A bunch of days

I have to bunch many days together or I will never catch up. We have spent the past 8 days looking for furniture. We have bought a dining room table and chairs, entertainment center, and Lazy Boy recliners for the two of us for around $4500. We have hung a bamboo curtain in the master bathroom, shower curtain and towels (Follies Bergere theme) in the guest bathroom, and curtain rods in our bedroom. We had no curtains anywhere in the house for at least 4 days. We still have none in the living room although we did have a decorator come just this afternoon. We think we want some Levilor curtains similar to ones in our motor home. We have also hung many things and feel like we know most of the people at Lowe's. I have spent much time trying to organize our small storage shed so we could get most of our possessions moved off the carport. A really nice young newly wed couple live across the street and he helped me find the studs and hang a peg board. I have also made three shelves to go with the metal shelving we brought from Fort Wayne. The shelves I made hang on the wall. We had visitors from Kansas that we chum around with in the Valley during the winter. They are faithful attenders at our worship service and have been for several years. They have become our best winter Texan friends in the Valley. They stayed in a motel in Maggie Valley for two nights and then left for home. We visited the Biltmore Village, Billy Graham's training center, the Cove, and Biltmore house visitor's center with them and Genny's sister. Our friends were not happy with her presence on the trip. We also went to Roswell last weekend to watch the grandkids in their swim meet. We love to see them compete. They gave me a wireless card for Father's Day and I am using it now. I have found a place near our home that has a connection for free. It is in Lake junaluska, a Methodist retreat center. I am 67 years old today and praise God for my wife, health, energy and salvation. We went out to lunch and will go to a potluck with some members of the Lutheran Church we plan to attend. We need to get to know more people there and this will be a good way to do it. We plan to become involved more here than at Immanuel, our winter church. I have plans to get a job of some sort here too. I will apply at Wal-Mart and may get a realtor's license to take reservations for some rental properties owned by the realty firm. I haven't had time to do much of anything yet but arrange house items. We put up a mailbox and are now receiving mail from Southern Comfort. We are having a good time setting up a new life. I may think of more things later but will quit to go home and ready myself for the potluck. We have put the motor home in storage for $35 per month. Perhaps we will park it at some friend's from Asheville next month. We went to a street dance in Waynesville this past Friday night and had a good time. There also was a very good rock group at Pheasant Hill (a furniture store that also sells desserts, ice cream, Lattes, etc. What a combination! I have to go now! Goodbye for now.

Our new home

We didn't sleep well but got up and began straightening the house anyway. We still had boxes to open and items to buy. We spent the day working and going to Lowe's for equipment. We took a nap and continued unloading everything we could think of from the motor home. We had to park in front of our house, inhibiting the traffic on the road but no one complained. We didn't get finished, so we left it there in front all night again. I discovered I did not have a key to our small storage unit so we had to stack things on our car port for the time being. We went to bed when we wore out and slept somewhat better.

Show me the way to go home

We struggled our luggage from the Air New Zealand terminal to the United departure gate. We had to clear customs again upon landing and had to go up an escalator with all our luggage in tow. We went to the boarding area and waited until the time to board. We called Emily from there but couldn't talk long because it was time for our flight. We had gone to the ticket counter for check in and obtained an earlier flight that left at 4:30 LA time. We boarded and had a snack and had to buy a box lunch to share. We also slept a bit as we arrived at ORD at 10:35. We were all glad to be early so we could get home early. As the Lord willed it, however, one of my pieces of luggage did not make it on to our plane. We had to go to the Hertz rental station, and I had to come back to see if it had made it on the later plane, our original flight. Praise God it had. We packed everything into the van and headed home at midnight. We were hungry and stopped to get a big load of White Castle hamburgers. We ate most of them and drove the 150 miles to Fort Wayne. Exhausted but safe, we picked up our car at Louise's and left for the motor home. We realize immediately that Evelyn had left her cushion in the van. It was then off to the motor home and bed for four hours. One of Darrell's brothers had died a day before and we awoke to a family dinner. They graciously gave us some food to eat. Then we went to get the cushion from the van before it was returned to the airport. We went back and went to bed but couldn't sleep well, being on Tahiti time. The next day we went back to Fort Wayne to have cysts removed from Evelyn's head. I also received a pathology report stating my cancers were really cancers. I will have to have surgery in NC. I should have asked that doctor to do it but it was Friday afternoon and they all wanted to go home early. We went back, packed up the motor home, went to get gas at Kroger ($1.83 per gallon) and left for NC. We made it to Middletown, Ohio and spent the night. We drove on to Waynesville the next morning, arriving at 5:00. We took what we had to in and went to bed.

