tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34065038723801655492024-03-05T08:43:06.704-08:00Lil'one Down UnderUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-47249306514317160832009-12-01T19:27:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:55:45.610-08:00Let the floorboards begin!<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>There are many aspects of home renovation that are very time consuming, and for Rob and I it seems to be the planning and decision-making process that really eats up the time. Maybe it would be easier if we weren't both indecisive Libras who need to endlessly weigh the pros and cons of every little possibility and impossibility, but then again, maybe not. I'm not sure that making a multitude of choices about very costly, (semi)permanent things is all that easy for anyone.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>One thing that we were very sure about from the get-go was the need to rip out all of the dirty, smelly old carpets and install hardwood floors. Both Rob and I suffer from allergies and those carpets were harboring a host of nasties that set us of. We considered a number of different options for floor coverings and finally settled on recycled jarrah floorboards. Jarrah is a native Australian hardwood that has been used extensively in building in this region for ages. It's highly resistant to termite infestation and has a range of beautiful colors from rosewood to strawberry blond. Neither one of us wanted to support the harvesting of new trees just to have pretty floors, so it was nice to discover that there is a small but prosperous industry committed to collecting and refurbishing old floorboards that get ripped out of demolished houses. So, no new trees were harmed in the beautification of our home and the boards didn't have to travel long distances to get to us - it's a win-win situation</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The process started with the tried and true - measure twice, cut once…</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TeP054Yid-FW-SSioQPbJoNytY_M6BA_YDbs3JQN5Dv-M4q_sDZazkYKoiDaA0TJ6705fE9lkUsYLe9K-Gjb8EtKSSpYIsSHmxiRbEXOijZKQeleXRBjLfFeHdJGePkRoP-qq_KkXZk/s1600-h/IMG_1680.JPG"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0TeP054Yid-FW-SSioQPbJoNytY_M6BA_YDbs3JQN5Dv-M4q_sDZazkYKoiDaA0TJ6705fE9lkUsYLe9K-Gjb8EtKSSpYIsSHmxiRbEXOijZKQeleXRBjLfFeHdJGePkRoP-qq_KkXZk/s320/IMG_1680.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410476275206843426" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eRMe-k3c3CztpGV2BE3v5t20hVLgtuX0FavAsNQ-N4vpEEti76LGApLdazYmEIzB5tqv6MeeKE_cSbLrtV5WT3l9DXpwLwQNOdOSkuGpFwkV8YYDVq7f7h7cYAX8Vx5efKTOoCefZFo/s1600-h/IMG_1681.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eRMe-k3c3CztpGV2BE3v5t20hVLgtuX0FavAsNQ-N4vpEEti76LGApLdazYmEIzB5tqv6MeeKE_cSbLrtV5WT3l9DXpwLwQNOdOSkuGpFwkV8YYDVq7f7h7cYAX8Vx5efKTOoCefZFo/s320/IMG_1681.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410476271164025682" /></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eRMe-k3c3CztpGV2BE3v5t20hVLgtuX0FavAsNQ-N4vpEEti76LGApLdazYmEIzB5tqv6MeeKE_cSbLrtV5WT3l9DXpwLwQNOdOSkuGpFwkV8YYDVq7f7h7cYAX8Vx5efKTOoCefZFo/s1600-h/IMG_1681.JPG"></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Above: Rob's makeshift work bench and a pile of boards directly from the recyclers.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Below: Boards are prepared and laid out in the master bedroom.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb1d7eeSGd1NK6dCToAQ6zC_AgBD3lpISmHKAPlnTjQhl5q-xbHEihT8xbPuPRXii8bsXiAxck2J_rrEoiQaevFT-wbl9zrGffrOYFWKzZc_wk27oyzJFGO2n0mrO73Bca0bp_1GrxAA/s1600-h/IMG_1682.JPG"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfb1d7eeSGd1NK6dCToAQ6zC_AgBD3lpISmHKAPlnTjQhl5q-xbHEihT8xbPuPRXii8bsXiAxck2J_rrEoiQaevFT-wbl9zrGffrOYFWKzZc_wk27oyzJFGO2n0mrO73Bca0bp_1GrxAA/s320/IMG_1682.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410476261303083666" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivikJ-nB_TGxWFquzvtIu5Ewbb1R6SxUsnIO7RZIfAAvFg2VD0EHKg9DoHFV3DfMFiJ_w_-A0_ndeHMsQ2qdf_cT_caMMqIdUihBrS17vd95tDfHHuawx6T1lisPWcECfnvYQIIa0tA_4/s1600-h/IMG_1683.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivikJ-nB_TGxWFquzvtIu5Ewbb1R6SxUsnIO7RZIfAAvFg2VD0EHKg9DoHFV3DfMFiJ_w_-A0_ndeHMsQ2qdf_cT_caMMqIdUihBrS17vd95tDfHHuawx6T1lisPWcECfnvYQIIa0tA_4/s320/IMG_1683.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410476258018070978" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivikJ-nB_TGxWFquzvtIu5Ewbb1R6SxUsnIO7RZIfAAvFg2VD0EHKg9DoHFV3DfMFiJ_w_-A0_ndeHMsQ2qdf_cT_caMMqIdUihBrS17vd95tDfHHuawx6T1lisPWcECfnvYQIIa0tA_4/s1600-h/IMG_1683.JPG"></a>Below: All the boards have been cut to size and laid out in anticipation of installation in both the master bedroom and office.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIYKCntEN35sDQ7xDnt23Byc8DbrlkntZh3_Se4SSF8TpMYDUTZ1KNV4dq42rv6R3hgghuWME1QZSM3KVaKt_NMx-4k7nK4PtOsNs-bNNIUK5E-pbLHq3lWU4Wuv6KclPJl9Lj_WFGbg/s1600-h/IMG_1684.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIYKCntEN35sDQ7xDnt23Byc8DbrlkntZh3_Se4SSF8TpMYDUTZ1KNV4dq42rv6R3hgghuWME1QZSM3KVaKt_NMx-4k7nK4PtOsNs-bNNIUK5E-pbLHq3lWU4Wuv6KclPJl9Lj_WFGbg/s320/IMG_1684.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410476249944675890" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIYKCntEN35sDQ7xDnt23Byc8DbrlkntZh3_Se4SSF8TpMYDUTZ1KNV4dq42rv6R3hgghuWME1QZSM3KVaKt_NMx-4k7nK4PtOsNs-bNNIUK5E-pbLHq3lWU4Wuv6KclPJl9Lj_WFGbg/s1600-h/IMG_1684.JPG"></a><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Rob spent an entire day carefully cutting all of the boards and arranging them to highlight their natural color variations. It was no mean feat to get it all sorted! The next day our friend Brad came to help with the actual installation process. The two boys spent nearly 13 hours completing the two rooms! It probably would have gone a lot faster if Brad didn't lie down on the job so often…</div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMYTNXwv2rSftgSVUNrXW6D1VcNBESJ7egeBHbyyNnbK-Qrqcac3_1meFKnHj2nDPhEU4nj-7mCSDhKnH_N5_TJN2WduKPo_d5TV-O_z5UX3vFNrx_74fB01B84-rSAx3kYh4JHQGVy8/s1600-h/IMG_1685.JPG"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMYTNXwv2rSftgSVUNrXW6D1VcNBESJ7egeBHbyyNnbK-Qrqcac3_1meFKnHj2nDPhEU4nj-7mCSDhKnH_N5_TJN2WduKPo_d5TV-O_z5UX3vFNrx_74fB01B84-rSAx3kYh4JHQGVy8/s320/IMG_1685.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410475878429679394" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfeXsBUywzAj0eCD0B6tdwafpLec_HB9sP6OAfg7Of4PkZt0REPyNDL5ukKOBjg3XN3rV810Aq4WBv5TNd7KFeXQnMSnPFytg357WdabWCzt25TDIV1Vh23xAUQHeLKt3f2OAtEf2Vn4/s1600-h/IMG_1686.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfeXsBUywzAj0eCD0B6tdwafpLec_HB9sP6OAfg7Of4PkZt0REPyNDL5ukKOBjg3XN3rV810Aq4WBv5TNd7KFeXQnMSnPFytg357WdabWCzt25TDIV1Vh23xAUQHeLKt3f2OAtEf2Vn4/s320/IMG_1686.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410475872438385650" /></a><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2mdFkJ6C-gJXWk1UvSpbDpqGMEe-jlL4oRq5NrOJxvUIW5bpixsC0rjzJoX6oKpHcNuXTQFeeRfJ7y6E5LePZYonNQA6VrdmNO63WMH_hhiQDegPfrH-sZ95tAiaPCQFmCI5GOJSIfR0/s320/IMG_1687.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410475867652124018" /> </div></div><div>Above: Loads of heavy stuff stacked on the boards to hold them in place whilst the glue dries.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;">Below: The kitties enjoy a sunbeam on the nice new floors…</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnatVb9GoBSu049fSmA7pCLVaFCOk_fCAlOp7ldZHQCiY-1XlHQoAqADRQNnMJJe1t0mRbxFP1lkg98EIoS9TFYZUpj_NMNLJToSvdDMg-cEbDwZR3DU28LL18Zu3iD43tCyQFmg_DGoo/s1600-h/IMG_1689.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnatVb9GoBSu049fSmA7pCLVaFCOk_fCAlOp7ldZHQCiY-1XlHQoAqADRQNnMJJe1t0mRbxFP1lkg98EIoS9TFYZUpj_NMNLJToSvdDMg-cEbDwZR3DU28LL18Zu3iD43tCyQFmg_DGoo/s320/IMG_1689.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410475856240323090" /></a></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-62102937662550193362009-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:002009-11-30T06:10:42.373-08:00Life's a BeachI haven't had much time away from the house and renovations, but I did head down to Cottesloe one fine weekend to play catch-up with Megan and Simba. Whilst down there we discovered this awesome sun dial down by the beach.<div><br /></div><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjvPS2k92xwv3iXQKeIzhCAHt_ynnQp-BcF5zZ5aBGxZBSQMLSMVdfG__de-Q00-wvZSVLdmAZJNP814rhDN05E9e-772uRHSFN0jDbXTZMEQfaxiEBqo8kUpZDSstXITWlrwfRs5KNbs/s320/IMG_1670.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409897284894318306" /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's designed so that you can read the time at a specific date and get the exact time to the minute. It's interesting because you can't see it from the road or the beach, you have to walk down a little path behind a building to find it, but very cool when you do!</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-7008683063462009092009-11-30T05:48:00.000-08:002009-12-01T19:25:55.202-08:00Progress on the House<div>Oooh, pretty blue walls to replace the weird dark bluish green one. Our colors were all so edible - Artesian Well, Blueberry, Custard Cream…</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9Edzf1ncS2mtPXj6tw_rwycoU4husrLdJflWZUeft0LO06nraUfl14cQsvppvy2e0CBvVhmvSiGIrrnPdBqQTauyQ6aI4km7BEUvQjt2ZlG0VKjm1O_BIxjJrHsTPnVEyPqU1yx72L0/s1600/IMG_1677.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9Edzf1ncS2mtPXj6tw_rwycoU4husrLdJflWZUeft0LO06nraUfl14cQsvppvy2e0CBvVhmvSiGIrrnPdBqQTauyQ6aI4km7BEUvQjt2ZlG0VKjm1O_BIxjJrHsTPnVEyPqU1yx72L0/s320/IMG_1677.