Hello 2025

 

Hello 2025… and what a start to the new year.

It has been a bit of a whirlwind and poof it’s now February. 

We rang in the New Year with friends and games. 

It was lots of fun and very relaxing. 

On January 3rd, we had a small celebration for Eric’s 60th birthday by going out for a nice sushi dinner and dessert. 

After that, things began to get really busy.

Work started back up on the 6th.

We quickly got news about the fires in So. Cal 

- So incredibly devastating!!!

Living in Malibu from 1976-1984, I think we had to evacuate 3-4 times

Each time grabbing what we could fit in the car, leaving and wondering if we would have a home to return to. 

And in 1996 I had to relocate my wedding when again Malibu was burning. The cycle of fire followed by mud slides is all too familiar. 

While I was one of the fortunate ones that did not lose their home, I have many friends that did. 

This time we have both friends and extended family that evacuated and lost their homes. My heart goes out to them and everyone that has lost their homes. 

Focusing on work was a challenge as my mind was elsewhere checking in on people and following posts, emails and texts. 

Meanwhile…our first summer guests arrived the night of the 9th. 

We played host. We visited Zealandia, spent a beautiful weekend in Nelson with a day in the Abel Tasman National Park, one of my favorite places. 

The following weekend was the big celebration at Hobbiton. Celebrating Eric’s birthday (a little late) along with our friend James’ bday, with 51 close friends was amazing! As of about 6:20pm we had the place to ourselves. It was truly magical!

We were with friends that had never been to Hobbiton, some that had not been there for a while and some that had recently been there. Yet everyone claimed that they will never be able to top their experience that night. Friends in costumes, amid true middle-earth fans, with many individuals that had worked on the films. Some still working at Weta. It was an experience beyond words. 

And Eric loved every moment. 

We also visited Hamilton Gardens and the Matamata Tower Museum. 

Returning to Wellington, we got a brief hiatus before our friend Peter and his girlfriend Jenifer arrived on Feb. 1st to stay for 5 days. 

We went back to Zealandia, took the harbor ferry boat to Somes Island. Something we had never done. And then accompanied them on a Weta Workshop tour. 

Our two heat pumps died back in December. We knew they were old when we purchased the house, but had hoped to get a bit more life out of them. Alas… a new one is being installed as I type this. This should help make the hotter days more comfortable and will definitely help when the colder days return. 

Summer continues to be a bag of mixed weather. But the cicadas have finally arrived. I love hearing their song. 

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We are actively reducing our usage of FB, Instagram, etc (Meta) 

The best way to continue to stay in touch is with email.

Cheers for now…