. School in New Zealand is fun.

I am ambivalent about a lot of things as far as living in New Zealand goes. But, I have no doubt that Dean and Andrew are having an amazing school experience. I am loath to compare the US system with NZ. It's just not fair; it's apples to oranges. The mantra I always invoke is 4.3 versus 311 million people - that pretty much explains everything. Nonetheless, here I live on this little island in the middle of nowhere. And, because of the numbers and the natural beauty of this country, our kids get a school experience very different from the one they would have had in America.

Every other year New Zealand school children go on a camp. This begins as early as Year 4 (which is third grade) and continues through their "college" (high school) years. Andrew's camp was at a hut abutting Abel Tasman Park. Kids sleep in bunks, 4 to a room (probably a lot like US summer camp). The teacher, an administrator and some volunteer parents join the trip – we're in a separate bunkhouse and we even got our own rooms!

I had the pleasure of spending two nights with Andrew's class. Once we settled at Marahau the first thing the kids did was change into their togs (swimsuits) and throw themselves into the sea. It doesn't matter that the water is in the low 60s, air temperature mid 60s maybe. That's what they do. We spent the day swimming (even me) collecting sea creatures, building sand castles and just having fun. At night we played games, had a bonfire and made s'mores. Everyone went to bed happy and tired.

Next day we took the kids on a 14k hike (that's 8.4 miles). Not bad for 9 – 11 year olds. Now, don't think they are all gunning to go. Even though sport is a major focus here, for some kids this was the farthest they'd ever had to walk and it was hard work. It didn't help that it was raining. But, I thought it was really cool that we did it despite the rain. We took a water taxi back from Anchorage which made it all worth it, even for the most reluctant trampers.

What I saw in this camp was amazing. While there's lots of fun and games, there's also work and a building of personal responsibility and community. The kids help prepare meals, clean bathrooms, sweep floors and do their own dishes. They are expected to keep their rooms tidy. But, they also get to laugh and run around freely. They see their teacher, their principal and some lucky parents in a new environment. I had the pleasure of getting to know kids I might not otherwise meet (especially the girls).

As I reflect on school here, I sometimes worry that it's not rigorous enough, that there's not enough homework. Too much play and not enough work! I wonder whether our boys will be adequately prepared for university and the big, bad world. I am assured that capable Kiwis leave the system and thrive as adults. And, when I go to Andrew's school and see all the kids outside laughing and playing; when I think maybe they are getting to be kids just a little bit longer than they would have in Texas, when I have the assurance that they are happy, I feel good. I know that they will be just fine.

2011-11-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

Go Dynamo!!!!!

2011-11-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

Remember these beds prepped here on June 26:

The soil could have used longer to set up, but we had a trip planned so I went ahead and popped in seed potatoes on Sept 4. Here we are Nov 20, some 2.5 months later.

I have added dirt twice to keep decent mounds, but that's about all the care and feeding these guys get. I'm thinking we're going to be fetching a lot of spuds, and we may not wait till xmas to start. I went with Ilam Hardy, which are supposed to be early growing. We'll post on taste and yields in the future. Fishing season looms, and here's looking forward to some homemade fish n chips.

2011-09-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

At Knott's Berry Farm we rode a range of rides. At the start we didn't want to go on a lot of the rides so we decided to ride one of the less scary ''coasters'' called the Sierra Sidewinder which is where you spin on a roller coaster, It was quick and easy.
After that all the rides were closed off until 11:00 so mum and I rode the screamin' swing one of the scariest we rode.Then we
rode the classic log flume.After that I can't really remember what we did but I will explain some pictures below.
Sierra Sidewinder

Screamin' Swing

The ultimate rocket powered swing
''Life as a hotdog''

Andrew Franklet

we also rode the following Pony express, Silver bullet, Dragon swing, La Revolucion, Waveswinger, Bigfoot rapids, Boomerang, Windseeker, Jaguar and we watched a cowboy stunt show.
Andrew

2011-09-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Quick trip to the LA county museum. Beautiful day and large crowds. The museum is alive and well. We saw lamp posts

billiards

turtles

dishes

Burton people

and my favorite, the big blue dog

what does it all mean?

2011-08-05T18:22:00.001-07:00

Me riding on a tiny bike at a cafe in Wellington

Also for school I did a project on Japanese school lunches, or bentos. I had to find a lot of information about them and I even had to make one myself that looked like a Japanese cartoon character.
Here is the information:

1. Where does the word bento come from?

The word bento originated from the people who lived at the castle of 16^th century military commander Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582). He fed the people at his castle by handing out individual meals to each person. People began to call these small meals bentos.

2. What is an ekiben? Where are they sold?

An ekiben is a bento sold at a train station, usually containing the specialty foods of the region the ekibens are being sold in.

3. What is an umeboshi and what is its purpose in the bento?

An umeboshi is a pickled Japanese apricot and its purpose in the bento is that it was believed to keep rice from going bad.

4. When were the first bentos made and who were they made for?

The first bentos (though not called bento at the time) were made in around the fifth century in Japan and they were made for people going out to hunt, farm, or battle.

5. What kind of people like bento?

Basically everyone in Japan likes bento.

6. What is a makunochi bento?

Makunochi bentos contain small rice balls sprinkled with sesame seeds and an assortment of side dishes.

7. What are some of the most important considerations that the maker of the bento must keep in mind when making the bento?

They are visual presentation, making sure that the cooked foods are well done to prevent changes in the flavour or color, items that go bad easily should not be used, excess liquid should be eliminated, rice and side dishes should be in a 1:1 ratio, and the ratio of meat dishes to vegetables should be 1:2.

8. What sort of food was used in early bento?

The earliest bentos were made of primarily dried rice, but in the 15^th century they were made of white rice, the rice mixed with millet, or potatoes, depending on the region.

9. What is in a typical modern bento?

The first thing is that the person who makes the bento, such as the mother, often prepares the bentos as she is cooking the side dishes for the family's regular meals. She decides what foods will not spoil and sets them aside for the next days bentos. Meals are often planned around what food would be good for the next day's bentos. Another thing typical of a modern bento is that it will often contain sausages. Many Japanese people very much enjoy the taste of sausages. The sausages can be interestingly cut to make little creatures or other creations, making the meal fun and enjoyable.

10. Name six places/shops where you can purchase a bento these days.

Places you can purchase bentos these days are department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, shops specializing in bentos, restaurants, and train stations.

11. From the above six place, choose three to write in Japanese.

(I wrote them in pen)

12. How have bento boxes (the containers) changed over time? What sort of boxes are used today?

In the beginning of bento, the lunches were wrapped in different leaves or plant material. Then wooden boxes evolved, followed by crafted bento boxes, woven or made of bent wood. Now bento coxes can be traditionally shaped as things such as a half-moon. The most modern bentos are made out of wood, metal, or plastic. They can be rectangular, oval, or circular in shape. They can also have popular characters on them, such as Mrs. Arai's favorite, Hello Kitty

Here is my bento, based off of snorlax:

2011-06-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

Expanding the potato patch

What have we been up to over the past month? ... rain. Rain and more rain. Every weekend has been incredibly wet. We've played soccer in the rain, like wet rats on the field and the sideline. We've canceled soccer. We've gone to the indoor swimming pool. We've played cards, mostly hearts, with a little 500 mixed in. But today the SUN came out and we got out in the garden.

We have previously posted about our potato patch, which was first planted this past September, with Snippy Ritchie the resident potato sage declaring "potatoes by Christmas!" Well we got them, and they were marvelous. I have been asked (by my mother) why go to such effort - preparing the bed, composting, planting - in order to grow potatotes?

But the fact is, it's exceptionally nice to not worry about whether or not there are potatoes in the pantry, to wander out to the yard and dig up a few and roast them up in the oven. Easy, tasty and no tending for the few months they are incubating. Plus, if you're not ready for them, you just leave 'em in the ground until you are.

So here is an aerial shot of the original fifty square feet or so we carved out at the top of the hill that slopes down below our car park. In fact the plant in the middle is a re-growth of some baby spuds that must have been left in after harvesting. It's winter, and slow growing, so we'll just have to see what happens.

The day's project, two days really, has been to clear the adjoining raised bed which was producing all manner of growth going about eight feet up to the parking area. First clearing, then a bit of prep for next planting season. The contents of one disc from the worm farm went in, along with many families of worms and some kitchen compost, grass clippings from the lawn, and sheep pellets scattered about like (the icing on the cake?).

Hard to see at this angle, but the new bed is considerably higher than the first, which is at ground level. So the end of the top bed required some shoring up (new post and retaining plank), and you really have to climb up in it to work over the whole area. Note to self: plan the rows of plants with a path down the middle for easy access.

Close to ready. Because we happen to have a bale of hay for the guinea pig, I'll spread a layer of hay over the whole area. Most of this plan by the way came from a local "no-dig" garden workshop. All the ingredients go onto the soil, cover it up, and wait for a few months. We'll be waiting about 3 months, till mid September.

Here's what it looks like at ground level. Yes I'll do a better job of spreading. On the ground below the bed is a section of scrap carpeting. That'll go over the bed for the next 3 months, to keep everyone underneath warm, dark and happy.

That's all folks. Come round in six months for fresh potatoes.

2011-05-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

Time for a geeky post, just because we wound up getting experimental and had a bit of fun with copying files around, though I admit that probably doesn't sound like much fun.

So you've got a bunch of digital pictures to transfer from one computer to another, movies, a pile of music, anything like that. In our case it was 21.7GB and so the question arose of whether to transfer via hard wired ethernet or via file copy to USB external drive. If you like a trivia game, you can answer now ____ and then read on for the result. My initial thought was USB, except that we would need to copy twice, once to get it onto the external HD and then again to get it off, and the two operations combined might exceed ethernet speed.

First up was to try via the network, and in this case that is with fast ethernet or 100Mbit/s. We will also have a go with gigabit because a spare switch happens to be at hand.100Mbit ethernet we took 32 Minutes at a transfer speed that fluctuated very little between 11.1-11.2 MB/sec.

Next up we snapped in a gigabit switch and did it again. This time we copied the files across in 8 min! at a speed that fluctuated between 40.9 - 47.6 Mbit/sec. It was interesting that the speed varied so much more over gigabit. I put this down to the hardware being fully able to keep up with the fast ethernet connection, so the ethernet speed itself was the limiting factor. Whereas with gigabit, there is enough capacity that the transfer is affected by other hardware components inside the PC. Dell Precision workstation on both ends, btw. Notice that the fast ethernet transfer takes place very close to the theoretical maximum transfer speed of approx 12 MB/sec whereas the gigabit transfer is considerably lower than than its max transfer speed of some 120MB/sec.

And then for the USB...

While the initial file copy dialog popped up with an eye popping 105MB/sec this would prove well too optimistic. After the transfer settled down, this would eventually decline to a much steadier 26.7MB/sec and we would finish out with all files copied at the 15 min mark. That's copied once, with a duplicate needed on the other end.

During this 15 min I had enough time to consider that not all USB ports are equal, and I learned something here, and that is that by drilling down into the device manager, you can go into the Properties on each USB port, on the Advanced tab, and actually see if you are transferring at "high speed" or the not-so-delightful "full speed." Indeed this PC has an abundance of ports both front and back, and it did have some of each. But the one I was using was in fact high speed.

So the moral of this story, reader, if you have made it this far, is with gigabit ethernet you can dispense with the USB drive and just transfer your files across the network. And with fast ethernet it is going to be a close race, enter lots of caveats about network contention and YMMV, etc, but this was our outcome, on this day.

2011-04-29T16:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my dad and I went fishing. We started off going in just before low tide, and we had a smooth start (unlike the time about 2 months ago when we went in and then the motor wouldn't start for thirty minutes and we drifted in to the marina). We started off fishing far away from the shore, trying to go to the spot where we usually fish, but I don't think we quite got there because the big pole had been taken away for repairs. When we found a spot we liked, we started fishing. We didnt catch anything for 15 minutes and were many times on the verge of moving to a spot where a ton of fish were jumping around, creating a feeding frenzy for the birds. We stuck at it though, because we had a line out with pilchards on it that kept gtting nibbles. We knew that the only thing that would take that would be quite big. It paid off, because after a couple more inutes waiting, dad caught a big gurnard.

Gurnard's are interesting fish because they have these cool green wings and they make a croaking sound.

