Garden Party Take Two… And Our Secret Garden

It would not be a trip to the Dunnage’s without a garden party. Apparently it is only Sadie and I who call it the “Garden Party”, but to us it seems to be appropriate. Sadie wore her best dress, and we all woke up ready for a big family photo with all four boys, and their wonderful ma and pa. While the party was clearly a part of the sequel, it brought new characters and new depth. Dorothy and George appeared looking fabulous (my surfing connection from last year), as did a fresh crop of family. We drank, and talked about organics, life in Bali, and what it might mean to be a new arrival on the “Dunnage scene”. There was a brief moment where I had to wake Scott up from his intermission nap, but we soldiered on. Sadie and Mia danced the day away, and before we knew it, the night sky was falling.

We awoke with James and Sarah exiting the scene, and decided that Scott, Sadie and I should enjoy the botanical gardens and the park museum. As the day grew long, we took a walk across the cricket field (Sadie practicing her cartwheels the entire way), to Andre and Monique’s house to spend some time with Scott’s childhood friend. What a beautiful warm family they are. Their three children and beautiful house were as welcoming as their smiles, and we left knowing that they would all appear in “New Zealand, Part Three”.

As we snuggled Sadie into dreamland, Scott and I packed eagerly for our next adventure. We would be flying to Auckland in the morning to see what the North Island had in store for us this time…