On Monday we reached the climax of our trip with the Sydney bridge climb. We started the day with moderate rain as we went into the city. We were scheduled for 8:15am. The program starts with fitting everyone with a weather resistant outfit and safety equipment. We also each had a radio, parkas, safety tether, and even a handkerchief tied to our wrist. We then had an orientation and practice on how we would attach ourselves safely to the bridge and make the climb. We were expecting potentially nasty weather but as we headed out to the bridge, the skies cleared and the rain stopped. Mina was quite concerned with her fear of heights but she kept going and finished the experience very well.
The views were phenomenal! The climb wasn’t overly taxing and was quite enjoyable. Our guide Ronan did a great job of keeping everyone going and pointing out all the sights of the Sydney harbor and the city itself. We could see all the way out to the Blue Mountains.
After the climb, we were met by Helen and Carole from the Concord club. They went with us and bought us lunch before heading to the Sydney opera house tour. As we were meeting for the tour, Pete recognized the voice of the tour guide who was his tour guide for a travel tour in Italy last year.
The story of the Sydney Opera House is pretty amazing. The architect whose design was selected had to overcome tremendous difficulties in structural design to build this iconic structure. The initial plan was $7million but it went over 100 million and many years. The architect had to resign before he could finish the project due to all the cost overruns and problems.
Monday finished with our GSE farewell dinner at the Strathfield country club. Members of the Strathfield and Concord Rotary Clubs heard our presentation along with many photos of our experience here. Many of our friends from the district were there for one more goodbye. Several people are planning to visit various members of the team in the states.
Tuesday morning we had our final scheduled event which was are debriefing with Paul Erickson and Ivan Fedor. We were able to offer a few suggestions to fine tune the program but it is hard to improve something that is run this well.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Mudgee
On Friday we packed up and traveled to Mudgee. I rode with 2 Rotarians, Peter Reynolds and Michael.Fisher. We stopped at an overlook over the Capertee valley. Someone said it was the largest valley 2nd to the Grand Canyon. It is supposed to be the largest living (with vegetation) valley. It was a beautiful view.
I stayed with Mark and Dianne Young in Mudgee. Mark is a principal at the school whose choir was performing Saturday morning. He also played at the service Sunday morning. They were excellent hosts and I really enjoyed my time with them.
The conference in Mudgee was great. It started with a “meet the growers” event where the local wine producers and some food producers showed up for a social wine tasting event. The Rotary district had over 500 people at the conference. We able to reunite with many of our previous hosts and friends from other clubs we had previously visited. It was great to spend time with them again. Friday night had a western theme (western Australia with a mix of our old west). There was some dancing, a folk comedian and a good dinner. Saturday morning we gave our presentation along with other speakers.
The evening was a Carnivale affair with almost everyone getting at least somewhat into colorful costumes. I was able to borrow a shirt from my host with pink birds and such. The outgoing GSE team got us some plumed hats and such. It was a great event with many young jugglers, stiltwalkers, dancers, etc. This was followed by a large jazz band with vocalists providing the entertainment late into the evening. The dance floor was packed for much of the night. The Rotarian group certainly needs to be complemented for a great event as well as having so many participate in the activities. Sunday morning we heard more speakers before heading back home with our hosts. I finished a great weekend with dinner at a Thai restaurant with my hosts Mike and Margaret Smith which was great.
I stayed with Mark and Dianne Young in Mudgee. Mark is a principal at the school whose choir was performing Saturday morning. He also played at the service Sunday morning. They were excellent hosts and I really enjoyed my time with them.
The conference in Mudgee was great. It started with a “meet the growers” event where the local wine producers and some food producers showed up for a social wine tasting event. The Rotary district had over 500 people at the conference. We able to reunite with many of our previous hosts and friends from other clubs we had previously visited. It was great to spend time with them again. Friday night had a western theme (western Australia with a mix of our old west). There was some dancing, a folk comedian and a good dinner. Saturday morning we gave our presentation along with other speakers.
The evening was a Carnivale affair with almost everyone getting at least somewhat into colorful costumes. I was able to borrow a shirt from my host with pink birds and such. The outgoing GSE team got us some plumed hats and such. It was a great event with many young jugglers, stiltwalkers, dancers, etc. This was followed by a large jazz band with vocalists providing the entertainment late into the evening. The dance floor was packed for much of the night. The Rotarian group certainly needs to be complemented for a great event as well as having so many participate in the activities. Sunday morning we heard more speakers before heading back home with our hosts. I finished a great weekend with dinner at a Thai restaurant with my hosts Mike and Margaret Smith which was great.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Quick update
The team hasn't had much time for blog updates this past week. Some of have had minimal access to the Internet too. We have been very busy and having many wonderful experiences. We had a great day at the Featherdale Wildlife Farm with the Blacktown club along with a mayoral reception which was very nice. We joined the Liverpool area clubs on the 29th and had a great welcome barbeque at Joe and Helen Cauchi's house. The following day we had a cruise on the Georges River and Botany Bay. Lunch at the Boat Shed at the entrance to the bay. I also had a little birthday celebration which will go down as one of my most memorable. It was a georgeous day.
Monday and Tuesday we toured sites in the Liverpool area. Tuesday included the Crown Lodge Stable which was just sold for $500,000,000. Wednesday was a vocational day. Yesterday we went to the Taronga zoo and did a pub tour of the Rocks area which is a historical area. We are now ready to leave for a 4 hour trip to the district conference in Mudgee which will last through Sunday.
This update doesn't come close to describing our experiences the last few days but it explains why we haven't been able to keep up on our blog. We will try to do better next week.
Monday and Tuesday we toured sites in the Liverpool area. Tuesday included the Crown Lodge Stable which was just sold for $500,000,000. Wednesday was a vocational day. Yesterday we went to the Taronga zoo and did a pub tour of the Rocks area which is a historical area. We are now ready to leave for a 4 hour trip to the district conference in Mudgee which will last through Sunday.
This update doesn't come close to describing our experiences the last few days but it explains why we haven't been able to keep up on our blog. We will try to do better next week.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Australian War Museum
We just returned from an exciting whirlwind tour of Canberra, Australia’s exquisitely designed capital. I’m no city girl, but this is one city that captured my imagination! A highlight of our visit was the Australian War Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifice of Australians who have died in war and helps us remember and understand the enduring impact of war on our lives.
I especially enjoyed the Special Exhibit Gallery which recounts—through artifacts, photographs, maps, and letters—the story of the legendary T.E. Lawrence. My high school history teacher introduced me to Lawrence when he gave me an old, broken-in copy of Seven Pillars of Wisdom; this is the same teacher who ignited my passion for exploring life’s big questions and eventually my commitment to teaching the humanities. Imagine my surprise and delight when I stumbled across a copy of the extremely rare 1926 subscriber’s edition of Lawrence’s book!