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409893798418022562" /></a> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdI2g2pDzByK5OtvR5YhwKX5N_1u9Vrlauv3nx6ND3TzVIJDSWqZY_BqeajR7EEFm0tjFt58A1HuEl5-VuvxGSb9bwcQNRmGy58D46DOcL4VnxTq2Pf6ZuhTXjrzbhdfm5VU3JJx9Gd34/s320/IMG_1678.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409893791033960866" /><br />And a lovely 'Indulgence' lemonyness for the new office… <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3WxM-fU7WFtQu1Q6OJFMHFtvJ6Z37-3GXNtYNE-W3_BaZkfFrAunP3cqYAXkzyubWNC-Gn84WeS7nOgTY9qWl3FgcfHKywSl2nHF5xVwT1FXCBFzJZzW1KK-SEe7HCtFLFS9hxoGMTo/s1600/IMG_1679.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3WxM-fU7WFtQu1Q6OJFMHFtvJ6Z37-3GXNtYNE-W3_BaZkfFrAunP3cqYAXkzyubWNC-Gn84WeS7nOgTY9qWl3FgcfHKywSl2nHF5xVwT1FXCBFzJZzW1KK-SEe7HCtFLFS9hxoGMTo/s320/IMG_1679.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409893782616987682" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-66477525578934071312009-11-30T05:36:00.001-08:002009-11-30T05:46:52.848-08:00Renovations Part II<div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5hgz0w1gql7oFGDhvr3zZHGKmWnvGKF8Q8H-ZVh5RsMQIqFA78oNC-xc9L5PJPm-wpCCzwsJY0QpCZVpcRp6zsvk1r4VYeqjByQLWI58VdNpHDWm2MzB7Ze2n41XBpXRdEkoFppx72s/s320/IMG_1668.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409891017453701506" /> Rob discovered that both the window sills and the baseboards were solid jarrah timber - Bonus! We decided to go with the bare wood look. Stripping back a few decades of paint = a WHOLE LOT of sanding and equal amounts of dust. But the end results were beautiful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Along with the sanding came the painting. And with the painting comes the funny painting suits…<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiToOplE09VnnLgySBoG5iFhHktVzytqo-UB0Uj0oP0QYhLsF9_4rQFHp03Pv2MFlL01aHt5ajEYMDgYQPdYnyGvIOLFvDdzj2D8ugGT7trTelPCJ9hiXF0w-xFrE6dj3oH68DGrsVB4/s1600/IMG_1674.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiToOplE09VnnLgySBoG5iFhHktVzytqo-UB0Uj0oP0QYhLsF9_4rQFHp03Pv2MFlL01aHt5ajEYMDgYQPdYnyGvIOLFvDdzj2D8ugGT7trTelPCJ9hiXF0w-xFrE6dj3oH68DGrsVB4/s320/IMG_1674.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409891009773044754" /></a> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidufzNk3TgY4w85ATilsauCAGYBzDgwGp-F_rNdwTTCuUOoen5uM85Ag-RATOSKQOYG9Uyc2t3morGj33rsXMPlbc9YJHHkJcQDKj9uEjbMnDzlHGJpTRnu2_BZonPNmDg2qr7sO_NNSE/s320/IMG_1676.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409891005479438002" /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRiToOplE09VnnLgySBoG5iFhHktVzytqo-UB0Uj0oP0QYhLsF9_4rQFHp03Pv2MFlL01aHt5ajEYMDgYQPdYnyGvIOLFvDdzj2D8ugGT7trTelPCJ9hiXF0w-xFrE6dj3oH68DGrsVB4/s1600/IMG_1674.JPG"></a><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcasattEgmxgDm74ru1Y1SrBIMOyFQkIZVM_-z-9kTcirYlhPQxYfAf3fA7GQHG2iUriS3t0G4hrgTRj87yzpt1eS-Kwrl94fP7IluL9nrJgxf6eX-wCqEoYhqSuRtED6KS83LqAeUwA/s1600/IMG_1672.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGcasattEgmxgDm74ru1Y1SrBIMOyFQkIZVM_-z-9kTcirYlhPQxYfAf3fA7GQHG2iUriS3t0G4hrgTRj87yzpt1eS-Kwrl94fP7IluL9nrJgxf6eX-wCqEoYhqSuRtED6KS83LqAeUwA/s320/IMG_1672.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409890996845186114" /></a><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-5277366422909822342009-11-30T05:18:00.000-08:002009-11-30T05:35:10.337-08:00Renovations BeginIn the beginning there was a lot of dust… <div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuWxmTaMhcujpj35i7YVZAxcRJZFzBqKiyDcQ3g0iGU8riYUtXBLoO_wwHQt8VtY2zyWwUVqaA0BSU_4g_DTZfwjhMhyAeheFj32hRVVYub17OxXSNz0O7IieRPzxop-WDua9AiQ66cc/s320/IMG_1660.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409887060327093074" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez-f8cKGmYxl2xNlUzhHlc2R0rfVnQe7wB98dnoto_WyTTrXiFweJ8D1qCmbQInjEaJlfc_lGGDAkstdQFyckQ2X7cp79Mv52tF3IYFkCkE5mIMk42w3BOlOucCjlD3czLVYnSwpT5Pw/s320/IMG_1659.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409887051307368082" /> </div><div>This cotton candy pink room had to go! Out with the nasty carpet, steamed off the wallpaper strips, stripped the baseboards and window sill, etc., etc.…</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4z3_pTIIth7FO6WkJUv0MPAuF_ImUqPtk9JjTMtbHAzJeBIcf4I8eyL950Dt2ez9eiW7_VDUaQ_CtbT_LfQe3qEsQMIGfNh2bBcrMArSaZnSM9-Uhyi85AA54NPR7iUv5e1v3y3dihw/s320/IMG_1663.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409887077828242034" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZm7gQRlbMl3k2sPzWafM3DKGAxve2RYZAR0XxcEEs4NjBKXYLFMH1RtbLcBatYa2THnQrwQpIo1NW85nc1D6AzXI08vyq76iuFTJgY2htoCke69njMhE5AZDuNi-w2PzjeNmnDXTkYDs/s320/IMG_1662.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409887065750290498" /></div><div>Master bedroom needed a lot of help too! Rob and his cousin Justin pulled out the built-in wardrobe, pulled out the carpet, and stripped everything down. The guys did an awesome job!</div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-62847469775263936742009-11-06T06:58:00.001-08:002009-11-06T07:28:04.387-08:00In The Beginning, Part II… The GardenUpon first glance, the yard looked like a little slice of heaven - fruit trees, chicken coop, pagoda, pool, raised garden beds, a great covered patio and lots of space. What we didn't realize is that what we thought was clover was actually a very nasty weed known as 'bindi' that turns into horrible, brown ground cover full of hard spiky balls, and what we thought was grass was predominantly weeds… We also discovered that 2 out of the 3 potted ficus trees around the pool were dying and/or infested with ants, that the chicken coop had been defunct for years and weeds had grown up thick and waist high, that every tree and vine desperately needed pruning.<br /><br /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhl9GWD4JQSgaFOW_RCMlZSCd3vmjD1G4_tAI4ak5yBQs4E-jfQgJz3STQ5854XLokjHNfiv9_SAe5e46A4qjHLUzkuvdP36RTF77TivsP-f_a2S1wTkY7yU-nnbhxhzVE7NchJXM1J4/s320/IMG_1574.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401006122159179618" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPJo6ILmTUxQxCI3LpxlV4bcFa9DNTVjPRpX-DtVpavUQ_21p4Vt7-ofB21zCLrxGAjOonTdSfGVgUS6DEj75Hr8qvI-x08nzY1G_GTAKcwXs0SIqNnPWfAa8OIgIrKhfP2voAp6fJuk/s320/IMG_1573.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401006111633044578" /> <div>View from the back door out to the shed/yard/pool.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPw2z-ZbDn_UCCFt4iLJFtf-5sQjn18YNfX5kxAVCvXLigyY4OLpX6YkB7Fn0ZZ1vXUrVacvsFI41k3iiNm3dV-OwQ5gOWVgpV8Qu5pQ7OXk9pVFT5UKJ1WkBItstDquU4Ks4zbbs8KRs/s1600-h/IMG_1645.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPw2z-ZbDn_UCCFt4iLJFtf-5sQjn18YNfX5kxAVCvXLigyY4OLpX6YkB7Fn0ZZ1vXUrVacvsFI41k3iiNm3dV-OwQ5gOWVgpV8Qu5pQ7OXk9pVFT5UKJ1WkBItstDquU4Ks4zbbs8KRs/s320/IMG_1645.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401007073353638690" /></a> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTGCJiRPo74mDU-PGLY_-IH3DkH7ChFhbHncRwSpBiHrG1EkJKMozvzEho7UdSzBW0DQFOMleweqF78iXqTyLPNjRYrIgz1BORwrizHXNXpuYqi6Py_ZP14IeUmJFuim21wHtut15dMM/s320/IMG_1646.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401007083154446114" /> </div><div>Dying ficus tree, overgrown lemon tree and bougainvillea next to the chicken coop. </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPo7ouOywFIjKwmyp-plqUp9mrUaYHXt4CBDloZ63n4sH3cDwrgIzew2xqd5VIu66k2f31CL0LryrH7HRTiJeCxdFAaNJJyRN-ll0e0-OuSk-ZyqIu26T-56jWDtxd85MgqMewtsVKxns/s320/IMG_1647.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401007089947687266" /> </div><div>Dilapidated chicken coop, overgrown peach tree, crazy huge weeds, and volunteer tomato plants! (hidden under the weeds)</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BjLG3AFbCT8VVcn_GxBoQGwoZDrdd45wV625Qzr1lu5W8tIA8bJMqSwZLg6ntvhw_SHlxpnOBUFBgm9SjvAliI10xHrxZY-TnsspfiCAZMKhfQtnNALPzu2UiCHOx_En70nzGp7iCB0/s320/IMG_1641.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401006135120728930" /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t-IxXu6IBGUgq6p-s0CRqa2HWxzSqbEKlaPsp4CQ5GZhObOssZ-esyuPV42DeCjXEtSENYEk5JFl2NOgru-ULzWsV8PWdZtmAbTUwArYw9m_JyoGgoXnEA5v0qJo4qv5BbGGRyATnpc/s1600-h/IMG_1642.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t-IxXu6IBGUgq6p-s0CRqa2HWxzSqbEKlaPsp4CQ5GZhObOssZ-esyuPV42DeCjXEtSENYEk5JFl2NOgru-ULzWsV8PWdZtmAbTUwArYw9m_JyoGgoXnEA5v0qJo4qv5BbGGRyATnpc/s320/IMG_1642.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401006143928949538" /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9t-IxXu6IBGUgq6p-s0CRqa2HWxzSqbEKlaPsp4CQ5GZhObOssZ-esyuPV42DeCjXEtSENYEk5JFl2NOgru-ULzWsV8PWdZtmAbTUwArYw9m_JyoGgoXnEA5v0qJo4qv5BbGGRyATnpc/s1600-h/IMG_1642.JPG"></a>The bougainvillea attempting to eat the pagoda, and the 'lawn' that turned out to be nothing but weeds :( Our friend Brad decided to give me a heart attack by informing me that, 'one year of seeding leads to seven years of weeding'. Thanks Brad. Nice pool though!<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjta6uQGsSmedNWopPcXH-CTUti45-zJF4j5mMJ5FNNfWxnIdPoxx98DxWzpu35zkOyHFjxDUfAf-aTrUl7WD4nTl1WTDm6K4lNnUa2YsmL7w899cjngXy31_krMQGZcUMZ8NeDk3g8qC0/s1600-h/IMG_1608.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjta6uQGsSmedNWopPcXH-CTUti45-zJF4j5mMJ5FNNfWxnIdPoxx98DxWzpu35zkOyHFjxDUfAf-aTrUl7WD4nTl1WTDm6K4lNnUa2YsmL7w899cjngXy31_krMQGZcUMZ8NeDk3g8qC0/s320/IMG_1608.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401006128216851954" /></a> </div><div>The view of the front yard from the master bedroom - the garden bed erupted in weeds shortly after this photo was taken…</div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKIOB9fkcyhO0kO5DdCRQxq1E1JEnruLfh4LXnHZ5KvvF0gAz9qHKY9zcItuxmOu2zcg_4OGRxn6g83m_d5qe2WqKJotIOSheoemz4Kig2D13j20jE4X2EWpWJ-DZ4EWpSMpGMNf6KeVc/s320/IMG_1657.