BREAKING NEWS.....Timaru Team captures 20th Annual NZ National Pub Quiz Crown!!

I had no intention of putting out a special edition of the blog as my life here has evolved into a pleasant but unremarkable routine. However, since the blogs have served as my de facto journal since 2010, something as momentous as being front page news in the local paper demands documentation

Through a somewhat unfortunate juxtaposition, it appears I was part of an octet arrested at the port. Although the Greenpeace cause was undoubtedly just, you had to turn to page two for my story.

(A more legible version of this article with a few more pictures can be found at this link.)

Yes, on Saturday November 23, 2019 in Auckland, NZ as captain of Team URAMIT (Timaru spelled backwards), we won the 20th annual NZ National Pub Quiz Championship, the first South Island team ever to do so. We competed before in 2016 when we finished in a respectable tie for 15th (or "15th equal" as they say here). It turns out we were underdogs cheered on by others because they didn't want multi-time champs The Brofessors to win again. They are widely disliked and if you wonder why, this profile of their leader from 2018 might answer that.

As final scores of the top ten were slowly revealed, our disbelief that we actually won was dispelled, and by the most slender of margins we had outscored three trailing teams (including the Brofessors) by one point. 

Every member contributed as each correct answer was crucial, and even though we had never before met two of our members we meshed very well together. We were in shock. We had already had a memorable Auckland weekend; dinner Friday with friend Florry O'Connell (more FOC news later on), and a visit to the Auckland Art Gallery to take in an exhibit of a famous Timaruvian artist Colin McCahon. After winning, I had new concerns:

1. Part of the winners' prize included brunch on Sunday with the host Shaun Wallace (no relation), an internationally renown Master Quizzer AKA The Dark Destroyer from the British quiz show The Chase. Unknown by most in the USA, this YouTube clip will give you a taste of his prowess. Would we be able to alter our travel plans to return back South in order to attend? (Yes).
2. Would Air New Zealand let us carry-on the trophy? (Yes)
3. Would I follow through with my retrospectively foolish pre-contest inspirational suggestion for the team to "all get tattoos when we win"? (Undecided)

Here are a few more shots of the victors.

The trophy is on loan to us through next year, when we may decide to defend our crown or maybe we should just "drop the mike" and leave the stage. We'll see, but until then it will reside in a place of honor in our local Wednesday quizzing venue, Barney's Sail & Anchor Pub, previously most famous for its remarkably sticky floors.

In other news, midday November 20th Timaru was hit by a major destructive hailstorm. I was out for a walk near the hospital when hailstones the size of golf balls started pelting the area, bouncing up 6 feet off the ground. Luckily I had my All Blacks umbrella which held up as the missiles exploded above my head, only suffering a minor bruise when a ricocheting projectile struck my arm. Major damage was done to cars and buildings, causing leaking roofs and store closures. Our car Helen the Honda Fit was safe in the garage but the gutters on our roof were not so fortunate. Plenty more details with video can be seen here. I have heard stories of such events from the Midwestern USA but had never experienced anything like it.

Our "Swiss cheese" gutters

One example of a brand new car cratered by the hail

At the beginning of the month, the aforementioned Florry O'Connell returned from Auckland for a visit bringing his parents. They were visiting him and NZ to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. This link will take you to the blog on our 2013 trip to Ireland when the O'Connells so graciously hosted us, so we were honored to repay the favor.

Dinner at Zest in Timaru

On the plane South

And here are a few food-related events over the last month.
About 50 minutes south of Timaru is Riverstone, home to a NZ award-winning restaurant which first got national attention in 2011. But it is much more than an eatery. The dream project of Neil and Dot Smith, there are acres of grounds with gardens, an elaborate playground, and sheds selling home and garden items, from the sublime to the gnome-variety. The piece de resistance is there castle home, complete with moat, and we took the rare opportunity to take a castle tour led by Dot herself.
 
And finally, back to Timaru for two other notable festive events. Perhaps the best local bistro is the Oxford, which hosted a Day of the Dead beer and tapas party, which we attended with two pairs of colleagues and friends, the Slagle/Spaeths and the Pritchetts.

We returned to the Oxford last night, November 29, with a larger group of friends to celebrate Thanksgiving, 2019. Although not yet a Kiwi thing, the chef did an admirable job preparing roast turkey breast, stuffing, gravy, plenty of veges, and even a version on pumpkin pie. As a bonus, we even got some leftovers to take home. Very much appreciated!

Meal at the start...

and the end.

