Getting Ready for Tassie

     Tomorrow Steve, Andrea, Adam, Owen, Olivia, and I fly to Tasmania. We'll be celebrating both New Year's and Andrea's birthday there on December 31st. Sorry, Zach, we'll be missing your birthday in Seattle yet again this year. After being in France last year at this time and in Australia this year, I promise we'll make up for it next December 31st!
     Two days before Christmas, Steve and I headed into downtown Sydney. It was actually our first touristy day in Sydney since arriving in early November. The weather was perfect, so we took the ferry from Circular Quay to Parramatta. Here are our obligatory, iconic Sydney Harbor shots.

 

     We also discovered an authentic French creperie at Circular Quay that we must try before we leave Australia. (It was recommended by a French baker here.)

     On Christmas morning we were woken up nice and early by an eager Olivia and Owen. As soon as Nana Penny and Aunt Rachel (Adam's mother and sister) arrived to join us, the official present opening began. 

 

Wool hats made by Nana Penny + Santa lollies.

Kiwi Kids

Ribbon Girl

Ribbon Boy

The Elf Family (sans Owen) - straight from Hobbiton, NZ

 

     Later in the day it was HOT, so it was time to head to the park for the traditional Christmas barbie. Plenty of sunscreen and cold libations needed...

 
     Then it was back home to play with all the X-mas loot!

Olivia in heaven with her bunny robot "Loveheart."
 

Owen & Andrea building Legos. 
 

     This morning was playground time while Andrea began the family packing for Tasmania.

 

Jump! 

 

 

     Then Grandpa very kindly went to Kmart and brought home a backyard wading pool. Perfect for an 85'F summer's day!

Yes, the kids did join me 😀

See you next time in Tasmania!

Christmas in Summer - Weird!

     It's just a few days before Christmas now, but to us it doesn't look or feel at all like Yuletide. Yes, there are plenty of decorations about and the stores are crowded with holiday shoppers, but it just doesn't compute in our Northern Hemisphere brains. It all just feels weird. Some of the sweltering hot, sunny days intermingled with ferocious thunderstorms just don't spell X-M-A-S to us. Andrea admits that even after living in Australia for about 16 years, Christmas in summer still feels odd to her too.
    Meanwhile, Steve and I have been enjoying plenty of quality time with Owen and Olivia. On Tuesday, December 18 we went to their preschool graduation. That means next up -- kindergarten! In Australia all public school kids wear uniforms, and Owen and Olivia's have just arrived. They will be wearing red tops with navy blue shorts/skirts/slacks along with red sunhats and red backpacks. (We'll be doing a fashion shoot this weekend.) The twins will be starting kindergarten after their "summer holidays," meaning their official school year starts the last week in January (again a bit strange to the Northern Hemisphere psyche). Here are a few photos from their recent rite of passage.

Olivia speaking at preschool graduation.

Owen listening.

 

Graduation Day!

      In preparation for Tuesday's post-graduation party, Andrea, Owen, and Olivia did a bunch of holiday baking on Monday evening, including gingerbread cookies. As you can see, Olivia and Owen were totally "hands-on."

    
     Then Grandpa fit in some quality grand-twin reading time...

     On Wednesday, Steve and I left for a mini-trip to the Blue Mountains, which is about two hours southwest of Sydney by train. We had visited there two times before on previous trips to Australia, and had really enjoyed the area's beauty. This third time did not disappoint...

View from Govett's Leap in Blue Mountain National Park in Blackheath.

Waterfall at Govett's Leap.

View of Blue Mountains from the town of Leura.

 

     This trip Steve and I stayed in the small town of Leura. We also walked to nearby Katoomba -- where we had stayed on our two previous visits to the Blue Mountains. We were happy to find the colorful street murals Katoomba still there!

 

 

 

     During our two day getaway in the Blue Mountains, Steve and I experienced some wild weather patterns. Our first day was extremely foggy and misty until evening. Then at around 6:30 pm a ferocious thunderstorm hit. It was raining so hard we had to order a taxi to be able to get to the restaurant a 10-minute walk away. And we still got soaked just walking from the curb to the café! But by the time we had finished our meal, the air was fresh and clear and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to our B & B.
     Our second day was blazing hot and sunny until late afternoon, so we did lots of walking and hiking in Leura, Katoomba, and Blackheath. There wasn't the faintest hint of a cloud in the clear blue morning sky, but by mid-afternoon you could start to see them slowly rolling in and coalescing. Sure enough, by early evening we had another cloudburst and thunderstorm. Luckily, this second one was shorter lived than the previous night's, so by the time we were hungry we didn't need a taxi to walk to dinner.

 

     Now we're back in Newton having just picked up Owen and Olivia from their last day of daycare at Sunshine Kids. From now on they are regular school kids! Tonight was homemade pasta night. Take a look. And YUM!