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401007094888350946" /></div><div>And the huge neglected grape vines in their bed of weeds.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-55549066373764229832009-10-11T07:00:00.000-07:002009-10-17T07:01:10.322-07:00New House - In the beginning…<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In the beginning there were nasty old carpets, terrible paint jobs, crappy kitchen cupboards, heaps of weeds and over-grown plants, festy tiles, windows needing replacement, and an incredible amount of 'potential'. Rob told me when he put the offer in on the house that it 'needed some work', but generally gave me the impression that these would be things we could do for 'fun' as time and finances allowed. Um… yeah…<div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHScHLs0dPDSGNCYsiiykniaAVuWQXkaY2G8Pbe_IREU9a3nBAnXjY0nw8bgIHNfhJt8MofGDt-Cb8l1PCpJl3NYPtlS4Auwm-OvHnfAZBetHeHXKIY4i9bSjQPCpiWkKUQdRo2Es3kiQ/s320/IMG_1548.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391343614265717042" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4LNC-GlFGrzYDYoMnZeG9hhTmOahWsVoZid2oUkTuTiBsfC7EneN1Inb4TwadHs6ZuekA6ZwXBui_Emfv7wtXFmsMI5IDMzwz-ZhCFOGOy1SamaCVeZROOGQLrYDTBf-es26cCioWMKs/s320/IMG_1553.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391343615700066386" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO2hhhULHd8YNbLpoRHT39DrpjmVeTcmbyHiuIG835_Jhb_hailRy7jJq3gPzdGFixifX8mjNwQ10kRe0z9rko_8p9pAnXMg_ZpLVdkPIc2NBKeK_DImfqbxY84WuN18GONtYep68ECc/s320/IMG_1557.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391343625660839586" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0gK4aY2Lq9AFLh9vq1yh6pngJWq2KhXcfELsYCrwtiZFb2qWosF3Y_e4Wi4GwSA2D9O2vjE4jUd4lGCgS5MmIy9tLXXaBoLqmvXXWEyy6evWu9R0T0FAA-AJsFyeDSnOwMZm0FTa_Z-s/s320/IMG_1559.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391343631877148402" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioB2HQofOLWa-yYkrDdaiqvs-b1ZAa1nZpaFCOfVh5zK9V0XrMgDuO6i0VKBY-YrsnNFMDLTCcYr1S1W4R1-IeigrMhGAYnexESo6Wh0tXxJn9qQCwnYjY10yHIe-EL8hmFvMHYKkzBnM/s320/IMG_1561.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391343637798487250" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8_fYG95AMEiPV_YMo4g2f3Y6br0Dnfy3724N_6TpTbol1DS6oL4kk8VuqMTpmjHifq5vCtIaysdk5jJNa6ZLDiQ-O_yFrxPc12zTNbaFpYDqHDTnJoWuEciBtRZSU2bYbfzc-VXaLuc/s320/IMG_1564.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391345166924423954" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZ3Lq1TKbgIiX7g_TnPelgvdUV0X43y2cEwieSMo60g8HW44t8e1rEJzuGrP_9-fx1iv6-7EP1_kG5p2mnMEx_ltz4d1XEGZw6E8S_Wbz15tvvXgmQwX5KRaiSY3V71tC7IPZaJm17hU/s320/IMG_1567.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391345177775845090" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhle5p21yTZ-50Ih_MtlXdVBjMgcfenUhm8F9He5e_wLAoVQx1OWGkk-XEPkgVCNeJ4NQ5Y1HZeCezEDxWRfGjqk9MERTS_1Jr_VXSu4WhyphenhyphenOfjYM-H4_ba9PevHv8tQlXvyp4Tfao-GEII/s320/IMG_1571.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391345186058266066" /><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPCMktalDdbvcw3Pr2yTwAvQn0uYohhjDh3Nm0C_pO_fCTEy7v-eBqkwh1T6nUMMV-Fiw29rYihHHOEK-Q32g6c-UtXklZdkWZC29s6R6qYgizhxLsJnf1_-XFLzIz4Z8S-6Arxs1vIY/s320/IMG_1586.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391345189919179810" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAgA8r5beOUiqAoNWBpXhxYROPI7SUa_ml1NnRPFv8-t5_P53CEjPOf1SPtltkiiatT2_zdhyphenhyphena0a1MOx6slj_jWj8Y8KEtfk31b0mSEuZl6HII9xUGEYP9JakvpMsc_-IVohzoudIB8M/s320/IMG_1596.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391345195720259650" /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-34371619688463491132009-10-11T05:40:00.000-07:002009-10-11T07:00:14.701-07:00Our new house<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtve4kJB_A2dqaqRgisdn-2CE-JpvlrfY3Qu0h8Pva5CCg0yGSGgOOtOEqryR9C1Ya9AEKrD1Vwa7QVUQUAKChxd2XZsYARSXd2YGQ5E-H7sgbxdopy5qHGwk3OpUGfulhsdfoTUFcVk/s1600-h/IMG_1547.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtve4kJB_A2dqaqRgisdn-2CE-JpvlrfY3Qu0h8Pva5CCg0yGSGgOOtOEqryR9C1Ya9AEKrD1Vwa7QVUQUAKChxd2XZsYARSXd2YGQ5E-H7sgbxdopy5qHGwk3OpUGfulhsdfoTUFcVk/s320/IMG_1547.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391339985174262130" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjLVxn6gjKItsaNK5RkR2f2_X9rt1uVcHsRtz0WXaq-BEmSAlEcXz5Tgp3s2dkBBt0YJMv0LxeuK0a5ypFM2mF91sd37u5inNd-3zFuT4F4ppVs9dvhKNw-ldUnkTBJynSVqi-HqyON8/s1600-h/IMG_1544.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjLVxn6gjKItsaNK5RkR2f2_X9rt1uVcHsRtz0WXaq-BEmSAlEcXz5Tgp3s2dkBBt0YJMv0LxeuK0a5ypFM2mF91sd37u5inNd-3zFuT4F4ppVs9dvhKNw-ldUnkTBJynSVqi-HqyON8/s320/IMG_1544.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391338473650136306" /></a>About one month ago, Rob and I became new home owners. Our new house is in a Perth suburb about 8 km from our work places. It's definitely a 'fixer-upper' but the location is ideal. The neighborhood seems nice and quiet even though we're fairly close to a major road. We're quite close to shops, bus lines and one of the major rivers that runs through Perth. I'm able to ride my bike to work along a network of bike paths that meander along our local creek and then the green belt along the river. It's a beautiful ride and I feel pretty lucky every day as I pedal along.<div><br /></div><div> Living in a place whilst doing renovations is no mean feat. Add to that two full-time jobs and shopping hours limited to roughly 8-5:30 Monday-Saturday and suddenly time gets very tight and tempers a little short. The first few weeks were a little rough living out of boxes in cramped quarters, especially since the weather was pretty nasty, but we're starting to get settled in and used to our living situation.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-85251392249704981752009-05-14T22:30:00.001-07:002009-05-14T23:15:01.114-07:00Rob's March Visit Part III<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Chatanika Outhouse Races!<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFBKYZb9arf_V-a0stLbChHTIUtcE5GTPiW_cOn1_eY6Q4y-GHWuJf_vI34WkaYI34pIv7Qpcld2AC9nnhaWVPG_zjuJSzn3_AP52r5WqJNQThBf-YXEZk-rYoDEB4Hc99JYozsfhefo/s320/ChatanikaCrew.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335924647233941058" /></span><div><br /></div><div> I think our little sojourn out to Chatanika with Mike, Lena, and Evan constituted the most fun, silliest, and coldest portion of Rob's visit. The five of us packed into Mike's Impreza the morning after Rob & I got engaged for a cozy drive out to the little lodge about 30 north of Fairbanks. This annual event is a truly unique Alaskan experience. Groups of nutters design an outhouse (dunny, shitter, etc.), decorate the hell out of it, stick one unsuspecting member on the pot, and then sprint down the road with the lot in an effort to clock the shortest time.</div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzeKAsJ5TJnNb9yTKPYxdF4rZGDKvmtx2Aly3FScm467XilfS8KR89DcfPh8mmNJftRM4oOOfNlcaQ2dqdiWw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> After the races we all went inside to enjoy the ambience, some chili, fries, hot cocoa, and the excellent company. Once we had partially thawed out, we decided that participating in human bowling was just the ticket…<div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw7eTFOsxVHa_UbwQ8bb8YkGm9a7ApPWxryfLF2vTmQl8v4_nzu2cBb88H_WcCKhTWqHPLiZRoLLUZBuo5aZg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div> While we didn't win at 10-pin (we missed one), I think Rob did get the prize for coming from the furthest away and I'm quite sure we were the only team that got engaged within the previous 24 hours. All in all, we had a blast. The best part for me was seeing Rob have so much fun with my friends. Even Rocky got in on the action…</div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZr0EXQ6TQ5AwbKcPuKTySsHLpg6GWAHggK8CyXVxvZ-2LmL6aRRbHhqK0hmB4TFACimftaEtJfc2G7Uui5piah_usJ0Ipzy_UJm-_RMMKcq9qhg5C7W3m3ulIdvxymQQ43-Wn1jTzkJo/s320/RobThrone.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335927369339745490" /><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXU5t06uiBOZQu_gyYFWKjkzal79l7hDuD6ZDNeiLrSFwHgVnmemgMnLoxqkvPeat5DXxC1Igom6htD0gV9xA1LGaQcLPOFTTFSDP7RrrtHR30ReEes1PAQ74hTtBSVNTuYG1n4djdiQQ/s320/RockyLena.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335927367640122994" /><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-O2u-qwIKP5iOXst4OBjxj7WNoMf9QmyOcc0M7l7TG9FtGFV4w-0b2XH9887wJsCc88PXjdirVkyln5u-YEMxn5BaoEV9In21swFuX4UxxZH-X2Qym_5uCTkBBtq8bIwfzEotnfhIgI/s320/RockyEvan.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335927362762834338" /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-53813323036832490742009-05-14T22:13:00.001-07:002009-05-14T22:27:22.643-07:00Rob's March Visit Part IISo I kinda glossed over the most exciting part of Rob's visit in Part I - we got engaged!<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">~The Engagement~</span></div><div> I had an inkling that Rob was going to ask me to marry him while he was visiting, but I wasn't exactly sure just <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">how</span> he was going to go about it. I fully expected it at the airport, but it didn't happen (although that was his intention). Instead he was extremely anxious about the aurora forecast, abnormally so for someone who isn't exactly into aurora photography as a hobby. He constantly asked me when we could see it and was terribly (disproportionately, I might say) disappointed when I informed him that this was an unusually bad year for it.