Day 56: The Great Barrier Reef

The name doesn’t do it justice.  It was so intensely magnificent I wept at its beauty.  If there was ever anything to inspire one to up their interest in preserving the environment a day on the Reef with the company Reef Experience is the way to go. 

The day started early and we boarded the boat at 7:30.  We took off our shoes as we boarded and were given snorkel gear and a wet suit and directed to put them on to make sure everything fit well.  Things moved quickly from then on.  We suited up, got breakfast, listened to an intro to snorkeling, got our underwater camera we’d hired for the day, listened to the spiel that accompanied it, listed to the marine biologist’s brief intro and explanation and then we were there!  It was supposed to be an hour and a half trip out to the reef and it felt like ten minutes!   When the announcement came that we were almost to the reef I stopped by the bathroom before putting my wet suit on.  I thought I’d just been a bit sloshy but then I lost all my breakfast and then some.  The first and only time we’ve had someone get sick and it’s me!! Oh the shame!!

We were the first scuba diving group so we headed straight there.  I wasn’t too worried, a bit nervous but more excited than anything.  Once in the water though, I started to panic.  I didn’t know that I could do it.  I made it 6 meters under water and they had us clear our masks to make sure we could do it.  I couldn’t.  There was water in my mouth and I couldn’t breathe and I was going to drown.  I tried three or four times but the panic won out.  I would need a couple of hours of instruction and practice to be able to do it.  Thirty minutes just wasn’t going to cut it. 

I met Cathy on deck—looks like we’re more alike than I’d realized.  We had the exact same reaction to clearing our regulators.  BJ and Reece headed down though and had a great time—and lucky for us they got some great pictures!!

We spent about 2 hours out snorkeling with the kids—which is more like just swimming and trying to get them to put their faces in the water—but it was fun.  Then they took us out in the glass bottomed boat and we all got to see the most amazing things!  Giant clams!  Fish!  Coral!!  It was all incredible!!  At one point X exclaimed, “I want to come out here Every day!!”  The tired man captaining the boat looked at us and said, “It’s comments like that which remind me of the amazing place where I work!  Sometimes it’s easy to forget.”

Lunch time came and we all took a break to eat while we moved to the next location on Hastings Reef.   Reece volunteered to stay on board with the non snorkeling crew so π and I could snorkel together.  It was life changing.  It was so beautiful!  There was so much life there!  It was truly incomprehensible.  

I’ve hiked the Grand Canyon, Zion’s National Park, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Yellowstone, and countless other incredible vistas and never in my life have I marveled so at the beauty that God created here on the earth.  At one point, π had gone back to the boat and we only had about 10 minutes left before it was time to head back so I was taking in as much as I could.  I came to a drop off right before a lagoon and a huge fish swam next to me.  I stopped to not scare it and in my silence, I was overcome.  It was more beauty than I could take in.  I had to go back to the boat to give my body time to process what I’d seen.  Little did I realize I was almost the last one back to the boat! 

The ride back to shore went much quicker than the ride to the reef.  Cath and I visited most of the way and just enjoyed our time together.  The triplets were making friends with the crew the whole time we were out on the reef and they were continuing their shenanigans.  X came up on deck with a coat hanger in the back of his wet suit—he told me that one of the crew said they were going to hang him out to dry. 

O had gotten a wiggly tooth that morning and it had progressed to a full on loose tooth and then to hanging by a thread in a matter of hours!  Damian was trying to convince her to let him pull it, he even went so far as to get the crew to pledge money if she’d let him do it.  I think he’d gathered $8 but she still said no.  Leave it to Cathy to win the day!  All she did was ask if she could wiggle it.  One touch and it was in her hand.

The crew was so engaging and kind that X wants to come back next year just to see his friends again.

It had been such a full day, it was hard to believe that it wasn’t over.  The littles stayed home with BJ while the rest of us went to the Ingles’ home for dinner.  Vaiari had invited us all and it was amazing!  Three different salads, Australia’s version of cheesy potatoes, a couple of different meats and bread!  It was a feast!!  And the food paled in comparison to the company!  I was spot on when I said that Valaria was a kindred spirit.  Her life has been amazing.  I wish I had a year to work side by side with her and get to know her better.  We were meant to meet.  I don’t know why, I don’t know when, but I know our paths will cross again.

As I lay here in bed remembering the events of this monumental day, I still feel like I’m sloshing about on the waves.  I’ve been getting ill, I’m pretty sure it’s going to get worse before it gets better, but every moment of today was worth it!!  This day easily makes the top ten days of my life.

Day 55: Hartley's Crocodile Adventure

Part of π’s dream vacation includes being able to cook yummy exotic things that we can’t at home.  Today was his day! We woke up at 6:30 and started prepping.  I’ll attach the recipe at the end of this post for the Seafood Gumbo Boil that we ate for dinner tonight.  Heaven. On. Earth!

We headed out to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventure and had a great day!  The river cruise was amazing!  The guide stopped at one spot and got the crocs to jump out of the river after a piece of chicken.  The biggest croc at the park is named Ted, he’s over 100 years old and has only one eye and one tooth left.  It’s rare that you get to see him, but he rocked up for us!  Isn’t he beautiful?!

The second biggest croc is Tex, fitting for us Yanks, wouldn’t you say?

We’ve run the kids ragged and Ted was about all the excitement some of them could take so I left with a car load and we went back to the house to nap while π and the rest enjoyed the rest of the park.  L was fascinated by the Cassowaries.  É got to pet a snake.  All in all it was a fun time.

Back at home the gumbo-boil was ready and the kids all got to try a Morton Bay Bug (little lobster-ish crustation) and some scallops and prawns.  Prawns definitely taste different than shrimp although I couldn’t tell you what the difference is—they both taste great in a gumbo sauce! 

Tomorrow is the great barrier reef!  I can’t believe we’re actually getting to share the Great Barrier Reef with our children while they’re young!