We tried that spot for another ten minutes, but there were no more nibbles so we tried to troll(have lines out while boat is moving at a very slow speed) using our new squid lure and some pilchards. After about ten minutes, the squid lure got it's first strike, and we saw a big fish ump out of the water. That one shook it off, but after another five minutes it had another strike. I reeled it in and it turned out to be a huge kawahai. We were really excited and we threw it back out and soon enough we caught another. This happened one more time until dad said we needed to stop to clean up the blood on the bottom of thee boat and fillet the fish.

We also tried it afterwards, and caught a little one(compared to these, that is) and dad said that he wasnt worried about these guys flopping off so he held it on the elevated cutting board, and right before he was gonna stab it in the head he loosened his grip and it flopped off in to the water. We got another one though, so it didn't really matter. It was a successful day fishing.

2011-03-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Recently I did the Weetbix triathlon, for the 3rd time! This year I was really looking forward to the prize giving, I really wanted a new bike but sadly I didn't get one :(, although I got a new bike a few weeks later =)! Alright back to the topic I started with a nice cup full of french fries.

But really, I started out with swimming . When I got there after riding my bike all the way to the tahuna fields I realized I had forgotten my swim shorts(0_0) although that wasn't to bad I just swam in the shorts I was wearing!

After that we were biking. My bike was so small compared to most peoples bikes that's why I really wanted a new bike. My bikes wheels were tiny and I didn't have gears , so I went like a meter an hour and I got stuck in transition trying to get my wet feet into my socks-_-

After that it was the running that's when I caught up to most people because by then everybody was so tired that they were all just walking, I was one of the only people to have enough stamina to run to the finish!=)

Once I had reached the the finish I was given a drink of water a water bottle and a medal. Once that was over I played a game to win a free foam rugby ball. After that it was prize giving I didn't get anything:(.Then we biked back home and I invited a friend over.

by Andrew

2011-01-31T00:10:00.000-08:00

Last week before back to school. We headed out to the water. Some hiking, play in the shallows, and yes, fishing. I will be the first to say, With a setting like this, you could pretty much sit there and catch nothing, and you could do a lot worse.

But we did not catch nothing. Even tho we did not know what it was we caught.

The local shop has a poster of "NZ Fishes" and we at first thought we had hooked up a scorpionfish.

But upon later reflection and reading, these were much more likely sea perch or what are at least locally known as Jock Stewarts.

Here's a close up of our ones, gone into the smoker and into our bellies.

2011-01-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

Back to the source.

There is a lovely swimming hole at the Riwaka resurgence. Here the water bubbles up out of the rock as sweet and clear as can be. Only problem is the water is cold. With a capital C.

One can contemplate swimming in thru the opening in the rock but....

nah, too scary really. I now learn that people do dive this place. But I reckon any diver would have a wetsuit and, as they say in the text, the water is more suitable for polar bears. A fairly constant temp in the low fifties apparently. The two D's decided yes on the toes, but no on the full swim. Not on this day.

B&A decided yes.

B describes the experience as somewhat painful, so one might ask why one does such things. Then again one might also ask, how does she keep her hair like that while swimming? Let's look closer.... but no, somehow it still holds up.

In case you were thinking this is a serene spot for a bit of solitude in the woods, not so. At the main pool, thrill seekers abound, egging one another on to make a quick jump and exit, scrambling out to the nearest rock. This makes for a good spectator sport, and provides a lesson in peer pressure. I guess there's worse things to get goaded into than jumping in the river.

2010-12-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was a nice mix of the old & the new. Leg of lamb. Pecan pie.

But first, the leg of lamb.

- As you can see, Christmas mid-morning Barbara is a blur of activity. That's because we are invited over to a friend's, and we are bringing a leg of lamb. One of two, so it I guess it wouldn't be a disaster if ours is a failed effort. But still... nothing like some good turkey-cooking stress, and never having cooked a leg of lamb before this holiday season ... I will confess that we chickened out and gave it a trial run earlier in the week. Based on that experience, I'd have to say that the cooking is perhaps easier than the carving. Our first attempt at carving left us with what looked like a pile of table scraps, alongside a bone the dog had worked over. If only we had a dog to blame it on.

But even unschooled north americans can be taught, and our second attempt at carving would go much better, with the help of a little shoulder surfing from a native trained in the art. You will also notice that it helps to cook in a scarf, regardless of temperature in the kitchen, or outside. It just helps.

What the discerning will notice in this picture, is the importance under the tree of staples from the old world: Dr. Pepper, ramen, 100 grand bar, to pick out a few. But now I will give you something new... fresh 'taters.

I planted two rows of Rocket potatoes on Sept 25, and my barber Snippy Ritchie, who is knowledgeable about such things, told me with any luck I would have "potatoes for Christmas."

So this shows what 3 months in the ground will do for you. This is what I dug out beneath one plant, so I reckon I have a couple hundred potatoes out there. Barbara says she is going to chronicle our urban garden elsewhere, but suffice to say that I did absolutely NOTHING to grow these little beauties. I dug a bit of a trench and chucked in a potato every foot or so, covered it back up.

The last thing I will tell you is that alongside a good old Texas pecan pie, made with corn syrup from the asian grocery, was a big bowl of trifle and a pavlova.

It's light. It's fluffy, Go to the House of Pies and order a merengue pie with the biggest tallest topping you can find. When it gets to your table, take it in hand and flip it straight over on the table. Tell the waiter that you are now in New Zealand. And, if it is not a fruit pie, can you please have some berries to put on top.

That's the news folks. Happy holidays, on all sides of the ocean.

2010-12-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

Well I guess it's become more of our fishing blog, what can we say. First trip out for the summer season, and there was reason for optimism as reports had it the snapper were biting. As (usual?) we started out with the first catch of the day being a stingray. This is the third time. It's fun, kindof, because they are powerful, and it was cool to see this one gliding by near the surface of the water.

But after that there's the question of what do we do now? Today we hauled that sucker in and used a life vest to shield away the tail. Is this smart or something for Jackass? I don't know. The whole Steve Irwin thing has people a little freaked out about rays, when I'm sure they just want to get off that hook and back in the water.

They have these big eyes staring at you, and you'd like to think they might know you are trying to help.... nah, I reckon it would stick you given half a chance. It did calm down a little but was probably just tired. Plus it had stuck its barb right into the life vest.

So out come the pliers and we get the hook out, disentangle the barb, the net and got Mr. Ray back over the side.

Just in time because the next 3 strikes were all snapper of small but keepable size. Then a Trevally, a Kawahai (threw back) and we were done.

I see a lot of boats further out, but this was right in the channel between Tahunanui beach and Rabbit island.

2010-10-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

We're on the edge of spring. Last weekend was beautiful and warm. This weekend, so far, has slipped back to cooler and windy. So... let's go back to last weekend. We went out for a day at the beach. If there's someone in ski wear at the beach, it is likely to be Barbara. I did not know this, but I am learning.

Someone stayed up late the night before, and kept his head down for a snooze on the ferry. The walk seemed to do the trick. Or maybe it was crossing the estuary in bare feet with crabs about. Someone doesn't like the idea of crabs underfoot.

Start burying.

Mid burying.

Done burying. They tell me it's comfy in there.

We had an appetite for our favorite. No, they're not burritos. Can't get those. They're kebabs, and they are pretty tasty. Dean says, stop with the pics already. Especially when I am about to discover that I've opened the wrong end and it's all going to come tumbling down. Very soon now. A couple of bites.

2010-10-05T01:24:00.000-07:00

well this weekend it was term brake and my family wanted to go some where. we went to Abel Tasman a hiking spot near Nelson and we walked for ages and then we were at a beach. we ate lunch there but it wasn't the right spot so we moved to the next beach. to get there we had to cross a mucky estuary and my mom and dean didn't want to cross the river but me and my dad toughened up and did it so we finished first. then we were at the right beach and we gazed at an amazing jellyfish(picture below). then we visited a hut where you can stay overnight. after that my brother found a long hole in the sand and told me to cover him up in sand so i did.

after that we turned him into a mermaid(picture below).

this is the amazing graceful jellyfish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

then my mom,dad and bro turned me into a penguino.

then we took a water taxi back to are car and ate kababs in Motueka. by Andrew

2010-08-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

Change is afoot.

We got back after having a fabulous trip to the United States. Still, we re-entered our small island nation, and we were not ready to say goodbye to it. Though the folks who have been renting out this house are ready to move back in, and decisions needed to be made.

The first week we went out looking for alternate places to live, rent, buy, house-sit - we were open to just about anything - we came across a place that felt right. Best of all, it's right around the corner. So we signed on it and we'll be there in a couple of weeks. It's funny, because after moving halfway around the world, you'd think a move down the street would be easy. But it's not. It's still new digs, possibly new routines, and a somewhat different fabric of life. And that's a little scary. We'll be saying goodbye to this pleasant red-trimmed house with the rooster on top, and moving on. It's good to know where.

2010-07-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

All my dog friends

kelly

kiko, courgy

kiko

On our trip I met a lot of dog friends let me list every dog, -Courgy(He has short legs and walks funny).

-Kiko(big and furry).

-Freeda(playful Lab).

-Andy.

-Abigail(small and fluffy).

-Lucky.

-Cocoa.

-Gracie.

-Oscar(miniature Doxon).

-Kelly(playful Lab).

Andrew

2010-07-22T01:13:00.000-07:00

Just back from the USA. This time, when we entered both the US and NZ, the passport screeners said "Welcome home."

And, somehow, both feel like it.

That's Ivey and Kiko.

It was a great visit back to the states. Our first day started with the USA v. Ghana in the world cup. Then it was on to Tom's big b-day, the pride parade, and hurricane Alex started burbling out in the Gulf. Yep, you're not in Montrose if the streets aren't flooding and someone's chucking beads at you. Here's to watching people drive where the street used to be.

It was pretty much nonstop from there. Loved playing Oh hell with Hlavinka boys, the epic volleyball re-match at Rice U, Scrabble night, and a string of other great chats and visits with family and friends. One thing about having only a few days, we really appreciated each and every get together.

We'll get some more pics up soon. Now it's back to folding clothes in the goblin hat.

Miss you guys already.

2010-04-10T15:57:00.001-07:00

I know, I know ... what people really want is an update on the fishing.

We have tried it many ways: from the pier and in a boat, on a donkey or a goat. And fish or no fish, I can't complain about a single minute of it, because it's a beautiful thing to be out on the water.

Let's start with the most recent expedition. We decided to hit the local rivers, and I had a brainstorm that the trees were teeming with cicadas, so this might make a good live bait. That meant we spent the morning climbing trees, catching cicadas (we got better and sneakier at this) and popping them into a milk bottle.

We then set off for the Motueka river where we had previously scouted a number of fish & game access points. One of them turned out to be a fine swimming hole but not much place to fish, two other spots we gave it a go without success. I was surprised, really. Not even a bite. Maybe it was the wrong time of day, maybe we didn't do a good job of presenting the bait, maybe the access points are fished out. Yep, it would be great to know a friendly farmer with prime river frontage.

Sometimes when we are out for a drive, we stick the rods and tackle in the car and leave ourselves open to chance. This is a spot near Pelorus and a beautiful spot it is, but... no fish. Andrew tried spinning with his prize new frog lure, which proceeded to snag on a log or a rock or who knows what. We could see the line going into the water and judge about where the lure was, and A. went in for an ice cold swim but really couldn't get it. Barbara - who always wins the prize for last one at the beach as winter comes on - well, she declared she was not going to go save our frog lure for us. So I decided to take a dip, see if I couldn't rescue our new frog lure. You go, polar bear.

People say that you can use a mouse lure, and there are tales of using live mice, to catch some of these big fat river trout. But we haven't gone that far, and so far no joy with froggy.

Since all that sounds pretty grim, I will recount a more successful expedition to the Marlborough Sounds. Picture below. Again we spent time in the morning getting our bait, which in this case is spotties caught off the pier. That's good fun in itself, but then we headed out toward deeper water.

We were chumming the water with a frozen salmon block, via a burley pot with some lead weights in it. This had attracted (or maybe we were just in a lucky spot) a bunch of kahawai which we were pulling in pretty much as fast as we could net them. They weren't large, but edible and we were enjoying ourselves. Andrew was using a small spincast rod with a medium hook and line. All of a sudden he got a huge tug, right up by the boat.