I truly have so much to be thankful for, so thanks to all of you readers and I hope you had a great day wherever you are.
Later today we are off for three weeks to Vietnam and Malaysia then back home for Christmas and January. More blogging to inevitably follow.

It IS a Small World After All!!

The Magic Kingdom at night (photo courtesy of Laura Fayne Hedden)

This is a bit of of an update on a brief two-week trip back to the States at the end of August. Fayne's family had planned the first reunion of the three Leventhal siblings and their now three generations. There was only one appropriate venue for the event, the same site of two prior gatherings over 20 years ago: Walt Disney World in Florida.
It was a very unusual trip for us in that we had recently been back for six weeks in June and July, and because of the distance we don't usually have such a short turnaround for a brief stay. It was not unusual in that we crammed a lot into the visit and covered a lot of ground.
First, we spent a few days in Northern California. I never feel my summer is complete unless I make it to at least one baseball game, preferably the A's. I enjoyed sharing in their now routine second half surge, hopefully leading to the post season. With any luck, that run will last more than one game in 2019. GO A's!!

A's defeat Astros 8-4 August 17.

Even a few days in our true home, Fort Bragg, are precious. Sofia's friend from school (and ours from numerous trips to volleyball tournaments) Keilah waitresses at a favorite Mexican restaurant. It is always great to see her and enjoy authentic comida mexicana, very hard to find in NZ. We always try work in as many dear and cherished friends as possible while there; walks with Linnea, dinner with Christine, etc.

K & F

We headed down to the LA basin for educational, familial, and remunerative reasons. I attended a three day conference enticingly entitled " A Systematic Approach to Medically Unexplained Symptoms" in Marina del Rey. It addressed such challenges as the dizzy patient, chronic cough, and mysterious itching. Well-run by the Mayo Clinic, it did not fully elucidate these conundrums, but it was extremely worthwhile, especially the opportunity to chat about medical topics over meals with the experts.

Grandma and Kimarra enjoy a laugh with Charlene Benoit

My lecture were over in the early afternoon, just in time to visit with the Heards after school.

Next stop: Orlando, Florida

It has been two decades since we made the pilgrimage to Disney World and a rendezvous with Fayne's side of the family. I'm sure many of you have had similar Disney vacations, and with each visit the experience is more overwhelming. If you add in the August heat and humidity (truth be told it could have been worse), it can seem like a true endurance test. The highlight was a dinner we had at Boma- Flavors of Africa®, an African-themed buffet at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was great to have all three generations there and there was food to match all diets: vegetarian, gluten-free, carnivorous, and somewhat exotic. 

The only thing missing (other than Sofia and the Heards who couldn't make it due to school) was Fayne's sister-in-law Nancy, who passed away unexpectedly last year. She was a big Disney fan. In fact, she and her husband Gary had sponsored a paving stone in honor of all of us years ago. Gary took the time to track it down.

To me, the most remarkable thing about a Disney experience is how carefully crafted the whole illusion is, down to minute details. The decor of the Animal Kingdom Lodge is one example in its recreation of a grand hostelry.

We ended up spending a fair amount of time in the Animal Kingdom, where the centerpiece is an iconic Tree of Life.


The hottest attraction currently is in an Atatar-themed section (opened in 2017) where you can marvel at the other-worldly landscape of Pandora, and you can "ride" a mountain Banshee in the Flight of Passage Ride (if you are dedicated enough to wait 2-3 hours in line).

One unnamed sucker in front of an avatar in the queue for the ride

Of course, no Animal Kingdom would be complete without........

...animals and a safari!

The Animal Kingdom in Disney's view encompasses all knds of creatures:

1. Fictional
2. Live
3. Extinct, and 
4. Mythical.

In Category 3 there are dinosaurs.

As you look through the meticulously manicured grounds "Mount Everest" appears, the home of the legendary yeti.

If you ride the Everest Expedition coaster you will encounter the creature.

One of the signature features of any Disney park is a spectacular light/fireworks show. The A. K. presents "Rivers of Light".

Of course there are other theme parks under the Disney World umbrella, like EPCOT, where after all the rides you somehow end up in outer space.

The EPCOT World Showcase has plenty of international dining options. We chose Mexican.

I think everyone had a grand time at the 2019 Leventhal family reunion.

The Leventhal siblings: Gary, Fayne, & Mary

On our last day in Florida we took time to drive down to West Palm Beach to see my Aunt Alex, Cousin Sophia, and her husband Rudy. It was a brief but worthwhile and overdue visit.

So that's all for now. I am deep into planning our next big trip, to Vietnam and Malaysia before returning home for the holidays in December and January. If any of you have tips on Indochina, please let me know. Safe travels to all!

