Bear Earns a Yellow Belt - Round Two

For the second time in his life, Bear tested and qualified for a yellow belt in Shotokan karate. The first time was over a year ago in Mexico and this time was in Salt Lake City. Bear really worked hard to show his sensei (teacher) he could relearn the moves to American standards in a short amount of time. We were very proud of his efforts!

Best Friend Helicopter Skiing

Friends since grade school, Eric and his best friend, Rich Howe, have dreamed of going helicopter skiing together for more than twenty years. That dream was finally realized a few weeks ago when the two of them flew with Powderbird Heli-guides in the Wasatch mountains in Utah.

It was a picture perfect day. More than three feet of new snow had fallen in the mountains in the previous few days and the birds hadn't flown that week. Needless-to-say, plenty of deep fresh powder was found nearby and the guys enjoyed first tracks all day long. They came home exhausted and giddy from the fabulous day!

Tsunami Impact in NZ

Many people have emailed us wanting to know what impact the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunamis have had on our in New Zealand. Bottom line: we were unaffected.

NZ's earthquake was on south island, new Christchurch. Oso Blanco is in Auckland which is on the north side of the north island. So no affect there.

The tsunami that originated in Japan was a nonevent by the time it arrived in NZ. So again, there was no impact on Oso Blanco.

Thank you to those checking in with us!

Nordhavn Skiiers

After years of cajoling and unrealized plans, a Nordhavn employee and owner reunion of sorts finally took place on the ski hills in Utah.

During construction of three Nordhavns over the past ten years, the people at Nordhavn have become friends as well as business associates. Outside of boating, we discovered another common interest in skiing. In February, Dave Harlow, Jeff Leishman, and Brian Leishman, came to Utah to party and ski with us.

Pictured on the mountain top at Snow Basin Ski Resort on a beautiful sunny day!

Camp EB (posted by Bear)

Right after New Year's Day, I went to Camp EB. This is what we call my sister Elizabeth's (also called EB) house in North Carolina. I took a plane by myself. To do this, your parents take you to the gate, you get on the plane, and a relative is at the other end. It was easy and fun. But at the beginning I was a bit nervous.

At Camp we did a 23 mile winter hike and we slept in a tent with three people and two dogs. The two dogs were named Winky and Curry. It was only about 8 feet long and 6 feet wide. It was very, very, very, very, very crowded! We cooked outside over a fire, saw wild boars (which were kind of spooky) and got water out of mountain springs. The hike was very fun and very tiring.

We also did a lot of babysitting. EB is a nanny for twins who are one and a half years old. I did a bunch of helping, like playing with them and carrying their milk bottles up the stairs.

After a week, I came to Utah with EB and her husband, Brian. We all went skiing together.

Skiing in Utah

After a couple of weeks in the Midwest for the holidays, we're now in Utah to ski for a couple of months. All of Eric's girls were able to come for a long weekend, along with granddaughter, Oak. We really enjoyed having everyone together and getting in some runs together!

Fiji Independence Day

In 1970 Fiji gained independence from Great Britain. To celebrate the staff at Musket Cove recreated the historical event with a ceremonial chief and stand-in British official.

The historical reflection was followed by fun and games for kids and adults alike.