"I got something!" he says, but then it releases. What's that, I'm thinking, maybe he hooked the anchor line. But then it comes again, three feet from the boat, a silver-blue flash in the water, and the rod tip bends auspiciously. Whoa!

Whatever it is, Andrew pulls his smaller fish right out of its mouth, and up pops the littler one swinging through the air on only a few feet of line. "Drop it back in," I say. Who knows, right?

He plops the spottie into the water right off the side of the boat and as Andrew has now christened it, "The monster from the deep" is immediately all over it. The spottie and the line were gone, just like that. This added some excitement for all of us, and we are still debating what "it" was. Andrew thinks a large blue cod. I am inclined toward a kingfish.

Anyway there's a lesson here, and that is, once that larger fish has locked on, it wants its dinner and it is pretty much impervious to your presence, the boat floating in the water, or anything else you'd think might have thrown off the chase. At least in this case.

To catch that monster, Andrew, we're going to have to get you a bigger rig.

2010-03-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." Anatole France

After reading this quote, all that conflicts me is clear. My melancholy certainly stems from a degree of homesickness. But, far more significantly, I am coming to terms with my own insignificance. As I entertain the possibility of leaving my home forever, I contemplate my very own demise - dying in one world to become reborn in another.

Oh, yes, that's a bit of melodrama -the metaphor too extreme. However, if one is coldly analytical and realistic, one cannot help but see some truth in this. If not present in the everyday fabric of someone's life, without a regular chat, meet for coffee, look in the eye one begins to fade. As I stay yet another year in New Zealand, I become at best a shadow in the community I left behind. And, over time, I cease to exist.

Descartes said, "I think therefore I am." Perhaps in my case it is best rephrased as "you think of me therefore I am" or better still "we have laughed together therefore I am." A more self-actualized person might not need the validation of others. Another person might not define themselves by their friends and community, but rather from within. I guess I am not there yet. I find tremendous satisfaction in being a part of something bigger. I like knowing people and, to be completely true, I like people knowing me. I hate the thought of being forgotten.

This is not a pathetic plea for affirmation. And, please, don't construe this as self -pity. It is a clinical assessment of the facts, my reality. I am grateful for all the friends and family who have kept in touch. I find solace in knowing that I will not be completely forgotten, that even across this equatorial line of division some connections can survive and even thrive. However, should I stay here, for many, if not most, I will disappear.

I understand this because not only have I been the forgotten one, I have been the forgetter. No one deliberately erases a friend from their life. But, in one's busy and rich world it is the here and now that matters most. The people we see at our jobs, in our neighborhood, at school, in our book groups - this is the reality. I see you therefore you are, I don't see you therefore you aren't. It's that simple.

Is staying in this beautiful country (and it truly is) worth being forgotten? Can a visit every one or two years sustain the memory or does it merely prolong the inevitable? Is this a mourning process that I'll one day get over or, will I be haunted by regret? I just don't know.

No one asked me to leave; no one packed my bags, sold my house and stuck me on the plane. And, no one ever said, don't come you back, you hear. Nonetheless this is where I am at, contemplating a deal with the devil and wondering if it's a deal worth making. Choice is a luxury, but also a curse.

Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine. Robert C. Gallagher

2010-02-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Summer Fun 2010

Duane believes my level of happiness ebbs and flows with the success of my studio. I say my level of happiness is in direction proportion to sunshine and swimming. It's probably all of that. All I know is that when the sun is shining and it's nice and warm, I imagine myself staying here forever. But as the days shorten and the water temperature drops, I long for the Texas heat once again. Anyway, we've had a lovely summer and here is some of what we've done.

We started off with a trip to Wellington. I really like it here and am happy to get a city fix. It was the International Unicycle Competitions which was quite fun. Unicycles EVERYWHERE!

Then we went over Takaka Hill and spent a couple of days in Golden Bay. A little bit of hiking and a couple of swims in cool rivers. I'm loving it!

There's this fantastic little bush walk that's like Jurassic park. Less of a hike and more of a jungle gym. The boys had a blast.

Finally, we went over to the Marlborough Sounds. This area remind me SO much of the Pacific Northwest. It is absolutely beautiful. There we rented a boat. We did lots of fishing and exploring.We also did some sea bisquiting which was terrific fun. That's our friend Gavin And, there's Dean! Woo-hoo.

I really hope some of our friends in the States might come visit. We are really getting to know this area and would love to share it with you. Peace and warm wishes to all. xo, Barbara

2010-02-16T00:04:00.000-08:00

Hey its Dean.

Today my post is about shuffling. Shuffling is a style of dance in which you make yourself move across the ground in a way sort of like moonwalking. A lot of people do it here and in Australia and it is really fun. Me and friends were going to shuffle in town for money, but Winter break ended and we never really got around to it. We also like tektonic, jumpstyle, and jerking. There are also other new forms that are being invented, and we like trying them out too. Here are some vids. Also I really like techno songs now. Shuffling is real tiring. Also I skate now.

Here is a Youtube vid of some pro shufflers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zjQTBukG0w

A vid of me and my friends shuffling (lol): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewA_sJSwRyE

Tektonic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bytf3gZMFkY&feature=related

Jumpstyle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyAvaLsLFl8

All three(best vid ever): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyCWIXv9Bvs

2010-01-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

this is my post about palago. it's about a game where you put pieces together and make creatures here are some examples.This one here is the paladeer it's the second hardest to make.he's my second favourite.

this is a palagator this is the hardest to make.I've made 1 up that has the same head.this 1 is my favourite.

this is the palagirafe he's my third favourite.funny he's a girrafe he's got wings and a bumpy neck i might call him a pala chicken.

this is the palapus it's in octopus even though it's got 2 tenticles and a boxy head.

this is the palabug suprisingly it's bigger,better,faster,stronger and harderto make then the bird below it.
this is the palbatross it's a predator to the fish but not to the bugs obviously .but fish can be hard to catch sometimes so times ar'nt so great for the palbatross.

Andrew

2010-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends we have not been good about getting out cards. Christmas and the holidays (also summer vacation) have been good so far. School starts again in early February.

We went out to a tree farm and picked out a nice tree, and this year we sprung for a tree stand instead of a bucket so life is easy. Here's Andrew picking out ornaments. You can't hardly tell it's a chicken, but next to the star is a chicken. We like it.

This one kind of sums it up, eh? Andrew is on my back and I am on a ladder trying to get the star on top of the tree. Barbara is....

directing the operation?

Happy holidays to you all.

2009-12-05T12:32:00.001-08:00

Breaking Bread

One of man's best rituals is the breaking of bread - with friends, with family, with strangers. It is how we open our homes and hearts to others. And, how people welcome one into a community. I have enjoyed many a good meal with Angie and Gavin, Brenda, Alan, Ramona and so many more. With this ritual laughter has been shared and friendship has grown. It's all good and we are thankful for the friends who have invited us into their lives.

At our house it is a revolving door of friends from Dean and Andrew. David eats over every Thursday and we can always count on Vinnie for a meal or two. No matter who's here, one can always slice the pie a little smaller, throw on a pot of rice, stretch it all just a bit more to enjoy the company of these terrific kids.

We have been training Dean to cook us dinner once a week (and do the dishes!). Last week, Frito pie was on the menu. (using our much coveted last bag of US Fritos - the others just don't cut it). Following a twenty year old recipe from Good Housekeeping, Dean added the designated 1/4 cup of chili powder. I reckon that today's chili powder is just a wee bit stronger than that from 20 years ago.

I have never tasted chili quite so spicy.

Milk, water (beer) was no match for the fire in our bellies.

Dean reckons it was a waste of our precious Fritos.

Oh well, Vinnie is now an honorary Texan for eating his whole bowl.

2009-11-29T13:03:00.000-08:00

assimilator

1. Physiology
a. To consume and incorporate (nutrients) into the body after digestion.
b. To transform (food) into living tissue by the process of anabolism; metabolize constructively.
2. To incorporate and absorb into the mind: assimilate knowledge.
3. To make similar; cause to resemble.
4. Linguistics To alter (a sound) by assimilation.
5. To absorb (immigrants or a culturally distinct group) into the prevailing culture.

I am an assimilator. If I find myself in a flock of chickens, before long I will be hunting and pecking with the best of 'em. I think this is just a natural response to being in a new environment, but others may see it differently. Some people behave with determined intransigence. You know: I am a duck, and I am going to continue to be a duck, no matter that I am surrounded by chickens. I am going to quack and I am going to look for underwater plants to eat.

Let's dig a into a few concrete examples. Driving on the left. Now that's one you better conform to, or you will be one dead duck. It's also one that no one has a problem with, as it is the rule of law. No one is going to say to you, why are you driving on the left, when that is not your custom? And you are not likely to ask that question of yourself either.

Then there are what I might call "useful" shifts – for example choice of language in situations to better convey meaning. These days I might say, "I am going to put some petrol in the car." Or I could ask, "Is there a petrol station nearby?" This is new talk. Chicken talk. Nor is it precisely necessary. If I ask for a gas station, I think people will get it. Nonetheless, everyone else asks for petrol, so I feel that I should as well. There may also be a cultural function to this, when I think about it. Nobody here has natural gas piped to their homes. Many Kiwi households use bottled gas to run the outdoor barbie. Others use bottled gas for heating. So you take your bottle in for refueling, and – possibly, I am not even sure about this – saying "gas" could be confused with this act, as opposed to "petrol" which is going in the car.

A lesser example of this is the common eyebrow-raiser for North American travelers – saying tomato sauce instead of ketchup. "Tomato sauce" definitely has higher recognition value, but neither are you in much danger of being misunderstood. You can ask for ketchup in a restaurant, and you will get it. There may be a slow blink as your listener makes the translation and - once you've seen that blink enough times - you may decide to save them the trouble. You make the translation for them, before you open your mouth.

At least some folks do. Others I am finding decide they will go to their graves saying ketchup. The word ketchup as cultural talisman? Which brings us back to the original question, who makes that change and who doesn't, and what does it say about you, if anything? There is no law compelling you to say tomato sauce, and there is no clear societal function to doing so.

What would you say?

2009-11-07T20:40:00.000-08:00

During term break I went on a hard going bike ride but in the end it was worth it.The first day we couldn't make it all the way down the south island so we went about a quarter of the way down.We made it to a place called hokitika we stayed there for the night but thats not important. Lets get on to the bike trip. the first day was like a warm up day we only went 37 km.that day was fun though because we got wedges (big yummy french fries) and we stayed at a pub and had fun cup stacking there.The next day we biked up hill almost the whole time but then we got to a pub and i got a rasberry cola we spent the night there in................................................................................

THIS HAUNTED HOUSE while we were biking there we saw the famous........................................

WEDDERBURN STATION the day after that we went through a long tunnel.

This is me and my dad biking

There's me about to get spun around. This was at the Dunedin museum where we went after the bike ride.

2009-10-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Just when you thought it could not be done. Fritos!

We have made a grand discovery by visiting our local asian grocery store. First of all, many more brands and types of instant noodles, which are a very popular after school snack, but also Dr. Pepper and A&W root beer in the cooler, and Fritos on the dry goods shelf. At least, they look like Fritos...

Made from real mielies... ?? OK, our Fritos have traveled over from South Africa:

http://www.southafrica.info/travel/food/786386.htm

Hmmm... they're thinner than what we're used to, and covered in spices, but ummmm... quite tasty.

Not on offer here, chutney and sweet chilli flavoured

http://www.simba.co.za/brands/

2009-09-27T01:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I just went on camp with my class out to Totaranui in the Abel Tasman park. We had been preparing in our camp books for month. We wrote about 50 pages and hap to put titles an borders in every single one. The camp was really fun, but every day was packed to the brim. We started our trip on boat from Kaiteri beach.

Then we tramped to our homestead through the avenue and set up our bunks.

That night we slept in tents though, which wasn't that fun because I was in a tent with 3 other boys that had just eaten beans.

Th rest of the time it was a lot of activities and tramping. Our main walk was to separation point which is what these pictures are of.

