Thursday, October 29, 2009

October 29th, 2009 and October 30th, 2009

Friday October 30th, 2009
Today is the day we come back to US, sweet and sad.
I was up early, finished the tapestry for Belinda and Steve. Then I went to the studio for my sculpting class. I mixed the products, pored the mold, . While it was drying I watched Belinda begin her creative process of carving a sculpture for a fund raising event. The cylinder of cement, sand and water became a young lady with long beautiful hair. Crisi is her inspiration. The sculpture will go on a stained pole for a garden. Her skirt will be the flowers around her, amazing. When my mold was ready I carved in it something for Dawn's garden in Queenstown. It has a couple of places for candles in cathederal windows with flowers on each side. Very elimentary, but so enjoyable.Crisi and I are packed, ready to go to the airport. Thank you for sharing this advanture with us.
Ardith

Thursday October 29th, 2009
Our last full day in New Zealand but one of a few days where we slept in, well like 8am. We all got ready and Dawn, Belinda, Mom, and I set off for my meeting with mental health professionals in Auckland. We arrived early and of course had another coffee. I then met Meg, and friend of my friend's Rosie and Kim from Carborro, NC, at the Mental health Hospital where she introduced me to her friend Lindsey who works in Crisis Services for one half of the Auckland area. We compared the differences between services in NZ and NC. Excellent information and leads for more information related to my business. Meg then gave me a ride to downtown Auckland to meet up with the ladies who visited another flower shop in Auckland. We went to the top of a volcano where we could see the Pacific Ocean and the Tazman Sea. The only place in the world where you can see two different huge bodies of water. We went to the grocery store and then I made American Tacos for everyone. Soon after we all "hit the hay" so we could be ready for our travels tomorrow. We have really had a great time with great people! Thank you to everyone who gave to us while we were here in New Zealand and they are all welcome to visit both of us in the states. Much Love!
Cristin

October 28th, 2009

Wednesday October 28th, 2009
We got up early this morning to set off to Rotorua which is a town where the Maori people educate visitors about their culture. After the 2 1/2 drive to Rotorua, which Dawn graciously drove, we went to Living Colour which is a flower shop on Rotorua. Nina owns the shop and she is an AIFD, American Institute of Floral Designers, designer who won the 2009 New Zealand Designer of the Year which is the New Zealand cup. The New Zealand cup recipient is one of twenty that qualifies to design for the World Cup. Nina was gracious and offered her insight into her floral business in New Zealand and tips for starting a floral shop in New Zealand. Mom and I then went out to shop for souvenirs for our family back home. The town of Rotorua is in a volcano which results in a distinctive scent of sulfur. Not our favorite part of the trip. We caught up with Dawn and Darrell after Dawn met up with a friend that she has not seen in many years. They took us to Te Puia which is a native village of the Maori people. We went for a tour which included seeing Kiwi birds, education on the Maori people, seeing a live geyser, and participating in an authentic Maori dance presentation. Darrell even played the role of the Chief and we were part of his family. After the presentation we set off for Belinda and Steve's where they decided that we would get "take away" for dinner and we went to bed early.
Cristin

October 27th, 2009

Tuesday October 27th, 2009
Good morning-We started off the day with going to a "shopping "area of Auckland that Dawn took us to. We did some window shopping and then went to St. Helieis Bay area for lunch. After lunch we went to a local bakery for some wonderful breads and a couple of bakery treats. At 1pm we visited New Zealand Bloom which is a grower of some flowers that are sent to Koehler and Dramm, if you don't know that is the floral wholesale house in Minneapolis where Mom works. The flowers were beautiful and we saw orchids and peonies. Next David and Mike from New Zealand Bloom took us to an orchid greenhouse named Joshua that supplies the orchids for New Zealand Bloom. Joshua is owned by two brothers originally from Holland. It was spectacular. Of course as we mentioned before the orchid season is coming to an end but it was full of hundreds and hundreds of orchid plants and about 1/4 of the greenhouse had orchids that were ready to be cut, packed, and shipped. After all of that beauty we were beat so we went back to Belinda and Steve's to have a wonderful dinner made by Steve and then off to bed.
Cristin

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

October 24th, 2009 through October 26th, 2009

Monday October 26th, 2009
We were up very early for our car trip from Martinbourough to Wellington, visited a couple of shops, and then hopped on a plane to Auckland. When we arrived to Auckland we rented a car and drove to Dawn and Darrell's friends Belinda and Steve. They live on this property out in the country in Ramarama. Their place is amazing with birds, plants, and flowers. They have an orchird growning range named Balzana LTD. It has been wonderful to walk through the orchids and hours of discussions about growing, cutting, shipping, and processing. Steve is an amazing man and the process is successful. The smell in the warm greenhouse is great. this ius the end of the orchird growing season, with only a couple of weeks left. Thank God I am able to see and be here now.

