Cedar Lodge Works: 2016

Sunday, 13 March 2016

Rhapsody in Blue

Fresh picked berries from just up the road

Perfect spot for a nap

The famous Roaring Meg

I wish I had a better camera

Happiness is always at the beach

There are at least nine blues in this picture

Just pretty ocean

The orange in this is just as neat as the blue

Boats at the end of a fishing day, east coast

Morning boat near Moaeraki

At the end of the earth, Stewart Island

Calm blue waters

Well, we have been meaning/trying/wishing we could post for a little while now wanting to share all the different color blues we have experienced here, but both a fight with this computer and our busy days as of late have kept us from getting it done. My apologies. And this is a small sampling of the myriad of azure shades we wanted to share but I cannot fight with this computer anymore. I see a Mac in our future...just sayin'...

Sunday, 24 January 2016

We miss you, Julian! Happy Birthday

This charming young man is turning 14 today and while we cannot celebrate with him, we shall fete him nonetheless. Hip hip hooray. It was such a treat having him around and we had a blast together with a few days off back in December before we sent him on his merry way back to the USA. We went all the around the bottom half of the bottom island of NZ, and even took a ferry to Stewart Island, the southernmost point on the planet any of us had been. We saw sea lions, albatross, kia, tui, yellow-eyed penguins (alas, it's hard to remember a camera at 5am) and countless other birds and wildlife. We also had long discussions in the car about the merits of wine gums and how they might just beat out gummy bears for texture and ageing potential. We miss you, Jules.

Too cool for school? I think not, Mr. Malcolm.

Pretty happy on the beach

Somehow, New Zealand makes getting out of the car to stretch look real good.

Killer picnic spot

Gem beach, but those aren't gems in Julian's hands.

Kiwi crossing

The point where the Pacific, Arctic and Tasman Sea meet: Stewart Island

Moeraki Boulders: the earth's amazingly beautiful pimples

Ziplinin' away

The best fish and chips

Doing their best petanque arguing by the beach at out bungalow for New Year's Eve

Stewart Island, home to the best fish and chips

Friday, 15 January 2016

The fun we have AFTER work

So happy to be at the ocean for a day! Jackson's Bay.

Lugeing was more fun than any of us could have imagined. I would totally go again!

The Ferg bakery meat pie being enjoyed, as it should, by the water in Queenstown.

What a great spot to wake up

The Cray pot. Fish and chips and a kazillion sandflies.

Puppies. 7 of them to play with every day.

More puppies. All the time.

The fun we have DURING work

Roasted pork loin with charred onions, cherries and arugula.

Enjoying the deck before dinner

Getting ready to go into the wood oven.

A fool and the handsome devil who loved it.

(This blueberry fool actually followed the venison extravaganza, I just forgot to post it.)

Nicoise: New Zealand style (the entire dinner was vichyssoise, nicoise and dacquoise aux framboises). We giggled.

After lunch Frisbee next door with the pups.

A hike during our mid-day break can make us REAL happy.

Mid-shift waterfall hike

Woodfired genius at work

Monday, 4 January 2016

Happy Holidays

As we had a little bit of time off, we took some time away from computers but here is a little recap of our holiday celebrations NZ-style. While it was somewhat of an adjustment to find the Christmas spirit in 85 degree sunshine, we did our best with some new traditions and reimagining of what the holidays look like for us: Crystal's first summer birthday with tacos, margaritas and fresh salsa in December! A gorgeous Christmas eve hike, golf and gin & tonics Christmas day but the best gift ever were the freshly baked, rolled by hand ham and cheese croissants that my sweet I'm-not-a-baker wife whipped up. Better than many-a bakery.