Wallers (Back From) "Down Unda"

Monday, March 7, 2011

Back to Nature

Mar 4-6, 2011
This was by far our best weekend out in Australia so far and we have Bill and Carmel to thank for that.

Bill and Carmel are parents of Brian (our exchange partner) and live in a beautifull little town 3 hrs South of Sydney called Greenwell point:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwell_Point,_New_South_Wales
Be sure to check out Jervis Bay, Hyams Beach, Callala Bay and Currarong from the link above; these were all areas we explored.

Our adventure began with a scenic trip by rail from Central Station in Sydney to Bomaderry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomaderry_railway_station

A photo never does the scenery justice

Highlights of the weekend were fishing, all of the beaches and the wildlife - it was great to get out of Sydney and see some of the abundant flora and fauna. We saw several varieties of birds and dozens of Roos playing golf and even a couple of Wallabies. The other highlight was Amber... you'll see in the photos

It was Bill's job to suck the Nipper's (similar to a prawn) out of the ground...

...it was our job to get them in the bucket - if you look closely you can see the pincher at the bottom of the little critters - hence the dynamic photos!

Scott caught the first fish, a small sting ray and then this little whiting:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_whiting

Jack was not to be outdone and caught several fish too, including this

Mom and Dad caught a few too; all were good for their stories, sadly not eating.

The boys got to camp (and wrestle) in the shed

They never have enough running on the beach

Carmel with the Waller's at Jervis Bay

Poster Boy

Crystal clear water and white sand at Jervis Bay...

Eastern Grey Roo's on the golf course with Bill and family
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Grey_Kangaroo

We all got great photos and videos

This is a Wallaby, smaller than the roo's
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallaby

Kookaburra sits in the old Gum Tree - they can be pesky and will snatch your lunch right out of your hand but man is their laugh amusing!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kookaburra

Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are everywhere and have a piercing screech
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulphur-crested_Cockatoo

Beautiful Galah's

The Aussie Pelicans will be anywhere there are fish being cleaned, this was right at Greenwell Point dock
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelican

They look even more stunning in the air

Even a regular Magpie is beautiful here

This was the other highlight, Amber, the 13 year old family dog. She loved to chase her green bone...

... she ceratinly wasn't acting her age this weekend!

The highlight of my weekend was the short snorkeling trip we did... I'll add names of the fish when i can confirm them.

It's hard to see him but there is a fish between the rocks

This large sting ray swam right underneath me and freaked me out so i only got a shot of it swimming away He was about 4 ft. across!

One last shot - Jack's top tooth finally made an appearance about three weks ago.
He went about 5 years with the gap!

Layin' Low

Feb 26, 27, 2011
This weekend we layed low and stayed local. Saturday we visited the Biro's who are family friends on the Waller side from the Ottawa years; it was good to reconnect. Saturday night we hung out with the locals at the pub and had a slow but tasty dinner.

Sunday we went back to Bondi and Wendy had her first visit to the famed beach...

The Boys know where to swim; it says so on their shirts

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Back with more

WOW!
Two postings within a day; I must be feeling guilty.

Here are various shots we took from one of our bounce/sand/freeze(ha ha) proof cameras...

Day three in Sydney, day one at Bondi Beach boogie boarding

They caught onto catching the white water in about an hour and yes, i did convince them to remove their swimming goggles

Jackson's school swim carnival - besides this relay he entered the 50m freestyle and came 5th in his heat - they swim like fish over here!

More fun at the school swim carnival

For those of you who played "Where's Waller" here are some more shots at field hockey skills day, of which they have done two- notice the canucks socks!

Jack is a natural hockey player - go figure.

Scott was on the opposite team..

... and wasn't givin big bro an inch!

Jack and his good buddy Griffin hangin at the Olympic Park - Scott is part way up.
Griffin was born in Whistler and traded slobber and wet nappy stories with Jack until they moved to Sydney in 2003...

...Now, they have reconnected

Boys in Blue

It's hard to believe it's been two weeks since our last update - we (I) will do better.

I do want to start by bringing your attention to the plight of our friends in New Zealand; it was one month ago to the day of this latest earthquake that we were walking the streets that are now in ruins. We were inspired to see the efforts of their rebuilding from the Sept shake but this, this is devastating to watch on TV. Please consider helping in whatever way you can.

On a happier note, live has settled into a more regular routine with the boys and Wendy enjoying school life Aussie style. The boys enjoy our daily visits to the local parks where they continue to make friends. Every Friday a group of parents meet after school and hang out at the local park with the kids and some bevi's; last Friday lasted to after 8pm and saw us meet several of the locals.

The boys also started Field Hockey - here's some fun for you: go to this website:
http://www.glebehockey.org.au/index.aspx?Menu=Home
Now, play a little game of Where's Waller - Jack is on the home page and both boys are under the "junior" tab at the top - they are both wearing their black soccer jerseys. Strange sport though, you can't shoot left!

Wendy got to go on a three day camping trip down toward Canberra with her school, she got up close and persoanl with the local wildlife, especially the leeches!!

Enjoy the photos and remember, if you haven't been here in a bit, check the Archives for previous postings.