Lindsay’s mom, Miss Connie, and her best friend’s mom, Miss Viv came and stayed with us for just over a week and it was non-stop from the moment their plane landed.  Luckily I was able to take off from work the whole time they were here whereas Lindsay had to work two days that they were here.  While Lindsay was bringing home the bacon I was in charge of baby-sitting the crazy duo!  On our first day I took them on a road trip down to Fremantle to go to the shops, eat at our favorite fish and chips place, and just enjoy the views of the ocean.

We had been on the highway for about 15 minutes when the car in front of us veered off the road, flew up a light pole and landed upside down on the side of the road over the barricade.  I slammed on my breaks and pulled over to see if they were alright.  We were immediately engulfed in a cloud of smoke and dust from the wreckage and I started flagging down cars to help while dialing 000 (911).  It was amazing how many people pulled over and pulled the woman out of the wreckage.  It was also incredibly scary and even now feels a bit unreal, almost as if I was watching an episode of Rescue 911 or ER.  There was a news station a few cars behind me and they immediately pulled out their video camera to try to capture all of the action on film.  I really don’t understand why journalists think it is necessary to film someone who is obviously unconscious and doesn’t have the ability to say “hey by the way, I’d rather not have my bloody head on the 5 o’clock news, thanks!”  When the camera man was getting in the way of people being able to help the woman I stepped in front of him and just about got in a fight (good thing I’ve been taking karate!).  He got away lucky and eventually realized that the lady was in a very serious condition.  Then he had the audacity to ask if I wanted to be interviewed since I was the only person who witnessed the wreck!  Ha!  They eventually ended up cornering Miss Connie to be filmed and she did a great job highlighting the strength of the anonymous men in business suits, a doctor, and all the other people that were fighting to save the woman’s life.  The rest of our day out was a bit surreal but the beauty and calmness of Fremantle was definitely helpful (and a quick stop at The Little Creatures Brewery!).

Luckily the next day was a lot calmer!  We headed to the Swan Valley where we made our first stop at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory (a must!) and then headed to Jane Brook for lunch and a wine tasting.  Miss Connie and Miss Viv definitely turned Jane Brook upside down!  We rocked up to the winery around 11:30 and didn’t leave until 5:00!  It was an absolutely spectacular day and the weather was beautiful!  After wining and dining we picked Lindsay up from work and headed to one of my new favorite Japanese restaurants, Fuji, for a very authentic dining experience where you had to take your shoes off to dine and the whole nine yards.

After dinner Miss Viv and Lindsay were getting a bit stir crazy so we hesitantly headed down to The Windsor for a quick nip.  Miss Viv and Miss Connie had been begging us to take them to The Windsor since we both have talked about it in previous blogs and since it is so close to our place, but we have been a bit hesitant to go because of some of the same ole rif raf that we tend to see every time we rock up.  Luckily the rif raf must have been on holiday in Northbridge so we ended up having a great time.  My friend Sheldon ended up meeting us for a couple of drinks and got a real taste of Miss Viv’s Cajun twang.  After staying at The Windsor until it closed we headed home and did some quick packing for Margaret River the next day.

The following morning we packed up the convertible and headed South!  The weather was absolutely beautiful and after only a few wrong turns due to navigator error (I was driving mind you) we made it to Merribrook Retreat right outside of Margaret River in Cowaramup.  Merribrook is a quaint little lodge tucked away with beautiful walking trails, a kangaroo paddock, flocks of sheep, and an incredibly hospitable husband and wife who made us feel right at home.  We ventured around Margaret River for a few days visiting The Berry Farm Winery, lots of little shops, and simply touring the beautiful sights.  Surprisingly we even made a visit to the beach where I actually tanned (well sort of tanned, with SPF 55, just in case!) and went for a swim in the ocean (I know, I know, equally as amazing), the water was absolutely stunning and felt amazing!

The trip to Margaret River was incredibly relaxing and well worth the drive.  Lindsay and I had planned to head from Margaret River down South a bit to Walpole where we have heard about an amazing tree walk that is a must see.  The tree walk is known as the “Valley of the Giants.”  The forest is full of beautiful red tingle and karri forests and the tree walk is 125 feet above the ground.  The trees are so big that you can stand inside of their trunks and root systems!  Google it!  After seeing the beautiful forests and running all through the forest and the swaying tree walk we headed to find some lunch.  This was no simple task.  From Walpole back to Perth there is not much at all, there are a few one kangaroo towns where all the shops close at 3:00 and don’t open up again for a month.  Finally we stumbled upon a town with a bit of promise and were able to fill the car up with gas and grab a bite to eat before hitting the road again.

Miss Connie and Miss Viv also got to meet the infamous Maureen and we enjoyed a great meal at Spaghi’s and then we ended up meeting up again once we got back from Margaret River and went to Burswood Casino.  We just so happen to have gone to Burswood on St. Patrick’s Day and ended up getting a bit lucky playing roulette.  Lindsay and I have decided that if all of our big dreams don’t end up working out we’ll just invest in a few rounds of roulette every now and then we’ll be set!  Right…  “Our names our Lindsay and Liz and we have a gambling problem…Hi Lindsay and Liz!”

