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.

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.

"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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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/

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.

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