Yay! More photos to get you little heart a racing! I can hear the pitter-patter of anticipation right now! I wanted to prove to you all that Adventure Brad really goes on adventures, so below I have provided some blatant photo proof of some of my escapades. Have a blast!





This is a grown Sea Lion. Apparently they can run (well hobble) quite fast and have a nasty bite. Knowing this, we decided the best thing to do was test the theory. . .

I have to admit, Jenni went first with no negative consequences. . .

And I got away scott-free. OK, so I didn't actually touch the thing, but Jenni did and I got a great video of the sea lion sitting up and Jenni taking off like a bat out of hell. Unfortunately it didn't chase her, which would have made for some hilarious footage.
Us at the southernmost point in New Zealand. Not very exciting.

Just another beautiful beach.

OK, I didn't do this, but I couldn't resist stopping. I mean, come on, that sign was asking for it! Who in there right mind would have manufactured that!?! It ranks right up there with the fire-escape-direction sign in the Holiday Inn which consisted of an arrow and a man running while on fire! I'm going to steal that one by the way, its awesome!

Utter shenanigans.

Approaching the Frans Josef glacier. Finally, some danger! Oh you don't believe me. . .?

Told you, you non-believing punkster!




Danger? I laugh at danger! Guides? NEVER! Here I am shown laughing at danger. Well, a warning of impending danger anyway.




Danger and I sometimes get a little freaky-naughty! Here I am shown violating danger. Its a dirty business, but someone has to do it. My friends from the UK call this move the "Jack Russell."


Bouldering on the Frans Josef Terminal Boulder.

Beautiful sunset number 1,124,234,249,987,000 X 10 ^14




I am actually really excited about these two photos, I think I will submit them to a number of competitions and win many prises, including the all expenses paid trip to Peru and the new car. They are of Jenni becoming one with nature.

I call this one "BATMAN!"

Here are some fun fruit picking photos! Enjoy!





Man, I'm dumb!


Ahhhhhh!

Its magic! My audition for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.


Yah, putting be on this rig was probably a bad idea. I also drove a forklift, even though I was not supposed to. The boss never found out.


There HUGE!


The right way to pick. . .


Still the right way. . .


The wrong way to pick.



Introspection whilst picking. Here I am shown coming up with the "Picking Metaphors" found below.

Yes!!!!!!!!!!! We are finally done! If I ever see another pear I think I might puke!

Well, Jenni and I finished our two weeks of chain gang labor and after much hard work I feel like I am much wiser. Here are some truth nuggets I learned along the way over the past two weeks:

1. Fruit picking sucks. Some people like it a lot, but they are all weird. Well, weirder than me.
2. Don't pick fruit unless you absolutely have to.
3. Over-grown rows usually bear the best fruit. They are also much harder to manage. Could this be a metaphor for life? Kind of a "road less traveled" sort of thing?
4. Large fruit fills your bins faster and contributes more to your general well being. However, because it is ripe, it is close to falling off the tree anyway and so is much easier to drop, which kills it. Could this be a metaphor for old people? I think so! Is that mean?

Well, thats enough of that. Although I didn't enjoy these past two weeks, I am stoked that I pretty much paid for my plane tickets to Australia and back to California. I have finally made up my mind and decided on coming back to Yosemite for the summer after a month long climbing trip to Australia, which should be fantastic. In the mean time, Jenni and I are headed back "over the hill" to Takaka to hang out with our hangdog friends and do some more climbing. Catch you screw balls later!

So, does anyone find it ironic that after growing up in Kansas and moving to New Zealand for some fun-in-the-sun rest and relaxation, I have become a freaking pear picker!?! This sucks! Well, actually, its not that bad. I mean, it sure beats a kick in the crotch, but thats not saying much. As it turns out, Jenni is a weenie when it comes to picking on a ladder, so in an attempt at being a good person I have decided to pick all the tops of the trees so she can work faster on the ground. Because of this arrangement, Jenni is keeping up pretty well and although I am being held back a bit, I am still managing 4 bins a day, which is 108 bucks. Not bad, until you do the Kiwi to U.S. conversion and factor in how much I made as a tile setter, but hey, money is money and this is paying for plane tickets. Well, out of time. . .