The funnest thing about camp was that Friday night there was a camp concert and everyone had to participate. All the boys in my bunk didn't know what to do so we all joined together and a kid in my class called Mainaia made a spoof of the Miley Cyrus Hoedown Throwdown. We all spent ages learning it. It starts out with Manaia saying that this is an Usi-Baa Production, the MCC Hocolate Hoedown. Then we start dancing and singing the words and at the end when we've finished we go "What team?" "Usi-Baa Productions!".

I had a really fun time at camp!

Next week was when Chch South Intermediate came over for an exchange that has been going on for 35 years. I got a billet and it was really fun. These where our costumes to the 80's, Thriller themed disco. My friend Finn is the one with loads of eyeliner and the other is my billet Jak. I am the joker.

2009-09-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

Here'a a geeky sort of post. But it is something I discovered today and, yeah, I find it sort of cool. Geek!

See, it used to be that the way MS Windows sorted numeric filenames was the order 1...11...12...2...3... You see the potential problem. I was copying a bunch of stuff between directories and trying to make sure I had everything, you know, eyeballing the two for differences, and I happened upon some 701's listed down past the 9's. Now how could that be?

OK, this has been going on for some time now, all by design. Cool. It is again safe to go outside.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/319827

2009-08-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

I love music. It breaks my heart that I can neither play an instrument nor carry a tune. Just the same when alone, I sing along loudly and dance without reservation.

Of all art forms, I find it the most evocative. Nothing stirs my memory like a song. Joni Mitchell will always remind of my youth, of Darlene and especially Linda Carvette. How often Linda would strum her guitar and we'd all sing along to "The Circle Game." ( ......this song is not meant for one lonely voice and "the more out of tune voices (that's me) the better." ) I can't listen to "What a Wonderful World" and not think about dancing with my father at my wedding. Steve Forbert's "You Cannot Win them All" - my anthem as a new mother juggling work, family, friends.

A favorite game of mine is the desert island disc challenge. You know, where you can only take 10 songs with you. (The BBC version only 8 songs (yikes), one book and one luxury item , plus complete works of Shakespeare and Bible). I'd actually thought it was albums, but learned, no, just songs. Anyway, my brother Mike sent me a contest link http://www.xpn.org/music-artist/885-countdown and I've finally decided to get these fuzzy thoughts down on paper.

First of all, the song exercise is much more challenging then the entire disc. Suspending all logic, I must ask myself how many times could I listen to this, which songs am I least likely to get sick of ? Should I add some classical music (even though I have limited knowledge)? Stefan Grappelli? Do I include a song because it's special to me like the "Franklet Family Theme Song" even though it's simple and repetitive (i.e Grandaddy's "Nature Anthem" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSer4wdHvm8 ). Do I choose a song from one of my desert island cds (Citizen Cope/ Citizen Cope) even though I don't have a particular favorite. And, then there are my favorite bands/musicians - Elvis Costello, Joan Armatrading, REM, Bowie, Lyle, Cat Power. The choices, 10 is just not enough!!!!!!

Anyway, I've worked on this about two days and imagine it may need some revision before it's just right. I picked songs that I have on occasion listened to over and over again on a sitting - particularly "The Bike" and "The Little Acorn." Louis Armstrong had to stay because the song's just too beautiful to exclude (even though it makes me cry) And, I decided, yes, must include Cope and definitely a Paul Simon song because I think he's a genius.

in no particular order
1.Fruit Bats - The Little Acorn
2. Amy Correia - The Bike
3. Louis Armstrong - Wonderful World
4. Little Feat - Dixie Chicken
5. John Gorka - I'm from New Jersey
6.Paul Simon - I can't decide Julio, America, American Tune, Homeward Bound?????
7.Beth Orton - Pass in Time
8. Joni Mitchell - You Turn Me On (I'm a Radio)
9. Citizen Cope - Mandy
10. Stefan Grappelli - Making Whoppee

honorable mentions - "Willow" Joan Armatrading, "If I had a Boat "Lyle Lovett, "I believe" REM (my personal anthem), "Teach your Children" CSNY, "Rebel, Rebel" Bowie, "Hallelujah" Jeff Buckley, "My OLd School " Steely Dan, "Watching the Detectives" Elvis, "These are the Days" 10,00 maniacs, "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen, "Three Little Birds" Bob Marley

2009-08-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

Living in the bubble.

I tend to think of myself as living "outside" the bubble. I don't get 24/7 cable tv any more. The community here is much smaller and much less virtual. I don't for example follow all the slings and arrows of the US healthcare struggle, though it certainly does and will affect me. Heck I don't even get to watch American Idol in realtime any more, though it is just as entertaining on delayed broadcast (almost).

But the other day a friend told me I was the one living in the bubble. That's exactly what he said. "You're living in a bubble." Which gave me pause to consider. I mean, I'm sure there are places in the USA that are not permeated by the celebrity culture, by nonstop Fox/CNN, pockets where the jargon of the "death panels" and the "birthers" doesn't even register (yes, my bubble is permeable).

I suppose it is fair to say I have swapped one bubble for another. That's the way it is, no? You're in one wherever you go. Now to important things . . .

Last night was Saturday movie night, and Andrew and I went to suss out a rental. I tried a different video store but it's always the same. I can walk the aisles of the drama, comedy, thriller sections and not spy a single appropriate thing. I often spiral my way into the classics - amongst a certain age set, have they made a better family movie since Swiss Family Robinson? We eventually settled on the original Hercules, and we wound up having a double feature of the old and the new. As it turned out, the most recent Indiana Jones offering was being broadcast by NZ TV, and we had not seen it.

It's the one with the bizarre crystal alien heads, the roomful of space creatures that eventually blasts off in a mind-numbing swirl of special effects gone mad. Even Andrew - who is 8 years old and ought to be a part of the demographic for this - asked what all that alien stuff was about. That's crazy, he says (shakes head). That's not gonna happen.

I guess you could say the same thing about the reunification of old Henry Jones with the Karen Allen character at curtain close, and the jovial walking down the aisle into happily ever after. A celebration of the enduring bonds of love and family? Nah, I'm thinking if you suddenly "discover" that you have a son aged twenty or so, what that's called is kind of the opposite.

Better I think the battle with the flesh and blood minotaur. And that funky dinosaur thing that pops up under the golden fleece. For all its funkiness the hideous beast can still be slayed by Jason with the chuck of a single spear.

2009-08-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

Wellington Zoo

These dogs are very ferocious little noobs. My dad thought they were hyenas but they weren't. I didn't cause I'm smart. I knew they weren't hyenas cause hyenas are only yellow and black. But these were yellow WHITE and black.

We got to see them eat a goat. It was a dead goat.
They eat everything in a goat except for the bones, which they probably chew on. Once they are finished eating they are little lumps in the grass until they get wild again.

But they let the alpha dog eat first, then if there's any pups they get to eat, then the adults eat. I think the pups should get to eat first, even before the alpha dog. The alpha dog should have to eat last.

- Andrew

2009-08-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

You can take the boy out of the city...

Last weekend we did make it back to the hustle and bustle. What, ten people on the street corner waiting to cross? It's a mob I tell you.

Barbara drove with her artwork and the boys all flew over after school on Friday. That's the boat's eye view of Wellington. The rest are the boys clowning around by the beehive. B has some more pics on her facebook.

2009-08-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

We did a day of mountain biking on the Queen Charlotte track. This is something I have really been wanting to do. The weather cooperated, we met our friendly biking drop off helpers from Sea Kayak and hit the trail. That's Matt and Alex -- still not knowing what they are in for -- at drop off at the Torea Saddle.

Cherie has her game face on. And that's still on pavement.

Yup, it was beautiful. So walking your bike uphill ;-) is not nearly so bad as you might think. That's me on the trail down, during a nice safe bit.

OK we're done. Or at least this is as far as we made it. We bailed at Te Mahia bay, after we all came of our bikes at least once, and our trek was taking about twice the optimistic predictions we started out with. At least we're all smiles and no broken bones, no? It's not that visible but there are toothmarks in my left shin from the sprocket, the pedal, lord knows what, when I hit a patch of mud and flew off into the bush.

We took two bike repair kits but what we will take next time is a people repair kit. And there will be a next time.

2009-08-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Scrabble and a pint of Black Mac, that's about as good as a pub outing gets. This was pre-flight speed Scrabble with our favorite tasty wedges from the Honest Lawyer. Erin, Tom and Liam touched down after island-hopping across the Pacific - great to see friends from the old world. Dean and Liam are hanging on the challenge course.

2009-08-04T03:22:00.000-07:00

OK we've got a lot to blog about. Two sets of visitors and a trip to Wellington. So in order to get caught up I am going to try for a post a day for the next week. Nothing glamorous just the facts. First off, chopping wood with the Klinkes. Much fun was had by all, and we put my new log splitter to good use. And no one chopped off a foot. That wood stacked on the ground below our chopping stump? Yeah, that's so when the axe head deflects toward your leg you hit something else instead. And we got nice firewood.

2009-06-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

I try not to blog too much about about NZ-this or USA-that. It's just not productive to be measuring one country against the other, ya know? Be where you're at. But I filed my NZ taxes today and because taxes have been such an annual ordeal in my life, this year was a revelation.

My first introduction was talking to an employee at the bank/post office about how I probably needed to sort this out (the tax year ended March 31) and I asked him what he did each year. He gave me a funny look. I don't have to file anything, he said. It's already calculated and there's no reason to file anything.

Not file taxes?!? Not sweat over the freaking schedule ABCDE, SE, and myriad other forms that made my 1040 into a small book?

I hit the IRD New Zealand website and there it is, that beautiful statement: "Most people who earn salary or wages pay the correct amount of tax and don't need to do anything at the end of the tax year."

Can you imagine such a thing? I used to start preparing my US taxes in early March, because I knew it would take several weekend sessions to get the thing done. The idea that you might not even need to send in a form struck me initially as fantasy-land stuff.

But you know when you look over the personal tax form, called the IR3, it is so simple - 3 tax brackets, few deductions and special cases, that it begins to make sense. Here it is, if you want to have a look.

http://www.ird.govt.nz/resources/c/2/c26b87004dbf7347bf6abf90ad5f3a80/ir3-2009.pdf

I guess what happened to me during this process, is I moved beyond the sorts of statements often made under and about US taxes, e.g. "The tax system is broken," to actually seeing what it could be like, and how it could function. So much of that stuff - from capital gains and losses to the byzantine way self-employment taxes are calculated, simply doesn't have to be done that way, or done at all.

Nonetheless, as I decided whether I needed to file at all, I had a question... about interest on a bank account. So I called the 800 number for the IRD and I was placed into a hold queue. Usually this would be cause for despair, but here's the way the system works, I got a message telling me how long the wait would be (within a 10 min window) and would I like a callback? Yes, I would, I decided. I entered my phone number, and after that amount of time, I received the help call.

The person walked me through what I needed to do and - are you ready for another shocker? - took down my interest information and entered it into the system right at that time. As it turned out, I had over-withheld taxes via the bank, and I would in fact be due a refund. They also took my bank details and it will be transferred to my account within a few days. All that on the first phone call! I have now effectively filed my taxes, along with submitting one revision handled by phone.

Now I understand the tax system has been called largely voluntary, meaning much of the information will never be checked by anyone, and it is in some doubt exactly what numbers the goverment possesses anyhow, but to take the interest paid and amounts withheld off me in a phone call, imagine that! It begins to feel like I am actually trusted to report the right thing, and that feels pretty good. And I hadn't thought about it till now, but I reckon that means that the IRD places some trust and responsibility with the person on the other end of that phone call, too.

I will close by saying that when thinking about systems, such as tax in NZ, I can find myself making arguments for the USA (or NZ) because of relative size. Oh no that only works in NZ because it's so small. That kind of thing. But I'm not going to accept that. In fact, a huge country with a huge base of taxpayers could arguably have many more resources and wherewithal to craft solutions for a problem. Isn't it the same sort of reasoning - the whole economies of scale thing - that makes us imagine Home Depot is more "efficient" than a small corner hardware store? And just so, couldn't the US run the exact same call handling software that enables polite, scheduled callbacks at an agreed upon number and future time? Couldn't we find a way to get the job done without TurboTax, a personal tax accountant, or a month of weekends stolen away to get intimate with the tax code?

2009-06-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

Me and Andrew were messing around and taking pictures of ourselves jumping. Here are the best ones.

My biggest jump.

Andrew while jumping.

