Mammoth

We stayed at our friends' condo April 29-May 1 in Mammoth with Alan, Karen, Abby and Sonya. Tim and the girls and I went up Thursday night after Lindsay got off work at 6 pm, so we didn’t arrive until after midnight. At 3:00 am the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was televised. The girls tried to stay up and watch it, but lost patience while watching all the dignitaries taking their seats. Friday we rented skis in the morning and discovered that the only lifts open were at the Main Lodge. There was enough snow to have the whole mountain open, since they had received the most amount of snow of any resort in the world this winter, but they evidently felt that there were not enough skiers to justify staffing the entire mountain. We were disappointed that we didn’t get to ski our favorite runs. So we headed to the main lodge to get half-day lift tickets and to explore new territory. Lift 10 soon became our favorite, offering long runs and a section titled “Easy Rider”. That was my favorite run. After 3 hours of skiing we headed back with tired legs and greeted the Nutchers who had arrived while we were out. We went in the spa across the street to try to easy the soreness in our bodies. The spa, however, was murky and had leaves floating around in it. We still sat in it for a short time just to let the hot water soothe our muscles. The rest of the evening was spent eating dinner, watching parts of the royal wedding, playing centipede, watching the Memphis/San Antonio NBA playoff game, and planning the next day.
Saturday Alan and Tim got out of the house early with Sonya and Abby to take them to ski school. Karen, Lindsay, Erin and I joined them at noon to hear reports of how the girls did with their ski teacher and to have lunch. Tim and Alan had explored some more of the mountain while the girls were in their lessons. After lunch, Alan and Karen took their girls skiing on the only lift they could go on, and the four of us skied on our own for an hour. Then we met up again and Lindsay and Erin skied with Abby and Sonya while Alan, Karen, Tim and I went out. After an hour of that, we met up once again and Lindsay and Erin went out with Tim and Alan, while Karen and I finished up with Sonya and Abby. Since we had two cars there, when Tim, Alan, Lindsay and Erin finished they just headed to their car. Karen, Sonya, Abby and I finished up and took the parking shuttle bus to our car and then back to the condo.
We rested and snacked before dinner. All the girls were inspired to do a magic show for us. Lindsay and Erin did their usual routine and we laughed and oohed and awed. Abby did a trick with a quarter. Then Sonya got inspired to do a trick with a coin and the towel that Lindsay used in her magic trick. Sonya put the quarter on the coffee table and said she was going to make it disappear. She put the towel over the quarter and then grabbed it up off the coffee table, and the quarter was gone (in the towel). We clapped and shouted. Sonya then said she would make the quarter re-appear and put the towel back over the coffee table and pulled the towel away, thinking the quarter would come back onto the table from the towel. However, the quarter did not reappear, having slipped out of the towel onto the carpeted floor. But Sonya’s face looked confused, not knowing where the quarter had gone, she said, “Wow, I really did make it disappear!” But the rest of us knew where it had gone, and laughed uncontrollably at Sonya’s puzzled look. She had out-tricked herself!
After dinner we tried the spa again. It was still murky, but the warm water felt good on our tired legs. Afterwords, we enjoyed Visalia strawberries with chocolate Angel food cake while we watched the movie “Up”.
Sunday we got around slowly and took our time eating breakfast and talking. We then packed up and headed toward Bishop a little after 10:00 am. We met up at Schat’s Bakery and bought sandwiches to eat at the park in Lone Pine, 60 miles down the road. We had our picnic at the park where it was a little windy and there was a nip to the air, but it was nice to sit in the sunshine. Abby and Sonya wanted to play on the playground equipment, so we left them as we headed back to Whittier.

Abby and Sonya learning to ski in their "pizza wedge" formation.

Playing centipede video game at the condo.

A different kind of summer

When the girls were younger we had great summers together. We enjoyed the change of pace summer brought by not having to be out the door early every morning for school. But we had plenty of activities to do. For several summers (before they reached Jr High) I would put up a poster in the kitchen called "The Summer Challenge". It included ways for the girls to earn some money doing extra things around the house, and for reading books. They were always excited to see the poster come out and make their plans for what challenges they would accomplish over the course of the summer. Summer also included plenty of beach days, church camp, sleepovers, birthday celebrations, Colorado vacations, and a water park or two. As they got into high school, "The Summer Challenge" was pushed out by volleyball practices, summer league and hanging out with friends, with a family vacation squeezed in before volleyball "hell week" started in mid to late August. When they got their drivers license and some freedom, there was a bit of a sigh of relief from me. No more running them from place to place! And they enjoyed coming and going with consistent communication with us via cell phones.

But this summer has been different. Erin turned 18, Lindsay turned 21. Both young adults. No "Summer Challenge" poster needed. They have made their own challenges. Lindsay works 40 hours a week being responsible for overseeing 30-40 third through sixth graders during summer day camp, going various places throughout Southern California. She loves the challenge, one that I think I would run from! Erin decided her challenge would be to go on a missions trip for 7 weeks of her summer. Two of those weeks were spent in a hot and humid Florida Teen Missions Boot Camp being pushed beyond her limits and her comfort zone. The rest of her missions trip has been spent playing sports with kids in Bulgaria. Communication has been intermittent and brief. No cell phone, no email, just the good old fashioned hand-written letter, each of which we have treasured and saved.

Tim and I have continued on, even though we look at each other often and think there seems to be something missing. How come it's just the two of us? We had a high school reunion, spent time with both of our parents, had friends visit from out of state, been to the beach a few times, and even went to a summer league volleyball game that our daughters no longer play in.

