Such a Good Old Boy

One of the hardest things about moving to the other side of the world was leaving our beloved yellow lab behind. We knew he would be well cared for and loved by Grandma and Grandpa, but the four of us would miss him terribly.


There has never been a more loyal, loving dog than Smiling Riley. When we brought him home from the breeder at 6 weeks old he was the size of a football. I loved to carry him around and cuddle him. He slept happily in our bed at night.

At only 6 months old he was diagnosed with hip displaysia (bad breeder!). He underwent major surgery to repair both hips. It was his only chance at a full life. He deserved it.

As he grew Riley became a gentle giant, tipping the scales at 100 pounds! He had a bark deep enough to scare off the annoying door to door solicitors, deep soulful eyes, and a tail that could clear a coffee table in 2 quick swoops. We had to upgrade to a king size bed to make room for him!

We decided to share the Riley love. He became a certified Therapy Pet through the Delta Society. He listened while inner city kids read to him during after school programs and he brought smiles to lonely people in nursing homes who had outlived all their friends and relatives.


When the Little Princess was born in 2003, we were worried about how Riley would adjust. Would he be jealous of this new creature in our family? Not at all. He became her third parent- sticking his nose into the bassinet to check on her at night. Standing at my side of the bed, nudging my arm when I didn't respond fast enough to her cries. It was quite amazing.


And as our family grew, Riley always managed to fit in perfectly. He endured ear pulling, and tail grabbing. He was a constant pillow and cheerful playmate. He staked out his spot beneath the highchair and I never had to sweep up so much as a stray Cheerio. Good dog!


Riley's health was not as reliable as his disposition. He bounced back from ear infections, allergies, and multiple surgeries including the removal of a 2 pound cancerous tumor. He just kept defying the odds. Everyone was always amazed at his ability to recover from what seemed to be life threatening conditions.

(Riley sporting the t-shirt he wore for months while healing from major surgery).

But last week we got the sad news that Riley's health problems had finally taken their toll on him. He was just days shy of his 11th birthday. He will be missed terribly by all of us. I'm sure someday we will make room for another dog in our home, but no other dog will ever take his place in my heart.

A couple photos from our last visit with Riley.

Happy Mother's Day

A perfect Mother's Day today.

"Sleeping in" until 7:30
Cinnamon toast and peppermint tea in bed
Lovely gifts made by tiny hands
Gorgeous, sunny Sydney weather
A ferry ride to the Opera House
Marveling at the Sydney Symphony with my husband and kids
Hugs and Kisses.

My favorite totally imperfect picture from the day.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms in my life.
Especially my mom and my mother-in-law. Love you!

Scratch Scratch Scratch

I taught elementary school in California for nearly 10 years and in all that time only encountered head lice twice. I've been living in Australia for 13 months, and have become very closely acquainted with these little buggers! It's some kind of an epidemic here. My kids have grown accustomed to me picking through their hair one strand at a time, sitting endlessly while I apply every lice buster solution known to man. It is really so tedious!

So when my own scalp started to itch I knew I could have a problem on my hands. Now let me back up and say that as much as I love my darling husband he does have one shortfall. He can never find anything. He is always searching for his sunglasses, his wallet, his key card, etc. Often these items are in plain sight. When I showed him our son's class picture, he couldn't find the Little Buddy in the photo. This man is really not the person I would trust to literally go through my hair with a fine tooth comb looking for teeny tiny nits. (And I'm sure it is a responsibility he doesn't particularly want to have anyway)!

Which brings me to this morning. I was having morning tea with two lovely friends. When I mentioned my fear about my possible infestation guess what they did? That's right- with absolutely no hesitation these two women started searching, combing, picking through my hair.

It is a really awesome feeling to know that I have such good friends here in Australia. Because there are times in your life when you really need a good friend.

Thanks ladies! Love ya!

A Friendly Reminder

And now a friendly, and not so subtle, reminder from the state of Victoria.













All of these were seen along the road on our drive from Warnambool to Avalon airport (a trip that only took a little over 2 hours). I didn't even bother to snap pics of all the repeat signs we saw along the way.

I wish I had thought to take pictures of all the "warning" signs we saw on this road trip. There were some really graphic ones on Phillip Island persuasively telling us about the dangers of motorcycle riding. But the above signs are a pretty good representation of the government of Victoria looking out for your safety on the roads. Get the message?

The Great Ocean Road- Part 2

The final leg of our Great Ocean Road trip started in Port Campbell, a sleepy little town of about 500 people. It is a good place to stay only in that it is very close to the 12 Apostles. Other than that, it doesn't have much to offer. After our experience in Lorne, the information centre in Port Campbell was a real disappointment, but we did pick up a few maps with lookout spots designated on them. And so we were off- on the road again!