I am left pondering the following quote; to me, it captures the spirit of Rotary:
Peacekeepers may not solve problems, but that is not to say that they do not improve lives. Peace is an allusive goal constructed out of many small things. Peter Londey, Other People’s Wars (2004)
I especially enjoyed the Special Exhibit Gallery which recounts—through artifacts, photographs, maps, and letters—the story of the legendary T.E. Lawrence. My high school history teacher introduced me to Lawrence when he gave me an old, broken-in copy of Seven Pillars of Wisdom; this is the same teacher who ignited my passion for exploring life’s big questions and eventually my commitment to teaching the humanities. Imagine my surprise and delight when I stumbled across a copy of the extremely rare 1926 subscriber’s edition of Lawrence’s book!
I am left pondering the following quote; to me, it captures the spirit of Rotary:
Peacekeepers may not solve problems, but that is not to say that they do not improve lives. Peace is an allusive goal constructed out of many small things. Peter Londey, Other People’s Wars (2004)
Thursday, March 27, 2008
All Aboard for Canberra ...
We're off - it is a special train
For capitals we're looking
For many days, through devious ways,
And variegated cooking ...
Each hill and dale, each stream and lake
Seems all the more alluring,
When sandwiches and bottled ale
Alleviate our touring.
- Table Talk, 1902
In Australia alone is to be found the Grotesque, the Weird, the strange scribbling of nature learning how to write. Some see no beauty in our trees without shade, our flowers without perfume, our birds who cannot fly, and our beasts who have not yet learned to walk on all fours. But the dweller in the wilderness acknowledges the subtle charm of this fantastic land of monstrosities. He becomes familiar with the beauty of loneliness. Whispered to by the myriad tongues of the wilderness, he learns the language of the barren and the uncouth, and can read the hieroglyphs of the haggard gum trees, blown into odd shapes, distorted with fierce hot winds, or cramped with cold nights, when the Southern Cross freezes in a cloudless sky of icy blue. The phantasmagoria of that wild dreamland termed the Bush interprets itself, and the Poet of our desolation begins to comprehend why free Esau loved his heritage of desert sand better than the bountiful richness of Egypt. - Marcus Clarke
For capitals we're looking
For many days, through devious ways,
And variegated cooking ...
Each hill and dale, each stream and lake
Seems all the more alluring,
When sandwiches and bottled ale
Alleviate our touring.
- Table Talk, 1902
It didn't take many days - just three hours - and we didn't go by train, but to Australia's capital we did go ... After a 7 a.m. presentation to the Blacktown RC we all threw our backpacks into a 12-passenger van and climbed aboard for the drive to Canberra. Along with us were Pete's hosts Trevor and Gloria, Jito from Kerala, India, PDG Warwick Testor and Marie.
I couldn't tell you for sure how many of us fell asleep since I was one of those who did, but it was a pretty quiet trip until we stopped at Goulburn, the sheep capitol of Australia and home to the biggest sheep in the world, the 15 meter high Big Merino. The main street looked like we had somehow landed in the midwest, South Dakota (yes, MJS, even Down Under, you can still find SD). We had coffee and scones at the Paragon Cafe, then moved on to Canberra and our first views of Lake Burley Griffin. We went through Parliament House and saw the Senate and House of Representatives, both modeled after the UK Parliament but with the red and green chambers muted to eucalyptus green and Uluru rock red. The view from the rooftop was magnificent, and it was interesting to see the entire planned city, and to appreciate the vision that the founders had. The city is laid out on a large flat plain surrounded by Colorado-esque mountains, all lazing under a massive sky and clouds that Mina, especially, found beautiful.
After lunch, across the lake, we stopped to admire the Australian-American war memorial, a 258 foot column topped by a giant eagle of which I'm sure George Orwell would be very proud (very 1984/Brutalist looking).
We had an hour to take in the War Memorial, an impossible task as one could spend hours, even days, reading the information, watching the videos, and contemplating the bewildering things that people can do to each other. One side of the building was devoted to WWI, the other to WWII, and there was even more I didn't get to. In the WWII section, I saw a BMW motorcycle that must be like the one Grandpa talked about riding across North Africa (though this one had a sidecar, which would have cramped his style outrunning the Bedouins ... ) Anyway, it was a beautifully designed presentation, and an interesting, different perspective from which to view events.
Mina and I bunked together at the Heritage Hotel, and the whole group enjoyed an al fresco Italian dinner in town. Slept like a rock and in the morning we were off to see all the embassies before going up the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain and getting an even better aerial view of the city.
We had a quick visit to the Australian National Museum, where I saw a lot of great quotes that expressed the exotic nature of Australia that the first settlers grappled with, both in their own words and in others:
Trees retained their leaves and shed their bark instead, the swans were black, the eagles white, the bees were stingless, some mammals had pockets, others laid eggs, it was warmest on the hills and coolest in the valleys, even the blackberries were red.
Earth red with a million years of fire. - Mark O'Connor
They made a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. - Sir John Forrest, 1903
A man's life is a small gleam of time between two eternities. - Thomas Carlyle, 1857
I have a strange idea that there is a central sea and I should go fully prepared for a Voyage. - Charles Sturt, 1844, an optimistic but ultimately disappointed bloke who actually dragged a whaling ship into the Outback in search of an inland sea that does not exist ... ooops!
The imagination has its own geography which alters with the centuries. - Graham Greene, 1952
We had a noon presentation at the Canberra Yacht Club, then piled back in for the return drive to Sydney. We did an impressive job consuming the piles of yummy cookies that Gloria baked for us (dare I say, the shortbread was Gloria-ous), I almost learned how to knit (help, it's still a mystery), and naps did happen.
I am beginning to feel human again after a couple days of subpar existence, so watch out Australia, I'm back. How lucky to move in with a doctor just as I began to dissolve; Sushilla set me up with the right stuff and her warm hugs and "Of course, my darlings" are good cures. Also, the Indian dinner she prepared for me, Mina and Jito tonight was beyond compare, I may never be able to eat in an Indian restaurant again because she has spoiled me for life. "Eat shamelessly," she told us, and did we ever! Yum, yum, yum, we stuffed ourselves. Jito was ecstatic to have food from home, and was very talkative. Dad, you would have exploded from the spice level : ) It was fantastic. She's writing up the recipes for us, fingers crossed it comes out half as good at home! One can only hope. Where does one get curry leaves in NH?!?
