New Zealand Odyssey: Week 8, Thoughts and Ramblings

A sea lion scratching itself with me watching. Photo by Joel Davidson.

This past weekend, Jen's cousin Joel Davidson, with whom she grew up in Helena, and his wife Rebecca stayed in Dunedin. We spent an evening and most of a day with them and had a great time. They both serve in the military in Hawaii (thanks guys!) and are enjoying a couple of weeks of vacation down here on the South Island. We took them to Sandfly Bay, and although I was reluctant to return just a week after our last visit, it turned out to be a remarkable evening: the sea lions were very active, and we saw the rare yellow eyed penguin. Even better, Joel and Becca are serious photographers, with Joel beginning the move into the professional ranks, so I have some amazing photos to accompany this journal. Check out http://www.joeldavidsonphotography.com/ for more of Joel's great photography.  

The rare yellow-eyed penguin. Photo by Joel Davidson.

Six weeks ago today, we arrived in Dunedin, after a long trip from Missoula. It's hard to believe, as the time has truly flown. With the kids' two week school break just beginning, some summer-like weather finally settling in, and a long road trip planned, it feels like the first leg of our year in New Zealand is over and that a new one is beginning.

The Bardsley family, September 25, 2010. Photo by Joel Davidson.

Also new is the sense of feeling settled, and of normal life returning: buying groceries, paying bills, getting the kids off to school, going to work, cleaning the house, taking the car in for repair, etc. If you've wondered whether normal life would leave you alone if you could just go to another country for a while, I can tell you that it won't. In fact, because so many decisions must be made, the probability of some difficulties arising certainly increases.

Sea lions mixiing it up on the beach. Photo by Joel Davidson.

Fortunately, with the difficulties comes a hard-fought perspective, that it's the challenges you've come here for; not directly, of course, but it's those that break you open. In our lives back home, we've worked hard to achieve a measure of security, but security demands predictability, and there's the rub.

The kids at Sandfly. Photo by Joel Davidson.

So, it's with a sense of gratitude that I write today: for the experience of living in this remarkable place and the challenge of making it work; for new experiences and growth amongst same old bullshit; for both the sacred and mundane.

Jen and I at Sandfly. Photo by Joel Davidson.

Adios amigos. Photo by Joel Davidson.