Christmas 2014
10 years ago
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Day 11 or 12…not sure: Halloween
The girls both have field trips and head to school like champs. Dave is off to work and Mom stays home to tackle all the laundry and hug on the boys.
We have a quick dinner and throw on the costumes. This year we have the classic ghost (Hannah), Alice in Wonderland holding the Cheshire cat (Tate), a pirate (Jack) and Baby Yoda (Carter). Carter hates his costume until we plug a sucker into his mouth. Then he’s a messy, yet happy little Yoda.
We trick or treat the neighborhood and Carter shows his affinity for chocolate. His Jedi coats are covered. Jack climbs a wall and falls on his chin, which drastically alters his mood. We hit a few more houses and head over to Poppa and Jana’s and then Julie’s house. When we pull into the garage, 3 out of 4 kids are out. Hannah is actually snoring. Tate sits in the middle with a huge smile on her face. She wanted to be home in time for this and she’s eating as much candy as possible.
Happy Halloween!
We have a quick dinner and throw on the costumes. This year we have the classic ghost (Hannah), Alice in Wonderland holding the Cheshire cat (Tate), a pirate (Jack) and Baby Yoda (Carter). Carter hates his costume until we plug a sucker into his mouth. Then he’s a messy, yet happy little Yoda.
We trick or treat the neighborhood and Carter shows his affinity for chocolate. His Jedi coats are covered. Jack climbs a wall and falls on his chin, which drastically alters his mood. We hit a few more houses and head over to Poppa and Jana’s and then Julie’s house. When we pull into the garage, 3 out of 4 kids are out. Hannah is actually snoring. Tate sits in the middle with a huge smile on her face. She wanted to be home in time for this and she’s eating as much candy as possible.
Happy Halloween!
Days 9, 10 and 11: A Blur
It’s travel day. We’re heading home. We’re on the bus to the Melbourne airport by 7:30 in the morning. We spend an hour and a half checking in to get our seat assignments. Then there’s customs, followed by security. Oh, and your flight is delayed until 2:30 pm. We eat and shop. Now the flight will leave at 4:30 pm. I’ve never been so anxious to get on a 14 hour flight in my life!
The flight is relatively painless. We arrive in L.A. at 11 a.m. Out of customs by noon. So we miss our flight home. The next flight they can get us home on is at 4:30 pm. Urgh! There’s nothing like spending that long waiting to get on a one hour flight so close to home. We’re done. We’re all completely irritated with one another. There is little spoken. We eat, which helps…a little. There’s only one cure. Home.
When Aunt Julie pulls up in the suburban with Jack, we’re thrilled! We throw in the bags and get home ASAP. Jack is smiling ear to ear! I sprint into the house to be the first to get my hands on Carter. I expect him to be bitter and not look at me. He turns to see me, begins to whimper for me to pick him up and says, “Mama!”. Of course, now he calls Grandma, Jana, Julie, Alma, Daddy and probably the UPS guy “Mama”, so I guess I shouldn’t feel so special…but I do!
Dave and I wake up at 2 a.m., completely amped, but manage to fall back asleep.
The flight is relatively painless. We arrive in L.A. at 11 a.m. Out of customs by noon. So we miss our flight home. The next flight they can get us home on is at 4:30 pm. Urgh! There’s nothing like spending that long waiting to get on a one hour flight so close to home. We’re done. We’re all completely irritated with one another. There is little spoken. We eat, which helps…a little. There’s only one cure. Home.
When Aunt Julie pulls up in the suburban with Jack, we’re thrilled! We throw in the bags and get home ASAP. Jack is smiling ear to ear! I sprint into the house to be the first to get my hands on Carter. I expect him to be bitter and not look at me. He turns to see me, begins to whimper for me to pick him up and says, “Mama!”. Of course, now he calls Grandma, Jana, Julie, Alma, Daddy and probably the UPS guy “Mama”, so I guess I shouldn’t feel so special…but I do!
Dave and I wake up at 2 a.m., completely amped, but manage to fall back asleep.
Day 9: Slip Sliding Away
The days have gone by so fast! It’s hard to believe this is our last full day in Oz! I’m officially missing the boys big time. We’ve called them every other day, but Jack is starting to sound a bit fed up with us being gone. We’re ready to come home.
Dave wakes up and heads out for a run. I realize that could fit a run in too, since Poppa and Michael are here too. I head out and run along the river. It is fun to wonder where everyone is headed, peek into the cafes with locals sipping their “flat blacks” and dodging cute little children out for a walk. Tour boats with glass windows creep along the water way. I head under a bridge and see the boathouses. One has a banner congratulating their Beijing gold medalists. Many are still out rowing.
I look ahead and see a familiar figure. Dave is jogging toward me, so I pop up and say hello! He’s in his own zone and just about jumps out of his skin. I guess you wouldn’t expect that in a foreign city when you think your wife is back at the hotel. We jog back to the hotel, I head up and he continues on. I have a chocolate croissant in hand by the time he joins up with us. As Missy says…Isn’t this why we work out?!
We head out into the city with Michael and Poppa. They are heading out on the Sports Tour of local fields, but are joining us for lunch. We find, of all things, an Irish pub. After a hearty lunch, we decide to explore the city one last time. We walk along the river, but the girls aren’t interested in the ferry ride to the science museum. They’re ready for home, I think. We buy an extra piece of luggage to insure we aren’t over weight and head back to the hotel to pack before the big gala farewell dinner.
All fancy, the girls are beautiful in their chocolate brown dresses. They roam around the dining room with their new found pool friend. World Wide RV won a dealer award, so we get to sit at a table up front and rub elbows with the Jayco execs. They describe next year’s incentive trip, which is a cruise down the Danube River. It sounds fabulous. We all chuckle amongst ourselves, wondering who’s actually going to qualify in this market?!