Part three: Papeete, Tahiti

After walking a mile for diet soda, I must explain. If we thought Sydney was expensive and difficult, we had seen nothing yet. First, the dominant language in French Polynesia was---you guessed it, French. That mixed with the language of the native people made life fun. Second, a Coke was $4 and the exchange rate for their francs was not in our favor as it had been in Sydney. Third, there were minimums on amounts charged on credit cards. The six bottles I lugged back barely qualified. I think the minimum was 2500 Francs, about $28 American. Our room had twin beds, an arrangement we don't prefer. We showered and then gathered in the men's room for rum, Coke and a pizza. The ladies were hungry and ordered them at $18.00 each. They were large but that is still expensive. We went to bed at 7:30 and watched "Seabiscuit" in French. There were not even English sub titles. I didn't see much of it because I kept drifting in and out. We were both exhausted as were the others.
Monday the van driver came to take us to the ferry to Moorea. He apologized profusely for having overslept the morning before. He took us to the dock to catch the ferry and we (the men) rode over. I was feeling a bit woozy so I tried to stare at the deck instead of the horizon. That is what seems to make me seasick. We arrived and took an old school bus to the other side of the island where the Intercontinental Hotel was located. The island was covered with exotic plants, as was Oahu and Papeete. The road was bumpy and the bus uncomfortable but not so much different from some we have experienced in our travels around the U.S. The hotel was even more beautiful than the one on Papeete where we stayed. There was an area where the guests could play with tame dolphins. We saw some half over the water bungalows that cost over $1000 per night. We were again treated to lunch including even cocktails. We thought this was a mistake by the waitress who brought the menu. Regardless, the tour guides received permission, and we enjoyed them. We also enjoyed our lunches including a fine dessert. We took the ferry back where we met Evelyn and Louise who had spent the day in Papeete shopping. They bought some placements, and blouse material. We spent the remainder of the day swimming in the fresh water pool and came to our room where John and Aaron cut the pineapple I had bought at the wharf in Moorea. It was just superb but messy. We went to bed trying to get a head start on what was a long day on Tuesday.
We got up and packed since we had to check out of our rooms by 11:00 A.M. We all took our things to John's room for the day. We had lunch in the hotel restaurant and spent the rest of the day swimming and lounging around the fresh water pool. We once again marveled at the beauty of God's creation in this place. The caveat is that there is really little to do on Tahiti unless one enjoys swimming, snorkeling and lying on the beach. It is an island paradise though. We worked at finishing the diet Cokes and were successful. We had finished the rum the night before but the guys wanted to finish their cigars and watch the sunset. We had dinner in the restaurant and layed around until 11:30 PM when we left for the airport. We were checked very closely by security who took candy and other food items from us. They also took a fingernail file from me that had passed at least four other security checks. We had to lay around the airport until our flight left at 2;45 AM Wednesday. We boarded the airplane and had a snack and then all went to sleep. Not for long, however, as the flight attendant came and wakened us with breakfast as we headed to LAX.

