2001 - No. 2
   Me did it once last year and then the news spread, so this year she “house/pet sat” for three families.  The long haul was 3 weeks up the Awhitu peninsula in a lovely place on top of hill that overlooks both the harbor and the ocean. Plus it has a hot tub. The most challenging was a house in town filled with many animals.  I had to bring over a fan in the dead of night to help the air circulate so she could sleep.  And then there was a short stay to watch over-active Burmese cats, Yo-yo and Siân.  And she is booked for two more in 2002.
wrights
    Poor Trish and Dot waited and waited for us at the Waterfall Café for 45 minutes.  Gail and I left home late and then took the lo-o-ong way to Patumahoe then couldn’t find a sign and took a wrong turn.  Café was full and the cuisine divine.  After a lovely meal we spent two hours wandering amongst the water lily and lotus ponds.  The gardens are in an old quarry.
 Lotus and Dot   dessert   in the gardens   attention shoppers
                                           click on photo to enlarge
         more lilies          and more          big view
In addition to all the time in our pool I made it surfing twice, only 2 times!!
Both times at Opoutere, once with Titania, the other by myself.
Ian took us for one of his adventurous drives, in which he takes to the back roads to see what we will see and eventually end up at our destination.  This time it was Ngtea, a small town in the middle of the Hauraki Plains, known for its rock shop (which we also visited). Another huge effort in building these gardens that offer much more than ponds.  Many different settings and unique buildings (some facades) such as castle, barn, small cottage.
da pond home sweet home castle golden pond malley
Did You Hear About
the
Twin Warriors? 		Malley
Muses		 “It’s a Bad Year to Be
a BOB”
40 years a Minnesota Twins fan.  Even down in NZ I am able to listen to every game (live or later) thanks to the Internet.  And as Gail will tell I don’t miss a game.  On the other hand, the New Zealand Warriors have only been around for 4 years.  I have always watched every match, but this year I have been to see several games live, thanks to Ann and Russell who brought me along.  Nothing like sitting in the cold damp outdoors, with perfume wafting amid the cigarette smoke, on hard plastic seats.  Atmosphere!!! It helped that both teams were winning for a change. 2001 was the year for heart bypass surgery if your name happened to be "Bob".  Bob Hansen, Bob Holmberg and Bob Wandersee had the procedure (and all doing well as I write this).  My father’s surgeon wanted to do a bypass but my Dad didn’t qualify since his name is "John".  So he only got an angioplasty...
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