There were so many gorgeous, marked places to stop along the road. The photo above shows the "London Bridge" so named before the first arch fell down into the sea. Below: After a short hike down to a near by beach we spotted heaps of penguin footprints in the sand. A colony of Little Penguins lives in this area!


Another beautiful lookout was "The Gorge". My sweet husband hiked down a ton of stairs to see if it was worth the view, and since it was I hauled my big pregnant self down there where a nice Uni student (from Wisconsin!) snapped this family photo for us.

We drove on to a cute little town called Port Fairy for a delicious lunch and then backtracked a bit to Tower Hill, a state game park reserve. There is an extinct volcano at this site, and the Little Princess really wanted to climb to the summit. However, I wasn't really up for that, so we all enjoyed an easy rainforest bushwalk and spotted some wild emus and even a little wallaby along the way.


From there we headed to our final destination; Warnambool. This small city is located along the "Shipwreck Coast" and featured a recreation of an 1800s fishing village called Flagstaff Hill. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to see the village during the day, but we went back at night for a lantern walk and a cool laser show recreating the shipwreck of the Loch Ard. We all really enjoyed the show and left with a real appreciation for the brave travelers who made the daunting journey to Australia in the late 1800s. We would have liked more time to explore Warnambool, but we were up and out early the next morning for an easy 2 and a half hour drive back to Avalon airport and our flight home to Sydney.

We can't recommend this trip highly enough. We all loved it! It was such a great mix of beautiful scenery, amazing wildlife, interesting new experiences, and fun times together as a family. It's a trip we'll always remember.

The Great Ocean Road- Part 1

The final leg of our Australian holiday was a tour of the Great Ocean Road. It is often described as the most beautiful coastline in Australia, and after seeing it I have no doubt that description is true. It was absolutely amazing!


We took the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff to start our tour. It was the first time we had ever been on a vehicular ferry. It was a lovely experience, and we were glad we chose this route instead of driving back through Melbourne.

Once in Queenscliff we set off on the Great Ocean Road. Our first stop was the famous surf spot, Bells Beach. We happened to show up in time to see part of the Rip Curl Pro surfing competition. What luck!



We also stopped by the Anglesea golf course to see the wild kangaroos. They were all over the course! That night we stayed in Aireys Inlet, a lovely little town with a charming lighthouse and a local "hotel" (this generally means bar in Australia) with good food.

The next day was probably the highlight of the trip. We drove through Apollo Bay and stopped at the information center in Lorne. There, we got great advice about places to stop with the kids. We headed for Teddy's Lookout, a beautiful spot with more picturesque views.


Then on to the Kennett River walk. We drove about 5km down an unpaved road and, sure enough, spotted several wild koalas up in the gum trees. This was quite a thrill! We were able to get so close to these adorable Aussie icons.



At the end of the road we discovered a hidden rainforest. It was amazing- huge ferns, a beautiful rocky creek perfect for throwing stones.



We were also able to squeeze in a little bushwalk at the Maits Rest Rainforest. Notice the big "holes" in the trees. Giant trees fall over in the rainforest and other trees grow around the fallen trunks. Eventually, the fallen tree deteriorates, leaving a large "hole" in the living tree.


Just before sunset we arrived at the Twelve Apostles; an amazing collection of rock formations jutting out of the sea along the coastline. This is probably the most photographed spot along the Great Ocean Road, and I can understand why. It's simply beautiful.


After a very full day we were happy to settle in for the night in Port Campbell. Part 2 of our Great Ocean Road Adventure to come . . . .

The Penguin Parade

After touring Melbourne we headed east to Phillip Island. It is an easy 2 hour drive. Our main goal was to see the Little Penguins- and the tour was one of the highlights of our trip. There is no photography allowed because apparently the penguins get freaked out by the paparazzi. So here are a couple pics I found online that show how cute these little fellas are.




The photo above shows the viewing area where we were seated for the Penguins Plus tour. We were right in the front corner, just a couple feet away from the sand. We could not have had a better view of the Little Penguins as they marched up the sand and stopped to preen themselves right in front of us!

It was pretty late night for the kids, and the Little Buddy entered full meltdown mode which was only calmed by purchasing the very last tub of popcorn at the concession stand. He refused to share even one stale kernel with his poor sister.

On the way out we spotted this sign. You can be sure we all looked under the car twice to be sure it was clear before taking off.

We loved the Penguin Parade experience. Definitely not to be missed- you'll never see anything like it in the Northern Hemisphere!