Thanksgiving in New Zealand

This past Thursday we celebrated that most unique American holiday, Thanksgiving with our friends George and Suzy and about 60 or so other American Ex-pats at the Pines, an events venue in Houghton Bay that has an absolutely smashing view overlooking the Cook Strait. The American Women’s Association of New Zealand did a terrific job of hosting the event and of course the food and good company were the highlights. The association provided the turkey while each of us was expected to bring a dish that would feed at least 6 people. These were all of the de rigueur Thanksgiving foods: turkey dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cooked vegetables and an assortment of sumptuous deserts. It was a diverse crowd of Americans from across the geographical spectrum but it did seem that mid westerners from Iowa and Wisconsin tended to predominate. I guessed correctly that there was a dairy connection after I met Dr. Leo Timms, who was leading a delegation of some twenty students from Iowa State University. They were in New Zealand on a fact finding trip on New Zealand’s dairy industry. Overall I was surprised at how much fun we had as I had expected I would be down in the dumps on being separated from so many of my family and friends back in the U.S. This was one of my most enjoyable Thanksgiving dinners. Will the 4th of July down under celebration be as much fun?

Mystery bird song of New Zealand

Do you remember when we spoke last Sunday and how after more than an hour of our instant messaging each other I said that I had to go? That’s because I just had that urge to go hiking along the Southern Walkway that leads up to the top of Mt. Victoria and to do it before the sun set. You hated it, how in the past when we used to go into an angry funk with each other and how I would just storm out of the house without a word and just go off walking somewhere without any purpose. We’ll it was kind of like that except this time I wasn’t angry with you it was more like, baby I miss you so and I can’t just sit here on the floor and IM you forever from my laptop because with all of this nervous energy it’s just has got to be expended somewhere. And it’s got to be before the sun sets. What made it so different this time was that anger had nothing to do with it but it was all about how I could only imagine being together and the love I felt but there was also so much longing which could only be salved if I headed up that hill and then maybe by getting out of breath in the process, I could feel that all is right with the world and get that “into the moment feeling” where you don’t think, you just do. That’s almost what happened but here’s the twist; that bird we marvelled about wouldn’t quite let me get into that meditative state. You know which bird I’m talking about? The one with that song that truly is like a human song, that we used to hear hanging the laundry out side our flat on Wilkinson and we thought was a tui but we’re not ornithologists, hell that song could be any of a number of different New Zealand birds and I just can’t trace it on the web. I walked along that trail that Sunday and I heard that song for the length of it. Like all those birds were on the same page and wanted to remind me that there was no shaking off that melancholy. Now I think that I have got the melody placed – it’s just the beginning of the theme from the film Midnight Cowboy. I saw that movie with my brother almost thirty years ago on a cold day in New York and hearing that brings me back to that time we shared together but now it will also remind me of you and the short time we had in Oriental Bay. Listen carefully to it now, just the opening bars to the theme and tell me if you agree. Dee de dee da dee dee dee.