At Selby Gardens

It's been a busy holiday season, so yesterday we decided to have some Christmas peace by visiting the Marie Selby Gardens in Sarasota.  We took my 94 year young Mom over and we loved the gorgeous flowers and scenery.  A great way to celebrate the holidays in nature's splendor!  Check out our pictures below...

Merry Christmas!

My Mom, Marie, with the butterflies

 

 

 

Gorgeous orchids



The tranquil fish pond

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Lighting of the Fleet




Lighting of the Fleet December 11 2014

Every year our boat club encourages us come over to their harbor.  There is a count down and at the stroke of 6 PM, everyone turns their lights on.  Check out our snowman tipping his hat to everyone!  Our talented neighbor, Brian Grant, took this photo for us at sunset.  It was a fun evening for everyone!

A Surprise Wedding!

Michele and Bryan on their Wedding Day, 11/22/14

Our daughter phoned us on November 23rd and asked us to Skype with her.  When we finally were electronically connected, she held up a marriage license!  Wow, were we surprised and delighted that she and her "significant other", now husband decided to marry on the beach near their home in Kona, Hawaii. 

We love her man, Bryan Wheeler, and are so glad to have him as our son-in-law!  We wish them a long happy life together and may they grow every day in their love of each other.

Check out their photo!



Two Wednesdays

Kangaroo reindeer display in shop window

Sydney - Wednesday Nov 5   This morning we slept in and checked out of the hotel at 11 AM to
walk around the busy streets of beautiful Sydney. At our first stop, the Queen Victoria Building (QVC),  Christmas was in already in progress with a multistory crystal lighted Christmas Tree on display.  Just gorgeous!  After lunch in the food court, we hiked to Darling Harbor and then through the Botanical Gardens. They were in full bloom since it is spring here with fragrant roses and bright blue Jacaranda trees.  We made it back to the hotel to meet the airport shuttle before the rain came.

At Waikiki Yacht Club

Honolulu - Wednesday Nov 5 - We caught the City Bus for a dollar for an interesting ride into Honolulu from the airport for lunch at the Waikiki Yacht Club while waiting for our night flight to DFW.


Home Sweet Home at 2 PM on Thursday!

Check out  Photos from Sydney

The Red Center

Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the early morning light

4:05 AM...the alarm went off in our Ayers Rock Pioneer Lodge room.  We had to move fast to make it to the hotel lobby to catch our tour bus that whisked us in the dark starlit remnant of the night to catch the first sunrays lighting Ulhttp://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru/uru, the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock. The pictures do not do it justice.  Everyone's cameras were snapping anyway.

This was our second glimpse of the Big Rock because yesterday we watched the sun go down as we sipped our wine and toasted that we made it to the Outback and checked it off our Bucket List.  How do you describe the Outback?  The scope of the land is amazing - just millions of acres of semi-arid desert with rich red clay sand with scrubby grasses and stubby trees.  It reminded us both of our trip to West Texas with our friends, Betty and Richard.  However, it has its own feeling of vastness.  The Aborigines look very different from any people we've ever seen.  Their art work is amazing.  They paint as if looking down from the sky with little dots and symbols. 

We also were taken to the rock where we walked along it and looked at the crevices where we viewed the ancient cave art, saw the hidden water holes and heard some of the Aboriginal stories. 

We went on a strenuous hike into Walpa Gorge in  Kata Tjuta  and visited other points of interest.  The MacDonnell Range was impressive as well as some of the other rock formations.  The rivers in this part of the world are hidden underneath the soil.  Often it does not rain for many years - the last appreciable rain fall was in 1989!

It's not easy to get to Uluru - it takes 6 hours by bus from Alice Springs (one way) but the ride is very interesting.  We stopped at a Camel ranch and other unique places.  We flew out of Alice Springs (a 3-hour flight to Sydney).  Tonight we are in a nice hotel and visited a Greek Restaurant that we had enjoyed 3 years ago when we were here last.  It was great!