2009-05-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I would chronicle my Wednesday bike ride to pick up Andrew. So, I'm taking the camera along in my pocket and we'll see what we see along the way.

First off, helmets are required, so I've got my trusty Sorelli one from the Warehouse. Also my magnificent reflective pants cuff holders. Don't leave home without 'em. And, a backpack, because we need cream and spaghetti sauce. I'll take a stop by the grocery before school lets out.

Guaranteed to get you heart beating is the hill right out of the driveway. Yes, I ride the brakes down, and I usually walk up unless I am feel like some kind of iron man.

The stretch you see below is the only time I am on the main road. I have a pretty good shoulder to the left of the white stripe, but it's still exciting when a logging truck comes by. That's a traffic circle up ahead. Not much fun for bikes but fear not I will take you up and over the bike bridge that skirts around the circle. That brown sign pointing into the bushes is where the bikes bail out.

There go the cars into the circle, but we are safely up and away on bridge #1. You can see the cycleway as it wraps around the other side of the circle.

Down the series of bridges and onto the railway reserve path, which I guess used to be a railway. It is nice and straight and on most streets bikes have the right of way. It helps to know which streets you don't.

I have figured out that if the cars have a bump, I have priority. If no bump, bikes stop. As I tell the boys, ("it's best to slow down and have a look regardless").

The railway reserve runs me all the way into the town square. This is not Nelson but an outlying village named Stoke. It's a small shopping square, but if you consider what is there, it pretty much covers all the essentials of what people want. There is a library and a fire station. A grocery. A veggie stand. A barber. Eyeglasses. Video rental. Bank. Drugstore. Hair salon. A couple of small eateries featuring hamburgers, pizza, turkish kebabs, and chinese. And most importantly there is a pub. Also a bike shop, as you will see on the sidewalk.

Here is the view from the New World, the older grocery in town. A new one has sprung up nearby that is more "big box." We go to both. Today I will be quick in and out at the New World. The school bell is ringing about now.

Riding back I cut up a side street to get onto the railway reserve and there is Andrew and Cameron. I will share with them some gummy worms.

It is getting into winter now. Temps are going into the single digits at night, but during the day it is the teens, which is the 60's, and when the sun is out it's really quite nice. Today it's a nice day. Here's a look off the path to a bike ramp and the mountains beyond.

Below is the hill where we lived for a few weeks right after we moved here.

Here is the entrance to the bike ramp up over the main road on the return trip. I think about the biking infrastructure here as I am cruising along. They have made it so easy. I know it would be hard to go back and retrofit a city like Houston, but shouldn't we be thinking about this kind of planning going forward? When the Katy Freeway was being expanded, couldn't we find room for ten feet off to the side as a dedicated cycleway? Or how about as rail expands around the city? Couldn't part of rail down Richmond include a cycle/pedestrian track? I know it is a big ask.

These bike rides are one of the small quality of life things I know I will miss just about anywhere else.

There goes Andrew down into the bush. He is scootering today.

And here comes Barbara home from the studio. She is the most consistent biker of us all, and looks keen in her fluorescent jacket. And she also brings in firewood!

2009-04-29T00:57:00.000-07:00

We have a tree in our backyard that grows feijoas. Me and daddy-o went down to that tree and we picked approximately 8 or so.

At Nayland Primary I'm the compost person with 2 other kids. We go around asking for peoples' compost and somebody I saw had a massive feijoa skin and was eating it. I did not know you could eat the skin. But lots of kids had them and I thought they were crazy freaks. They eat the whole thing but not the bottom or bum as we call it.

But now I tried the skin and I think it's bitter and dreadful tasting but the feijoa itself is pretty good. hhhhhho!

Dad says look here for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feijoa
They're supposed to be in Georgia and Louisiana, but we never saw them.

- Andrew

2009-04-26T20:57:00.000-07:00

It's fall in New Zealand. The weather is crisp and we've lit our fire several times. We've discovered a walnut tree on our property and have been delighting in them ....almost as good as our pecan tree at 816 West Main. The feajoas are ripening and Duane swears they are delicious. Maybe I'll develop a taste for them. We laso found an apple tree hidden among the bush. It only bore about 8 fruit, but they were very tasty.

We went to a friends orchard in early April and got to pick bushels of apples. There are so many (4 million says Brenda) that if they are not perfect, Brenda will just take a bite and chuck 'em. It was interesting learning the ins and outs of orchard life. Theirs is a "boutique" orchard and they can only sell the finest. They talked about how difficult it is to launch a new variety....most don't take. But, they have some "Eves" (is that a GREAT name or what) and they seem to be catching on.

Finally, we were invited to our third party this weekend. Of the three we've been invited to, two have been costume parties. Our little town of Nelson has three costume rental shops all within 1k of each other. It's bizarre - maybe it's because they don't celebrate Halloween. Anyway, the Independent Theatre also has a costume rental. So, against my normal inclinations, I rented some clothes, dressed up for the Ab Fab party and danced the night away!

2009-04-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

It's Good Friday in NZ. What are the Franklets up to? First of all, everything is closed and I mean everything. Went to the grocery to pick up a few items - nope. Fortunately we already have our eggs. That's Andrew on egg stuffing duty and that giant can of jelly beans is the one he won in a coloring competition. We've got some of his young friends coming over later along with some even younger siblings, and we will hunt.... should be great fun and a perfect day sunny in the 60's.

Andrew regarding his job this morning: "They are delicious and hard to resist but somehow we managed to get it all done."

Meanwhile Dean-o is outside with - what is that thing - a cricket bat? Hmmm... from his expression I don't think he hit anything.

Barbara is doing some last minute framing. Of course you can't see anything because they are all fish-face down. Here I will upload another pic so you can see what she's up to.

2009-03-23T14:39:00.001-07:00

Leaving the Comfort Zone

The best thing I did all summer was swim in the blue pools. The water was bitter – 50 at best, possibly mid 40s. Slowly, I lowered my body into the icy pool. I thought myself crazy, I should just get dressed and stay where it’s warm and sunny. But, I persevered. And then, for fifteen fabulous minutes, I kicked my feet and felt the arctic fingers sting my body. My heart pumped, I laughed and played. It was truly exhilarating; I didn’t want to get out.

Isn’t it so? It’s not the sumptuous meal we hold dear, nor the squandered afternoon in the sun. It’s those times we have felt challenged, when we have confronted fear or failure or harsh elements that we remember and cherish. It’s when we have left our comfort zone that we feel most alive.

I recently saw “Man on Wire” - loved it. And, while I have no desire to tightrope across anything, let alone thousands of feet above the ground without a net, I completely get Phillipe Petits. I can’t remember his exact quote. But, at one point he expresses a profound need to cross the Towers. He saw it as beauty, art and a measure of true living. One fall and it’s over, yet for forty minutes, he dances on the wire in a state of euphoria.

I suspect, but don’t know for sure, that Phillipe lived comfortably. I understand if one is hungry, cold, lonely – then the very act of existence is a quest for a comfort zone. To leave a comfort zone, one’s basic needs must be met. But, if one has reached some level of security, then I highly recommend taking a step outside of it. Make a speech, swim in arctic waters, bungee jump, walk four days in the rain, sweat. Make your heart race and choose to feel uncomfortable.

I used to think astronauts were crazy. Why would anyone dare to do something so dangerous? What motivates the person climbing Mt. Everest, collecting venom from sea snakes, throwing oneself unnecessarily into life threatening situations? Those folks aren’t content to put a toe outside the comfort zone, they throw their bodies out into the stratosphere. These days I understand them a bit more.

Me, I’ll never seek that level of adventure. Never touch a venomous snake nor blaze a trail in an unfamiliar and inhospitable environment. I’ll never sell all my possessions, burn my life savings. I’ll never leave the comfort zone completely. I’m not that brave. At best, I may skydive next.

“Everyone needs a quest as an excuse for living,” Bruce Chatwin (author, adventurer)

2009-03-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

This year I did the Weetbix Triathlon. It is one of the largest kids' triathlons in the world. When I first got there I was not afraid. I saw all the other kids and I thought this is going to be so fun. There might be bad parts, but usually when I do something like this I have a whole lot of fun.

When I put my bike in there I thought I might never find it. We put a purple towel over my bike to help me find it, but I thought other people might have a purple towel also. There were a lot of bikes.

After I had finished swimming, I ran right to my bike and found it right away. I had to take off my swim cap, I had to put on my shirt and shoes and stuff like that. And then I started biking. I was quite fast. I passed like 5 people at the beginning, but once we went around one of the corners a kid smacked into me and I fell off my bike. I got right back on and started biking again. And I passed some more people. When I got back to the bike area I put my bike back in its spot and right away I started running.

At the beginning I passed a few kids and then at the end Dean was telling me to use my last burst of energy. I used it wisely when I passed a couple at the end, one of which I knew. That's Rylee in the picture, and me. I had a whole lot of fun I got a shiny gold medal and I want to do it again next year. P.S. I didn't win anything. Except the medal. And a shirt. And a swimcap. But everybody got that. By Andrew.

2009-02-21T14:27:00.001-08:00

Hi is a me Andrew look at me flying this wonderful kite.i'm famous for flying kites i'm kidding.

at this amazing nelson kite festival there were cobras,fish,dragons all sorts of animals

2009-02-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays we went to a lot of places. One of these places was Wanaka. In Wanaka, was THE MOST INCREDIBLY AMAZING PUZZLE CENTER THING IN THE WORLD. It was called Puzzling World. It was quite cool. When you look at it from the outside you can tell it will be awesome. There is a giant walk through maze to your left, and to your right is this,There is even an optical illusion ground when

you are walking in. When you walk in there is a big room with lots of tables and people and on the tables are puzzles. You don't even have to pay to do the puzzles and you can stay as long as you want. When you look up it is a kaleidoscope ceiling. When you pay there are two things to do, the illusion rooms and the labyrinth. We did the illusion rooms first and they were so cool.

It started out with a room with a bunch of 3D holograms. After was the following faces room.When you moved the faces appeared to follow you.

After that was this crazy tilted room.

And the last room was the Amos room.There are no trick cameras or anything, it is just the viewing point.

After the rooms we did the labyrinth it was nearly impossible. It was made of wood and you had to go to each of the four towers once and then go back to the entrance. I went alone and mum and Andrew stayed together. We found all the towers(After an hour and 4-5k of walking) but we had to use the emergency exit(used a lot) because we could not get back to the start. You came to a little cafe area and they even made their toilets illusions.It was a good place.

$^$^$-Dean

2009-02-12T12:50:00.000-08:00

Hike at Milford Sound

We recently returned from our summer holiday down south. We spent three days at Milford Sound. We took this fabulous hike one day .

Typical of the Kiwis, this hike was not for lightweights. It was steep, rocky and loads of fun.

The very fact that it was more of an adventure, made this hike much more appealing to the boys.

Grandma was an amazing sport and hiked this treacherous trail to the bitter end.

This is no Rocky Mountain National Park. Described as moderate, I can't imagine what a difficult hike is like.

After this exciting climb, Duane ripped off his clothes and plunged into the icy, alpine lake.

2009-01-18T13:48:00.001-08:00

We attended our first rodeo over the weekend. I imagine it is similar to the Simonton rodeo for those of you who have gone - I remember going as a kid but haven't gone in years.

There's the fence, so we are up close and personal. When the action got right in front of us we kept our mouths closed or else eat some rodeo dirt.

Of course bull riding is interesting in a Roman coliseum kind of way, but I've got to say the kid events are pretty much the best entertainment of the afternoon. Take a four year old, put him or her on a sheep and open the gate. The older kids ride calves. I asked Andrew if he wanted to have a go, and he wisely took a pass.

The kids line up to do it, by the way, so I don't think it constitutes child abuse. The sheep would probably disagree.

2009-01-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

Sharon and I emailed early December. We were writing about shifting homes. She has lived everywhere and anywhere for the last 15 years…a veritable rolling stone. I had wondered how she coped with all her moves. How did one nurture old relationships and invest in the new, I asked. She offered no clears answers. Said she had been thinking “about people whose primary identity is tribal, and will always be tribal, and land-based, as opposed to the identities of those who are not land-based.” This idea has resonated with me. What matters…home, community? How are people wired? How am I wired?

