Terrigal Beach

Most of the time, I organize our outings (figure out where to go, how to get there, what we need, etc). On this particular day, I suggested a nice relaxing day at the beach. I expected that we'd go to any of the many beaches right near our house. Brad on the other hand had greater aspirations for our day. A friend had just told him the night before at dinner about the Central Coast having especially nice beaches. So he went online to do some research where he narrowed it down to two beaches and off we went. Alan napped as we travelled an hour north of Sydney to do some exploring. There were multiple beaches to choose from but we decided to start with Terrigal Beach based on the reviews. Kudos to him for a great pick!

We were lucky to get a prime parking spot from a nice elderly couple that were leaving for the day. First we headed over to the opposite side of the street where all the cafes and shops are located to grab some tucker (food). After lunch, we explored the beach for the next four hours! The water was warm and perfect for swimming. We were delighted to find an occasional sea shell (even though they were rather small). Alan was mesmerized by the tiny shells with snails and bigger shells with hermit crabs in them. So many amazing little creatures get left behind in the tide pools! If only I could identify them all. I often worry that one day Alan will ask me "mommy - what is that?" and I'll have no clue myself. Kind of like when Kylie asked Ashely what a giraffe says and she came up with something about "mmm, leafy trees". Hopefully I'll think that quick on my feet! I guess we'll find out in the next ten years if I'm still smarter than a fifth grader.

Terrigal was easily the best beach we've been to by far! Our favorite beaches are the ones with lots of variety. This one had it all! We really wanted to keep going toward the Skillion to see what was around the corner from there but started to worry that we had wandered too far. Thankfully getting back to the car went much faster. We took just under 100 photos and had trouble choosing which ones to share so we ended up going with the more the merrier philosophy.

The water was absolutely beautiful - even the temp was perfect!

Alan dives right in and tells the sand how happy he is to see it.

A row of Norfolk Island pines along the beachfront esplanade.

Seaweed washed up on shore

Plenty of people checking out the tide pool.

Bucket full of sea shells (a few hermit crabs)

I really love all the color - it's like a centerpiece!

Our future beach bum.

Don't think we'll be taking this sea shell for our Christmas tree (looks like it's occupied)

Algae covered rocks were like a slip and slide.

Daddy showing buddy a snail in a shell

Family photo (Alan must be too worried about the stranger with mom's camera to smile)

Still trying to identify - probably sea anemone of some sort

Beautiful exposed rock after years of erosion from the crashing waves of the ocean.

Alan is standing next to the foot hole where we climbed down (needed a little help getting back up).

If only I could take this colorful rock back with me and add it to our next landscaping project.

Pint size explorers. At high tide the bottom third of the picture would be under water.

Massive pelicans swimming by the shore

Mommy and buddy

Daddy and buddy

As we round the corner, you can see the beach where we came from off in the distance.

Looking close to find snails, crabs, and tiny fish.

Found some! Bet the snails are thinking he should pick on someone his own size.

Water whooshing between two slabs of rock

Camouflaged crab

He's really a sweet boy when he's not sticking the shovel in my face!

Before the rocks are submerged by the waves

After (tried to catch them in action)

Camouflaged kid ;)

The Skillion - so tempting to keep going!

We finally turn and head back.

One last pic from the paparazzi. You can run but you can't hide!

Looks like it could be an old-fashioned postcard. Perfect end to an unforgettable day!

Cloudy Day

Brad captured these amazing storm cloud pictures! It moved in really quickly and the temperature dropped significantly. I had been inside all day cooking a prime rib for dinner and had no idea this was happening. Meanwhile, he and Alan are outside taking pictures. It's funny to find pictures like this when I download to the computer.

If anything like this rolled through the Midwest I'd be taking cover in the basement.

Coming in over the shopping mall across the street and headed for us next.

The clouds traveling over us heading toward Sydney.

Being Tourists - Rainforest, Water Park, and Blowhole

Brad only gets two days off per week so we try to make them count! This past Saturday the weather was perfect for a jam packed day. There's so much to do within an hour or two of where we live. We have yet to go on "holiday" and I feel like we've seen a lot!

First we headed over to the Illawarra Fly Treetop Walk. Essentially, it's a suspended walkway that was designed to have a "soft footprint" with minimal impact on the environment. It offered a unique perspective of the rainforest - from the canopy of the treetops instead of the poisonous snake level. Despite being a hot and hazy day, the views were spectacular. Alan got a kick out of bouncing and swaying on the cantilevers and climbing the stairs of the tower. I don't think he realized that he was supposed to be looking at the trees. Oh well! Maybe in a few years.

The boys ready to explore the rainforest

Family photo at the top of Knight's Tower which is 150 ft above ground (whew)!

View from Knight's Tower of the rainforest (looks like a regular forest to me)

A view of Knight's Tower from the walkway

On average, the walkway is 80 ft above ground.

