Notes On A Sunny Day

I was talking to the camp manager this morning about what Rosy Glow's sweet pink villa might sell for, with the chocolate business or without. He told me Golden Bay real estate prices had gone crazy over the last two years as people in Christchurch received payouts for damage done in the 2011 earthquake, with many buying elsewhere (including here).

 

We sleep deeply here, in the absolute dark quiet. 

Breakfast: lemon-butter gurnard, leeky chard, and smashed pumpkin

We walked on this 60-degree sunny day. Here's a tidy little motel in town.

We're often drawn to historic cemeteries. Along the way, up a quiet road, we passed a middle school, kids out playing. There was a police car parked nearby. That seems odd, I said to Art (Golden Bay has virtually zero crime.)

Next to the school was some sort of large health center and in the sky hovering low and coming our way was a noisy drone. I gave it the finger, a response to having my air space invaded (some of you might recall I also flipped off Dick Cheney's helicopter back in the Dubya years as it hovered above our building on its way to Grant Park).

When we stopped in at the tavern later, our chatty server from yesterday volunteered that NZ Prime Minister Bill English had been visiting (wait for it)...the health center. I checked online and of course it's true.

I'm not sure NZ uses drones to spy on random tourists walking up isolated roads in the middle of the day even if the PM is nearby, but if true we'll see how long I can keep my visa in play.

The cemetery was splendid. 

Drowned in the Aorere River, where gold was found in the mid-1800s, prompting a gold rush here.

Drowned in the Takaka River.

Don't you wonder what this did to the gene pool?

After the cemetery we went on a walk to the lookout. 

Lemons in our campground

Book I just finished (please read this crazy ride of a story as soon as humanly possible) and book I'm starting, inscribed by Fleur "Life is uncertain--eat dessert first."

There's an understatement. This Chicago Sun Times editorial leads with the question on every rational person's mind: What kind of civilization have we developed when two mentally unstable national leaders, in an escalating confrontation with each other, threaten one another — and the world — with nuclear war?

The national darts tourney was on in Motueka during our time there, but we hastened here and didn't have time to stop in.