I wondered if we all weren’t, in fact, tribal. And, the lone traveler an anomaly of the system. Even nomads travel in groups, so while they may not be land-based, they are still tribal. Or, is there some character trait that predisposes one towards a tribe and another less so. Is it the community/tribe that makes one complete or are we complete unto ourselves? Do some need a “tribe” more than others?

Recently I joined Facebook. People from high school have contacted me. And, even more surprising folks who grew up in my neighborhood, lived on the same street. As I’ve been invited to become a “friend,” I’ve been struck again by this idea of community. While not its sole purpose, it seems Facebook serves to link people back to their tribe. It feeds that human need to feel a connection to a group.

After having been away from Houston for one year, I sit in my New Zealand home and reflect even more on the idea of the tribe. There is no doubt that I am living in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Yet, there is also no doubt that I left behind an incredible community. Within that inner loop circle, I felt a definite sense of being part of something bigger than just a group of friends. It was tribal and it made me feel complete.

I am certain a “cyber” tribe, be it Facebook or email, can never replace the real deal. Nothing can replace a spontaneous Friday night gatherings at Valhalla’s. Nothing can replace knocking on neighbor John’s door for a cup of flour. A tribe requires people you can touch and look in the eye. It requires both stability and interchangeability.And, in modern times, tribes require a little magic.

I am confident that, should we decide to stay, we could become a part of a new tribe. We’ve made friends; little roots are sprouting. I am just not certain, then, what becomes of the old tribe. I find it very hard to turn my back on a community I so thoroughly enjoyed. I don’t know if living in a beautiful place is a substitute for living amongst the beautiful folks of Houston.

………Oh well, we’ve signed our lease for another year. Fortunately we have time to wrestle with these questions. Peace and love in 2009.

2009-01-03T13:34:00.001-08:00

Abel Tasman Park

Sue and Lee came to visit and the action was nonstop. It was like being tourists again. Too much fun.

Abel Tasman Park has to be one of my favorite spots. Last week we took a water taxi which dropped us off for a 13k hike. The wind was up and the water was really choppy. It was exhilarating....like a 30 minute amusement ride.

They hitch the boats onto tractors and drive down the surf until the water is deep enough.

With winds like these, it was a great day for parasurfing. I swear these guys get airborne. Something I'd definitely like to try.

Once back on terra firma you get treated to some of the most spectacular scenery imaginable - amongst lush foliage, rolling hills spill into the turquoise waters. It takes my breath away.

It was so nice to share this magical place with Sue and Lee.

2008-12-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

Now it's sunny again and back to civilization.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2008-12-23T01:43:00.001-08:00

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.

2008-12-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-12-04T02:22:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-11-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-11-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

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.

2008-10-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-10-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

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).

2008-10-04T23:53:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-10-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

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.

2008-08-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

This week I did lots of stuff. I went to the Nelson Mathix with my team since we won the Broadgreen Mathix (a math competition).

We were in the lead and then we got stuck on question 15. Eventually we got it with Finley's lucky number......?? The question was there are 41 heads and 130 legs on a farm. The farmers has turkeys and cows, how many turkeys are there? When we got it we were two questions behind the leading groups. In the end the other Broadgreen team got first and we got fifth.

On Thursday and Friday all the intermedite schools from the Top of the South Island met for winter tournament. I was on the school's soccer team and we played other good schools, but we had Sam Maxwell at forward. He and Corey scored two goals for a 2-0 lead over Boholly. It was the first time we'd won since 2004. We pretty much had a clean sweep over all of the events. We(Broadgreen) were the overall winners.

Finally, on Saturday my club soccer team had a practice playoff game vs our enemy the Bright field Bombers. the score was 4-4, but we lost in penalties.

2008-08-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

“Actually, a small breeze of homesickness had been blowing over me for the last few days. I suspected, however, that I wasn’t homesick for anything I would find at home when I returned. The longing was for what I wouldn’t find: the past and all the people and places and cats that were lost to me. I’d been thinking a lot about that lately – the inevitability of separation, in one form or another, from all those we love, and, in a different way, from ourselves as we were in the past. “

Alice Steinbach, from Without Reservations

Just a little excerpt from a book I recently read. Alice’s keen observation articulated a familiar thought. Whether we move or not, we are often laying to rest a person we once were. It is only with a distance of space or time that we become acutely aware of that passage. And so it goes. We move, we change ……pieces of our old self dies, while new growth brings about yet another chapter.

When I first came here I was so obsessed with the future. How long will we stay? What will we do? Where will we return to, if and when we return? Somehow I’ve mellowed. I’ve met so many people who have lived and traveled the world. I’ve accepted the possibility of transience, the idea of being in a moment and letting go of the distant future and concrete answers. I am here and I am happy.

...…….what’s new? Well, Andrew’s lost a tooth. The daffodils are blooming - as are numerous other plants. (Quite frankly we’ve had flowers and foliage throughout the winter.) We've been invited to our first dinner. The days are once again getting longer (yeh!) and I smell spring in the air.

This Texas girl is ready for the heat!

2008-08-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Smoking House

It's winter, ok? And we are hunkered down inside the igloo. At night outside all around the house gets a layer of frost. Then the sun comes out and everything begins to steam. The entire car is steaming, the deck, the railings, the chairs. Here I'll give you a picture of what I'm talking about.

The whitish color on the lattice is frost. It'll be smoking soon as the sun hits.

Here's the deck chair:

That's what all the surfaces are doing. Pretty cool really, as long as you're inside where it's warm.

2008-08-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we experienced what I believe would be called a gale. Purportedly the worst storm in thirty years with wind gusts between 75 - 90mph. I felt like I was back in Houston, TX in the middle of a hurricane. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtCzlZogjZQ "Severe Weather Nelson, NZ" and you'll see one of our locals escape fate......amazing. Sorry our video is sideways...if you know how to fix that let us know

When the rains and wind began I just thought we were having a bit of bad weather. When after about two hours I looked out and saw limbs flying through the air I realized this was much more than that.The kids were in school and the administration had the good sense to keep kids until parents picked them up. Primary kids who normally walked home alone and could not have a parent pick them up were driven home by a teacher. Duane and I parked under a stand of giant pine trees when we got Dean and Andrew. What were we thinking!!!! Later one of those trees became uprooted.

Our property lost at least five trees. Good news, not our problem Even better news, no one was hurt!

2008-07-25T02:09:00.001-07:00

About six weeks ago, the oven door in our rental shattered. There I was upstairs washing dishes while my cannelloni baked, when suddenly I heard a loud crackle. I looked behind and saw the oven door splintered into a thousand little pieces. Good news, dinner had been spared. Even better news, it was not my problem.

Much to my surprise, I have enjoyed being a renter in our fully furnished Nelson home. Rather than feeling untethered and homeless, I feel remarkably liberated. Instead of spending time and energy on improving my abode, I go hiking or biking. Perhaps I’d rather the walls were white instead of yellow. But, does it keep my up at night? No, I sleep quite soundly and carefree.

Used to be, when Houston had a torrential rain, I would fret…are the streets flooding? Is my studio safe? Have we sprung a leak somewhere? Now, I revel in the glory of bountiful rains and place a bucket beneath that little leak on our stairwell…..it’s not my problem.

Oh, and the money we’ve saved! There are so many things I haven’t bought - the dishes, the décor, furniture and home improvement. I never realized how much a home sucked out until I let go of ownership. About my only indulgences these days are fresh flowers and good food.

And, yet, this place feels like “home.” We are SO lucky to have this fabulous house. After four months, I am still as satisfied as the day we moved in. I like the layout, the dishes. I love the gardens and our big family room where we gather round the fire. And, Smudge, what a cat! In fact, if Kathleen and Robert asked, we’d probably buy this house…….

Wait a second. Then I’d have to fix that leak, and paint the walls. Oh, and what about central heat? New furniture, towels. Shouldn’t we recarpet????? AHHHHHH!!

2008-07-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Golden Couple- Happy Anniversary Dub and Frieda

Group shot of Lee's family

I get high with a little help from my friends!

Matt, me, Lee and Sue at RMNP
Best burgers ever!!

I get by with a little help from my friends

Goodnight Highlands Ranch, see you soon.

2008-07-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

Well, after 22 days in the mother country I am back "home" ....... back to my glass enclosed studio listening to my old friends Granddaddy and Michelle Shocked.

The trip was great in so many ways. I can't just do highlights, everything was fun. So, here's a chronological synopsis of the good times in the Northern Hemisphere.

Meiningers Art Supply - such variety, so many cool thing all in one place. Thanks to Nancy and all the good people there! I've missed well-stocked art supply stores.

Erin and Kimberley visit - How lucky am I to have such great friends come up and see me. Good food, good friends, good times.

Sister Sue returns - back from Germany bearing Maoams and Bockenschokolade. The Energizer Bunny prepares for a grand celebration as if she just returned from the spa.

Dub and Frieda's 5oth Anniversary - an event to remember. Congratulations to this lovely couple who have kept it together for so long - 50 years deserves a celebration. Loved meeting Jess and Dave and Lee's wonderful sister Melissa.

A visit with Sharon - My dynamic sister-in-law never ceases to amaze me. Hosting a panel on Native American land rights at Boulder University, Sharon squeezed in a bite to eat and talk of what's next - it will never be dull or predictable.

The Klinkes and Kories arrive - I feel blessed to have such a supportive family to come see me flop or fly. What a fine young man my nephew Matt is becoming - I am in awe.

The Cherry Creek Art Festival - The event I have been dreaming of. It lived up to all expectations and was a blast. Thank you to all who came and supported this artist from down under. To all extended, the invitation stands. Come sit at our patio in Nelson, NZ and enjoy a glass of wine. ....spend a night, or two.....or three.

Thank you Sue and Lee for having me at your beautiful new home in Colorado. I enjoyed our time together. Can't wait to do it again!

2008-07-14T02:24:00.000-07:00

We are on a two week break from school and so far I've done lots of stuff. I did a week long soccer camp that was fun and I've been baking cookies and brownies. I have also been playing a real fun game called sumotori and here is the link where you can download it:http://www.toribash.com/downloads.php. Fun-motion.com is a site where you can find lots of good physics related games. Over the weekend I got to be the ball boy at a Nelson Suburbs soccer game. The Nelson Suburbs are a Nelson soccer team that are very good. We won 3-0. At halftime me and 3 other members of my soccer team who got to be ball boys got Cokes.

2008-07-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

It's "mufti" day at school. For those back in the US of A, this means a day where you don't have to wear the school uniform. (Anyone who knows where this name actually comes from please post us an explanation).

Anyway, there is "gold coin mufti day" and "free mufti day," the difference being that you pay $1 to not wear your uniform on gold coin mufti day. The money usually goes to a good cause.

Today is a free mufti day. It is also a wacky free mufti day, meaning you not only wear street clothes, you can dress up. Kind of like Halloween. Driving to school we passed, early on, a Santa Claus pushing a bicycle, followed by a jester with a big jester hat, and a princess with a very tall crown-like thingy.

Suggestion for boys at Andrew's school was prince/king, and just fortunately we had packed a few costume changes. Again those shipping boxes come in handy! I'd say he makes a fairly convincing knight. Perhaps he is a king slumming as a knight. Perhaps he will attack that threatening one-eyed hoodlum. I'd say you can bet on it.

2008-07-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's the day of the big "truckie" strike. Yes, as in Spain, France, UK and elsewhere, the truck driver protests have come to NZ. And it's not so much about fuel prices, though that's the backdrop, it's really about an increase in the road usage tax. Will we be able to get to school?

Here's a look down the hill from our driveway...

I can see they've already started. Wouldn't normally see a truck down there at the bottom of the hill. Uh oh, I can hear horns in the distance. Let's give it a go and see what happens--

Well having made it there and back, I can tell you these are the nicest truckies ever. As you can see from my windshield-cam, the drivers are leaving space for people to pull in and out. Yes, the works are a bit gummed up, but you can still get where you need to go.

No impromptu road blockages here, I flip on the news, which is broadcasting the routes the trucks will be taking in Wellington and Auckland, so everyone can know exactly where to go (or avoid). It's kind of like a parade.

Those horns? I think it's more a solidarity tap on the horn between truckies and the occasional auto driver. In fact the media is reporting in their poll as to, Do you support the truckies?, the results are 95% Yes 5% No in their most lopsided poll result ever. So there you have it. The great NZ truckie action of July 4, 2008.