The following day Miss Connie and Miss Viv headed to the airport around 5:00 in the morning and were off to Sydney for a few days.  It was definitely a blast to have them come and visit and they couldn’t have been more generous in everything they did for Lindsay and me.  Unfortunately after saying good bye to our guests I had to head to work in a couple of hours.  Needless to say I was way past exhausted.

Until next time, cheers mates!

Liz

February and March have flown by soooo incredibly fast!  I can hardly believe it!  It seems like just yesterday that my grandparents were here and we were helping Lindsay’s mom plan her trip to come visit.  Now she has come and gone and April is fast approaching, like tomorrow fast approaching.  So much has gone on since I last updated you all so I will try to give you the Cliff Note version for my ADD blog friends.

About a month before Mardi Gras I started bringing it up in conversation with my fellow co-workers and enlightening them on the real NOLA Mardi Gras, and not the Gay Pride parade that takes place in Sydney.  After much convincing they finally had a more open mind and were excited to hear about the real New Orleans festival.  I decided that in order to truly celebrate Mardi Gras I needed to somehow attempt to work out the perfect King Cake recipe, (and with my trusty King Cake taster Ezell) I finally made one that was worth bringing into work and they loved it!  No one had ever had anything like it before and even now they are still talking about how good it was.  I even put a baby (a whole pecan) in the cake and everything!  Unfortunately someone ate the baby… minor details.  Although it wasn’t anything like my mom’s it wasn’t half bad for my first attempt!  Watch out Emeril, here I come!

My project at WANADA is rolling out fast and I have to learn so much in such a short amount of time.  Luckily I am working with some pretty amazing people that put up with me asking millions of questions.  I absolutely love everyone in the office and they are becoming like a little family around here, complete with a bit of drama every now and then.  I’m getting to do so many different things at WANADA from policy making to research, and designing that the experience I am gaining is absolutely invaluable.

My first official outing with the WANADA gang also just happened via a going away party for Mike and Gabby.  They were both on 6 week long contracts and they were an absolute blast to have in the office!  Gabby had that kind of stand-up comedian personality where she didn’t have to do or say anything but was able to make you laugh and brought a great mix to the office.  Gabby had been a mental health nurse for donkey’s years and had recently just started doing other work and wasn’t used to sitting at a desk all day long.  Every now and then she would conduct exercise classes for the office and her and I would do lunges down the hall ways.  Who says you can’t have a little fun at work!

Mike ended up sitting right next to me in the office and would always say the most random things that made my work day utterly entertaining.  Our real connection came whenever WANADA was catering an event and had left over fruit trays; we really connected over how wonderful a fruit tray is to have around the office!  For their going away party we ended up going to a pub downtown (after a quick nip in the office) and having a few drinks with everyone.  It was great to be able to just hang out with most everyone and enjoy an afternoon together.  The next day I went in to work at Jane Brook and I was definitely dragging a bit, luckily Ryan concocted a couple of ChamBulls for me and I was ready to tackle the day!

We recently had a team building day out in King’s Park where we went on an Aboriginal cultural tour/walk learning about all of the native plants, their uses to people thousands of years ago, and how the now bustling city of Perth once was.  I now know how to survive in the bush with only my trusty kangaroo skin cloak and my natural intuition!

Two days after the WANADA party I went to Ryan’s house (the cellar door manager at Jane Brook) to celebrate his birthday with a few people from Jane Brook and a bunch of his friends.  Let’s just say that Ryan and his partner Elle are incredibly hospitable and never want a guest to have a glass that has the slightest possibility of being considered half empty or loosing it’s condensation on the outside of the glass… and I was very thirsty!  It was great fun to hang out with everyone and I don’t think that I quite lived up to the “Sorority Girl” stereotype that they have put on me and constantly rag on me about.  It was a long night but good fun nonetheless!

I’ve also started taking karate, HI YA!!!, at a dojo just down the road from our place.  If you’ve never done anything like karate or kick boxing before I would highly recommend it.  You have no idea how great it feels to let out all your built up aggression and punch and kick for a couple hours twice a week.  Amazing!  I just passed my first test and officially half a black stripe on my white belt, watch out Bruce Lee!

Until next time, holler!

Liz

It’s officially been 5 months now since Lindsay and I have been living in Australia and I can hardly believe it!  I know that it has been a very, very, very long time since my last blog but I promise that I will make this one worth the wait!

So much has happened since I last wrote in!  I’ve been working at Jane Brook Winery and WANADA (Western Australia Network of Alcohol and Drug Associations), I know, I know, it sounds like a bit of a conflict of interest.  The people at Jane Brook are amazing and best of all, I get to sample wine all day long!  It’s a part of the job of course, there’s no better way to train your palate than tasting the wines on a regular basis.  Jane Brook is a family owned winery with a beautiful dining area outside under grape vines overlooking the vineyard.  It’s also the only winery in the world that has a “sparkling gold” wine.  They actually put pieces of gold in the wine and lovingly call it the “alcoholic’s snow globe”, it’s some pretty fancy stuff!