And now I'm the last one standing in this house at half past midnight. Tomorrow's - or rather, today's -plans are made, the bottle of Hungarian red is empty, the mango that grew just outside the door consumed, and everyone else is asleep. Sounds like a good idea for me, too. G'night.
In Australia alone is to be found the Grotesque, the Weird, the strange scribbling of nature learning how to write. Some see no beauty in our trees without shade, our flowers without perfume, our birds who cannot fly, and our beasts who have not yet learned to walk on all fours. But the dweller in the wilderness acknowledges the subtle charm of this fantastic land of monstrosities. He becomes familiar with the beauty of loneliness. Whispered to by the myriad tongues of the wilderness, he learns the language of the barren and the uncouth, and can read the hieroglyphs of the haggard gum trees, blown into odd shapes, distorted with fierce hot winds, or cramped with cold nights, when the Southern Cross freezes in a cloudless sky of icy blue. The phantasmagoria of that wild dreamland termed the Bush interprets itself, and the Poet of our desolation begins to comprehend why free Esau loved his heritage of desert sand better than the bountiful richness of Egypt. - Marcus Clarke
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
An Awesome Weekend
Our weekend began as you may have read at The Royal Sydney Easter Show held at Olympic park, home of the 2000 summer games. What a great day for all of us. We members box tickets which allowed us great seats for all of the events held in the NAB arena throughout the day. We began with a bit of lunch and watch Xtreme Xcitement put on a spectacular show. The v-6 toyota Hilux drill team was spectacular putting their machines to the test all around the track. An appearance by dangerman and dangerwoman riding a motorcycle some 30 meters above the ground while performing graceful acrobatics was enjoyable as well. The highlight for sure was the motocross riders and their amazing aerial stunt spectacular. These riders have little fear and performed high flying tricks as seen on the x-games. Certainly enjoyed and marveled at by all.
We then split up and each checked out various parts of the show on our own. It is a much larger version of the the Big E held in Massachusettes every year. Good Friday drew over 150,000 people to the event. The food is very different and no fried bread dough! Oh well, I did find some pizza so all was well. I particuarly enjoyed the woodsmans games being held in one of the venues. It was the world championships and countries from all over the world were represented. I did get to view the finals of the "standing chop handicapped" event. Pretty interesting and certainly the contestants were quite beat before they fininished.
Before the day was out we rejoined for show jumping and bull riding at the arena. WE caught the Xtreme show again due to its popularity and were treated to a large firework and laser light show to end the evening.
On saturday we went white water rafting at the olypmic rafting center. I have never been before and throughly enjoyed it. After some quick traing we set out on the course with our guide and learned how to fall out "safely." Kate and Amy Beth made it into the drink, but despite our guides best efforts I managed to stay in the boat. A very wet experience but very fun.
From there we whisked off to the local National Rugby League game between the Penrith Panthers and the Canberra Raiders. For those of you who don't know there is also rugby union, the original form of rugby. Union is also very popular. We are very indebted to Murray of Penrith Rotary for getting us the tickets and treating us to a great night. It is a different sort of game with plenty of hard hits. I will be interested to see how it compares to the AFL which I will see in Melbourne. A special treat for us was John Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora arriving in a helicopter during the pregame to promote their concert later that evening. They landed right in the middle of the field and hopped out before we could even register what was really happening. They sang dead or alive....got the crowd going and headed of to their main venue. Sweet!!!
Unfortunately Penrith lost but I did pick up a nice home Jersey to remember the night. Evan our host rotarty member then boarded Steve, Amy Beth and I into his car and we headed for the Avoca Beach....located about 1.5 hours north of Sydney. We got there in time for a moonlight stroll with our host John Duckworth. It was a beautiful night....I stood under a completely different set of stars then I am used to and enjoyed every moment. After a great nights sleep I awoke early for a morning swim and again strolled the beach. JOhn's house is right on the beach literally walking off the porch out onto the sand....how nice for us!
John dropped me off at the train station in Gosford where I caught a train to Central station in Sydney and then transferred to Bondi Junction. I was spending Easter with a friend of mine who lives just a few blocks from Bondi beach. After catching up we had a nice lunch and headed out to the Taronga zoo. I learned quite a bit about the native animals of Australia and despite the walking had a good afternoon. The zoo is quite unique as it sits on a hill side overlooking the harbor and the beautiful Sydney skyline. I found it quite interesting to be looking out over the giraffes and see the skyskrapers in the back ground.
Emma and I rested up a bit before dinner. We eventually headed to the Opera House for dinner at a restaurant there and spent the night at the Opera House Bar. What a nice spot...it sits literally below ground level of the opera house and is open to the air. It is just above the waterline which affords beautiful views of the lit up harbor at night. Really and truely beautiful. There were fireworks over the harbor bridge for Easter and that capped our evening off just nicely.
I had a nice pancake breakfast on the Beach at Bondi. It is similar to California Beaches with the similar hustle and bustle of a touristy area. We took to the beach for a bit to get some sun and swim before I headed back to the train station. The trains were very easy to use and worked out just fine. I got back to blaxland in the late afternoon in time for dinner. I finished the night by walking my host families dog Buddy.
All is well here and I am loving the Australian sights and people.
We then split up and each checked out various parts of the show on our own. It is a much larger version of the the Big E held in Massachusettes every year. Good Friday drew over 150,000 people to the event. The food is very different and no fried bread dough! Oh well, I did find some pizza so all was well. I particuarly enjoyed the woodsmans games being held in one of the venues. It was the world championships and countries from all over the world were represented. I did get to view the finals of the "standing chop handicapped" event. Pretty interesting and certainly the contestants were quite beat before they fininished.
Before the day was out we rejoined for show jumping and bull riding at the arena. WE caught the Xtreme show again due to its popularity and were treated to a large firework and laser light show to end the evening.
On saturday we went white water rafting at the olypmic rafting center. I have never been before and throughly enjoyed it. After some quick traing we set out on the course with our guide and learned how to fall out "safely." Kate and Amy Beth made it into the drink, but despite our guides best efforts I managed to stay in the boat. A very wet experience but very fun.
From there we whisked off to the local National Rugby League game between the Penrith Panthers and the Canberra Raiders. For those of you who don't know there is also rugby union, the original form of rugby. Union is also very popular. We are very indebted to Murray of Penrith Rotary for getting us the tickets and treating us to a great night. It is a different sort of game with plenty of hard hits. I will be interested to see how it compares to the AFL which I will see in Melbourne. A special treat for us was John Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora arriving in a helicopter during the pregame to promote their concert later that evening. They landed right in the middle of the field and hopped out before we could even register what was really happening. They sang dead or alive....got the crowd going and headed of to their main venue. Sweet!!!
