Can summer be over already?
It’s pouring down rain here in New Zealand, and we are supposed to leave on our big road trip in a couple of days! Our camping trip. As in, sleeping on the ground, in a small tent. Thank heavens for MasterCard…
Jim came back from Seattle, bursting with “big city” energy. He said that after about 5 minutes in the office, he felt like he had never left. Although it was bitterly cold in Seattle, he said the boat show was excellent, and the recession evidently has not affected the boating public. He brought back some exciting boat parts that he is installing; a 220-volt hot water heating element, a Reverso oil change pump, and LED replacement bulbs for all the running lights.
Jim brought a new kite for Molly and Jessie (or was it for him?). It is parachute-shaped, and about 4 feet long. It is controlled by a bar that you hold onto. It is great fun to fly; you don’t need much wind, and there is no running involved. The kite just picks itself up and starts dipping and jiving through the air. Yesterday, I believe we found the kite’s wind limit. It was blowing about 20 knots, and Jim could not hold onto the bar anymore without the kite dragging him to the ground, face first. He let go of the bar, and the kite plunged into the water surrounding the point where we were standing. Jessie and I kept our eyes on the kite, while Jim ran to the boat, started up the dinghy and, just like Zorro, came flying into view to rescue the water-logged kite. I think if Molly or Jessie would have been holding on to that kite, they would have been in the water, too!
On Valentine’s Day, we went to Waiwera Thermal Resort with our friends on the yacht, Azul. The resort has about 10 different pools, filled with natural hot springs water coming from deep underground. The pools vary in temperature from about 80 to 110 degrees. There is a “movie” pool in a dark building, where you can lounge in the pool and watch a movie. There were about 10 water slides; dark, twisty, and scary, that dropped you into several of the pools. Two of the slides were braided together, so you rolled and thumped along with your partner. After a morning of water slides, my body felt like I had been playing tackle football, and it was so nice to go into the warm, relaxing “grown-up” pool.
I have noticed that Molly and Jessie seem a little desperate to put down roots. They long to be with their friends, and they have become very attached to the youth group of a church that we have been going to. The ‘pull” to their own kind is very strong. The message I get is that it is time to get back home and let them socialize with friends their own age. I have met cruising kids who have been out here for 6 years and longer, and they are very shy. They seem overly attached to their parents, and don’t seem to know how to play well with others. I think the two years Molly and Jessie will have spent “out of the norm” is just about right.
We will probably have internet sometimes during our road trip, so we will try to keep you posted on what the south island is like. Let’s hope it is dry! ~Jeanna
Question of the Week
Here is the answer to last week’s question:
You would be on the Island of Niue, in the Southern Cook Islands.
See if you can find the correct answer to this question! We will continue to post questions along with the answer to the previous question. Have fun!
What three major events happened on July Fourth, 1826?