11-4-16

Gold panning in Australia!

Martin showing Bob the ropes on just how to strike gold.

This has been a hobby of Martin & his boys for years. First you dig & dig for the right kind of clay, dirt & rock that has potential for gold.

Then you break it up, wash it, break it up some more & wash out the insignificant parts. Martin was pretty efficient with the process.

Bob getting the hang of it.

And Eureka...we found some gold! Maybe they were just very small flecks but they were worth keeping & we brought them home in a small vile of water.

Thanks, Martin & Ruth for the gold panning fun! PS: Martin & Daniel went gold panning a few days after this & found a small nugget worth $150. Yay!

Our drive out of the city took us to the Blue Mountains. It's like a mini Grand Canyon filled with really thick trees.

It was a nice stop for picture taking.

And we took a short walk out to the 3 Sisters (the rock formations in this photo).

Then we did some more touring by car with the occasional road side stop. Loved this guy selling juicy oranges & homemade jam.

The countryside changed to lush green hillsides spotted with various kinds of Euclapytus trees.

We spotted a tortoise on the road & Bob saved him by placing him near a pond.

Small town yards were filled with rose gardens. We really couldn't believe the happy roses everywhere.

And roses make me happy! :-)

11-3-16

This morning Bob, Martin, Daniel, Alecia (Daniel's girlfriend) & I took the train to Darling Harbor. We had a day at the Sydney Zoo, Aquarium & Fish Market. Ruth & Adrian had to work but they met us downtown later for supper.

We found Nemo at the Aquarium! :-)

Plus a shark,

some stingray & a whole bunch of other ocean residents.

At the zoo we saw a Tasmanian Devil. In 2012 we toured the island of Tasmania & first saw a Tasmanian Devil at a sanctuary there. Tasmania is the only place in the world where they live.

A cute, cuddly Koala!  We were told Koalas aren't as nice as they appear to be.

But they're still fun to look at & wonder how they can sleep so much in the various positions they choose.

Off to the busy & famous Sydney Fish Market for lunch.

Octopus anyone?

Ever get the feeling someone is staring at you? ;-)

I ate a 1/2 dozen raw oysters for lunch. My favorite!

These Jacaranda trees are in full bloom all over Sydney right now. So pretty! That's the Sydney Tower in the distance. Bob & I ate at the Tower restaurant 2 night's ago.

The restaurant rotated 360 degrees as you enjoyed your food. Here's a quick pic of the view.

Back to today though... After the aquarium we met Ruth & Adrian at the Queen Victoria Building. It's an old building & quite beautiful inside with high-end shops & chocolate. ;-)

The whole family topped off the night eating at a Spanish restaurant & celebrating Martin's birthday (November 4th)! Happy Birthday, Martin! Thank you for a fun day!

11-2-16

Martin & Daniel picked Bob & I up at the train station. Then the 4 of us went to Bondi Beach to see the Sculptures by the Sea.

It's an annual event where local artists display interesting art they've created. We liked the Rhinoceros in the sand. :-)

Why not a giant red flip flop? I did think the little butterflies made out of flip flop sandals were cute.

A tower of paddles.

And this colorful kayak was nice with the sea backdrop.

There were plenty of odd sculptures like this...

A body in a trash bag?

Here's another one. These were a little disturbing to me. :-0

Thumbs up for the huge paper airplane!

And why not a giant ball of sticks.

Or red pom-poms.

It was a lovely night to walk along the beach...

and along the sea cliffs. Many folks in attendance!

Interesting.

Clever sculpture of a kangaroo escaping from the Kangaroo Crossing sign.

A pretty sunset closed out a very good day!

11-1-16

Good morning, Australia!

Bob & I started our day with a walk along the water & across the Harbor Bridge.

This was our view crossing the bridge. It truly was a picture perfect day!

We stopped in a charming cafe to have some crepes & coffee. Yummy!

Then we walked to the N. Sydney Olympic Swimming Pool. We went here in 2012 & loved it.

It's is a beautiful & historical 50 meter pool with the best views.

We were excited & wasted no time (except for taking photos) getting in the water & swimming an hour of laps.

We rewarded ourselves with some R& R in the sunshine!

This afternoon Martin will pick us up from the train station. The next few days we'll be spending time with them & touring a bit outside the city.

10-31-16

We made it to Sydney!! Seeing the Sydney Opera House again instantly brought huge smiles!

And seeing the Harbor Bridge quickly brought back great memories from 2012 when we did the Harbor Bridge Walk across the very top. I think you can see groups doing that walk in this photo (click to enlarge pic).

After strolling around the harbor & having lunch at a water side cafe we headed to the Opera House for "My Fair Lady"!

We were both excited to see this musical but especially at the famous Sydney Opera House. It didn't matter that our seats were nearly the very top row...we could still hear & see great (especially with the binoculars we brought). :-) It was a fantastic performance & we feel fortunate to have gotten tickets. There were only 11 seats left for this day when we booked. All other days were sold out to the popular show directed by Julie Andrews.

The architecture inside the Opera House is beautiful.

And the outside details are spectacular too!

Pretty much an awesome 1st day in Australia. I'm excited for tomorrow!

10-30-16

We're packing our bags to go here...Sydney, Australia!

These 2 pics are from our amazing trip in 2012. Tomorrow we'll fly to Sydney to spend a few days with friends Martin, Ruth, Adrian & Daniel. Then we'll fly to New Zealand for 6 days of adventure on the South Island.

Photos posted when we return! G'day! :-)