yo ho ho and a bottle of....cab merlot?

Pinch me...I must be either dead or dreaming. The summer here in Australia just keeps getting better. First their was our journey to Rottnest Island; then the boys had a fishing expedition; Camerin and Lucas are learning to sail this week; and last Friday evening Steve and I signed up for a twighlight sail at the yacht club we joined. (yea, yea; bring on the "Buffy" jokes...) This weekend coming up we leave for a 4 day camping excursion to a world famous winery region called Margaret River. Yahoo!


























Anyway, back to the sailing; it was a perfect evening for a sail. P E R F E C T. It had been a very hot day, but on the water there was a cooling breeze. Usually in the evening the wind comes up and whips the ocean into a frenzy of whitecaps and swells that are anything BUT swell if you want to be on a sail boat. This night was different and boy, was it awesome. We were paired with a couple who were retired for about a year. We had plenty of wine, beer and conversation. They shared their life and travels with us and we shared ours with them. Instant best friends. A wonderful couple with four grown children who clearly know how to live large and enjoy the blessings they've been given. What a great evening.
Their boat was humble and small, but that night it was just what we all needed. We watched as the sun dipped into the ocean, wishing it didn't have to come to an end. Indeed, when we finished our twighlight sail we joined the other sailors in the bar at the yacht club. All in all about 15 or 20 boats went out on that summer's evening, taking a full load of delighted passengers for a sunset cruise...
Afterware, the camaraderie shared by all the sail boat skippers in the bar was like a little club they all belonged to with a language all their own. They went out of their way to be friendly and make sure we came back again. That is a bit of the Aussie spirit you hear about in the States.
Cheers, mate.

Summer Corkah

That's what they say here when it's going to be a really hot day..."it's gonna be a corkah"; it comes out "corkah" because they don't pronounce their "r's" here. Very similar to a New England accent in the States. They add all the misplaced "r's" onto words that otherwise don't have an "r", and then remove them for the words that do have an "r". i.e., "put the cah in the cah pahk, mate" (they call parking lots car parks). One of the funniest and most twisted examples of how they use or don't use the letter "r" came up at Sam and Camerin's school play. It was a play about the adventures of Marco Polo. Spoken in true Aussie dialect, Marco Polo actually sounds like "Marcar, Polar". I think we were almost ejected from the audience during the play, Steve and I were laughing so hard. Anyway....I digress.

Summer is in full swing here. Hot, hot, hot. Even I, well-known sun worshipper, have taken to slathering on sun screen, covering up my shoulders and wearing a hat. It is incredibly intense. But, no humidity to speak of and really not unlike our beloved Medford summers. The sun just feels merciless here, though. I swim every day, if I can find the time. The kids....not so much. They seem reluctant to go, but love it when they are there. I don't get it. They are quite adept at whining about the sand that gets everywhere, but there are fresh water showers everywhere at the beach so it doesn't seem like a huge deal to me.



The surf seems bigger to me than it did when we arrived in May. I was seriously chewed up and spit out by a rogue wave recently, and now the sea has my undivided and full attention when I'm in it. Yessir, Mr. Ocean, sir!
The kids are having a relaxing time of it; sleeping in and "hanging out" when they get up. Ah, youth is surely wasted on the young. It's just over 3 weeks until they head back to school. Actually, I know how many hours it is too....
But, things start popping next week. Lucas and Sam are taking a fishing clinic at the yacht club we joined; the following week Lucas and Cami are learning to sail a boat. Lucas is also taking a course to get his dive certificate, so he and his Dad can go diving together. Very cool.
The last week of January we are going camping with some friends in an area about 3 hours south of Perth known as Margaret River. From what I understand, it sounds like Napa with an ocean. Lots of wineries, shops, beach, and kid activities. I'm looking forward to getting away.
School will be on in early February. We'll see what that will bring! Three kids at three different schools. Shouldn't be boring....

Here's to the summer of 2009...so far, it's a corkah. Happy New Year to everyone, God Bless and much success in 2009....
Cheers!

State Flower of Western Australia...Kangaroo Paws

local vegetation known as Black Boys...odd aren't they?

