Cruising with Captain Cook...

...not the Captain Cook from Peter Pan fame; Captain Cook is a cruise line here in Perth on the Swan River, as well as arguably the most famous explorer of Australia.

Steve bid on the tickets for the cruise at a school fund raiser at Beaumaris Primary, where Camerin and Sam go to school. Realizing recently that they would soon expire if we didn't use them, I booked a date for us to go. As it turns out, it was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed ourselves very much. It was 2 hours and 45 minutes in length. The Swan River is really beautiful and there is much to see. Enjoy these pics!

en guard, 28's, and biking on the Swan River

Sam, Camerin and Lucas have been going to fencing on Tuesday evenings. Something to do while we wait for summer to arrive. It is held at a local high school for about 1.5 hours per session. Having never been exposed to fencing before, I joined in for a couple of sessions and found it to be interesting, strenuous and very, very complicated! It looks quite simple in the movies, but it is really a very intricate dance involving a good deal of strategy. A thinking man's sport, for certain! I think I'll stick to tennis....

Spring is making an appearance in West Australia. I've found a new friend who enjoys going for walks through the myriad parks and bushlands available. We take her 14 year old deaf dog, Harry, and tromp about. She is schooling me in the spiders to watch for, the varied and interesting plants and flowers, and the spendid assortment of birds. There are song birds here all year round, and no migrating birds that she is aware of. It stays warm enough for them to stay in town rather than traveling north, as so many of the thin skinned Aussies do during the winter.


















It was shocking to see wild parrots and cockatoo's when we first arrived. Generally, I've seen them only at pet stores in cages or at the zoo in the aviary. Here they soar through the skies at will. Some of them screech, some have a lovely song. They provide constant company on any walk through the bush or the park. Of a recent Friday, I was visiting a new park my friend told me about where I locked my keys in my car in my excitement to check out the birds. DOH! While I waited for Steve to get my extra set of keys and rescue me, I enjoyed myself thoroughly watching the assortment of birds. I can't name the white ones in the pictures provided, but the brillian green birds in the tree are called "28's". An odd name, to be sure, but these parrots are simply beautiful. There is also a solid black bird (not pictured) native to this area that I am told is a raven. It looks like our version of a crow. They are enormous and have the funniest call. It makes me smile and/or laugh out loud every time I hear it. Imagine looking upon a basket of cute puppies or kittens; the usual response is "awwwww, they're so cute!" The raven makes the "awwww" sound and holds it for a long time. It's comical.

Sam and I went to Perth and went biking on the path along the Swan River this past Saturday. It was awesome. Completely flat, so not much of a workout, but it is beautiful and there was quite a bit of activity everywhere. Perth is a bustling city with lots to offer. I will make a trip to Kings Park in downtown Perth in about 3 weeks to see the spring exhibit in the botantical garden there. I'm told it is spectacular. Pictures will tell the story!

We have news of our shipping container making an appearance in Fremantle soon. We will have a sort of Christmas when we get our things. Yippeee!

Of birthdays and winter afternoons....

Camerin had her 11th birthday on August 1st. We celebrated with an ice cream pie and 10 movies to watch from Blockbuster. Cami and her dad picked them out. After all, it is winter here! The next day she had a party at a great facility with an enormous pool and indoor waterslide. She and her friends had a great time and came back to our house to continue the celebration with cake and presents. All in all, quite a good birthday for Camerin.


We took to the beach of a recenter winter afternoon, footy in hand. It was cool, but not cold and quite beautiful. The surf was up! Nothing refreshes like going to the beach, even if you don't swim. It's all about relaxing and letting the cares of the world fall away. There are shells to be collected, sand to be sculpted and waves to play chase with. Lovely; unless of course, you stumble upon an odd sea creature (in this case it's Lucas) who is startling in his, ahem, presentation? Ah well, we're all God's creatures after all, aren't we?






Throughout the suburbs of Perth are small clusters of shops with the essentials; grocery store, bakery, chemist (pharmacy), and the ever-present Fish and Chips shop. These little clusters of stores are located right in the neighborhoods, seemingly about 4-6 blocks apart. The kids flock there after school to buy chips, soda and candy. People walk to the shops with their eco-friendly canvas bags to carry their purchases in. Everyone has re-usable bags here for their grocery's. Plastic bags are still used here, but people are very aware of trying to limit their use. Along with the shops, there are park areas sprinkled in with the neighborhoods. They are everywhere and the kids from the neighborhood go there to play footy, basketball, wrestle; you know....be kids! Dogs and their owners also frequent these parks, where the dogs meet for doggie parties. Most of the home lots here are very small and people don't have yards like we all do in the States. So, kids go to the community park to play. It's a neat concept, and parks are so plentiful there are usually several within a short walk. After school, you will find the parks full of kids and dogs playing. Brilliant!