KELZIE'S SCHOOL NEWS 2014

-- Last years KSN13 is posted @
⇒∞ Kelzie’s School News © ∞⇐
*** 26th Edition --- Adventures in Life Series – 2014 –– Yearly Log ***
Instead of a Christmas note at the busiest time of the year
we write a Log of the last year mailed in the new year
Hoping You had a Happy Holiday and are having A Great New Year
 beebelog.blogspot.com --

KELZIE'S -Transition from Pro Ironman and Coach to
 Graduate Student and Swimmer....
IN ABSENTIA...K is attending IU graduate programs in Sports Psychology (in the counseling department from which we graduated in '72) and Applied Sports Science in the School of Public Health (the former dean of which bought our IN farm).
Kelzie: 617/461-8354
800 North Smith Road - Apartment 2I
Bloomington, Indiana 47408
kelziebeebe.blogspot.com
kbeebe@post.harvard.edu

MARNIE and RICK
       We celebrated the New Year and were off to New Zealand and Fiji. Due to Mother Nature and the airline, we spent an unplanned overnight in LA and had to be rerouted to visit Fiji last, rather than first.  Arriving in Auckland, we picked up our car and recuperated overnight at an Ibis, starting on the east of the North Island. We explored small towns, visited with farmers, learned about the local culture/history, and studied the interesting variations in climate/terrain/vegetation/ecology/economy, amazed by the high cost of everything. We learned about the Maori tribe's home and geothermal activity of the Rotorua area and were enthralled by the huge sheep farms in the North island's southern mountains. We crossed to Picton on the South Island and experienced high adventure (typical tourist trick of getting stuck in a sand dune) on the way to Christchurch. This city, devastated by earthquakes since 2010, tugged at our hearts as we toured a city in ruins. Further south on the east coast we saw farming, timbering, and sheep shearing on a farm of 4300 ewes, missed the blue penguins and albatrosses but learned about NZ possums, and smelled (& visited) the Cadbury chocolate factory in Dunedin. On the southern east coast we drove thru the Catlin coastal area to the amazing community of Invercargill, where we learned about NZ farming from our retired farmer-b&b hosts.
Having traveled down the east coast on the North and South Islands, we began our trek north on the west coast of the South and then the North Island. After a spectacular overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound in the Fiordland's of the Southern Alps we visited Queenstown (billed as the adventure capital of NZ, the first bungy jumping site and the location for filming The Hobbit). Then we traveled thru the rain forests and the Southern Alps, as well as along a fence draped in bras, on our way to the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers area near Mt Cook. As a planned side trip, we took a very rural gravel road up into the mountains to visit The Snow Farm, a cross country skiing training site where our friend, JD trained in the north's summers of 1992 and 93. An unexpected experience on the mtn top was the sighting of the secret Southern Hemisphere Proving Grounds where auto manufactures test their vehicles in miserable winter conditions. Continuing north along the coast we made fast friends with Brent and Grace Trolle during a longer-than-intended stay with them at their Hokitika B&B. Two of Brent's gorgeous landscape paintings now grace our home, and we will always recall their exuberant personalities and delicious meals (what a pleasant visit!). Day trips along the coast and into the mountains and rain forests at their direction educated us about this part of the South Island and the dramatic environmental/ climactic/vegetation differences. After a delayed departure from the Trolle's, we traveled thru a more rugged area to the northern coast, exploring the very popular area near the Abel Tasman NP (the sign said onion rings 99cents...R ordered...got one onion ring), visiting the greenshell mussel capitol of the world, and learning that the national sensation, Lorde, won the Grammy for best song. After ferrying back to the North Island, we traveled the west coast past good farming ground (crops and animals), beaches, Mt. Egmont volcano, the sheep shearing capitol, and breathtaking views of the Pacific and spent time exploring the smaller and less touristy towns/areas of the far, far north. Our favorite town on the north route was the very small Cape Cod-like town of Russell, where we paid a dear sum to enjoy a lovely veranda overlooking the park and strolling Strand. As they say, "This is what I'm talking about in a vacation!" Back in Aukland we toured the city and aquarium and watched the Super Bowl minus the hyped US commercials before flying to Fiji. NZ is 1260 miles long (638 north and 563 south) and we drove 4106 miles.... NZ is etched in our hearts!