</div><div> Then one night the forecast was decent, so we decided to go out for a little aurora sighting. Fortified with a few glasses of wine (Rob not me), we set off to Goldstream Valley to see what there was to see. Within seconds of pulling off the side of the road, Rob was instantly disappointed by the quality of the aurora. I was a little befuddled and tried to point out to him what it was doing, but much to my confusion he barely looked out the window. Then he asked if I could turn on the dome light in the car - uh, OK…</div><div> Then, from within the depths of his multitude of layers, he produced a small box and a folded up piece of paper and began to read:</div><div><br /></div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Leslie, your many qualities make you a very special person; your smile and laughter give me happiness; your beauty and passion drive me wild; your intelligence and determination give me pride and admiration for you; your love and affection sustains me, I crave it. You complete me.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Being with you gives me a full and happy life. If I have ever been sure about anything, I know I am sure about you and us, and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are my friend, my confidant, my lover, and my companion.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Leslie, will you marry me?</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkm23a0mlXUsibizbBI1Xm2Up3-nPstb5qR7QymPD3mV8bdFVXMX0DHLi4NUORTjM1bpoUfvct69bl5uXVVce3rjrAS7gnPivpP8Xv0NIMfgX5RcoeXsyMSL0MLSkIHqPmamCzhGn6Z1s/s320/engagementtoast.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335917800055405602" /><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Well, of course I said 'yes', and then suggested we head to Ivory Jack's to celebrate in good Fairbanks style with all of our new best friends.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'times new roman';font-size:16px;"><br /></span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-77747361015461720362009-05-14T21:30:00.000-07:002009-05-14T22:13:09.907-07:00Rob's March Visit Part IOK, my apologies that this post is about 2 months overdue - but you try to finish a Ph.D., teach a class, prepare to move across the world, maintain your sanity, AND keep up-to-date on your blog.<div> So, the boy who never intended to go to America finally visited Alaska… In the coldest month of March since about 1922… And he still managed to smile, but I think he must <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">really</span> like the girl who was taking his photo…<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_h7M9J-x290mwoIzjlVdwWCqEaD3RUwrOCbKSiajLEzl1zIZ25Y-uM87z4Iqeq0c_9_FnhsVapbveg5gFtQJjZWIGAVIoPfBncwNCPR0qs4txGf7QjLuOSUBLruMy7UMZW5tCyifzAOo/s320/RuggedUpRob.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335904642815546978" /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> In spite of my best efforts to mentally prepare Rob for the cold, there just wasn't much I could do to ease the shock of arriving to -35C, short days and piles of snow from +40C and beautiful, sunny</div><div> Australian summer. He was also wholly unprepared for the massive jet lag and coming to a 'city' seriously lacking for public transport, anything to walk around and see, or just things to do in general. It was sort of a mixed blessing that we both went down hard with a terrible bug for the first week he was here - what a perfect excuse to stay in bed for a week!</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOkXNipojAI6s-zJokHxFDSYnUEn8a3QcKbhlrF3GlHBpGUFKFFc5eoYhlFxeUSCl1InVGtAMclIxu2eX1IJmYAkheSJieHzGzPAuQu-cXzF2hosFfa0hSNf3yuV3KItFAAEZY__PmnEY/s320/IcePhone.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335912401707603362" /> </div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYOwj4yiZ0JB2hmOoXzgW3sHbzwZpCFDtvy9FHsfR3d1OVunyzBhNU46RnnUPDEScQyUP2B4dr0fM_zvZwCeMSHUuFtSvqzwPeWuFMk6LXP6Xv5ehYvw78ulm8RYZev2_yt825bwlJOU/s320/IceMobile.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335913828599184850" /><div>Once we finally surfaced, our schedule was packed. I had heaps of work to do and was still fighting that brutal bug, but we still managed to get in a pile of Alaskan adventures. The ice park was a must-see. I haven't made it for years and I was psyched to see Lars's kinetic ice sculpture.</div><div><br /></div><div> We managed to get over to Belfair to have dinner with the whole gang, plus Mike and Lena, hiked up to the top of Moose Mt., and generally had a little show and tell time around my favorite stomping grounds. We also got to have some friends over for some über spicy borscht Rob made (I believe it was Russian-Vietnamese fusion he was going for…), house/pet-sat for Jen and Dan, saw some moose, and ate enough fatty foods for Rob to pack on 5 kilos in a few weeks.</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KUocepruBtmoq752bNYUC-axkPdK_okgyj27lkjDsyszrBU6jCRKm7XXMj5fH1DsLmz7PwuivKpSoFHKQRVLGpuC2f-zacm6KOJx6CHCOBbMCQiDnAePjp8vQsqNSzsVA3tlVDeE3RA/s320/BelfairDinner.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335912398174792722" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYu7kaRNsLnpp6siJ1X3OQfhtTg6cKLIOOUvDtUYGy_ucJoyNjAh9-zV0r2P3My15MGvwz8EwcgHa8amIXnKWZUyBB56Nn_LdddQT3g9WCyMdQRUs0yuxhl52_0_zTaoRO6LThWpfV-Kk/s320/RobAngel.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335912405277771314" /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-64078320728743770722009-05-14T21:08:00.000-07:002009-05-14T21:28:54.573-07:00Spotlight on Mr. Dexter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07Xf3_-7C_A1fq1z2a6u__ybx91XDpqpSS-SlnKaohEkUWfzzHCSsPEO2zSJ8i9Gu9_U1_MI5sJHiqeEk4x2PybUKCPNZiiY-UbJxaviAunC6qAP7BNSPIrMWwn4hfglhQ5_Lr-d_70E/s1600-h/DexPaper3.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07Xf3_-7C_A1fq1z2a6u__ybx91XDpqpSS-SlnKaohEkUWfzzHCSsPEO2zSJ8i9Gu9_U1_MI5sJHiqeEk4x2PybUKCPNZiiY-UbJxaviAunC6qAP7BNSPIrMWwn4hfglhQ5_Lr-d_70E/s320/DexPaper3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335898526875040482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpzwCqJr4TUlAL8ZM6sDigWfYuk3fTs-78XgRbcIICELq-itu4_TZWkXGy51Jmr_7tsYvzpyRmtgC9oUsRJXy2yTpCIzdimOkyOpNIZBmSyJ37eiXneQGe9Nh4a1fK-NPKrBAaih09H4/s1600-h/DexPaper2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpzwCqJr4TUlAL8ZM6sDigWfYuk3fTs-78XgRbcIICELq-itu4_TZWkXGy51Jmr_7tsYvzpyRmtgC9oUsRJXy2yTpCIzdimOkyOpNIZBmSyJ37eiXneQGe9Nh4a1fK-NPKrBAaih09H4/s320/DexPaper2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335898524328344578" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> Some people think my cat isn't very bright. I beg to differ. He can turn nearly any piece of garbage into weeks of entertainment. This piece of paper was his favorite. It had so many uses: he could hide under it (as seen above), he could attack it and make lots of wonderful crinkly noises, and he could tear it to shreds. What wonderful kitty fun! He also loves ribbon, rubber bands, twist-ties, and plastic sacks - <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">especially</span> plastic sacks! He also enjoys some good laser pointer action from time to time, but in general he eschews any store-bought toys in favor of things that would otherwise be thrown out. Such a green kitty. I think he takes after his mamma.</div><div> Unfortunately for both of us, the little man is a little tumor factory. He had a fist-sized tumor removed about 18 months ago - not a fun event for kitty or his big white mamma! Tomorrow we're headed back to the vet to get another one out. Poor kitty :( (and poor mamma's bank account…) Tomorrow morning is going to suck because he will probably keep me up all night begging for food I can't give him and then I have to shove him into his carrier and deal with him yowling in the car. Thank goodness the vet is only two minutes away!</div><div> Dexter's going to be in for a big nasty couple of months. After he recoups from surgery we'll be separated until the end of August when he finally gets released from quarantine. Lest we forget the 24 hours of flying he has to endure to get to Perth… argh. Finally, he gets to move into his new home and meet his sister, Alley. That should be <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">fun. </span>He'll probably be OK with it, but she'll freak.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-51586388603077698722009-03-30T11:05:00.001-07:002009-03-30T11:06:04.789-07:00Updates from Rob's visit coming soon!!No time now, but photos, videos and silly stories will be here soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-50016757497089029732009-03-06T11:58:00.001-08:002009-03-06T12:11:19.316-08:00Morning Moose & Record Snowfall<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTd-qF8-btz2yj5kg67BOy-NzOwLKxxAcKQDV1rTgvLoxAUX-cnBddqM-H6mXQDztX6lLcVnkd2lgmC2yiudL-6_i5q7jxL3biQ1ZMR90TsCIGnPzFMA0pv_kGVx-4lP6FxR1UUIopVc/s1600-h/IMG_1254.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTd-qF8-btz2yj5kg67BOy-NzOwLKxxAcKQDV1rTgvLoxAUX-cnBddqM-H6mXQDztX6lLcVnkd2lgmC2yiudL-6_i5q7jxL3biQ1ZMR90TsCIGnPzFMA0pv_kGVx-4lP6FxR1UUIopVc/s320/IMG_1254.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310166903588460866" /></a> I rarely look out my bedroom window in the morning, but yesterday something caught my eye forcing me to peek out. There was a large male moose (this guy on the left) wandering through the yard browsing on what little he could find there. Now moose aren't unusual sights in Fairbanks, but I did get pretty excited because I hadn't seen one in a while and it was snowing really hard.