Travels With Papouey

Continuing our trans-Pacific life, we recently were back home in California for about six busy weeks. For the first time ever, Fayne and I were left in charge of our two grandchildren, Kimarra (age 9) and Isaiah (age 6) for 8 days while their parents attended to various tasks. I was cautiously optimistic about the prospect, worried that I would not have the energy to keep them entertained and engaged for over one week. In my final assessment, it could not have gone better.
On our first day we took a ferry ride to San Francisco, exciting in itself.

From the Ferry Building we strolled along the Embarcadero where we ran into friendly bike-riding SFPD officers who promptly deputized two Junior Cadets.

Our goal was the Exploratorium, a San Francisco treasure for 50 years. It is dedicated to science and curiosity and is a marvelous place to visit for "kids of all ages".

Outside the Exploratorium in giant "barnacles"

Almost touching the moon

Both of the kids (and their two adult companions) were rapt by station after station of hands-on physics and biology experiments. If you haven't been or its been a long time, I highly recommend the experience, even without the cover of bringing children.

Isaiah creating a cyclone

Through the years, the children have spent quite a bit of time in the Bay Area, but have had only brief visits to Fort Bragg, CA, where we still officially reside and where their mother grew up. We were all wanting to spend some time quality time there, especially over the 4th of July week.

On Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA

Legendary for the giant coastal redwoods, now seriously diminished, we explored the remnants of that past life. The old mill site is being converted to open space including a new coastal trail along the headlands.

Formerly owned and operated by the mill, the Skunk Train is being revitalized by new owners as a new and improved tourist experience.

An old mill shed behind the depot now houses a model train museum. Isaiah is holding Oscar the Skunk

There was plenty of time to go for ice cream at Cowlick's and take in Toy Story 4 at the local Coast Cinema, but is was a special treat to be able to enjoy our grand old house and yard. There was plenty of room for everyone. Several of Sofia's friends have children the same age as hers, so a play-date with Keilah's daughter Chenoa was a high priority.

I also introduced our guests to the newest addition to the neighborhood, Haley and Nathan's daughter Bijou. She was a BIG hit (how could she not be?).

I has always enjoyed the unique and idiosyncratic event that is the Mendocino Independence Day parade. This may have been the grandkids first parade, but certainly was the first one riding on a float in the procession. Thanks to friend Faith, they were invited to ride on the Mothers For Peace flatbed truck. Kimarra in particular was enthusiastic and insisted we go to Target to find the appropriate red, white, and blue attire.

With Faith

Captured in action as they pass my traditional seat with the Matthews Family on Main St.

[For a video montage capturing the essence of the 2019 Parade, I will link to old friend Buz Graham's video (Warning: Some X-rated lyrics included!).]

What better way to honor America than dinner at "America's Diner", Denny's. I believe it was the children's first visit to this institution, and a memorable one. We were intrigued by the Kid's menu, which detailed the story of an apparently terrified pancake and his friends (bacon, a starfish, and either a sausage or a pickle) for some reason trapped under the sea!

Denny's: As its former slogan boasted "A good place to sit and eat"

 Never a dull moment, we had fun at the neighborhood Wiggly Giggly Playground.

We attended a performance of the local Flynn Creek Circus in Mendocino, featuring daring aerialists and the high-jinks of the incongruously named Porkchop the Rabbit-Clown.

Climbing the trees...

..outside the Friendship Park venue.

Saturday is the Jewish sabbath shabbat and as Sofia and her family are practicing Jews we promised to do our best to observe it appropriately, from avoidance of "work" and electronic devices to kosher chicken to challah to grape juice, candle-lighting and prayers. I won't claim it was perfectly accomplished, but the good-faith effort was there.

Stock internet photo

It is traditional that on the Saturday closest to July 4th Fort Bragg hosts the World's Largest Salmon BBQ sponsored by the Salmon Restoration Association. We didn't attend this year but Saturday evening is when the local fireworks happen. After years of wandering around in the cold to find the best observation spot, last year we stumbled upon the ideal solution. At the Round Table Pizza on Main Street you can enjoy hot pizza inside with an ideal view of the show. I am not sure the kids had ever seen a proper fireworks display, and on the ride home Isaiah quietly declared "It was perfect". I concur.

Sunday morning it was time to pack up and head back to the Bay Area, but I know we will always have found memories of our time on the Coast. Who knows, maybe it will become a tradition?

We had one night and morning in Richmond before Mommy came up to reunite with her offspring, enough time for a walk along the shore  to collect shells and sticks and feathers and other assorted taonga (the Maori word for treasures).