Driving South in New Zealand

We were so excited for our 4th full day in New Zealand- we were leaving the big cities behind and starting our driving tour of the South Island. Around Christchurch, there were lots of farm and ranching areas.



Then we started crossing some really cool, rocky rivers. Looked like the perfect place to....



do some fly fishing. We drove though the tiny town of Rakaia, the Salmon Capital of New Zealand, and of course, saw a giant fish!



We drove through several small towns on the flat plains headed towards the mountains.



Every so often, we'd see these giant warning signs on the side of the road about various driving hazards- they were a bit over dramatic.



We saw these trains- I'm assuming they are some type of construction engine.



I don't know why I was so impressed with all the birds flying around the cows- I think I was just happy to be on the road exploring a new country.



Oh yes....right hand driving! The steering wheel is on the *wrong* side, you drive on the left side of the road, your blinkers are swapped around with the windshield wipers. Fun times!



If we'd been brave enough to try wrong-side parallel parking within our first few hours of getting a car, we'd have stopped at the chocolate and milk bar in Geraldine.



We had of first of several hundred encounters with a one-way bridge.



Most of the trees had been imported and planted as windbreaks and they were spectacular.



Starting to get into the green mountains and I was getting excited!



Even looking at these photos, the cars seem so strange on that side of the road as we cruised into the mountains.



Thanks to the spare tire on our car, we self-timed a few fun photos.



My only regret is that we didn't bring a cord to plug in the iPhone so we could jam to tunes on our 1,000+ miles we covered.



Starting to see snow & getting closer to the mountains!



The wind in this area was crazy! It was all I could do to stand up straight.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: I fixed the lock on our backdoor all by myself!

Bathing in the Sunlight

About once a month I run to Petco for dog food & pick up a handful of new toys. Most usually survive less than an hour, so I'm very excited to report that this snake has made it 2 weeks!



Mia is non-stop entertainment...she is always rolling around on her back & playing with any number of her toys.



She's quite good at juggling things in her paws.



I was waiting at home for our shutters to be installed & had the windows wide open for the pups to enjoy the afternoon sun.



Mia really cracks me up every single day...



This was my typical view...she loves to bring her toys over and chew on them as she rubs them against my leg.



Zoe was quite happy just to soak up the rays.



They both settled down for a few minutes & you can see an extra leg from a long-gone toy.



Then Mia rolls around and goes from playing with her cloth leg to nipping at Zoe's feet.



Mia got kicked in the face about 0.5 second after this shot.



Zoe actually plays with Mia quite a bit, but she's usually none too amused at all the energetic antics.



And when the sun passed over to the other side of the house, Zoe was back up on her bed and sleeping soundly.

Photos taken May 7, 2010 Mia 11 months old & Zoe 8.5 years old

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Committing to 2-a-days blogging for a few weeks to get caught up on all my personal fun and our New Zealand trip.

Houston iFest

The last weekend in April, we headed downtown to the Houston iFest. It's a giant party that we've been trying to get to for years, but finally made it this year to celebrate the Caribbean!



Anyplace that stocks DOZENS of coolers full of margaritas and daiquiris is ready for a great party.



Set in Sam Houston park downtown & on several adjoining streets, it was a great day to be outside enjoying the weather before it got too hot.



Lots of bands, lots of food, and lots of booze.



There are a handful of old resorted houses from the late 1800's that are now part of a historical exhibit that can be toured at Sam Houston Park.



They setup a stage over the fountain at city hall for performances.



We enjoy seeing all the people, checking out all the cultural art and indulging in any excuse to eat fair food.



Such a good hubby to hold my drink while I was snapping away with my camera.



I've living in Houston all my life and never noticed this giant water sculpture before- the water would turn on and pour out the top of the tall cylinders.



All in all, a very much needed break from work and house repairs.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: FINALLY got caught up on transferring my New Zealand photos to my iMac and backing them all up on DVD...now to get onto blogging the rest of them.

Mia's Throne

I was a little nervous about taking Mia camping, but once she learned how to lounge in the chairs...it was all cake!



She always managed to snag the nicest, most comfortable chair.

And then she's position herself to get the maximum sunshine.



She was initially relegated to this little chair before H showed up with the rest of our chairs.



Toes and tail hanging off..it was a wee bit too small.



She only knocked it over (fell off??) a few times before mastering a new, important skill.



She'd get situated just so perfectly and then..



...suddenly be distracted by a bird or a bug and get all catwywompus again.



And finally just went to sleep...



All in all, Mia did great camping! I'm certain Zoe enjoyed spending time alone with my parents and being Mia-free for a few days.

Photos taken ~May 1, 2010 Mia 11 months old

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: My first free Saturday in AGES- no hubby, no work, no chores, no parties...just going to relax and get caught up!

McKinney Falls

The highlight of our camping trip was the actual trip to McKinney Falls. We hung out at the lower falls & were lucky enough to have the place almost to ourselves when we arrived around lunch time.

The water was still a little bit chilly & you needed to work yourself in slowly....and not be splashed by a crazy-running puppy.



Mia had a BLAST there...we were able to let her off leash when nobody was around and she swam like a fish and was pointing at things left and right.



Rowdy even perked up quite & was swimming and fetching his Frisbee.



The rock game is always great fun- dogs will chase the rocks around for ages.



Mia would put her whole head underwater at times looking for rocks.



The Frisbee is her new favorite toy & we threw it endlessly at the falls.



It didn't take long for more and more people to come wandering out and ruin our little peaceful oasis.



Mia and Kiran kept each other entertained just beautifully...Kiran liked splashing and Mia liked catching the splashes.



Love how Mia is mid-prance and Kiran is mid-run.



The guys sat around chatting and drinking....it was a great time!



The kids entertained themselves and I took photos....all was well for a while.



Mia was having a blast...I need to get her out more into nature and interacting with fun dog stuff.



It didn't take long for all the crowds to show up, including a few groups of girl scouts.



We headed out, but stopped by the river a bit further up to check out where we'd stopped last time.



Don't get many pictures of me and the dog, so I'll take this one- bad hair and soaking wet dog in all.



The riverbed leading down to the falls is an unusual solid rock surface that can be a bit tricky in wet flip flops. I'm so glad we had such a blast hanging out at the falls and a great time with our friends in perfect weather. It's death-heat of summer time & will be the fall before we can get out camping again.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: Headed to Vermont tonight- a new state for my Life Travel Log & & I'm very excited!