Intensely playing with the gadgets that came from their country. I guess they don't get these because they are immediatley shipped out to every other country in the world.

Mike with Angus. Angus is a millionaire back in Taiwan and bought his family residency here in NZ. You would never know he was loaded but he is very kind man. He loves NZ but his wife isn't so enthusiastic about it. He considers Mike his 'wery good friend'.

Angus and Chris....he didn't know his name was a kind of cow.' I want change my name' he said

So this is the track at the local cart racing place in Christchurch. Mike took Jenny and I the other week and then went back for some birthday runs. The top speed on the board is 15:21 and Mike got 15:97 the other day. Pete says he is going to go into full body training so he can beat Mike's time. This could be good.

It was hard to get photos in there but Mack and Mike are there somewhere. Those lil carts are really fast. Mike loves this.

This is Mike going by. He got his fastest time the other day. 15:97. That's his new name. Hey. 15:97. 15:97 could you come here? He's very close to getting on the top 10 fast people. Too bad its 20$ for 15 minutes. If anyone wants to contribute to his quest to make the top 10 I can get you our account details...hee hee hee

Here begins the weekend to Queenstown. The reason I use this picture as the title photo is because this is how Jenny spent most of the time in the car. As you will soon see, there are magnificant sights to see. Although I was reminded in the trip that teenagers will be....this. HA! We had a great trip, fine weather and Mike and I were able to take a little drive down our "roadtrip of Love 2003". Here goes.

Before we headed out Mike had to change the oil in the car...but it was a little more diffcult than he thought. What doesn't he do? Well he tries to do as much as he can.

I was on board as photographer...see Jenny in the back? Our camera is working miracles now as you will see in the following photos.

Mike our trusty driver.

Jenny in the back...she slept through a significant amount of the trip.

This is Ben Chardome...Ben has known Mike and I (as a together entity) right from my first trip to NZ. He has seen us through it all. We have a very special something for this guy. He is fantastic. This photos was taken after he had cooked breakfast for his Branch (he is the pres). Ahhh Ben. I look forward to our trips to Q-town to see him.

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Jenny's first touch of snow. This is a moment captured.

Here we are posing with fists of snow. Okay. Hope this gets better.

We had to make it look like we were really getting into it. Believe us?

Take that...word...man...snow....yeah....cool face Chris. What's up with my faces?

Here we are Mike and Chris.

I almost look really cool in this photo...except for my face. what am I doing?

Here Jenny hold the snow. Yeah, like that. Smile!

Mike sort of egged her on so that we could get a little action going on here and not just still snow playing. Remember this is her first time to snow.

She got him...

I think this is a funny shot...yep.

This is the view coming down the mountain looking towards Queenstown.

We went to this little village where the Chinese settlement was back during the Gold Rush here in Arrowtown. We thought Jenny might enjoy it. I don't know how they survived in these houses without freezing to death...Notice my little peace sign...remnants of my Taiwan days.

We went to the Arrowtown Bakery per advice of Ben...really good pies. Chicken Satay and Chicken Apricot. Jenny was quite the fan.

Mike eats a pie. Really good pies in Arrowtown and its quite a fun lil town...for the tourist but hey.

This is taken right outside of Ben's front window. Not bad huh?

Queenstown has this Lake that the city wraps around and these mountains that plunge into the lake. Maybe for people that are from here, its just like another sort of resortish town, but its incredible.

Dad, this is yet another amazing road for motorbiking. And for everyone else...its an amazing road to drive on as well but I can only imagine how much fun it would be on a bike.

I went for a little walk up behind Ben's house and this is what I found. I know I know...when does it stop? The magnificant landscapes...

These are The Remarkables. Yes, you may recognize them from some LOTR. They are what they say they are.

New Zealand (well the South Island) is the land of contrasts. Aesthetically speaking...its very very pleasing the eye.

After leaving Q-town the road takes you into these cool sort of mountain plains with huge bumping hills. The road winds right through them here.

The clouds out there in the distance are covering Mt. Cook which is the tallest mountain here in New Zealand. I have actually never seen it in all the drives to and from Queenstown. Someday but even without the Mt. this landscape is amazing.

Every time I go past this scene I take lots of photos. That water and those mountains. Although I have only been here in the winter.

This is lake Tekapo and the Mountains around Mt. Cook. It was a remarkable day.

This road takes you into so many different landscapes. It's beautiful. Great for motorcylces.....dad.

Heading back to the Canterbury Plains and to Christchurch. See the sheep? Oh the sheep!

The weather has been warming up here in Christchurch and this fountain is in the Botanic Gardens here.

This is Mack...with Jenny. He's the man when it comes to construction and stuff. Here he is looking like the real man he is.

This is the side of the house before the french doors went in. It looks great now. Stay tuned...

This is Jenny from Taiwan. She is here studying English for a few weeks. We taught her parents when we lived there. We are headed out on a roadtrip to Queenstown this weekend to take her to snow...hopefully we can find some. Its been a very dry winter here. Yes, we are taking her on the love route where I fell hard and fast for Mike, and he for me, of course. "This is where he said this and I was like and he was like and he looked so cute" ....HA! She is in for it. We got our camera back from the camera fixer person so hopefully I will have lots o' photos to post. Until then.

Well we are doing well here in New Zealand. Mike is working hard at Uni and I got accepted into my Interior Painting course. It seems like its going to be pretty cool and I even get my own pair of painting overalls with it. I know I know. Part of the 12 weeks will be spent paired up with a Painter out in the real world...yes, my tutor said its a harsh world out there. I think it sounds quite exciting. Then I will start an Residential Interior Design Diploma course in February that lasts the year. Mike is thinking of grad school in the states for 2007 so that could be it but everyone keep your ears open for grants or scholarships for international students so we can get him over there. But we'll see.

Mike working hard and studying his Philosphy of Rationality stuff....yes, he is not sure why he is in it now.

Me staring at Mike while he studies the philosophy

This is the ripped out chimney at our house. Mike crawled through and through the bricks down. He looked like he ought to be on Mary Poppins. So we are going to clean up the brick work and then get the pellet burner in sometime in the next few weeks. Yummy Warmness for our house. With all the construction its been quite, let just say, cold.

These are the Taiwanese kids I have been teaching for the past month. Sandy, Rachel and David. They came over here with their family to stay for their summer holiday. They weren't able to go to school so I have been substitute Chris. Of course, why did the kids have to study during their holiday???? Don't ask me. Its a Taiwanese thing. Must study. No play.

This is the Christchurch Art Gallery. I took the Taiwanese kids I teach here for some culture and enrichment. It was quite funny to try to get them to talk about what they saw. Do you like this? Uuuhhhh what? I don't know teacher. HA!