Hi all,
I'm at the pack out stage of deployment in Christchurch. This is were I get my Extreme Coldweather (ECW) gear. This means parkas, insulated carhardts, previously worn long underwear and socks. YUM. Actually, we can bring our own and can reject the funky stuff if we do not want it. And, I am glad to abuse the company gear instead of mine.
But, to back up.
It's been pretty easy going so far. Darrin Masters and I went to a concert at Red Rocks near Denver. G-Love and Special Sauce were great performers and Ozomatli was fun, wild, and inclusive. Red Rocks amphitheatre had a a double rainbow and then stars overhead--so many reasons to be happy.
The Anchorage--Denver connection continued as I was able to have dinners with Ashley, Lisa, Darrin, Suzy, Chris, and Annie. Thanks guys--it was fun. Oh yeah--there was some training in there on how not to fall off buildings and other sh___.
Next was a small trip from Denver to LA to Aukland to Christchurch. The flight from LA to Aukand was almost 13 hours, but it was easier than some flights from Anchorage to Seattle--thanks to FOUR seats to myself and some ambien from a new friend/drug pusher. In Aukland, Mark Flanum showed up at 6 am for breakfast and a drive to one tree hill. Mark is still high on Aukland and New Zealand after being there for a month. Mark--send me the pictures and I'll put our mugs on the blog.
On to Christchurch, New Zealand. It's an easy country to like, and an easy city to like as well. Every few blocks are parks--and every park seems to have at least 2 fountains. The flowers are blooming despite it being late winter here. It is warmer here than I would expect for 46 degrees South latitude--equal to the lower part of Canada. I'm doing my best to soak up the sun and the
I'm at the pack out stage of deployment in Christchurch. This is were I get my Extreme Coldweather (ECW) gear. This means parkas, insulated carhardts, previously worn long underwear and socks. YUM. Actually, we can bring our own and can reject the funky stuff if we do not want it. And, I am glad to abuse the company gear instead of mine.
But, to back up.
It's been pretty easy going so far. Darrin Masters and I went to a concert at Red Rocks near Denver. G-Love and Special Sauce were great performers and Ozomatli was fun, wild, and inclusive. Red Rocks amphitheatre had a a double rainbow and then stars overhead--so many reasons to be happy.
The Anchorage--Denver connection continued as I was able to have dinners with Ashley, Lisa, Darrin, Suzy, Chris, and Annie. Thanks guys--it was fun. Oh yeah--there was some training in there on how not to fall off buildings and other sh___.
Next was a small trip from Denver to LA to Aukland to Christchurch. The flight from LA to Aukand was almost 13 hours, but it was easier than some flights from Anchorage to Seattle--thanks to FOUR seats to myself and some ambien from a new friend/drug pusher. In Aukland, Mark Flanum showed up at 6 am for breakfast and a drive to one tree hill. Mark is still high on Aukland and New Zealand after being there for a month. Mark--send me the pictures and I'll put our mugs on the blog.
On to Christchurch, New Zealand. It's an easy country to like, and an easy city to like as well. Every few blocks are parks--and every park seems to have at least 2 fountains. The flowers are blooming despite it being late winter here. It is warmer here than I would expect for 46 degrees South latitude--equal to the lower part of Canada. I'm doing my best to soak up the sun and the
greenness of it all.
Christchurch is built around a town square--modeled after Oxford. There are walking promenades comparable to the one in Santa Monica. Very civic minded.
The coworkers I'm meeting are great and so are their stories. It's a diverse crowd with diverse resumes. Few of them are just carpenters. Their recent trips have included 4 weeks of biking the West Coast, 2 months on the Northern Coast and Rivers of Canada by Canoe, guiding in the Chugach, Alaska. Others have worked at summer jobs before returning.
Enough verbal for now. Here's some pictures. I'd love to hear from you all--what do you want to hear about?
Love and Peace,
Ben
P.S. Tomorrow we attempt to fly to the ice.
Stone Buildings everywhere, --------------------->
Christchurch
Botanical Gardens-Christchurch
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