Nana's Visit :)

Waaaaaay back in January... ahem... Nana came for a visit.

We had so much fun with her it is hard to look back at the pictures now, it just brings up missing her all the more. But I will do it, for the sake of documentation. And... so that she knows how very loved by us she is.

Something about Nana brings out the giggles.

She is silly and sincere and fun to talk to and she likes cheese balls. And if someone likes cheese balls they are A-OK in my book. And if they are willing to eat them with me at noon while I am still in my jammies and haven't done a thing all day... well then THAT person is a goddess.

And my mom, aka Nana, is the goddess of all of those things.

We went on many fun adventures while she was in town.

The following photos are basically all of the photos that I took during her 3 week visit. Although there are many photos in this post (yeah, I know I said I would cut back, but hey, I lied) there are not many when you think "this is it" for documentation of the entire 3 whole weeks that my mother flew across the world to visit us.

Sorry mom.

But, really, it's your fault.

Why? (you may ask, cause she wouldn't, cause she knows it's true!)

Cause she doesn't take many pictures either. In fact, this may be the MOST pictures that I have of my mom... ever. But this here picture is proof that we both gave it our best shot. She is taking a picture. Sure it's of leaves but they were cool, so it totally counts.

Hey, don't judge. We are too busy laughing and acting like nerds to take pictures.

It's a great trade off, trust me.

This is a perfect example of what I mean. Here my mom is giving money to a guy who is standing on his hands and feet in a donkey costume. You may wish that this was a video so that you can see the hilarious things that he is doing, but to be honest this was it. He was just standing there. And my mom and I couldn't stop laughing. So we felt like we had to throw the dude some money. After all, his "act" worked, we were entertained.

See we are nerds.

(By the way, there was another dude who was dancing the Flamenco with a blow up doll. I'm talking one of those blow up dolls that you could get at the Blue Botique {for you SLCers}. THAT was awesome.)

Nana was in town for Roses' 8th Birthday. Some how she has made it to every single one of her Birthdays, and considering that they have never lived in the same state that is pretty cool.

Nana, being the fabulously, creative artist that she is (yet anther one of her goddess powers) was honorary face painter for the party.

This is DudeMan... Ha! Had you fooled, huh? You totally thought this was a Ninja Turtle, right! Especially because he is brandishing a sword (aka, my fingernail file).

Nana did such a great job that we all took a vote and it was unanimous!

Nana has to come to all our parties forever!!

... sigh...

If only we could make our dream a reality.

Nana and I took a rockin' touristy day trip to the Blue Mountains.

I included this picture of us on the bus because... I can.

Hee hee.

The Nepean River

This is the inland boundary for greater Sydney.

It is 56 km (approx 35miles) from the Sydney CBD and 63km (39 miles) from coast.

That is nuts!

Sydney is massive! I have no idea why they chose to make Sydney so large, or why they have kept it that way. The funny thing is that Sydney, more than any other city I have traveled to, is separated into a bazillion little suburbs. (Ok, so like 656, according to Wikipedia, but seriously it might as well be a bazillion.) Sydney is called the City of Villages and it is so very true.

Each burb has it's own vibe. Totally.

Proof we were there... with my patented, classy, arm reach shot. I rock so hard core at these that when kind (albeit unknowing) pedestrians ask if we would like them to take a picture for us I just say: "Naw, I got this."

We went on a couple of cool hikes that day. I liked this one near Katoomba. You can see why they call it the Blue Mountains... right? I mean you can see it, right?

Naw, I'm just messing with y'all. The Blueies get their name from the mie scattering which occurs when incoming ultraviolet radiation is scattered by terpenoids emitted by the abundant eucalyptus trees... Follow?

Ha! Gotcha again. No really, that is what happens, but I'll dummy it down... cause that's how I understand it too. There are a massive amount of eucalyptus trees in the Blue Mountains. These trees put off a really strong smell that comes from the oil in their leaves. As this oil mixes with the air (via evaporation and the breathing trees) the light that filters through gets a blue tinge. Basically this is the same thing, only different, that makes the sky blue.