Day 54: The Esplanade

Because there are times of the year when the beaches in Cairns aren’t safe—stingers being the number one cause of danger—they’ve built a full on swimming pool just yards from the beach.  There are shops all down the one side of the street and a grassy walking path with art, plaques and benches down the other all along the beach—then, of course, there’s the pool.  It’s huge and free and just incredible.  We spent the day playing in the pool came home and ate some yummy tacos, then headed back to explore the shops on the other side of the street.

Not a lot to write home about, but a great memory day with the cousins!!

Day 53: P-Day

Boring day of just planning and prepping for the week.  I didn’t even take a single picture.

π did though J  When we went to the shops (it’s like a strip mall on the outside, but a normal mall on the inside except the grocery stores are in the mall!  Totally funky!) there was a big Walking With the Dinosaurs display  with full on animatronic dinosaurs.  L HAD to see it so π took him down.

When they came back he was so excited I couldn’t wait to hear what he wanted to tell me.  He pulled me into my bedroom, I thought to tell me all about it.  Instead he pulled a take away container of sushi out of a bag!  He knows how much I like sushi so he brought me a treat.  I love that kid!

Day 52: SUNDAY!!! And Mossman's Gorge

I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I know I say that every week but it’s just so true!  The missionaries had led us astray, church started at 9:00, not 10:00 so we’d missed most of Sacrament meeting but Sunday School and Relief Society more than made up for it.  There’s just a rejuvenation that happens as I go and learn more about my Savior and remember the covenants I’ve made with him.  Remembering that I’ve promised to do my best, remembering that it doesn’t matter how much I’ve screwed up in the past week, I can hit reset and try again this week—I just love every part of it! 

Then there’s the inspiration I get when I listen to the lessons that have been prepared.  This week we were studying in Kings and learning about what makes a good leader.  Talking about Solomon’s son and how he chose to lead led me to think about what kind of a leader I am.  Sadly, I’m more like Rhoboam (sp) than like Solomon.  I had quite a bit of good insights and am going to put into practice in my parenting style.

Then in Relief Society I met an incredible lady!  Her name’s Vaiari.  Have you ever met someone and just had an instant connection?  Meeting her was like running into a long lost best friend.  I don’t know why I know it, but she’s just awesome.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s even more that going to church and keeping the Sabbath Day Holy gives me.  It refreshes me!  It gives me a break from the daily crazy that is my life.  It lets me remember what’s most important and put everything else in focus.  It lets me step out of my own mind and try and see from my Heavenly Father’s point of view. 

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!

After church we took a walk through the daintree rainforest up to Mossman Gorge.  The kids had a great time playing in the river.

We found a fun spider.

And we ended up walking back in the pitch black.  It was amazing.  

Day 51: Reunited and it feels so good!

You're singing the song, admit it!

It’s silly how much fun we have in these little towns!  We meet the most interesting people, see the most interesting things, and just have fun!  In Cardwell this morning we took a sunrise walk along the beach.  Well, it started out as a sunrise walk, but we kept walking for an hour and a half. 

See, this is a town that would make Taylor Dosey cry.  It was perfectly manicured down to the fact that they have a beach comber come and make the sand all perfect each night.   They have plaques all over the boardwalk explaining things about their town. 

Our favorite was the shining tree.  The original tree was uprooted by a cyclone so they built a metal one.  Only another cyclone came through and broke the metal one so they called a town meeting.  In the end they decided to leave the bent metal tree as a symbol of the towns’ ability to endure whatever comes.

Only they couldn’t keep the bent part of the tree from completely breaking off!  So they built a box around the metal tree trunk and left it there. 

I’m still laughing at the absurdity of it all.

It was a beautiful boardwalk though and we had a great time.  We decided to walk back to the car past all the shops which meant that now leaving town was going to take so much longer because π wanted to stop into several of them once he saw them. 

When we were almost back to the car we saw a bunch of coconuts at the bottom of a palm tree.  X has wanted a ‘real coconut’ since Fiji so we picked one up and carried it back to him.  All the kids went wild!  We spent the next half an hour trying to get into them before I finally broke up the party and tried to get us on the road.  π stopped at the butcher and got some ham and cheese and we were walking to the bakery to get some bread when we saw a little shop back behind the rest advertising fresh seafood.  An hour later we walked over to the bakery but not until we had eaten some Morton Bay Bugs and gotten instructions on where to go to buy supplies for the last crab boil of the summer. 

We’d gotten up at 6 but it was 11:30 before we got out of town.  We were only 2 hours from Cairns and check in wasn’t till 3:30 so we had time for one more stop.  Innesfail was the town that the seafood guy sent us to—to a little shop called Timmsey’s Seafood.  We left the kids outside with some rocks to hit their coconuts on while we went inside to talk to Rodney Timms.  He was super helpful but informed us that his boat was stuck out in the bay because of the weather and that we should go to Innersfail  Seafood and get the fresh stuff they’d have there.

Capitalism is certainly not alive and well in Australia.  Twice we went into seafood shops to buy seafood and were sent to different stores to buy products that they had, but that weren’t ‘good enough’.  We’re glad they did, but it was just so weird!  We went outside to head over to the third seafood place when we were greeted by a great sight.  Timmsey’s wife was sitting on the bay of the warehouse up to her thighs in coconut hair.  She looked totally happy to be doing it too.  She helped every one of the kids get the husk off and poke holes in the eyes to be able to drink the milk.  It only took about an hour and a half! 

We’re amazed in each new place by wonderful people who are not only willing to share their knowledge but to go out of their way to sacrifice and help and teach and just make this the most amazing trip ever!  I was feeling incredibly blessed and was near tears by Cassandra Timms’ kindness as we drove away to go buy fish. 