Unfortunately Penrith lost but I did pick up a nice home Jersey to remember the night. Evan our host rotarty member then boarded Steve, Amy Beth and I into his car and we headed for the Avoca Beach....located about 1.5 hours north of Sydney. We got there in time for a moonlight stroll with our host John Duckworth. It was a beautiful night....I stood under a completely different set of stars then I am used to and enjoyed every moment. After a great nights sleep I awoke early for a morning swim and again strolled the beach. JOhn's house is right on the beach literally walking off the porch out onto the sand....how nice for us!
John dropped me off at the train station in Gosford where I caught a train to Central station in Sydney and then transferred to Bondi Junction. I was spending Easter with a friend of mine who lives just a few blocks from Bondi beach. After catching up we had a nice lunch and headed out to the Taronga zoo. I learned quite a bit about the native animals of Australia and despite the walking had a good afternoon. The zoo is quite unique as it sits on a hill side overlooking the harbor and the beautiful Sydney skyline. I found it quite interesting to be looking out over the giraffes and see the skyskrapers in the back ground.
Emma and I rested up a bit before dinner. We eventually headed to the Opera House for dinner at a restaurant there and spent the night at the Opera House Bar. What a nice spot...it sits literally below ground level of the opera house and is open to the air. It is just above the waterline which affords beautiful views of the lit up harbor at night. Really and truely beautiful. There were fireworks over the harbor bridge for Easter and that capped our evening off just nicely.
I had a nice pancake breakfast on the Beach at Bondi. It is similar to California Beaches with the similar hustle and bustle of a touristy area. We took to the beach for a bit to get some sun and swim before I headed back to the train station. The trains were very easy to use and worked out just fine. I got back to blaxland in the late afternoon in time for dinner. I finished the night by walking my host families dog Buddy.
All is well here and I am loving the Australian sights and people.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Monday
Another beautiful day in Australia, which Mina and I spent with our hosts Phil and Nerrie in Sydney. We went on a 3-hour coffee cruise around Sydney Harbour, enjoying gorgeous views of the harbour, Opera House, and the rather astounding real estate ringing the shore.
After the cruise, we took the ferry to Darling Harbour and walked around there before returning to Nerrie's office building and enjoying the views from her 58th floor office.
What a weekend! Tomorrow we move on, and more adventures await.
After the cruise, we took the ferry to Darling Harbour and walked around there before returning to Nerrie's office building and enjoying the views from her 58th floor office.
What a weekend! Tomorrow we move on, and more adventures await.
Wet and Wild Weekend
After our big day at the Royal Easter Show on Friday, Saturday morning we went to the Penrith Whitewater Stadium. We were able to watch the end of the kayaking competition for the Olympic qualifications. It rained on us a little for the first time on the trip. This facility was built for the Olympics and is a great place. In the afternoon we had our opportunity to go Whitewater rafting. Evan Whitley joined the five of us and our guide Joel (?) to start our adventure. It was a sometimes tense but great experience going down grade three whitewater. The course runs in a loop and at the end you go up a conveyer belt to do it again. We had about6-7 runs in all. Amy Beth and Kate got dumped and went under the boat but came out fine in the end. The guide kept working to get some of the rest of us in the water but we managed to stay connected to the raft. It was a great experience that will be remembered for a long time to come. Check out the stadium website: http://www.penrithwhitewater.com.au
After showering we went to the Penrith Panthers rugby game. There was a helicopter that touched down in the middle of the field with Jon Bon Jovi who did a song or two. He apparently was the lead singer in a tribute band that was performing at the Panthers club. The game was great. Pete, Amy Beth and I went to Avoca Beach with the Whitleys after the game where we were hosted by John and Jan Duckworth. They had a great location on the beach that we really enjoyed.
Sunday morning we had a great morning swim at Avoca Beach with Pete, John and Amy Beth. It is a beautiful beach where a lot of surfers enjoy the waves. Check out the photos at http://www.avocabeach.com/pic.htm Pete left for Sydney to spend Easter with a friend. After breakfast we went to the Ken Duncan Photography gallery where we saw some amazing photography. We also went to Terrigal where we saw the beach and scenery from a great lookout point. We had coffee in the village before returning to the beach house. After lunch, we could relax, walk along the beach, swim and boogie boardand even take a nap. I had a little book time before our barbeque in the evening. Steve was able to invite some friends from the Newcastle area to join us.
On Monday, Steve and Amy Beth played tennis at 7 am. After breakfast we took a stroll around the rocky ledges surrounding the beach. This is a beautiful area! The John and Jan Duckworth and Evan and Karen Whitley were wonderful hosts.
After showering we went to the Penrith Panthers rugby game. There was a helicopter that touched down in the middle of the field with Jon Bon Jovi who did a song or two. He apparently was the lead singer in a tribute band that was performing at the Panthers club. The game was great. Pete, Amy Beth and I went to Avoca Beach with the Whitleys after the game where we were hosted by John and Jan Duckworth. They had a great location on the beach that we really enjoyed.
Sunday morning we had a great morning swim at Avoca Beach with Pete, John and Amy Beth. It is a beautiful beach where a lot of surfers enjoy the waves. Check out the photos at http://www.avocabeach.com/pic.htm Pete left for Sydney to spend Easter with a friend. After breakfast we went to the Ken Duncan Photography gallery where we saw some amazing photography. We also went to Terrigal where we saw the beach and scenery from a great lookout point. We had coffee in the village before returning to the beach house. After lunch, we could relax, walk along the beach, swim and boogie boardand even take a nap. I had a little book time before our barbeque in the evening. Steve was able to invite some friends from the Newcastle area to join us.
On Monday, Steve and Amy Beth played tennis at 7 am. After breakfast we took a stroll around the rocky ledges surrounding the beach. This is a beautiful area! The John and Jan Duckworth and Evan and Karen Whitley were wonderful hosts.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Thanks!
Hi Everybody!
Just wanted to say thank you to everybody who's checking out the blog. (Thanks Pam and Sue et al for the messages!). Were trying to add more photos as we get the hang of it.
Hope everybody is well at home. Be patient, the warm weather is coming!
Love, :) Mina
Just wanted to say thank you to everybody who's checking out the blog. (Thanks Pam and Sue et al for the messages!). Were trying to add more photos as we get the hang of it.
Hope everybody is well at home. Be patient, the warm weather is coming!
Love, :) Mina
Oh, Happy Day...