Capiche?

Go back up. Now do you see it?

Cool, huh?

More picture taking by (and of) my cute Momma. This is near the bottom of the falls.

Hee hee. I love being the master of this blog. I can put up all kinds of stuff that my family has no control over. Who says adult children can't embarrass their parents?

Wait, who says I'm an adult?

(Or as we say it in my family "a dult".)

Let's hear it folks.

Ooooh. Ahhhh.

Ok, wait, I'm just realizing that these pictures are out of order... This is Wentworth falls. I think that the others are right though. Ah geeze who knows, it's taken so dang long for me to get this post up. But, really, who cares? It's pretty right? Your entertained, are you not? I digress.

I like my mom. She is cool. She does cool stuff. And, even better, she does cool stuff with me.

I miss her.

This is another one of them fern trees.

I have already included a few pictures of these wild trees in other posts but I really can not get over how cool they are. I love this shot and I wish that I had had a better camera to take it. The rings of the ferns and the light coming in is just so beautiful. And they are so dang massive. These trees are becoming my favorite here in AU.

And here is Katoomba Falls.

The Three Sisters.

There is a really interesting "Indigenous Australian Dreamtime" legend about three Aboriginal sisters, Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo who fell in love with men from the neighboring Nepean tribe but their marriages were forbidden by tribal law. The men weren't very happy about this verdict so they kidnapped the girls. A battle started between the tribes and the sisters were turned into stone by an elder from their tribe to protect them. He was killed in the fight and no one else was able to perform the magic to release the sisters.

But.

There is some argument as to the validity of the story. Not just wether the myth is true, I for one totally believe that it is possible, but it turns out that a local white guy started the story in 1920s or 30s to add interest to the local landmark. Hence the quotations above.

Never the less. I love the view. I think it is beautiful and it reminds me of my cousins. I think one of them, in particular, would get a kick out of the controversy. (xoxo JAB)

So, to me it is sacred and special as is.

The Sydney Opera House under the Harbor Bridge (with a sailboat and a pirate ship).

Pretty darn cool.

We got this shot on the ferry ride back into the city. It's funny to think that just like the Statue of Liberty some people ride by this every day on their way to work while others travel miles to get just one glimpse. The world is a wild and wonderful place. And chances are that someone would think that where you are right now is the coolest, most unique place ever just cause

it's different from where they are.

Enjoy.

So. Many. Smart Ass. Comments. Can't. Pick. Just. One.

"Sorry for the smoke folks. Everything is fine, just take your seat."

DO NOT ride JetStar while traveling in Australia!

Man are they lax about safety hazards here.

This is why they no longer allow smoking on airplanes.

Crap, I wish I had been paying attention to the pre-flight briefing.

WTF?

Ok, fess up time.

Ma and I flew to the Sunshine coast for the weekend and it was rather hot and humid there. It turns out that when there is a rapid change in air temperature this mist gets created as the air for the cabin is drawn from the engines and is then run through the AC system. I read a post from a pilot that said if they turn the temp setting all the way down it could actually snow in the cabin! Whoa. Cool.

Well, it didn't snow on us but it did feel like we were boarding a plane in the Mists of Avalon.

Momma in Noosa Heads.

Momma and Me on Alexandra Beach.

(Yes this is my mother. Not my younger sister.)

We had a blast at the Sunshine Coast. We stayed in this super cool place with the coolest hotel pool I have ever seen. It was the length of the entire hotel. It was like a river.

The hotel was right across from a park. Which was on the beach.

And my children were not with me.

So silly.

And no pictures. Of coarse.

This picture, however, was of a day when mom and I took a totally lame tour ride up the Mooloolah River. It was so lame, in fact, that we ditched the boat and walked back to our hotel. Honest to god.