We both talked about the highlights of this trip.  They were

• Going with Friendship Force and getting to know our hosts and hearing about their families, concerns, country, etc.  Maggie, Linda and Colin were wonderful!
• The gleaming modern city of Perth
• The gorgeous coastline of Albany and seeing the preparations for their Anzac 100 year anniversary of the troops departing their shores to fight in WWI - their patriotism is amazing
• Visiting and ringing the bells in Perth's iconic bell tower
• The Walpole boat tour with Gazza (Gary Muir) - just a hilarious time was had by all
• The Perth FF's puppet show rendition of the song Waltzing Matilda.  So original!
• Getting gonged!
• The fun time we had with the Fort Worth Dallas Friendship Force club - thanks to Randy and Jo, just super ED's (exchange directors)

We are sorry to leave Australia, but we do miss Mom, our kitty cat, and our wonderful friends in Punta Gorda.  We hope those reading this will visit Australia.  It's a great country!

Photos



Red sand of the outback



Richard on Walpa Gorge Hike

 

A Town Like Alice.... Springs that is!

Across the Street from the Alice Motor Motel

After a nice 2-1/2 hour flight we landed in the official Australian Outback in the heart of the northern territory, Alice Springs.  Alice Springs is located close to the Tropic of Capricorn and as such, has hot weather and occasionally, floods.  Fortunately, the weather is great today - not too hot with a cloud cover.  We're staying at a modest place, the Alice Motor Inn.  We are a 10-minute walk to the heart of town and hit the coffee shop first thing and the little stores after that.  There are gorgeous aboriginal art shops throughout town and we all enjoyed browsing. 



Alice Springs from ANZAC Hill

This afternoon we went on a tour of Alice.  I really enjoyed hearing about the Royal Flying Doctors Service that was established in the 1930s and continues today.  The government provides planes to fly out patients at a moment's notice to hospitals free of charge.  They even provide well visits and inoculations to rural populations.  The Alice Springs School of the Air, was also of interest, being the first of its kind in the world.  Children who live in remote areas (presently 106 students) are educated beginning at Age 4-1/2 years via the internet (originally radio).   It is the largest classroom in the world covering 521,000 square miles or double the size of Texas.  This is a government provided education at a cost of $100 annually per child.  The school is in the top 10% of the educational system of the northern territory.  We also checked out the first telegraph station and visited a reptile center (some interesting creatures)!  Early to bed tonight for a 5 hour bus trip to the Big Rock.

Some Photos

Alice Springs

Flying Doctor Service

Alice Springs Things to Do

Saying Goodbye to Perth

At Kings Park by the Ancient Boab Tree

The West Australian Aboriginals decided to replant an ancient Boab tree in King's Park to save it from destruction due to a road widening project.  The tree is reputed to be 750 years old and was driven almost 2,000 miles.  This was just one of the memorable things we saw on our last day touring Perth. 

Kings Park is a beautiful place in the heart of the city.  Over 1,000 acres was set aside by the forward thinking inhabitants of the city back in 1800s.  It has spectacular views of the city skyline and the Swan River.  It has fantastic plants and fauna that are not found in any other parts of the world.

It was a gorgeous day, perfect for the park.  Check out our  Pictures.

Our hosts also drove us to Cottesloe, reputed to be one of Prince Charles' favorite beach destinations.  We could see why.  The beach was pristine with white sand and we really enjoyed having coffee at Indiana Teahouse.    As we headed home, I thought about the great time we'd had. 

Our hosts, Linda and Colin, immigrated to Australia from Lancastershire, England in 1982.  They arrived with 3 little girls and their goal was a better life for all of them.  They had to stay in immigrant housing for quite a while before they could move on with their life.  Now almost 32 years later, they are recently retired after running a successful business and Linda helping him and also being a nurse early in her career.  They have 3 grown daughters and 5 fabulous grandchildren. We could not have stayed with nicer people.  As we gave them a group hug in the airport, I had a lump in my throat because we will miss them.  We hope that they will stop by Florida for a visit the next time they are in the U.S. 

