Tuesday, April 29th

Busy day here, getting ready for our Outback Adventure which starts tomorrow. No time now to catch up with our day trip to Sydney yesterday, but will do so later. Going to try to post three pictures. Wish us luck!!!!

Sunday, April 27th

Since we retired so early it was no surprise we were up early (even Mike by 7 am!!!) Our plans for the day included a short drive through the Royal National Park (2nd oldest national park after Yellowstone) to a beautiful overlook where they do hang gliding down to the beach below. The wind was in the wrong direction so no one took off today, but it was a clear day and the view was fantastic. Afterwards we stopped along the roadside at an Art Gallery and had a coffee before heading to their friends house for an afternoon barbeque. They have a lovely home, sitting high about the water where we enjoyed another day sitting outdoors enjoying the fall day....yes it is their fall, not spring. About the time you notice bushes in bloom you see the trees turning colors and know they are about to drop their leaves. But the strangest thing still for me is sitting in the back right seat behind the driver and negotiating turns, roundabouts and traffic. I even walk to the wrong side of the car sometimes. I'm cheap entertainment for the rest of them! HA!
After a lovely afternoon there, we stopped for a couple of errands and returned to the condo to chill out. It gets darker earlier here so at 5:30 Mike and I both thought it was around 7 o'clock. And yes, we went to bed shortly after 8:30 again. Hedy says the second day is usually the worst, but we managed just fine. Tomorrow our plan is to explore the city on our own while Hedy and Ian get their condo ready for sale. They are buying a new home in the country on 100 acres so we are excited to see that. Just means we will for sure have to come back again.....

We Made It!!!!

After traveling for countless hours (of which I gave up trying to keep track of) we arrived fairly bright eyed (thanks to being able to sleep quite a bit on our long flight) in Sydney at 8:35 am on Saturday, April 26th. After flying from DFW at 2:30 pm on Thursday, April 24th, stopping over in LA for 5 hours, flying to Auckland, NZ and on to Sydney I didn't even care what happened to Friday the 25th!!! It was what it was and we were happy to be here!
After quick showers and a cup of coffee we were off! Suffice it to say that we were well fed on our flights so there was no need to eat again (after two dinners and two breakfasts). Around 10:30 am we walked the several blocks to the train and took it downtown to Sydney Harbor. We boarded a ferry to Manly where we walked down to the beach. It was the first sunny day in over 3 weeks so everyone was out enjoying the day. We took the same ferry back to Circular Quay by the Opera House and Harbor Bridge (and no we are not going to walk across the top of it!!!) we stopped for coffee then took another ferry around Darling Harbor which was a great way to acquaint ourselves with the city. Hedy and Ian are most gracious hosts, pointing out all of the sights we should explore on our own. We took the train back to Sutherland station which is near their home and had dinner with Ben (Hedy's son) and Pip (his fiancee). It was a wonderful, lazy day with beautiful weather and friends, but by 8:30 we were ready to collapse. Early bedtime for Mike and I.

One week and counting

Excitement is building as we try to gather everything for this extended trip.  I guess it's not a "vacation" anymore, since every day can be if we want it to be!  Josh was giving me some tips tonight on how to "build my blog" so we'll see what I can come up with.  To those of you who traveled with him when he was in Thailand via his blog, I'm sure you'll be sorely disappointed with my writing entertainment, but I shall try.  At the very least, we hope to put some great shots of Mike's on as we travel around.  We're not sure how often we will have internet connection, but this way you can sign on and check, rather than be annoyed by my emails.  I will send an email to those I have when we are on our way and the blog is ready........

Traveling the Land Down Under

Well, it looks like I am up and running......this page is definitely "under construction" so bear with me!