There are hugs all around- to old and new friends. It is a unique experience- getting away from reality with the same group of dealer friends each year (for the past 10 years). We’ve watched children grow up and management change. We’ve been in the front of the room at the gala dinner…and in the back, the very back. We’ve seen people experience great joy and great loss- just like in real life. It feels a little more amplified tonight as we see long time friends dealing with the ravages of cancer. Each day is a blessing and I want to get home and hug my babies.
Dave wakes up and heads out for a run. I realize that could fit a run in too, since Poppa and Michael are here too. I head out and run along the river. It is fun to wonder where everyone is headed, peek into the cafes with locals sipping their “flat blacks” and dodging cute little children out for a walk. Tour boats with glass windows creep along the water way. I head under a bridge and see the boathouses. One has a banner congratulating their Beijing gold medalists. Many are still out rowing.
I look ahead and see a familiar figure. Dave is jogging toward me, so I pop up and say hello! He’s in his own zone and just about jumps out of his skin. I guess you wouldn’t expect that in a foreign city when you think your wife is back at the hotel. We jog back to the hotel, I head up and he continues on. I have a chocolate croissant in hand by the time he joins up with us. As Missy says…Isn’t this why we work out?!
We head out into the city with Michael and Poppa. They are heading out on the Sports Tour of local fields, but are joining us for lunch. We find, of all things, an Irish pub. After a hearty lunch, we decide to explore the city one last time. We walk along the river, but the girls aren’t interested in the ferry ride to the science museum. They’re ready for home, I think. We buy an extra piece of luggage to insure we aren’t over weight and head back to the hotel to pack before the big gala farewell dinner.
All fancy, the girls are beautiful in their chocolate brown dresses. They roam around the dining room with their new found pool friend. World Wide RV won a dealer award, so we get to sit at a table up front and rub elbows with the Jayco execs. They describe next year’s incentive trip, which is a cruise down the Danube River. It sounds fabulous. We all chuckle amongst ourselves, wondering who’s actually going to qualify in this market?!
There are hugs all around- to old and new friends. It is a unique experience- getting away from reality with the same group of dealer friends each year (for the past 10 years). We’ve watched children grow up and management change. We’ve been in the front of the room at the gala dinner…and in the back, the very back. We’ve seen people experience great joy and great loss- just like in real life. It feels a little more amplified tonight as we see long time friends dealing with the ravages of cancer. Each day is a blessing and I want to get home and hug my babies.
Day 8: Takin it to the Streets…
We totally sleep through breakfast, which ends at 9. It is rumored that few actually make breakfast. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the previous night. We have a healthy round of pastries and are ready to hit the town. We forget our map, so we really have no clue where we are going. We walk along the river, past the train station and do some people watching. Melbourne has a different “feel” than Sydney- actually more metropolitan. We’re downtown during the weekday though, whereas we were in Sydney over the weekend. There are countless joggers and cyclists at all times of the day. We wonder when they find time to work?
We happen upon some fun souvenir shops and stock up on the necessities- boomerangs and stuffed kangaroos. It’s 1:30 and we haven’t eaten yet. The options seem to all be fast food. There are countless KFC’s, Subways and Happy Jacks (with a logo curiously similar to Burger King- which does nothing to peak our interests any further), but nothing sit down yummy. Then we turn down an alley with little shops and discover a tiny little Italian restaurant, no bigger than our family room. They have gnocchi on the menu, so in we go! The girls both each two orders of pasta with cheesy cream sauce. The waiter is so kind- he brings coloring books for the girls, explains where the science museum is and brings us maps.
Back at the hotel, we head to the huge indoor pool. Dave swims for over an hour like the energizer bunny. I do a few laps until I backstroke my head into the wall. Granted, there aren’t any lane lines and the cavernous ceiling has no markers…but I’m all out of the mood after that. I notice a little girl (with her parents on the Jayco trip too) about Tate’s age and drag the girls over kicking and pleading no! to meet her. They act all shy, but are soon playing Marco Polo up until she has to leave. Afterwards, the girls practice doing backwards flips while Dad swims and Mom reads. I hear a scream and look up at Tatum holding her head. She did a lovely back flip and whacked her head on the pool steps. She has a bleeding gash between her eyebrows, so I ask the pool attendant for some ice. He, of course, out of protocol has to call the medic. She’s fine, I say, but they still have to call them. This huge burly medic/ bouncer (I’m embellishing here, but his nametag did say security) shows up and looks her over. She’s so intimidated that she can’t answer, so he starts using this squirrelly little girl voice with her, which cracks me up more than her! Turns out that she will indeed survive and even basks in the glow of all the attention.
At dinner, we go to a restaurant called the Waterfront. Their specialty is fish, but there are huge prime aged ribeyes hanging in the case. The girls share a bento box of sushi, miso soup and soba noodles. Michael bets Tate gelato if she eats the ball of wasabi. We watch in horror as she stuffs the whole thing in her mouth. She spits something out, but it’s only the lettuce it was sitting on. She smiles with pleasure and tells Michael he owes her. This is the same kid who freaked out over Vegemite! Needless to say, she did get her gelato. Three flavors to be exact. Each well deserved.
We happen upon some fun souvenir shops and stock up on the necessities- boomerangs and stuffed kangaroos. It’s 1:30 and we haven’t eaten yet. The options seem to all be fast food. There are countless KFC’s, Subways and Happy Jacks (with a logo curiously similar to Burger King- which does nothing to peak our interests any further), but nothing sit down yummy. Then we turn down an alley with little shops and discover a tiny little Italian restaurant, no bigger than our family room. They have gnocchi on the menu, so in we go! The girls both each two orders of pasta with cheesy cream sauce. The waiter is so kind- he brings coloring books for the girls, explains where the science museum is and brings us maps.
