This is one of several dogs I've managed to make friends with down here. He was a smelly little scrapper, but fun to have around while I was fishing that afternoon.

We were cooking dinner one evening, and the landowner's chicken (named "Nugget") decided to get friendly with Miles. I snapped this shot just after the chicken plucked out one of Miles' eyelashes!

One of our better tenting spots...
Here we are, all set up on the shore of Lake Rotorua, in the front yard of a really friendly New Zealander. I fished until well after dark that night, and then got up at 5am, and fished while watching the sun rise over the lake, (which was beautiful) but I didn't catch a thing!

While rock climbing on some cliffs above the ocean in the Bay of Plenty, I found an active red-billed gull nest. This beautifully marked egg was the only one in the nest. The adults were pretty vocal and aggressive about me being in their nest, so I quickly snapped this shot, returned the egg, and moved to a different cliff.

When the British settled in New Zealand, they brought with them many of the plants and animals that they were fond of in the United Kingdom. These nest and the eggs within it belong to a pair of Blackbirds. Miles (seen below)was wondering what I was doing in the tree above his tent.

Black swans are pretty common on the lakes around Rotorua. The guys had a hearty laugh at my expense while this particular swan bit me repeatedly for getting too close to her cygnet.

The National Art Museum in Rotorua, with an ominous sky looming above. The hyper-manicured lawn seen in front of the museum is used by area seniors for lawn bowling and croquet. Watching them play, dressed in what they feel is appropriate attire for their sport, makes you feel as though you're in a London suburb, (if you ignore the palm trees).

The earth's crust in Rotorua is very thin indeed! The town has a huge amount of geothermal activity, and there are loads of hot springs and pools of mud that are boiling away and spewing out an intense smell of sulphur. There are places in town where the smell is so evil that it literally made me feel like I might vomit.

Maori tibal designs painted onto fenceposts in Rotorua. These three colors are very traditional in Maori art. (Go Warriors!)

Intricately detailed exterior facade of a Maori meeting place known as a "Marae." These buildings are scattered around the country, and I've really enjoyed looking at all the carvings.

And of course there are tons of sheep in New Zealand.

I ran across this girl making homemade waffle cones in an ice cream shop. Thought I'd share this shot with my fellow scoopers... she's running 6 irons at once (all but the one closest to her being heated by a small gas flame below it) and rolls all the cones by hand without even using a cone mold.

Had a great time snapper fishing the other night! We caught five of the little beauties.

Here's what's left of our vehicle! A member of the rescue crew said we were lucky we slid into another vehicle, and not through the guardrail (in the foreground), and when he pointed out the size of the cliff below the guardrail, I had to agree. Anyway, we're alive and well.

Pied shags on the east coast of the Coromandel peninsula. These birds are very similar in size, structure, and behavior to the double-crested cormorants that we've got in New England.

Here I am at the base of one of the oldest living Kauri trees in all of New Zealand. This tree is an estimated 2,000 year old. The amazing thing to keep in mind here is that Europeans have only been living in NZ for about 200 years, and even the Maori people have only been here for about 800! Puts it into perspective.

What else would you do on a huge hillside of fine sand? Bombs-away Miles!!!

Walking along the top of the Te Paki sand dunes, and feeling parched and exhausted. Some of these dunes are about 300' high, and have steep hillsides to the east. To the west (way out behind me in this photo) is the Tasman sea.

These Maori churches are all over the place, in rural areas of the north island, and almost all of them look pretty much just like this one. Walking around some of the cemetaries has been pretty interesting.

This is the Cape Reinga lighthouse, at the far northern tip of New Zealand's north island. The Tasman Sea meets with the Pacific ocean at this spot, and when you stand at the lighthouse and look out over the ocean, there is an overwhelming feeling of being in the middle of "nowhere." It's a powerful place.

Hanging out at the southern end of 90-mile beach, in a bay known by the surfing community as "Shipwrecks." This whole area was gorgeous, and there were all sorts of great birds around the coastline.

More bouldering! I suppose this problem was a bit "highball" but I couldn't resist!

A baby "Pukeko" bird. The adults look very similar to a Coot or Moorhen. I caught this one along the edge of a farmers field while I was out trout fishing!

My first dose of New Zealand rock...
Happened to be driving by an amazing collection of sandstone formations in a town called Hikurangi, and just had to stop. There were a couple of nice (V3ish) overhung campus problems here as well.

We'd only been in New Zealand for a couple of days, and had already started figuring out ways to harvest some of the foods that the countryside has to offer. This turkey made a fabulous dinner for us. Since then, we've been eating green-lipped mussels, tuatuas (which are like New England clams) and red snapper. We're eager to add pheasant and trout to the menu.

Dec.31 Anyone & Everyone

My life has been influenced by many who've not been named here. The beauty of being a social species; the unavoidable ways in which we interact with one another's lives.

Dec.30 Liz

Liz and I lived in the same house together during college (Ohio), fell out of touch, bumped into one another six years later (Vermont), and fell out of touch again...

Dec.29 Matt Powers

Matt and I decided the same summer that we were going to study guitar, beginning with Ben Harper and Guster songs. I bet Matt can actually play respectably by now.

Dec.28 Cousin Stephen

Had a severe car accident that took the life of his friend. I can only imagine how emotionally difficult it must continue to be for him to deal with that.