As you can see, Brad is having more fun going down. Alan preferred climbing up the stairs which is why Brad decided to carry him down. Otherwise we'd never get to Jamberoo!

Another hazy view toward Lake Illawarra and the South Pacific Ocean

A massive Dicksonia antarctica (tree fern).

View from the cantilever once it stopped bouncing and swaying.

A little weak compared to a 39 mile breast cancer walk (but didn't get any blisters either). Not a bad start for Alan!

There was a fun surprise waiting for us when we returned from our walk in the rainforest - a helicopter and fire trucks! Lucky for us, the local emergency services were having a demonstration that was open to the public. It ended up being a huge bonus! Alan got to sit in the pilot seat of the helicopter and to my amazement didn't touch a single button. I can only imagine how bad he wanted to.

We watched the helicopter fly in while we were on the walk.

Even Brad was a big kid when it came to seeing a helicopter up close and in person.

Look at all those buttons! This kid is in heaven!

After that he got to sit in the driver's seat of the fire truck (to the folks back home it probably looks like the passenger seat). He was on cloud nine because the radio went off every few seconds and he was "responding". We spent a good fifteen minutes letting him soak it all in. The fireman couldn't believe how fascinated Alan was with the truck and commented that we might have a future fireman on our hands.

Getting ready to climb into the big fire truck

Trying on the safety helmet

Alan "driving" the fire truck and talking on the radio.

Somehow we managed to escape our first activity of the day without a tantrum. We moved on to our next stop at Jamberoo Action Park. It happened to be the HOTTEST Saturday during SCHOOL HOLIDAYS! Truly INSANE on our part. The place was seriously jam packed. We had to park in overflow parking which was a pasture (cows were literally grazing when we returned to our car). We can't wait to go back during the week when the kids are back in school and hopefully it's a little less crowded. We mainly went for the water park but they also had mini-golf and go-karts. It reminded me of a concert because people had pop-up tents with coolers out in the grassy areas. We'll have to keep that in mind next time we go.

My only pic from Jamberoo so I'll have to take more next time.

From there, we made our way over to the Kiama blowhole. Alan fell asleep in the car on the way over so Brad and I took turns going out to look. It doesn't erupt like Old Faithful so we want to go back another afternoon and make an event out of it with a picnic. Apparently, Alan knew he wasn't going to miss anything at Kiama. He woke up in time for a delicious dinner at Outback Steakhouse to end our fun-filled day.

Walkway to Kiama blowhole

The Kiama lighthouse with Norfolk Island pines

Technicolor trees

In Sydney, spring sprung in the months of September, October, and November. Brad and I share a passion for landscaping and every spring look forward to seeing our bulbs, plants, shrubs, and trees bud and bloom. We usually check progress daily since things seem to happen at different times. Every year I have the same random thought - hosta's look like asparagus when they first emerge.

After our first spring in Australia, I fell in love with the purple flowering Jacaranda trees that are abundant here. I love how the color pops! I turned to trusty Google for help identifying their name and learn a little more about them. According to Wikipedia, Brisbane has a proliferation of the tree which was given by hospitals to new mothers in the thirties and forties. I love the idea of giving trees as a gift for a birth or housewarming present. My Oma & Opa gave my parents crab apple trees for my sister and I both. Brad and I adopted the tradition and gave our friends the Swatek's a Magnolia tree for their new home. Not sure where we'll end up when we move back to the states. If we end up in Florida or Texas, we may just have to incorporate one of these technicolor trees into our landscape. In the mean time, I'll plan to visit Brisbane next spring to see the Jacaranda's in bloom.

A row of Jacaranda trees in Tumbalong Park a short walk from Darling Harbour.

Viewing Hyde Park from Sydney Tower and look what stands out in a crowd!

St. Mary's Cathedral from Sydney Tower with a few of my favorite trees.

Future Picasso's?

These two play so well together and had a blast pudding painting! All the artistic stuff happened in the first few minutes. Then our little artists discovered that pudding paint tastes delish and the masterpieces came to a screeching halt.

Gymboree used to have a pudding painting session once a month but he wasn't quite old enough to fully appreciate all the fun of this activity. Plus they used chocolate pudding so not nearly as colorful. I used to love taking him to Gymboree Play and Music for classes. They have a Gymbaroo here in Australia so I may have to check it out.

Liesl got the idea to use vanilla instant pudding and add a few drops of food coloring to make things more interesting. Move over Martha! Here comes Liesl! She's such a creative inspiration for me. I'm so thankful for all her help adjusting to life in Australia. She introduced me to a great play group, book club, Rhyme Time at the library, swimming lessons, parks, beaches, and other fun activities for the kids. Don't know what I would have done without her! Alan is so lucky to have a play mate so close to his own age (2 days apart). We love spending time with them!

The partners in crime before all the fun began.

Alan is so excited he can hardly contain himself!

Time for some blue - sky or ocean maybe?

Watching Annabelle out of the corner of his eye. "I'll paint on you!"

How bout that - it tastes good too!