Back at the hotel, we head to the huge indoor pool. Dave swims for over an hour like the energizer bunny. I do a few laps until I backstroke my head into the wall. Granted, there aren’t any lane lines and the cavernous ceiling has no markers…but I’m all out of the mood after that. I notice a little girl (with her parents on the Jayco trip too) about Tate’s age and drag the girls over kicking and pleading no! to meet her. They act all shy, but are soon playing Marco Polo up until she has to leave. Afterwards, the girls practice doing backwards flips while Dad swims and Mom reads. I hear a scream and look up at Tatum holding her head. She did a lovely back flip and whacked her head on the pool steps. She has a bleeding gash between her eyebrows, so I ask the pool attendant for some ice. He, of course, out of protocol has to call the medic. She’s fine, I say, but they still have to call them. This huge burly medic/ bouncer (I’m embellishing here, but his nametag did say security) shows up and looks her over. She’s so intimidated that she can’t answer, so he starts using this squirrelly little girl voice with her, which cracks me up more than her! Turns out that she will indeed survive and even basks in the glow of all the attention.
At dinner, we go to a restaurant called the Waterfront. Their specialty is fish, but there are huge prime aged ribeyes hanging in the case. The girls share a bento box of sushi, miso soup and soba noodles. Michael bets Tate gelato if she eats the ball of wasabi. We watch in horror as she stuffs the whole thing in her mouth. She spits something out, but it’s only the lettuce it was sitting on. She smiles with pleasure and tells Michael he owes her. This is the same kid who freaked out over Vegemite! Needless to say, she did get her gelato. Three flavors to be exact. Each well deserved.
Day 7: Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes
Today we say good bye to Sydney and head for Melbourne. We’re game to discover a new locale, but vibrant Sydney is hard to leave. Our flight is an easy hour and half. Turns out Melbourne has an intense rivalry with Sydney in sports and beyond. Melbourne describes itself as “sports mad”. The Melbourne Cup is Nov. 2 and apparently they celebrate it for the full 3 weeks prior. On the big day (horserace in case you were unaware, like myself) ladies get decked out in beautiful spring dresses (remember the seasons are backwards here) and fabulous hats. It sounds a lot like the Kentucky Derby, but instead of drinking mint juleps, they eat chicken and drink champagne. Sounds like a dangerous combination to me!
Melbourne is right near the ocean, but it’s heart is around a river. Our hotel, the Crown Tower sits right on the river. We walk into the three story lobby, which is covered in sparkling black granite- the walls, floors and fountains. Above us is a ceiling of crystal in an undulating pattern of stalactites. It is totally dark, except for the light show bouncing off every surface to the beat of emotionally charged music. The fountains keep time with the music, shooting sprays of water across the black surfaces. Picture Phantom of the Opera times ten. Our jaws drop. The experience is so intense, that it is almost a relief to walk away.
We go up the elevator to our room and we are greeted with the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke. Everything is beautiful, yet I picture some hidden away drug deal as we pass by a cloister of 4 open doors full of shirtless men smoking. A man crosses the hall in his bathrobe. Just keep walking, I think as we usher the girls past. We head down for a light snack and the guys head down to the front desk to grumble. After our nosh, we head up to our new room. Let’s just say it pays to be the squeaky wheel sometimes! We waltz into our suite- there’s an entry leading to a living room with curved windows overlooking the city. There’s a separate dining room and two bedrooms. The bathrooms are absolute luxury, including a huge jetted tub with its own tv. I take pictures, because I don’t want to forget what a treat this is!
We freshen up and dress up for our fancy dinner, called “Meet the Aussies”. Jayco Motorhomes has a factory in Melbourne and all the Aussie dealers have joined up with us. The Aussies have put together the most amazing fete for us. We arrive at a plain looking metal warehouse on a wharf. We are feeling a little under whelmed. Where are we, we think. We wait outside, as waiters serve up mini meat pies and beef carpaccio. The girls slam about 2 sodas each as mom grimaces. When we walk into the warehouse, the whole place is pitch black- except for a spotlight on each table. Huge sprays of flowers fall over the tables, held up by candelabras wrapped in tree bark. Dinner is amazing and you can’t take a sip of wine without the waiter filling your glass. A famous (in Australia) country band of sisters comes out and wows us. The whole room is loving the group. They sing a few well know country songs toward the end and we all sing along (probably the endless flow of wine helped that). It’s already late when they serve dessert and the comedian takes the stage. He’s hilarious, but I’m glad the reverberation is a bit bad and am hoping the girls don’t catch all the jokes.
It was a stellar evening. We can barely keep the girls awake on the bus ride back to the hotel. We crash at our fabulous pad.
Melbourne is right near the ocean, but it’s heart is around a river. Our hotel, the Crown Tower sits right on the river. We walk into the three story lobby, which is covered in sparkling black granite- the walls, floors and fountains. Above us is a ceiling of crystal in an undulating pattern of stalactites. It is totally dark, except for the light show bouncing off every surface to the beat of emotionally charged music. The fountains keep time with the music, shooting sprays of water across the black surfaces. Picture Phantom of the Opera times ten. Our jaws drop. The experience is so intense, that it is almost a relief to walk away.
We go up the elevator to our room and we are greeted with the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke. Everything is beautiful, yet I picture some hidden away drug deal as we pass by a cloister of 4 open doors full of shirtless men smoking. A man crosses the hall in his bathrobe. Just keep walking, I think as we usher the girls past. We head down for a light snack and the guys head down to the front desk to grumble. After our nosh, we head up to our new room. Let’s just say it pays to be the squeaky wheel sometimes! We waltz into our suite- there’s an entry leading to a living room with curved windows overlooking the city. There’s a separate dining room and two bedrooms. The bathrooms are absolute luxury, including a huge jetted tub with its own tv. I take pictures, because I don’t want to forget what a treat this is!
We freshen up and dress up for our fancy dinner, called “Meet the Aussies”. Jayco Motorhomes has a factory in Melbourne and all the Aussie dealers have joined up with us. The Aussies have put together the most amazing fete for us. We arrive at a plain looking metal warehouse on a wharf. We are feeling a little under whelmed. Where are we, we think. We wait outside, as waiters serve up mini meat pies and beef carpaccio. The girls slam about 2 sodas each as mom grimaces. When we walk into the warehouse, the whole place is pitch black- except for a spotlight on each table. Huge sprays of flowers fall over the tables, held up by candelabras wrapped in tree bark. Dinner is amazing and you can’t take a sip of wine without the waiter filling your glass. A famous (in Australia) country band of sisters comes out and wows us. The whole room is loving the group. They sing a few well know country songs toward the end and we all sing along (probably the endless flow of wine helped that). It’s already late when they serve dessert and the comedian takes the stage. He’s hilarious, but I’m glad the reverberation is a bit bad and am hoping the girls don’t catch all the jokes.
