31 December 2013 ~ Lake Tahoe

Listening to: The Allman Brothers Band ~ Old Friend


Between the holidays I went to Lake Tahoe, staying in Tahoe Vista.

Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States and the tenth deepest in the world, with a maximum depth measured at 1,645 feet.

The pine cones grow very large here.

Lake Tahoe has a water clarity of about 70 feet. Even from the coast line it is easy to the beautiful blue and turquoise colors.

I stopped for lunch at Zephyr Cove Lodge Restaurant and ordered Bloody Mary and a Crispy Chicken Sandwich topped with cole slaw.

Lake Tahoe is about 22 miles long and l2 miles wide. I drove around the 72 miles of shoreline in about 3 hours, including stops for photos and lunch.

There has not been a lot of snow fall. The skiers are not happy.

 

 

The view from where I stayed.

 

 

25 December 2013 ~ Ho Ho Ho

Listening to: Paul Oscher ~ Christmas Blues


Merry Merry Xmas!

I think one of Santa's reindeer got lost, as I saw this deer peering at me through the neighbors trees.

Birds are busy eating the berry trees (but fly away before I can catch them in a photo, so you just get to see the berries).

The downstairs neighbor girls have a funny Santa that lights up, and at night it looks a Christmas tree.

 

22 December 2013 ~ Bay of Islands

Listening to: Eric Clapton ~ Groanin' The Blues (The Fillmore, San Francisco, 11/8/1994)

The weekend before I left Auckland, I did a daytrip to the Bay of Islands. It is approximately 3 hours north via tour bus. Along the way we stopped at The Coffeepot for...coffee.

Making progress. Whangarei is near our destination.

Our first stop in Bay of Islands was the Waterfront Café.

The water was a beautiful color and the sun was out.

Interesting one lane bridge with a pull off hump in the middle.

Lots of boat activity on the water.

 

 

21 December 2013 ~ Pohutu Geyser

Listening to:  Caitlin Rose ~ That's Alright

Happy Winter Solstice! The days are getting longer....

The Te Puia Maori Cultural Center also includes the Pohutu Geyser.

It is in a beautiful setting.

Seven geysers are currently active. Pohutu Geyser, meaning big splash or explosion, can erupt up to 30 m, usually every hour.

Here are a few really short video clips.

http://youtu.be/u-mTS0hY3WQ

http://youtu.be/94YpRCqQNIQ

http://youtu.be/CN2eI0kLsc8


Enjoying the day.

The water in the ponds below cools off quickly, and I even saw ducks swimming around.

Next to it are the Leaping Frog Mud Flats, a bubbling pool of mud that is also sold for its therapeutic properties.

http://youtu.be/2PubOPQ8DGw

20 December 2013 ~ Mid-West Visit

Listening to: B.B. King ~ Dangerous Mood


I was barely back from NZ and recovered from the Thanksgiving meal when I needed to head off to Cincinnati for work.

Of course, it was the week of the blizzard, but luckily my flights were not impacted all week.

I stayed at a hotel in Blue Ash, and to/from the airport I passed the Cincinnati Reds stadium. It brought back memories of when my family and my Louisville co-workers/friends went their for a baseball game. We showed them how to tail-gate the Wisconsin way!

I went out to dinner with some customer co-workers to the Montgomery Inn for ribs. I had the combo which included roast duck. Delicious!

The sunset leaving the Cincinnati (CVG) airport caught my eye from across the waiting area, and I got this shot.

Since I was "in the neighborhood" I went to Beaver Dam to visit my Dad on his 86th birthday, and then had lunch the next day with his wife and my great-niece. The waitress was camera-challenged...all 3 photos she took were blurry. Oh well, we were smiling!

 

6 December 2013 ~ Te Puia

Listening to: Jackie Greene ~ Gone Wonderin'


I'm back in the States, but still have some escapades from New Zealand to share.

On one of my daytrips the tour stopped at Te Puia, outside of Rotatua. The Māori tradition lives on at Te Whakarewarewa, with Māori culture, and the National Carving and Weaving Schools of New Zealand.

       

I didn't even try to pronounce the name of the place. And the guide said it wasn't even the longest word in the language. Impressive with only 14 letters in their alphabet.

We gathered outside the main entrance to the Marae (meeting place). A traditional karanga (welcome) marks the start of song and dance inside the meeting house.

Here, they performed the poi dance,

http://youtu.be/cc0zYw4M4WQ

the ferocious haka (war challenge),

http://youtu.be/yWohMGJkQf8

and the tititorea (stick games).  During the tititorea, eight sticks fly from four different directions. The receiver must deftly catch and flick the sticks on while keeping in time with the rhythm of the song.

http://youtu.be/jTvEplJLMQU

The tapaka was used to store food as well as treasured items of the villages.