I have also started working at WANADA, which is a non-profit, non-government organization that acts as a governing body to its members (other alcohol and drug organizations).  They do amazing things in the community and constantly have projects going on.  I am working on a project that focuses on consumer health, more specifically, making sure that alcohol and drug workers understand the importance of general health in relation to their client’s addictions.  It’s some pretty heavy stuff!  The people I work with are great fun and very entertaining.

Lindsay and I have moved into our own mansion, ha!  We’re still living in South Perth, not far from Uncle Joe and Aunt Donna, and we love it!  Our place is basically furnished, close to the grocery store, shops, the post office, and of course The Windsor and Spaghi’s!  It is a two-bedroom, one bath oasis with a stunning view of…a road.  But we love it!

Granny and Grandpappy have come and gone and their stop in Perth was quite a whirlwind vacation!  We traveled down to Margaret River in an eight passenger van/bus that could fit a kindergarten class inside, talk about the Beverly Hill Billy’s heading south!  We stumbled upon a small family owned winery called Brookwood that had a very interesting chilled “mellow rouge” red wine that was very much so worth the trek.  I think everyone’s favorite stop would have to have been the Sheering Shack.  The name implies just what this place was all about, sheering sheep, talking about sheep, watching sheep, and selling things made from wool.  Granny got to touch some down under oysters (if you catch my drift) and the baby lambs were soooo cute!  We also made a stop at a larger winery called Leeuwin Estates where a kinky Frenchman gave us a tour of the wine making process.  A stop for lunch at the Bootleg Brewery for some tasty lunch and then a bit of shopping in the town centre made for a wonderful couple of days in Margaret River.  Ooh, how could I have forgotten the amazing resort we stayed in!  The Cape Lodge was more than awesome!  It had its own lake, grass tennis courts, a restaurant to die for (seriously, some of the best food I have ever eaten!), beautiful scenery, hiking trails all around, and quite possibly the friendliest staff ever (they knew my name!).

The night before we were going to head back to Perth, Grandpappy and Mr. Larry decided that Lindsay and I made driving on the wrong side of the road look far too easy and they wanted to give it a go.  We decided to let them give it a try behind the wheel and buckled up for our lives!  Luckily they didn’t actually leave the Cape Lodge roads but after both driving about the length of a football field they decided that they would need a few driving lessons to perfect their skills.  They weren’t half bad, and I think I actually did more laughing than anything.  Mrs. Beverly and Granny heard about the guys getting behind the wheel and the next morning Mrs. Beverly decided that she better give it a go.  Let’s just say we took out a few rose bushes and a small stone ledge while she was behind the wheel!  Granted, she did have the boys criticizing her the whole time, so there was a bit more pressure.

We made it back to Perth in one piece and immediately everyone was in shopping mode!  Granny and Mrs. Beverly had held off buying any souvenirs until they got to Perth so that they wouldn’t have to carry them all over Australia with them, so come crunch time we were shopping fools!  We started their last full day in Perth off at Caversham Wildlife Park where Lindsay gave them a quick tour of the park and a private showing with “Big Bubs” the wombat.  After walking around the park for a bit we headed to the gift shop and left with at least one of everything!  From t-shirts and ties, to books and wind chimes we had it all!  (A special thanks to the incredibly patient shop girls that put up with us sifting through all the Aussie souvenirs like a hurricane!)  Next, we headed to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory to occupy our sweet tooth a bit before lunch.  As always this was a great stop and just what we needed to keep cruising through the day.  For lunch we went to Jane Brook Winery to enjoy an afternoon sip and a delicious lunch.  All the visitors got to meet some of my fellow colleagues and I think that they now understand that my accent is nothing compared to the Southern American twang!

After lunch we headed back to town where we hit the shops!  Granted, Granny and Mrs. Beverly got most of their shopping done at the stops earlier in the day but there were still a few last minute things that they “had” to find.  As we were driving through town looking for a place to park Grandpappy and Mr. Larry began talking about finding a hat to bring back with them, and not any old hat.  They were bound and determined to find a genuine Crocodile Dundee, real Aussie jackaroo, Australian made hat that no one could compare to in the States.  Luckily I knew just the place where we could go, as the car was stopped at a red light Grandpappy, Mr. Larry, and I jumped out of the bus and went into “Mad Hatters”.  As soon as they walked in the door of the shop they were like kids in a candy store.  They were trying on hats left and right, eyeing themselves in the mirror just so, and getting their hats sized so they would fit their head perfectly!  Now, I do have to admit, when it comes to taste, my grandfather definitely has an eye for style and when Mr. Larry and him walked out of “Mad Hatters” I felt like I was walking with two classy fellows.

