So on to our final week back home. Saturday was taken up with a joint birthday celebration for Linda and Andrew at their house in Paterson. We drove up in the late afternoon - quite a nice drive and VERY rural by the time we arrived. The girls would have loved the farms and cows etc that were all over the place except they were too busy watching Shrek for about the 80th time on their iPods! We had dinner at the local pub and ended up back at their house playing poker for a very high stakes tournament ($5 buy in). In the end it came down to Mindy and Alex...and Alex's skills won out in the end.
Sunday was kicked off by bacon and eggs on the BBQ then 9 holes of golf at Paterson golf club. The previous night I had asked Andrew about our tee time and received a smile and was assured it would not be necessary. Well, far from there being a crowd, there was not even a place to pay! It was an honour system where you put your money in a box on the 1st tee. Certainly the country town experience. We then said goodbye to Alex and Ange who were heading up the coast for a week...sad but only one of many goodbyes to come over the next week.
Monday night was spent catching up with old school mates. Adam, Daniel J and Daniel W were have known each other since the 7th grade and it was great that we were able to get together and go over old stories and catch up on what we have all been doing for the past few years. Daniel W drove to my house and picked Adam from the station, then we headed up to Johno's house at the Terrace. We met his wife Kim, who could not have been nicer...then after a beer, went to the fancy "Muree Golf Club" for many beers. 8 schooners each later and we were ready for dinner, more beer and a weird compulsion to go looking for some more alcohol. Canadian Club and Ginger Ale was found and an amazingly small amount actually drunk while watching an episode of the "Young Ones"...another part of our youth!
After a great breakfast Tuesday we headed back to Newcastle. Before we left, I had received a call that Alex and Ange were heading back our way to spend some more time with us! So that afternoon we went to the cinema and the girls were treated by cousin Alex to see Toy Story 3...Mindy, Angus and myself wandered around a shopping mall, drank coffee and relaxed as much as we could with a 6 month old in tow.
The rest of the week was spent seeing people and kind of saying goodbye. A couple of visits to see Aunty Betty including catching up with Kevin and Glenys were a priority. We went up to see Mick and Margaret on Wednesday night...another fun evening as expected! On Thursday Daniel and Alethia came up for dinner and we said goodbye to them. Friday brought the final farewell to Mick's family when everyone came over for pizza. It was difficult to say goodbye to everyone as expected but we had a wonderful time and hopefully will get back a little sooner than 4 years for our next visit.
Saturday was departure day. We managed to stuff everything into the car and then said farewell to Mum. This was very difficult for everyone...it is getting tougher now because the kids are old enough to understand what is going on as well. I like to avoid a drawn out goodbye so we got away nice and early for the airport. The journey was relatively smooth...arrived OK; rental car dropped off; checked in bags; got to immigration THEN had to fill out 5 departing passenger cards; claimed back the tax paid for the opals...then went to the gate with about 15 minutes to spare before we boarded!
As expected, the flight was a nightmare. Naomi is now too tall to get comfortable and so as a result, our trip was about 10 hours of her squirming around not sleeping...and us therefore not sleeping much either. Mindy had Angus on her lap, I had Fiona lying on my lap...and Naomi kind of bounced around between the two of us. It was at this time that I brought up the fact of us only having 90 minutes to make our flight to New York! I assumed it would be OK but still knew we would have to hustle to make it.
So...touch down in LA...first obstacle - get the gate checked stroller. Luckily it was waiting for us immediately off the plane. Then to immigration where we lined up...not too bad. Then the agents took a whole group from BEHIND us to another line where they moved more quickly. Through immigration, then to baggage claim. Fortunately the bags came out relatively quickly and so then on to customs. There were two lines and looking ahead, I picked the one that had fewer people in it. Well, I did not realise that the OTHER line was being serviced by TWO agents...so we were stuck while people were flying past us. Eventually got through...45 minutes gone. Now all that was left was to get the bags to the conveyer belt for our next flight...get out of this terminal and into another terminal two away...THEN back through a security checkpoint...THEN to race to our gate.