It was a stellar evening. We can barely keep the girls awake on the bus ride back to the hotel. We crash at our fabulous pad.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Day 6: Taronga Zoo
We sleep in today and laze around until we get a call from our friends inviting us to the zoo. The Taronga Zoo is just a ferry ride across the bay and the day is perfect, if not a little warm. We’ve discovered a Starbucks nearby, so Mom’s a happy camper with her huge latte. It is so easy to get around Sydney with the ferry system. We hop off the ferry and take the sky cabs up to the top. As we ride up, the skyline is in front of us and huge elephants are below us.
We see all kinds of creepy reptiles and even touch a snake. Ick! We see a koala mommy with twins. The girls think it is kind of lame that they can’t get in and pet the animals. They were spoiled by their first zoo! We did get to see a Tasmanian Devil, which we wouldn’t exactly want to pet anyway. He doesn’t look much like the Warner Brothers guy. More like a giant rat.
We have lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Harbor. It’s all glass and surrounded by trees, so it feels like we’re up in a treehouse. With full bellies, we head to the petting zoo and work our way back to the ferry dock. Back at this hotel, we head to the pool where the freezing cold water wakes us right up!
After the pool, the girls are out of the mood for more fancy dining. Fortunately, Peter and Susan’s daughters (in high school and jr. high) want to stay in and have pizza too. The girls are saved! They have been so patient with the long drawn out meals and deserve a break from us too.
It was 10 years ago that Dave and I discovered an Asian restaurant in the Rocks overlooking the Harbor. It was the best Chinese we’d ever had. Since then, we have eaten a lot of Chinese…including in China, so we figured it probably wasn’t THAT great. Our memories tend to embellish the past sometimes! We asked our group if they’d be up for trying it with us. They were humoring us more than anything, but Poppa, Michael, Pete and Susan were up for the challenge.
They sat us a large round table with a lazy susan in the middle, next to an Asian family. Everything at their table looked wonderful! Peter, being of his shy nature, walked over with his chopsticks and asked for a sample. We were all cracking up- even more so when one of the beautiful young ladies brought over a plate of twice fried beef. It was, indeed, incredible. So Peter said, “Let’s just order what they’re having!” There were a few additions on the part of Dave and I- we couldn’t resist the wayagu beef with wasabi cream sauce- but otherwise we followed our neighboring table’s lead. The Salt and Pepper Squid, Twice Fried Beef, Scallops in Soy butter, Thai Chili Octopus (we ordered a second round) and Shrimp Dumplings spun around that lazy susan and disappeared in record time. Dave looked at me, with almost a tear in his eye, and said, “I can’t believe it is still the best Chinese food I’ve ever had!”.
The neighboring table was still getting food as we were wrapping up. They told us it was a rehearsal dinner party for the young couple at the table who was getting married the next day. I’m sure they’ll remember their obnoxious dinner companions fondly! In reality, we all had huge smiles on our faces, because food does really bring people together.
We see all kinds of creepy reptiles and even touch a snake. Ick! We see a koala mommy with twins. The girls think it is kind of lame that they can’t get in and pet the animals. They were spoiled by their first zoo! We did get to see a Tasmanian Devil, which we wouldn’t exactly want to pet anyway. He doesn’t look much like the Warner Brothers guy. More like a giant rat.
We have lunch in a restaurant overlooking the Harbor. It’s all glass and surrounded by trees, so it feels like we’re up in a treehouse. With full bellies, we head to the petting zoo and work our way back to the ferry dock. Back at this hotel, we head to the pool where the freezing cold water wakes us right up!
After the pool, the girls are out of the mood for more fancy dining. Fortunately, Peter and Susan’s daughters (in high school and jr. high) want to stay in and have pizza too. The girls are saved! They have been so patient with the long drawn out meals and deserve a break from us too.
It was 10 years ago that Dave and I discovered an Asian restaurant in the Rocks overlooking the Harbor. It was the best Chinese we’d ever had. Since then, we have eaten a lot of Chinese…including in China, so we figured it probably wasn’t THAT great. Our memories tend to embellish the past sometimes! We asked our group if they’d be up for trying it with us. They were humoring us more than anything, but Poppa, Michael, Pete and Susan were up for the challenge.
They sat us a large round table with a lazy susan in the middle, next to an Asian family. Everything at their table looked wonderful! Peter, being of his shy nature, walked over with his chopsticks and asked for a sample. We were all cracking up- even more so when one of the beautiful young ladies brought over a plate of twice fried beef. It was, indeed, incredible. So Peter said, “Let’s just order what they’re having!” There were a few additions on the part of Dave and I- we couldn’t resist the wayagu beef with wasabi cream sauce- but otherwise we followed our neighboring table’s lead. The Salt and Pepper Squid, Twice Fried Beef, Scallops in Soy butter, Thai Chili Octopus (we ordered a second round) and Shrimp Dumplings spun around that lazy susan and disappeared in record time. Dave looked at me, with almost a tear in his eye, and said, “I can’t believe it is still the best Chinese food I’ve ever had!”.
The neighboring table was still getting food as we were wrapping up. They told us it was a rehearsal dinner party for the young couple at the table who was getting married the next day. I’m sure they’ll remember their obnoxious dinner companions fondly! In reality, we all had huge smiles on our faces, because food does really bring people together.
Day 5: Taking in the city
Dave and I wake up early and run from our hotel, past the Opera House and around to Mrs. Macquaries Chair (a governor‘s wife enjoyed her view there from the harbor so much that he had a bench carved for her in the rocks) at the edge of the Royal Botanical Gardens. When we return to the hotel, two doormen swing open the huge doors for us and hand us water and towels! We feel like rock stars!