After tearing through the downtown shopping district of Perth we headed back to their hotel and relaxed in the bar before heading to dinner with the infamous Maureen!  Around 6:00 we were off to our favorite Italian restaurant in South Perth, Spaghi’s, and the beginning to a very entertaining dinner began.  I had told Maureen a bit about my grandparents and the Earnest’s, where they had come from, what they did for a living, etc. but I wasn’t quite sure how well they were going to hit it off!  Granny and Maureen chatted about everything from growing up on farms to being in Steel Magnolias (yes, we were with some real live actresses, both Granny and Mrs. Beverly’s claim to fame has to be their small cameos with Olympia Dukakis in Steel Magnolias).  The night turned out to be lots of fun, full of anecdotes, and an all around great final evening in Perth.  After dinner we meandered down to the riverfront and walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel.

The next morning I woke up at 5:00 A.M. to head to the hotel to take everyone to the airport for their 6:30-ish flight, yeah it was very, very, very early!  I was definitely sad to wish everyone a farewell but over the moon about sharing Australia with my grandparents and the Earnest’s.  We had an amazing time touring around the wine region, hearing old stories, and just being able to take some time off of work to be with family.

G’day mates!

Liz

Note to Readers:  This blog is about 2 months old, but I am trying to work on my blogging skills!  I promise a more recent one will be up soon!

This week I have two interviews, one at Jane Brook Estate Winery (www.janebrook.com.au) and the second is at WANADA, the Western Australian Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies (www.wanada.com.au).  I started off the week at Jane Brook where I met the very welcoming and energetic cellar door manager named Ryan.  He was incredibly friendly and very excited that I was interested in working at the winery while only being in Australia for a short time.  I absolutely fell in love with the winery and their philosophy of simply having a good time while at work and making all of the customers leave in a better mood then when they entered.  He offered me a trial run and encouraged me to come in for a full tasting of their wines, I’m sooo excited!

Lately I have been having a craving to bake and open up a bakery, so I found a local bakery chain and talked to someone about possibly working for them.  I stopped by their headquarters in Perth City and filled out an application for an assistant pastry chef.  Knowing that the only pastry chef experience I have involves a 75 watt light bulb and the Easy Bake Oven I got for my 16th birthday.  But, how do you put that on a resume?  Minor details.  After applying at Miss Maud’s I investigated the company a little more and found out that the infamous Miss Maud was from Sweden and brought some of her favorite pastry recipes to Australia and turned it into a very successful chain of pastry shops.  The other thing Miss Maud brought from Sweden was the traditional Swedish style of dress that reminds me of the little animated children in the “It’s A Small World” ride at Disney World, a.k.a. not cute.  Hopefully the first two jobs work out!

I also put my information on a website where parents can find nannies and baby-sitters.  I have gotten a lot of responses and on Tuesday I went to baby-sit for a three-year old named Ava.  Despite being your somewhat typical two-year old she was pretty good, but what I didn’t realize was that the biggest difference in American English and Australian English so far was in dealing with kids.  Some of the differences made sense and some were completely bizarre!  Here are a few of the crazy and not so crazy translations: baby=bubs; diaper=nappy; stroller=prawn; cookie=biscuit; pants=daks, kindergarten=kindie; have to go to the bathroom=wee; grocery cart=trolley; and candy=lollies.  These are only a few of the crazy words Ava’s mom was saying while I just kept nodding my head and tried to keep the confused look off of my face.  Luckily I think I convinced her that I wasn’t lost in translation.

Saturday Lindsay and I went up to Swan Valley to have a tasting at Jane Brook.  Ryan was there and cheerful as ever, I also met a few other people that worked at the winery, it really amazes me how happy everyone seems to be working there.  Most places there is someone that has a miserable look on their face, but I really did not see anyone that did not look like they were having an amazing time.  Sheldon also works in the Cellar Door and he took Lindsay and I through a full tasting of the sparkling wines, white wines, red wines, ports, and fortifieds.  I don’t know if it is because I am already a bit partial towards Jane Brook’s wines, but I really did love the taste of everything I tried!  The flavors were so complex, yet simple, and interesting, nothing tasted like the other wines I have tried from that region.  Sheldon knew so much about the wines, where each and every grape came from, and the history of the evolution of some of the flavors.  He was so interesting and made me want to go home and learn as much about wine making as I possibly could!  After trying about 25 wines Lindsay and I decided that it would be a good idea for us to hang around the winery for a bit before heading home.  We hung out in the beautiful outdoor lunch area for about an hour sipping on coffee and indulged in an amazing fruit tart.  We thanked everyone at the Cellar Door for an amazing afternoon and I can’t wait for my trial run!  Things are looking up in the unemployed world!!!

Miss you all!

Liz

The car was packed, full of gas, and with our trusty road map ready we hit the open road!  After making a slight detour we made it out of Perth with only a minor 30 km wrong turn that took us around the city and back to our original location.  Margaret River is about four hours South of Perth and within this small town is some of the world’s most beautiful wineries, coastal views, and from what I hear some of the best tasting wines!