The next  blokes shop was right on the river.  He taught us all about how the fishermen now-a-days have the ability to flash freeze their catches almost as quickly as they pull them on to the boat so that buy the time they come to you, they’re as fresh as possible.  We bought some prawns that they’d cooked up right there in the shop.  Learned about those too!  Tiger prawns are the prettiest so they’re the ones most sought after by restaurants.  King prawns are gigantic and thus sought after for their size and the artsy things chef’s can do with them.   The endeavor prawns are the ugly ones but they’re the sweetest and in blind taste tests, they’re the ones that everyone likes best.  Lucky for us because they’re also the cheapest!!!

We left his shop with an arm load of fish excited more than ever to get to Cairns.  As I went to pull away from the street, I checked my blind spot and was so startled that I almost dumped a kid or two on the floor because I braked so hard.  Two missionaries were riding their bikes past us at just that moment.  Elder Huntington from St George and Elder Whitfield from Price.  I don’t know who was more excited, us or them.  We probably visited with them for a good 20 – 30 minutes.  They asked if there was anything they could do for us and I let them know I hadn’t been able to get LDS.org to open the map to where the chapel in Cairns is.  They gave me the address, directions on how to get there, and let me know what time church starts.  They were great!

We were finally heading out of town when the inevitable ‘I need to pee’ cheer rang out from the back seat.  Yet another stop!  We pulled into the park at the end of the street—awesome park right on the river with a great view!-- and everyone piled out of the cars.  As they slowly piled back in the next cheer in the ‘reasons to not travel with children’ handbook rang out, ‘I’m hungry!’  Granted, it was 1:30 and we’d only had ham and cheese on bread for breakfast.  Lucky for us there was a fish ‘n chips bus right in the parking lot.   We loved how close and easy everything was!  Innersfail was definitely a town we could have spent a lot more time in.

Food in hand, we finally hit the road!  We pulled in to Wanguulay Too, In the Treetops at 3:15!! We were early!!

The yard was beautiful and the house itself is divine.  It’s literally the perfect ‘tree house’. 

We hadn’t been here 20 minutes before Cath and crew rocked up.  We dumped our stuff and headed up to Mossman’s Gorge in the Daintree Rainforest to go for a hike.  Jordane only gets to be with us for two days and she has two things she wants to see, Mossman’s and Cassowary Falls.

We got all the way there only to find that the shuttle bus to take us up the road had finished for the day.  We decided we’d return another day and headed to the beach.  It was past sunset but not quite dark when we got there and we played just for a bit, really just enjoying being together.

This is going to be an incredible week!

Day 50: Parkour Papi

We realized today that, with the exception of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland is the Kansas of Australia.  It’s the only place in the whole country (that we’ve traveled) that you can see nothing but crops for miles and miles—only instead of corn it’s sugar cane and mangos.  PS sugar cane stinks.  We’ve been spoiled by the constant wonderful aroma of eucalypt trees.  I’m really going to miss that!

There would be some really fun towns to stop in and see stuff, if we had time.  They’re few and far between though.  It’s mostly a pretty boring drive from Brisbane up to Cairns.  Even the road signs expect you to be bored.  “Are we there yet, Mum?”  “Still a long way to go kids!”  etc etc etc.  They crack me up!

We got to our “half way” mark for the day right on schedule so we had a few hours to go for a little hike.  It was glorious!  We pulled in to Alligator Creek in the ?? National Forest in the shadow of Mt. Elliot.  I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t this. 

It was perfect!!  Like the perfect little mountain hike along a stream up to see some falls.  We didn’t go all the way up, but we did go off the path (highly discouraged around here from what we can tell—although we did see one other family enjoying the same detour we found.  We had a ball!

When we got back to the car park,  π read a sign that informed visitors there were showers over in the camp site’s toilets.  Now it’s been a good 36 hours since π had a shower which—except for when we’re camping—simply doesn’t happen.  As the kids were getting pretty ripe too, we all decided to get cleaned up. 

There was only cold water (which makes sense) and there were ants and spiders and all sorts of creepy crawlies that you had to scare away before you could claim possession of the premises.  K and ∞ did okay but O wasn’t going anywhere near it!  We joked and giggled and tried to persuade her, all to no avail.  Finally, after I was showered and dressed, K and ∞ came out of the showers to inform me that O was still standing in there, in nothing but a towel, refusing to get clean.

Maybe if her feet hadn’t been swallowed up in a toxic cloud the night before requiring extensive amounts of exterminating efforts I would have just let it go but memories of the asphyxiating odor from the night previous spurred me forward. 

I grabbed a water bottle from the car and filled it before I headed in to face the beast.  (She is normally a delightful little angel, but when she gets a bee in her bonnet, there’s just no better word to describe her!)

Screeching at me to get out and leave her alone, she twisted away and tried to bolt as I entered the bathroom.  Realizing this wasn’t going to be pretty no matter what I did, I simply stepped up to her, whipped her towel away from her grasp and poured the bottle of water directly over her red screaming face…er head.  Mean I know, but it did the trick.  The screaming continued but all energy she’d been using to fight taking a shower then had to be utilized in the core temperature control center.  She screamed all the way through the wash, but it was just for my benefit, her heart wasn’t in it.

From the squeals coming from the boys’ side, π was having similar issues with X as well.  We joked and teased about first world problems while making lunch.  π pulled me aside and told me to kiss his hair goodbye.  The day has been fast approaching with his hair becoming ever thinner and today he finally bit the bullet.  Even as I write this at 10:30, the kids don’t know what he’s done.  He slipped over to the car (we have a 110 volt infuser  that plugs into the cigarette lighter) and grabbed the hair clippers and gave himself a shave—then promptly donned his hat.  It’ll take awhile to get used to his new doo, but I think I like it.

We met some new animal friends today as well!  These little beauties took up residence in X²’s shirt!  He learned really quickly to not lean up against a tree in these woods!  These little guys also joined us for lunch.  I wish I could have gotten a shot of their wings fully extended.  They’re absolutely stunning!