So, we find our terminal and hit the line for security. Only about 10 people in front of us, 35 minutes until the flight leaves...not a problem. However, the line seems to not be moving. 10 minutes later, we had 8 people in front of us. I realised we would miss our flight if not bumped up so requested to get this expedited from the agent. Fortunately he let us go next! So now just a simple matter of removing Angus from the sling; taking off 4 pairs of shoes; removing the liquids and my laptop from the bag; then pushing a camera bag; laptop bag; 4 carry on bags; a stroller and all of our shoes through the machine! Then get dressed on the other side and get to the gate. As time was now VERY close, I ran ahead with Naomi (and the stroller, laptop bag; camera bag and two carry on bags) and made it to the gate as we were being paged. Literally, we got on the plane, stowed our bags, sat down and they shut the door of the plane. 5 more minutes and we missed it. So - exhaused; tired and hungry...we tried to relax for our 6 hour flight across the country.
Everything else was uneventful. All our bags arrived OK. Rita and Cam picked us up and everything fit back into our van. Of course, we were smashed by the heat wave and time change but we made it in one piece, without missing any planes, so no real complaints.
We all had a fantastic time and have to get back to reality. Now I have 6 months with no vacation to look forward to. At least the cricket season is still going on - Staten Island game this weekend!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Australia - Week 3 - Part 2
The rest of the week was set up to spend some time with the family in Newcastle. Various members who are teachers were off for the holidays, Mick took a week off so we looked for stuff to do that was kid friendly and local.
First stop on Monday was at the Shortland Wetlands. The weather was gloomy with patchy rain (it stayed this way for the whole week) but we decided to chance it. As it turned out, it worked out quite well. Lunch at the cafe was very nice and we then followed with a few hours of walking the trails and looking at the wildlife. Monday night brought another visit from Evo, working in the area again. Once again - great to catch up, although perhaps the fame and fortune brought by getting mentioned in this blog were part of the attraction. It was a short visit, he had other dinner plans, but consuming a 6 pack was a great way to spend the evening.
Tuesday was another big highlight - a day trip to "Oakvale Farm". This is an interactive farm/zoo where you can get close to the animals, both native animals and other farm animals. We purchased a couple of bags of food for hand feeding and went on our way. Immediately through the gate, a couple of kangaroos hopped up and were duly rewarded with some from the girls. I think they would have happily blown through all of their right there! After this, we went to an interactive feeding exhibition. The girls were given bottles of milk to feed to the lambs and baby goats in their pens. After this, they were invited to try their hands at milking a cow. Naomi was first up and really got the hang of it, certainly made a lot of milk come out. Then it was Fiona's try. She also seemed to have the touch, getting some milk into the bucket...then something else happened - the cow lifted her tail and let out a massive pee. Fiona jumped for cover to avoid getting in the way and made it out of there uninjured! She then sat down to continue and had no sooner put her hands on the cow again when the cow let out a massive poo. So with a couple of tugs, Fiona was able to pretty much empty the cow of everything!
Koalas were next on the agenda, getting to pat them and see them very close. Highlight here was the baby still on its mother's back. Very cute. A short tractor ride around the farm followed, then we explored further. Lunch was next with rolls and sandwich meats to be consumed...except that someone (Mindy) forgot to pack the rolls! We were able to make do with some salads etc so the potential disaster was averted.
Spent a lot of time in the free range kangaroo area feeding the roos and getting crap all over our shoes and the wheels of the stroller. The girls really had a blast. There was an enclosure nearby with a few minature ponies. During the tractor ride we were told that on knew how to slip through the fence and they were happy to let her explore. The horse got out and was walked along, flanked by Naomi and Fiona for quite a while. Within a few seconds they had named her "Princess", no real surprise for anyone who knows them. After this, a trip to the hose to wash off all of the poo and then a visit to the gift store before heading home. A really great day was had by all.
The next couple of days were a little more quiet, involving a trip up to Mick's to watch the State of Origin game. The match was close and competitive, sadly the class of the Queensland stars came through in the end and they got home with a few minutes to spare. Enjoyable game...even more enjoyable beer and company.
To wrap up the week, we headed to the Australia Reptile Park (like we had not seen enough wildlife yet). Mick and Margaret met us there for another day of exploring and seeing (mainly) Australian animals. Patting of wombats; many different reptiles and also a photo opportunity with two baby dingoes was taken. The girls really enjoyed this. We also saw some Tassie Devils and a couple of Galapagos tortoises. There were a couple of nice reptile shows on offer, the bloke who was doing the demo was quite funny and made several jokes at the expense of audience members. I was talking to him later and he mentioned that he wished he knew Mindy was American during the show "I have lots of American jokes I could have used to embarrass her". So, I had to think I missed a big opportunity there. After lunch we went to see the crocodile feeding, the spider exhibit and the indoor snake exhibit - all quite good. Then we packed up and headed home after quite a busy day and week!
