Cameron and Jasmine are here!: 10/01/2009

Happy Halloween!

We had a wonderful short fall season! It was Spring in Australia and so coming home to beautiful colors was nice. We hit a pumpkin patch, enjoyed the beautiful colors and had a nice halloween. Well, Cameron did have fun trick or treating and Jasmine actually enjoyed the day with mommy and daddy in the hospital. She’s got pnemonia, but hopefully we’ll get to go home tomorrow. Enjoy the fall pictures!

Doernbecher has been so fabulous. All the nurses, dr’s and aids are so good with kids. Of course Jasmine couldn’t believe her lucky stars when they gave her 14 cockroaches and candy for halloween!!! Oh she was a very happy girl! She had to throw them a party.

Manly Island

This was a fun Island off the coast of Sydney with another great beach.

But the pictures are at home so this one will have to wait.

Bondi Beach!!

YEOWZA!!!! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS BEACH!!!!! This was one of our favorite spots!!!

What a fantastic beach this was!!! Had a great day exploring Bondi Beach. Fat Surfers, skinny surfers, beginner surfers, what a fantastic day and really cool shells!

The water was warm the seashells were fun, the sand was so fine and the weather was great!

It just brings out the best in you!

You just can’t help but be happy at this beach!

We saw lots of surfer dude vans in Australia. This was our favorite.

Jasmine is so excited about having octopus for lunch. She picked it out herself.

I’m sad this place is so far away.

Surfer school 101!!!

Off to the Aquarium, where we saw many species of australia. We loved the platypus the best because we’d never seen a live one before, but the stingray was so gigantic!!!

The nurse sharks are all teeth and no action. They really are tame!

What left a huge impression on us was the lack of waste products all over Australia. It was the cleanest country we’ve ever seen and they care so much about their environment. We only wish this place was a lot closer!!

Aboriginal art. The fine art of many dots!

Unbeknownst to us, this memory left a lasting impression on Jasmine. At the time, the time, there was no way she was getting a close up shot.
But upon returning she learned how to paint her face like a true aboriginal! Pictures of that, as soon as I learn how to download it from my iPhone. Until then…Enjoy the pictures!!

Sydney!

We were so excited to get to the city! I loved the outback, but I really am a city girl. At first it was overwhelming knowing that there was so much to do and only three days to do it. One thing we’ve learned when going to a big city with the kids. Put them on a tour bus and while we get the lay of the land the kids get to relax, We already want to go back so I can see all that we missed! But, we did have a fantastic time exploring the city.

Ah the things we do for our kids. Let’s get off this bus and have some fun!!

Magnificent!!!

A beautiful Thai woman.

Walking home from Central Station to our apartment..

I hope we get to go back to Sydney some day, even if it’s just one more time. It was such a clean city, the people are so genuine and friendly and I was not ready to go home!!!

Sunrise Sunset at Ayers Rock and The Olga’s

First we are starting with the sunset at The Olga’s. The only other rock in the vicinity.

Absolutely beautiful!

That was the sunset, and now for the sunrise! I got up at 4:30, went back to bed, then decided to get up anyway. I’m glad I did! Here comes the sun.

It was 100 degrees on this day.

No shower for days, but here I am!

The walk home. Very interesting sounds in the wild and interesting birds too.

The Cabin. We laughed a lot here. Mostly about how the heck 6 people survived in here for two days ; ).

Haste la vista outback!! It’s time for the big city.

The Outback!!

At first, we were both afraid to get off the plane. We were not kidding! Reluctantly we got our bags and found the bus to our cabin. Cameron didn’t seem to mind.

Ashley convinced us we could survive this.

First, he taught the ladies how to carry the food they find in the bush.

The men make glue to repair the food bowl if it breaks, and to signal they caught a kangaroo for dinner and come on over. The fire was made out of kangaroo droppings and wood. The glue was made out of parts of a bush and fire.

The stick on the left was the wood that helped start the fire. Next to that is the ladies “shopping bag”. Next is the spears and clubs. Ashley taught us how to make all of them.

Sunrise at Ayers Rock.

The kids were not too happy to be woken up so early.

It was so beautiful.

After finding a bush with about a million ants, they perked up.

The rock that changes colors all day long. Ayers Rock!

Jasmine carried the grasshopper all over the place that morning..

No matter where they go, they always find something entertaining.

Except for the flies, this place was incredible.

Ashley is showing us a tree where the weapons come from.

We did not climb Uluru Rock!

This was the town center in the area we stayed. This boy was happy to play in the water fountain while his parents shopped in the store.

We grilled our own kangaroo, crocodile and emu. We had to buy it and cook it ourselves. At least they had a bar there with music.

I’m too tired to post the sunrise, so will have to wait until tomorrow!

Cairns, Kuranda and the Great Barrier Reef

Jasmine is happy to find the pool.

Cameron Cameron. So darn cute.

First Jonathon and I had a day to ourselves. We spent all day at the great barrier reef. It was so relaxing and the water was warm and very scenic.

One minute this batfish is in the water…..

The next second he was caught and being tossed back in the water! It happened so fast.

We were in no hurry to go back.

The Ocean Freedom.

My favorite was the giant clams.

The sea cucumber was on the slimy side. Jonathon loved the dark blue starfish. We also saw stingrays, colorful fish and a huge turtle.

One of the crew member became a daddy on the voyage. Can you tell which one it is?

One day we drove up the coast to Pt. Douglas and made a few stops along the way. It’s so tropical and lush.

Grumpa dived and Moma snorkeled the following day.

One day we took the train up to Kuranda, and the gondola back down the mountain.

We hiked into the rainforest and found some interesting birds.

By the end of the trip, I could actually touch a snake without trembling in fear. This is a huge step for me!

There was some interesting birdlife along the way.

We never expected to encounter a fox bat rehabilitation center. Check out the face on this bat!

Nice paths along the way in the rainforest.

Skimming the treetops on the way down the mountain in a gondola. This perspective was pretty interesting. Loved seeing the Cockatoos in the wild.

The Gold Coast

We landed at the gold coast and stayed at Kirra Beach. This was one of our favorite destinations. Cameron, Moma and Mommy really enjoyed the beach. Jasmine ended up in the hospital with an ear infection but got well fast. Our room was nice and big. Except for the bride hanging her wedding gown above us (and setting off the fire sprinklers) everything went really well.