After our adventures up the ‘canyon’, we headed into town.  We spent 3 hours trying to track down a ‘good fish and chips’ place, only to be disappointed by our Hungry Jacks chicken sandwiches.  Apparently a π approved fish and chips place doesn’t exist in Townsville, Queensland.  At least not one that we could find L

And so, here we are.  Tomorrow begins our last week in our last city.  I’m already mourning the end of the trip—but determined to not let my sorrow at the ending rob me of my enjoyment of it as well.  This week is going to be epic!

Day 49: Pioneer Day

To celebrate Pioneer Day, we traveled!  Haha  10 people traversed across the country, just like the pioneers, the end. 

Well, not just like the pioneers, we were in cars and we had supply stops available all along the way, and the weather was a fantastic 70 degrees, and we traveled about the same distance in one day that took them a month, and we had electronic entertainment to enjoy along the way.  Yup, just like the pioneers.

We did make a few fun stops.  We had lunch at Capricorn Caves, only we didn’t take time to do any hikes or anything.  They’d be fun to explore—if we ever make it back. 

We also stopped at another Vinnie’s—it’s just a little second hand, thrift shop.  Only this time, the kids all found wet suits for $10!  They’re so excited to try them out in Cairns!  I’m still searching for a nativity.  I know there’s one out there with my name on it, I just have to keep looking till I find it!

Day 48: Brisbane Temple

Oh how I love the Temple! Let me count the ways!  First off, this one is built on the side of a cliff.  It’s a small-ish cliff but it’s absolutely stunning!  We got there early and had a picnic along the banks of the river overlooking the incredible skyline. 

Inside it was the same as every Temple in the world.  The Spirit is so strong—the peace and love and joy that the Savior has for us abounds and you can’t help but feel like you’ve been draped in a warm blanket and set in the most comfortable place in the house.

We were followed into the baptistery by 7 missionaries.  Most of them were huge Tongan boys who spoke no English.  The doors to the dressing rooms had been propped open and, not thinking, they filed into the women’s.  Luckily I was behind them and I just stood back until they realized their mistake.  I was giggling when they came back out, the first Elder was red as a beet!  It was so cute! 

After a glorious hour serving in the House of the Lord, we continued our journey.  What a great time we have road tripping!  We stopped at Sunshine Coast for lunch at a park/beach.  The kids were in heaven.  We had way too much fun though because we missed our stop at Rainbow Beach by 45 minutes L  We really wanted to get there in the day light to see the different colors of sand. 

The lack of light didn’t stop us from playing on the beach though.  At 65 degrees (18) the kids wanted to get in the water.  Not willing to deal with wet sandy clothes they had to settle for star gazing and sand angels.  I love that you can see the milky way and the southern cross just about everywhere here.  I never thought I’d see the southern cross in person!

I’ve never felt more loved than I do this summer.  The kids are so huggy—probably out of insecurity being so transient as we’ve been—that I can’t go 5 steps without someone hugging on me.  On the beach I couldn’t hardly move for the throng of the minions.  So we just stood in a clump and hugged and watched the stars—we even saw a couple of them shoot across the sky.   It was a beautiful end to a beautiful day.

Day 47: Bye Bye Straddie, Hello Road Trip!

Our week of R&R has come to an end and today we started our way up to our final city.

Well, almost.

We have an appointment at the Brisbane Temple tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM to do baptisms—they’re only open Wed-Sat so we had to stick around for another day.  That suited us fine because we learned that Brisbane is home to one of the top ten zoo’s in the world!  It’s also the largest Koala Sanctuary in the world! 

We rocked up, on a whim, and boy were we glad that we did!  We spent almost an hour watching the koalas.  There were Mama’s with babies.  Single ladies, bachelors, old folks…they had a fun set up that let you know who was who. 

You could pay them $20 to hold one and get your photo taken.  We laughed.  I wonder what a “Marvin” experience would cost!

We got to see some sheep dogs round up the herd and bring them in, then we got to watch the cowboy sheer one.  The kids had a ball!  The animals are so used to people they just walked right up to us, they tolerated the kids touching, chasing and just enjoying them. 

We found these funky Chinese chickens!

Then there were the kangaroos!  Big ones little ones fat ones skinny ones Mama ones baby ones!  There were just so many of them!!  In the same enclosure were some Emu that let us pet them as well.  By far all of our favorite kanga was this Mama and her adorable little baby.

In the midst of enjoying the roo’s, it started to rain a little.  Then it started to rain a lot.  Then it started to hail…hard!  They had this fun little gazebo that we sought refuge under until the storm passed.  One smart roo joined us.  π had gone and gotten a bunch of ‘roo food’ from the shop and this little guy got to eat most of it while we waited out the storm.

π was the smartest of us all though.  As soon as the storm passed he walked away from the group so he was all alone and just stood with his hand out.  Soon, one timid roo approached and started eating.  Then he was joined by a few more, then a few more.  Within five minutes π was surrounded by around 20 roos all by himself. 

Other people started coming back since the rain had stopped but it was almost closing time for the Koala Sanctuary.  We made one final quick stop to see the Mama’s and babies again before we headed out. 

Since we’ve done so well with our budget we thought we’d splurge and take the kids out to dinner.  I’d done some research and found this amazing Hotel that does a kids eat free deal on Tuesdays.  They’re ranked the most family friendly restaurant in all of Australia with an amazing playground and a yummy menu.  I sold it as best as I could only to have the kids overrule my fabulous find and vote, instead, of all places, to go to McDonald’s!  I could have died.  But this trip is about them, not about me so π and I sucked it up and we all went to Macca’s. 

Okay, TMI alert! 

∞ wasn’t feeling well and had some pretty nasty gas on the way to Macca’s.  No worries, we’ve all had road trip intestinal issues from time to time.  By the time we got to Macca’s, however, it smelled really bad.  She headed straight to the bathroom only to find that it wasn’t just gas. 