<div> Fairbanks doesn't typically get a whole lot of snow. It usually comes in small doses that hang around for ages, but piles of powder are not common. We have had two record snowfall days this week, and it's still coming down… It's unbelievably pretty, but horribly treacherous for driving. I was incredibly thankful for my AWD last night as I made my way home from school. Fairbanksans are typically pretty cavalier about crappy driving conditions, but drivers were simply crawling down the road and taking intersections at a snail's pace. I wasn't sure if I'd make it up our unplowed driveway since I have such low clearance, but my little Impreza just floated along like a champ. I fear, however, it will take a fair bit of shoveling to get it back out this evening.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-36063920404146854222009-02-25T22:17:00.001-08:002009-02-25T22:21:11.162-08:00Skiing to work<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGY4s112t_WZmGTzB8xvsTx7752fKYvotdBr_mFEw0mZDeb46t8vzhI4iI1fL44ENi94yTC4dTpx-NtLLJdgOUVPPwkO0Sn47TMZ8uO_6cSyXlzwVXcSoUai-tlPLlopliHm1_kPIHX8/s1600-h/IMG_1250.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkGY4s112t_WZmGTzB8xvsTx7752fKYvotdBr_mFEw0mZDeb46t8vzhI4iI1fL44ENi94yTC4dTpx-NtLLJdgOUVPPwkO0Sn47TMZ8uO_6cSyXlzwVXcSoUai-tlPLlopliHm1_kPIHX8/s320/IMG_1250.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306986830684914258" /></a><div>To all my wonderful Aussie friends who don't yet believe I can walk on water - this is a lake, and I'm standing in the middle of it. :)</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcytDfuEqH6ohNuGD4Keto5gNfGG0Ehj2YUaZTSj8ga5eJLGGa0tgfTDYA_c3aKJBSSpVP9YWTofqN0-tOFu_Km_U3SSF9VTjh1ZjSHBZFcSz5X0fldtBwGNtG-zNYGYYMQDDkLaRwas8/s1600-h/IMG_1249.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcytDfuEqH6ohNuGD4Keto5gNfGG0Ehj2YUaZTSj8ga5eJLGGa0tgfTDYA_c3aKJBSSpVP9YWTofqN0-tOFu_Km_U3SSF9VTjh1ZjSHBZFcSz5X0fldtBwGNtG-zNYGYYMQDDkLaRwas8/s320/IMG_1249.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306986825512150834" /></a><br /></div><div>As nice as walking or biking to work is, there's nothing quite as grand as skiing to work. This is especially true on a bright, sunny, crisp late winter morning.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-71732128772438332972009-02-15T15:05:00.001-08:002009-02-15T15:16:15.992-08:00Lil'One In the Great White North<div>How I can possibly feel so split between two such radically different places as Perth and Fairbanks is beyond me. Maybe someday I'll understand. I do, however, have a much greater appreciation for what it is I so love about Fairbanks (and what I'm not so fond of) after returning last week. Love: the folks - man I know some AMAZING people here, the sense of community is fantastic, and parties are so easy going; Not so fond of: the dryness - ugh, my skin and respiratory system are truly protesting.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxOCNaUjY47mjrpB3kkBuOBgplfwRl-3I7sBQHumh9r0-c6HjlbqkwvS9fuV8IKzljgfExexeusKi7lsc95ahSiZU1Fv2Go5GHGIRbq8RrQBKzgz3Sxh1iXFZTKZsph8BhEL_TYx45wQ/s1600-h/IMG_1245.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-decoration: underline;cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxOCNaUjY47mjrpB3kkBuOBgplfwRl-3I7sBQHumh9r0-c6HjlbqkwvS9fuV8IKzljgfExexeusKi7lsc95ahSiZU1Fv2Go5GHGIRbq8RrQBKzgz3Sxh1iXFZTKZsph8BhEL_TYx45wQ/s320/IMG_1245.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303164781882683618" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </span></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1wP4bwRk2FggWqksC57Mv9Vw7rfRZDfFZIkai2Kx9cfiYwC2WGzVvAzLk-b197M9RVaruA53IjwHO1OXcIVlCtnSqse1gzcrM3wVEkwoRJQRSJplVOj8Z9o9SfPpVlG7c9GwAXgxLO4/s1600-h/IMG_1247.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1wP4bwRk2FggWqksC57Mv9Vw7rfRZDfFZIkai2Kx9cfiYwC2WGzVvAzLk-b197M9RVaruA53IjwHO1OXcIVlCtnSqse1gzcrM3wVEkwoRJQRSJplVOj8Z9o9SfPpVlG7c9GwAXgxLO4/s320/IMG_1247.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303164772834301490" /></a><div><br /></div><div>I got back in last Saturday and made it to Ted's 25th b-day celebration (again) after a full day of moving. His newly finished house was rockin' with tremendous people and it was a great way for me to make an 'entrance' back into Fbx life. The next morning found me up at Belfair for Sunday waffles, extracting the rest of my junk from the house, and changing my tires. Woo hoo - I'm not completely citified yet!!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvakdtjPv6ZNMWQMOfJV_KC8Ou92zAOqzPtHndkaQNCq0P9dIbeBaqKjfHw0B-OPC2RhvftuDP6X5m6EYIpoGy3Q0Fnb-Bixf7WzJCdIt6RJlXDTPoq1uaYV7CK2M2syMIklTkI6XNFfs/s1600-h/IMG_1248.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvakdtjPv6ZNMWQMOfJV_KC8Ou92zAOqzPtHndkaQNCq0P9dIbeBaqKjfHw0B-OPC2RhvftuDP6X5m6EYIpoGy3Q0Fnb-Bixf7WzJCdIt6RJlXDTPoq1uaYV7CK2M2syMIklTkI6XNFfs/s320/IMG_1248.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303164770445871858" /></a> The weather's been truly gorgeous and welcoming since I returned - I must admit that the view from my window here far surpasses the tiny swath of tree tops I could see from my office in Perth. A new layer of snow yesterday has me itching to get out for a ski, soon, soon, soon, everything in due time.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-57006436075939713672009-02-08T23:17:00.001-08:002009-02-08T23:21:22.129-08:00Goodnight Perth, for now…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdEat6GDaTrmdOZlPWqNMPtysOshWkr1cAqOKVW7_oQ7GkprPiEOzco6grEUepDmFdQhZgB37Qbl_DbofIpHcxyLN932kBZIcdYy66EJ-YGWaeUQyupWq09BHnmLGEVL-W2xSVz2S-Lc/s1600-h/PerthNight.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdEat6GDaTrmdOZlPWqNMPtysOshWkr1cAqOKVW7_oQ7GkprPiEOzco6grEUepDmFdQhZgB37Qbl_DbofIpHcxyLN932kBZIcdYy66EJ-YGWaeUQyupWq09BHnmLGEVL-W2xSVz2S-Lc/s320/PerthNight.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300693669754317522" /></a>Perth is truly a stunning city and rather magical at night. As happy as I am to be frolicking in the Alaskan snow, I do find myself emotionally split between my two 'homes' - Perth and Fairbanks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-81451321455496813782009-01-25T00:28:00.001-08:002009-01-25T00:51:04.239-08:00Last Big Night In Perth Saying 'goodbye' is always hard for me, even when I know I'll be back. I just love my friends so much. I've been incredibly fortunate to get to know some really outstanding folks here over the past 7 months - both for work and play. I am definitely looking forward to returning to continue fostering these relationships.<div> For my farewell dinner, we gathered at one of my favorite restaurants in Perth - Annalakshmi www.annalakshmi.com.au/ - a non-profit, vegetarian, volunteer-run joint. The food and setting are both simply gorgeous. I had a moment of near panic when my reservation for 20 had somehow vanished from the books, and a group of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">40</span> was to arrive less than an hour later, but they were ever so gracious and found a spot for us.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyboBMDDSuZBzzXzftsWMRqDEgnh2qjLuRYsxqs2Yt6ggBtbySojSUlKulPrYCs5l5XOhN__4JWo08CDnT_4FKiOxqDYmTw9AVRGOnndyVXKeNA4-kFtMHy3j-RhmfaY3NLJhBtYbuFK4/s320/FarewellDinner1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295147822072367522" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDO3dM6nnyVWj-FpcUuqjPcP4VJFupxtBmPIc-Yt2t13ToK4WUzkBB5EeTK1BuNqXG8Nt7lK5W-ny9poaQJwvUIYo29BVZLiC0RljaBBA6CVfseA1FP3GkAAuNu-AWXca2lgv7Vcb_fs/s320/FarewellDinner3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295147832356331234" /></div><div><br /></div><div> We did have to split up into two tables, but the views offered in both directions were gorgeous.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZVW1zslEblXBG-RCqgJBhCaM5Ihf6VpIKCJnH0LUH41Ks-1N7bAJ_Zov9CqHa9NM6FI9vuQ6BFqKXxaizIXCWOq4Gzit1aKiM6RIopwlq4I8EusAHpcTCw7B2h9zWed9u4LQA8oWj8o/s320/AnnalakshmiNorth.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295147823574010706" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFPSBqI9JHL75KLryQepLxDIQNg3FdAGOyKnpvoS_4duJw8G31ROeu2br-jFTIEA503-vSGvobbWxoJ1ok8suvTiZpaDSLFg-TSlNBMbQkRvV6-FLcY5qCoQSZxHi_SgrpxTC4IzUqBtQ/s320/AnnalakshmiSouth.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295150084842216610" /></div><div><br /></div><div> It's going to be a long-cold winter missing these folks:</div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidi7X6fUKHyYck0vIHLfEwn6qQLwadr-OgYh6PWWdpAa74ye4Q27p93QKpQqtdsv51bMpAjOX4vAX34JnLLjtTvPcQjNtAxgmyO-jkbgrXH8ijp0XBnooU9ZXE-jrWksD85fWILxRRoNE/s320/BestRobMe.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295150080705701522" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBAPcVPWD4_PBg0dov-3h049WTBIr04ff8W6xSVZoKQ4k1s4K487AReVx40XSYfo1PdtwrPpFg_VbeTbrmCp_-rGU0YGncxd5djb-lq35pfLER0XGeq8Nn5rf6dNq9jAKznSwV7XNXaWE/s320/MeMegs.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295150762669926466" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-86447358322422154742009-01-24T23:50:00.000-08:002009-01-24T23:58:25.053-08:00More Little Aussie FriendsI'm starting to loose track of how many Red Backs I've seen around here lately (see earlier post), but it's never a welcome site. I caught a few more little friends on film around the garage - these are far more benign, but the spider is actually bigger than the gecko…<div><br /><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi70P9FCT-ZFOvpCwioakGXJbipI0dWgqs78p_Z3lVSaBrZ_Yr7ESWyAC_o7avaD_E68NNcUticfd_6ghCiJtLnbEx32XbTZGm5QBRXJ8_D-qd1g3EzuGWRG1OwRsY53sq215CdHsA5zI8/s320/wolfSpider.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295136295751093634" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rMHh9ZCYDyRf43m-h_4GEqbIaOBXFqhy8a1EGyfJbtCfGWO88JGEqOocGZLJbEn-WO5vzgjwwfqGQbZGu61-MR2xND6YmGb1-kuMCoKn0J-IRGMVVJ7pdEZzOsM7Do5Ttaqg8JH0BGo/s320/gecko.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295136296321682834" /><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-11288627445016782092009-01-24T23:41:00.001-08:002009-01-24T23:49:40.770-08:00Happy 2009!