After breakfast, we head out to the ferry station on foot (about 150+ Jayco people) for a cruise of the harbor. Our tour guide points out interesting landmarks and we listen some and chat a lot, catching up with even more friends. It is a beautiful day- imagine the most perfect weather with an ocean breeze. Our boat takes us to famous Manly Beach. In the ferry station, we are tempted by the gelato store and a chocolate shop called Chocolate by the Bald Guy.
We head to the beach, walking through a lively area called the Corso, full of restaurants and cafes. You could people watch for hours here. It is Saturday, so local families are out with their children frolicking in the fountains. A group of young boys (I’d guess maybe 8 or 9 at the most) with skim boards over their heads launch themselves toward the beach behind their fearless bellowing leader. “Aaaarh!” the chubby leader hails and clears the way. The sands will not be safe today!
We have a lovely outdoor lunch with the Teicherobs at the Manly Grill. We enjoy fried squid, BBQ chicken, crispy fries and Dave has the Ozzie burger- a concoction that includes a slice of beet and a fried egg. It is surprisingly good! Our friends head off to visit someone at a local hospital and we happen upon a Saturday market. There’s an array of clothing, candles, toys and jewelry. We sit and have coffee and cocos and take it all in. More walking, shopping and people watching afterward.
We take the JetKat back (much faster than the ferry) and score seats outside. The water is a sparkling reflection of the sun and all you want to do is throw your head back and soak it all up. To our right, we see a group handling a sailboat- suddenly zipping from one side to the other. A motorboat seems to be dangerously close to a huge naval ship.
Back at Circle Quay, we head over to the Opera House. Hannah wants to touch it. The “shell” of the building is actually covered in white 4” tiles. There’s a function tonight, we’re thinking something to do with Ireland or Scotland, based on the number of guys in kilts. A bagpipe player suddenly begins to play and fills the steps with magic. The sun is low and a mist hangs in the sea air. We’re surrounded by such a diverse group of beautiful faces. As I take it all in, it almost takes my breath away. It’s one of those moments you wish you could freeze and capture!
We’re having dinner with our Jayco rep, Troy tonight- who has a sister who lives in Sydney and visits often. We’re off to Mosman- a sleepy little community that we get to by a 20 minute water taxi. Michael is feeling a bit queasy, so we giggle at the pallor on his face. We walk from the dock to The Bather’s Pavillion- a 1930’s style (Art Deco) bathhouse turned into a restaurant. Dinner is incredible. Hannah and Tatum finish up with milkshakes. The boat ride back gives us stunning views of the Sydney skyline at night, as the girls doze off. It has been a perfect day!
After breakfast, we head out to the ferry station on foot (about 150+ Jayco people) for a cruise of the harbor. Our tour guide points out interesting landmarks and we listen some and chat a lot, catching up with even more friends. It is a beautiful day- imagine the most perfect weather with an ocean breeze. Our boat takes us to famous Manly Beach. In the ferry station, we are tempted by the gelato store and a chocolate shop called Chocolate by the Bald Guy.
We head to the beach, walking through a lively area called the Corso, full of restaurants and cafes. You could people watch for hours here. It is Saturday, so local families are out with their children frolicking in the fountains. A group of young boys (I’d guess maybe 8 or 9 at the most) with skim boards over their heads launch themselves toward the beach behind their fearless bellowing leader. “Aaaarh!” the chubby leader hails and clears the way. The sands will not be safe today!
We have a lovely outdoor lunch with the Teicherobs at the Manly Grill. We enjoy fried squid, BBQ chicken, crispy fries and Dave has the Ozzie burger- a concoction that includes a slice of beet and a fried egg. It is surprisingly good! Our friends head off to visit someone at a local hospital and we happen upon a Saturday market. There’s an array of clothing, candles, toys and jewelry. We sit and have coffee and cocos and take it all in. More walking, shopping and people watching afterward.
We take the JetKat back (much faster than the ferry) and score seats outside. The water is a sparkling reflection of the sun and all you want to do is throw your head back and soak it all up. To our right, we see a group handling a sailboat- suddenly zipping from one side to the other. A motorboat seems to be dangerously close to a huge naval ship.
Back at Circle Quay, we head over to the Opera House. Hannah wants to touch it. The “shell” of the building is actually covered in white 4” tiles. There’s a function tonight, we’re thinking something to do with Ireland or Scotland, based on the number of guys in kilts. A bagpipe player suddenly begins to play and fills the steps with magic. The sun is low and a mist hangs in the sea air. We’re surrounded by such a diverse group of beautiful faces. As I take it all in, it almost takes my breath away. It’s one of those moments you wish you could freeze and capture!
We’re having dinner with our Jayco rep, Troy tonight- who has a sister who lives in Sydney and visits often. We’re off to Mosman- a sleepy little community that we get to by a 20 minute water taxi. Michael is feeling a bit queasy, so we giggle at the pallor on his face. We walk from the dock to The Bather’s Pavillion- a 1930’s style (Art Deco) bathhouse turned into a restaurant. Dinner is incredible. Hannah and Tatum finish up with milkshakes. The boat ride back gives us stunning views of the Sydney skyline at night, as the girls doze off. It has been a perfect day!
Day 4 Cont.: In the City
We take the scenic route into the city, which according to the map will provide us with endless vistas of the ocean. We drive and drive. Finally we see water, driving over an inlet. The city we drive into is called “The Entrance”. Now isn’t that a cool name for a city? Oh, we live in “The Entrance, New South Wales”. This is obviously a costal community, but that’s about all we can see of the ocean. The road is tucked between houses and trees. We can sort of smell the ocean.