This was an unusual Easter! I wandered out for breakfast to find a chocolate bilby and a little fuzzy chick, which Phil and Nerrie
had set out for me. At 8:30, Anthea and Jarrod arrived to pick me up for a day at their 25 acre farm in Wallacia, about 20 minutes away. I met them soon after arriving in Australia, at our first presentation, and it didn't take long for horses to enter the conversation, and before I knew it, things had been arranged for me to go for a horse ride - the day had come!
That's Magic in the photo, and he was a good, energetic boy on our 2 hour romp through Rossmoore, a great place riddled with riding trails. We cantered along for ages at a time, kookaburra birds singing in the background, and Phil and Nerrie said the grin on my face when I returned was ear to ear. Oh, snow, go away at home and let the grass grow so we can get out and run around!
Anthea was very kind to let a strange American ride her show horse, and we've made plans to meet again in 2010 when they come to the US for the horse games in Kentucky.
had set out for me. At 8:30, Anthea and Jarrod arrived to pick me up for a day at their 25 acre farm in Wallacia, about 20 minutes away. I met them soon after arriving in Australia, at our first presentation, and it didn't take long for horses to enter the conversation, and before I knew it, things had been arranged for me to go for a horse ride - the day had come!That's Magic in the photo, and he was a good, energetic boy on our 2 hour romp through Rossmoore, a great place riddled with riding trails. We cantered along for ages at a time, kookaburra birds singing in the background, and Phil and Nerrie said the grin on my face when I returned was ear to ear. Oh, snow, go away at home and let the grass grow so we can get out and run around!
Anthea was very kind to let a strange American ride her show horse, and we've made plans to meet again in 2010 when they come to the US for the horse games in Kentucky.
Photos
Okay, this is an experiment ... Phil very kindly downloaded all my photos onto five CDs and I'll try putting up a few ... the first couple are from Wednesday, when we did our presentation to the 3 Penrith Rotary Clubs.
Yesterday, Saturday, we went rafting ... woohoo!
Friday, March 21, 2008
... A Veritable Smorgasboard* ...
Woohoo!!! Our ears are still ringing and throats scratchy from whooping it up all day at the Royal Easter Show. The Olympic complex was very impressive, and handled the crowd of 150,000 with ease. Thanks to our Rotary hosts, we enjoyed the privileges of the Members Stand, which was most considerately situated ringside to all the EQUINE events. Does it get any better? Cotton candy is called fairy floss here, and we had corn dogs and pizza and ice cream and fish n chips, and sampled all manner of offerings in the food dome. No sign of fried dough anywhere, alas, but I'll get my fix in the fall : )
The day was overcast and cool = perfect for watching motocross and the Toyota Hilux team (SKS, you would have looooved it); showjumping, polo, campdrafting (a rather mysterious event), motocross again, and finally, at 9pm, the dairy famers fireworks finale, during which they played that song "I Come From a Land Down Under". There's a moment to remember...
In between all that, we walked around the exhibition halls and barns; I fell in love with a horse named Mr. Darcy, found a bee-yoo-tee-ful saddle for Fredd (ha!) and watched a 9 year-old girl on the perfect-sized pony have a dressage lesson (she was so good! nice team) and, of course, people watched...
Well, this is not a very coherent posting, but I guess it'll have to do ... 12 hours from now we'll be white water rafting, so some sleep would be good ...
* A gold star to anyone who knows where that line is from ... Mom, I know you know; saw some of your old bovine pals today : )
The day was overcast and cool = perfect for watching motocross and the Toyota Hilux team (SKS, you would have looooved it); showjumping, polo, campdrafting (a rather mysterious event), motocross again, and finally, at 9pm, the dairy famers fireworks finale, during which they played that song "I Come From a Land Down Under". There's a moment to remember...
In between all that, we walked around the exhibition halls and barns; I fell in love with a horse named Mr. Darcy, found a bee-yoo-tee-ful saddle for Fredd (ha!) and watched a 9 year-old girl on the perfect-sized pony have a dressage lesson (she was so good! nice team) and, of course, people watched...
Well, this is not a very coherent posting, but I guess it'll have to do ... 12 hours from now we'll be white water rafting, so some sleep would be good ...
* A gold star to anyone who knows where that line is from ... Mom, I know you know; saw some of your old bovine pals today : )
A Very Full Day
Tuesday was a very full day for Mina and I. We were picked up by Ivo Slezacek, a retired small animal veterinarian at 6:30 am. We went to Leppington farm which is the largest dairy in Australia. The farm is currently milking over 1700 cows three times a day. They are trying to get back 2000. One of their innovations was to buy bread at $85/ton and used a shredder to pull out all the plastic. This saved $ due to the high cost of grain. It was the cleanest dairy we had ever seen. We then met with the traveling vet, Bob Rheinberger. Bob does their herd health work. He has an extensive large animal practice with 2 other vets and he is starting small animal practice.
We then went to Strathfield in Metro Sydney. Dr Sarah Goldsmid, a boarded surgeon, gave us a tour of the Animal Referral Hospital. It was a crowded but modern referral center with 2 surgeons, cardiologist, 2 opthomologists, an oncologist (Tony Moore formerly of Tufts), CT, etc. The staff consists of 85 people. We were able to ask a lot of questions.
We then stopped at the Queen Victoria Building which is a large shopping complex in downtown Sydney for a quick tour and snack. We stopped briefly at the Sydney bridge and opera house for a photo opportunity.
We arrived at the Taronga Zoo 50 minutes before our appt at 3 pm. We were able to get visitor’s passes and saw chimps, gorillas, ostriches, elephants, etc while waiting. We then got a tour of the wildlife rehabilitation and zoo hospital with the lead vet, Dr. Larry Vogelnest. It was interesting to see all their capabilities with a full time pathology lab, quarantine facilities, post mortem rooms etc. We saw several small animals in their cages.
We returned to Penrith and were picked up by a small bus to go for drive to Keith and Marilyn Willoughby’s house for a barbeque. We had asked to get the team together Tuesday night and Marilyn offered her place. There house was large and gorgeous with a full bar and movie theatre, large deck overlooking the water. The hospitality was great and we had a lot of comraderie and great discussions. An unusual rendition of Swing low, Sweet Chariot will be a lasting memory. We returned home after midnight after a very full and very satisfying day.
We then went to Strathfield in Metro Sydney. Dr Sarah Goldsmid, a boarded surgeon, gave us a tour of the Animal Referral Hospital. It was a crowded but modern referral center with 2 surgeons, cardiologist, 2 opthomologists, an oncologist (Tony Moore formerly of Tufts), CT, etc. The staff consists of 85 people. We were able to ask a lot of questions.