After being on the road for about two hours we made a pit stop at a gas station where Lindsay took over the driver’s seat and I fell asleep in about 2.5 seconds and didn’t wake up until we made it to Dunsborough and then fell asleep again on the 40 minute drive from Dunsborough to Margaret River.  I was soooo tired! 

When we arrived in Margaret River I immediately felt the charm that brings thousands of tourists to this small coastal town every year.  The main strip through the town is full of small shops, unique restaurants, cafes, and all the surf shops you can handle.  Not having any kind of plan we headed straight to the Margaret River tourist center where we first looked for a place to camp out and then looked into touring some wineries.  We easily found a camp ground that had an open tent spot and made a reservation for the next day with a bus tour company.  When we got to our camp site I definitely felt like my inner “Troop Beverly Hills” was coming out and I soon realized why my Girl Scout troop in 2nd grade stayed in a hotel when we went camping instead of roughing it in the wilderness.  I do have some camping experience, and if there weren’t any bugs or dirt in the wilderness I could definitely see myself enjoying camping more than I do.  But, Lindsay and I were prepared to rough it and we set-up our tent like true veterans!  We only hit a minor road block when we discovered the air mattress pump was not charged, luckily there was an outlet nearby so we soaked up the beautiful sunset while the pump was charging.

Once camp was all set-up we headed to the “Sea Garden”, a nearby restaurant that was within walking distance from the campsite.  Being that we were officially in the most famous wine region of Australia, we decided to start off with wine.  Unfortunately, Lindsay likes red wine and I like white wine, so the only solution and the most cost effective solution was for each of us to get our own bottle of wine.  I had an amazing sauvignon semillion blanc that was amazing and complemented by vegetarian pizza with sweet potatoes amazingly!  About 2 ½ hours later we had finished our dinner, indulged in a fruit tart and we headed back to the camp site.  Before leaving the restaurant I attempted to go to the bathroom that was virtually impossible to find, being that it was around back behind the restaurant and it was pitch black outside.  Walking back from the bathroom I completely fell flat on my face and slid down the sand stairs, being in the bush is dangerous!  Luckily it was so dark that no one saw me, but nonetheless I was in a lot of pain!  It was so dark outside and we could barely see the ground we were walking on while heading back to our camp site.  Being an incredibly competitive person I decided to race Lindsay back to the campsite, we decided that running would be too dangerous so we raced while skipping.  From the restaurant to the campsite was only about half a football field in length, so we didn’t have too far to go.  Unfortunately the terrain was pretty treacherous and Lindsay decided to start running the last few yards (cheater!) and in turn tumbled down a small incline.  Needless to say it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and took my mind off of my throbbing/bleeding knee.

Once the sun went down it was about 45°F outside, so it was a bit chilly!.  Our two blankets were not helping much at all and on top of being incredibly cold there was quite possibly the most annoying sounding raven squawking all night long!  If I were for guns and if it were legal in Australia to have a gun I would have seriously tried to take out the bird, unfortunately all I had was a boomerang and I probably would have taken myself out if I tried to tackle the bird with it.  I probably slept about three hours in total because every time I would almost be asleep Lindsay would take all of the blankets and then I would wake up with my teeth chattering out of control!  Around 5:30 A.M. both Lindsay and I were wide awake and decided to abandon out campsite for some place warmer.  The only place open at 6:00 in the morning was a small coffee shop so we grabbed a latte and a muffin and then decided to head to Dunsborough where there were beautiful coastal views and a few national parks to venture through.

As we got close to Dunsborough we kept seeing signs for a cave so we headed to go exploring in the infamous cave.  We found the park that claimed to have a cave and although all the signs said that you must go with a guide we made the executive decision to not wait around for a guide to show up, I’ve been in tons of caves before, so I was pretty sure I could handle this one.  I honestly think that although there were a bunch of signs pointing in the direction of the cave, there wasn’t actually a cave.  Maybe that is where the $15 entrance fee went to, for the guide to show you the hidden cave.  We walked all around the place and never saw a “cave”…

After not finding a cave we headed to the Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park which Uncle Joe had recommended we go to visit if we ever headed to Margaret River.  It was more beautiful than I ever could have imagined!  There were beautiful cliffs, giant waves crashing against huge boulders, the water was the most beautiful blue color I have ever seen, and the views truly took my breath away!  Lindsay and I hiked all around the area, adventuring through the bush and taking in the beautiful sites and sounds of the ocean.  Once we were done touring around the park it was time to head back down to Margaret River to meet our tour.

We waited at the Margaret River tourist center until we were met by our incredibly friendly tour guide, Chris.  He was your typical Australian and actually looked a bit like the actor who plays Hagrid in Harry Potter without all of the Hagrid get-up on.  We started off with lunch along a river that looked very familiar to a Louisiana swamp.  There was a kookaburra bird that when one of the chefs held up a piece of raw meat it would swoop down and take it right out of the chef’s hand.  Crazy!  After lunch we headed to our first of three wineries.  We started off with a really big and corporate style winery, and then a medium sized winery that was family owned, and then ended with a winery that was simply one guy making wine.  In between the wineries, we made stops at the Margaret River venison store, The Cheese House, the Margaret River chocolate factory, and lastly we headed to the Colonial brewery.  The tour was so much fun!  My favorite stop was definitely the chocolate factory.