I notice that Dave is acting a little antsy and so is Poppa. Dave doesn’t really lose his cool until it’s serious business, so I take note. We’re almost out of gas and there hasn’t been a gas station in sight for miles. We pull over and ask for directions, so I know it is serious! Just in time, we roll into a gas station and say a little prayer of thanks. We look about for lunch and decide to check out Red Rooster. It looks fast foodish, but we’re hungry. On vacation, we tend to eat every 2-3 hours, it seems. Red Rooster serves up roast chicken and fries. Not that the fries are all that healthy, but how nice is a drive thru with roast chicken!? We ask for ketchup (tomato sauce- which is a sweet ketchupy sort of thing) and are told that is an additional 40 cents. We need a vegetable group, so sure.
Eventually we make it into the city and roll in on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Michael safely navigates Dave to our hotel- the Four Seasons. We see familiar faces in the lobby and stop and chat with a few old friends. Our rooms are incredible here too. They overlook Darling Harbour and we can see the Rocks and Circular Quay from here. This is where, in 1788 the British First Fleet dropped 11 convict ships and the modern history of Australia began. The Aussies seem to get a pretty good chuckle out of the fact that they are decendants of convicts.
Tonight is the Jayco welcome dinner, so we change into nicer clothes and head down to the ballroom. It is so fun to catch up friends that we’ve made over the years. The hotel presents the owners of Jayco with a huge chocolate cake shaped like a motorhome with and an ice molding on top. For all the food network challenges we’ve watched, the girls are impressed.
Everyone is amazed with how much the girls have grown up. Hannah and Tate keep looking at us with pleading eyes…can we leave yet?! They convince Michael to bust them out and take a tour of the hotel and their surroundings.
I notice that Dave is acting a little antsy and so is Poppa. Dave doesn’t really lose his cool until it’s serious business, so I take note. We’re almost out of gas and there hasn’t been a gas station in sight for miles. We pull over and ask for directions, so I know it is serious! Just in time, we roll into a gas station and say a little prayer of thanks. We look about for lunch and decide to check out Red Rooster. It looks fast foodish, but we’re hungry. On vacation, we tend to eat every 2-3 hours, it seems. Red Rooster serves up roast chicken and fries. Not that the fries are all that healthy, but how nice is a drive thru with roast chicken!? We ask for ketchup (tomato sauce- which is a sweet ketchupy sort of thing) and are told that is an additional 40 cents. We need a vegetable group, so sure.
Eventually we make it into the city and roll in on the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Michael safely navigates Dave to our hotel- the Four Seasons. We see familiar faces in the lobby and stop and chat with a few old friends. Our rooms are incredible here too. They overlook Darling Harbour and we can see the Rocks and Circular Quay from here. This is where, in 1788 the British First Fleet dropped 11 convict ships and the modern history of Australia began. The Aussies seem to get a pretty good chuckle out of the fact that they are decendants of convicts.
Tonight is the Jayco welcome dinner, so we change into nicer clothes and head down to the ballroom. It is so fun to catch up friends that we’ve made over the years. The hotel presents the owners of Jayco with a huge chocolate cake shaped like a motorhome with and an ice molding on top. For all the food network challenges we’ve watched, the girls are impressed.
Everyone is amazed with how much the girls have grown up. Hannah and Tate keep looking at us with pleading eyes…can we leave yet?! They convince Michael to bust them out and take a tour of the hotel and their surroundings.
Day 4: Blue Skies. Shining on Me, Nothing but Blue Skies…
We wake up in beautiful Hunter Valley, surrounded by the Blue Mountains and head off for a hearty breakfast. We pack up and say goodbye to our fabulous abode. We’re heading to Sydney today, but are first heading to the Hunter Valley Zoo. A local had told us (at one of the wineries- Hannah is pointing out over my shoulder) that you could get close to and feed the animals there. We’re thinking that isn’t the case at the Sydney Zoo, so off we go.
The closer we get to the zoo, the more rural our surroundings. The pavement turns into a dirt road and the bridge we cross is one lane only. We almost pass the Zoo. You can see why by the photos! It may be a bit backwoods, but the Hunter Valley Zoo ends up being just what we had in mind. There are peacocks running free, along with a few roosters and other unnamed birds. We get to see a wombat up close, monkeys, dingo, wallaby, and goats. There are numerous creepy reptiles that give us all the willies. Unfortunately, we can’t read half of the posted signs because they’ve been smeared by the elements. Who cares- we get to go in with the kangaroos! They’re very approachable and docile. What a treat to be so close to them. We get up close and pet Lil’ Joe the Koala Bear. He’s snoozing in the tree without a care. His fur is unbelievably soft and he’s even cuter than the pictures you always see. Tatum is thinking of her friend Kamryn when she pets him. The zoo is a hit!
The rain is a distant memory, as the Blue Mountains are being kissed by a brilliant blue sky. Two days ago we were wearing sweaters and today we’re in shorts and T-shirts. Now that we’ve been properly educated on local viticulture, it is time for the sights and sounds of Sydney.
The closer we get to the zoo, the more rural our surroundings. The pavement turns into a dirt road and the bridge we cross is one lane only. We almost pass the Zoo. You can see why by the photos! It may be a bit backwoods, but the Hunter Valley Zoo ends up being just what we had in mind. There are peacocks running free, along with a few roosters and other unnamed birds. We get to see a wombat up close, monkeys, dingo, wallaby, and goats. There are numerous creepy reptiles that give us all the willies. Unfortunately, we can’t read half of the posted signs because they’ve been smeared by the elements. Who cares- we get to go in with the kangaroos! They’re very approachable and docile. What a treat to be so close to them. We get up close and pet Lil’ Joe the Koala Bear. He’s snoozing in the tree without a care. His fur is unbelievably soft and he’s even cuter than the pictures you always see. Tatum is thinking of her friend Kamryn when she pets him. The zoo is a hit!
The rain is a distant memory, as the Blue Mountains are being kissed by a brilliant blue sky. Two days ago we were wearing sweaters and today we’re in shorts and T-shirts. Now that we’ve been properly educated on local viticulture, it is time for the sights and sounds of Sydney.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Day Three: I’ve been thru the desert on a horse with no name.
