Take it Easy

There is a song for you to get inside your heads.

Taking it easy, isn't what we have been doing. We've been really busy today. First we drove further east and made a stop to see the Meteor crater - appropriately down Meteor Crater Rd !! It is jawdropping ! SO much larger than I had thought it was going to be - and so much busier too,

There is a wildfire somewhere near by and the smoke was hanging about making the air hazy and visibility not as great as it could have been. Never mind, the breeze was starting to blow by the time we left though so maybe it improved later in the day.

We jumped back in the car and headed for our next destination. Winslow, Arizona. This should be on the bucket list of every Eagles fan - and actually any music buff. What a cool wee town it is. We strolled about a bit, posed in the appropriate places and then had some lunch at the Sipp Shop, complete with proper sodas.

Sing it !! You know you want to...

"Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona 

and such a fine sight to see. 

It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford 

slowin' down to take a look at me"

And then back in the car, back to where we had started the day and then further northwest. We climbed to 8000ft above sea level as we crossed over part of Humphrey's Peak - which is just a teeny bit higher than Aoraki, Mt Cook. We came across the second wildfire of the day, this one though was actually relatively close to the road, but not a danger.

We joined the hundreds of other visitors to Grand Canyon National Park and eventually found a park - thanks to a couple of girls who were just leaving and offered us theirs. We wandered around the visitor centre and then walked to the Mather Point outlook. 

This too was so much to comprehend, SO much wider and deeper than I had imagined it would be. We couldn't believe the people who climbed over barriers and walked (untethered) to rocky outcrops !! Most people though stayed on the right side of the barriers appreciated the view like us.

  (was a teeny bit breezy there too - near the rim)

On our way back to Flagstaff we stopped at this gorgeous wee building we had spotted on the way over. 

And then it was time to think about dinner, washing and whether we were going to have time to try and do some astro-photography while we were in a dark sky city. But, we have an early morning tomorrow, so we might have to try that somewhere else, and hope the lights aren't too bright.

Sun, Deserts, Cars..

So this morning we packed up our things which seem to have multiplied in the last three days, and collected our rental car.

All went well there, and we managed to navigate our way the few blocks to the freeway. I-10 East. We were on our way from Santa Monica to Flagstaff. It is a l-o-n-g way. We made a stop early on to get food before we ravenous, as that is a mistake we ALWAYS make, There was some debate about which was the best route, but we decided in the end to stay on I-10 past Palm Springs and then take the 95 north to Needles as that was a place on the list. We probably should have taken a slightly different route because we missed the town sign that said "Needles". Never mind. We stopped at a gas station at the same time and almost melted when we got out of the car ! The temp on the dashboard was telling us 109F. What IS that in celsius ?? I'm sure it must be well over 40, and it certainly felt like it while we stood there like dumbos trying to work out how their self serve, pay at the pump, pump worked. Thankfully someone came to our aid !

So then we were off again this time on the I-40. I found driving not so bad at all, once we had navigated the multiple lanes on the freeway out of LA. That is one BIG city. Most of the rest of the roads are at least two lanes in either direction and the two directions are sensibly separated by at least 100 metres of land, often more. (just like a lot of roads in the UK) NZTA could learn a lot from other roading agencies around the world.

Just outside Flagstaff (our destination for the next couple of days) an Elk casually strolled across an exit lane and our two high speed lanes in front of us and a bus. We had seen signs about Elk for miles and miles with no signs of any potential wanderers anywhere and thought maybe they were just for show, like they seemed to be at home. But no, it would seem not. no casualties though, thanks to great brakes and a sudden spurt of urgency on the Elk's behalf.

So, then we found our hotel and some dinner, and have sat down and been lazy in front of the tv for the evening. What's on the agenda for tomorrow ? You will have to wait and see.

Hooray, Hooray, it's a holi-holiday

So, the time since we bought those amazingly inexpensive flights has flown by and we're here !!

The flight was good - even the Friday night traffic on the way to the airport was not too bad. Getting through immigration was a wee bit slow - but not so slow as it was for the big queue that came after us !!

We found our bags, and went to meet my cousin Jackie who was picking us up. A few text messages later and we spotted each other, so our bags were bundled into the car and we set off on our way to their house.

We've had a great couple of days being shown about and treated to some yummy meals. We have walked and walked - from Santa Monica to Venice (and back) and today we did a bit more shopping on Main St and 3rd St Promenade. Probably more looking than shopping to be truthful.

It was gorgeous and sunny when we landed on Friday afternoon (that's right - we had TWO Friday afternoons) but the "marine layer" came in and it has been a bit misty or just high cloud most of the time. That has kept the temperature a bit cooler as well.

We've had a great time and tomorrow we will set off on the next part of the adventure.

Indecisive weather

I know that last time I was here I was predicting the arrival of winter, but I have to say despite the temperatures being a smidge cooler this past week, I'm struggling to believe my own prediction.

Look at these gorgeous flowers which brighten my days at work from the garden outside the window. They don't seem to think it is going to be winter anytime soon.