Part 2: Sydney

We boarded the best airline I have ever flown; Air New Zealand. We were served a meal as soon as we took off. It was delicious chicken served with real metal cutlery. They also featured wine, champagne and beer if requested. We were all tired and slept much of the way. There was a movie shown but we had seen it before on another flight. The seats were comfortable and somewhat larger than on other planes. We landed in Aukland for a short while and then took off for Sydney where we arrived at 11:12 AM their time. John picked us up and took the two men to their Marriott hotel and then took us to ours in downtown Sydney. His son, David, was with us, and we all went to "The Rocks", a large section of shops. There was an outdoor market but it was closing down. We went to the harbor front to see the famous Sydney harbor bridge and the Opera House. They were beautiful at night. There were three pubs in the Rocks area, and we stopped into one for dinner. We had fish and chips, nachos, and I had a meat pie that was the best of the lot. We learned that Australia is big on meat pies. We also learned that they drink an enormous amount of beer, even though it is $4.50 per pint in many places and $33.00 per case. Of course the money exchange rate is 4 to 3 in our favor, (one of their dollars costs us $.75) but that is still expensive. We drank beer and listened to the Australian rock band. We stopped in at the oldest pub, Fortune of War, but drank nothing there. It was built, as was much of old Sydney, by convicts sent there from England. We were in bed by 8:30 local time. I don't even know what time it was to our bodies. All I do know is that it was Sunday and we had missed Saturday. We slept well in our luxurious room.
Monday I went to the money exchange and got $300 dollars Australian. We plan to use our credit card when possible to insure a fair exchange rate, if that is possible. We dressed up and went to tour the Four Seasons luxury hotel. It is a fantastic facility, but outrageously expensive. We were scheduled to have lunch there and were hoping to be comped another but it didn't happen. Evelyn and I paid $142 Australian ($112 American) for a delicious lunch. They did comp us two bottles of wine. We left there owing John the money because he put it all on his credit card. We will write him a check when we return to Indiana. We went to the other Marriott hotel for a soiree of beer and cigars on their rooftop. It was chilly but a beautiful night,and we had a great time. David and I walked back to our hotel and met a strange woman in a hotel lobby where I had stopped to visit the toilet. We tried to witness to her but she was interested in other things and spoke so rapidly that neither of us could understand much of what she said. John had driven the ladies back and waited for us. They stayed at the other Marriott. We were in bed by 8:30 again. We will be trying to catch up on our sleep for weeks.
Tuesday we were up at 8 and off to the awesome exercise room: many treadmills, weights, bicycles, etc. After a workout we went to the semi-heated pool jacuzi and sauna. We showered there rather than in our room and then dressed for a tour of the Intercontinental Hotel school of Tourism. It was interesting to see how they had their campus arranged inside the hotel. Afterward they kindly offered us a high tea featuring many pastries that included salmon sandwiches, quiche, bagels, chicken salad scones fruit tarts, meat pies and marmalade. All were delicious. It was late afternoon by this time and we went next door to a cigar bar where we smoked cigars in a rich old room that was very popular with the locals. We went from there to our respective hotels, not needing any dinner.
At 5:50 AM we took John and David to the Sydney airport. I drove in one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. They drive on the right side of the road! What a challenge that was. Since they were with us, we had no trouble getting there (although I was constantly on the center line, crowding the other drivers.) The trip
back was a nightmare. We were tragically lost in downtown Sydney because of the one way streets. Only through the Lord's mercy are we not still driving around town. We made many wrong turns but suddenly made one right one and found our way back. Even though John had left the car for us, I vowed not to drive it again. We met Louise and walked around the shops at the Rocks. She had lunch and we split a muffin. We found the men and went for a tour of the harbor on a boat. It was a delightful experience to see Sydney from the water side. In the evening we went out for dinner alone and ended up getting a pizza. We tried to get something else at another restaurant on the harbor, but could not get their lunch special in the evening. The special was two of three items: an entree (appetizer), a main (entree) and dessert. All this for just 29.95 Australian! We decided to try another day. We went to bed early as we were still catching up on our sleep.