The Perth Friendship Force is a fantastic group of people - so warm and friendly.  We had a great time at the Farewell Dinner and laughed at their puppet show skit of the song Waltzing Matilda.  We joined the Texans in teaching them the dance, the Cotton-eyed Joe.  Such a good time and wonderful memories!  On to Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayers Rock), the Outback tomorrow!

Cottesloe Beach's Indiana Tea House

Puppet Show for Waltzing Matilda



Our fabulous hosts, Colin and Linda, with Joanne

Wombats and Sea Creatures




.  C

Wombats are protected marsupials that live in the bush.  Check out this little guy that we got to


Up Close and Personal with a Wombat

Meet the Mayor and Mint

Kangaroo Statues outside the government buildings

Up and at 'em for an early commuter train to the city.  Perth has modern trains that whisk you to the city center.  It was fun being part of the commuter rush to work.  Our Friendship Force Club had an early morning reception with 54-year old Lisa Scaffidi, the first female Lord Mayor of Perth.  She addressed our group and welcomed us focusing upon the city's ties to Texas, especially Houston with its oil and gas industry.  She then treated us to an elaborate tea taking time out of her busy day to visit with us.

There is a Friendship Force Wall complete with plaques of all the clubs that visited Perth throughout the years.  We were invited to a tree planting in our honor and to view our latest addition.  See below.

Tree Planting in honor of Friendship Force Visit to Perth

The group poses at the Friendship Force wall

Later we toured the downtown area and made our way to the Mint.  In 1899 it was established as a branch of the British Royal Mint,  Today it is the only operating mint from the early gold rush days. We watched a "Gold Pour" during which 200 oz of pure gold is heated to molten temperatures and transformed into a solid gold bar.  We saw the largest gold coin in history with a large kangaroo on it worth more than $50 million.  Later that evening we were treated to dinner at the home of a member who lives in one of the skyscrapers downtown.

Talking to the Mayor

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Photos

Mayor

City of Perth

St Mary's Cathedral

BBQ in the Bush



Bush Retreat where we had the Aussie BBQ

Les Farkas, our Friendship Force ED (Exchange Director) built a little place in the bush to escape city life. To get there, we drove for about an hour to Toodyay, through rolling hills until we spotted a balloon bouquet signaling we were there. Pork and chicken kabobs were prepared for at least 40 of us and stories were told.  Some facts...Rain water must be collected and at night, and hundreds of stars are seen twinkling in the sky.  Perth has the highest number, per capita, of self-made millionaires of any city in the world.  It's population is just over 2 million.  Astronaut John Glenn called Perth "the City of light" because it was so visible from the sky.  Perth has the largest inner city park in the world - bigger than Central Park.  It also houses the oldest operating mint in Australia.

We also toured the beautiful Swan Valley, home of many world class wineries and even better, Chocolate, Nougat, Nut Factories with FREE samples. After a busy day, our hosts prepared lemon lime with bitters, an Australian favorite drink, while we soaked in their spa. See pictures below.

At the Chocolate Factory
 



Lemon Lime with Bitters Cocktails in the Spa

Pictures

Bell Tower and Fremantle

Everlasting Love!  As we strolled into Perth's iconic bell tower, we saw thousands of lockets attached to chains circling the monument.  These lockets are inscribed with names that symbolize a love that will last forever.  Of course, we had to have a locket attached!  A tour guide took us up to the Bell Tower for instruction on bell ringing.  Each of us had "a go at it."  The tower includes 14th century bells that were a from St.-Martin-In-the-Fields (the only royal bells to have left England) and were a gift to the people of Australia for their bicentennial in 1988.

We hopped a ferry which deposited us in Fremantle, the port city that hosted the Americas Cup in 1987. At 1;00 PM the Timing Cannon shot off over the harbor.  After a fabulous lunch in Ciccerello's, we toured the Shipwreck Museum.

That evening the Perth Friendship Force treated us to a wonderful Welcome Dinner with homemade lasagnas and salads prepared by their members.  A fabulous time was had by all.