First stop on Monday was at the Shortland Wetlands. The weather was gloomy with patchy rain (it stayed this way for the whole week) but we decided to chance it. As it turned out, it worked out quite well. Lunch at the cafe was very nice and we then followed with a few hours of walking the trails and looking at the wildlife. Monday night brought another visit from Evo, working in the area again. Once again - great to catch up, although perhaps the fame and fortune brought by getting mentioned in this blog were part of the attraction. It was a short visit, he had other dinner plans, but consuming a 6 pack was a great way to spend the evening.
Tuesday was another big highlight - a day trip to "Oakvale Farm". This is an interactive farm/zoo where you can get close to the animals, both native animals and other farm animals. We purchased a couple of bags of food for hand feeding and went on our way. Immediately through the gate, a couple of kangaroos hopped up and were duly rewarded with some from the girls. I think they would have happily blown through all of their right there! After this, we went to an interactive feeding exhibition. The girls were given bottles of milk to feed to the lambs and baby goats in their pens. After this, they were invited to try their hands at milking a cow. Naomi was first up and really got the hang of it, certainly made a lot of milk come out. Then it was Fiona's try. She also seemed to have the touch, getting some milk into the bucket...then something else happened - the cow lifted her tail and let out a massive pee. Fiona jumped for cover to avoid getting in the way and made it out of there uninjured! She then sat down to continue and had no sooner put her hands on the cow again when the cow let out a massive poo. So with a couple of tugs, Fiona was able to pretty much empty the cow of everything!
Koalas were next on the agenda, getting to pat them and see them very close. Highlight here was the baby still on its mother's back. Very cute. A short tractor ride around the farm followed, then we explored further. Lunch was next with rolls and sandwich meats to be consumed...except that someone (Mindy) forgot to pack the rolls! We were able to make do with some salads etc so the potential disaster was averted.
Spent a lot of time in the free range kangaroo area feeding the roos and getting crap all over our shoes and the wheels of the stroller. The girls really had a blast. There was an enclosure nearby with a few minature ponies. During the tractor ride we were told that on knew how to slip through the fence and they were happy to let her explore. The horse got out and was walked along, flanked by Naomi and Fiona for quite a while. Within a few seconds they had named her "Princess", no real surprise for anyone who knows them. After this, a trip to the hose to wash off all of the poo and then a visit to the gift store before heading home. A really great day was had by all.
The next couple of days were a little more quiet, involving a trip up to Mick's to watch the State of Origin game. The match was close and competitive, sadly the class of the Queensland stars came through in the end and they got home with a few minutes to spare. Enjoyable game...even more enjoyable beer and company.
To wrap up the week, we headed to the Australia Reptile Park (like we had not seen enough wildlife yet). Mick and Margaret met us there for another day of exploring and seeing (mainly) Australian animals. Patting of wombats; many different reptiles and also a photo opportunity with two baby dingoes was taken. The girls really enjoyed this. We also saw some Tassie Devils and a couple of Galapagos tortoises. There were a couple of nice reptile shows on offer, the bloke who was doing the demo was quite funny and made several jokes at the expense of audience members. I was talking to him later and he mentioned that he wished he knew Mindy was American during the show "I have lots of American jokes I could have used to embarrass her". So, I had to think I missed a big opportunity there. After lunch we went to see the crocodile feeding, the spider exhibit and the indoor snake exhibit - all quite good. Then we packed up and headed home after quite a busy day and week!
Australia - Week 3 - Part 1
More driving on Friday - down to Daniel and Alethia's on the Central Coast for a couple of days. Friday was spent at their house, hanging out and letting the kids play near the lake. Dinner was a fantastic lamb roast and was accompanied by many beers, several of the home-brew variety.
Saturday was spent exploring Sommersby Falls, a nice waterfall in a national park area. The walk down to the falls began with some steps and then progressively got more tricky and rough as we headed down. The falls are quite beautiful with several observation points over the route. Mindy did a great job in getting down as far as she did with Angus in the sling but had to stop and wait for us one spot before the very bottom. The girls were doing a great job, in fact, the issue was more with them running everywhere rather than them being intimidated at all. Many photos and some video were shot and we then began the ascent. A really nice day and certainly one of the highlights of the trip for us. After this, we headed around the The Entrance where they have daily pelican feeding. This was also a lot of fun and the girls really enjoyed it. Then back home for some Thai food before heading back to Newcastle. Many thanks to Daniel and Alethia for their hospitality and the suggestions for how to spend the day!