Sunday October 25th, 2009
Today is Sunday of Labor Day Weekend. Monday is considered Labor Day and is a national holiday. We were up early packed a lunch and to the beach, beautiful black sand beach. The whole family and the two dogs . We went to this great lighthouse, 250 steps up and down. Cape Palliesr on the Pacific Ocean. The seals were right up on the rocks, actually they look like rocks, only they move, yawn and stretch, oh yes, and smell!!!!The picnic was lovely, warm, the black sand was beautiful and warm.We went home late afternoon. Crisi taught Thalia cheer leading, and dance. I put a tree together with bamboo, from the yard, and grapevine around and around and around.Then I put it upside down, saw that at K&D, great idea. It looked so nice. So Gail, Dawns sister and I decorated the Spa for Christmas. We set the tree up in front of the small wood burning fireplace--funny--I was concerned at first about the wood so close to the fire.No need Christmas here is in the summer.
We had a bonfire and introduced Smores. They loved them.Great day.
Crisi had a meeting with Chris Wilson,EMT emergency fireman and CPR instructor in Wellington and Martinborough.Mental health crisis, emergency and CPR services were the center of topics.

Saturday October 24, 2009
Crisi was up early to walk the two German Shepards with Dawn and Gail. Then we had a traditional New Zealand breakfast with pancakes, toast, eggs, hash browns, and fruit, and , and , and everything . We jumped into Gail's caddy to go to Greystown where we had tea, more "pies", looked in the local stores, and had some fruit ice cream. Next to the Richmond Gardens in Carterton Wirarapa for a wonderful walk around the privately owned gardens. Then back to Gails house for a wonderful organic dinner. Crisi, Gail, and friends went to the Okotober Beer Festival with a great local band at the local pub. They dressed up as German Wenches, let it go at that.
Ardith

Friday, October 23, 2009

October 23rd, 2009

Friday October 23rd, 2009
We woke up this morning and said goodbye to Cveta who is continuing on her biking and hiking retreat. We checked out of the apartment and met up with Dawn's parents at their home. After some lunch and Dawn re-packing we set off to the airport. Shompoo and her two sons gave Mom and I a ride and Dawn and her husband Darrel went with Dawn's parents. We checked in and then were met by Sandra and Paul to say their goodbyes. We boarded the plane, without security, to Wellington. The view was, again, spectacular. We arrived in Wellington at 2:30pm, picked up the rental car, and took off to the New Zealand National Te Papa Museum. They had the largest squid preserved and educational information about how the New Zealand Islands were formed and about the native people, Maori. We drove to Dawn's sister's place in Martinborough and during the drive we drove up one of the huge mountains and then back down. Gail's daughter Thalia (13 yo) told me that she timed the drive once and it was 7 minutes up and 7 minutes down either way. When we got there, Gail's other daughter Melia (7 yo) was so excited that she could not even stand still. We also met her son Sergio (16yo) who was home for the weekend from boarding school. Gail made us a wonderful feast of organic chicken, 3 different types of potatoes, and different vegetables. Just what we needed. Then off to bed at the Edendale house down the street.
Cristin

October 22nd, 2009

Thursday October 22nd, 2009
Cheers! Good day Mate!
Ok done being a "cheesy" New Zealand tourist. So we got up this morning and went to the Gondola which takes you up to the top of one of the Remarkables mountains and you can see the whole town of Queenstown, the Lake, and all the awesome Remarkables. Got some great souvenirs there as well. We decided to take it easy today and hang out in and around Queenstown. Next was the greatest mother daughter bonding moment on the trip, well as Mom just said so far. We went to the Kawarau Bridge which is the Original site of the FIRST Bungee jump. AJ Hackett made the first bungee jump here and so did Mom and I. It was awesome! It was 143 meters high over looking the water. Mom and I tandem jumped together and it was beautiful. We were hooked up to the bungee together had to hold on to each others sides as we jumped. The workers said 4-3-2-1 and then we jumped. We went down and then bounced up and then down again. We yelled the whole time. Next they handed us a pole to grab and they lowered us down to the inflatable boat and took us to the shore. Our legs were like jello and then we had to climb hundreds of stairs to get back to the top. When we got to the top we were able to see a replay of the drop and we did another touristy thing and bought the pictures. We'll post them later. Both of us even got a free t-shirt for jumping. Next we went back to Arrowtown and got "pies" and if you don't know the pies are different from american pies. They are filled with venison, steak, bacon, eggs, vegetables, ect. We also did some more shopping and ran into one of Dawn's friend who runs a shop there and spent some time looking around. We then went into town to use the computer at Paul and Sandra's which was when we were able to post the last blog. Next the grocery store and we bought groceries for Cveta to make everyone a Bulgarian dish made with lots of vegetables, potatoes, and meat. It was good. Everyone seemed sleepy but of course I wasn't. I was trying to get everyone or even just one person to go to the -5 bar (negative 5). Everyone said no and then Mom said OK I'll go with you. Next thing you know it was Mom, Cveta, Sandra, Sandra's son Richard, Sandra's daughter Gemma, Gemma's boyfriend Angus, Richard's friend Kim, and myself. Sandra was able to hook us up with a "local" discount of $15 NZ dollars. They gave us gloves and really big warm coats to wear. Then they took us across the walkway to the bar where the temperature of the bar was -8 degrees, it was a little colder since not many people had been in that night. It was 15 by 15 and made out of ice. Included in the entrance price was one alcoholic drink or two non-alcoholic drinks. I ordered a "yellow snow" which consisted of vanilla vodka, Midori, Kiwi, and pineapple juice served in a glass made of ice. The place was full of ice sculptures and we were only allowed to stay for about a half an hour. We had a great time and it was a great day! Bungee jumping and an ice bar-how can you beat that? I'm sure with Dawn showing us around and we are about to meet her sister Gail there are more tales to come!
Cristin