<div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH652hDZXqM6ze-GsH7hNyTU8YEKc5IUNoNOTUT203pzp20QVBJGQDHZM0C5077L56n_cgmyEykoJiesJt_UctvgXi0b1UwWKBGmX-ez_2eBr4lnnrzrrsrBCvWICyb6oJOIXvn92ie0/s1600-h/rob+a+dob0001.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="text-decoration: underline;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmH652hDZXqM6ze-GsH7hNyTU8YEKc5IUNoNOTUT203pzp20QVBJGQDHZM0C5077L56n_cgmyEykoJiesJt_UctvgXi0b1UwWKBGmX-ez_2eBr4lnnrzrrsrBCvWICyb6oJOIXvn92ie0/s320/rob+a+dob0001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295134539435951506" /></a>Happy New Year's! OK, yes, it's admittedly late - the past several weeks have just been insanely hectic. Rob and I rang in the new year at a vegetarian BBQ hosted by our good friends Brad and Amanda. It was so nice to take a dip in their pool to cool off after the extremely hot week. It was a fabulous crowd from all over the world. We had fantastic food (prepared by Amanda), sparklers, way too much bubbly, poppers and everything else needed for a brilliantly good time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-68139445397337472062009-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:002009-01-06T23:30:22.598-08:00Christmas In Margaret River - Day 6<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRGYPRZI-6sOoWnzOIJ6vRxTVa9Job29w-Vi8-LwBADvyrprKaTQSDAZZC4mJht5BvCCv1lRIa2BdCdlKMOHkh7-60o9vRmTu2vf7OUDrA0hovGauLCUjFOOl9I08ctSDsmfTPMud-1s/s1600-h/MRmap1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRGYPRZI-6sOoWnzOIJ6vRxTVa9Job29w-Vi8-LwBADvyrprKaTQSDAZZC4mJht5BvCCv1lRIa2BdCdlKMOHkh7-60o9vRmTu2vf7OUDrA0hovGauLCUjFOOl9I08ctSDsmfTPMud-1s/s320/MRmap1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288427668648815458" /></a><br /> A lack of water and thirst for more adventure, coffee and interesting sights spurred us on to an early start to Augusta. Our hope was to get to the information centre early enough that we might luck into a place to stay for the night. Luck, it seems, is Rob's middle name…<div> After coffee along the main street, I wandered off to explore the hamlet's public toilet offerings leaving Rob to his own devices. While I was gone he picked up some items we thought we'd need for another night of camping then headed over to the info centre. It seems the one room in the entire region, from Augusta to Bunbury, came open the minute Rob walked in the door. I caught up with him just as he was booking us into a lovely little tea house in Cowramup, just 7 km north of Margaret River.</div><div><br /></div><div> With accommodations for our last night sorted, we had plenty of time to explore the southwestern-most corner of the state. I was very excited at the prospect of seeing the confluence of the Southern and Indian Oceans - what a unique experience! We headed down to the lighthouse and had heaps of fun goofing around with the camera and learning about the</div><div> history of the region.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 193px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJs9neNwbJxKZmM7K8w3h1au1DnMOl4KCB0n61TcnRiDnWr2dZSQ1u7LgYWX3oaY6g8UPZ7Evb8wK5WsxCKHbT9qsVZewt90hLzCtTXbrT84MdOZ57-ZfZrLGHMfQLjRRmZF_l1xrqVQ/s320/twooceans.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288429657138508066" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFPUDLDSRg9ctL9V7ewXSDwcUbUeUPNklhv-3I2USW-IoCxoN1FMPkIiukWN2ubNWBL4wg03OdS05LV4x9oMcQoRja8hISWOQK3qKHUcvJN7pUU1h_2l7wEfYzFWYHxbz-oKGZAHifJPo/s320/lighthouse.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288429657938878226" /></div><div><br /></div><div> It may not look like much in the photo, but just under my fingertips is a discernible break in water color and height. The two oceans are different temperatures and salinities and therefore different densities - wicked cool. The area around the lighthouse was really interesting to explore - there were three little houses, each with its own laundry shed (complete with wood stove) that originally housed the families of the three lighthouse keepers who shared the responsibility to keep watch every night of the year. It's quite amazing to think about what life must have been like on that isolated weather-beaten outpost.</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE8EMnXERMtok8ctV-uHmCiEdpOB5neVs3zIHkJAZlmyNOGiib7sL9buiNHQ1QwRe3KmLV2z2RCcAhlvH_48RHm_6gyUH7HSAu_aMIXg5ZEG9FrimKLd5LM2mfuSzRo12pHAOJ3UCQVYY/s320/calcification.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288431285850382642" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis9vltl7kEDcHhs73aLgAGFvrOAM4tgMhUGjQrFPYL_K3lSVc5jl2HVOAA7G8r4MLGeBDCJM0pM9mxKqBcMAoge-P_BpWgiMstb7Lp3e6JDJS-yHJdfPaRuahF6vLGXRoAZrAyGyEeGLU/s320/robontherocks.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288432382532491234" /> <br /></div><div> This calcified natural spring pump was super cool - it used to transport water from the spring down to the little houses about 1 km down the coast. I loved the juxtaposition of the super old cratonic gneisses, standing like sentries facing the sea, and the century old limestone that's formed on top. Above right - Rob for scale.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFAeDVt5Q1IZhmRhL3KsIF-Aado9FEwktX4NZQctDzVOyS7KXxTnSbT5LqrzyCn5lTLLT-g2kJExyS3LmvVsQ60aT1TYLuzUh0aCHSnwSIhbD-wqf0jhdWwFWvlpBLDiAyqCiHCcmR_k/s320/goofyus.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288431281016422834" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquYmSmHBdOUXukjPBTng002_yjd5NIT136uJDNjR_IIvJEn7HjJgiA7-tZMYXSuTZ12mnHgyULIc88PewKyZ97zVeI0WliwdLbVo9ZobXkOP5tx4Mz_9h5m6zYsDz-NBrk6sgWOr53ek/s320/lighthouse2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288431292939172066" /></div><div> Yes, we are about 12. And huge dorks…</div><div><br /></div><div> We spent the rest of the arvo driving through native forest, lunching on the beach, and laughing at novice surfers. By the time we checked into our room we were both more than ready for a shower - it had been a very hot day and we were covered in the funk of two days camping and swimming in two different oceans - yum! After cleaning up we tried in vain to find a place I'd been misinformed about then wandered into an organic winery to find our favorite collection of wines of the whole trip, prompting the purchase of an entire case.</div><div><br /></div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60ajsYIVrodZpOyhsA7uTK3j3jtbRioBK5s3xJ0hKuSLnSH1-DX34vLZpquSaK_J_i4_fUU9Qk-h0pj2o2WSvinNgaIV6XPt-GpSPNZ6zLmxhCogW69nG5evu9Eb_xrgsppJMNHXjm5o/s320/seafood.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288446572782878098" /><div><br /></div><div> Luck was on our side again when we managed to wander into a restaurant without a booking and get a seat - going very early was a darn good idea! We gorged ourselves on the seafood platter for two at The Waves and couldn't even come close to finishing the tower of food, although we gave it our best shot.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><a href="http://feedjit.com/ir1/a3bee435f7003cc9/"><img src="http://feedjit.com/b/a3bee435f7003cc9.png" alt="" ismap="" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-65583624475414124842009-01-02T21:16:00.000-08:002009-01-04T23:56:40.302-08:00Christmas In Margaret River - Day 4 & 5<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsldckKWN9OGOPQa66rpoSSbg9OIxHrm_5uKKAo_hTEkIZVVLV4WSh064iBqVRaYyzMIEeiGLoX8QMNY0nQmreF17QK3Wu_C2yEjYqr2OWIZ19lQud1H0JDNMsv-0tSgzTlBIXHDB8l4/s1600-h/Itsjustoverthere.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsldckKWN9OGOPQa66rpoSSbg9OIxHrm_5uKKAo_hTEkIZVVLV4WSh064iBqVRaYyzMIEeiGLoX8QMNY0nQmreF17QK3Wu_C2yEjYqr2OWIZ19lQud1H0JDNMsv-0tSgzTlBIXHDB8l4/s320/Itsjustoverthere.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286954100621934242" /></a> Planning is not Rob's forte. Yes, I have learned in my many years of travel the joys of loosely organized days and that strict schedules are best limited to airlines. Yet, after hearing one seasoned Perthite after another say, "everyone goes to Margaret River for Christmas," my instincts told me we'd best have a good idea of what we wanted to do and where we were going to sleep.<div><br /> We decided weeks ago that we would enjoy the good life for a few days then rough it for the rest of the time to maximize what we could see and do without completely breaking the bank. Under duress (with me freaking out at him for not being the least bit involved in the planning process) Rob promised to take a good look at the map and come up with ideas to get us through a few days. I took him at his word and didn't give it another thought - something I might think twice about before doing again…</div><div><br /></div><div> Rob's 'plan' was to drive way south from M.R. to a very remote 4WD camp site on the Southern Ocean, spend a day dune surfing on 150 m dunes along the coast, then see where our whims took us from there. This could have worked if we had </div><div> 1. left M.R. before noon, </div><div> 2. had it not been raining, </div><div> 3. had the road marked 'Seasonal Access Only' not been closed, </div><div> 4. had the 50 km detour not forced us to turn around when that road became impassable, and 5. if we had queried a local or two about what we might actually find down there. </div><div>I had a 'bad feeling' about the whole situation when he showed me where we were headed on the map, but kept my dubious notions to myself. Well, at least until we had to turn around on the impassable 4WD track after 3 p.m. in the middle of BFE with no place to stay and a whole day completely wasted driving back and forth trying to get to an inaccessible camp site, then I kinda lost it.