Saturday was spent exploring Sommersby Falls, a nice waterfall in a national park area. The walk down to the falls began with some steps and then progressively got more tricky and rough as we headed down. The falls are quite beautiful with several observation points over the route. Mindy did a great job in getting down as far as she did with Angus in the sling but had to stop and wait for us one spot before the very bottom. The girls were doing a great job, in fact, the issue was more with them running everywhere rather than them being intimidated at all. Many photos and some video were shot and we then began the ascent. A really nice day and certainly one of the highlights of the trip for us. After this, we headed around the The Entrance where they have daily pelican feeding. This was also a lot of fun and the girls really enjoyed it. Then back home for some Thai food before heading back to Newcastle. Many thanks to Daniel and Alethia for their hospitality and the suggestions for how to spend the day!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Australia - Week 2 - Part 2
Tuesday morning and we were off to Sydney. Used some more Marriott points...I will need to start travelling with work again soon or I might have to start paying for this stuff! As with our last visit, the Sydney Harbour Marriott hotel was the clear choice.
We arrived in the early afternoon and spent a few hours walking around Circular Quay and near the Opera House. We then took a "trackless train" ride through the Botanic Gardens and saw enough to give us a plan for Wednesday. After this, a few souvenir shops were hit and we went back to the room and prepared with "friend dinner number 1", Willow...an old high school buddy.
As we did 4 years ago, we decided upon the Lowenbrau brewery and ordered large schnitzels and even larger beers. Mindy and the kids came along for the meal to ease some of her cabin fever. After dinner, back to the hotel to drop off the family then out for a few more drinks. "The Rugby Club" was our first stop; then the "Belgian Beer Cafe" where we sampled a couple of bottles of a beer called "Satan" I believe. Finally wrapped up at "Jackson's on George" before calling it a night. A great night was had, catching up, remembering the past and talking the night away. Rough plans were made for another night in Newcastle in a couple of weeks.
Wednesday, as planned, was spent exploring the Botanic Gardens. The kids really enjoyed running around there and the many sights on offer. The fruit bats were pretty cool, Mindy and I traded off the video camera and did not realize that the other had been filming basically the same thing...so we have a lot of bat footage! We also found some cockatoos that would land on you. Weirdly, we have no footage of the girls and me getting swamped...I had 4 on me, and the girls two each. A couple of pictures were taken but these did not really do it justice.
After this, we continued around the harbour to Macquarie Point with a great view back to the city. Then it was time to head back to the hotel when we realized how far we had walked! Maybe burned off half of the schnitzel from the previous night. Dinner on Wednesday was with Dave, my old room mate from Virginia. Mindy had planned to go along but Fiona was not feeling the best so she took the night off. Dinner was at "The Australian Hotel", a nice pub in The Rocks. Pizza and beer were consumed and once again, much catching up was done. We vowed to try to actually get our families together at some point in the future...
Thursday was spent doing some shopping. Opal necklaces were bought for the girls. An opal necklace AND opal ear rings were bought for Mindy. Angus and I watched this with much confusion. We then went to a bookstore and happily managed to find "Fiona the Flute Fairy" to go along with an earlier acquisition of "Naomi the Netball Fairy". Mindy found an Aboriginal art book that she seemed very happy with. After this, we headed back, jumped in the car and headed back to Newcastle. Quite a short visit but a lot of fun in perfect weather.
We arrived in the early afternoon and spent a few hours walking around Circular Quay and near the Opera House. We then took a "trackless train" ride through the Botanic Gardens and saw enough to give us a plan for Wednesday. After this, a few souvenir shops were hit and we went back to the room and prepared with "friend dinner number 1", Willow...an old high school buddy.
As we did 4 years ago, we decided upon the Lowenbrau brewery and ordered large schnitzels and even larger beers. Mindy and the kids came along for the meal to ease some of her cabin fever. After dinner, back to the hotel to drop off the family then out for a few more drinks. "The Rugby Club" was our first stop; then the "Belgian Beer Cafe" where we sampled a couple of bottles of a beer called "Satan" I believe. Finally wrapped up at "Jackson's on George" before calling it a night. A great night was had, catching up, remembering the past and talking the night away. Rough plans were made for another night in Newcastle in a couple of weeks.
