today we...

Today Paula and I decided to go on a whirlwind tour of the beautiful Swan Valley on a warm and sunny winter afternoon. There are dozens of wineries about 25 minutes from our house from the ocean with good food, good wine and lots of fun. We tasted different varieties of Syrah, Merlo, Cab Sav and a few others that I didn't recognize. We stopped at a German microbrewery and had squash soup with salads and a pint of our favorite beer. Fifty yards later we were at a beautiful winery with fields of vines where we sipped the finest Cabernets of Australia, laughed our selves sick in the sun and told lies. Another fifty yards down the road and we were at another winery buying a cask of port. Yummy. We didn't get very far down winery row!!!







Paula thinks our friends will get similar casks of port for Christmas... They had better be dear friends. The port here is second to none in the world. We cherish every drop laughing and giggling at each other after every sip. So, if you do show up on our door step with an empty glass, we'll understand. Really. If you don't, well, more for me!
Our settling in process is nearly done. The only thing missing is our furniture. Still don't know where that container might be. I do know it is somewhere between West Australia and Sigapore where it had to be transferred. We all miss our things. I especially miss my bed! But the kids have gotten into a routine of going to school then a snack and off to the nearby park to play. Although it is winter here, it is really like late spring in Oregon. Showers on and off with intermitten sunny days and beautiful sunsets over the Indian Ocean are common. Come September, we will be back in the ocean for another nine months of summer. Everyone is chomping at the bit, especially me. I can't wait to start catching lobsters and spearing big fish. Its the hunter-gatherer in me I guess...
Love to all. Steve