I have found myself a bit melancholy about this different kind of summer. I've read, studied and prayed more than I usually have time to do. A small little book that I enjoyed reading was Henri Nouwen's "Out of Solitude". In it Nouwen says, "Joy and sadness kiss each other at every moment" of our lives. I have felt that way so much this summer. Such joy to see my children being used where they are and taking challenges. And yet such sorrow that I cannot be near them (especially Erin) and experience these challenges together with them. Sorrow that our relationships are changing, not in an unhealthy way, just changing. Nouwen says, "When you touch the hand of a returning friend, you already know that he will have to leave again. When you are moved by the quiet vastness of a sun-covered ocean, you miss the friend who cannot see the same. Joy and sadness are born at the same time, both arising from such deep places in your heart that you can't find words to capture your complex emotions." Yes, complex emotions indeed. My friends assure me it's just the "empty-nest" syndrome. I agree, but it doesn't make it any easier sometimes. It's natural, it's not out of the ordinary, just a part of life a healthy family needs to go through.

But expectations play a part in this too. My expectations are that my daughters continue to grow into healthy, active adults who have a contribution to make to society and to God's kingdom. But what I'm unclear about is what my role is now in making that happen. When they were younger, my role was more defined. But now the lines have gotten blurry, and each girl needs something different. I guess that is what this "empty-nest" season is about, figuring out our new roles. Henri Nouwen says it best when he said, "The paradox of expectation indeed is that those who believe in tomorrow can better live today, that those who expect joy to come out of sadness can discover the beginnings of a new life in the center of the old, that those who look forward to the returning Lord can discover Him already in their midst..Expectation brings joy to the center of our sadness and the loved one to the heart of our longings...Just as the love of a mother for her daughter can grow while she is waiting for her return, and just as lovers can rediscover each other during long periods of absence, so also our intimate relationship with God can become deeper and more mature while we wait patiently in expectation of His return."

Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Tim in front of our Beach Bungalow. It is a nice place with a large front porch, living area with kitchenette and a large bedroom and bathroom.

This is "hermie" the hermit crab that hangs around our bungalow.
And what vacation pictures are complete without some sunset photos. I couldn't resist! It is too beautiful.

Final day in NZ

Our last day in New Zealand we went to the Queenstown Park. It was a lovely area with lawn bowling, tennis, lots of trees, a frisbee golf course (with a much better view than the La Mirada course!), and a rose garden. It was a great day to just relax and take in the beauty. The picture below is from Queenstown Park looking across the lake to the golf course Tim played on and the Remarkables mountain range in the background.

Last Days in New Zealand

On Thursday we took a tour bus ride to Milford Sound, a four hour drive one-way from Queenstown. It was raining heavily when we left Queenstown at 7:45 am. Milford Sound is on the west coast of the south island and was formed by glaciers. It rains there 200 days a year, so our chances of having a clear day were looking slim. But as we drove, the weather began to clear, and we stopped along with way to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. By the time we got to the sound at 1:15 pm, it was clearing with just a few clouds clinging around the mountain peaks. It was a breathtaking day. It had rained there in the morning, so there were so many waterfalls coming down all over the shear mountain walls.

We made it out to the Tasmin Sea at the mouth of the sound and then turned around. It was a good thing, because it was quite rough on the sea.
Along the way we saw seals sunning themselves on a rock and a pod of dolphins chasing a school of fish.

On Friday, we took a 30 minute steam ship ride from Queenstown to a sheep ranch called Walter Peak, which was just across the lake from Queenstown. It was a "postcard" day while we were there. It was absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed an outdoor BBQ lunch. We ate lunch with a couple from Australia and a lady from the UK.

We saw a sheep dog and sheep shearing demonstration at Walter Peak.

Days 8-10 New Zealand

While in Rotorua we attended a Mauri (pronouced Mowry) cultural experience. The Mauri people were the first to arrive on New Zealand a couple of hundred years ago. No one knows exactly where they came from because they had no written language, but presumably they orginated somewhere in the Polynesian islands. They were (and still are to a certain extent) very tribal, but all speak the same language. The show they did for us showed us their welcoming ceremony, and then some of the games and songs they used to train the younger ones for battle and life in general. It was a good show, and very informative.
One of the women in the show.
The Mauri chief. If you can see it in this small picture, he is actually uncovered (naked) in the back, but has tatoos from just above his knees to his waist. Later he described the history and reasons for the tatoos. It was actually very interesting and tasteful although a little shocking at first.
Some of the young Mauri men in a canoe.
Our view of Lake Wakatipu from our hotel room in Queenstown. This lake is 22 miles long.
Another view from our room of the Remarkables mountain range in the background.
Queenstown with a small beach, trees, and the Remarkables mountain range in the background.

The evening sun on the Remarkables mountains, with the city and lake in the shadows.
We arrived in Queenstown around 4:30 pm local time and it was a gorgeous day, so we walked down to the pier area of the lake and looked into parasailing. I have always wanted to parasail but never had this great of an opportunity on a beautiful day with great scenery. So we got on the last trip of the day. It was spectacular!
Getting the harness on.
Taking off!


Landing back down on the boat. What a great ride!
The next day Tim got to golf. It was cloudy, but no rain. Not as nice of a day as when we arrived and went Parasailing, but he still had fun and was challenged by the course.

This is a par 3 and you have to hit over the tree to get to the green. A little intimadating!

Luge run in Queenstown. We tried the luge again, this time in Queenstown and NOT in the rain.
View of Queenstown and the Remarkables mountain range from the top of the Gondola.