Monday, June 27, 2011
Vintage Ski Poster
While in Pahia over the summer in January, I found a great postcard of a vintage poster about skiing the Tongariro. I gave it to Bryce when I saw him in the States; and he found out that we could get the picture printed to poster size if we buy rights through the National Library. We did that for $20, and today Bryce got an "A1" sized poster printed. Can't wait to frame and hang this one.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Living in town!
ahhh, a big sigh of relief from Bryce and I as we finally relax in a mostly clean and mostly okay-smelling home after 8 days of cleaning. We're feeling at home now in this great flat (in an old Engineers' office building that it around 100 yrs old). It's got high ceilings and an old-fashioned lift-- you know, the kind that you have to open two sliding doors to get in to. The kitchen is huge and we're really enjoying eating from a dining room table for the first time in almost three years.
Last night was our anniversary; the walk to the restaurant we went to took literally three minutes. Our place is in a great location; near the fun and the water, and several good friends who will keep me busy while Bryce is away snowboarding on the weekends.
Today we had a quick visit w/ J and M and their growing baby, and then on the way home I skyped mom on Bryce's iphone-- I talked with her while pointing the camera towards the views so she could take in our drive home. We talked for about an hour as we drove South along the Tasman Sea and into the city of Wellington. I told her we'd have to go so we could shop Brisco's for a duvet cover, but she asked to come along. I didn't realize she was serious at first, but she was, so to Bryce's mild embarrassment and amusement I took her along, after making her promise to be quiet (she was on speaker). She ended up helping us pick out a great duvet cover, which felt so great and comfy to have my designer mum along for the trip! Unfortunately we were a bit distracted with talking to her and shopping that we got the wrong size insert. Bummmmmmmer, especially since the sale is over today. Brisco's ALWAYS has a sale; in fact everyone pretty much knows not to go there until there is a sale. We got a duvet cover that goes for $70, for $15 with the discounts.
We are so pleased to look around and see our boxes unpacked, and the ugly red suede sofa covered, and the scented candles going (we rented a furnished flat). We're only in this apt for 6 months but we plan to make the most of it. We are not looking forward to finding a place around xmas but I'm trying not to think about it. A cocktail party is in the very near future!
Last night was our anniversary; the walk to the restaurant we went to took literally three minutes. Our place is in a great location; near the fun and the water, and several good friends who will keep me busy while Bryce is away snowboarding on the weekends.
Today we had a quick visit w/ J and M and their growing baby, and then on the way home I skyped mom on Bryce's iphone-- I talked with her while pointing the camera towards the views so she could take in our drive home. We talked for about an hour as we drove South along the Tasman Sea and into the city of Wellington. I told her we'd have to go so we could shop Brisco's for a duvet cover, but she asked to come along. I didn't realize she was serious at first, but she was, so to Bryce's mild embarrassment and amusement I took her along, after making her promise to be quiet (she was on speaker). She ended up helping us pick out a great duvet cover, which felt so great and comfy to have my designer mum along for the trip! Unfortunately we were a bit distracted with talking to her and shopping that we got the wrong size insert. Bummmmmmmer, especially since the sale is over today. Brisco's ALWAYS has a sale; in fact everyone pretty much knows not to go there until there is a sale. We got a duvet cover that goes for $70, for $15 with the discounts.
We are so pleased to look around and see our boxes unpacked, and the ugly red suede sofa covered, and the scented candles going (we rented a furnished flat). We're only in this apt for 6 months but we plan to make the most of it. We are not looking forward to finding a place around xmas but I'm trying not to think about it. A cocktail party is in the very near future!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
3rd Anniversary
Hard to get around the fact that we had to finish moving and cleaning, on our anniversary.
It was sad to look out at the beautiful view from the bedroom window for the last time.
It was a gorgeous, sunny day. Outside, in just a thin sweater, it was warm in the sun. It's the equivalent of December 25, Christmas, in the States--
Napped through most of the warm day; I had been up late the night before, and up early cleaning our new place. Woke up, prettied up, and there was Bryce with a dirty martini for me and a manhattan for him. A 2-minute walk to dinner at Capitol, where we ran into a couple of friends also having a romantic night out. Two more years until June 2013 beachy vacation!! Bryce and I are trying to brainstorm locations.
It was sad to look out at the beautiful view from the bedroom window for the last time.
