Jerri:
We are happily settled in the Town Basin Marina, Whangarei, NZ. Last night was interesting with tsunami alarms going off (very loudly, but without that unsettling “wa wah, wa wah, wah wah wah” voice that accompanies alarms in the U.S. so that we didn’t recognize the alarm as an emergency system alert), but we are safe and sound far up in Northland and several miles inland on a river. The news regarding the earthquake makes it sound as though nothing too widespread has happened
We had the most fabulous time with David, the man who captained our old Agility 57 after it’s sale several years ago, and his wife Henriette last night on their farm. The farm was hands down the most idyllic and beautiful farm I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. If that sounds strange, remember I’m from IA and have attended several farm dinners outside of Boulder so I do know farms. There were two Highland cows greeting us as we drove in, the grounds were impeccably taken care of with two ponds, a stream, a little Zen garden, a nice path through subtropical woods, and a lovely welcoming, warm home. To top it off, dinner was superb, and we were fortunate to meet two 19 year old women from Germany who are helping at the farm for a couple of months. The evening was very special for Tim and I. It was healing and made me feel promise and hope again after the events of last week. Waka was also invited and she behaved like a princess while having a hell of a time too. The highlight for her was the dead possum we encountered on our walk. Scary, but fascinating.
Finally, it’s strange to think that we left on a prolonged trip and will be returning to a different country that Tim and I are ashamed of, but committed to.