Only once in my life have I seen a scene similar and that was at my Grandma’s house when my Granddad had just passed away.  Her clothes were unsalvageable (which wouldn’t be as big of an issue if she hadn’t been wearing a shirt her Mom had given her.  She was the first to say that she’d almost grown out of it and that it was okay, but I could tell she was pretty bummed.  There was just no help for it though. L)

 It took 40 minutes an entire package of wet wipes and probably an entire industrial sized box of serviettes (napkins) to get her entirely cleaned up.  She handled herself like a pro though.  She behaved way better than I would have that’s for sure!  What a trouper!  Man I love that kid!!  I walked straight up to the counter and ordered her a special treat for dealing with it so well.

I however, need chocolate.   

Day 46: Doff Your Hat in the Presence of the Queen!!

I actually woke up in time for the sunrise this morning!  I tried for over a half an hour to wake π² for some one on one time to no avail.  Finally I just picked up L and headed for the door.  It was raining so I figured we’d drive around and see if we could find some kangaroos out for their morning constitution and call it good.

We ended up on the other side of the island (just a 10 minute drive) in Dunwich.  The rain hadn’t made it over to that side yet so we got out and decided to try our hand at fishing off the same peer X and I were at the other morning. 

As we parked we noticed a bunch of school kids queuing up on the water taxi ferry.  We realized that these kids took the boat to school each morning!  As we watched them, I glanced up at some noisy birds only to realize that there was a koala sitting directly above my head!  What a treat!  L was fascinated watching it yawn, stretch and do it’s morning business.  (Consequently, this is what koala guano looks like!)

We fished off the peer for awhile—we actually saw some fish but none of them were dumb enough to bite our bait. 

We watched the pelicans and I got this great shot!  We went back and watched the koala some more—then we made our way back home.

We’ve been washing laundry all week only to be disappointed by the piles of not-drying, starting to smell clothes steadily piling up on lines and horses around the house and yard.  The humidity is barely perceptible except for the inability for anything to dry and we’ve been sadly schooled by the reality that most Aussie homes don’t include a clothes dryer.  Whether it’s an environmental thing or not, I don’t know.  What I do know is it’s annoying!!  American’s would never stand for such inconvenience! Haha  It’s been good for us to see how another culture lives for I will certainly appreciate my dryer once we get home!

So we spent the entire day re-washing clothes.  Once we had a few loads ready, we headed over to the Laundromat that’s a short 2 minute drive down the road.  That’s when we discovered that they don’t open until 2 on Mondays!  Seriously?!   They also only have 2 sets of machines!  When we went back at 2:10, one set was already in use so we popped our first load in and got started.   At 8:05 PM  I finally removed our last load.  It is astonishing how much laundry 10 people can fit into 10 tiny carry-on bags!

Sensing my frustration and need to relax, π snuck me around the corner to try one more little dive here on Straddie before we leave tomorrow.  Neither of us had any idea what to expect from food at the “Bowls Club”—nor did we have any idea what a “bowls club” was.   He’d just seen a sign advertising ‘food 7 days a week, open late’ and thought we’d give it a go.

Upon pulling in we surmised that “Bowls” is a game for old people, basing our deduction on the median age of the patronage.  It’s not played at night and, since it was after dark, everyone was inside.  As we walked toward the entrance, it looked like a pretty nice place.  Plenty of outdoor seating that was covered for shade in the sun and protection from the rain, and inside was dated but spacious. 

We walked straight up to the café section to see what was on the grill.  We hadn’t been standing there for 30 seconds before a huffy woman practically stomped up and demanded, “Doff your hat in the presence of the Queen!”

Confused, thinking we were being pranked or something I giggled, “Excuse me?”

She was clearly not amused by my giggle.  Gesturing emphatically towards a tiny picture on a wall just far enough away that it was out of focus but close enough that you could make out that it was a portrait of some kind she repeated,  “Even when it is merely an image of the Queen one doffs ones hat in reverence to Her Majesty.”

Hesitantly, unsure if this was really happening or if somehow BJ and/or Reece had put a friend up to this, π removed his hat.  Remember now, we’ve been working hard all day, and he’s had that hat on all day.  Neither of us had gotten cleaned up the unruly matting that was now visible testified that the hat hadn’t been worn for π’s benefit as much as it was for the rest of us.  He was horrified to have to remove it and, noticing his expression, the woman smirked!  She actually smirked! 

“Are you members here?” came the next demand from her royal hostess.

“We don’t even know where ‘here’ is, Ma’am.  I’m sorry, but we’re not from around these parts,” I responded.  I’ve got to admit, I snuck a little of my Grandma’s drawl into my voice, just for fun—and to confuse her.  I’ve noticed that Aussies in general have a really hard time understanding Southern.

Waving an over sided ledger in the air in front of her the clearly befuddled woman instructed, “All visitors must sign in before being served.”

Turning to walk out of the door I said, “Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you had to be a member to be in here.  We’ll just take our business elsewhere.  So sorry to disrupt your evening.” 

You could have cut yourself on the look the guy behind the café counter shot the woman and quicker than I could step she responded, “You’re welcome to stay.  But as soon as you place your order, before you even sit down, come over and sign in at the book.”

With that she turned on her heel and stalked back behind the bar.

Completely disoriented now, π and I just looked at each other and chuckled.  Turning to the man waiting to take our order I asked, “Is everyone so loyal to the crown around here?”  From our short time in country, I’ve gathered most Aussies are indifferent at best to the auspicious royals who claim dominion over all things Australia.  I’ve certainly yet to meet anyone who has been so emphatic about their allegiance. 

“Well, at the Bowls club they are, but outside of here, no,” he answered, looking as apologetic with his eyes as he could, casting side long glances in the hostess’ direction.  You could tell he wanted to say more but fear of reprisal held his tongue. 

We ordered yet another sampling of fish and chips, π’s latest obsession.  He’s determined to go home and be able to replicate, alter and personalize the most delectable of seafood.  I go along in the name of research.