It was a gorgeous, sunny day. Outside, in just a thin sweater, it was warm in the sun. It's the equivalent of December 25, Christmas, in the States--
Napped through most of the warm day; I had been up late the night before, and up early cleaning our new place. Woke up, prettied up, and there was Bryce with a dirty martini for me and a manhattan for him. A 2-minute walk to dinner at Capitol, where we ran into a couple of friends also having a romantic night out. Two more years until June 2013 beachy vacation!! Bryce and I are trying to brainstorm locations.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Last Makara Sunset
Last weekend in our wonderful Makara house. We are regretting this move. We're happy to be moving into a place close to our friends, work, and fun spots in town, and to have a place with internet. But life in a beautiful little house on the beach has been idyllic; same with the commute to work through rolling green hills and toi toi, past roosters, white geese, horses, hairy cows, and blue pukekos.
I spent all day in view of the view. Here is our last sunset. (We usually get home from work after dark now as the days are so short).
I spent all day in view of the view. Here is our last sunset. (We usually get home from work after dark now as the days are so short).
Monday, January 24, 2011
Keep on truckin
Figuring out my itinerary for when I go to the States. It's now been a month since Bryce has left, only 2 more months to go! It makes me feel good to know that I'm already a 1/3 of the way into this. I know 2 weeks of it was when Tara was here, but I'm pretty hopeful that the next two months will be fun and will go quickly. Talked with Bryce, Laura, and Geoff forever today, it was good to just hang out.
Had a great Mexican dinner of enchilladas made with refried beans with chipotle, imported from Mexico. mmm.
I was pretty happy to wake up in my own bed this morning, and I've been pretty ecstatic all day just to be home. I would have an eventful sail across the Cook Strait in front of me tomorrow, if I was still on the sail boat.
Update as of 1/7/11: I can now say that this was the day that Laura and Geoff told me they were expecting!! Due in September :-)
Had a great Mexican dinner of enchilladas made with refried beans with chipotle, imported from Mexico. mmm.
I was pretty happy to wake up in my own bed this morning, and I've been pretty ecstatic all day just to be home. I would have an eventful sail across the Cook Strait in front of me tomorrow, if I was still on the sail boat.
Update as of 1/7/11: I can now say that this was the day that Laura and Geoff told me they were expecting!! Due in September :-)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sailing Race to Nelson
I can't tell you how happy I am to be snug in my house right now. woooooeeee! What a weekend.
I couldn't have done everything without the help of people around me. Jacquelyn took me in after work so I could change, and drove me to the marina. Murray and Roger loaned me gear. Roger let me onto his boat for a race even though I'm pretty inexperienced on keel boats still. And I managed to hitch a ride by boat and then by car all the way from The Middle of Nowhere, NZ, direct to the Nelson airport.
On Friday evening I reported to the boat for our overnight race to Nelson. I had already stowed my gear the night before. I tried on a coat that a crewmate had lent to me, but it was a large and went down to my knees. Off I went to the Marine Supply to buy a coat. Altogether my storm gear cost $500. Unfortunately they're sized for men, so although I got xsm, I still swim a bit.
Anywhoo, we set off on the race but immediately were delayed by mild winds.
Check out this picture of the entrance to Wellington Harbour, which usually has very choppy seas. The mirror glass is an indicator of zero wind-- incredibly weird for any part of Wellington, much less this turbulent section.
Night fell and we were far behind the rest of the boats. It was very choppy in the notorious Karori Reef; it was so fun! I Whoo hoo'd but was told by the captain that that scares some of the crew, so I had to shut my trap. Being on that race in the Cook Strait was one of the coolest things I've ever done.
I was the first group allowed to take a 3-hour nap, until midnight. Around midnight, very strong winds came up. In my berth, I passively reflected that I could die. I say passively because I figured there was nothing I could do about it so I just, literally, held tight and enjoyed the ride. The captain came down to the hold and told his partner that he was pulling out of the race, after discussing it with the rest of the crew. The strong winds were too much for everyone, and we were going to hole up in a cove, wait out the winds for a couple of days, and then sail out to Wellington. I had a flight from Nelson to Wellington Sunday evening, but there was nothing to be done about that.