</div><div><br /> The new 'plan' was quickly set into action - drive another 50 km north to an area with three neighboring campsites and try our luck on the busiest camping weekend of the year. This time we were a little more fortunate. We pulled into a cleared area about 5 km off the main road down a narrow 4WD track and set up camp. The area was inhabited by a rather large group of locals who had settled in for a week of 'camping' complete with all the necessities - dirt bikes, generators, music, booze, canoes, dogs, etc. They were pretty nice and didn't mind us tromping through their site to go play in the river, but damn they were noisy.</div><div> * * * * * * * <br /><br /> Having learned our lesson about the paucity of camp sites the day before, we left our camp intact for the next day. A low fuel gauge forced us to drive about 50 km north east to Nanup for fuel and coffee (after a terrible night's sleep I wasn't doing anything without my own fuel). We were quite pleased at Nanup's offerings (including an organic cafe with a multitude of gluten free offerings), and decided to wait out the heat of the day taking in the local nature walks in the woods and lunching in town.</div><div><br /> Feeling sated and having stretched the legs, we decided to give the dues another go. Rob was quite convinced we could get to them without issue and that we'd be spending the afternoon dune surfing down to the water's edge. Again I was quite skeptical about how flawlessly this 'plan' would be pulled off, but decided to be a good sport and play along. Again, there were a few little problems: </div><div> 1. there were no actual beach access points for a few hundred km between the campsite we were unable to reach and the town of Agusta, </div><div> 2. even the tiniest 4WD track on the map piddled out a few km from the water, </div><div> and 3. Rob's little machine doesn't really have the guts to traverse the burliest tracks. And, again, we didn't bother to get some beta from locals on what we might actually encounter down there.</div><div><br /> So, we drove and drove and drove along miles of fenced off farm land, with me getting progressively more frustrated and convinced that there was no way this was ever going to pan out, forcing Rob to prove me wrong. We finally found an ungated track heading toward the water and drove down it as far as we could. Rob ran up the sandy hill ahead of us and proclaimed that the beach was just a simple 2 km walk away. Boy, I wish I could have his</div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqv81U2miubrhZkvVcUT-iHjDotQJzDQE9xKQ0dBnpWyOgxCBNHYQOzyVZNMFsWV8IUXRYR_jFTYSLROhOY7b74EFTTkTBbN5O5DDBmlQbtAAeUSxuhajTdK9oc-VQt5hH8YeYkAtx148/s320/WTF.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286953752054074882" /> unflagging optimism.</div><div><br /></div><div> The 4WD track quickly disintegrated into a mere 'roo trail and finally into nothing more than an overgrown fence line. The threat of snakebites or twisted ankles was very real, but we pushed on, determined to make it to the water after going so far. After bushwhacking for about 45 minutes, we finally broke free to less vegetated dunes and then on to the beach.</div><div><br /></div><div> Rob was quite disappointed in his dunes, but I was completely thrilled to jump into yet another of the world's oceans… <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 196px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRNEFGiRkX4DJ55x4UjdCIVOFCVSyARo9olucPZPwbH3GQniajWIdHOraHrbBqYrkS_9TEVCE_3D04QAh2Ldia2YnOaZo6Ds93CfPJx4z7Yhz2ShWz0edO3xBW6Kr_U-U7TnJrbm56Tk/s320/SouthernOcean.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286960013441992434" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, the rapidly dwindling lifespan of my camera battery meant we weren't able to perfect any jump </div><div>shots, which are especially<img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZNEWkzspblbz2lja7Uso7V916S5FETxGaAYLkON9GxvkL_VjuawkFs9z_yai8FfEp-5Ov5OKKpMXg0Os8kWbCwxIJDbcmOQH2d1FdBpnO4mwTs84Ds6C3CVTJEP2n8fmRWNBEsNGNkw/s320/Jumpshot2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286960026365829410" /></div><div><br /></div><div> difficult to execute in the surf.</div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIh9YocCORcfBpvs3Spl3XhFzLkXROlMiouX6c5xrJswmwHKvsZBlSAErXSI5F1fg-Fw9Xvsm1nk1ItLmmvKbBevq0ePCG7Ybp5UpOZsvKsAcF0KVZLj1qk7B8XkhDwc36Qm7a-mEGgE/s320/Jumpshot1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286960021067883122" /> </div><div><br /></div><div> After a few minutes of splashing about in our bathers, we realized we were the only people around for miles and decided to go starkers (he, he…)</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDillCLxai3lssiOoouvKBEWJ4H8Mbs5w0TwvaJCOuPBtAwMPVR988_8YViec1cXCQMu8SvURRCFAuuHAzyvdnAjcWbfzvWLDAiMvxLdOw7foTh28XbOVEyzxLiyJIppkK96xHDWqnl4Y/s320/nudie.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286960032736521554" /></div><div><br /></div><div> All's well that ends well, and it turned out to be a pretty good day, even if the last few gallons of our drinking water did spill down into the car…</div><div><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-51004561751120851302009-01-01T18:28:00.000-08:002009-01-02T02:17:10.433-08:00Christmas In Margaret River - Day 3 No trip to wine country would be complete without a wine tour. When planning the trip, Rob was quite skeptical about paying someone to drive us around to various wineries and wanted to go the self-guided route. I thought this posed two problems: 1) we knew nothing about the region or which wineries would be most interesting to visit, and 2) someone has to stay sober enough to drive. My Lonely Planet recommended Bush Tucker wine tours as an excellent way to taste some real gems, have a great day learning more about wine and the region while meeting interesting people AND have an Aussie bush lunch. I thought this sounded perfect and thanks to my wonderful mum, didn't cost us a thing.<div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDuSNJ5htx_Z9BW7Op1td86LSvZEoxoSfYo0AA6V-VH4knjq6oym2NbqFAe0aCRspk4P3p1IuSjDICP4Z28eXfXLwBf52a3MQgZQEhBjNV1pZozJhzcBDsLauRNix9VsFAbpsvQ-UP3M/s320/bushtuckerbus.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286521795284160258" /></div><div><br /><div> Our intrepid guide for the day, Silvano, was a total hoot. From the moment we boarded the bus, he was so engaging and prodded us into mixing with the others on the tour. We had a great 'team' for our day of 'hard work', as Silvano repeatedly referred to wine tasting, with six 20-something to 30-something couples from France, New Zealand, Australia, and (of course) Alaska. Many in our group had recently moved to Perth and it was the first time to Margaret River for all.</div><div> Xanadu was our first destination and the largest winery we visited all day. Silvano started us out with a lively introduction to wine tasting to help our largely novice wine-taster group get the most out of the experience. For all the posh atmosphere and award-winning wine we sampled, I didn't find anything I particularly loved, but Rob grabbed a few bottles he was fond of.</div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigAV1qszflbtQeuAoYeQI1bv5RH_xsre4pVmh6RwwBwLWJXrwjxhUatnf8V3S_n6VPF8D171QTNvmXil26uOf5iFP4OEochBnhteaaJy5CqqWxwE1UIdyBYmfrpF2jYgQKcaQuHaGB0tY/s320/Xanadu.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286521806187965618" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQoMkU5BjtLXozEUf1IvU8w882nxPUFXgctrVIemRSpnlIWb0eJ7CPPrRdRerCJryxTiN2pz3Qrbq381P9ouFRDBKzmicwKB1Tsze4dVvVK8EEuzLoWzYyQFtgVU8TwRxbSE6Pa_o_mY/s320/Silvano.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286521791698792226" /></div><div>I loved this metal wall art at Xanadu (left); Silvano patiently giving us instructions (right)</div><div><br /></div><div> From Xanadu we trekked back up through M.R. to Adinfern Estates where we were treated to some remarkably excellent wines from such a tiny family operation. The pace of tasting was a little more relaxed as this was also our lunch stop, so we had more time to chat with others in the group and discuss each wine a little more. Rob and I quickly befriended Ruth and Raphael, a couple close to our age (and height for Ruth and me!) who recently relocated to Perth, and shared a bottle of Adinfern CabSav over lunch.</div><div> At lunch we discovered, much to my chagrin, that I had been a bad, bad blogger and forgot to charge my camera battery before the trip (the horror, the horror!). I also failed to pack the charger, meaning limited photo documentation for the rest of the trip :( Which is a crying shame considering lunch itself was a work of art, with beautifully displayed, delectible bush foods. Rob and I were also fortunate to get to try the witchetty grub (granted there wasn't a lot of competition for the honor).</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxMRD1lZztmN2G8F5r0cuwLtlfQCrSMfNZjfZPPzotP8Gwr3SwhF-BLg11D2MimGrhOr3UYjMnIi3z9SI78KdeHwsYsZ_WPvywSN53WZ7cFLGKcYpEkqlW4Cmhzb6l4s1gR7HrpbqOQXA/s320/witchetty_grub.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286526853176253986" /> </div><div>I "borrowed" this shot from www.expedition360.com</div><div><br /></div><div> In the most jovial of moods after an excellent lunch and plenty of wine, we headed off to my favorite stop of the day - the Margaret River Chocolate Co. I won't even go into just how much chocolate I bought here… Then we were off to Knotting Hill Estates, the site of Julia Roberts' very private wedding earlier this year. By this point we'd tasted ~20 wines and I was a bit sideways, so I opted to spit, which I still find disgraceful even if it is condoned. Of course, I wasn't all that into their wines anyway.