Darrell & James

Well, Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

Le Halloween

Well, since Libby covered Halloween, I thought I'd throw in some of our pictures too. We didn't plan very well. I was a sailor (note to self: Hornpipe costume no longer fits.) JF was a Pirate. I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but his eye patch was a piece of fabric (actually a remnant from when Sarah needed to shorten some black pants.. which expains the hem running through the middle) tied on with a piece of (blue) yarn. We were in a hurry. Patate is posing as a parrot in the second picture. We only had two groups of kids come to our door, so we got to eat most of our candy!

Idiot #1

This is cheating, I know, but I wrote Mom & Dad something and they seemed amused, so I'm ripping off my own email and posting it here.

"We (and I believe most of our street, which is much more commercial than residential) lost power for about three hours today - really not that much fun. I lit a couple of candles because I was reading articles for school, and the cat came sniffing around. I figured animals have, you know, instincts and that she wouldn't hurt herself so close to the flame. I now have a cat whose whiskers look a bit melted and whose tail caught on fire. And she is completely oblivious. Lessons learned today: 1. Don't let cats near candles. 2. My cat is an idiot."

Here is the idiot on a less melted day:

Fiordland Waterfalls

When it rains in Fiordland, the waterfalls come out to play. When it is sunny, Fiordland is beautiful. But when it rains--it is magic!

Put yourself in the picture

Once upon a time, about seven years ago, I downloaded a screen saver that showed a group of people hiking in a setting like this in New Zealand. I looked at that photo every day for almost a year, and each time, the yearning to put myself in that picture grew to the extent that it hurt. Finally, I decided to stop dreaming and do something about it. This is a photo of us tramping with a group of Venturer Scouts. That is native red tussock grass in a highland meadow near Green Lake by the Borland Saddle--in New Zealand, of course.

Doubtful Sound

Doubtful Sound is deep in the heart of Fiordland, a lush wilderness of mountains and waterways that are as difficult to live in as they are beautiful to see. Early Maori who had been banished for some offense would hide out here because it is so impenetrable. Whilst on a cruise here, we saw rare crested penquins, dolphins, and a colony of fur seals. This ain't Disneyland, folks. This is real!