Having dropped into Fiji's entirely different climate and economy, we stayed in its largest city, Nadi, in backpacker lodging (as opposed to a high end tropical resort area). Luckily we had an AC'd room and a pool, as the humidity and heat were oppressive. Our rustic lodging was popular with young travelers from Asia and Europe visiting Fiji on post grad trips for the weather and adventure (no Americans, as their debt is so great/immediate they cannot take the time to travel the world). We hired a car/driver for three days to tour remote areas and the island's capital and to get a local perspective on the culture. A half-day Mamanuca Islands cruise exposed us to the remote resorts and distant islands.
Back in Madison after painfully long flights, we experienced 2 days of winter before departing for Santa Rosa Beach, FL and a month in a beach condo. Being bored with more tropics, we departed early and did a road trip, visiting Geoff Hubbard and family in Ozark, AL, the Flemings in Pooler, GA and Al/Lin Sturdevant near Hilton Head.
On 3.21 R had planned surgery to remove a (benign) nodule from his left upper lung. During surgery it was discovered that the tumor was carcinogenic, but fortunately all parts were removed. Two days later the biopsy revealed the tumor was not 1 but 2 nodes; one was a very aggressive variety. No further treatment was prescribed except for follow-up every 6 months for 5 years...so far, so good. In the surgery process the side nerve bundle was trapped in the rib spreader, which caused an extremely painful seizure disorder..so a 5 day recovery turned into 2 months with much pain and seizure meds .. Gabapentin. During this time the long-anticipated visit by our ZA friends, the Cowans, who were touring the western US, was cancelled due to an unforeseen event at home in South Africa. Another time!
Our perennial garden work could get underway when the snow melted the end of March, however, a slight hiccup occurred on April 1 (no Fool's joke) for M's planned right wrist tendon surgery. Not to be deterred, she was soon gardening in a cast and back in the live-trapping business when coons, rabbits and chipmunks invaded.  With the help of abundant spring rains and a perfect growing season our beds produced beautifully through summer and into fall. Our numerous bird feeders were popular all summer and continue to be a big hit in early Dec. (especially for the 9 squirrels captured and relocated so far this winter).
Spring revealed many coniferous trees on the west of buildings and the west side of trees brown-killed by unusual weather conditions. Rick discovered during his travels that this problem also existed in the northern part of the US all the way to the west coast.
Recovered from surgery but still in weak condition, R was on the road by bike in early May to ride in the only state in which he had not ridden : Vermont. His route took him via TN, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Shenandoah Valley to VT and on to Maine and NH, returning home thru Canada. Along the way he visited Nell Bailey in VA, the Gordon's in VT and Jim Chamberlain in NH.
Early in June M drove K's "new" Honda Element to her in TX to replace the old faithful, but sold, Land Cruiser. M/K packed K's worldly possessions into a Pod for transport to IN; a tight fit! After biding adios to SoCo and Austin for the last time and enjoying final meals of some of the city's wonderful food offerings, they drove to Bloomington and K's new life as a grad student at IU. Mid-June brought on our annual Summer Solstice celebration here including bbq dinner with many friends in perfect weather.
Starting on 5.24 R's next trip was to the SW thru CO, NM, UT, NV and CA before returning home thru Yellowstone and South Dakota (Roscoe and Ipswich). He admits to racking up 2 speeding tickets in 2 days. Since it was too early to ride the mountain national parks with brother Paul, R decided to do Part One of a ride of the borders of the U.S starting 6.24- 1st to Ely, MN, thru the Mesabi Iron Ore range, across ND thru the Bakken Oil fields (where the rain created muddy roads from the dirt of trucks coming back from well heads), past fields of stockpiled 32" pipe from India for the Keystone XL, around Glacier NP in the rain (still closed by snow) to his favorite town of "Twisp" WA, and down to Santa Cruz. The route home took him to LoLo Pass into Idaho and home via SD.
