My Fan Club

I have received feedback from many of my blog fanclub members that I have not been sufficiently active in posting new entries on my blog. I confess...this being a new exercise, I am having difficulty in posting new information or entries on a regular basis with topics around everyday events. For a year, long, long ago, I did daily entries in a journal for a writing class.
This feels like a similar exercise. However, like many other "exercises", what is needed is discipline and motivation.
What motivates me? One of the things that motivates me is a desire to pass on to my grandchildren some of the habits, skills, interests and activities that are a part of who I am.
Toward that end (and with ulterior motives), I have enrolled Ryan in golf lessons and we have been participating for the past two weeks. He seems to be interested and enjoying the lessons. My next target will be Aaron. My goal in this endeavor is to pass on an interest in a lifelong activity that can be enjoyable, healthy and valuable. My ulterior motive is to build a new generation of golfing "buddies". One of my challenges is finding people to golf with on a regular basis. Who better than grandsons and perhaps granddaughters. My family is very important to me. My grandchildren are a part of who I am. Beyond genetics, I have the opportunity to pass on to them, a part of who I am. Tennis anyone? Or if you'd rather, tabletennis? While I like to teach, I like nothing better to win while teaching.

What Next?

The request has been made for me to continue this blog for the next four years. When I began this excercise, I didn't think much beyond the run up to and the experience and events of our NZ vacation. Those asking that I continue the blog are extremely important to me....so It's going to be difficult and probably sporadic, but I will keep it going for the next 4 years. I appreciate the fact that I have two loyal readers and for that reason I will continue this blog. It will become more eclectic because I have many strong opinions, diverse interests, a Biblical world view stacked upon a desire to inform and educate. I keep many of my musings, thoughts and opinions to myself, but since one of the purposes of a blog is to express oneself, that is what I will attempt to do. Fortunately or unfortunately, I love to laugh and more pointedly, to make people laugh. Sooooo, many of my posts will be couched in humor or at least be humorous to me. Therefore, you have been warned and should be prepared for most anything.

Journey's End

We've been home almost a week and we are still recovering from the return journey. Traveling east (or returning home from a fabulous vacation) seems to be a much more difficult adjustment than the trip to the destination. We hit the ground running in Auckland but having been in a fog much of the time since returning. It gets a bit better each day. We would like to return to New Zealand in two years. Special thanks to Ken and Patty for the great care they gave our pets. Thanks to Kelly, Shane and kids for picking us up at the airport, visiting the dogs, chasing the vermin, decorating with flowers and having fresh food for our return (and removing all the dead things from the frig). Thanks to Kristen and family for being there to greet us and visit for a time. Until next time....

PACIFIKA FESTIVAL

Today we attended the Auckland Pacifika Festival at Western Springs (Te Wai Orea-Lake of eels). We roamed around for 30 minutes looking for a parking spot and when we finally got onto the grounds of the park, we found out why...there were thousands in attendance. Auckland is the largest polynesian city in the world and most who have left the islands to live in New Zealand, were in attendance at the park (or so it seemed). While there, we found the Prime Minister of New Zealand (Helen Clark) in attendance and accosted her in order to get a picture. Also pictured is a part of the mass of humanity in attendance...also pictured is a large blow up can of corned beef. I believe that it is one of the traditional foods of Samoa.

Pauanui Birthday

We spent 4 days at brother Dennis's vacation home in Pauanui. Additional friends and family also came. The first two days were beautiful and as is the pattern, we then had a day of wind driven rain. However, because the low tide was to later in the morning, we waited until the bad weather arrived to go out in search of tua tuas (a small shell fish that lives in the sand, in the surf and is best found at low tide). I believe that it is a distant relative of the snipe. Before the wind and rain blew us off the beach, we (not me) found a total of three small shelled animals. Fortunately, we had purchased 2-3 kg of mussels on the way to Pauanui, so we were able to feast on those.

Had my birthday celebration Saturday evening with NZ friends and family. This week we will not be traveling anywhere, so we will spend time seeing Auckland sites by bus. Next Saturday, Sandra will have a barbecue for all celebrating birthdays in March and April. The photos document my birthday party, the beach at Pauanui and those love-birds, Rocco & Rosie.

HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY?

Our time in NZ is about half gone. Were off to another beach house (brother Dennis) tomorrow. We hope to go out a charter fishing boat one of our days there. Perhaps to catch a marlin...or a shark. There is not room to display all of the photos we've taken and I won't have the time to figure out how to insert a slide show on this blog until after I return. So you'll have to be satisfied with teasers. The country is so incredibly picturesque, I have to exert self control not to use up my 4 GB memory card. Anyway, the photo is of yet another beautiful harbor at Manganui. Everywhere you go here, there is the coast, a bay, sandy beaches and in between rolling green hills. I'm camped at a Starbucks posting this entry. Burger King, McDonalds, Subway, KFC are most everywhere....we may import everything from China, but we export healthy food everywhere.

MARIE'S KATAIA BIRTHDAY - 2/22/08

Today (NZ time), is Nana Marie's birthday. We awoke in Kataia to winds of 30-40 mph and sideways rain…and it continues . The locals would say the weather has “come up custard”. We stayed the night at Bill and Rosaline’s (Rachel’s parents) house. It was built in 1912 and is about 75 yards from Rob and Rachel’s house. They have 150 acres that they currently raise cattle on. The cattle are exported to America to make hamburgers for our fast-food industry. I believe that we are still going to Cape Reinga on Sunday. Tomorrow (weather permitting) we are going to what I would call a county fair. Rob and Rachel’s girls , Beverly and Katie, will be entering some produce from the garden into competition. Above is Rocco on the Kaipara Harbor. Also note the promised fish photos (evidence).