We then stopped at the Queen Victoria Building which is a large shopping complex in downtown Sydney for a quick tour and snack. We stopped briefly at the Sydney bridge and opera house for a photo opportunity.
We arrived at the Taronga Zoo 50 minutes before our appt at 3 pm. We were able to get visitor’s passes and saw chimps, gorillas, ostriches, elephants, etc while waiting. We then got a tour of the wildlife rehabilitation and zoo hospital with the lead vet, Dr. Larry Vogelnest. It was interesting to see all their capabilities with a full time pathology lab, quarantine facilities, post mortem rooms etc. We saw several small animals in their cages.
We returned to Penrith and were picked up by a small bus to go for drive to Keith and Marilyn Willoughby’s house for a barbeque. We had asked to get the team together Tuesday night and Marilyn offered her place. There house was large and gorgeous with a full bar and movie theatre, large deck overlooking the water. The hospitality was great and we had a lot of comraderie and great discussions. An unusual rendition of Swing low, Sweet Chariot will be a lasting memory. We returned home after midnight after a very full and very satisfying day.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Catching Up = Tuesday
Time flies when you're having fun, eh?
Tuesday was a vocational day and I went to Muru Mittigar, an aboriginal education and cultural center. The 5 acre facility is a wonderful outreach tool for communicating the history and influence of aboriginal culture, and employs 50 people. Rab and Tom presented their information to a large group of fourth graders in a matter-of-fact, nonpolitical way that captured the children's attention and emphasized that aboriginal culture is to some extent a part of their lives, whether through place names or familiar items like boomerangs,which were hunting tools.
The children attended a private school and all wore light blue polos, dark blue shorts, and blue floppy hats to protect them from the sun. A few were fidgety in their seats, but overall they were impressively engaged and participating, answering questions and always remembering to raise their hand first, index finger pointing to the sky. The boys were particularly interested in learning about the weapons ...
After lunch, Tom took half the group to a field to demonstrate the boomerang, which was a big hit. "Again! Again! Again!" the kids chanted when he didn't catch it. "Throw it as hard as you can, make it hit the mower!" yelled one boy.
Eight of the students got to try for themselves before going for a plant walk, during which I talked with the front office about their advertising and publicity efforts.
When the children left, there was time for a quick boomerang lesson of my own with Tom before my ride came, and though I didn't risk knocking my own head off with it, by the third try it was at least spinning out in an arc. Will have to work on that.
Dinner - well, for dinner we all boarded a bus and headed out to Pete's host family's home on the river, a lovely place an hour away with plenty of room for outdoor entertaining. We enjoyed a barbecue and the hospitality; some of the group engaged in a lively political discussion, and oh yes, by the end of the night there was singing...
While talking with Mina's host Chris about his Cessna and love of flying, he said, "Flying over Australia, the poetry just comes out of the ground." I thought that was lovely.
He also said that flying along the coast at 500 feet, it's not unusual to look down and see a surfer riding one wave, and an enormous shark one wave behind (see, Olivia, you were right, so thanks for the shark warning! hey, what are you doing for your 10th birthday party?). If the situation is serious he'll buzz the surfer, and that's an understood code for get out of Dodge.
I guess you never really know how close you come to something that could change your life; aren't we all just skimming along the surface, riding one wave or another to where we think we're supposed to go?
Tuesday was a vocational day and I went to Muru Mittigar, an aboriginal education and cultural center. The 5 acre facility is a wonderful outreach tool for communicating the history and influence of aboriginal culture, and employs 50 people. Rab and Tom presented their information to a large group of fourth graders in a matter-of-fact, nonpolitical way that captured the children's attention and emphasized that aboriginal culture is to some extent a part of their lives, whether through place names or familiar items like boomerangs,which were hunting tools.
The children attended a private school and all wore light blue polos, dark blue shorts, and blue floppy hats to protect them from the sun. A few were fidgety in their seats, but overall they were impressively engaged and participating, answering questions and always remembering to raise their hand first, index finger pointing to the sky. The boys were particularly interested in learning about the weapons ...
After lunch, Tom took half the group to a field to demonstrate the boomerang, which was a big hit. "Again! Again! Again!" the kids chanted when he didn't catch it. "Throw it as hard as you can, make it hit the mower!" yelled one boy.
Eight of the students got to try for themselves before going for a plant walk, during which I talked with the front office about their advertising and publicity efforts.
When the children left, there was time for a quick boomerang lesson of my own with Tom before my ride came, and though I didn't risk knocking my own head off with it, by the third try it was at least spinning out in an arc. Will have to work on that.
Dinner - well, for dinner we all boarded a bus and headed out to Pete's host family's home on the river, a lovely place an hour away with plenty of room for outdoor entertaining. We enjoyed a barbecue and the hospitality; some of the group engaged in a lively political discussion, and oh yes, by the end of the night there was singing...
While talking with Mina's host Chris about his Cessna and love of flying, he said, "Flying over Australia, the poetry just comes out of the ground." I thought that was lovely.
He also said that flying along the coast at 500 feet, it's not unusual to look down and see a surfer riding one wave, and an enormous shark one wave behind (see, Olivia, you were right, so thanks for the shark warning! hey, what are you doing for your 10th birthday party?). If the situation is serious he'll buzz the surfer, and that's an understood code for get out of Dodge.
I guess you never really know how close you come to something that could change your life; aren't we all just skimming along the surface, riding one wave or another to where we think we're supposed to go?
Monday, March 17, 2008
A day in Penrith
Today started out as they all have here in Australia.....just beautiful. The weather again cooperated for us and continues to remind us of how lucky we are. It was St. Patrick's day here in Australia. No lepracons, but Albert and Bryan from the Penrith club took us out and around the Penrith Lakes project. We stopped at the oldest church and school in New South Wales and got some lovely photos. Next stop was the Olympic kayak center where we raced to the top of the medal stand and waved to our adoring crowd of Steve, Albert, and Bryan. I think they thought the team a bit crazy, but come on.....who hasn't dreamed of standing atop the Olympic stand with your national anthem playing proudly.
The 5000 acre area is an active quarry for stone and sand used in the local building industry when mixed into cement. In another 5 years or so the project will come to completion and the rehabilitation will begin in earnest creating many lakes and a beautiful recreation area for the greater Sydney area. Quite an interesting project really. We got a birds eye view from a look out just into the blue mountain national forest. These mountains and valleys are just gorgeous.
