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1969	Hawaii; Peace Corps training. Details in Peace Corps Journal.
1972	Surveyed Cyclone Bebe's damage with Murphy. Nothing left in garden, all banana trees down. Every leaf of every tree is gone. Walls are brown from the mud and leaves being blasted into them. My backboard still intact. Old primary bure collapsed. Seru's bure down and they are staying with Eric. New primary bure is not usable. Roofing torn off of school but the library survived with no damage. Exposed trees down everywhere. A boat is on the rara. Cleaned up my yard with help from 5C. Eric's to celebrate his 40th with warm beer. Power back on around 5PM. Went to Whites for bridge - Susi and I won.
1997	Sa - Granich's to check out their new kitchen and walls Had a '93 Palais French bubbly. Stayed until 1AM listening to Roy's stories: customer broke his nose over a printer dispute - he electrocuted himself and was paralyzed for 3 days. Also found out just what David is doing for them at SAC.
1998	Su - Senad and Ong came and brought along Rose, which was a pleasant surprize to me. After a tour of the yard, we brought them to Karioitahi (first time for all three). Back home for drinks and then we played jarts. We had a "Thanksgiving" meal with them. Rose is like a different person outside of school, very out going and she made a wonderful "thank you" speech. Looked at my exchange students photos and then at Ong's.
1999	M - Visited Jim and Zelie (they had been to a reunion of people who came to NZ on a ship).
2001	Vlugs for first time. Sue is a spitting image in looks and character to Lamorna. Kryten (yes, named after Red Dwarf character) excited about chicks that were going to break out of their shells at any moment. Turned film in at Paper Plus and when Dale asked my name, Wonnie chided her "WE all know it".	Kryten
2002	Took old 47 to Mille Lacs which had a major detour so we got there around 12:40PM shortly after Inez had called my father to check on us. Kitchen redone and new furniture. As usual it was four hours of good story telling (e.g. Chuck's fear of flying and the flight from Las Vegas; and how Inez can watch "Wheel of Fortune" while getting mail without missing a letter, as every house is watching it). Chuck cooked up a great walleye and perch meal for us (tape)- even Ne liked it. Tried a Livingstone red that was very sweet. More stories over coffee - how Inez's brother got stuck in Mexico and it turned out to be a blessing (tape). We stopped in Isle to get gas and the two boys in the place were straight out of "Fargo" - told me that the sniper had been arrested and how he was shooting through a hole in his trunk. So I said he was pretty clever and too bad that the media told us that fact as now more people will do it. Began leaving, turned around and asked them if the had a drill I could use... so I could make a hole in my trunk. Literally didn't get it! Told me they don't have a drill and were telling where I could get one when the dumber one goes: "I get it" and starts laughing. Don't think the bright one (he was the one reading the newspaper) did.	The Lake The Lady The Man
2006	Clarks where I got all computers going onto wireless while sipping an Old Coach Road 2005 Pinot Noir. They have a new fridge that plays a tune if door is left open. Mike said that I told him in 1993 when we bought their first computer that one day each one of them will have a computer and it has come true.
2008	At 1:05PM, I listened to a phone message: "this is so and so. your wife had been in an accident on Awhitu Road. She is okay". Thought at first it might be a prank call to get us out of the house. But I got Ne in case, we needed a driver of Gail's car to get it back home. Fire trucks, police cars and an ambulance by Te Huna corner. I went past the fire officer directing cars to turn around much to his anger. Police man told us that Gail as being cut out of her car. She had crossed the line and after missing one car went head on into an SUV with bull bars. 4 men in that vehicle unharmed but Gail had mutliple breaks. I went in the ambulance with her to Middlemore. Ian arrived soon after and Elaine brought Ne in. We were all able to see her in the "resus" room and she was in good mental shape. Then it was a long wait while they examined her. At 7PM she went into surgery for broken clavicle (seat belt), broken left wrist, broken right arm, roken right wrist, broken bones in right leg and broken right ankle. Plus an open wound on left leg and a small break on her spine. Plus they might find more once inside. Dr Harry reckoned on 5 hours in op room. So we all left at 7PM. Down to White's to see Susi and have a drink of wine. Ne and Bonnie came down. Home at 9:30PM.
2010	M - Smithers, with Matsumi, came for a visit. Boys in pool, but couldn't get me in. Had an excellent Jacob's Creek '07 Shiraz that Emery left for me.
2018	Th - Peter Wilkins arrived - after trying Villa 100. Gail barbecued steaks which we washed down with an excellent Taylor's 2016 cab sav. We had affogatos for dessert with a birthday cake for his 67th. Great time catching up - some new memories from QVS.
2023	W - Russell called from Geraldine. Catherine in hospice. 105 minute walk. Ran into fellow from Kerala looking for 386 Ocean Beach, so I walked with him to Evans Road.
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