After the tour we had to head back to South Perth, we made a quick stop to get some coffee and dinner and then hit the road!  I was on kangaroo watch and Lindsay drove most of the way home.  I have an interview tomorrow at Jane Brook Estate Winery so cross your fingers!!!

Miss you all!

Liz

This week Lindsay started working at Caversham Wildlife Park which meant that I basically had the house all to myself for the four days that she was at work slaving away!  The fun of dancing around like Tom Cruise in “Risky Business” only lasted so long sooo… I applied for tons more jobs and basically hit every spectrum of what I could possibly be doing.  I looked at everything from working at a golf course to a pastry chef to a beekeeper’s assistant to numerous non-profit organizations and wineries.  I’m bound to find something soon!  Cross your fingers for me!

Friday was Scott’s last night in Australia so we had planned to all hang out before his morning flight on Saturday.  We met in Downtown Perth and walked around aimlessly looking for a place to eat… being indecisive is awesome!  We headed to an area called Northbridge that has a bunch of restaurants, fun shops, and bars, so it seemed promising.  We finally decided that we were craving Asian food and to our surprise we ended up in the Asian Town of Perth.  There was restaurant after restaurant of authentic looking places with names like “Happy China”, “Lucky Bowl”, and “Green Dragon”.  The first place we walked into was a BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage) so we decided to try another place…that can really make or break your night!  The next place was a buffet style, cook at your table, all you can eat place that looked promising.  We decided to stick with the buffet after realizing that most people were doing that even though there was quite an array of unidentifiable things in it.  Our waiter realized that we were totally out of our element and a bit confused, so he kindly gave us a tour of everything on the buffet and tried to explain what everything was (even though he was unsure of a few things!).  To begin they brought a big burner that looked like it had exploding potential, and then they brought two different types of broths to cook everything in.  We decided on the hot and spicy (to be a little adventurous) and the original chicken broth (to play it safe).

Lindsay and Scott quickly stocked up on their all you can drink Emu Bitter Beer (3% Alc!) while I stuck to my selection of soy inspired beverages (antibiotics are horrible!).  We piled our plates up with unidentifiable meats, tofu balls, and vegetables and then went to town cooking.  Not thinking about a methodical way to do this and being very hungry we basically threw everything into the two different broths and hoped for the best.  I was feeling a bit adventurous and tried a tofu square cooked in the hot and spicy broth and immediately my entire body felt like it was in flames!  My lips were burning, my mouth was on fire, my eyes were watering, my nose was running, and I could barely talk because I was in so much pain!  I guzzled my soy beverage down and about five itty bitty glasses of tea and it seemed to not do anything but make it worse!  I really thought I was about to die.  So much for that heat threshold that I thought I had.  Scott gave it a go and had a much more controlled reaction, but still agreed that it was ridiculously spicy but he likes to suffer when eating.  Lindsay didn’t even attempt to try it.

After inflicting unnecessary pain on ourselves at dinner we headed back to South Perth and hung out at Scott’s apartment, reminiscing about the old days…well the three weeks we’ve known each other.  We said our goodbyes and Lindsay and I headed back to Uncle Joe’s to get things packed up for our trip to Margaret River!!!


Happy Reading and Miss You!!

Liz

Tonight started out like any other night going out with Lindsay and Scott.  We went to a great area of Perth called Subiaco that has a bunch of restaurants, small shops, and bars.  Being three of the most indecisive people in the entire world we wandered around for a bit looking for a place to eat and eventually decided upon an Italian looking restaurant that turned out to be a pretty good pick.

After dinner we went to this really groovy coffee house/ice cream bar/pool hall/dance club.  I kid you not, this place had everything!  The walls were decorated with hundreds of posters from musicians that had come and gone through the Perth area and hanging from the ceiling were about one hundred big white paper lanterns that were swaying in the slight breeze that was going through the café.  We hung out there for a bit before hopping back in Scott’s rental car and heading to Burswood Casino!

In my Lonely Planet travel guide book it lists Burswood Casino as “the tackiest place to visit while in Perth.”  Lindsay and I had tried to go check it out before but were declined entrance because Lindsay was wearing rubber thongs (flip flops) so they wouldn’t let us in!  But they let in the guy beside us wearing beat up shoes, cut-off denim shorts, and a fanny pack!  Does that make sense?  I think not.

In Australia the drinking age and gambling age are both 18 years old so there was quite a diverse crowd of people at the casino.  Everyone from incredibly young looking high schoolers to your dedicated slot machine women, and your wannabe televised poker men were walking around the casino taking it all in and eyeing the competition.  The place was pretty full by the time we got there and as usual I was stopped by the bouncers at the front to check my ID.  Now…do you really think that I look 18 years old?  I definitely don’t think so!  But I brushed it off and took it as a humbling gesture and then ran in trying to catch up with Lindsay and Scott who breezed right past the bouncers.