This is Tatum’s day! We’re off to ride horses! We start with a wonderful breakfast, where mom swipes some Vegemite for the kids to try back at the room. Tatum and Hannah bring a smile to the server’s face when they both order tea with breakfast.
Back at the room, we whip out the Vegemite (a darkish yeast based spread) and spread it on crackers for the girls to try. Hannah says it is okay and Tate immediately burst into tears as it grazes her tongue. She spits, she cries, she splashes water on her lips. We snap pictures with delight, getting the reaction we secretly hoped for.
We drive along country roads looking for the stables. Dave is really starting to master this left sided driving thing. We only have to scream, “Left, Left….LEFT!” every once in awhile. He jokes that he won’t be able to drive us home from the Phoenix airport though. We pull into the small stables, parking the blue kangaroo. We say hello to the nice woman in the window, who immediately launches into how I need to knot my scarf 2 times, will not be able to bring a camera and no car keys because, “we don’t get paid to look for keys”. We’re not feeling very welcome.
They ask us what our horse experience is (um..none…we live in the suburbs) with the exception of Dave, Poppa and Michael. She chuckles and asks aren’t we from Arizona? She puts Dave on the jumpy horse, Rusty with the blinder on his eyes. Hannah gets Archer, who doesn’t actually respond to the reins. These aren’t trail horses! Mom gets Sam, who the woman assures her is “only skittish at the post”- Yikes! Tate looks perfectly at home atop Mickey, Poppa on Brandy, who had an enormous crush on Archer, and Michael on Fred, who marched to the beat of his very own, slow beating drum.
Our guide, a 69 year old rehab nurse, softened up on the trail. A tiny little Pomeranian named Theresa ran tirelessly alongside our group. Our nurse/guide pointed out local birds and a wombat hole, before taking us past a group of kangaroos. We even got to take our horses up to a trot until poor Tatie’s shoe flew off! We were out for almost 2 hours. As soon as we climbed into the Blue Kangaroo, it started to rain. Perfect timing!
We lunched at a local winery, in a contemporary setting next to a much appreciated fireplace. It was cold outside, but we warmed up with lattes and the girls had their own tea party. We stopped by a couple of other wineries where we tasted yummy lemonade, found some swings in the vineyard, and chatted with a charming woman, married to the vintner, who told us about her 5 week trip to France and Gus the dog, who was saved from starvation and illness.
Tonight, we stayed in, munching on French bread, brie and salami instead of dinner- mainly because it got too late to go out to eat. By 8:30, we were all falling asleep!
Back at the room, we whip out the Vegemite (a darkish yeast based spread) and spread it on crackers for the girls to try. Hannah says it is okay and Tate immediately burst into tears as it grazes her tongue. She spits, she cries, she splashes water on her lips. We snap pictures with delight, getting the reaction we secretly hoped for.
We drive along country roads looking for the stables. Dave is really starting to master this left sided driving thing. We only have to scream, “Left, Left….LEFT!” every once in awhile. He jokes that he won’t be able to drive us home from the Phoenix airport though. We pull into the small stables, parking the blue kangaroo. We say hello to the nice woman in the window, who immediately launches into how I need to knot my scarf 2 times, will not be able to bring a camera and no car keys because, “we don’t get paid to look for keys”. We’re not feeling very welcome.
They ask us what our horse experience is (um..none…we live in the suburbs) with the exception of Dave, Poppa and Michael. She chuckles and asks aren’t we from Arizona? She puts Dave on the jumpy horse, Rusty with the blinder on his eyes. Hannah gets Archer, who doesn’t actually respond to the reins. These aren’t trail horses! Mom gets Sam, who the woman assures her is “only skittish at the post”- Yikes! Tate looks perfectly at home atop Mickey, Poppa on Brandy, who had an enormous crush on Archer, and Michael on Fred, who marched to the beat of his very own, slow beating drum.
Our guide, a 69 year old rehab nurse, softened up on the trail. A tiny little Pomeranian named Theresa ran tirelessly alongside our group. Our nurse/guide pointed out local birds and a wombat hole, before taking us past a group of kangaroos. We even got to take our horses up to a trot until poor Tatie’s shoe flew off! We were out for almost 2 hours. As soon as we climbed into the Blue Kangaroo, it started to rain. Perfect timing!
We lunched at a local winery, in a contemporary setting next to a much appreciated fireplace. It was cold outside, but we warmed up with lattes and the girls had their own tea party. We stopped by a couple of other wineries where we tasted yummy lemonade, found some swings in the vineyard, and chatted with a charming woman, married to the vintner, who told us about her 5 week trip to France and Gus the dog, who was saved from starvation and illness.
Tonight, we stayed in, munching on French bread, brie and salami instead of dinner- mainly because it got too late to go out to eat. By 8:30, we were all falling asleep!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Day Two: Rain, Rain…Go Away…
Last night, we all crawled into bed at 8 pm. How we made it that long is no small miracle. Actually sleeping in a horizontal position was WONDERFUL! Dave had a 12 mile run, so he headed out into the overcast morning. The rest of us were lounging in our jammies, contemplating breakfast, as we noticed the sky getting darker and darker. The trees off the patio began to blow violently. Soon the wind was whistling and the clouds opened up- dumping sheets of rain. Shortly afterward, a very wet, very cold athlete showed up at the door with water rolling off of his hat and out of his shoes. So much for training today!
We went to breakfast, which is included at resort- a huge spread of choices, including Aussie (and British inspired) faves such as muesli (thinking I’m not spelling that right), crumpets, baked tomatoes, meats and cheeses, and a huge beautiful comb of honey on a rack for your toast. We totally forgot to trick the girls into trying Vegemite- tomorrow for sure. I try to get a pix of their faces!