2008-06-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on the vege garden, which you first met here: http://franklet.blogspot.com/2008/04/veggie-garden-is-on.html

So it's a little over 2 months later. First of all we have eaten quite a few salads from the various lettuces. I'm sure things grow much more slowly in the winter months, and with the short days, but we can go down and harvest greens once a week or so.

The broccoli plants are doing great. That's them in the darker green at the end of the box in the picture below. They have not started to form heads yet. I don't know if that will have to wait until spring - I guess we'll see.

The whole thing has required remarkably little care and feeding. The balance of rain is about right. Can't do anything about the sun anyway. No sign of pesky critters. The one thing we've tried to keep an eye on is the weather at night. It's winter, and if the forecast was to go to freezing, we have been throwing a couple of bedsheets over the top. We often get a light frost and I figured that would be the end of our greens. One cold night the plants were left uncovered. I walked down to find the leaves frozen stiff. That's the end of the lettuces, I thought. Maybe not the other plants, but how can a thin lettuce leaf survive that?

Apparently it can. The sun came out and I checked a few hours later and everybody looked happy as... lettuces. I since talked to a neighbor and learned that everything would do fine. She doesn't do anything to her garden. Yea!

That's my kind of self-regenerating salad.

2008-06-22T01:07:00.000-07:00

The other day my bike got a flat tire, so we took out the tube. The hole was really small, so we put duct tape on it. I had the idea of filling it with air until it bursted. It got so big that I was scared that it was going to pop, so I went behind the fence and I had to fit the pump in between the little posts to pump it up. It took quite a while, but eventually, it popped. Also look at my tags so that if someone searches "Barack Obama" or some thing it links to my post.

2008-06-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz_mwWjoGdE

On the road again......I just can't wait! Tomorrow I leave for Denver, Co. After ten years of applying, I finally got accepted to the Cherry Creek Art Festival. I hope it's all I imagine it to be. But, no matter. I'll get to see my family, friends and whoever from the travelling art family makes it to this event.

Alot of people have asked if my work has changed much since moving. And, I have to say, not yet. For this show, I wanted to do what works. It's not a good time to make radical changes.

I've really enjoyed the notes from many of the wonderful people I have met along the way. It's funny how about the time I get ready to hit the road, I really do start humming Willie. ....going places that I've never been, seeing faces that I've never seen; the life I love is taking my art on the road. If you get a wild hair, come up to Denver, July 4 - 6. www.cherryarts.org/

To see what else is new, visit http://www.bfranklet.com/

2008-06-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

2008-06-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

First of all, I've been making different things, like this mobile with big wheels, 2 treasure chests and a guy with a paddle. Also, I made a new volcano. I got a new guy and I put him on the safe zone from the volcano. And the wolf on the flame thrower guy's ship got moved to the safe zone from the volacano.

Another new touch is that the chain got attached to the little mobile instead of the big mobile. And the big mobile had to use its thingies to grab onto the house. And I got a new guy that's a Chinese guy with a horn and fire. The side of the ship has a cannon. And there are 2 missiles, one is fire and one is brick, and you have to take the bottom off to shoot them since they are double missiles. As you see in the pictures, the stuff around them, the colored blocks are red, orange, brown, yellow, green, and blue. The colors of the volcano are red orange and yellow and the safe zone is these 2 really big brown blocks that are high. Also water is a safe zone. Grass is the only place you can die from a volcano (except for the red orange and yellow).

As you can see, some of the people in the picture don't look like they are usual people. Like the guy with a mousehead. The two guys without arms. The guy with only a helmet as a head. The flags that say Octan mean that 2 people have combined teams to make something awesome. Each part of the ship has to have one flag.

And spongebob swam up from the underground sea at bikini bottom to the ship. The wolf that you see in the safezone is injured. It's a good wolf. The team is coming to save it.

The Good Wolf

The End

2008-06-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Fall is gradually giving way to winter. The days are getting much shorter and the nights much COLDER. As there is no central heat in most houses in NZ, we light our evening fire and hang around the living room where it's warm and cosy. Life has slowed down considerably.

The boys are doing just fine. Dean's life is all about soccer. He plays on the Cobras every Saturday and for the Broadgreen Reps (his school soccer team) for tournaments. His new friend Jackson is super. Jackson lives in The Glen which is a beautiful area right by the coast. It's where we hiked with the sheep. Yesterday Dean asked if he could go with Pipsy (Guiseppe) to the Tahuna Soccer Fields right from school. Of course, I said, that's why we came here - to play outside and move about freely.

Andrew has fit in nicely. He's got several mates - David being his best buddy. He's a happy and kind friend to Andrew. They play Lego, swap Rugby and Pokemon cards and watch Spongebob together. Andrew has outfitted the two tents downstairs into a swank bachelor pad. He sleeps there every night...who needs a bed!! Otherwise, he's obsessed with rocks and exotic animals.

Duane spends his days tending the veggie garden, surfing the web and contemplating a self-sustaining lifestyle. Last week we went to look at chickens, though we're not sure our present house works for that. Every two weeks he goes to The Glen to do some work for Susanna. He's a jack-of-all-trades cleaning gutters, chopping wood, fixing computers and righting the letterbox amongst other things.

Me, I go about making pictures, reading books and overthinking what to do next. One day I want to work at a bookstore, next become a graphic designer. I definitely think it's time I learned to knit! I've made a couple of friends and that's about all I need at the moment.

As a family, we've played a lot more games together. Andrew has learned to play "Oh, hell" and is a force to be reckoned with. Last weekend we had a marathon Monopoly game. Dean firmly trounced each and every one of us. Often on Saturdays we go the downtown market. Duane and I pick up fresh produce while the boys squander their allowance. Dean (Mr. Sweet Tooth) gets himself a nice chocolate crepe, Andrew another rock for his collection.

It's all been good so far. Sometimes on a beautiful day, I feel this panic that I must go outside and do something. Then I remember it will be like this again and again. I am not on vacation.

2008-06-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

When we first arrived, Nelson sponsored Busker Festival - loads of fun.

Since we've been here, I've had time for quite a bit of reading. It's been really fun plucking books from Kathleen and Robert's shelves and finding treasures. I've also joined a bookclub at the local bookstore. I've gained an appreciation between the distinction of American English and that of the rest of the English speaking world. I'm torn - is it colour or color, civilized or civilised? Who knew Microsoft had a special US English version. My world has grown.

Okay, so here are some of my reviews. My favorites/favourites have all come from 8 Maire Street.

Small Island by Andrea Levy - This was a Whitbread Book of the Year and Orange Prize for Fiction winner. It's the story of two Jamaicans who move to England. One as a volunteer for the English Army in WWII, the other as his reluctant bride after the war. Gilbert is a happy-go-lucky guy, Hortense is educated and proud. Both are disillusioned when England fails to deliver its promise from their Jamaican dreams. I really liked this book.

The Bird Artist by Howard Norman - How could I resist a book with that title? A quirkly tale of murder set in New Foundland in the early 1900s. It has a magical realism quality to it. The writing is spare, the characters understated, yet complex. Written in 1994 it was a National Book Award Finalist. I suppose because of its setting , it was compared to The Shipping News. I loved this book and its characters - especially Margaret.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - Set in WWII Germany (always an intriguing topic for me), this is a story of Liesel who finds solace and escape with books. She arrives at her foster family illiterate, but learns to read from her compassionate accordian playing (just like my Opa) foster father. Okay, this is Nazi Germany, how happy can anything be, but there is a humanism to this story and I highly recommend it.

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani - Just okay for me, the book is about a young Persian girl who aspires to design carpets. I believe it is the 1700s in Iran. I did like when her uncle, a carpet designer himself, teaches her about good design and colour. I could relate.

The Delivery Room by Sylvia Brownrigg - Highly ambitious, this novel undertakes birth, death, war and bereavement. Wow. Brownrigg is remarkably observant of human nature. I began this book underlining one insight after another. Our main character is a Serbian psychotherapist living in London. Taking place during the Serbian War, we meet a cast of characters working through divorce, infertility, loss, etc... I never fell in love with the book or its characters, yet it is an intelligent book and I am glad to have read it.

That's all for now. Happy reading!

2008-05-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Hope you are barbecuing, swimming and having fun. I miss you all terribly, but would be lying if I said I didn't love Nelson.

Yesterday, the weather was fine - just a bit fresh. We donned our trainers, put petrol in Ruben and went for a tramp in the bush (actually mostly pasture). All this within a fifteen minute car ride. (You can see Nelson in the distance in one of the pictures).

2008-05-19T00:35:00.000-07:00

The boxes are here! OK, for the record, it took right at 4 months to ship them over. They went to who knows where in the USA. Then over to London. Offloaded and repackaged onto the slow boat to China. But here they are, all intact without a single broken item, delivered to our doorstep. Amazing, really. Good thing we weren't waiting on the edge of our seats. In fact, at times I began to forget just what was in them - did we really need ANY of it?

But now, as we unpack, I pull out a load of stuffed animals and children's books...

There's a non-logical aspect to the cost of it - around two thousand dollars. Couldn't we have just bought half this stuff (and forgotten about the other half?)

Ah, but what about the signed Dynamo ball? The family collection of board games? Or the pieces of art that made the trip? Yup, there's Dickerson, and look, Honey Bunny made it. A Mary Fisher house came over wrapped in a sweater, along with turtle from the Foelbers and a bird from Terry Powell.

Terry, your piece now hangs over the stove, a perilous location where bird will take its chances.

That's OK Barb says, if it gets covered in, I don't know, bacon grease, she can always copy it.

Again.

2008-05-11T01:42:00.000-07:00

We were on school break and we went to the west coast. On the way back from Arthur's Pass, we stopped at a lake and there was a totally awesome rope swing.

Me and Dean first just swung on it like you were supposed to. But then we tried some other ways like hanging on with your hands and swinging out over the water. Another way was to put your arms through this loop and hold on that way.

You would also hold onto a knot on the rope and run up the sand and then let your weight pull you back. Andrew

2008-05-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of people have written me about what I miss about Houston. One says they never missed food when they left their home, another observes I must be homesick.

Let's face it, on one level food is just that food, sustenance. But, food works on yet another level. It gives one a sense of place, evocative in its ability to feed memory. When I long for Christi's pasta, I am missing the conversation, the people, the at-one-time-in-our-lives Wednesday night ritual. If Christi had made cabbage, then by God I would be pining for cabbage.

Half an Italian toast with one egg over easy would not taste nearly as good without the company of Erin or Suzanne or Nancy..Lisa...Monique……. or any of the other women who would come out for breakfast. And, a tuna bagel, that's a Sunday afternoon family bike ride. I've been going to that crazy bagel place since I first moved to Houston. At the time I loved it because it was the only place that could make bagels like they did in New Jersey!

And, I'm quite sure I can make my own raspberry pie thank you very much. But, when Judy would call up and say, "Go get some ice cream, I got some pie" it was irresistible. Hot out of the oven, sitting at Neighbor Judy's table it tasted of friendship and community.

If one is lucky enough to exercise choice, when it's beyond filling the belly, then food is emotional and powerful. It is why every single time I make and eat plum cake I think of my mother (and sometimes shed a tear). Plum cake embodies the crisp fall days of my New Jersey childhood. It is my beautiful German mother recreating a piece of her home.

So, no, I guess it's true, I really don't miss the food so much. It's the people with whom I ate it.

2008-05-06T16:39:00.000-07:00

A quick plug for Radio Paradise. Duane discovered this years ago, he's streamed it onto our stereo. http://www.radioparadise.com/ They just played Death Cab for Cutie, when I turned it on Neko Case was playing. Along the way heard "The Only Living Boy in New York." The movie Garden State resurrected the song (and for good reason). Bridge Over Troubled Water always makes the short list for desert islands discs. Paul Simon is brilliant.

2008-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

So, we sold our house to a lovely Australian woman. She writes every once and a while and even sent photos of the garden. Penny has asked if there is anything I would like shipped. Funny how it's people and food I miss the most. There are few places outside of Glassell (and that's really about the people, too) that I miss - especially in the city itself.