Rottnest Glory

We took a boat ride a couple of days after Christmas at the invitation of a family friend and his wife; Dave and Jenny. Dave is Steve's very regular dive buddy. Jenny doesn't dive, but she is an artist and lovely woman. They offered to take us all to Rottnest Island, a picturesque island off the coast of Perth. It is an hour boat ride, (and a wild ride at that!) but once you arrive you feel as though you've been transported to a time and place that might have existed years and years ago. Transportation on the island is only via bicycle, unless you sign up for a bus tour. The island is inhabited by the infamous Quokka, a smaller version of a kangaroo and in plentiful supply. In fact, Rottnest Island used to be known as Ratnest Island, because the people used to think the Quokka was a rat. Fortunately, it was found to be a marsupial, and Ratnest became Rottnest; honestly, a much more appealing name.
We swam and went snorkeling and had the most amazing day. The pictures tell it all. We had an even wilder ride on the way home, as the wind had picked up quite a bit and the swells on the ocean were considerable. No one was seasick, thankfully, except the boat captains wife, Jenny, who says she always gets sick.
All the kids tried a bit of snorkeling off this amazing reef with exquisite colors. We all saw a variety of beautifully colored fish, coral and various plantlife. It was spectacular. I could not get over the incredible beauty of this place. Now I am told this pales in comparison to some other places within a days drive that we are being encouraged to visit. I'm certain that we will...
Lucas and I were allowed to strap on a dive tank and dive below the water, after some instruction from the boat captain, Dave. Neither of us had done it before and it was just thrilling. Lucas is ready to get his diving certificate, and will probably start a course in January. Yea Lucas!
Enjoy these pics. Sorry it's so cold in the States right now....

Merry Christmas Crackers

We were introduced to an Australian/English tradition this Christmas. It was such fun. They have what they call "crackers" which are put at each person's plate for Christmas dinner. They are wrapped in pretty paper with ribbons, with tufts of wrapping paper at each end. The idea is to have someone pull on the other end while you pull on your end. One of you will pull out a useless bit of cardboard, and the other person will get the contents. It makes a "pop" as it's pulled. The contents of our crackers included a Christmas hat (to be put on immediately), a piece of paper with a joke (much like a fortune cookie), a few pieces of chocolate, and a tiny squirt gun. Our guests made and brought our crackers, which allows you to put whatever you want in them. Suzie, my friend responsible for the crackers, quietly asked me to put a bowl of water at both of the tables where we were to enjoy Christmas dinner. The kids had a bowl and the adults had a bowl, though I had no idea why (until, of course, after we opened our "crackers")! It was great fun "pulling" our crackers and discovering the contents. The hats went on, the jokes were shared, and the squirt guns were put into immediate use. There was a spell of complete chaos as water fights broke out between the two tables, but finally we all settled into eating our meal. Of course, due to the heat we had a cold Christmas dinner, with a fabulous fillet of beef, cold lobster, shrimp, ceviche (an appetizer of small pieces of raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice, often with onions, peppers, and spices) and several different types of cold salads. It was memorable. Afterward, we again were introduced to an Australian/English staple at Christmastime; Christmas pudding. I had never had it before, but it was quite good. It is made from rum-soaked dried fruits essentially inside a fruitcake, but of less density. It is served warm with a rum-cream to go over it. I was happy to have tried it, but I would opt for our more traditional apple, cherry, blueberry or mince meat pie any day. As it turned out I had made a 3-berry crumbleberry pie, which was instantly devoured by all the kids. No Christmas pudding for them!
After singing some Christmas carols with the group, accompanied by Suzie's 89 year old father playing a "Concertina", we went to the beach for a swim. It was spectacular. However, it was quite windy at the beach, so we could not stay unless we were in the water, as sand was blowing everywhere. Due to the high winds, the surf was rocking and rolling and it was great fun.
So, Christmas, Aussie-style. Very different from what we know, but truly a great time was had by all.
Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Christmas carols a la July 4th...

Goodness, how does that happen? Christmas just sneaks up and happens and then it's gone again. Here it is 28 December. Heck, Boxing Day is over already too! Anyway, our first Australian Christmas was memorable; if nothing else, then for the fact that we were in Australia! Of course, add to it that it's daylight savings time here now (Christmas lights are not visible until 8.30 or 9.00 pm), Christmas activities are done in shorts and tank tops, and it's warm and we are swimming in the ocean every day! Nonetheless, Australian's seem to enjoy their Christmastime just as much as the next continent. Before Christmas we enjoyed going to a "Carols in the Park" event with some friends. It's an event that features singing Christmas carols, hearing a Christmas message (it's sponsored by a Christian church), and finishes off with fireworks after dark. It was just like a 4th of July celebration in the States, except with Christmas carols! There were booths there for food, people throwing footballs, frisbees, and anything else easy to launch, lots and lots of glow sticks, necklaces, headgear, etc. It was quite fun and certainly did a lot to get us pumped up with that elusive Christmas spirit. Pics and a video clip below!

Behind the waterfall. Sneaky. Remember the scene in "Last of the Mohicians?" Well its a little like that except that if you jumped in here the water would come up to your ankles and the choi would nibble at your toes. Except for that, its just like the movie...

Paula is spewin'!
Only in Singapore can you find a giant half fish half lion spitting water out of its mouth. Tourists (like us) line their bodies up in funny positions, making the water come in and out of their orifices. This is especially popular with the Chineese.