Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Gearing up for NZ. 27 Days to departure and counting
Lots of email flying back and forth today between MD and NE concerning what to take and what to expect when we get to NZ. Also, Susan and I made a shopping trip to the Backwoods store (who, of course, have a sale going on) and the bike store to pick up some bike shorts and jacket. Simon recommends marino wool for jerseys, socks, etc., stating that even the sheep in NZ wear it. (Humor was always one of Simon's weaker attributes.) We leave Omaha on February 28th. Stay tuned for updates. Jim
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Hi Jim and Susan, you're excited for your upcoming trip in NZ with Rebecca and Lillian, Scott and Claira.
ReplyDeleteHave got your email, but I need to show the content to Madeleine and the kids. Will reply very soon. Praying for you. Have a pleasant trip preparation and a safe sojourn in NZ. looking forward to see more pics...
Blessings,
Tiowa on behalf of Diarra family.
Thanks, Tiowa. Will try to keep you updated with pictures.
DeleteNew Zealand? I thought we were going in 2013?!!
ReplyDeleteI know, Simon, it's hard to keep things organized as one goes through the "aging process". Just get plenty of rest, and I'm sure the schedule will all come back to you.....eventually! ;-)
DeleteJim
One week to go !!!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, it's one week for people who are getting a head start. Nine or eleven days for the rest of us. We'll expect that by the time we arrive you will have arranged for perfect weather. We're getting all our bike stuff together today, and will start training the day before we leave. That should be adequate preparation don't you think? HAHA Jim
ReplyDeleteHi everyone from down under over here in NZ! looking forward to meeting you in this other hemisphere...I'll be meeting up with you partway through your tour - just to make sure Simon has you all going in the right direction - oh and on the left side of the road!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief, Paula, to know you will be making sure Simon is keeping us on the right course. When Susan and I were in NZ in 2001 he dropped us off at a sheep barn in the middle of nowhere, telling us that was our farm stay for the night. We've learned to be a little....no, make that VERY suspicious of anything he does! We're so looking forward to this trip!! Order up some good weather for us if possible. Jim
ReplyDeleteha - "Dave's" farmstay I believe that one was! my, you weren't on a tour with me were you?? that was my first season in NZ with VBT - seems like yesterday! before that I worked for them in Canada. Have we met before???!! Simon is a bit of a problem isn't he...good thing the lovely Jessica will be here too - between all of us we should be safe...well, we can only hope!
ReplyDeletethe weather in NZ is, well, island weather?! we have had an extraordinary hot sunny West Coast summer, however that translates into pretty lousy for the rest of the country!! all seems to be settling out though - March should be great for you :) please feel free to email me anytime if you have questions about what to bring - happy to be of any help :) see you soon!
Hi Paula. No, I don't think we've met before. Our tour leaders in 2001 were Simon, Tim Willson, and Ross, the resident Kiwi who we all teased a great deal over his Kiwi accent.....such as "you will come to a bean in the road" during route review (meaning a bend, of course). We all looked at each other: a "bean" in the road?? How are we supposed to see a bean in the road?? Tim was getting married in NZ just a week or so after our tour ended. We met his wife, Kathy, a couple years later in a trip to Vermont. Such a sad thing that he passed away so soon after they were married. In my diary I did have a note of Swade for the day we were at the Wilderness Lodge, but don't recall the occasion for his name showing up. Send me your email address and I'll get back to you as to any questions we might have for packing, although I think we're pretty well prepared for anything weather-wise. Preparing for Simon is another issue altogether, but I have hope that he will behave himself now that Jess is there to keep him on the straight and narrow! Our email address is j-s-snyder@q.com. Jim
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