I had taken two dramamine, because the rest of the crew made it sound like everyone would be seasick, and I didn't want to be the novice wuss puking over the side. Well I forgot dramamine make people drowsy, so while sitting near the cockpit I fell asleep (hand firmly clenching a handle), for about three hours, waking up every once in awhile when a particularly hard wave hit. It was one way to get away from the reality of my cold, wet, feet and hands though. At one stage I was woken up by the captain yelling, "Dolphins! Wake up, dolphins!" I finally woke up and everywhere around me were cresting black dolphins coming out of the moonlit water in a big white spray of water. They followed the boat for several minutes. Some of the dolphins were very small. I stayed awake for a few minutes after that. In front of me was the almost full moon in the sky over a pointy island, with the moonlight coming towards the boat along the water. I was too tired to take a picture, but was aware of how lucky I was to see such a thing. The stars were out and I could see Orion's Belt and the Southern Cross quite clearly. We were in the Sounds of the South Island by that point.
Finally, at 5:30am, we found a buoy at a cove and we all went to sleep. I couldn't believe that 6 of us fit so nicely in the boat, but I was actually quite comfortable. I've never been so grateful for how short I am. In the morning, this is what I awoke to: The Marlborough Sounds.
We decided to spend the day going to a restaurant, and then Sunday trying to sail towards Wellington. The winds were not in our favor to head up to Nelson so that I could catch my plane. As soon as we started out, we spied a pod of porpoises; they look so much like small orcas.
I also saw two penguins around the same time.
We heard by radio that there was bad weather at the restaurant, so we sought shelter from the strong gusty winds in a cove that had a few bach's rimmed around the shore. We found a buoy quite close to the largest bach that looked like it was a compound of three or four houses. We broke out the Captain Morgan and had a great time talking. The captain made tuna spaghetti which was surprisingly much better than it sounds!
I woke up the next morning to cold gusty winds, even stronger than the day before. Our boat had circled and rocked quite strongly during the night. The captain said that because of the winds we'd be sailing nowhere today, and that we might get into Wellington Tuesday night.
I noticed that the bach next to us seemed to be loading their motor boat; I decided that I wanted to get on that boat. My crewmates joked with me and told me how unlikely it was that this boat would be going to Nelson, about 70 miles away (where I wanted to go to catch my flight). Nonetheless, I got dressed and packed up my bags, just in case. I didn't eat breakfast so that I could watch for when the boat came closer. Finally it left its mooring and I waved at it, luckily it came over. Roger explained to the two men on the boat that I had a plane to catch in Nelson; and guess what? One of the men on the boat had a flight to catch in Nelson at around the same time as me, and they were happy to take me to the airport. Whooo hoo!!
I jumped on their boat and we were off to French Pass, and then hopped in a car for Nelson. The road was narrow and steep, I was happy to look at the gorgeous views of the sounds below us. The guys were really nice, lawyers with kids my age. I even got to grab a shower at their parents' beautiful home in Nelson, and then caught a ride to the airport. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be making my plane.
Home in Wellington, I grabbed the bus and then a taxi home. I can't tell you how relieved I was to be at home. The sail had been wonderful, but it was hard to not know when the weather would let up-- that's the problem with New Zealand, is that the forecast always changes. In the end I had an amazing experience. My fb post today:
I couldn't have done everything without the help of people around me. Jacquelyn took me in after work so I could change, and drove me to the marina. Murray and Roger loaned me gear. Roger let me onto his boat for a race even though I'm pretty inexperienced on keel boats still. And I managed to hitch a ride by boat and then by car all the way from The Middle of Nowhere, NZ, direct to the Nelson airport.
On Friday evening I reported to the boat for our overnight race to Nelson. I had already stowed my gear the night before. I tried on a coat that a crewmate had lent to me, but it was a large and went down to my knees. Off I went to the Marine Supply to buy a coat. Altogether my storm gear cost $500. Unfortunately they're sized for men, so although I got xsm, I still swim a bit.
Anywhoo, we set off on the race but immediately were delayed by mild winds.
Check out this picture of the entrance to Wellington Harbour, which usually has very choppy seas. The mirror glass is an indicator of zero wind-- incredibly weird for any part of Wellington, much less this turbulent section.
Night fell and we were far behind the rest of the boats. It was very choppy in the notorious Karori Reef; it was so fun! I Whoo hoo'd but was told by the captain that that scares some of the crew, so I had to shut my trap. Being on that race in the Cook Strait was one of the coolest things I've ever done.I was the first group allowed to take a 3-hour nap, until midnight. Around midnight, very strong winds came up. In my berth, I passively reflected that I could die. I say passively because I figured there was nothing I could do about it so I just, literally, held tight and enjoyed the ride. The captain came down to the hold and told his partner that he was pulling out of the race, after discussing it with the rest of the crew. The strong winds were too much for everyone, and we were going to hole up in a cove, wait out the winds for a couple of days, and then sail out to Wellington. I had a flight from Nelson to Wellington Sunday evening, but there was nothing to be done about that.
