November 15, 2024 to April Fools' Day 2025: End of Year Whirlwind, Two Massive Losses, & Vistors from Abroad

Aerial view of Aoraki/Mount Cook, NZ

My last blog was posted on November 15, 2024 so its about time to catch you up on the remaining two months in the USA and our time in New Zealand since. As usual we had a lot of going hither and yon traveling about. In November, the San Francisco Opera had a special offer for those very infrequent attendees (me) so I got two tickets to Carmen and asked Athena to go with me. We got to dress up, had a lovely dinner, and overall a very sophisticated time just before Thanksgiving (which we were fortunate to spend with sisters Athena and Cheryl).

In early December, Santa(s) come to Fort Bragg for the lighted truck parade (we also took in a lighted boat parade the next day). We had a nice spot across from the Tall Man Brewery and were only 15-20 feet away from Sofia's childhood friends Shannon and Mahkayla, which we discovered when we were both messaging with Sofia in Georgia.

Mahkayla, Shannon, me, & Fayne

Speaking of the Tall Man, it is a friendly place to have a brew and a pub quiz, maybe even win if you're lucky.

We try to get up to Eureka around Terry Kemp's birthday (and our anniversary- the 47th as I recall). Linnea Matthews is always up for a road trip (much more on her later).

At the Eureka Inn

We were able to share a fantastic dinner at the Larrapin' Cafe in Trinidad. Fayne and I ate there  35+ years ago, and it only has gotten better.

See what I mean?

 

 

We had a lovely autumnal drive back to Fort Bragg (Benbow Inn)

Our US time was getting shorter, but we had to fit in a second trip back to Georgia to see Sofia and the kids. Here is Isaiah displaying (but not imbibing) the local Athena beer, perhaps named after my sister.

 

We were there to honor Kimarra's 15th birthday. As you might expect for a teen, she was more interested in a non-stop slumber party with friends than spending a lot of time with the old folks.

Back to CA for Christmas at the family cabin in the Sierras, we spent another week in Fort Bragg and were able to attend Bijou's birthday party in the 'hood.

On of the great privileges of being around the Bay Area is the opportunity to attend special events, like a screening of A Real Pain in Mill Valley with the actor, writer, and director Jesse Eisenberg. He could not have been more gracious and generous with his time in promoting a project dear to his heart, and one the got Kieran Culkin an Oscar. (Highly recommended!)

The day before we left for NZ I managed to score a highly sought-after reservation to the House of Prime Rib in SF. It helped that it was made months in advance for 5 PM on a Monday, the day after my birthday. The gang, including David N. made it. Here is a photo of the traditional Polaroid the waiter takes to commemorate the occasion. (BTW, it might be violating some State or Federal law to have a prime rib dinner without David.)

The most important thing I did on my birthday was to go down to Watsonville with a mixture of our two families, the Wallaces and the Nestlers. We have been conjoined since the 1950's, and Mrs. Nestler seemed to always have a birthday cake prepared for me, regardless of the date. This time, I relieved her of the burden, and brought not one but two delicious bakery cakes. We all went out to a nearby Chinese restaurant, recreating one of the hundreds of times we gathered and ate over the years.

Unfortunately, that would be the last time I would see her, and she passed away peacefully with family and friends at her bedside a few weeks ago. She was a great lady, a surrogate mother to me. She and Dr. Nestler stayed in Fort Bragg shortly after Sofia was born to help in the transition and always provided support and love through the decades. We will all miss her so much.

Rick & Emma Nestler

Early Nestler & Wallace gathering 1959

Emma's 75th Birthday

Sadly, within the same 24-hour period I lost another long-time friend. I first met Dr. Benjamin "Buz" Graham in 1973 in medical school, and we lived parallel lives since, from residency at Mt. Zion in SF, to being alerted by him of an practice opportunity in Fort Bragg in 1984. Buz's legacy will be felt for a long time and it was my honor to have known him.

A visit with Buz and his wife Pam in 2021

In his last email to his friends and family, this was his advice:

If you wish further reminisces, I heartily recommend my 14 year old Zephyr’s documentary Buz. The Movie:

https://vimeo.com/1029891120

The Matthews come to Aoteoroa/New Zealand

I came back to Timaru, NZ to work, and returned to my old job (which I still enjoy) for a 6 week stretch. However, one of my truest friends finally decided to come visit New Zealand. Linnea Matthews and her daughter Morgan dearly needed a break and felt this was the right time to finally come to the Antipodes. They were with us about ten days so I wanted to make the most of our time without running them ragged.

Christchurch Airport

After we met them in Christchurch we headed down to Timaru for three nights to give them a chance to recover and also to get a taste of our Kiwi life, as well as to enjoy the local sights and culture.

