Great Barrier Reef to Great Country of America

This will be my last blog. We didn't have internet access in Cairns, so I was unable to post there.

The scenic train ride through the rain forest was beautiful. We had done it when we were there the first time and enjoyed it again. This train was built in the late 1800s for the gold miners. It took us to a small town in the mountains called Kuranda. Mallory wanted her picture made with a koala, so we headed straight for the small animal park called Koala Gardens. She held a very sleep koala and the photo came out so cute. We fed some wallabies and kangaroos and then strolled through the town shops looking for a few more souveneirs, etc. Robbie and Preston were looking for a gift for Preston to bring back for Lisha. After lunch, we caught the Skyrail back down the mountains. It is a cable car or ski lift type thing you ride in. We were as high as the airplanes going over the tops of rainforest trees! It is pretty scary to me to be up so high just spended from a cable, but I try to be a good mom and participate. We had done this before, too, and I knew what I was getting into. It is certainly beautiful!

We had dinner out at a nice restaurant. We missed the good service you get at American restaurants. It just isn't the same in Australia, maybe because they don't get tips. We asked for water and she told me their was a water cooler and some cups at the back of the restaurant I could go get. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. It was just too funny paying the prices we paid, and then getting up and helping yourself to water at the back of the restaurant. The food was delicious though!

The next morning we took the bus to Port Douglas and boarded Quicksilver for a day at the Great Barrier Reef. It took about an hour and a half to get out to the reef. The water is the most gorgeous blue. We even saw two hump-backed whales on the way out there. Once we were to the reef, Quicksilver has a stationary pontoon there. You walk onto it to get your snorkel gear and get into the water for snorkeling or scuba diving. They also had a submersible boat for you to go on a 30 minute ride around the reef. Mal and I were starving so we ate first. They serve a big buffet lunch. Preston and Robbie went ahead for their first snorkel. We all got to see beautiful fish and giant colored clams. The water was cold! Robbie snorkeled 3 times and the kids did, too. I was too cold and only went once. At one point during the day, Mallory had walked from the pontoon across to the boat to get a snack. I wondered what was taking her so long and went to look for her. I found Robbie and Preston and asked if they had seen her. They hadn't. There weren't too many places to be. I saw a worker trying to get a bathroom door open and asked her if someone was stuck in there. She said yes. I said that's my daughter. Mallory was stuck in the bathroom for about 20 minutes. It took 2 men to get her out. They pryed and banged and pulled and were getting ready to saw the hinges off when they finally got her out. She was calm the whole time and smiled and said she was fine. When we walked alone and I gave her a hug, she was pretty shaken up. It's just scary being confined in a little space on a boat in the ocean! Other than that, it was a beautiful day enjoying the ocean.

Robbie and Preston went deep sea fishing all day our last day. Mallory and I stayed at the beach and enjoyed relaxing. We all packed up that evening and went to bed early. Up at 3:00 a.m. to catch our taxi at 4:00 am....and 34 hours later we were home...safe and sound. Had a few hours sleep last night and I'm fighting wanting to sleep this afternoon. It's good to be home. It is good to be able to talk to Grant. We had a wonderful time and made lots of good memories, but it is nice being home. We have a special place in our heart for Australia and our friends there.

Goodbye Alice, Hello Great Barrier Reef

We went to church Sunday. The new Baptist church is so nice and the congregation is very proud of their new facility. Everyone has worked very hard on it. It is the industrial area in a big metal building. The music was great and the sermon was, too. They "farewelled" an American family and another young man who was going to be a deisel mechanic in Antarctica. The church is very accustomed to so many people coming and going there. We saw old friends and acquaintances.

Went to the Todd Mall Markets after church and Mal had her much anticipated Mango/Banana smoothies. It was one of her most vivid memories! Went out to the Telegraph Station where we spent many happy times. Mark Weippert and his wife had us over at 4:00 for tea and a visit. He was the single guy who was our personal "crocodile dundee" and took us on a great day in the outback before we left. He is now married with 3 little ones! He was thrilled to show Robbie and Preston all the animals he had killed on a station...48 wild horses, 4 donkeys, and countless camels ...all as a means of animal control in the outback.

We joined the Willeses for a nice dinner at Overlanders. Monday we walked around town and stopped by Anzac Hill and just did all the last minute things we wanted to do.

We said goodbye to Alice and arrived in Cairns to a beautiful apartment with an ocean view. The sunrise from our balcony the next morning was breathtaking. Robbie, Mal and I went on a jog/walk along the beach and then got a few groceries for breakfast. Had a relaxing day at the beach and tomorrow we will take an old scenic train ride into the rainforest and return by skyrail. What a blessing this trip has been. The kids are having a wonderful time. Hope all is well in America with family and friends! G'day!

