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)

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Now it's sunny again and back to civilization.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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

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

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

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

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




A Triple:




Andrew goes higher:






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

Thank you!!!!!

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

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

Schadenfreude

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

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

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

It tastes like... freedom.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

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