Sunday, September 28, 2008

Home Sweet Home

We are back in NZ now.

Hip Hip Horray!

Nice to be home.

If you want us to post any pictures of a specific place we visited in the USA, just email.

Look forward to seeing y'all again

Friday, September 19, 2008







Here are some of our pictures of G.C. And of Antelope Canyon.

May put Disney land on later... :)



Love to all our NZ buddies!



(and all you americans we have given the blog site address to...hope you enjoy!)


P.S Thanks Donald for some of these pictures

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Flagstaff! Nearly time to come home...

Hi Everyone,

Well, our time in Arizona has been sooooooooooooooooo busy. We went through Nevada and Utah in our time and traveled 1700 km in our rental van. We saw Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam. We saw a lot of Casinos as we drove through Las Vegas, (or Lost Wages as Donald told us)
We had a very bumpy experience as we were transported to see Antelope Canyon on a tour.

And we saw the Grand Canyon from both the North and South sides, We went some way down the 'flamin highway' called Bright Angel Trail for a pleasant morning walk in our jandals and succeeded in prompting one American, as he walked by, to say in disgust and amazement 'Jandals?!' We (the girls only) walked around in our ball gowns at the Yavapai Point for pictures at the Grand Canyon. Although the sunset we planned on taking the pictures at was poor due to big storm clouds (yes it actually started raining at the G.C-well more like a large spits of rain before we waltzed to the car.) we have some beaut pictures I may put on the blog when I have a computer that will let us.

We slept on the dirt two nights, one lot of dirt was comfortable considering, the other....well lets just day that when at South Rim, Mather Campground-bring an rv or a few ground mats.

We also stayed in an Americas Best Value Inn at Henderson which we found was not far enough away from LV as we intended and could only find a little grocery shop with little good food... We ate junk (LCM bars called Rice Krispie Treats, and Pistacios, and oatmeal and honey bars and an occasional apple or orange) for breakfast lunch and tea one day (mind you-we were NOT happy about it, Mum was getting desperate by the next day to feed us properly).

We stayed with Donald's cousins at Prescott (pronounced Presskit), they were lovely and served us the most wonderful food we had had in days!

We met a lady called Jean (REALLY nice) who had done a tour in NZ and was with the group that ran a country dance night that my family attended in Hokitika (it happens every 2 years so all y'all-you gotta join us its SO fun). So it was great to meet someone all over again that had travelled in NZ. Funnily she only remembered Thomas ('...would recognise that smile anywhere...') until she talked to us for a while.

For Dad a highlight was discovering a tiny old mining town called Chloride. It was on the way to Hoover Dam, in the middle of the desert and it appeared the people survived through humour. There was a sculpture made with an old drive-chain and pistons and an air cleaner off a car to look like a centipede. A sign (hand painted) behind it titled it 'Seldom Seen Slim with his Centipede.' We did not see Slim! Dad had to get a photo of the 'Chloride Water Treatment Station' building. And he HAD to visit the fire station where he swapped his used fire brigade tee-shirt for a Chloride Fire Dept Tee and a hat! We nearly had to drag Dad away so we could get to Hoover Dam - and then we were too late for a dam tour.

Okay better go. We're going back to California today at mid-day. At the moment we are staying with the home-school family here in Flagstaff. They're so fun. They let us stay at their house yesterday night and the night before. They have 3 girls. Kelsey (who we helped make the most gorgeous pie ever. It was soooo goood. Yum yum yum yum delisiaso) And fraternal twins- Lindsey and Taylor. They're 11 and only 3 days younger than Junelle!!! They're lots of fun. They had a bow and wood toy arrow thing that Tom has been using lots. We have to keep telling him to stop aiming at birds (bluejays and red-headed woodpeckers) and squirrels.

Okay g2g. Will update with pic when possible.

Our love and Missing you all in NZ,
God Bless,
Tribe

(No we did not go into any casinos - we drove past at about 7.30 am when it was all quiet).

Sunday, September 14, 2008

AZ






Hi guys-I'll try and put pictures but we might not have time....It's still loading-up to pic 98 of 412. Hehe. Grand Canyon is amazing. Like a picture. So unreal. Ginormaous! Even if Kat doesn't think so. Camping out tonight under the stars with no ground mat...except mum. Temperature last night OoC. Might be cold. Finally. Having a camp fire and smores. Tomorrow to the South Rim-currently at the North. Off to the camp site now.
Bye!


Edit: okay here a a few pic-enjoy

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The Carnival. I mean Fair.

Merry go rounds, Feris Wheel, orbitor and so many more. Our first time ever doing any of these rides. Oh the fun we had (especially Dad Tom and Karlyn when they gave up rides to have a water fight at a special stand!!!!)

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Toledo Zoo, Football and strange colourful corn, Ohio

Football


Corn?

Traveling to Zoo





Tribute to Oregon

Here's our most memorable times in Oregon. No other words from now 'cuz they say one pictures worth a thousand, don't they.

Friday, September 5, 2008

My Thanks

Thank you my friend for your help...I thought I'd actually done that but I obviously wasn't looking hard enough.

I've forgotten how to spell thanks in spanish so know I'm thinking of it Simone. :)

A-R

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Thank you very muchly Shirtliffs

Here is our try for the olympic game of eating as much rich Ice-cream or tangy Sorbet as humanly possible.

Just kidding.

But thanks to the Shirtliffs (if I spelt it wrong comment on the blog and just so you know, I blame Dad. lol. Truly. He spelt it out 'cause I wasn't sure.) anyway, thanks for the dosh providing this opportunity and hope the picture satisfys you....or makes you hungry.

Smile!


HELP!

Simone or Jono could you please send me an email telling me how to get the archive thingy back on my blog page?????????

I lost it and can't figure out how to get it back.

Sorry everyone else... :)

MOI

The Supermarket Experience

Hey people,



We went to a supermarket the other day (as you should know if you have been reading updates)


You who haven't been reading know who you are....we WILL track you down and make you read!!! (how dare you forget about us!)
Anyway... :)

Here are a few of the products-its so amazing the amount of stuff and the prices...alot was $2 or under....most of the other stuff was $4 or less...the odd thing that was bigger and bulk-ier would have a higher price.


Prepare to be amazed.

Choc Gummi Bears?! Bleach-awful cheap! Watermelons-Big and small LOTS of oil!

Tinned Cinnamon rolls and scones or biscuits as americans call them.
Frosting (icing) with special tubes to make the perfect iced cake.

LOLLIES! (CANDY!!!) Trout.