As we waited for our food, we looked around in astonishment.  A group of 8-10 men were sitting around a large table drinking and enjoying a decidedly inappropriate conversation, dropping the f-bomb as though it was just another word and not the foulest of offensive language.  There was a little grotto off to the side that would rival Las Vegas’ slot machine habit that was teeming with business.  Yet another group was smoking behind a glass wall.

Gesturing to all that was around us π said, “Good thing I took off my hat!  Wouldn’t want to offend the Queen!” 

We got our food and left laughing at the absurdity of it all.

God Save the Queen.I actually woke up in time for the sunrise this morning!  I tried for over a half an hour to wake π² for some one on one time to no avail.  Finally I just picked up L and headed for the door.  It was raining so I figured we’d drive around and see if we could find some kangaroos out for their morning constitution and call it good.

We ended up on the other side of the island (just a 10 minute drive) in Dunwich.  The rain hadn’t made it over to that side yet so we got out and decided to try our hand at fishing off the same peer X and I were at the other morning. 

As we parked we noticed a bunch of school kids queuing up on the water taxi ferry.  We realized that these kids took the boat to school each morning!  As we watched them, I glanced up at some noisy birds only to realize that there was a koala sitting directly above my head!  What a treat!  L was fascinated watching it yawn, stretch and do it’s morning business.  (Consequently, this is what koala guano looks like!)

We fished off the peer for awhile—we actually saw some fish but none of them were dumb enough to bite our bait. 

We watched the pelicans and I got this great shot!  We went back and watched the koala some more—then we made our way back home.

We’ve been washing laundry all week only to be disappointed by the piles of not-drying, starting to smell clothes steadily piling up on lines and horses around the house and yard.  The humidity is barely perceptible except for the inability for anything to dry and we’ve been sadly schooled by the reality that most Aussie homes don’t include a clothes dryer.  Whether it’s an environmental thing or not, I don’t know.  What I do know is it’s annoying!!  American’s would never stand for such inconvenience! Haha  It’s been good for us to see how another culture lives for I will certainly appreciate my dryer once we get home!

So we spent the entire day re-washing clothes.  Once we had a few loads ready, we headed over to the Laundromat that’s a short 2 minute drive down the road.  That’s when we discovered that they don’t open until 2 on Mondays!  Seriously?!   They also only have 2 sets of machines!  When we went back at 2:10, one set was already in use so we popped our first load in and got started.   At 8:05 PM  I finally removed our last load.  It is astonishing how much laundry 10 people can fit into 10 tiny carry-on bags!

Sensing my frustration and need to relax, π snuck me around the corner to try one more little dive here on Straddie before we leave tomorrow.  Neither of us had any idea what to expect from food at the “Bowls Club”—nor did we have any idea what a “bowls club” was.   He’d just seen a sign advertising ‘food 7 days a week, open late’ and thought we’d give it a go.

Upon pulling in we surmised that “Bowls” is a game for old people, basing our deduction on the median age of the patronage.  It’s not played at night and, since it was after dark, everyone was inside.  As we walked toward the entrance, it looked like a pretty nice place.  Plenty of outdoor seating that was covered for shade in the sun and protection from the rain, and inside was dated but spacious. 

We walked straight up to the café section to see what was on the grill.  We hadn’t been standing there for 30 seconds before a huffy woman practically stomped up and demanded, “Doff your hat in the presence of the Queen!”

Confused, thinking we were being pranked or something I giggled, “Excuse me?”

She was clearly not amused by my giggle.  Gesturing emphatically towards a tiny picture on a wall just far enough away that it was out of focus but close enough that you could make out that it was a portrait of some kind she repeated,  “Even when it is merely an image of the Queen one doffs ones hat in reverence to Her Majesty.”

Hesitantly, unsure if this was really happening or if somehow BJ and/or Reece had put a friend up to this, π removed his hat.  Remember now, we’ve been working hard all day, and he’s had that hat on all day.  Neither of us had gotten cleaned up the unruly matting that was now visible testified that the hat hadn’t been worn for π’s benefit as much as it was for the rest of us.  He was horrified to have to remove it and, noticing his expression, the woman smirked!  She actually smirked! 

“Are you members here?” came the next demand from her royal hostess.

“We don’t even know where ‘here’ is, Ma’am.  I’m sorry, but we’re not from around these parts,” I responded.  I’ve got to admit, I snuck a little of my Grandma’s drawl into my voice, just for fun—and to confuse her.  I’ve noticed that Aussies in general have a really hard time understanding Southern.

Waving an over sided ledger in the air in front of her the clearly befuddled woman instructed, “All visitors must sign in before being served.”

Turning to walk out of the door I said, “Oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you had to be a member to be in here.  We’ll just take our business elsewhere.  So sorry to disrupt your evening.” 

You could have cut yourself on the look the guy behind the café counter shot the woman and quicker than I could step she responded, “You’re welcome to stay.  But as soon as you place your order, before you even sit down, come over and sign in at the book.”

With that she turned on her heel and stalked back behind the bar.

Completely disoriented now, π and I just looked at each other and chuckled.  Turning to the man waiting to take our order I asked, “Is everyone so loyal to the crown around here?”  From our short time in country, I’ve gathered most Aussies are indifferent at best to the auspicious royals who claim dominion over all things Australia.  I’ve certainly yet to meet anyone who has been so emphatic about their allegiance. 

“Well, at the Bowls club they are, but outside of here, no,” he answered, looking as apologetic with his eyes as he could, casting side long glances in the hostess’ direction.  You could tell he wanted to say more but fear of reprisal held his tongue. 

We ordered yet another sampling of fish and chips, π’s latest obsession.  He’s determined to go home and be able to replicate, alter and personalize the most delectable of seafood.  I go along in the name of research.

