Happy 4th of July

 

Happy birthday to the good old US of A.  It ain’t perfect but it’s way ahead of whatever is in second place!

 

Another good morning from Wanaka New Zealand.   While it is summer at home it is definitely winter here.  Not too rainy in recent days but rather a combination of fog and sunshine.  This morning it’s crystal clear and in the high 30’s. Of course, they refer to the degrees in Celsius rather than Fahrenheit so this mornings temp is about 4 degrees. 

An easy way to do the conversion is:  take the Celsius temperature times it by two and add 30. So for this morning take 4 times 2 plus 30 and you have 38 Fahrenheit today.   Not spot on but close enough.

 

I completed a major accomplishment the other day and while patting my self on my back I took an amazing amount of trash talk from the entire family including the  grandkids. Dan suggested that he and I hike Mt. Iron, a mountain about half the size of Camelback with slightly less grade on average.  It’s a very convenient site from his house.  We started the hike from his back door.  Molly, Dan’s 10 month old Labrador, came with us.  Knowing that there were hikes in my future down here I had been going for morning walks in Scottsdale to get ready but these were flat walks.  No, I wasn’t really prepared. The views on the hike are really magnificent and well worth the effort but what an effort.  Here are my built in excuses:  I wore the wrong shoes, Molly was pulling me too hard while I held the leash, the terrain was uneven, the escalator was broken, I fell over a little bit when Dan suggested that I sit down and rest a bit and brused my ego AND got a very tiny scratch on my shoulder, I stepped on a snake, oh wait a minute there are no snakes in New Zealand, but the small branch did look like a snake, and many other trials and tribulations which I won’t mention as you might, just might, think I’m a bit of a baby.  Anyway, we finally made it to the top in 45 minutes and the view was truly stunning.  (see photos nearby).  Dan started right in and mentioned we didn’t set any records getting to the top and then hesitated.  He corrected himself and said we set the World’s record for the slowest accent on record!  I’m rightfully proud of any record I set!!  We hung around the top for a while with Dan pointing out various sights to me. I would actually like to do it again.

 

The decent was very pleasant and spending quality time with Dan is a joy. Just listening to him on various topics is quite educational. This has always been the case with all three sons.   One last repercussion from the walk.  We got back over to the rental and I sat down to rest for awhile and then stood up quickly and instantly got very light headed. I sat down quickly on the floor because I didn’t want to faint.  Well, apparently, I didn’t look graceful with that maneuver so I still haven’t heard the end of that either.  The kids only comment was that I’m getting very old.  My next climb is Mt. Everest.  I’m obviously ready.  

 

Joan has been fighting bronchitis.  It’s been going on for a while but this morning we feel she has turned the corner.   A visit to a local doctor, a prescription and hopefully a quick recovery.  Pretty much feeling lousy.   A lot of hacking and coughing.   Pretty sucky for her.   I have a bit of a cold now but nothing close to Joan’s ailment.    I think we’ll both live.