Iconic bell tower

Richard, the bell ringer
 

With Friendship Force President, Ian Cook

Colin, Joanne and Linda in Fremantle

Everlasting love locket

 

 

Making our way to Perth and meeting their Friendship Force Club

We boarded a bus for an all day journey north through the Australian countryside passing picturesque towns until we reached Gloucester tree, a great morning tea stop.  It is a giant kerri tree  about 230 ft tall that has steel rods steps that you can climb and was used as a fire lookout point. Richard made it up about 1/2 way - not bad for someone who doesn't like heights.  Check out me holding a parrot in the woods. 

We made our way to Busselton which has the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere.  Here was our first glimpse of the blue Indian Ocean and we couldn't resist putting our feet in the water.  We also had a yummy fish and chips lunch.  Back in the bus for a few more hours until Perth came into view, an ultra-modern city of gleaming skyscrapers.  The Friendship Force met us at a beautiful park, where we had wonderful appetizers, wine and beer.  A truly warm welcome!

Perth Friendship Force


Testing the Indian Ocean Waters at Busselton

The gorgeous skyscrapers of  Perth

Australian Ringnet Parrot looking for a snack



 

Richard climbs Goucester Tree

Farewell to Albany

The week has gone by quickly and tonight is the Farewell Dinner at the Lawn Bowling Club, a nice place where all the Friendship Force members have prepared a feast for us.  The menu is roast leg of lamb and chicken, roasted veggies of all kinds and their country's specialty dessert, Pavlova.  A great singing duo entertained us.  The highlight of the evening was Randy and his wife doing the Texas dance, "The Cotton Eyed Joe," with the yelling of B... Shit!    We were each presented a photo book of our week's adventures.  We set off on the bus to Perth tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m.    

100 Year Remembrance - ANZAC

Albany played an historic role in the history of Australia.  It was a new colony 100 years ago when World War I broke out in Europe - so very far from their shores.  They were asked to help in the war effort in Europe and thousands of Australian men volunteered to go.  Troops also arrived from New Zealand thus the name ANZAC (Australia New Zealand).  They sailed in huge ships with horses from Albany until they arrived on the beaches of Gallipoli, Turkey where many lost their lives.

The Anzac Centenary is a milestone of special significance to Australians. Thus, the town of Albany is busily preparing for an influx of people on November 1st.  Everyone will be here including the prime minister and other important officials and boats will leave the harbor once again to commemorate their countrymen's sacrifices.   They do not forget.

Amity History Tour and City Council Reception

Richard aboard the Amity

Off we went to the heart of Albany for a morning tea and History Tour given by Malcolm, the friendly town historian.  We visited the  brig ship, Amity, the first replica ship that dropped off the original settlers from eastern Australia in 1826.  Some of the settlers were convicts and we learned from our host Australians that having convict heritage in your family tree is now something to brag about!  These so called convicts were often young boys who were arrested for stealing a coat or food in England during dire circumstances.  After 3 times caught "breaking the law", they were shipped all way to Australia.  Many were as young as 15 or 16 years of age.

Good eats at the Squid Shop



Joanne visiting the brig Amity

Our hosts took us to the funky Squid Shack were we had traditional Australian fish & chips and fried squid - all very good!  The Mayor of the town invited us to City Centre for an afternoon reception.  There were short speeches of welcome,  Our Fort Worth Exchange Director, Randy, presented them with a letter from the Mayor of Fort Worth and other gifts.  It was very nice!  The day ended with us treating Maggie to a dinner at Rustlers, a delicious steak restaurant.  Tomorrow is our last day of activities and we will be sorry to leave but Perth awaits!

Whales and Picnic at Frenchman Bay

Whaling Ship Cheynes IV

Albany is on a whale route of western Australia; therefore, whaling became one of its first industries and that continued until 1978.  Whale oil was used in many products and this business helped establish the colony.  We visited Whale World where we learned about the practices of flensing (harvesting the whale oil).  There was an interesting old whale ship the Cheynes IV, to tour and good 3D movies on whales and sharks. There are not many old whaling stations left in the world and this one is preserved to teach about past practices, and the men who worked on whale chasers who endured the harsh life.  After whaling stopped, Albany became an important port for exportation of wood chips and grains.  There are 3 magnificent harbors with blue water and picturesque white sand beaches.