As we waited for our food, we looked around in astonishment.  A group of 8-10 men were sitting around a large table drinking and enjoying a decidedly inappropriate conversation, dropping the f-bomb as though it was just another word and not the foulest of offensive language.  There was a little grotto off to the side that would rival Las Vegas’ slot machine habit that was teeming with business.  Yet another group was smoking behind a glass wall.

Gesturing to all that was around us π said, “Good thing I took off my hat!  Wouldn’t want to offend the Queen!” 

We got our food and left laughing at the absurdity of it all.

God Save the Queen.

Day 45: The Adventures Never Cease

When it hit 5:00 PM today and we hadn't left the house, I thought for sure I would have nothing to blog about tonight.  π² refused one on one time in favor of sleep so we hadn't even gone out for our daily sunrise adventure.  Instead we played canasta, sang some songs, learned a little Russian and amazed ourselves that we've gone an entire day without electronic entertainment.

That's when π said, "Let's go for a nice Sunday walk on the beach to watch the sunset!"  Since the sun was already almost entirely set, I figured it'd be a short walk.

I should have known better.

We walked along the beach and got some pretty pictures.  We laughed, we talked, we sang some primary songs...it was great!

We got to 'the point' where the rock meets the water and I turned to go back.  π suggested we keep going and walk along the beach on the other side of the point, the kids begged to keep going, I gave in.  Walking over the rocks was a bit tricky--they were steep and rough and most of us were barefoot.  We made it alright and by the time we got to the picnic tables on the other side, it was pretty close to full on dark.

π wanted to keep walking down the beach until it was pitch black, I told him he was crazy and we should head to the road right then while we could still see.  Since we had 7 kids with us, I won.  We headed towards the road through a camp ground when K and π suddenly weren't with us anymore.  é ran back to see what was up and a moment later π was by my side letting me know the three of them were abandoning me with 5 little children in favor of walking along the beach till they couldn't see anymore.

Great.  So they left and we followed the road through the campsite towards the road that would lead us back to the house.  Only the road through the campsite didn't meet up with the real road--it turned into a gigantic circle.  As it was unpaved (unsealed) it was ripping up our naked feet and by the time we made it back to where we started, several of the kids were near tears because their feet hurt so badly.

By this time, it's full on dark.  There's no moon.  It was partially cloudy so there weren't even that many stars.  And we're right back where we started half an hour before.  The kids are all pretty freaked by the bird noises, the frogs and crickets chirping, the surf crashing and the dark so the panic levels are starting to rise.

I have to admit, at this point, I'm just plain annoyed bordering on pissed.  How could π force us to all go out on this 'walk' then abandon me with 5 little children?!  Swallowing my annoyance I started talking to the kids about what they were afraid of.  The birds?  The same birds we searched for while laying on the beach before?  The same ones we chased while eating a picnic?  Why were they scared of the birds?

As they laughed off the birds, we rationed away all their other fears.  What they weren't afraid of, but I was, was the rocks.  The steep, sharp, craggy points of pain that we were now starting to climb up.  L was on my shoulders by this point which was throwing my balance off and the triplets were billy goat gruffing it up like they were walking on clouds.  ∞ was my shadow like always--making it more nerve wracking because if this 200 lb girth misstepped and started to fall, she would be directly in the crash zone.  The tide looked like it had risen so we opted to try and go up and over the rocks.  At the top, the trail we'd been following suddenly ended.

Down or back?  We started down and X² stopped in his tracks.  When I snapped at him to keep walking (because I'd almost tripped over him) he mumbled something and sounded near tears.  I repented quickly and asked him what he'd been doing.

"I was trying to say a prayer because I'm really scared," he said.

Chagrined I apologized and we stopped to give him a moment to say a prayer.  We continued down and within a moment or two he said, "We need to go back up.  I'm really not comfortable with this.  I think it's the Holy Ghost telling me to go back."  So we turned around and went back up.

At the top we had another choice, back the way we'd come, or follow the path along the crest.  We chose the crest only to be stopped 100 meters later by the trail suddenly ending.

No option now but to head back down and face the rocks.  Three group prayers and 30 minutes later we got to the sand on the other side of the rocks.  The prayer on the sand was said amid giggles of joy and relief.  We were back in the house not 10 minutes later surprised that  π wasn't back yet.

When they walked in the door 2 minutes later, they didn't know why I was so annoyed.  I told them to read the blog.  I guess all's well that ends well.

Day 44: Sick Day

I should have realized what was happening last night when I sent π to the store for Sprite.  It wasn't till after I woke up and took X² fishing that I realized I wasn't feeling well.  His short attention span combined with the wind chilling the 50 (13) degree temperature cut our trip pretty short--for which I was grateful.  In an attempt to help him not feel jipped we drove around a bit.  In a big open field, we found a herd of kangaroos--two of which were fighting.  It was fun to watch!  We hung out for just a bit, stopped at a park next to brown lake to play on the toys for a minute then headed back to the house.

In the hour and a half that we were gone I realized that the fatigue I was felling wasn't just early morning grogginess, but that deep rooted exhaustion of illness.  I got back into bed around 9:30 and I didn't move again until 3:30.  Doesn't make for a fun blog post, but it sure felt good!

The kids didn't mind hanging out, playing in the yard, watching movies and playing games all day while I slept either.  π took X² out for his one on one time and they came back in a blaze of glory!  Screaming for us all to pile in the cars we ran to the main beach to see what all the excitement was about.

The sea was incredible!!  I've always loved the song Master the Tempest is Raging but never have I understood it as much as I did watching the turbulence roaring in front of us then.  Naturally we ran out of the house without the camera--ya can't win 'em all!  I'm the most sad that I didn't have a camera to show the (dead) jellyfish they'd found!  It wasn't much bigger than a softball with tentacles, but it was so cool!!  And it really did feel just like jello!  So neat!

Just goes to show that every day is an adventure when you're in Australia, even on a sick day!

OH!  And after my post last night ∞ ate the incredible shrimp alfredo π made for a late supper and she wanted her parents to see that she ate prawns and liked it!!

