In the main hall at Auckland airport. Note the placard…
And so it begins …
And we really were on needles and pins, or tenterhooks, or something like that. Although Lee’s visa came through just fine, mine is still in the works. We were warned that because I am in the middle of the long-term process, I might be denied entry into the country on a regular tourist visa. But no problems. I’m not legal to work yet, but otherwise all is well.
Make America Drain Again
Front page news last week… the drainage system beneath this inexplicable guardrail has failed (after 130 years or so), meaning an unbudgeted $100K or so will have to be found. If it ain’t one thing it’s another.
Happy Memorial Day
In memory of the men and women who have served our country in war and peace, in times of disaster and disorder. I hope they will always be there, just as I hope we can call on them less and less often.
Trade Unionists for Trump
Make America Great Again
— no joke today. This plea is an echo from everyone who fought and died for their country on the orders of an idiot politician.
The Gentle Approach
Way better than No Shoes, No Service.
Picture This
Uncle Frank’s memorial inevitably included a rummage through old boxes of pictures. Here are a couple that I thought were especially evocative. Kind of post-war American optimism above and then post-Kennedy American optimism below. Yes, Lee is in both pics.
Deja Vu All Over
Two of the world’s best cats are adjusting to their new home in Hinsdale. We will miss them very much.
Uncle Frank
The word ‘blessed’ doesn’t generally sit well with me, but it is exactly right to describe how I felt at the chance to celebrate Frank Reaves’s memory and mourn his death. We enjoyed a beautiful, uplifting service, and most importantly got to visit the whole clan before we take off for afar.
I’ll never live up to Frank’s example… in a whole lot of dimensions he was an outstanding guy. Doesn’t matter, though: he gifted me in every single interaction we ever had the belief that it’s worth it live well and be my own example.
Kiwi green
There’s been a lot of foreshadowing over the past few months, but this nail polish demands a fuller explanation.
We’re moving to Auckland.
My work visit to NZ last fall led to some idle musings and web surfing, which led to discovery of their Essential Skills visa program, more surfing, a job posting, and an application. The Presidential election cemented our thinking a bit. Then a layoff led to taking this idea way more seriously, including an English test, chest x-rays, fingerprints and more. Eventually, Lee received a nursing license, and now, FINALLY, we can announce the arrival of said visa. Lee will be the official breadwinner, and I will be the working partner.
It’s been a “wait and hurry up” process, and now we’re in the hurry up part. Boarding the plane next Thursday.
We’re super excited about what comes next, while mourning the separation from people, places, and things in our Brattleboro world. You’ll likely see some of the mourning and the excitement in these pages. Stay tuned…
Coincidence
Kevin and Nicole broke out the good stuff on a recent visit.
Luckily, beer is legal in VT, although the 420 still isn’t.
Vanadu WTF
This guy was spotted around Brattleboro for a few days earlier this month. His own website, vanadu.wtf, probably describes it best. I didn’t actually know you could get a .wtf domain, but now I understand why it’s necessary for that option to exist.
It was fun to watch people, especially men, drive by slowly and then keep craning their necks into the rear view mirror for a longer look.
Face the Music
I went to two performances recently that I loved. Both were terrible.
First, we stood outside on a chilly evening to see the marching bands in town for the Vermont All-State Music Festival. We’re a small, rural state, and there’s a wide gulf between the can-it-be-real Asian drum corps videos you find on YouTube and these young stalwarts. But they shuffled and puffed and stomped through town in whatever uniform elements they had and they played their one or two songs. I bet (hope) many of the kids who complained the loudest to their teachers and parents made great memories that time they traveled to Brattleboro and played all weekend with all those other kids…
The next day, I went to the end-of-semester recital at the Vermont Jazz Center. Six ensembles, each did three tunes, ranging from kids who could mostly but not quite play the tunes to a couple of community adult groups who were really good. The Soubrette Jazz Choir was a highlight, although I can’t find any video to link to.
As I said, a lot of what I heard was terrible… and yet. They were up there, learning, working together, trying, and reminding cynical, Trump-freaked me why it just might be OK, at least for a while longer.
Brattleboro Adventure – the Auckland Edition 