And then look at this !! 

Pohutukawa in flower in late May - what has happened to our native Christmas tree ? Isn't December "the time" to bloom ? Has anyone told the jolly fellow in red ?

We need to cool our wee planet down  I reckon !

Winter is coming....apparently

Well we've been at our new place almost a month - I know this because we have our first inspection coming up,  There are still boxes in places there shouldn't be, but never mind. We will get there in the end.

Today we decided to go for a drive and see if we could find some autumn colours. There are some around up here, but not en masse like you get in other parts of the country. So we decided to go to Hamilton and do a spot of shopping on the way. Chartwell Square Farmers - I don't like the way your floor moves for no apparent reason - we both thought it was an earthquake or five, until we remembered that we were in Hamilton and not actually in a seismic zone.

Anyway shopping done we headed for the Hamilton Gardens which I ashamed to say I have never visited before, despite having spent the first 13 years of my life and then a couple more later on in that city. To be fair when I was younger the site was still a quarry, and the gardens themselves were just getting started. We didn't find as much autumn as we had hoped, there were patches but often in hard to stop and photograph spots. However I enjoyed the wander around the gardens and we didn't see everything, so I am sure there'll be another trip sometime soon.

I have just made a spectacular jump in technological accessories and purchased an iphone. So there is lots of learning happening there. I took the opportunity today to start getting to grips with it as a camera in readiness for our upcoming holiday.

Settling In

Well, it has been about three weeks now since the move north, to the other side of the harbour. I'm enjoying it. For the first two weeks my commute was 10 minutes each way ! Quite a difference to 45-90 minutes each way. School holidays made a difference, but even so most days last week were less than 20 minutes each way.

The boxes are slowly being dealt with and it is looking more like home. This weekend I spent an afternoon picking my way through the boxes that had got wet and started disintegrating at the old place. Dry basement indeed ! The movers had done such a wonderful job packing initially that most things just needed to be placed into a new box. Some things needed to be re-wrapped before packing though. Some things mostly wooden bowls were pretty gross, so they have been washed in water so hot it was hard to keep my hands in it, or put through the dishwasher. I'll keep them inside for a bit to make sure they are all well dried out before going back into boxes.

I also discovered all the linen we hadn't seen since Christchurch and some of mine which had been packed around bits and pieces in Wellington. So that has all been washed and aired. Some of it will go back into boxes over the next few weeks. I'm still looking for duvet covers and blankets though - who knows where they got put in Wellington ! 

The weather is still not very autumn-ish so I cant see that I will be needing blankets anytime soon anyway. But if I do, there is the one I had to buy last winter in Christchurch and a couple of others which could be put to use. BUT I really would like to know where my nice woollen Onkaparinga blanket is.

Then, today was Mothers' Day. I had the yummiest breakfast home made for me. Waffles with fresh SUMMER berries, edible flowers and maple syrup. Who would have thought summer berries would still be in the shops in May !! Very spoilt, despite having given strict instructions not to buy me anything - rather save the money and buy me something while we are on holiday. Terribly disobedient ! But much appreciated at the same time.

In other news - we have a pretty good spot to check out sunsets at our new home too.
 

Changing horizons

It would seem that constantly changing living locations has become as much a part of my life lately as it was when I first left home back in the late 70's and went to live in Australia.

It is happening again this weekend - still in the same country, and the same city - just moving from one side of the bridge to the other. We're quite looking forward to it, though the actual packing and doing it is a bit of a drag. We've broken our lease where we are and the agent has been able to find new tenants relatively quickly. The new place - which only I have seen from the inside - is closer to work for both of us now.

As well as changing residences, there has been a change of roles for one of us. Exciting times.

Once we are there and the boxes have been dealt with I promise this blog will be getting more attention.

In the meantime, there are a few things I'll miss from this side of town. The sunsets - and just lately the sunrises too. (I'm sure we'll still get to experience them post move though) The singing on Sunday mornings at the Tongan church at the end of the road, and the proximity to lots of shopping. Won't miss the neighbours who set off fireworks at all hours of the night, the cars with stereos so loud they set off people's car alarms as they drive past and the hours spent sitting in traffic each day to get to and from work.

We have a whole new suburb or three to discover and from the little I have seen there are a multitude of cafes and stores to browse and try.

I've been busy with a few other researchers helping people on social media with family tree brick walls - very rewarding - and hopefully one day a money-making pastime. I've also been updating my family tree with new babies arriving over the last couple of months and contacting cousins who have been matched through that DNA spit test we did last year.

I saw a post today along the lines of my last one - 5 generation migration and location -  but this one is 5 generations causes of death. Watch out for that popping up here when I have more time on my hand.

Plus, accommodation has been booked and days partially planned for our holiday which is rapidly approaching. Just rental cars, visas and spending money to sort out now.

So while you wait in anticipation for my next post enjoy these pics of some of those sunsets with Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) on the horizon which we are leaving behind.