A Town Like Alice

Today's title comes from a famous book written about the town of Alice Springs.

Greetings from the Outback! We are all doing great. I guess we have been busier here visiting with friends and trying to see, do, and eat our favorite things. We arrived Wednesday afternoon, hired a car and went by the Bradshaw Primary school where Annie works and picked her up. Annie, Peter, Shona and Ben were our neighbors when we lived here and they were so kind to offer to let us stay with them while we are here. Annie showed us around her nice home and we got situated, then she went back to work and we went to town. We drove by our old house on the way. The kids have bits and pieces of memories from here. Things have changed some in town. It seems so strange to be back here...is surreal the correct word? We ate in the little food court and walked around the Todd Mall which is outdoors. Mallory got used to the Aboriginal aspect of the town and those memories came flooding back. It was great seeing Shona and Ben when they got home from school. Mallory used to carry Shona around everywhere on her hip. Ben was only a few months old when we left and he weighed less than one poind when he was born. We took Ben and walked to the park where the kids used to play. We walked to where Shona was playing "touch"...which is Rugby, I believe. Annie made Gnocchi for supper and it was delicious.

Thursday morning we left at daybreak for Ayer's Rock. You don't drive at night here or you hit kangaroos along the road. Ayer's Rock is the big rock you usually see associated with Australia. We had tried to climb it two times before when we lived here but it was closed for bad weather. They won't let you climb if the wind is too strong or if it's too cold or hot. The Aboriginals don't want you to climb it because it is sacred to them, but they don't forbid it because they like all the tourist's money. We drove four hours to the rock seeing a live camel and lots of dead kangaroos along the way. The land is so vast and there is nothing out there except 3 or 4 roadhouses. Curtin Springs Roadhouse is actually a cattle station with over a million acres! Ayer's Rock was open! The climb started out so hard! You have a chain to hang onto for quite awhile and my calves were burning! People are coming down and telling us "it gets better". We finally got to the end of the chain and then you have nothing to hold onto. You have flat places to walk, so it isn't too bad. The view up there is magnificent. You have to climb for awhile and then stop and catch your breath and drink some water. It was much longer than I thought, but we made it to the top and everyone takes pictures and rests. It was amazing. We stayed in the little town of Yulara which is only there because of Ayer's Rock. It is a tourist resort. Mal and I walked to the Town Centre and looked at the little shops. The food is so expensive because the town is so isolated.

We headed back to Alice the next morning and stopped along the way for gas and later for a picnic. A couple from Brisbane stopped for a "cuppa" and shared our picnic table and we had a chat. Mallory, Robbie and Preston decided to tally the dead kangaroos on the way home and the total ended up being 160! Wow! We came back to Annie and Peters and had steak and kangaroo steak on the grill. Kangaroo tastes like deer meat.

This morning we are going to our church "Alice Springs Baptist" and then to the Todd Mall Markets. Mallory is sure hoping they have the frozen mango and banana smoothies she remembers as a little girl. I am hoping to see friends at church.

Preston is waiting to get on the computer and talk to his girlfriend. We only have one outlet converter so we all share....I need it in a few minutes to use my curling iron!

Until next time......

Last Night in Adelaide

Well, it's our last day here. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by. Noelene and I have decided not to be sad as we both have a feeling the Lord will allow us to see each other sooner than another nine years! We'll see how that works at the airport in the morning.

Robbie and I walked down Jetty road and all along the ocean early this morning. I just knew I had seen shark fins and pointed them out to Robbie, but they were only porpoises. Much better in my opinion!

Today we all drove into the city and turned in our rental car and then walked to Qantas and got our refund! What a blessing that is! Then, of course, it was time for coffee before we started out for the zoo. We had coffee in the Adelaide Arcade which is a beautiful old building with shops down either side of a straight hall.

Mallory wanted her picture taken by Royal Adelaide Hospital, where we took her when she was little. She had swallowed a hard piece of candy and it lodged in her throat. By the time we found the hospital and got her checked in, it had gone down all the way. So she posed by the sign and I'm sure people wondered what we were doing.

We had a great time at the zoo. We had a picnic there for lunch. It was so cold most of the day.

We talked the guys into waiting for us while we went into Lincraft...kind of like a Michaels. We bought 3 crochet hooks and yarn for later in the evening so Noelene could show Mallory and I how to crochet a granny square. I had forgotten. The craft store is in the mall which is about a 5 story building. Lincraft was at the very top. We rode the tram back to our house and Larry and Noelene went back to their place and invited us to tea in a couple of hours.