We headed to the roulette tables where Scott was bound and determined to win back everything he had lost (which would have been a small miracle).  This was the first time I had played roulette and I could definitely see why it would be addicting!  I was on a roll (betting with Scott’s money!) and won some big money, about $15, before everyone else was out of money and we decided to walk away.  We ran into one of Scott’s gambling friends, Jeremy, and hung out with him for the rest of the night.  We hung out in the bar for a bit before loosing more at the table games.

We then headed to Paddy O’Brien’s, which was a bar in the casino complex.  There was a bouncer at this door and of course, Scott, Lindsay, and Jeremy all went in without a problem but I had to dig for my passport in my bottomless purse to prove that I was over 18!  I really think someone was out to get me at Burswood Casino!  There was an awesome cover band at Paddy O’Brien’s that we danced and listened to for a bit.  I had gone to the doctor the day before because I felt like my throat was going to fall out…and yes I think that is possible.  So…I was exhausted!  We headed home, dropped Scott off and went to bed!

The next morning we had planned to wake up early and go to a giant wine festival in Swan Valley, about 30 minutes away, called “Spring in the Valley.”  Needless to say the early morning start was delayed a bit because of the events at Burswood Casino the night before.  Eventually we got up and after making a stop at McDonald’s so that Scott could get three cheeseburgers (hangover food of choice) we headed to Swan Valley.  As we were getting close to Swan Valley we saw tons of buses, people dressed all crazy like, and there were just cars parked all over the place!  This was definitely quite a festival and we were in a bit of shock over what we were getting ourselves into!

Our first stop was at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory!  It was amazing!  They had giant bowls of chocolate chips in milk, dark, and white chocolate flavors for you to try.  Tons of different types of truffles, bars of chocolate, and really everything else that could possibly be made out of chocolate (soap, shampoo, dipping oils, candles, everything!)!  After getting our chocolate fix we crossed the street to Lancaster Wines.  The vineyards were incredibly gorgeous!  There were rows upon rows of grapes growing in perfectly straight lines, it was awesome!  As we were getting close to the tasting point we noticed that some people were dressed up in crazy costumes, others were dressed all alike, and very few were dressed like Scott, Lindsay, and me.  We definitely missed that memo!  We paid $10 for a “free” wine glass and a tasting and after feeling very out of place decided to venture further into the valley and see what else was going on.

All three of us love Aboriginal art, so we decided to make a stop at the Aboriginal Museum.  It was by far the best idea we had all day!  It was sooo awesome!  The best thing was that there was tons of Aboriginal dot art everywhere!  The even better thing was that there was amazing food!  There were these awesome jam filled tarts, some kind of roasted seed cake, and other great goodies to try that were derived from Aboriginal recipes and techniques.  After taste testing everything and buying some awesome gifts we headed out and drove around the valley some more before deciding to drive to Fremantle.

Lindsay and I have been craving Ciccerello’s fish and chips ever since our first trip to Fremantle so we made a pit stop by Uncle Joe’s to get ketchup (it is an essential item!) and then took Scott to our favorite place!  It was amazing!  We were all pretty sleep deprived and hungry and Ciccerello’s definitely hit the stop!  After hanging around in Fremantle for a bit we headed back to South Perth, with a quick stop at our local VideoEzy to rent “Somethings Gotta Give” and “Martian Child”.  We ended up watching both of the movies over the weekend and had some time to relax for a bit!

Thanks for reading and miss you!

Liz

This morning I pretended like I was in the Tour de France and went on a bike ride around the Swan River.  I got back to the house and then Uncle Joe, Lindsay and I went to Kings Park to walk around for a bit and enjoy the amazingly beautiful day!  Kings Park is basically double the size of Central Park in New York City and has a tree walk, botanical gardens, tons of fountains, and a bunch of different memorials all throughout the park.  The views from Kings Park are absolutely breathtaking and are by far the best views of the city and of the Swan River.  There were tons of people in the park picnicking, hanging out, going on camel rides, and enjoying the wildflowers.  Currently, the Wildflower Festival is going on and there are beautiful wildflowers all over the park (check out the pictures I have posted) and you can also buy wildflower seeds to plant in your own garden.  Western Australia is known as the “Wildflower States” so they take their wildflowers pretty serious around here.

One of the best things about living in Perth is that Western Australia has the most national holidays out of any other state, thus the reason for most people not having to work on September 29th because of Queen Elizabeth’s birthday!  In honor of the Queen, Lindsay and I decided to throw a little birthday party for her, fiesta style!  We decided to invite our closest friends over for dinner and drinks, Uncle Joe and Scott.

