Onward intrepid Beeden clan, all six of us, to the Dordogne area. First stop was at Les Eyzes, site of the excavation of some man's oldest relatives about 55,000 years ago, and the first dwellings in cliffs we were to see. Excellent museum there, and gorgeous mossy waterwheel. We stayed next at a  gitte in … Continue reading France: fun for all the family

Why I loved Bordeaux by Anya Beeden. "Mum and Dad had made a surprise for me and Max. So when we arrived we saw a sign saying "A surprise awaits you" then another saying "Tonight will be the best of your life". That is about all the signs I remember. Then we walked inside and … Continue reading Holy Gitte! France is beautiful.

We arrived in London to a beautiful day, green grass, blue skies and spring bud, just in time to help make a cake for the twin cousins 4th birthday.  It was special to be there in person to celebrate as it was the first time the kids and Ally had met their smallest English relatives. … Continue reading The not so GrAypril, and birthday buzz in England

We met with Emma, Steve and Reuben Bent in Athens; friends of old and our boys born within two weeks of each other. A funky spot to catch up on four or so years. Athens was on the list partly to satisfy Max's Greek mythology interest born out of being an avid Percy Jackson fan. … Continue reading Groovy Greece: the Bent Beedens on tour

Late in the afternoon March 16 we got into Minturn, CO. to see groovy buddy Matt Hendrix, his wife Gayle, daughters  Devin & Barrett and three English bulldogs that were small jumpy tanks. A nostalgic moment at Vail Village, where Ally had lived and worked, and learnt to snowboard with Roger, and partied with Matt, … Continue reading Colorado – friends, fab food, and snowfun

It was nearly impossible for the Grand Canyon to compete with the intimate experience of being inside the slot canyons in Page. However the scale of this most well known of American landscapes and the array of colours painting the story of its geological history through its layers was awesome to look down on. And … Continue reading Grand Cavernous & Amazing Arches

Six days of being speechless through a vast and spectacular landscape - we couldn't  get over how headexpandingly magnificent the deserts and rock and plateaus and canyons are in this part of the USA. We ran out of superlatives and hyperbole to express our reactions to the landscape. If you need to fill your view … Continue reading Roadtripping across the Wild West: it Rocks!

Across the ranges through newly fallen snow was such a beautiful roadie we all behaved ourselves for the 7hours it took (minus the farting and dab jokes). Blue sky day and breath-taking vistas made for an excellent Sunday drive. Love that Goldberg residence - thank you! This week's education was take care of with a … Continue reading Rock’n’Roll living in the snowy mountains

Landing in LAX we jeeped on out quick smart to see buddy Steph, the grooviest urchin diver up Santa Barbara way. She was a great hostess - we even got to see her Mum! She patiently escorted us on a busmans holiday at the Seacentre on the pier where we got excited about jellyfish and … Continue reading Early Marching up through California

About 15 years ago Roger & Ally went to this musical festival in a national park by the sea and LOVED it. So we wanted to take the kids as part of the NZ leg of The Big Trip. It lived up to expectations - the sun shone the sea sparkled the sounds rolled.....   … Continue reading SPLORE! Ahhhhh….say no more ❤