Good morning from Wanaka, NZ. It is March 24 here which is, as a reminder, 20 hours ahead of Arizona (MST). As I sit here at my desk it is a brilliant, sunshiny day, our third in a row, albeit a little chilly. It 9am and it’s 46 degrees climbing to about 66 this afternoon. The warmest time of the day is from about 3pm to 7pm. I have been sitting in the delightful yard working on a bit of a tan for a maximum of one half hour a day. Joan says “get out of the sun, you just had an appointment with the dermatologist!! Of course she is right.
We have now been here for a full week and are pretty much over the jet lag thing. It took longer than anticipated. It may have something to do with age! Unfortunately Joan has come down with a cold and, of course, it will be just a short period of time before I get it. We’ll see. You can count on me complaining about it if I do.
Although this has been a “rest” week Dan and the family have keep us busy, but a “fun” busy. The highlight of this time was visiting the Wanaka Lavender Farm, just a couple of miles outside of town. Although it was raining most of the time the scenery was spectacular. The site consists of 20 acres of beautiful lavender fields, farm animals and garden displays. This is a real working farm with many manufactured lavender products, honey, and other delightful lavender themed items. None of these are inexpensive. The products are sold by the ounce and a quick calculation of just one item came to $5000 in a very small display. We strolled the entire area for about an hour stunned by the sheer beauty. There is obviously a lot of pride by the employees. I’m sending some photos along with this posting.
I have mentioned that the kid’s schools are very close by so they have settled into a routine of visiting in the afternoon. As most know it is NBA basketball season and closing in on the playoffs. Joan purchased the NBA TV package here and with the 7PM games starting here at 3PM (the next day) Malcie and Joan have been watching the Suns play. It is a joy watching them critique the game together. Joan has converted Malcie into a fan. He is currently playing basketball with his friends in a 3 on 3 form. The family has a regulation size basketball setup at the house and he very much enjoys “shooting around”. Basketball is truly a worldwide game.
Joan will post some photos nearby and will also try to post a short video showcasing the house we are living in.