I had taken two dramamine, because the rest of the crew made it sound like everyone would be seasick, and I didn't want to be the novice wuss puking over the side. Well I forgot dramamine make people drowsy, so while sitting near the cockpit I fell asleep (hand firmly clenching a handle), for about three hours, waking up every once in awhile when a particularly hard wave hit. It was one way to get away from the reality of my cold, wet, feet and hands though. At one stage I was woken up by the captain yelling, "Dolphins! Wake up, dolphins!" I finally woke up and everywhere around me were cresting black dolphins coming out of the moonlit water in a big white spray of water. They followed the boat for several minutes. Some of the dolphins were very small. I stayed awake for a few minutes after that. In front of me was the almost full moon in the sky over a pointy island, with the moonlight coming towards the boat along the water. I was too tired to take a picture, but was aware of how lucky I was to see such a thing. The stars were out and I could see Orion's Belt and the Southern Cross quite clearly. We were in the Sounds of the South Island by that point.
Finally, at 5:30am, we found a buoy at a cove and we all went to sleep. I couldn't believe that 6 of us fit so nicely in the boat, but I was actually quite comfortable. I've never been so grateful for how short I am. In the morning, this is what I awoke to: The Marlborough Sounds.
We decided to spend the day going to a restaurant, and then Sunday trying to sail towards Wellington. The winds were not in our favor to head up to Nelson so that I could catch my plane. As soon as we started out, we spied a pod of porpoises; they look so much like small orcas.
I also saw two penguins around the same time.We heard by radio that there was bad weather at the restaurant, so we sought shelter from the strong gusty winds in a cove that had a few bach's rimmed around the shore. We found a buoy quite close to the largest bach that looked like it was a compound of three or four houses. We broke out the Captain Morgan and had a great time talking. The captain made tuna spaghetti which was surprisingly much better than it sounds!
I woke up the next morning to cold gusty winds, even stronger than the day before. Our boat had circled and rocked quite strongly during the night. The captain said that because of the winds we'd be sailing nowhere today, and that we might get into Wellington Tuesday night.
I noticed that the bach next to us seemed to be loading their motor boat; I decided that I wanted to get on that boat. My crewmates joked with me and told me how unlikely it was that this boat would be going to Nelson, about 70 miles away (where I wanted to go to catch my flight). Nonetheless, I got dressed and packed up my bags, just in case. I didn't eat breakfast so that I could watch for when the boat came closer. Finally it left its mooring and I waved at it, luckily it came over. Roger explained to the two men on the boat that I had a plane to catch in Nelson; and guess what? One of the men on the boat had a flight to catch in Nelson at around the same time as me, and they were happy to take me to the airport. Whooo hoo!!I jumped on their boat and we were off to French Pass, and then hopped in a car for Nelson. The road was narrow and steep, I was happy to look at the gorgeous views of the sounds below us. The guys were really nice, lawyers with kids my age. I even got to grab a shower at their parents' beautiful home in Nelson, and then caught a ride to the airport. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be making my plane.
Home in Wellington, I grabbed the bus and then a taxi home. I can't tell you how relieved I was to be at home. The sail had been wonderful, but it was hard to not know when the weather would let up-- that's the problem with New Zealand, is that the forecast always changes. In the end I had an amazing experience. My fb post today:
Thursday, January 20, 2011
tired and busy, things are always changing
Pretty exhausted today after staying late all night prepping for the sailing race to Nelson tomorrow.
I've been writing back and forth to my landlord trying to figure out my last day in the house. Goodbye comfy, cute, warm house! You've been so good to us on the tui-filled hill high above the harbour. It's still a few months away, and it's always been hard to stay here since it's far from work and the city, but it's still sad to take steps towards leaving it.
I've been writing back and forth to my landlord trying to figure out my last day in the house. Goodbye comfy, cute, warm house! You've been so good to us on the tui-filled hill high above the harbour. It's still a few months away, and it's always been hard to stay here since it's far from work and the city, but it's still sad to take steps towards leaving it.
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