Christchurch, 2018

After unpacking and moving into Rooby, our new home (it didn't take long), we drove from the Top 10 Christchurch campground into the city center. Much evidence of the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 remains, but the rebuilding is well underway and the downtown seemed to us now again more of a vibrant city place and not just a site for gawkers of the devastation. We spent an afternoon retracing steps from 2014. It is a beautiful city in a beautiful setting.

The container block, now much reduced and pretty much hasty
tasties

The cathedral

A Camper-Van Named Rooby...

This is our second camper rental in NZ, our third overall, and the first that comes with it's own name...Rooby. (Its Kiwi predecessor was the Millennium Bongo). I'm not sure whether Rooby is a Rooby Sue or a Rooby Tuesday. I think most likely a Rooby Sue ("Ain't that somethin'? She falls down a well, her eyes go cross. She gets kicked by a mule. They go back to normal. I don't know.") Anyhow, the best interior and other shots of Roobie are from the vendor's website: https://www.cruzycampers.co.nz/diesel-campervan. It's a bit cramped, even by our standards, but it's OK. We're still looking for the bathroom.

Return To New Zealand, 2018

 After nearly a month's very enjoyable stay in Menlo Park, Fiji Air flew us first to Nadi and then to Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand, where we will spend the next 3 months, more or less. It is our third long stay in New Zealand, a place we have always loved. We have rented a well-traveled van camper--a 2002 diesel Toyota Hiace (banzai!) named Rooby--from Cruzy Campers in Christchurch and have spent nearly a day moving in, sorting out, etc., at the Top 10 Holiday Park. Rooby is of course RHD, but, since it's only been 4 months since I was last keeping left and upside down, it's OK.  I'll post more pix and more detail as we get underway.

We began our orientation, moving in, etc., at Spitfire Square,
near the airport in Christchurch; it's a very late model Spitfire,
4 blades, squared off wings, but nonetheless meaningful,
especially since I'd watched Dunkirk twice en route to Nadi;
oh, that's Rooby in the background

To New Zealand Via Fiji

Our flight January 11-12 took us from San Francisco to Nadi, Fiji, and then to Christchurch.

We had an enjoyable 4 hour lay-over in Nadi

At what is the nicest Priority Club lounge ever, so far

Staff completely up to the very high standard of service we have
experienced elsewhere in Fiji; friendly, first name-basis...

Boarding for Christchurch

Bula, Fiji

Passing over the south coast of the North Island, Cook Strait

Over the South Island now, Canterbury, on approach

Very Long White Cloud (Aotearoa, the Maori
name for New Zealand, means "Land of the
Long White Cloud")

Canterbury, with its gorgeous farm- and ranch-lands, and
vineyards, and mile upon mile of giant wind-breaks

We'll be flying Air New Zealand direct from Auckland to San
Francisco next April

After orientation and moving in, checking out
prices of the good stuff...

Did I mention I watched Dunkirk twice on the first leg of the
flight?

Xmas, 2017

Another fun old-fashioned family Christmas (Rachel was with the Sehestedts in Missoula this year)...

Making cookies with Grandma and Mama

Twas the night before...

Xmas morning...the subsequent several pix were a blur of excitement

Major grand-parental gift

With a back-story, of course

Molly

Rebecca's big gift from Vicki, a photo album of her early years

Assisting Daddy

And me

P has a robust sense of humor...here reading
from a joke book that came for Xmas

Rebecca

Jeremy

P's gift to Mama, a custom-decorated pillow case (with a little guidance from
Grandma)

And ditto for Daddy

P's Xmas ontology was evolving this year; at age six, I think
we got to see the last excitement and wonder of a Santa-
believer;  as things passed she grew equally excited about the
prospect of being part of the family tradition of giving; that's
part of what the pillow-cases were about; such a sweet girl

Vicki with The Road Goes Ever On, Volume IV (extremely
rare first edition)

Holiday Miscellany, 2017

A miscellany of pix from our stays with daughter Rachel and husband Will in November/December in DC and with Rebecca and husband Jeremy and grand-daughter Penelope in December/January in Middle California. Alas, it appears quite a few pix are temporarily missing--Rachel and Will, their menagerie, the herb farm, Sandee and Rhett, P with Samantha at the Christmas at the Savoy performance...but I'll find them eventually and post them here.

Fortunately, the really important stuff is still
intact...pix Rachel sent from Lebowski's in
Glasgow...

Menu...someone really know his/her TBL

"Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here!"

Now in our North American camper, Le Sport, in Rebecca's
driveway, our home for 3+ weeks; Vicki churning

Me, apparently practicing my selfie technique

Approaching Xmas, it's chilly, but the roses are
still blooming in Menlo Park; one of Maggie's
(she's in England)

One day P and I went to NASA's Ames
Research Center in Mountain View; here's P
examining a moon rock

Earth depiction

Real Mercury capsule

P ready to do an EVA

The Ames visitor center; small, but much of interest

At Stanford Mall

Baby-sitting with Junie (thanks Beth and Kelley)

P taking the Girl Scout oath at her new troop's investiture;
Rebecca is co-leader

New troop