It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas here on the Gold Coast in Australia. With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees often, it’s hard to get in the spirit. But people are certainly trying! I liked the surfers with their Santa hats […]
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Australian Animal Wonderland!
That’s right, folks…I’m in the land of actual kangaroo crossing signs! It feels so strange to finally be in Australia after all of these years of wishing I could visit. It’s really as weird and exotic as you may have heard. […]
Warmth At Last!
Here’s the spot I hang out everyday on the Sunshine Coast. Only a handful of people walk by and I feel totally spoiled being here. I arrived in Mount Coolum, Queensland, Australia last week in order to get some beach […]
Weird and Wonderful New Zealand
There were some things I wanted to talk about in regard to my time in New Zealand: 1. The cost of living and expenses incurred 2. The minor annoyances 3. Language differences Some of you may recall that I keep […]
Bay of Islands & Auckland
It’s been a relaxing week up north (35 degrees south latitude on a map) in Paihia. The Bay of Islands is comprised of 144 of them…at least that’s what they say Captain Cook counted. I’ve stayed just around the bend from […]
Grape Expectations
After Christchurch, I took a 4 1/2 hour bus ride up to the Marlborough region…famous for it’s wines. The ride was good and I got to see the countryside which was starkly different from Otago. There were actually trees and […]
Christchurch: Land Torn Down
Over three and a half years later, the earthquake which registered 6.3 and killed 185 people seemed like it happened just recently as I walked around there yesterday. Buildings are still being fixed, houses being braced by scaffolding and men walking […]
100th Blog Post and CNN Photo Essay
I’m happy to report on two fronts that I’ve reached my 100th blog post and what better way to celebrate than by having my photo essay approved by CNN.com! Sheep Herding: A dying lifestyle in New Zealand Shortly after I […]
A Tour Around Middlemarch
Well, things are quiet on the farm since the family left last week to go up north for Jim’s hockey tournament. A week before that, a new girl arrived from Norway to spend six months here learning about farming. It’s […]
All I Could Say Was, “Wow!”
I was pretty lucky today to get out of the house and take a trip along the Otago coastline to the Catlins. There is an iconic lighthouse on a spot called Nugget Point. Below were fur seals and possibly a […]