Afterward, we were lounging in the lobby, looking out over the golf course and watching the wind blow. I saw something hop in the distance…”Is that a…kangaroo?” It was! He hopped across the green to the delight of us foreigners. The staff was totally like, yeah, we see a lot of them. We didn’t expect to see them in the part of the country though. In to the Blue Kangaroo we “hopped” to get a closer look. Our stealthy tracker instincts rewarded us with an even closer view. Hope the video comes over well! We were all quite pleased with our discovery. It’s one thing to see one in the zoo, but quite another to feel like you’ve discovered your very own! (Especially, as we chuckled to ourselves, in his very own “natural” habitat- a golf course)
Well, with it raining on and off, the horseback riding was off for the day, so what else were we to do, but go wine tasting? The tasting rooms here are called cellar doors and each vineyard has beautiful buildings and grounds. The three main featured wines here are the whites: Semillon and Verdelho and, of course, the red: Shiraz. Hannah and Tatum were able to create their own adventures at each stop. At one, they posed in the vines for pictures, at the next, chased a number of geese out to a pond. One winery offered shortbread to cleanse the palette and chocolate cake to highlight their dessert wines. But by lunch time, they were done with wine tasting. We headed into the local town, called Cessnock for snacks and lunch.
The grocery was quite different. When you get your cart, you have to deposit a two dollar coin to get it, which will be returned when you bring it back. Bet there would be a lot less cart meets door dings if we did that in the states! It’s always fun to see how different the foods are. The eggs are kept in a big stack at room temperature. Yikes! When you check out- there aren’t plastic bags. Everyone brings them, like the ones you buy at home (and often forget to bring the next time). “First time in Australia?” the checker asks us. Like we didn’t have tourist written all over us when we were snapping pictures on the dairy aisle!
We walked around town, taking in the storefronts which have the feel of Main Street Mesa…without the revitalization part. This must be where the locals shop for random things like musical picture frames, boardshop clothing, real estate, patchouli incense and cream puffs? Still managed to hit an ATM for Aussie cash and find a nice lunch. We hit a mall/ market with a Target- totally different from home and a pharmacy where Michael was able to find an electric shaver after frying his from home. There was a stand in the middle of the mall selling meat pies. (We make Aussie meat pies at home and they’re a family favorite!) They really eat them here- beautiful golden pie crusts with all these wonderful fillings. Our favorite yesterday was the chicken, leek and mushroom. Can’t even imagine the amount of trans fats in those yummies!
At the wineries, they kept saying how the Verdelho went wonderfully with curries, so the seed was planted. When we ran across the Thai place, it was a given. We topped our day off with a take away feast! In Australia, we don’t do “to-go” we do “take away”. We passed on the Verdelho, though. A morning of wine tasting doesn’t leave you woozy- because you just taste and toss your little sample, but the overall effect leaves you feeling a bit pickled. Like your taste buds and tummy are on overload. Our Thai feast was just the cure. Due to the proximity of this country to so many Asian cultures, there are some seriously good Asian foods to be had here!
We went to breakfast, which is included at resort- a huge spread of choices, including Aussie (and British inspired) faves such as muesli (thinking I’m not spelling that right), crumpets, baked tomatoes, meats and cheeses, and a huge beautiful comb of honey on a rack for your toast. We totally forgot to trick the girls into trying Vegemite- tomorrow for sure. I try to get a pix of their faces!
Afterward, we were lounging in the lobby, looking out over the golf course and watching the wind blow. I saw something hop in the distance…”Is that a…kangaroo?” It was! He hopped across the green to the delight of us foreigners. The staff was totally like, yeah, we see a lot of them. We didn’t expect to see them in the part of the country though. In to the Blue Kangaroo we “hopped” to get a closer look. Our stealthy tracker instincts rewarded us with an even closer view. Hope the video comes over well! We were all quite pleased with our discovery. It’s one thing to see one in the zoo, but quite another to feel like you’ve discovered your very own! (Especially, as we chuckled to ourselves, in his very own “natural” habitat- a golf course)
Well, with it raining on and off, the horseback riding was off for the day, so what else were we to do, but go wine tasting? The tasting rooms here are called cellar doors and each vineyard has beautiful buildings and grounds. The three main featured wines here are the whites: Semillon and Verdelho and, of course, the red: Shiraz. Hannah and Tatum were able to create their own adventures at each stop. At one, they posed in the vines for pictures, at the next, chased a number of geese out to a pond. One winery offered shortbread to cleanse the palette and chocolate cake to highlight their dessert wines. But by lunch time, they were done with wine tasting. We headed into the local town, called Cessnock for snacks and lunch.
The grocery was quite different. When you get your cart, you have to deposit a two dollar coin to get it, which will be returned when you bring it back. Bet there would be a lot less cart meets door dings if we did that in the states! It’s always fun to see how different the foods are. The eggs are kept in a big stack at room temperature. Yikes! When you check out- there aren’t plastic bags. Everyone brings them, like the ones you buy at home (and often forget to bring the next time). “First time in Australia?” the checker asks us. Like we didn’t have tourist written all over us when we were snapping pictures on the dairy aisle!
We walked around town, taking in the storefronts which have the feel of Main Street Mesa…without the revitalization part. This must be where the locals shop for random things like musical picture frames, boardshop clothing, real estate, patchouli incense and cream puffs? Still managed to hit an ATM for Aussie cash and find a nice lunch. We hit a mall/ market with a Target- totally different from home and a pharmacy where Michael was able to find an electric shaver after frying his from home. There was a stand in the middle of the mall selling meat pies. (We make Aussie meat pies at home and they’re a family favorite!) They really eat them here- beautiful golden pie crusts with all these wonderful fillings. Our favorite yesterday was the chicken, leek and mushroom. Can’t even imagine the amount of trans fats in those yummies!
At the wineries, they kept saying how the Verdelho went wonderfully with curries, so the seed was planted. When we ran across the Thai place, it was a given. We topped our day off with a take away feast! In Australia, we don’t do “to-go” we do “take away”. We passed on the Verdelho, though. A morning of wine tasting doesn’t leave you woozy- because you just taste and toss your little sample, but the overall effect leaves you feeling a bit pickled. Like your taste buds and tummy are on overload. Our Thai feast was just the cure. Due to the proximity of this country to so many Asian cultures, there are some seriously good Asian foods to be had here!
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