Frenchman's Bay Southern Ocean






 

After our exploration of Whale World, we picnicked on Frenchman's Bay.  The club brought "heaps" of sandwiches, fresh fruit and desserts.  We stuck our feet into the Great Southern Ocean which goes into the Indian Ocean.  We then "popped over" to Gap and Natural Bridge, gorgeous rock formations that we climbed and walked along ocean pathways through a wind farm.   The president of the club, Steve Metcalf, took us around (it's called "dayhosting" in Friendship Force terms).  Steve is the club's first president since the club is only 3 years old.  He's done a great job establishing it here - and their club works with the Perth Club so that people who come here (such a long way) have 2 different locations to visit. 


Photos
Whale World
Torndirrup  National Park
Frenchman Bay
Stony Hill






Two Friendship Presidents -Joanne with Steve Metcalf, Albany Australia

Natural Cap along Great Southern Ocean

Bush Tucker Down Under

Friendship Force Group at Boston Brewery



Bush Tucker Platter with Tasty Morsels
 

Smoked Kangaroo filet, Roo Burger, Crocodile Bites, Lemon Myrtle with Anise Scones - these were some of the Bush Tucker (Food) Taste a Platter items we tried at the Bush Food Factory.  We liked most everything, but the enthusiastic nod went to the Smoked Kangaroo - a bit like good ole Texas BBQ!

After the tastings we toured the farm and greenhouses looking at the unusual plants.  Claudia is a Swiss national who came to the area for a better future.  She and her husband are researching the best Bush plants for commercial use.  Afterwards, we went to the Boston Brewery for beer and an adjacent wine tasting room.  We toured the little village of Denmark, where our host, Maggie, was born.  That evening we attended a birthday celebration for one of the Albany Friendship Force members, Keith.  His wife made us a wonderful dinner and a great time was had by all!


Richard and Joanne with Kelpie Sheep Dog
 






Aussie frog

Walpole Wilderness Tour and Treetop Walk thru Valley of the Giants

The amazing Gary "Gazza" Muir

 "For those who wear shoes, the world is made of socks!"   What ??  This is one of the little gems uttered by Australian Horseman, Coffin Bob, the grandfather of our intrepid Wilderness Tour Guide, Gazza (Gary) Muir.  Our group dutifully scrapped and washed our shoes with disinfectant rinses as we boarded our vessel for a fun-filled cruise in the Walpole Wilderness Area.  The shoe washing helps contain a disease that is rampant in the area called "Die Back" which can destroy the unusual plants and fauna of the area. 

First order of business was a memorable vessel safety talk with demonstrations of how to use the life preserver.  Our group immediately knew this was no ordinary boat captain -  Gazza Muir was a master of entertainment, comedian, history buff and anatomy authority all rolled into one!  His swift delivery of information kept us all in stitches as he piloted the boat past islands inhabited black poisonous snakes and rare birds.  His family has lived in Walpole, "the belly button of the world" for generations.

We learned amazing tidbits and stories with twists and turns.  Letters were discovered in a boatshed that described a local's connection to Tolstoy?  Suddenly, we were treated to a lesson in marsupial physiology with a demonstration using buckets and snorkels!  We saw the Moses Line where the ocean meets the river.  We learned about a plant in the area that produced peas that were so poisonous they are used in a chemical called 1080.  

Everyone in Friendship Force agreed - this was one of the most entertaining fun experiences we have had the pleasure to experience! 

Onward to the Treetop Walk in the Valley of the Giants!  We climbed up high in the treetops of the giant tingle trees suspended by steel cables.  Awesome views.  Fun experience!


In the giant Tingle Tree



Maggie Scott, our host, with Joanne on Tree Top Walk