However, it turned out to be a really beautiful walk back. And my mom was a bad ass even though she only had her thongs (aka flip flops) and she had to walk bare foot. I think I treked her about 5 miles... Sorry Momma. But thanks for being so cool.

Back in Sydney, at Manly beach.

(Ok so the arrangement of these pictures seem a bit random, and I guess at times they are, but this is what I had to work with so... work with me.)

Nana, DudeMan, DreamBoat getting up close with some goannas.

We had to ask the man to put his dingo on a leash. I didn't want her to eat my babies.

This here's a Freshie.

(That's Australian for a fresh water croc. I totally fit in here.)

Nana and DreamBoat givin' a koala a pat.

No matter how many times we see kangaroos I still think they are cooler than cows. (Sorry Bessy.) It's like the Statue of Liberty vs Sydney Opera House all over again. Not that cows are exotic here, but deer are. I've seen a million deer and they are cool, but to see a herd of Roos... Man, I would totally geek out.

People are totally impressed with how calm and "trained" the kangaroos and wallabies are at the animal parks. They are so over fed it crakes me up. They just stand or lie around while we shmoozer humans walk up to them and hand feed them. Now you tell me who has who trained.

Whatever.

They are awesome and fun and you can totally tell they each have their own unique personalities. I think we should get one and to take back to the states as a pet.

Rainbow Lorikeets.

Cheeky little bastards.

These guys are everywhere here. There are always a few that hang out in the bushes over the sidewalk near the kids' school. They sit there, inches above your head, and sass passers by as they gobble up whatever it is they are gobbling up.

But again. I totally digg'em. Exotic pigeons, maybe. But exotic none the less.

Nana's goin' in for a smooch.

This little stinker hung out with us the whole way through lunch. He tried to steal a sandwich right out of my hand, took DreamBoats roll a couple of times, and squawked at us relentlessly. He fit in perfectly. We should have taken him home too.

And that is it for our visit with Nana.

We had a blast and did a bunch of stuff, but really it was just awesome to have her with us.

Day to day and for the adventures.

It's amazing what a moral booster it was to have her around. She knows us, and all of our weirdnesses, and she loves us anyway...

Don't worry, Momma, someday we will live close.

For now just know that we love you like the dickens, are so, so grateful that you are willing to drag yourself around the world to visit us, and... we miss you.

Just as much - or more - than you miss us.

xoxoxoxo

Tassie Trip

Tasmania!

I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Tasmania. I remember checking out a globe in grade school, seeing Tasmania and imagining a totally exotic and primitive place at the other end of the world. A relic of our prehistoric evolutionary process. Well, I wouldn't say exotic but the rest of it was fairly spot on. It was kind of like Idaho.

Hold on to your boot straps people this here post is a long one. We spent 10 days along the southern shore and east coast of Tassie and we documented most of it.

No whining!

This blog is for people who really care about us, so, if you are not man/woman enough to handle the time it takes to give us a little attention... sign off now.

But, you'll be missing out.

Why is this picture included? Right sided steering wheel, peeps. The best part is this is the exact same Rav4 (even the colour [color]) that my mom has back in the states. But this one you drive from the passenger side. And what, you may ask, does it look like to drive on the other side of the road?

Ahhhhhhh! Right?

This is the Hobart Bridge. There are no lane lines because they change the number of lanes that go in either direction depending on the commute time. Brilliant!

And here it is from a different angle. However, you may notice from this picture not much traffic. The running joke for BabyDaddy and I on the trip was "This place would be great if it weren't for all the crowds." When we stepped out of the airport in Tassie you could literally hear the echo of your own footsteps. It sorta felt like the Twilight Zone.

Downtown Horbart had a few more peeps, that's for sure. But not many. We really liked the city, especially Battery Point. Beautiful old buildings and architecture, it looked and felt very European. This particular shot cracked us up because of the TOWERING cruise ship that had come into port. Seriously, look at that beast. It's WAY bigger than the buildings that surround the harbour (harbor).