Evelyn did not sleep well last night: up at 4:00 AM. Regardless we arose at 8:30 for exercise, etc. We met Louise and went for a lunch special of steak and fish for 12:95. I had a beer with lunch. Did I mention that the Sydney dwellers drank a great deal of beer? Many business people enjoyed a beer or other drink with their noon meals. It was a surprise to us. We walked up Pitt street (the location of our hotel) to a pedestrian mall. Much to my surprise I had driven through it the morning before while lost, even though no traffic was permitted. It was early enough that there were only delivery trucks on it so through I went. The ladies went shopping and we got separated while I waited for them. We rendezvoused at the hotel and had some cookies for dinner. Evelyn and I walked down to the Opera House and walked around inside. It is a magnificent, enormous structure. It was worth climbing the 40 steps just to get to the entrance to many of the theaters.
Friday Evelyn and I took a tour to the Blue mountains for $123 each. I only mention the prices to convey how expensive things are. We learned that the average price for a home in Sydney is $310k while the average income is $38k per year. Do most people reside in tents? We were in a four wheel drive "bus" with eight other people. It was a fantastic trip. We left at 7:00 with a native Australian guide who knew virtually everything about his country. We went to a wildlife park for breakfast and a tour of the facility originally built to care for wounded or injured animals until they could fend for themselves in the wild. There were all kinds of birds of many colors and nearly all of the animals associated with Australia: kangaroo, wallaby, wombat, koala, Tasmania devils, etc. We got to see most of them because we were early. They are mostly nocturnal and were going to bed. We drove on up through the mountains, taking roads many other tours could not take. The scenery was lovely and we had hoped to see some kangaroo in the wild. The guide was an environmentalist, but one with a true sense of nature, commenting, for example, how important it is to set controlled fires instead of protecting all flora until it is so thick and dry that a lightning strike burns thousands of acres and homes. He commented as to how silly people were that let the trees grow too close to their homes, giving themselves no safe zone in case of fire. We were taken to an old lodge in an old town for lunch of chicken, potatoes (sweet and braised) salads, and dessert. Again I had beer (recommended by our guide, Johnny Waite). It was my fifth try of Australian beers: Hahn, Tooey's Old, Tooey's new, Carlton, and now Amber Ale. ( I tried a VB later.) They were all delicious and not one was a Fosters. Most places won't even serve that stuff. Off we went up an old logging road to an area where we actually saw kangaroo in the wild. They were quite comfortable with us since tours come there almost daily. The guide even served champagne or mimosa drinks. Perhaps he was building our courage for the trip into the kangaroo den. We were able to get within 5-6 feet of them and could have probably petted them but didn't. We were taken to a ferry station for the ride back to the Circle Quay area where we were staying. It was dark and we were again joyfully worn out. We had an ice cream cone for dinner and went back to our room.
Saturday, our final day in Sydney, we decided to take a tour around the city. We stopped at Mrs. Maquarry's chair and a street diner that featured pies and "mushed peas". I thought that "peas" must be an Australian name for something else but had forgotten that pie didn't mean fruit pie: it meant meat pie. Ergo, there were indeed mushed peas and gravy on top. I was ready for dessert since we had eaten lunch but ordered one any way since we were at this famous place. (Back to lunch. I had wanted to try kangaroo meat, so we returned to the $29.95 special lunch cafe on the waterfront. We often split a meal and were set to order a kangaroo steak when we noticed a $3.50 surcharge for lunch on the weekend. We were the only ones in the place, and I was so disenchanted that we left and I never did get my kangaroo.) We stopped at what might be the world's largest indoor flea market, Paddy's Market in Chinatown. We bought many "T" shirts and games for the grandchildren back home. For our last evening in Sydney, we returned to the pub we visited our first night there and shared an enormous order of nachos, served in a large bowl and drank a VB beer. We were off to our final night in the Marriott.
Sunday we packed and I drove to the other Marriott to get the men. I refused to drive to the airport, however. We went there by 1:00 for our flight to Tahiti. John met us there and we sat around for an extra hour because our flight was delayed. We left at 4:30 and flew to Auckland. On the way we had a lamb pie dinner and watched "Hitch". We spent little time in Auckland and left for Papeete, Tahiti on Air New Zealand. We were immediately served another meal. We did go to sleep for a little while but arrived in Papeete at 5:AM, not well rested. It was now Sunday morning. That's right: we got our day back when we recrossed the International Dateline. The van we had hired was not there so John had to call the hotel to have someone else take us there. We just went to his central room and changed into our swimwear for a day on the beach. We could not check in until 2:00 PM. Most of us spent some time sleeping on the beach near a fresh water pool. The sunrise and morning were beautiful, looking across the water at another island, Moorea. Most of us were cooking in the sun but didn't mind. We were not hungry because we had eaten most of the night. We finally checked in and were all thirsty so I walked about a mile to a filling station and bought six 2 liter bottles of diet Coke. I must stop here because I realized I have drifted into part three.

