Tongariro is a No-Go because of Snow

Today it smelled decidedly October - the cold evening wind, the early sunset… 

Tongariro Crossing is officially off, as the trail received a fresh coating of snow today, and all hikers are now required to be seriously hooked-up on the gear side (ice picks etc.)

Not that that’s a cause for moping, as we have an adventure beginning at 7:30 with breakfast in Te Puke.

Have enjoyed keeping my new music site updated this weekend, so if you’re into that, I’ve actually added new posts!

Birthday Dinner

 On Monday Becky made the most amazing lasagna and pirate cookies, and we drove out to Te Puke in the evening for dinner with friends at the Pettigrews Place.  (As you may recall, when we first arrived in New Zealand we lived with them for 2 weeks, so they’re now officially part of our Kiwi family).  There was amazing food and wine, good friends, and it was exactly what I wanted.  (I think Becky didn’t believe me when I said I didn’t want any other gifts, but I meant it!)  We ended the evening by watching Labyrinth, which was longer than I remembered it being… of course, it has been probably 15 years since I’ve watched it. 

It’s now Wednesday, and I start back at work tomorrow for two days, then it’s down to Taupo, where (weather pending) we’re hoping to do the Tongariro crossing (an 8-hour hike).  Becky’s back at home from night shift (sleeping obviously), and I’m writing this enjoying some brief sunshine, with the door opened and the wonderful sound of the ocean.

I also started another site, which I may or may not get into… the idea being an area to talk more about music - so check it out if you’re curious.  It basically documents my life working in music, gigs, recordings, updates etc.

Overdue Update

It’s now hours away from my New Zealand birthday - tomorrow we have a nice dinner planned with friends, and hopefully it will stop raining (otherwise our tennis & ping pong tournaments will have to be in the garage). Just as you’re all enjoying the beauty of spring, we’re heading into the grey rain of winter.

April hasn’t been a very exciting month - mostly a lot of storms. It’s been nice to watch these storms from our big windows, or out on the deck… we’ve been so much happier in our new place. It’s meant some adjustments to ensure we both get to work on time - for example, this past Friday I was playing keys in town, and got home just after 3AM. The alarm went off just after 5:30AM, and I drove Becky to work, came back home for a quick power nap before working all day Saturday.

I played at the Littleweed Music Festival in Katikati a couple weekends ago, which was a unique experience. I can now tell you where all the hippies have moved… Although, it was a chance to hear some other great Kiwi bands. May is NZ Music Month, so hoping to get involved in some fun projects in the coming weeks.

I’ve realized that it’s been some time since I’ve updated. We now have (painfully slow) dial-up internet, a home phone line, and a comfy couch. I’ll try to get a few new pictures up, but it seriously takes an eternity to get things uploaded.