Day 43: Whale Watching and Bats in the Bellfry

Today was K's turn for some solo parent time.  We took her early this AM to go watch for whales and Point Lookout didn't disappoint.  It doesn't make for good photos, if you look really closely you can see the spray from a whale--look about an inch above K's head at about 11:00.  That little whiteness, that's it.  But in real life, it was pretty neat.  We didn't get it on film but we did see one jump clear out of the water.  That was amazingly impressive.

On the way back to the house, there were cars pulled over on the side of the road and a hoard of people taking pictures of the trees.  We thought maybe there was a koala so we pulled over.  Instead, we realized what they were looking at were bats.  Tons and tons of them!  The trees were literally crawling with them for about 800 yards.  It was insane!  They sound like new born babies crying.  Way neat.  We stood there for probably 15 minutes just watching them.  It was fascinating!

We were excited because the sun was shining brighter than it has all week so we hurried through brekky and headed out for the beach.  Sadly the wind was vicious and it was freezing.  No one wanted to get in the water but we did find all these awesome muscles (or whatever they are) growing on the rocks!  Can you say, "bait"?!  We were super excited and the kids spent a half an hour scraping them off the rocks.

Today was ∞'s turn to be a mermaid and she was the only one of us that was even a little warm!  I gave my towel to L so he could be warm and he ended up flying it like a cape running down the beach screaming, "L is AWESOME!!!"

About the only other noteworthy thing that happened today was we met a family from the states while we were on the beach.  The convo started as almost every one has during this holiday, "Are they all yours?" But instead of the typical followup of, "You sure have your hands full" or "And you brought all of them on holiday for two months?!  You must be exhausted!" they came back with, "You are incredible!  How wonderful to have such a big beautiful family!  I'll bet you are the most loved woman on the planet!"  What a refreshing response to an unusual family!  It gave me such a boost!  I wish I'd gotten their names so I could thank them publicly.  It is wonderful to have such a large family.  It's an amazing blessing to be so loved all the time.  To have every moment of your time coveted by a group of incredible people.  Yes, it's exhausting.  Yes it takes constant organization.  Yes sometimes it's amazingly overwhelming.  But it is the sweetest, most intensely joyous feeling I've ever experienced.

I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Day 42: A Long Day of Nothing

Today was the day of X.  Got up early and took him fishing.  Started out by being startled by a six foot kangaroo only about 15 steps from the car!  He was just eating in the bush when we startled him on our way down the path to the beach.  He reminded us to go back and get our camera!

We found a big swing, but it hurt X's hands so we walked on.  

There was no fish on the first beach--and it was boring--so we went to another one.  

Here we saw some pelicans, picked some bait right off the peer, saw some turtles, heard some stories about some sting rays and just fished till we were bored.  We had a great time!  

On the drive home we saw whale spray from a distance so we're hoping to see some whales later this week.  We were going to go watch for some whales today but in the end we just sat around all day.  We went to one beach for about an hour but we just weren't into it.  We came back, made a big lunch and watched TV for the rest of the day.  What would summer be without at least a day or two of sitting around watching TV all day?

Oh! And π² blew up our wii chord today :(  All he did was plug it into a converter and it gave off a loud pop and that was the end of that.  We'll have to have Amazon send us a new one to be there for us when we get home.

Review of Missing the Point Holiday House, North Stradbroke Island

I was really excited about the deal we got on this holiday house.  When traveling with 8 children, we are willing to compromise on some things in order to save a little money for other things later.  To get a deal, I’m totally okay with ‘dated’ and mismatched furniture.  I’m even okay with the ‘stocked’ kitchen having enough wine glasses to host a party with 100 guests but missing super important items like measuring cups and spoons and tea towels and mixing bowls.  We can improvise those and we really don’t care much about the décor. 

The one thing I do expect when I’m paying for accommodation is for it to be clean.  Sadly, that’s not what we found here.  We had to wash everything before we used it.   Cups with food stuck in the bottom, greasy silverware—the entire drawer of utensils went straight in a sink of hot soapy water.  The floors were clean, but the windows were marred by hand prints and dead bugs in the tracks. 

 The drawers were filled with junk—including an entire drawer of old stained scraps of clothes/towels that other people had left.   The cobwebs in the corners make me think that this place isn’t rented out much but the grease and grime on the grill speak to years without a good scrubbing. 

It’s advertised that it’s a 2 minute walk to the beach—which is true.  What isn’t advertised that you have to walk through someone’s yard to get there—and that’s the part of the beach that isn’t patrolled and the currents are a bit dicey for swimming.  The patrolled beach—the part you want to take kids to, is just a 5 minute drive down the road.  Not a big deal, just the kids were pretty excited about the ‘two minute walk to the beach’.  If advertised correctly, this place would have been less of a disappointment.

That being said, I’m still giving it 3 stars because it is a nice little house.  We knew we were coming in winter so we expected the cooler temperatures—we didn’t expect a house with no heating.  There is a little wood stove but there’s no wood provided to burn in it.  It would be a lot nicer if it was clean and given just a little TLC. 

We were pleasantly surprised by the cupboard of board games and another of old VHS videos.  We brought a bunch with us but it was nice to have a new game or two to try out.  I hadn’t paid attention to whether or not there was internet here—there’s not, which we were completely okay with.  A little bothersome was the lack of cell phone signal and no land line in the place.  Not too bad to have to walk out to the street to pick up some signal, but again, if it had been advertised it wouldn’t have been so…surprising.

If you’re after a no frills place—like we were—this is definitely the place for you.  If you come knowing you’ll need some cleaning supplies, you’ll be all the better off.  OH make sure you do your shopping in town before heading out to the island—there are some little shops here but nothing like what you would need for a week with 8 children!  Luckily we had looked up that info, but we couldn’t find it anywhere.  We chose to err on the side of safety and brought our supplies with us.