We went to an internet cafe and got our airline tickets printed out for in the morning and then I broke down and bought a pair of UGG boots! I have had UGG slippers for about 10 years and love them. I know I will wear these forever and they are so warm and cozy.

Then we walked about a mile to Larry and Noelene's. They fixed Beef Stroganoff and fresh veggies...so good. We worked on our crochet and then everyone was getting sleepy and tired from the long day.

We are all packed up and ready to leave for Alice in the morning. We will say our goodbyes to Larry, Noelene and Normy in the morning. Not looking forward to that at all, but like I said, we are being more positive this time! They are going to start a "Coming to America" fund. Mallory and Preston have just loved getting to know them again, as they were only 9 and 7 when we left here.

For everyone out there in "blog-land": this is more like a diary of our daily activities and isn't really turning out to be entertaining....but it will be my memory of the trip as I know I will forget some of the little things.

Next post will be from the Outback!

Sugar Buns and Schnitzle...and a very special Quilt!

Today's title is what I had for morning tea and lunch....and then a most wonderful gift of a quilt hanging from Noelene! She made me the most beautiful quilt with appliqued teapots and teacups and right in the center is embroidered "Come and share a pot of tea, my home is warm and my friendship free...." She has a heart of gold.

We rented a van this morning so we could all ride together out to the Adelaide Hills. Nairne is a quaint little town of about 1000 people with the cutest little main street. It is in the heart of winery country and sheep and dairy farms. So beautiful! Their land is about 1/4 an acre on a steep incline with gorgeous views out the front and back. I wish I was more technologically inclined and I would have the pictures posted each day. Noelene and Larry and Normy will be moving to Nairn in 2 weeks. They will rent and then later build. We went and got them a P.O. box and then registered Normy at the tiny little Primary School. Noelene was so pleased with it. She said it was the friendliest school she had ever been around and was really excited about an older man who is a retired architect that runs a little woodworking shop there to teach the kids. We stopped into the bakery for a cappuccino and sugar bun. Yummy! The waitress made flowers, hearts, and leaf designs on the top of all our cappuccinos. Never saw that before. Preston had Banana Carmel Pie, which we all used to love in Alice Springs. Larry drove us all around the hills and then all the way up to Mount Lofty. It reminded us so much of the Ozarks, but then we went much higher! It was freezing at the top, but was a beautiful view of the valley and city of Adelaide. All along the way were steep hills with vineyards. We can't seem to quit comparing all our differences in language...Preston and Larry were really debating why we say "Zee" for the letter, and they say "Zed". Or why we say "emergency brake" and they say "parking brake". Do we really only use it in an emergency? Larry told Preston to make "commentary" on the drive, except he pronounced it "common-tree". We laughed about "common trees" the rest of the day. We then went to the oldest German town in Australia called Hahndorf. We had delicious Chicken Schnitzle there for lunch and looked around at the little shops. Larry and Noelene needed to go visit with his dad this evening, so we took a stroll back down to the ocean and stopped at Woolies for a few things.

It is so amazing to see Normy now and how healthy and strong he is. When Noelene and Larry first started fostering him, he was 2. He didn't want to eat anything! He would sometimes have to be put in the hospital and get fed by a feeding tube. Noelene would sit for hours in the high chair working with him and she put cream on all the food for the calories for him...just so he could gain some weight. That is when Mallory used to carry him around on her hip every chance she got. Now he is 11 and in the 5th grade. He is so loving and sweet. He still goes for scheduled visits out to his family's Aboriginal community near Alice, but Noelene and Larry will get to raise him right through high school.

Tomorrow we will go to the zoo and Mallory is counting on either holding a koala or petting one.

I'll try at some point to get some pictures on here.

Goodnight!

A Relaxing Day

We used the morning to do a little laundry and relax. Larry and Noelene had to drop her "mum" off at the airport and then came here for lunch. Mallory and I had walked to Woolies and got stuff for tacos...all old El Paso brand....but it tasted good. The "shops" don't open on Sunday till 11:00 and close at 5:00. We had a nice lunch and long visit and then walked down Jetty Street to the ocean and then stopped for coffee on the way back. We had lots of laughs remembering all differences in our speech and food, etc. Noelene and I still can't believe we are with each other again, because when we left 9 years ago we said "we'll see each other in heaven." We weren't very positive were we? This time, we are going to be much more positive when we say our goodbyes.