In front of the i-Site at the old Landing Services Building, home of the Maori Rock Art Museum

Tuesday night was Indian dinner with the other doctors, and Wednesday the local museums and parks and pub quiz at the Sail 'n Anchor. We also looked for the local Blue penguins in Caroline Bay, but no luck that night.

Thursday was time for a day trip south. First stop was the Riverstone Kitchen, a complex for a leisurely delicious lunch and walk around the gardens, shops, and the nouveau castle-home, complete with moat.

 

 Driving further south we stopped at the famous Moeraki Boulders.

Morgan, boulder posing

Oamaru was our final stop were we did see a few blue penguins (kororā.) from the colony there. We also saw an unusual Erect-crested penguin pair that had been treated and released from Oamaru's penguin hospital. I was told they normally live on the frigid islands between New Zealand and Antarctica and were expected to soon return there.

Blue penguin sheltering under a rock

The Erect-crested penguin

On Friday March 8th it was time to hit the road for a week. Our destination that day was Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park with a must-stop for famous savory pies at the Fairlie Bakehouse.

Lake Tekapo was the next stop and the gals really wanted to take a scenic flight. In truth, I have wanted to do it for years so I jumped at the chance. Air Safaris has an excellent reputation and seats were available. It was a great day to fly over the Southern Alps to view the peaks and glaciers on out to the cloudy West Coast. It was a highlight of the visit. (The photo of flying by Mt. Cook is at the beginning of this post.)

I was co-pilot!

Post-flight we proceeded on to Mt. Cook village for a night at the Hermitage Hotel and a lovely dinner.

The classic view from the Hermitage

Then it was off to Wanaka for two nights, passing by Tarras to visit the statue of Shrek, the most famous sheep in NZ history.

 

The Annual Wanaka A&P (for Agricultural and Pastoral) Show  was on, It is basically a county fair, but we just caught the tail end of it. Wanaka is always lovely, and I discovered the Espresso Martini as beautifully made at the Edgewater Hotel.

Cocktails may appear larger than actual size.(It was mine, not Linnea's)

From Wanaka it was further south to Te Anau, the Gateway to Fiordland National Park. Day one we were off to Milford Sound, maybe the most iconic vista in the country. We were in luck because there was a steady rain on the drive to the Sound, so along the way and on the cruise we saw a multitudes of waters falling. It was quite spectacular! 

En route to the Sound

Mitre Peak showing through the clouds and mist

I hope this video works. Sometimes it doesn't 😞.

The Matthews were very excited to cruise overnight on Doubtful Sound, so we dropped them off......

...and picked them up the next day after a truly memorable voyage for them.

This left two last night in the tourist mecca of Queenstown before they flew out on Saturday the 16th for the North Island to spend time with Morgan's friend Missy. 

Linnea enjoying a Big Irish Brekkie

A local waterbird lakeside, a white-faced heron perhaps?

When Linnea told me the dates she and Morgan would be in New Zealand, I set a full three weeks aside during that time. When I found out they had a busy schedule planned with Morgan's friend Missy in the Greater Wellington/Lower South Island region, we decided to spend the week in Wellington, catch up with a few close NZ-related friends and enjoy the cultural and gastronomic pleasures of the capital city. (We did manage to liaise with the Matthews on Wednesday at the airport to see them off and wish them safe travels home.)

#1 on our list was to catch up with Kate and her family, a young woman befriended by Fayne from her work in the Timaru art gallery, the Aigantighe. Since those years, Kate has gone on to several locations and jobs in NZ, married, and started a family  We previously caught up with her a year ago in Hawkes Bay, where she was raising a three-year old Harriet, very pregnant with twins, and planning a move to Wellington with her anesthetist husband Stephen. We really wanted to meet the newest arrivals, twins Finn and Juno. It was great to spend time with all of them at their home in the Island Bay district.

Finn (L) & Juno (R)

Kate mothering Harriet post-kindy with Finn joining in

Me with a smiling Finn

As fate would have it, our globe-trotting Irish surrogate son, Florence O'Connell was working a few weeks in Wellington Hospital. Florry has popped up regularly in our lives and this blog since we worked together in Timaru in 2010: NZ, Ireland, Australia, Fort Bragg, and SF. It is always great craic when we meet.

craic

noun

1. Fun, especially through enjoyable company, a pleasant conversation.

Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License • More at Wordnik

Enjoying ice-cream at B&J's

We explored Wellie neighborhoods new to us, went to a few movies, and had two leisurely visits to the great national museum, Te Papa. They had a special display of jewelry from the iconoclastic fashionista Vivian Westwood's collection.

Clockwise from upper L: fishheaded manimal, gateway carving from 1906-7 NZ International Expo in Christchurch, Bertille earrings, snail bracelet, phallus broaches, Bertille bracelet, necklace

That's it for now. Stay safe and sane!

jtw