There are more grapes here than corn in Kansas, and now is the grape-harvesting season. The vines are turning yellow from the bottom of the vines up to the top. Unlike the delicate grapes that make Pinot Noir, for example, and others that must be picked by hand, these green grapes are more sturdy and …
Category Archives: Blog posts
Driving North to the Marlboro Region
Lake Tekapo is barely a dot on the map, a cross in a road, but it’s nice. It is set on the shores of a robin’s egg blue glacial lake bordered by New Zealand’s Southern Alps. People come here in cars, caravans, RV’s, mountain bikes or simply hiking in with backpacks to camp, sleeping in tents, …
Queenstown, NZ
I may have been a little under-enthralled with Milford Sound but the scenery on the long-distance drives between towns is worth any price. Like a delicate patchwork quilt, golden grass pastures lie in squares, rectangles, and triangles belted by green and gold tall poplars and cedar windbreaks. The Southern Alps run the entire length of …
Te Anau, Gateway to Milford Sound
Te Anau, New Zealand! How exotic it sounds! In my mind, travel is akin to reading books. Arriving at a new destination is like picking up a new book. Still a little heartsick from finishing the last good read, saying goodbye to the story and the characters that I’ve spent the last many days with, …
Sheep Shearing and More
Today, oh, today! Rick, our host, is a sheep farmer with 600 head of sheep. He invited us to his barn to watch a sheep shearing!! He knew we had a great interest; he wanted us to see. For Stan and me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He did this just for us. I was …
Rainy Days = Planning
Before any words, I thank God for your safe deliverance from the huge tornado that swept through beloved neighborhoods in our homeland of Little Rock, Arkansas. Our tears, prayers, and hopes are with you all and for those who suffered injury and death. Our hearts hurt for your suffering. It rained steadily all day today …
Pacific Blue Oysters
We learned all about oyster farming today and mussel growing too. Before today, I thought all oysters were captured wild with oyster baskets or oyster rakes in mud and sand. But Freychinet Marine Farms situated near Coles Bay produces oysters and millions of them! Farmed oysters look no different or taste no different from wild-grown …
And Here’s Another Thing
Besides having residents who never meet a stranger, who are open, anxious to learn about you, and willing to laugh and knock a joke about here and there, besides having incredible mountain views, farm scenes, long, curving white sandy beaches with aqua-toned waters, and towns seeming stuck in a time warp, can Tasmania offer more? …
The Nut and The Devils
The island of Tasmania is heart-shaped. Really! It’s only as big as West Virginia, that’s 1/10 the size of Texas and ½ the size of Arkansas. Because of its mountain ranges and the geographic diversity in each area, it seems much larger, and with 19 national parks, most of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, …
Tasmania, Heading North
Several readers have asked about the flora and fauna. We have not seen it all yet but so far, I can only say, diverse. The land and the views are different everywhere we go. And we have yet to see wild animals. Down south the terrain was hilly, mountainous, green in places and golden in …