Part 1: Hawaii

May 23 we stayed with Louise. We arose at 5:00 and went to Indianapolis to catch our plane. We cleared the security check-in and left for Las Vegas at 10:55. We had aisle seats across from each other and could play cards. I am catching up on my "through the Bible in a year" reading too. I sat beside a couple from Lebanon, IN whose son is a dancer in Vegas. We landed there and I called Maders to talk briefly. It was so hot in Vegas that our plane could not re-fuel there so we had to go to San Francisco. From there to Honolulu we were all near to two crying babies. We saw two movies: In Good Company and The Pacifier but could hardly hear them. We had to wait an hour for our luggage but then John, our tour director, took us to our hotel where we had pizza and champagne. He had a suite but we had nice rooms as well. We didn't get to bed until 2:30 AM our time.
We arose at 6 AM local time and walked the Waikiki beach, showered and went off to the Wailai Golf Club for our first tour. This is where the Sony Hawaiian Open PGA event is played in January. It was fun and he treated us to a very good lunch. We went to a grocery where we bought beer and snacks. We were surprised at the high grocery prices. We went to John's room at 7:00 PM and partied. We called Stacy, Emily and the Durkins. We are still in our calling area. We had a good time at John's and enjoyed the view of the moon over Diamondhead. We were off to bed at 11:00 PM local time.
Thursday we awoke at 6:30 and walked the beach again before showering. We went with John at 8:30 and toured the Hilton Hawaiian Village after a fantastic breakfast buffet compliments of the Hilton. (We are staying at the Sheraton). It was a fantastic establishment of four buildings and a great location on the beach. We didn't stay there because it is too far to walk to the main city. John took us on a driving tour of the island. He knew the area somewhat because he taught there for two years some time ago and even lived there one year. We saw some of the beautiful beaches and great surfing areas. John took his swim suit and went into the ocean for a memory dip. We stopped at the Dole pineapple plantation and bought some macadamia brittle. We can't take pineapple of any raw fruit from country to country. We went to the Royal Hawaiian next door for our anniversary dinner since we won't get much of it as we cross the international dateline and lose most of the day.
We arose early and took a city bus to Diamondhead so we could hike to the top. It is really difficult and is over a mile "straight up". The view is breathtaking and we enjoyed it. When we returned our room and moved our luggage to John's room for the rest of the day. He had flown on to the next stop: Sydney. We ate barbecue chicken for lunch and then both took a dip in the warm ocean water and the pool (which was cooler than the ocean). We all finished off the case of beer I had bought and then went to an early bird special of beef and shrimp for a mere 12.95. It was a good meal and we shared it. We loaded into the van and went to the airport for our 11:59 flight to Aukland, New Zealand.