This is DudeMan being awesome on top of the Queens Domain in Tasmania's Royal Botanic Garden. We really love the RBG in Sydney but the one in Tassie was wonderful in a totally different way. These "back trails" are one example. Plus, beautiful views to the North.

And you have here a picture of general un-posed nutty-ness of our Furious 5. Love Roses' face in this shot, DudeMan's double fisted weaponry and BabyDaddy and DreamBoat pulling up the rear.

Daddy portrait, courtesy of DreamBoat.

DreamBoat sandwich.

A better shot of the view towards the North from the tippy top of Queen's Domain.

Here the kiddos are inside of the Gardens proper. (Like that? >> Huh... huh?)

The growth of these plants was enough to give any botanical enthusiast wet dreams for the rest of their days. I took so many digital macro pictures of the flowers that BabyDaddy thought I had lost it. Don't worry I spared you, they will go in my own little pornographic collection. ;)

Roses under a fairy tale tree.

Ok, so what I was trying to do with this shot is to give you guys some idea of the scale of the trees. That little dude walking along the path is BabyDaddy... not that little of a dude... and look at that tree! The tallest one. That is actually one tree!

DudeMan, just chillin' like a lichen.

This is my crew inside the Conservatory. I can't even begin to tell you how good this room smelled. The lilies and orchids were MASSIVE. I'm talking as big as my hand.

Freaking awesome!

And this is DreamBoat, keepin' it real... pitching a fit.

Another ginormous tree shot. Can you see the two little specks at the bottom left of the tree? Yeah, those are my kids. People from SJ... can you imagine the neighborhood Cyprus trees going gangbusters like this bad mama jama?

A little home southern state love.... sigh...

The boys checking out the French Memorial. This totally unique fountain was made from wood. As the water ran down the slides it made the neatest sounds.

My little cygnet with some baby ducklings.

They call this "cheeky" around these parts.

"Ahhhh! Dudeman catch me before I fall over the edge of this..."

The crew on our super sweet day in the southern most tip of Tasmania. Ida Bay Railway. This, now tourist, railway was built in 1943-1945. Originally used to take people and loot from the Township to the Limestone Quarry in Ida Bay. It runs 14km round trip and follows the Lune River out to the ocean.

Crazy love in the caboose. :)

A rare shot of the pensive, serious side of my DudeMan. If those eyes can melt me the way they do... look out ladies. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I believe this is the Lune River Estuary. There are actually 5 graves here, all from the Tyler family. Mr. Tyler was, of course, a convict. Once he served his time he came to this part of Tassie to make a life for himself in Lumber. He married a lady, also a convict, and they had a family. Two on the headstones left standing were of 2 of their boys. One read "In loving memory of Edwin Henry Tyler who was accidentally killed 27th February 1885 In his 14th year". The other, "In loving memory of Ernest Alfred Tyler who departed this life march 30th 1888 In his 19th year". The 14 year old was killed in an accident at the sawmill and I do not know how the other son died. Both headstones read "Erected by his Brothers". I am not sure if the parents were living at the time of the death of either brother. I included the story because it is amazing to me to see the hardship that people of the past lived with and how sheltered from loss and work we all are in this day and age.

And on a brighter note... here is Roses and I at the end of what is left of the line. This track was built to go all the way out into the ocean so that the ships that came in to haul the lyme or lumber could be loaded strait from the railway cars.

This shot and the next are of 2 of our beautiful children... and proof that you don't need things like safety gates or sides on train cars. Talk about excessive, who needs em? Just don't put your arm out the car or try to grab onto a tree "cause it will rip your arm right off."

(True safety lecture from the engineer. :)

On the Platypus trail after a dip in the Thermal Pools near Hastings Caves.

And by "thermal" I guess they meant "not freezing, but nearly". Brrrr...