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

October 19th, 2009 through October 21st, 2009 Queenstown, NZ

Hello Everyone,

Sorry it has been so long. We have not been able to get to a computer until now.

October 19th, 2009
We got into Auckland on Monday morning and then we flew directly into Frankton, a suburb of Queenstown. When we arrived at the airport where we were met by Dawn's, our itinerary specialist, family which consisted of her brother Paul and wife Sandra, her brother Alan and his wife, spoken like shampoo-We are sure it is not spelled that way, her sister Anne and husband Ken, and lastly her father Dick and her mother Noleen. It was so great to have a family greet us and we felt so at home. We went directly to Dawn's parent's house for lunch as we waited for Cveta, Mom's friend from Koehler and Hawaii, to fly in. We had a wonderful but simple lunch. Next we went to Paul and Sandra's to meet their children and then decided to meet their son and daughter at the coffee shop where her son works. (As you will see we stop to have coffee alot-Its not always coffee) Finally made it to our "short term" apartment. Now understand that all three of us had not showered at this point for three days and were very eager to take one. The apartment was great and had three rooms for all three of us. We were very happy about the heat in the rooms and the towel warmer in the bathroom. At about 8pm we all went to bed and slept through the night.

October 20th, 2009
Mom and I got up at 6am ready to go for a walk around the Lake Wakatipu in town. We asked Cveta if she wanted to go and she said "I'm too cold" and then we set off. We started in the direction of the lake where Dawn had told us how to get to the sidewalk around the lake. We felt lost and asked a man walking to direct us to the lake. He was was from Brazil and he directed us right to the lake. The lake is 84 miles around and we probably walked 1 mile out and then 1 mile back. The wind was blowing alot and it was cold coming off of the lake. We were ready by 9am and off to the Kiwi Wildlife Bird Park. Dawn's father bought some land in 1996 which in his words people said he was a "crazy man" because the land was a dump site full of random things and lots of growth. The family worked hard and cleared the land and made the Kiwi Wildlife Bird Park. No the locals think he is in his words "a sly fox". The birds were beautiful. We saw the feeding of the Kiwi, which we had to do in the dark since they are nocturnal birds, the Kea, it is described as a "cheeky" bird which is our new favorite word, and many other birds and some reptiles. Then Dawn, Mom, and Cveta went through the bird park, with approval, and started cutting down branches of greenery for the flower show in the afternoon. Mom and Cveta even went into a "prohibited" parking lot of a school next door and were about to be caught until Dawn and I drove up to get them outta there. So much passion for greenery that they took the risk of being arrested. Next we went to the Lake Hayes Pavillion out side of Frankton to do a show for The Women's Institute which is a woman's organization that promotes woman and their talents. Several other floral organizations and artists attended which filled the Pavilion. The local press attended and took pictures as well. It was a great success for Mom, Cveta, and Dawn. We had tea and biskets and took off to Arrowtown. Arrowtown is a town that originated from the Chinese for gold mining. It is the most charming town that we had ever seen. We visited a cinema that had huge seats, bean bags to sit in and had quilted tapestry filling the ceiling and walls. Cveta absolutely loved the walkway up to the cinema. It was beautiful. there was even a motel named the New Orleans, which reminded me of my Dad since he loves New Orleans. Next we left to drive back into town for dinner with the family and then back to our apartment. I was not tired so I went over to the Pub across the street and had a couple of brews.