Anyway, Penny, here's my list:

A little sweet something from John George - preferably made in the toaster oven

Sopa Azteca from La Mexicana

A raspberry pie from Judy - berries must be hand-picked, crust homemade - I'll provide the store bought icecream

A Shiner Bock from the Alabama Icehouse

Christi's homemade pasta and meat sauce - please accompany with a little political conversation, lots of wine and a sidebar conversation on desert island discs (I'm working on mine - it ALWAYS changes).

Kimberley's secret seasoning mix

Chocolate Brownies from the French Gourmet Baker - Erin will pick up

A margarita from ANYWHERE

A tuna bagel with Cheetos from The Hot Bagel Shop on Shepherd - I know they say they're open until 2:30 pm, but get there by 1:00 they may decide to close early.

A little hitchy- hotch from one of Joanie's catering jobs (yummy) followed with a game of Scrabble. Rick will pick up dessert.

Finally, I'll take 1/2 Italian Toast and one egg over easy from the Empire Cafe - who's in?

2008-04-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

One of my many chores is to be the FIRESTARTER.

My job consists of;

Wood, stacking wood, tools, matches, newspaper, and the fire.

2008-04-26T02:18:00.000-07:00

It's the school break between terms, so we took a trip down the wild west coast. It is sparsely populated, as everyone says, and sprinkled with wondrous sites like the pancake rocks outside of Punakaiki.

The rocks themselves are due to some sort of limestone formation - I don't know the geology of it, I just spent the time watching the waves come in. Check it out.

Here's one coming in now:

This formation is called the blowhole. A big wave rips right up the fissure in the rock and blasts into the air. Awesome.

2008-04-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

Veggie garden is ON. Here are 2 pics of our recent planting. We built the box from cypress planks, which we hope will hold up reasonably well. Inside went grass clippings; 3 trays of contents from the worm farm, worms included; a bag of sheep manure; more grass clippings; some topsoil and a spare bag of potting soil - that's where the little white rocks come from. A bit of a mix, but one we imagine being reasonably tasty for plants and bugs and worms alike, or at least getting that way over time.

This is a tiny brocolli, which is supposed to hold up well in cooler weather.

Here's a sense of the whole thing. Brocollis are in the foreground. Rocket and silver beet on the right side. A bunch of salad greens on the left. We went ahead and stuck some seeds in the center to see what happens: beetroot and carrots. I think we were supposed to wait on these but what the heck we like carrots and this is how you learn.

Then, in honor of the brocolli planting, we ate some brocolli.

And practiced our table manners.

2008-04-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

I just watched the video clip Magda sent out. It’s where the professor from Carnegie Mellon gives his final lecture again on Oprah. He has pancreatic cancer and has exhausted all treatments; he has but months to live. His is a reflection on life, on values, on our choice to be happy…..or morose. He urges the audience to aspire to excellence and to relentlessly pursue dreams even through failure. I am reminded that we are but visitors here - to relish and revel in this uncertain journey.

I was orphaned at 34. My beloved mother died months after I married; Dad 4 ½ years later. In between that time, I watched as my sister grieved the loss of her only child Nicholas. He was seven years old. There is nothing more painful and heart wrenching than the loss of a child. Nothing.

It was a difficult, life altering time for me. Up until that point, I’d suffered no losses. I was cognizant of death, I just hadn’t internalized it much. All of a sudden, though, I had become very aware of my mortality. It was a time to fashion my reason to be or at least make a little sense of it all. I never did master the reason to be; but, I did manage a way to celebrate this life. My world view was shaped by one of the greatest gifts I have ever received - my father’s unfinished autobiography.

I remember when he told me he was writing his story. In that thirty-something-year-old way, I dismissed him. I couldn’t imagine he had anything that interesting to share, I stand corrected.

My parents were German immigrants. Both grew up in Hamburg during WWII. Six years older than Mom, Dad came of age at this time. His unfinished story begins with an eleven-year-old boy caught up in the excitement of war and Germany’s “greatness.” Dad would go with his buddies collecting shrapnel and harassing SS soldiers. It was a glorious golden time, Germans felt righteous and invincible. All that quickly tarnished.

As the war progresses, things get more difficult and dangerous in Hamburg - to the point where Dad is sent to the country. He doesn’t stay long, however; the family misses each other too much. Once back, he is enlisted in Hitler Youth. He marches, salutes, performs and becomes more wary of the whole war machinery. Opa (my accordion playing, former communist grandfather) says little, for he is quite disenchanted with Hitler, but he knows it is best to keep mum.

At one point, the Brits begin their fire bombing campaigns. I can’t tell you how many times I naively asked my parents if they’d been bombed during the war. Mom said a neighboring house was hit, Dad always said nothing. I wonder what he had been thinking.

I won’t go into great detail. I can’t do his story justice. But, one night the alarms sounded and the families went down to their shelters. As the onslaught raged, the basement became intolerably hot. Despite being halted by an SS soldier, Opa forced his family out into the street. From there my father ran in the roaring wind and fire storm. He saw people sucked in by the force of wind, igniting as they become stuck in the melting asphalt. It is horrific. My father loses consciousness under a train.

A day later my father is reunited with his family. His entire family – mother, father, brother and sister have survived the Hamburg Fire Bombing. It is one of the ten worst bombings in history – overnight 45,000 people are killed. Everyone in my father’s apartment has died. Dad’s childhood friends are mummified in the basement.

One other person who died that night was Aunt Rosie. She was the Jewish piano teacher my grandparents had been hiding in their apartment. She had stayed upstairs as everyone hid in the shelter. When I learned of this, I was floored. All my life, even as an American, I had felt that collective guilt of the Germans. I had many Jewish friends and always wanted to apologize. And, here I learned that my grandparents had put their lives on the line for that which was good and right. I was proud.

Anyway, I’ve gone on, but from this story I gained my world view. I’ve probably read it six times and each time I read it I cry. I cry for a boy who loses all his friends and his childhood at 14; for my grandparents who are so brave and ultimately broken. I cry for the unfathomable loss and suffering of so many people. I cry for Aunt Rosie.

I cry because I AM ALIVE.

You might ask how can such a tragic story leave one with a sense of optimism. And, on one level, it can't possibly. It's too sad. Yet, I am left with this profound sense of the miracle of life. I have absolutely no reason to walk this earth. My father along with his family should have died. But, they didn’t. And, in this I revel.

I was left with the sense that we all have our miracle stories that have allowed us to experience this good and beautiful earth. Along the way I have learned the price of admission is huge. We will all suffer loss and feel pain; be it early in life or late. Some are dealt more than a fair share, others are relatively spared. Nonetheless, life is a gift. My art, my attitude, my life celebrate the simple joys of being here. It's a great trip and I am thankful.

2008-04-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our first out-of-town guest! Flat Stanley arrived all the way from Essex, Vt. First, we showed him around the house. (He couldn't resist Kathleen's carvings from when she lived in Papua New Guinea). Then it was off to Andrew's school - Nayland Primary.

Andrew's teacher Pam Shaw had heard all about Flat Stanley and obliged us with a photo. Flat Stanley loved their goldfish. Outside we played a little netball. Netball's a lot like basketball, but you pass rather than dribble the ball. It's also a big sport for women.

Next, it was off to soccer practice. Together Flat Stanley and Andrew climbed the jungle gym. (Oh yeah, and there's Coach Duane at it again with the Nelson Suburbs Cobras). It was a busy afternoon and everyone had fun.

After a dinner of fish and chips, Flat Stanley was flat out. He needed to rest up for his next journey.......he's off to Prague to visit Joel and Andrea. Safe travels!

2008-04-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am taking a pottery workshop. Apparently there was a day when the potter was literally king in Nelson. So much so that the local art museum had a recent exhibition chronicling the potters hay day which was from the early 70s until the late 80s. Our instructor was part of that movement. He said that there was a time where he sold every piece of clay he threw – he brought it by the car load and galleries just paid cash for his inventory. No commissions, no consignments. Can you imagine?

I utterly failed at my last attempt to throw clay many years ago. So, I took the class to meet some artsy types and try my hand at clay one more time. Not to any major degree, I’ve managed both. I successfully centered and threw a pot, YEH!! And, I was surrounded by diverse and unique people. One woman was from Sweden. Her husband is an anthropologist and in the early 90s they came to the Nelson area to study the still existing hippie culture, particularly in Golden Bay. Clay was integral to that counter culture scene.

I liked the local pottery guild. For $60 a year I can join and come and work as I please. Every Thursday they get together. There is informal mentoring, but if you just want to play, it’s okay. You supply your own materials and they’ll fire all your work for a minimal fee. I just may join

……..once I get the Cherry Creek Art Festival behind me. Right now ALL my creative energy is being taxed on that end. You may laugh, but it’s not always easy being an artist!

2008-04-02T01:18:00.000-07:00

I have the fondest memories of swimming with my mother. Be it swimming at Long Beach Park or Lake Matilda with the Hansa Club, we always swam out the furthest and stayed in the longest. I remember proudly swimming across Lake Matilda with mom. I’m sure it was just a puddle, but it felt like an ocean to me. Our birthdays were just six days apart and I always imagine that it was the Pisces in us that instilled this love of water. Whatever it was, to this day I find it hard to resist a fresh water lake …..or the beach.

Here in NZ, autumn is in the air and the days are getting “fresher” (I love the words they use to describe the weather). At this point, any day could be the last good day. But, yesterday was “fine” (about 22C) and the siren song lured me away from my work. I hopped on my bike and ten minutes later Tahunanui Beach lay before.

It was pretty empty, a few stragglers and my new friend John from the Beach Bum Club.
Yes, as it stands, these are my only steady social contacts. The BBC (hey, Erin another BBC!) is hodge podge of retirees (and me) who are obsessed with swimming in the bay. They are from all OVER. Malta, Germany, Hawaii, England…… and they’ve been very kind. I totally admire their lack of vanity - they are there to swim and are not worried about their wrinkles or their sags. May I have their spirit 30 years from now.

Anyway, enough of that!!! Let’s just say the water was fabulous. It was probably still about 20C. I swam for about 45 minutes milking every last drop. Who knows if it was the last good day of the summer. It’s always a wise idea to treat it that way. Cheers.

2008-03-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

We are becoming quite the chefs! A couple of days ago my dad, my brother, and I got some mussels at the market. To cook them we first had to make sure they were alive by tapping thier shells to see if they would close, because dead ones don't work. We would then scrub them and pull off their beard which is some plant connected to the mussel. We boiled them until they opened and then I pulled off the upper part of the shell. We put them in a pan and sprinkled some cheese and salt and spices on them, and then we put them in the oven to cook. In the end I didn't really like them, but it was cool that we made them.

2008-03-26T23:51:00.000-07:00

Wow, look at that big waterwall! How big do you think that is? At least 30 meters. Large.

We went on this hike to a waterfall. It really was scary when we were crossing the board to get to the other side to get a good view of the waterfall. At first I thought the board was going to be slippery. Me and Dean had flip-flops so we had to take them off. I thought I was going to fall in. It would be really scary if I was falling in because I saw lots of little falls as we were walking up to this one. It was worth the hike. Andrew

2008-03-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

More on Easter break. I have been enjoying all the trees. First of all, there are a lot of different kinds of trees that I am not used to seeing. The eucalyptus is common and a quite beautiful tree.

One of my favorites, perhaps because of the name, is the monkey puzzle tree. In Christchurch we saw a tree that looked similar to the monkey puzzle and I now have learned that it is the "false" monkey puzzle.

Both in Nelson and again in Hagley park in central Christchurch we have come across some of the most beautiful specimens, planted in the 1850-1900 time frame. I enjoy seeing a California redwood so far from home. There are also Giant sequoia which are in the same family but quite different up close. Huge Monterrey cypress round out my favorites, along with the totara, and the deodar, which is a cedar. Here are a few pics:

2008-03-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

Have we mentioned that New Zealand is absolutely gorgeous? You can't take a road, turn a corner without being awestruck.

We had a five day Easter break, so we hit the road. Day 1 we drove along the Pacific Coast to Kaikoura. It's a windy, heart stopping drive where I clutch the door handle and pray.

As the road becomes enshrouded in mist, you can stop at any point and see tons of seals. At Kaikoura we walked along a cliff trail. Below we saw more seal, boats and divers harvesting crayfish (that's lobsters to you). It's a great little hike and I recommend it to anyone.

At the end of the day we stopped at an open barbeque where we ate mussels, scallops and who-could-resist-them lobbies!