Glacier NP (finally) opened just before 7.12, so Paul/R could depart for their planned trip. It proved to be a great ride to Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP, Chief Joseph Highway, Beartooth Pass, thru the Big Horn Mts on WY Hwys 14a and 14, Rocky Mt NP and the Black Hills. Riding back from the BH, we rode 799 miles in one day (..on the interstate). In the mountains, and particularly CO, we saw unbelievable millions of acres of pine deforested from insects and disease. There is no commercial use for these dead trees so they stand to rot.
Mid-July saw M back in Bloomington helping Kelzie move from temporary quarters in a friend's spare bedroom into her new apartment.  Ah! Privacy! In August after K finished Summer School she and M took what has been nicknamed the "Thelma and Louise" trip of National Parks and interesting places in the west. They visited friends in Iowa City and Boulder, then struck out for Rocky Mtn NP. They then traveled south through CO, enjoying historic mining towns, beautiful Continental Divide passes, famous ski areas and the pristine streams, rivers, deep canyons and dense pine forests for which it's well known. Continuing on with the top down much of the time, they toured Santa Fe (oh, the art galleries and wonderful Mexican food!), Los Alamos, Aztec (think the X-Files), Durango, Mesa Verde NP, Four Corners, Monument Valley, Natural Bridges NP, Capitol Reef NP, Glen Canyon NRA, Bryce Canyon NP, Grand Staircase-Escalante NM, Zion NP, Grand Canyon, Sedona AZ, Hoover Dam/Lake Mead, Las Vegas, Death Valley (where K did a run in 116 degrees), Yosemite NP, Arches NP, Canyonlands though barely, Alma CO (highest incorporated US town), Colorado Springs and back across the plains to "Home in Indiana". They each recalled fond memories of past times in some of these places and rejoiced in exploring interesting new places together. K says "I'll be back". . 7000 miles in 15 days. M took up R's habit of logging the journey and K documented the trip in 100's of photos.
In late August and after visiting K and M in Bloomington (just back from their trip west), R rode home via Norfolk, visiting Nell Bailey in VA on the way, along the coast to the top of ME, under the lakes to MI, and up thru lower and along upper MI to Madison. So the borders from Santa Cruz over the top to Norfolk within 50 miles of the border are completed. The plans for another trip this year folded into exhaustion and malaise. Total of 24000 miles by bike this summer.
We have maintained a very rigorous gym routine 6 days per week (2 with trainers) throughout the year when home. Still R is unable to walk more than 1/10th of a mile at a stretch so with trepidation he has researched the necessary back surgery to be more mobile. He has shed weight as required, had all the tests, and scheduled for a laminectomy on 12.31 - Happy New Year!
Winter set in by mid Nov and the first snow was great - we were actually looking forward to winter, having decided we would not go to extended summer this winter. With K home, we celebrated Thanksgiving with friends... and Christmas next to the fireplace for a "day" of discovery.
We miss being on the farm in IN but visited farming friends in the community several times during the year. The IU football season was a disappointment except for watching an All-American running back (Coleman), though we did our share of cheering at 2 games and from our living room for others. Basketball season is upon us, has proven exciting and looks promising for fast action and good results.
8906 Royal Oaks Drive
Verona, WI 53593
608/497-1123 hm
rmbeebe@gmail.com
beebelog.blogspot.com
TRAVEL LOGS are available by email on request....

We are looking for the KELZIES SCHOOL NEWS from 1992 and 1993... Should any hoarder still have copies of those years, we would love a copy for our "25 YEAR BOOK"... REWARD OFFERED!