Larry's sister and her 4 children stopped by our house on the way back from their walk to the ocean. I made them a cup of tea. I just love being around my fellow tea drinkers once again! ha! I asked them "just how many cups of tea in one day is too many?" They said you can never have too many cups of tea. That works for me! Larry took his sister and kids back to their house as they were leaving on the train to Victoria the next morning. He brought back all the groceries they had left and Noelene, Mallory and I fixed a big meal with it all. We created new dishes! It was fun. Larry even cut up the fresh pumpkin and steamed it...so good. We had leftover wedding cake for dessert. We spent much time at the table showing how we eat and vice versa. Lots of laughs. It was the end of a wonderful day.

This morning we are driving out to the Adelaide Hills where they have purchased a lot to build a home and we will eat lunch at their little bakery in their town...their town is called Nairn...pronounced "nan".

Normy and Mallory have hit it off once again. He is quiet and very loving.

I think it is much warmer today! It was cold and rainy yesterday. Better go get dressed and get on with the day.

Got to talk to Grant for about 2 minutes yesterday. He is doing fine. I was glad to hear his voice.

A Wedding in Adelaide

Hi family and friends! Hope everything is going well in America. We are all doing well and having a wonderful time. We left Sydney yesterday morning and realized with their daylight savings time, our flight arrival time was different than we expected. We were going to have to really rush and hope to make it to the wedding on time. We had about 10 minutes to get ready. As soon as the taxi driver dropped us off at our rental house, I threw on my dress and shoes and began ironing Robbie and Preston's shirts. Robbie was rushing around looking for the phone in our house, so he could call a taxi to take us to the wedding. I kept ironing and everyone was looking everywhere for the phone! No phone to be found! No way to call a taxi! We headed down the street all dressed up looking for a taxi or pay phone. Robbie found a Sporting Club and a lady in there called a taxi for us. We made it to the wedding 10 minutes late! It was held at a beautiful old home in the city and the taxi let us off right in front. The wedding party was still out front and we were trying to decide which would be the best way to sneak in. That was when our friend, Larry, came out and gave us quick hugs and showed us where to go in. Once inside, I could see my friend, Noelene, at the front and we waved at each other really big. The wedding was about to start. It was a sweet and beautiful wedding. Larry and Noelene's boys had turned into men since we last saw them 9 years ago. Noelene and I finally got to see each other after the wedding. After some photo time, most of the guests walked around the corner for a coffee before the actual wedding reception started. It was so fun catching up with Noelene and her family. The reception was a sit down dinner and we sat by Larry's 2 sisters and their families. Very friendly, funny and nice people. We enjoyed visiting with them. One of Larry's sisters was so surprised that we really ate like she has seen Americans on tv eat! Where you cut your food with the knife and then lay it down and put the fork in that hand. There were many speeches...the father of the bride, father of the groom, the groom, the brother of the groom....etc. They were all very heartfelt. Noelene even got up and spoke about her father who had passed away on the same day as her son Jake (the one getting married) was born. It was a special day and everyone welcomed us so warmly. We even met a couple whose daughter married a doctor from Kilgore, Texas! It's a small world.

We dressed for the wedding so quickly that I didn't even know what our rent house looked like. It's an old tudor style home...probably about 100 years old. Mallory said it reminds her of Me-Me's house. We were all so exhausted, we crashed when we got home.

This morning we left Preston asleep, and Mallory, Robbie and I walked down to Woolie's! It was so much fun going back to the grocery store just like the one in Alice where we used to shop. We picked up things for breakfast and for a picnic in the park with our friends and their families for lunch. We walked back to the house and put away all the groceries and then walked back to the Australia Post. Mallory wanted to buy some postcards. It's great remembering all the little things we used to enjoy. Preston used to really like meringues from the bakery, so we took one back for him.

We made sandwiches and took the tram into Adelaide to a park and met most of the wedding party and family for a picnic. We visited with some people we were somewhat acquainted with in Alice that work for Wycliffe Bible Translators. We had taken a homeschool field trip there and also attended Alice Baptist with them. Mallory saw an Aboriginal man in the park hit at the lady he was with and it made her remember all that kind of thing from Alice when she was little. She still felt uncomfortable. Nobody likes to see that.

Everyone went their separate ways for the rest of the afternoon. We took the tram down to the ocean and walked around...so beautiful. We remembered being here with Gordy and Angie...the places where we ate...and when Grant lost his Dallas Cowboy hat in the ocean. It has been cold here and a little bit of rain, but not as cold as it was when we were here years ago.

Larry came and picked us up and we went for "tea" at his sister's rental house. "Tea" means supper. We had pizza and laughed and talked then Larry brought us home. They will come over here tomorrow for lunch. They are going to take us to see some property they bought in the Adelaide Hills.

We miss Grant being here with us so much. We have his picture and show it to everyone.

Better get to bed now.