Lions & Tacos & Beers

Oh my. It's been a week and I think it's safe to say we have recovered from the onslaught of Lions last Friday and Saturday nights. We were prepared with tons of food and more than 100 cases of beer as backups for the backups. It started on Thursday afternoon and continued through until Sunday. Saturday night Conor even went to the grocery store and bought $600 worth of beer, only to see it disappear in 45 minutes.

Sunday morning I went in to help chop more salsa and we were swamped by all of the bouncers and bartenders from Lenin, Float and Provedor. Of course I put on Beatles music, it's the only time I get to choose the tunes. You should have seen it, all of these great big guys in line ordering breakfast burritos singing "She's got a ticket to ri - hi - hide." A curious little Irishman in a green rugby shirt and Lions headdress stood at the counter and insisted we MUST have something with alcohol in it and I insisted just as strenuously that we did not. He had to make do with a latte, which was just as well. I'm sure he would thank me if he could remember what planet he was on. I have posted a new photo album entitled "Lions" so you can get a sense of it all.

So today (Sunday) the Pacific Sky docks at 9:30 am and by noon we had made over 150 lattes and flat whites (a uniquely Kiwi coffee similar to a cappuccino). They had come from Sydney on their way to Tonga and Vanuatu. While valiantly keeping up with the orders, I heard someone mutter "Don't these people have food on this cruise?"

The big buzz in Auckland (now that the Lions have gone home) is Desperate Housewives, which begins airing tomorrow night. Right, then, back to normal. Unfortunately, I won't be heading back to the States this week as planned. Things are a bit hectic around here. Hey JB, it's time to come home!

Bless the Brits

London has experienced a terrible tragedy, but the 20,000+ Poms (slang acronym for Prisoners of Mother England) visiting our fair city have showed their resiliance and legendary "stiff upper lip" by doing what they do best . . . carry on.

Mexicali Fresh on the waterfront last night provided a venue for much singing, carousing and drinking of beer by Poms and Kiwis, Welshmen and Irish, Americans and Brazilians. It was a bit slow on Friday morning, but beginning at 11:00 am there was a line out the door that lasted for the next 12 hours. More than a few had burritos for the very first time.

The final test of the Lions Tour takes place tonight at Eden Park in Auckland. The All Blacks have won the tour by winning the first two tests in admirable fashion, but the Lions can salvage their pride by winning tonight and staving off a sweep. There was never any thought to cancelling this last test, but there will be a moment of silence before the final game begins.

JB is in Bend now and staggered at how much the town has grown in the six months we have been gone. He and his friend Bob Green are playing in the annual Member/Guest tournament. JB will be back in Auckland on the 20th and I will leave for Bend on the 23rd.

Mike will be leaving us in a couple of weeks to pursue a venture with his family in Bend. Before leaving New Zealand, he will be visiting the South Island and doing a little fishing along the way. We will miss him, but wish him well as he carves out a new path for himself. It was great having him with us as we launched Mexicali Fresh, Southern Hemisphere version.

Daily Commute

I have posted a new photo album showing, among other things, my daily commute down Queen Street and a variety of shots from Devonport, across the harbour from Auckland. JB and I have been house-hunting every weekend over there and have found some real possibilities. It's a beautiful little community, with access to Auckland's waterfront via a 10-minute ferry ride. Now that's my kind of commute. You can also drive, but the traffic can be a problem during peak times. There is a very beautiful, walkable golf course, and some great beaches. All in all, pretty much paradise.

JB leaves tomorrow for the States and will be in Bend from the 3rd through the 20th. I will leave Auckland on the 23rd and will be in Bend until the end of the first week in August. I don't have a return flight yet, so the itinerary is not set.

The entire country is still in awe of Michael Campbell's historic US Open win. It's probably the biggest thing to have happened to a Kiwi since Sir Edmund Hillary conquered Mt. Everest. Parliament delayed it's session to watch the event along with the rest of the country. Now the British and Irish Lions Tour is reaching it's peak and will be in Auckland beginning Tuesday. Prince William has arrived and the next test match is tonight in Wellington. We are planning on being invaded by over 20 thousand members of the "Barmy Army" who have vowed to drink one small NZ town dry. Let's hope they leave my new Mexican palms alone!