 

        

Goodbye to Windang...

     Today is Thursday, December 13 and we are at the end of our 4-week stay in Windang in New South Wales. Steve and I had a lot of fun here and have loved being so close to both the Pacific Ocean and Lake Illawarra. During the past month, we've taken just about every bus and train route running north, south, and west of here. We've walked through a treetop canopy, gone golfing, swimming, bicycling, participated in a local French conversation group, and Steve has even gone skydiving! We've experienced beautiful sunny days, windstorms, torrential rains, and crazy days that had all extremes in one. In two days we'll be heading back up to Sydney for a week or so before we fly on to Tasmania with Andrea, Adam, Owen, and Olivia. But first a few highlights of this last week in Windang...
     On Saturday Steve and I explored the town of Port Kembla about 7 kilometers away. We had heard the town has a lovely beach and also a large saltwater public pool. It took two buses to get there, but no problem. As it was a hot, sunny day, swimming was our goal. Swimming laps in saltwater feels odd to me and very different than in chlorinated pool water. I haven't gotten used to it yet. But the view from the pool was perfect.


The beach at Port Kembla right next to the public pool.
 

And the view at the pool!

 

     After swimming, Steve and I walked into the town of Port Kembla hoping to get a little snack. It was not to be. That town was deader than a ghost town by Saturday mid-afternoon. Once important for coal, copper, and steel, Port Kembla is now in apparent economic decline. But it's still beautifully situated along the coast.  
     Speaking of swimming, on Sunday Steve and I headed up to Sydney for the day to give Owen and Olivia a second swimming lesson at their local pool -- along with Andrea and Adam. I'm happy to report the twins are both now super comfortable in the water, including holding their breaths underwater and jumping in and completely submerging themselves. We've been practicing floating and kicking, and we hope that before we leave Australia next month Olivia and Owen will be bona fide swimmers!
     On Monday, Steve and I decided to check out a nearby airplane museum our Airbnb host Alan had told us about. The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) Museum at nearby Illawarra Regional Airport in Albion Park is completely run and operated by volunteers - about 600 of them! The museum's collection of military and commercial aircraft of all sizes and vintages is remarkable. We were able to go inside and take a look around many of the planes on display. Many of them have been beautifully restored and are still flyable. Here's a bit of what we saw...

Qantas Boeing 747 flown down from Sydney when it was retired in 2015.

Steve in ejectable cockpit of an F1-11 fighter jet.

DC-3 Royal Australian - still in working order.

Rolls Royce jet engine.

The actual steps the Beatles walked down upon landing in Sydney in 1965 for their first Australian concert.

 

Close-up showing Beatles walking down the steps and the autographed cover of their Beatles '65 album.

First-class lavatory in a 1950s-era Convair plane.

 
     On Monday evening our Airbnb host Kerri invited me to join her and the women in her yoga class for a little backyard session followed by wine and cheese. Fun for sure, but stiff the next day!



That's yours truly on the left.
 

      Tuesday was a low-energy, catch-up day, but still Steve and I managed to get our second wind for a bike ride and a spot of mini-golf!

 

 

     No surprise = Steve won!

 

 

     It's hard to remember that it's almost Christmas time here in the Southern Hemisphere. Take a little look at Aussie-style Christmas decorations.

 

     On Tuesday evening we watched a Christmas fireworks display over Lake Illawarra. Check out the nighttime pelicans.

 

     Yesterday, Steve went up to Sydney to spend a special father/daughter day with Andrea. They went to a place called "The Cipher Room" where they had to collaboratively solve a 1945 Russian spy mystery in rooms filled with clues. These types of "escape rooms" have apparently become quite popular as a way to develop team-building and problem-solving skills. Participants must productively pool their wits and imaginations to figure out the series of clues that will allow them "escape." Steve loved the experience, and especially sharing it with his daughter.

     While Steve was in Sydney, I went to my French conversation group in North Wollongong for the final time. Merci to Céline, our lovely French instructor! This is the view as I walk from the bus to the café where the French group meets. Pas mal!

 

 

North Wollongong Harbor

 

     After French, I took the train south to Kiama and from there caught a bus to the town of Berry, which people had told us wasn't to be missed. Unfortunately, the train and bus connections were not ideal, so by the time I arrived in Berry at 3:30 PM there wasn't much time before the shops started closing up. But it was still fun to walk around, and the countryside between Kiama and Berry was stunning -- green rolling hills on one side and light blue ocean on the other. Here are a couple of shots from right near the train station.

 

     Today is another low-key day was we prepare for a major thunderstorm. We've been hearing distant thunder for the last hour or so. It's the perfect day to catch up on emails and news from home. Speaking of which, here's a shout-out to our little grandson, Solomon, who just turned 6-months-old on December 10th. Happy 1/2 Birthday Little Solly!!! We love and miss you!!!