Wednesday, as planned, was spent exploring the Botanic Gardens. The kids really enjoyed running around there and the many sights on offer. The fruit bats were pretty cool, Mindy and I traded off the video camera and did not realize that the other had been filming basically the same thing...so we have a lot of bat footage! We also found some cockatoos that would land on you. Weirdly, we have no footage of the girls and me getting swamped...I had 4 on me, and the girls two each. A couple of pictures were taken but these did not really do it justice.
After this, we continued around the harbour to Macquarie Point with a great view back to the city. Then it was time to head back to the hotel when we realized how far we had walked! Maybe burned off half of the schnitzel from the previous night. Dinner on Wednesday was with Dave, my old room mate from Virginia. Mindy had planned to go along but Fiona was not feeling the best so she took the night off. Dinner was at "The Australian Hotel", a nice pub in The Rocks. Pizza and beer were consumed and once again, much catching up was done. We vowed to try to actually get our families together at some point in the future...
Thursday was spent doing some shopping. Opal necklaces were bought for the girls. An opal necklace AND opal ear rings were bought for Mindy. Angus and I watched this with much confusion. We then went to a bookstore and happily managed to find "Fiona the Flute Fairy" to go along with an earlier acquisition of "Naomi the Netball Fairy". Mindy found an Aboriginal art book that she seemed very happy with. After this, we headed back, jumped in the car and headed back to Newcastle. Quite a short visit but a lot of fun in perfect weather.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Australia - Week 2 - Part 1
Due to basically having no internet service for much of the trip...and certainly having no time for writing up blog entries when I did, this is now a few weeks old news but in any case...
Saturday brought a trip down to see the mighty Eels against the filthy Broncos. A bus was acquired for the day - Andrew drove us down, participants were the 5 of us, Andrew, Linda, Mick, Margaret and Alex. Went to the Leagues Club for lunch followed by a visit to the Eels store where much stuff was purchased - new sweat shirts for Mindy and me; t-shirt for Naomi; ball for Fiona (but later this became a shared ball) and a scarf for me. Inflatable hands where bought for the girls (thanks Uncle Mick) and so we did our part for giving the team a few $$$.
Before the game, we decided to go for a walk around the stadium. We then were hanging around outside our gate when some of the players started to walk by. A marker was acquired and Angus in his mini-jersey was thrust in front of several players for signing purposes. First Nathan Hindmarsh and Luke Burt, followed a few minutes later by Fui Fui; Daniel Mortimer and Jarryd Hayne! Not a bad little collection in the end. Was on the lookout for Nathan Cayless but I guess he came earlier or used a different entrance.
As for the game...well, the night was a lot of fun but from a league perspective, quite disappointing again. The Eels played poorly and came up short in the end. We were then treated to 2 hours of Angus screaming in the bus on the way home...after the result, I felt much the same way.
Sunday was a lazy day spent with Mick but went along to his local club for some free APL poker. I did OK, and made the final table but in the end, never got the hands when I needed them. However, in good news for the family, Alex went on the win the whole thing so in the end a decent Quirk showing.
Monday was spend at the house getting ready for our Sydney trip on Tuesday...
Saturday brought a trip down to see the mighty Eels against the filthy Broncos. A bus was acquired for the day - Andrew drove us down, participants were the 5 of us, Andrew, Linda, Mick, Margaret and Alex. Went to the Leagues Club for lunch followed by a visit to the Eels store where much stuff was purchased - new sweat shirts for Mindy and me; t-shirt for Naomi; ball for Fiona (but later this became a shared ball) and a scarf for me. Inflatable hands where bought for the girls (thanks Uncle Mick) and so we did our part for giving the team a few $$$.
Before the game, we decided to go for a walk around the stadium. We then were hanging around outside our gate when some of the players started to walk by. A marker was acquired and Angus in his mini-jersey was thrust in front of several players for signing purposes. First Nathan Hindmarsh and Luke Burt, followed a few minutes later by Fui Fui; Daniel Mortimer and Jarryd Hayne! Not a bad little collection in the end. Was on the lookout for Nathan Cayless but I guess he came earlier or used a different entrance.
As for the game...well, the night was a lot of fun but from a league perspective, quite disappointing again. The Eels played poorly and came up short in the end. We were then treated to 2 hours of Angus screaming in the bus on the way home...after the result, I felt much the same way.
Sunday was a lazy day spent with Mick but went along to his local club for some free APL poker. I did OK, and made the final table but in the end, never got the hands when I needed them. However, in good news for the family, Alex went on the win the whole thing so in the end a decent Quirk showing.
Monday was spend at the house getting ready for our Sydney trip on Tuesday...
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