October 21st, 2009,

We got up and were ready by 7:30am off to Milford Sound. Paul and Sandra drove us which is a 4 hour drive. The time passed so quickly and before we knew it we were in Te Anau, which was half way, and we had "coffee" and did a little shopping. Before we left town we stopped by the "supermarket" to get sandwiched and snacks for the boat ride. The next 2 hours were the most spectacular as we drove and spoke our "oohhss" and "aahhss". The best was going through the tunnel under a gigantic mountain then down the mountain on a winding road. It was pouring rain the whole boat ride which was great since we saw thousands of waterfalls. The front of the boat even went under once of them and we got soaked. Cveta was taking pictures left and right, we saw seals and penguins, and we all got a little sea sick as we approached the opening to the Tazman Sea. It was the most awesome scenery we have seen. As we headed back we stopped at the some big rock waterfalls in the pouring rain. It took another 4 hours which also went pretty fast as we all talked most of the way-imagine that. Mom and Cveta went back to the apartment and I went out to dinner with Paul and Sandra.
Cristin

Saturday, October 17, 2009

October 17, 2009

Saturday October 17th, 2009
Hello from LAX-We finally made it here from Minneapolis after speed walking to our next gate and changing planes. We had great seats on the plane-exit row just the two of us. It was funny to watch the people wl]alk up who were not sure where the bathroom was and they looked like they were sneaking up on it.

Once we got to LA we retrieved our bags and started off to the Bob Hope USO building. We crossed part of the street and then the second part of the street. Right after we crossed we hear a short siren and then the police officer on his bike "pulled us over". We walked across the street on a green light and did not press the crosswalk button to be able to change the light to cross. He told us that he would not give us a ticket but just a warning and then took our drivers license info.

Getting last minute things together, shower, and then off to the international terminal. We leave at 9pm-We'll post when we get there!
Cristin

Friday, October 16, 2009

Advantures Ardith-New Zealand

October 16

My daughter is flying to Minneapolis from Durham, North Carolina this evening.Tomorrow morning she and I will fly to LAX. We arrive about 2:00 there to meet with Dawn and Darryll. Dawn is my good friend that is from New Zealand. Dawn and I meet a couple of years ago when she came to Minneapolis with her then military husband to take floral design classes.We formed a fast and strong friendship. Last Spring she and I were talking about her trip in October , home for the summer for her , away from the Midwest winters. They have the best, they follow the spring and summers around the world scuba diving.

We will be there for a couple of weeks. I will be doing a few design programs,visiting some growers that Koehler & Dramm buy from, visiting some design schools and doing a show or two on the way. Cristin a Mental Health Professional and trainer will also be networking and visiting facilities in her profession. Dawn has us all set up with business and recreation. She is the number one cruise directer, thank goodness. She knows her island and the people and places.

For those that know Cveta, who used to work here at Koehler & Dramm. She moved to Maui a couple of years ago. She will be meeting us in Auckland on Monday the 19. She is already there, been there for a month now on a meditative retreat. Long story, ask her about it.Finally another wish of mine to come true, my daughter Cristin and Cveta will meet for the first time, and they will be able to meet Dawn. That alone for me is wonderful.

This blog is set up to share with you the adventures, people, flowers and any design tips, ideas that I see. This for me is about design education. I'll be looking and interviewing designers/instructors to come over to share with you.You can have input in the process.

Stay tuned.There is a class today, Friday. I'm packed and ready, have been all week.Good thing for the class to occupy my time.

The Adventure has begun...

Monday, October 12, 2009

October 12

Floristry II or advanced design class begins this week. It is always fun to take the next step in floral design, to extend yoyur talents and streatch personal abilities and theory.

The Basic evening class also begins. This will be a bit different as the hours will be changed around as I will be away for several days.

Saturday Morning October 17 my daughtyer Cristin and I will be leaving Minneapolis International airport for LAX. We will meet Dawn and Darryl from Wisconsin at the airport there . After a few hours we will four hop on the flight to Ackland, New Zealand for another Floral Advanutre, down under. Dawn is a native New Zealander. She has made all plans, a perfect tour guide. We have meetings set up with growers that sell to K&D, florist groups, universities and private groups. She also has business appointments set up for Cristin.

It is a good thing this week is busy, I'll sleep great on the flights.
AA

Monday, October 5, 2009

October 5, 2009 New Basic Class

I am putting my toe in the water of technology this morning. Thanks to DeeDee Hoffman, a co manager who helped me with the details. The first entry on the Institute of Floristry blog. It feels good to be involved and learning.

This is always an exciting day, Day 1 of a Basic design class week. Everyone is eager and excited to take this creative step, it is exciting for me as well. The Institute of Floristry is in the 20th year , the excitement is still fresh with each class.
AA