The ride to our next destination, the fire museum, was quite interesting. Steve and I rode with Albert and gave us a good history lesson on Australia's role in World War II. We often focus on just our own involvement and emphasize the European Theater. The U.S. had over 1 million troops stationed in Australia during the war and used it as a staging area for many of its operations in the south Pacific. The Japanese were very interested in invading Australia and were present in this area. Just last year a Japanese submarine was discovered in Sydney harbor. The harbor area sustained damage from subs during the war and perhaps more interesting to us was what happened in Darwin. The Japanese bombed mainland Australia in Darwin and did significant damage. This information was suppressed and covered up for over 40 years to the general populace so as not to create a panic.
Another interesting tid bit I heard on the radio this morning is that the Battleship Sydney was just discovered off the cost of Perth following the discovery of the German ship it sank in sea battle there. There were no survivors of the 645 crew members aboard the Sydney although many Germans did survive the battle. Little is know about the battle and it is hoped the wreckage may provide some insight.
The fire museum was also very interesting. The Penrith Rotary has done much for the museum over the years and they were only to happy to give us the Queen's tour. Sean, our tour guide, did an outstanding job and gave it a very personal touch. We certainly appreciated his efforts. I found in most interesting that amount their many restored trucks and pieces of equipment was an 1891 Dennis steamer. They have a photo of it in the first centennial parade back in 1901 and isn't it amazing it was able to participate 100 years late in the bicentennial parade in 2001. Certainly a testament to how well fire fighters take care of their equipment.
After lunch at Albert's we all headed to the mall to shop a bit and headed home with our host families. We had dinner at the top of the hill grill that had a correspondingly great view of Sydney at night. Keith and Marilyn have hosted many GSE members and exchange students over the years and we had a lively conversation about that.
Tomorrow we head to our vocational visits and what should be a great day. Stay tuned and Stay Classy San Diego.
The 5000 acre area is an active quarry for stone and sand used in the local building industry when mixed into cement. In another 5 years or so the project will come to completion and the rehabilitation will begin in earnest creating many lakes and a beautiful recreation area for the greater Sydney area. Quite an interesting project really. We got a birds eye view from a look out just into the blue mountain national forest. These mountains and valleys are just gorgeous.
The ride to our next destination, the fire museum, was quite interesting. Steve and I rode with Albert and gave us a good history lesson on Australia's role in World War II. We often focus on just our own involvement and emphasize the European Theater. The U.S. had over 1 million troops stationed in Australia during the war and used it as a staging area for many of its operations in the south Pacific. The Japanese were very interested in invading Australia and were present in this area. Just last year a Japanese submarine was discovered in Sydney harbor. The harbor area sustained damage from subs during the war and perhaps more interesting to us was what happened in Darwin. The Japanese bombed mainland Australia in Darwin and did significant damage. This information was suppressed and covered up for over 40 years to the general populace so as not to create a panic.
Another interesting tid bit I heard on the radio this morning is that the Battleship Sydney was just discovered off the cost of Perth following the discovery of the German ship it sank in sea battle there. There were no survivors of the 645 crew members aboard the Sydney although many Germans did survive the battle. Little is know about the battle and it is hoped the wreckage may provide some insight.
The fire museum was also very interesting. The Penrith Rotary has done much for the museum over the years and they were only to happy to give us the Queen's tour. Sean, our tour guide, did an outstanding job and gave it a very personal touch. We certainly appreciated his efforts. I found in most interesting that amount their many restored trucks and pieces of equipment was an 1891 Dennis steamer. They have a photo of it in the first centennial parade back in 1901 and isn't it amazing it was able to participate 100 years late in the bicentennial parade in 2001. Certainly a testament to how well fire fighters take care of their equipment.
After lunch at Albert's we all headed to the mall to shop a bit and headed home with our host families. We had dinner at the top of the hill grill that had a correspondingly great view of Sydney at night. Keith and Marilyn have hosted many GSE members and exchange students over the years and we had a lively conversation about that.
Tomorrow we head to our vocational visits and what should be a great day. Stay tuned and Stay Classy San Diego.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
A Day at Springwood High School
I spent my first vocational day with my host-mum, Marilyn Kenney. In addition to being a terrific cook and a thoughtful host, Marilyn happens to be Deputy Principal of Springwood High School (a DP is equivalent to the role of Assistant Principal). Springwood High School is a secondary school comprised of about 800 students in grades 7-12. Like the administrators at my local high school, Marilyn is the lightening rod for all sorts of student-related challenges. She no sooner walked into the building—at the early hour of 7:15am—when she was called upon to help two students reexamine their rather liberal interpretations of the dress code. Another student came by to inquire about the upcoming Vaccination Day, which is when students receive all the nationally required immunizations free of charge. A parent called. Kids stopped by. The principal touched base about a few students. Another parent called. Two parents showed up unannounced to talk with Marilyn about their son. Two teachers came looking for advice and guidance.
Before I knew it, we were gobbling down our lunches while Marilyn listened to a student describe her challenges in French class. Marilyn, or Ms. Kenney to the kids, administered a dose of tough love with a side of support and sent the student on her way.
We made it to the Deputy Principals’ In-service Workshop just in time to enjoy a “cuppa” and some talk with fellow colleagues. The theme of the workshop was Cyber-Safe Schools. We viewed examples of cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying; we were also lucky enough to be participate in a panel discussion with several experts in the field.
Before I knew it, we were gobbling down our lunches while Marilyn listened to a student describe her challenges in French class. Marilyn, or Ms. Kenney to the kids, administered a dose of tough love with a side of support and sent the student on her way.
We made it to the Deputy Principals’ In-service Workshop just in time to enjoy a “cuppa” and some talk with fellow colleagues. The theme of the workshop was Cyber-Safe Schools. We viewed examples of cyber-stalking and cyber-bullying; we were also lucky enough to be participate in a panel discussion with several experts in the field.
Another Beautiful Day
Well in short once again it was hard to leave our wonderful host families this morning from the Springwood club. Laurie, Beverly, and Nyree Waterson were beautiful hosts and an outstanding family. They made my stay quite nice. We had a wonderful golf outing and Nyree introduced me to the world of Nintendo Wii. Certainly a lot of fun. I got over my cold while there and am looking forward to an illness free remainder of our trip. The barbeque hosted for us last night was quite special and Aunt Betty used it as an additonal vocational day to work on her nursing skills. She is quite professional in that respect.
After a quick change to the Penrith club we proceeded out in to the country side to visit a wonderful inn and pub said to be the oldest in New South Wales. We had a relaxing afternoon there surrounded by visitors and antique cars. We have been blessed by such great weather it is amazing.
We are all looking forward to our time in Penrith after a good nights rest.
