firsts

Our first Anzac day - Australia and New Zealand Army Corps. It's equivalent to Memorial day in the U.S. We chilled out. We walked down to a cafe for a leisurely breakfast then spent the rest of the morning running an errand. On our errand, we met a bloke who's traveled a bit in the states. He spent time in Washington state and Wisconsin and he kept going on about how great Wisconsin was. It was shocking. It really impacted me that someone could live in a fairly beautiful country like NZ (the ugliest part of NZ is a million times better than the fairest Wisconsin dairy farm) and pine for the Midwest. He said it was the people that had impressed him, he wants to go back but apparently it's hard to get a U.S. green card (from NZ?). I tried to sell him mine. But, I'm almost getting off topic. Somehow Kentucky Fried Chicken came up in the conversation, in mostly derogatory terms. Kim and I have lived here for almost a year and haven't patronized the KFC. I don't know what it was but after our conversation with this bloke, Dave, we drove straight to KFC. After that we had to find a park to eat our KFC because this is Kim's tradition. You eat KFC at the park. Now we're getting to another first (the real reason for this blog entry). Chloe decided today she would eat her first chip (french fry). Ok, I encouraged her. We documented it.


Exploratory nibbling



This stuff's pretty good..(note skytower in background)









the carnage... and..

the victorious gladiator.





















Another thing, the service at the KFC drive-in was some of the best I've ever enjoyed in all my dining experience - it was like ordering from your sweet, dear, loving grandmother. It was totally pleasant.

Sweet Baby, Uncy James

We're definitely sad to see him go. Who will keep Chloe while we go to the gym now? This is going to be a difficult transition for her, I'm sure (smile). He left us with our very own French Press and some StarBucks coffee (even decaf for me....so thoughtful) to remember him by, though I don't think StarBucks appropriately defines him. My favorite thing he said when he was here was, "The sand at Salt Creek squeaks under your feet." Poetry. Krystal & Mirko also left a tribute to James on their blog.

Bridal Veil Falls

I am still loving how little work is resulting in big rewards regarding the New Zealand terrain. Take a 10 minute walk on a well-groomed trail and you can find a 55 meter waterfall. Take a set of stairs down 55 meters and you can swim in the pool below it. Chloe and I skipped the swim, but Mike and James braved the chilly waters. Though it sprinkled on us a bit (a "sun shower"), it was really a stunning sight.

Hide-n-Go Seek

These cork board floors in the hotel where we stayed in Raglan made the perfect surface for Chloe to practice her scooting. We found her hiding under the bed.

Tummy Time con Daddy

Went to Raglan over Easter holiday

Cool. We went to Raglan to drop James off for a week of summer camp. We had a blast. It's just fun to take road trips in new and scenic (understatement) land. Kim, Chloe and I stayed overnight in a pub (Harbour View Hotel) where we had a great dinner w/ James (the fish and chips get a 'C', which would probably be a 'B+' in the states) but the conversation was excellent. We talked about revolutions and love and ponies and martyrdom. And, four of the 7 tables there had babies. We noticed lots of wee ones in Raglan. The beaches were beautiful - here are some pics on our web album. And, we went to Bridal Veil Falls just outside of town (we didn't surf b/c, although the waves were beautiful and perfectly shaped, they were kinda on a microscopic scale). Hopefully this map is interactive and you can zoom in on the beautiful Ngarunui beach and Bridal Veil Falls

Watchout World

She's Quadruped.

Just a Girl in the World

That's all they'll let me be
(AKA: Rockstar)

Chloe a la Orchid