Compare this shot with the one above... Same trail. Man, the brush got thick. Seriously, it was like a wall of grass, that grew to heights way over our heads.

We did go into the caves as well. But somehow you have been spared from viewing those pictures. It was dark, cold, wet... and amazing. The caves themselves were found quite by accident by two men who where falling timber. They were able to keep it a secret for only a short while and when their boss finally found out about them he took the credit and named the caves. You can walk through the caves with a guide. It is still unknown how far down, back, and into the earth they go. There is a main cavern which gets used as an amphitheater by the children's choir at Christmas time. Pretty cool idea if you ask me.

I love this sign.

Just goes to show ya how when you are living in a small town it pays to be multifaceted.

Roses (and DudeMan with a serious chocolate goatee) with a little blueberry crab. No, that is not their scientific name but that is what they looked like so that is what we called them.

Isn't it gorgeous here?

See all the funky little patterns in the sand. Each one of those is a "blueberry crab" home. There were thousands of them.

This is Port Arthur. Waaaay too much history for me to list in a little paragraph. This was a convict prison/town. It started small and grew and grew. There was even a boy's prison across the river, where boys as young as 7 could be held accountable for their crimes (such as stealing bread... or a handkerchief) and sent from England. The place is pretty much in ruins now. The sandstone bricks are being eroded away by time and water. It is an eery place, especially on damp, misty days. But beautiful as well. It's funny how in some places the heaviness of the happenings in the past still sit with a intensity that is almost tangible. Port Author is such a place. You can somehow still feel the lonesome hardship and melancholy that created every inch of this now tourist attraction.

This is me. I am standing inside of what is left of the Port Arthur Church. This place of worship has been quite the chameleon. It has served as a house of God to Anglican, Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, and many more faiths... And at times, simultaneously. There is something that I really like about the thought of that.

A kookaburra, sitting on a headstone in the grounds of the smallest church I have ever seen, somewhere along Nubeena Road. Of the very few grave sites in this cemetery were two young girls that were victims of the Port Arthur massacre, which is an un-talked about event in these parts. In 1995 a young man went on a killing spree at the historical tourist attraction leaving 35 dead and 21 injured. That event, was not only Australia's deadliest killing spree, but one of the most deadly in the world.

Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen.

An amazingly huge arch that the waves have carved out of the sandstone. Didn't expect this one, a total treat to happen upon. Beautiful.

These stinkers wanted to stay in the car and play their Leapsters. Ha.

Sure it's wet and windy but we have love to warm our hearts.

To much?

Deal with it.

xo

Ohhh, the Spiky Bridge. Another, yep you guessed it... historical landmark.

Convict built in 1843.

Legend has it... the spikes were designed to prevent cattle from falling over the sides.

DreamBoat, being dreamy.

In Swansea we stayed in a place that the Aussie's call a Holiday Park...

in the US we call'em Trailer Parks. See the brilliance of that spin?... Marketing.

This is either Honeymoon Bay or Sleepy Bay in Freycinet National Park.

We don't care what they call it, we call it purdy. As in bee-u-tee-ful.

DudeMan, on an adventure.

I mean look at this place. The green, the orange, the blue, the white. Gorgeous. The clouds were trying their best that day to keep everything hidden, but just like any other smokin hot thing in Australia... you just can't cover it up.

I think you would call this clear water.

4 straight days of rain makes for cabin fever and fun times once set free.

Look out for the crazy Americans!!

AND PURPLE!! I was having a seriously hard time dealing with all the colours (colors). I mean, it's like God had gotten a new paint set and was just tryin' hues out for the fun of it.

We all had so much fun. Bouldering around, adventure hikes... we let the kids lead, BabyDaddy and I followed along happily.

And one more, just because it was that lovely.

How did this hole get into this rock? Why ask questions, let's just conquer it.

Right, Dudeman?

All my eggs in one basket.