Dec.27 Marcia

An old acquaintance of mine, Marcia Ancker lives in Vermont and spends her time creating beautiful jewelry inspired by Australian Aboriginal art, (among other influences) Check her out at www.marsya.com

Dec.26 Amy Odom

College rommate of my big sis Lesley, Amy used to do a really bizarre and hilarious rendition of an old, theatrical (but not very funny) joke about a chubby family.

Dec.25 Officer Scott

Off-duty Kiwi police officer from Tauranga who happily offered me an hour and a half ride. The spirit of giving, alive and well on a daily basis down here.

Dec.24 Erin Gott

Erin is my brother in falconry. The times we spent in the field together with hawks on our fists were truly some of the better moments of my young life.

Dec.23 "K2"

In my opinion, Kevin got the proverbial "shit end of the stick" when he was working with the other off-road driving instructors. People didn't appreciate how knowledgeable he was.

Dec.22 Dan W.

A semi-permanent fixture in UVM's field sciences department, Dan is always entertaining and fun to talk to about ecology or politics, but folks often think he's a bit annoying.

Dec.21 "Northshire's Sexy Sadie"

For the last six years, Sadie (who shares her date of birth with me) has been a wonderful companion and hunting partner. I may never have a better sporting dog.

Dec.20 J. M. Tully

As one would expect, our junior high school boyfriend-girlfriend relationship was over and done with in the blink of an eye, but I'm still friendly with her step-mom.

Dec.19 Andrea

When I started going to the rock gym in Burlington (before I worked there) Andrea was the most welcoming of all the Petra Cliffs employees. Congratulations on your marriage Andrea.

Dec.18 Autumn Dufresne

Had I been planning on staying in Vermont, I would have taken Autumn on as my apprentice in falconry. She has some odd ideas, but could become a good falconer.

Dec.17 Stevie Westmoreland

For fifteen years, Stevie has been one of the most important "lighthouses" in my life; offering me beams of wisdom and helping to guide me through life's decisions and paths.

Dec.16 "Lean Night Animal"

Nathaniel Gilman is one of my New Zealand travel buddies, and has been more than willing to hunt, gather, and consume local plants and animals with me...even strange ones!

Dec.15 Scott K.

One of the older falconers in Maine, Scott and his wife have always been very, very gracious toward the rest of us, offering up their home and some great food.

Dec.14 Megan

When I recall her last few years of high school, I often wonder why smoking marijuana is so popular with ultra-literate valedictorian types like her. Is it really necessary?

Dec.13 Midden

Head of a certain sales department,... there was speculation that she had partaken in some unscrupulous and unprofessional romantic relations, but I didn't care,... I always thought she was great.

Dec.12 Art Garland

The oldest male member of the Maine Audubon Society back when I got involved with them, (in the early nineties) Art is still synonymous with the group in my mind.

Dec.11 "Her Saga Year"

Sarah Yeager is truly entertaining to me. She's always toting around her digital camera, and talking about Hanson concerts, tattoos, how hungry she is, and cute boys who play hockey.

Dec.10 Petra

The Russian girl who I asked out for a drink in Burlington. She replied that she didn't drink any alcohol. I was like, "Um... Okay, forget it. Good meeting you."

Dec.9 Michael Moore

Not the famous one that openly despises the Bush administration, but the one I went to high school with who has a motorcycle, an artistic brother and an awkward smile.

Dec.8 "Presto Mow"

I've heard it said that "it's difficult to tell where Tom Powers starts and his older brother Matt stops." I find that statement to be simultaneously true and very complimentary.

Dec.7 Doug Everett

Followed me as secretary/treasurer for Maine falconry. Good for him,... when he took up the sport I would have bet his sponsor would have driven him out of it.

Dec.6 "Homeland Niece"

Madeline Cohen scooped at the "Deck" last summer, but only on Mondays and Tuesdays, which were my days off. Here's hoping we see more of one another next summer Maddie.

Dec.5 Brendan "B-man," "Bean-dip," "B.P.," "Brenny," McNeff

I'm perpetually thankful for the role that Bren and I play in one another's lives, despite our geographical distance. He's an exceptional young man... talented athelete and musician... emotionally aware...

Dec.4 George Eyerer

The quintessential "family man," George is always my favorite person to see and visit with at our state falconry meets. His humble nature should be a lesson to us all.

Dec.3 Archana

Archie came all the way from India to Ohio, joined my capoeira class, and introduced me to some of the values and customs of her distant home. Thank you Archie.

Dec.2 Mike Gregston

Every time I think of Mike, I can see him standing in the snow with a happy ferret in one hand and a rabbit in the other,... goshawk mantling over it.

Dec.1 Lenny

Convinced me Karma exists... Decent Swiss guy who followed me around the Coromandel Peninsula... I ditched him, and the next morning was in an accident that could have killed me.

Nov.30 Victoria

Ms. Vick moved into an apartment that had previously belonged to a woman I'd briefly dated, and it ended up that she and I developed a friendship that continued there.

Nov.29 Ms. Willa

Met Willa at a craft fair and experienced one of those rare amazing moments when the connection between two people is so immediate, powerful, and obvious it couldn't be denied.

Nov.28 "Hit Man Article"

Caitlin Mather came over to my house one night after work to swim in my pool with a group of friends and proved that small people can make BIG NOISE!!!

Nov.27 Jill Newell

Jill and I have more in common than I ever thought we would, which isn't much, but it's just enough to provide us with plenty of topics for lengthy conversation.

Nov.26 The Ferguson Family

The Ferguson's took me into their home after I was in a car accident in New Zealand earlier this month and were the picture of exemplary hospitality. Thanks so much!