After a quick change to the Penrith club we proceeded out in to the country side to visit a wonderful inn and pub said to be the oldest in New South Wales. We had a relaxing afternoon there surrounded by visitors and antique cars. We have been blessed by such great weather it is amazing.
We are all looking forward to our time in Penrith after a good nights rest.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
At 3:15 pm today Pete, Mina and I were gathered with our host families at a picnic table in St. Albans at the Settlers Arms Inn (1836) when the band there started playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - which might be exactly where we have landed, the land that we heard of once in a lullabye, where dreams really do come true, a place where Rotary is showing every day what interactions between people and nations can do - and hey, peace needs to start somewhere, so let it begin with us.
This morning we met for breakfast and turned ourselves over to the welcoming Penrith RC. Once we got sorted out - and I don't know whose idea it was - we headed out for a drive through entirely different terrain, flatter, lots of horses, some cattle ... up and down and around curves until we came to a river crossing, which was done by a small ferry that could carry about 12 cars. Then on to the Settlers Arms Inn, a great pub seemingly in the middle of nowhere that had music and sunshine and food - and as we got to know each other, lots of laughs and fun as well.
There was a stunning collection of antique cars there, and one definitely caught my eye: a 1938 two-tone green Lagonda, which I'd never heard of, but it reminded me A LOT of Gram and Grampa's '37 Pontiac, so I was only a year off in guessing its age! Anyway, besides looking like it, it smelled EXACTLY like it, and Mom, Dad, Thom, Karen, you know what I'm talking about. Hey Laura, do you remember riding around standing up behind the front seat (the only seat)? : ) The owner said I could have it, ha ha ... he said the company was founded by an American in England. An exPontiac employee, perhaps?
Had a chat with an older gentleman who was staying at the inn, he'd buried 20 ounces of gold somewhere around decades before and now with the price going up, he thought he'd try to find it ... happy hunting!
~ The inn was built by convict labor of handhewn sandstone andwas a stopover for the stagecoaces travelling between Sydney, Parramatta and Newcastle along the Old Northern Road. Now it's o the wa to the Hunter Valley wineries.
I guess I better go for now, hope all is well with everyone. Tomorrow's another adventure!
This morning we met for breakfast and turned ourselves over to the welcoming Penrith RC. Once we got sorted out - and I don't know whose idea it was - we headed out for a drive through entirely different terrain, flatter, lots of horses, some cattle ... up and down and around curves until we came to a river crossing, which was done by a small ferry that could carry about 12 cars. Then on to the Settlers Arms Inn, a great pub seemingly in the middle of nowhere that had music and sunshine and food - and as we got to know each other, lots of laughs and fun as well.
There was a stunning collection of antique cars there, and one definitely caught my eye: a 1938 two-tone green Lagonda, which I'd never heard of, but it reminded me A LOT of Gram and Grampa's '37 Pontiac, so I was only a year off in guessing its age! Anyway, besides looking like it, it smelled EXACTLY like it, and Mom, Dad, Thom, Karen, you know what I'm talking about. Hey Laura, do you remember riding around standing up behind the front seat (the only seat)? : ) The owner said I could have it, ha ha ... he said the company was founded by an American in England. An exPontiac employee, perhaps?
Had a chat with an older gentleman who was staying at the inn, he'd buried 20 ounces of gold somewhere around decades before and now with the price going up, he thought he'd try to find it ... happy hunting!
~ The inn was built by convict labor of handhewn sandstone andwas a stopover for the stagecoaces travelling between Sydney, Parramatta and Newcastle along the Old Northern Road. Now it's o the wa to the Hunter Valley wineries.
I guess I better go for now, hope all is well with everyone. Tomorrow's another adventure!
Another Great Day
Saturday was a day that was not as tightly scheduled, which was nice that most of us did separate activities with our host families. Bob and Jan and I made a brief stop at the Rotary Market put on by our friends at the Lower Blue Mountain Rotary Club. Kate and Lynda were also there as well as several of our friends in the RC.
In the afternoon, Bob Templeman hosted a golf outing to Springwood Golf Course for Pete, Laurie Waterson and his daughter Nyree, and myself. It was a great afternoon (quite hot for us New England types). If getting the highest score is good then I did well...
In the evening we met at Colin and Marilyn Kenney's beautiful home for a farewell barbeque. We had a very nice evening with the five host couples (Laurie and Bev Waterson, Bob and Jan Templeman, Colin and Marilyn Kenney, Peter and Lynda Sparkes, and David and Su Manzi) and Ivan and Marilyn Fedor.
Now it is Sunday. We had to say good-bye to our friends in Springwood and we are off to new adventures with the Penrith club. We have a quiet day here with my hosts Albert and Merle Blatch. In fact, I enjoyed close to a two hour nap!
In the afternoon, Bob Templeman hosted a golf outing to Springwood Golf Course for Pete, Laurie Waterson and his daughter Nyree, and myself. It was a great afternoon (quite hot for us New England types). If getting the highest score is good then I did well...
In the evening we met at Colin and Marilyn Kenney's beautiful home for a farewell barbeque. We had a very nice evening with the five host couples (Laurie and Bev Waterson, Bob and Jan Templeman, Colin and Marilyn Kenney, Peter and Lynda Sparkes, and David and Su Manzi) and Ivan and Marilyn Fedor.
Now it is Sunday. We had to say good-bye to our friends in Springwood and we are off to new adventures with the Penrith club. We have a quiet day here with my hosts Albert and Merle Blatch. In fact, I enjoyed close to a two hour nap!
Magic
It's moving day, heading out in a few minutes, but wanted to get this up before the scrap I scribbled it on disappears in the depths of my suitcase:
So Much to See at the Edge of the World
"Who would have thought
there'd be so much to see in the world?
Dandelions and ants
Traction engines and bolting horses."
- from The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay, Australian artist and scalliwag
Quickly: Went to the Glenbrook markets yesterday, had a coffee with Lynda, Paul and Liz : )
Found my Australian Christmas ornament, went to the Norman Lindsay Gallery, wonderful farewell dinner with Springwood Rotarians.
Uh oh, gotta run, time to go.
So Much to See at the Edge of the World
"Who would have thought
there'd be so much to see in the world?
Dandelions and ants
Traction engines and bolting horses."
- from The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay, Australian artist and scalliwag
Quickly: Went to the Glenbrook markets yesterday, had a coffee with Lynda, Paul and Liz : )
Found my Australian Christmas ornament, went to the Norman Lindsay Gallery, wonderful farewell dinner with Springwood Rotarians.
Uh oh, gotta run, time to go.
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