Handsomeness.

The view from inside our hide away.

And the heavens opened.

The clouds had pretty much dominated the day. We really wanted to get to Wineglass Bay, actually I had planned the trip around that as one of our major stops... but the fog was so low they had even closed the trail out to it. :( As a last stop we went to the Cape Tourville Lighthouse. It was so cloudy that we could hear the ocean crashing around us but we could not see it. Oh well, it was a fun day anyway... So, we headed back to the car. Wait... What... I see blue sky. Quick everyone back to the top.

Holy holiness. In a blink the sky opened up to reveal this. Not bad... not bad at all.

And what are we looking at... that curve in the far off hills. That, my friends, is Wineglass Bay.

I was a happy girl.

Thanks God.

Fives.

This makes me happy too. xo

Nine mile beach. Nine miles... us... and about 4 other people. Awesome.

BabyDaddy and Roses in the waves.

I did get in (I share the boy's phobia of jellies) and I saw 2 rays. BabyDaddy didn't, and I still don't think he believes me. My defense: I was wearing polarized lenses and he wasn't.

Another awesome thing we "happened upon" (it was a theme for the trip). This wildlife park, which I can not remember the name of and was for sale... just in case you are in the market... was probably the best we have been too. Freakiest part... the big, open top, enclosures that house dozens of Red Bellied Black Snakes. Thats right, you can just peek right in over the top of the chest high walls. Hi there.

Ahhhhhh!

Some super cool guy that offered DudeMan a ride on his Harley. DM was awestruck by his cool bike but didn't dare to take it for a full go. We settled for a sit on/posed pic.

I'm sure he will get there, I am in no rush.

Dudes. Hiking to the Bay of Fires.

Our climber boy.

It was a very windy day, but warm.

Perfect for kicking the shoes of and jumping around some rocks.

Game face in paradise.

More with the colours (colors)! Crazy. You would think that this place was named Bay of Fires because of the fiery orange lichen that lines the rocks, however the story goes that it got the name from Aboriginal campfires that could be seen along this beach by people who were in ships out at sea.

You don't often think of rolling hills along with white sandy beaches... but it happens.

This places exists.

And again with the crazy crowds.

This little spot was our gold mine find. Amazingly this place is not on any tourist map... there are not signs that lead you too it... and most locals don't know about it.

We just "happened upon" this little ocean pool. It was probably 20 feet across and I have no idea how deep. Crystal clear... and just begging to be jumped in.

"So we stripped and did two."

I will pay a million dollars to whoever can figure out where I got that line.

Hint: my favorite children's book.

BabyDaddy and I jumped in from the highest mound of rock and didn't even come close to touching the bottom. Roses and DudeMan ended up joining the fun... She on purpose. He, not so on purpose.

They really are just like puppies.

Last day on the beach in Tassie. We pulled off the road to find yet another lonely strip just begging to be frolicked in.

Dude beach hut.

Little Miss Sunshine.

The sound that the waves made as they washed over hundreds of thousands of tiny shells was amazing. Probably the only sound on the face of the planet more soothing than rain on the roof.

We had to pull over to watch this guy and his 5 sheep dogs move this herd of sheep. Ok, so the dude just whistled a lot from the cab of his truck. The dogs, on the other hand, were totally cool to watch.

Last stop. This was the last picture taken on our trip to Tasmania. What a fun 10 days. Lots of miles covered, barf bags filled, sun block used, 6 hotels, 2 bee stings, mozzie bites (mosquito bites) so bad we had to stop at a chemist (pharmacy) to get antihistamine meds, lots of rain, too many meat pies, beautiful days on the beach, visits with critters, trip to the cadbury chocolate factory, and some seriously amazing memories to take from it all.

Blessed. That is what we are... Blessed.

And... this posting has taken me over a month to get out, which is pathetic... so I will do my very darndest to NEVER do one this long again.

Hope you had fun. We sure did.