</div><div> The last winery of the day was Tassel Park Wines, set on an absolutely stunning estate. Mr. Tassel himself served us ample 'tastes' of his delectable wines and did a hefty round of sales through our group. His was the first M.R. Shraz I truly enjoyed, so I simply had to take one home. Our final tasting with him was quite out of place in the sultry heat of the afternoon, but aroused in me the one true Christmassy feeling I've had this year - mulled wine, mmmm… I drank Rob's too.</div><div> By the time we made it to the brewery, our final point of interest, I wasn't feeling so swell. We'd been drinking for five hours and it was quite hot, so I opted out of beer tasting. All in all it was a most excellent day, capped of with a fantastic dinner we shared with Ruth and Raphael at the Arc of Iris restaurant in M.R.</div></div><br /><a href="http://feedjit.com/ir1/a3bee435f7003cc9/"><img src="http://feedjit.com/b/a3bee435f7003cc9.png" alt="" ISMAP /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-13340401512840706092008-12-30T23:53:00.000-08:002008-12-31T00:21:10.060-08:00Christmas Day In Margaret River We had a tough schedule to stick to on Christmas Day, but somehow we managed…<div><br /></div><div>8:30 a.m. - Wake, shower, dress</div><div>9:00 a.m. - Breakfast in manor house</div><div>10:30 a.m. - Walk along river, mosey through town, window shop, etc.</div><div>11:30 a.m. - Cook Christmas Dinner</div><div>1:00 p.m. - Drink wine & snack</div><div>4:00 p.m. - Eat Christmas Dinner</div><div>5:30 p.m. - Drift into food coma</div><div>6:00 p.m. - Watch DVD whilst food digests</div><div>7:30 p.m. - Eat dessert & drink more wine</div><div>8:30 p.m. - Watch another DVD & sip port</div><div>10:00 p.m. - Pass out</div><div><br /></div><div> The two primary obstacles to overcome over the course of the day were </div><div>1) Pacing our alcohol consumption and</div><div>2) Cooking a traditional-ish Christmas dinner in the most miniscule oven ever</div><div> I am proud to say that we were highly successful in accomplishing both tasks.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzxqyvO73I6aJ26T3D-WjZwalz3OFuLyUfSGg2hTPofFTnYSh1PU_r4_G07zsHeGYmdix2OoDFzdq5NCcnY_GQsBSFVlBmZuhF3Vvs2Oq-YcyssgA1Hq3YD5-7YN1gRGsx1ZSJNH45N6c/s320/kitchen.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285862192320777298" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6eGwDn72kREZs3MriuwDR_GbIOgxdsMMel6YYlchMBXivJgf9JTVZ1XRfOEliW2jGzWh9YxlVsbeODKpu4DdzYtS71gdpQgJEbgNlDjwLRYaq9FwPQbickNRLrvyUcs-YOFYm6Gty-Ic/s320/cookkit.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285862196162762594" /></div><div><br /></div><div>Left: our ittsy-bittsy kitchen (and we didn't even use the microwave!); Right: our cook kit</div><div> </div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4O_BCpWMRGR05tGvCHpXAIkIjPgVn76Y0RCQt0aWMhMfDn8KNifdzsbHDEZj3PKmLZ10Dw1Jdkk3dYR01Gcw7iw8VL7Xd6oPkeHEe_ZBfcXyIb7fAAMUwK8M2IO2-wL1vueH8PZW5QVc/s320/pumpkin.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285862194493773250" /><br /></div><div>Voila! Roast pumpkin and sweet potato - yummmmm!!!</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwPlVY-btujfWfw04tcZWkqgpCLHxF1oDTCGE5N4UGCTSDbHi-fbI0MXAm0pqYW3Ye2t99c965NXA2Vs0hXF1wg2pGCVRmot2IGjn48yaCNT-UYBYotvSPHkqj48GBgZjjLK1pDrtb0Y/s320/Xmasdinner.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285863861255056850" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRILhvg3rNNU_OL-aTQ1X-rUEL8qxHLJYknMsnqfbyanFAL0EJEdrs4A5Jeq4CAFm1i8KfscX6ILUas8erLRNaFWX93GJyt03AmCg7G9pmoYY1uorUbbYmnZPjdHRoKwVLy3zc1OJK1w/s320/DinnerAftermath.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285863867340235778" /><br /></div><div>Before and after shots of Christmas dinner - Left: Rob ready to dive into our fabulous fare of roast free-range turkey leg (cooked w/ butter and garlic), roasted sweet potato and pumpkin w/ cumin and cinnamon, buttery garlicky mashed red potatoes, sauteed asparagus and onions, cranberry sauce, and a lovely bottle of Cab-Sav; Right: Rob feeling decidedly "chockers"</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimTOOVNJ0G6SDI10ZH2pZiDMsPsujrUD-9pji5YYMzWnIBq0f7Vraqkhclr4STkpWm0JI9e9kYdnHimLBsoufwdToBQ4fTUzcxqnqLOnQliHgdT7NbXMYl3gR_mZMb635StgCMPVY0sc/s320/XmasPav.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285863866434377666" /><br /></div><div>Oh, Pavlova, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… We polished off all but a small chunk of this four-person pav before the night was out. Oh, the luscious, gooey goodness!!</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406503872380165549.post-26059946273905887122008-12-30T23:12:00.001-08:002008-12-30T23:53:50.729-08:00Christmas In Margaret River - Day 1<div> The concept of a warm Christmas is so utterly foreign to me. Yes, I've done the sunny Christmas holiday escape to Central America a few times in my life, but having months of heat during the buildup, execution, and aftermath of this chilliest of holidays strikes me as just plain weird. I've had to laugh every time the lyric, 'oh, the weather outside is frightful…' rang out on the airwaves whilst shopping over the past month - yeah, "Oh dear! It's 80°F and stunningly sunny outside, that is simply dreadful!" What a bunch of weirdos… Stranger yet is the prevailingly northern-hemispheric-centric holiday decorations - wreaths, holly, fake snow, reindeer, etc.</div><div> So, with no fireplace to curl up beside with a mug of peppermint cocoa, and absolutely NO need for one, I couldn't bear the thought of spending Christmas at home. Rob and I packed his little 4WD to the gills and headed south for slightly cooler climes and a little much-needed R&R. First stop, our fav little coffee shop - Antz Inya Pantz www.antzinyapantz.com run by an American expat from Spokane, WA - to fuel up for the 4-hour drive.</div><div><br /></div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizA4VJpjxTZBPNInmh7AJ7Zo0bC3kh7GGHjMlFbGhrwyeRxTjKJ2uVpiDZKmUjw_tWAevYcgFlWwnIsUe3zlFRn2yk-NwfAMl40NLvYXAV2s0rc0I4Za1DrTkOhcD2SmJhVRwVBIlme0g/s320/CoffeeStop.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285848966921428162" /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRj7VhPndm4eiyApCIF1norttEvUMJKqWcso-_5IxR4FY0RYvQjX-6LqyLjLh7aRbW2VM0XMHQ0iFl1WCq_sboJotVoue4WwaqEToT2fQYzqL1Z_wIzOi2DXndOfUxTRISoAGeRMvASxE/s1600-h/AntzPantz.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRj7VhPndm4eiyApCIF1norttEvUMJKqWcso-_5IxR4FY0RYvQjX-6LqyLjLh7aRbW2VM0XMHQ0iFl1WCq_sboJotVoue4WwaqEToT2fQYzqL1Z_wIzOi2DXndOfUxTRISoAGeRMvASxE/s320/AntzPantz.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285849163490283346" /> </a><div><br /></div><div> The drive down to Margaret River was relatively uneventful, winding down through the lush countryside. We made a brief stop in Bunbury to pick up some fresh fruit for our Christmas dinner, but didn't really have the foresight to grab the most appropriate or needed items. I've never taken so much extraneous food on a trip and still managed to be without key ingredients for planned dishes - definitely could use a PDA…</div><div> We were sorely disappointed to find our planned lunch stop, Cape Lavender, unexpectedly closed and thus rocked up in M.R. cranky and über hungry. Fortunately, the recommendation we'd received for eats in town panned out before the trip was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">completely</span> ruined. Settlers Tavern www.settlerstavern.com/ served up large and tasty late lunches to an eclectic mix of music.</div><div> Finally, in the late arvo, we were able to take a load off and start to unwind in the quaint tranquility of the Bridgefield Guest House www.bridgefield.com.au</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAL_-rx5BrFuZl5ykVkOE-wMz7r55I6w4FAuDcQSItSqIxIvGauxzGzcAXDLwlSkXdUEt833KUYjT7VTJ0CDBQxo5r7gFky1OAnP-l4Zyi0RBj9z9ATOFvfQs4sj3x5SUnUS75GychG1w/s320/relaxedRob.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285856840675375570" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9WEz2I8lTJhCM_9TxKRQznKJSDLCdoPW-Ctkp7xIya5N5zabF5M5Oj-rRPbDuMlpHJgMBdzCtMNm6PCQVwoLydKlshu9_vw8Iinkm6gEtvTGliKSfBFq3Bcl3ArK_AiqRADDgFX8X8M/s320/RelaxedLeslie.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285856835504137842" /> </div><div> Rob and I relaxing with a bottle of Margaret River chardonnay on the porch of our private little cabin.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp8wslDGK5DQmzvthQiTxVLngmtEWQ7Yy46ksmnkVFokRbr3xGJUxFhMjEfePkTn5-VL3foXv1_uZRAivNIhKjil_pwrQUUUv4GXM9zU-W7BqHyieCpPluwSAPUJJHN_hB7SToI8RcMq4/s320/Bridgefield.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285856834293214338" /> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4skiXNMaJoOV2sRitE0FrO3NooGwz2CpWtDasOLkxPE2o-Crz5d4MiM1titQGk9cjamWM6hJlTtV4PczuxNriSbuHZYIN7urF7bFpPCxM3DPs-Yo4e3wuAl_fh1I51Bjc12x7xEXLMrE/s320/Bridgefieldroof.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285856825955955890" /> </div><div> View of the Bridgefield Guest House wishing well and sunset on the main house</div><div><br /></div><div> <img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkcjOJSJjX02AXh7ikBO3N38Oujogrj6LVbZFKD-IVxZCPt8aJFGdqKs1mHEJSlWS-0dBo8ZrQmw9OH8fYsjqd57BkvBVPCo9iQAbvRkmyTGldlOgqBS8tkFvMAJ1yxskD2a2DL5kZZc/s320/JadeKitty.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285856831497433346" /></div><div> Jade - the cat of the house, who had clearly been left to run the joint while the owners were off enjoying themselves.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizA4VJpjxTZBPNInmh7AJ7Zo0bC3kh7GGHjMlFbGhrwyeRxTjKJ2uVpiDZKmUjw_tWAevYcgFlWwnIsUe3zlFRn2yk-NwfAMl40NLvYXAV2s0rc0I4Za1DrTkOhcD2SmJhVRwVBIlme0g/s1600-h/CoffeeStop.JPG"> </a><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0