We have been craving Mexican food like it going out of style because it is no where to be found around here!  No Taco Bell, no Trejo’s, no Superior, no Nicky’s, nothing!!!  So we headed to our favorite local grocery store (Supa IGA) and raided the place for taco seasoning, tortillas, avocados, cheese (not for me of course), and everything else that we needed to have a great fiesta.  It was very evident that Aussie’s don’t eat a lot of Mexican food because the Mexican food section was equivalent to the candy aisle as you are checking out of a grocery store in the States (a.k.a. small).  Next, we headed right next door to the liquor store to find some margarita mix and Tequila, which was almost equally as depressing!  There was one option of margarita mix and only two Tequilas.  We made it work, got the goods and headed to start cooking for the birthday party. 

Lindsay and I went to town in the kitchen making home-made guacamole, sautéed vegetables, fajita chicken, ground beef, corn, and a wide array of toppings to accent the whole meal.  We had the ice machine going full speed in order to make frozen margaritas and we were getting the party started!  When Scott and Uncle Joe got here we set-up all the food on our beautiful patio over-looking the Swan River and toasted to Queen Elizabeth!  Uncle Joe wasn’t feeling so hot so he ended the night a little earlier than the rest of us.  Lindsay, Scott, and I continued hanging out and chatting and eventually started to play some poker, which I lost at miserably, and watched a little television.

The next day I had a job interview at a recreation center in the area that I was pretty excited about.  It was relatively close to where we live, it seemed like it was going to be really fun, and it was great to have a job prospect.  Unfortunately after the interview I found out that the really fun job was actually going to be really boring and all I was going to do was sell gym memberships…so much for that.  Needless to say I think the lady read through my “excitement” and she never called me back.

That evening Maureen (our upstairs neighbor) came over and gave us two tickets to the Royal Perth Show.  The Royal Perth Show is a really big deal around here and is basically a giant carnival/state fair/cheap stuff event.  Lindsay and I decided to go and experience what the locals rave about every year.  We packed our rain jackets, hopped on a bus nearby, and headed to the big event.  Unfortunately we missed our stop and ended up having to take the scenic route, but with help from the bus driver we finally figured it out made it there.

As soon as we got off the bus the beautiful blue sky turned gray and it started raining…just our luck!  We ventured around the place, checked out some of the vendors and then decided to hop on the chair lift to head to the other side of the event area.  The views from the chair lift were amazing and despite my butt being soaked by the time we got off it was awesome!  When we got off the chair lift we were officially in the carnival rides section and middle-school alley!  There were so many kids running all over the place having an absolute blast spending their parents money on rides, games that no one can win at, and on the infamous “show bags”.

After riding a haunted train ride (Lindsay’s idea) we went to go figure out what exactly a “show bag” was and why everyone was raving about them.  Basically, there was tents set-up all throughout the park that sold grab bags full of candy, footy paraphernalia, cheap toys, and whatever else you can buy for tickets at Chuck E. Cheese’s.  Kids went crazy for these bags!  Some families we saw left the show with 10 show bags!  It was absolute madness…but I’m sure that if I were an 8-year-old I would have absolutely needed a show bag to end my day at the Royal Perth Show.  This event was huge!  There was a tent full of baby farm animals, a tent full of cakes, pies, and other home-made things that people had entered to be judged, a tent that made me feel like I was shopping in China Town, and more food places than you can possibly imagine!

Finally we were wet enough from the rain that we decided to leave and hopped on a train back to Perth where we caught a cab to take us back to South Perth.  By the time we got back to the house we ate some dinner and went to bed!  These last few days were jam packed with stuff going on and it all started with a kick-off party for Queen Elizabeth!  Happy birthday Queeny!

Thanks for reading, miss you all!

Liz

This weekend Lindsay and I had all intentions to invite our friend Scott over and hang out with Uncle Joe while having a Grand Final party and watching St. Kilda versus Hawthorne battle it out for the top title.  But… early Saturday morning Uncle Joe came knocking on our door around 8:30 A.M. and said “we’re heading North to where the sunshine is!”  Not really knowing what to expect, we packed an over-night bag and started driving up the Western coast!

We soon found out that we were headed to Dongara, a small coastal town about 6 hours north of Perth.  On the way to Dongara we stopped to eat lunch in a cute little town called Gingin (pronounced Jenn-Jenn) and ate at a quaint little café called Eliza’s.  Gingin is your typical small town with a nice park area, a few small shops, cafés, and a quaint country feeling.  While we were eating at Eliza’s there was a beautiful outdoor wedding going on in the park next to the café.

After finishing up at Eliza’s we hit the road again and guess what!?!?  We totally passed a whole field of kangaroos!!!!!!!!  Yes, real-life bouncing-pouches-with-joeys kangaroos!  Lindsay just about had a heart-attack in the back seat and I couldn’t believe that we were actually seeing real-live kangaroos.  This was quite a change from the dead ones that we kept seeing along the side of the road.  Apparently kangaroos are really dumb and like to run in the middle of the road like deer, so…to combat this problem people but giant metal grills on the front of their car just incase they hit a kangaroo.  Classy and functional!

Our next stop was absolutely amazing!  We made a stop at The Pinnacles.  The Pinnacles is a national park that is basically a million large rocks coming up from the ground that were once at the bottom of the ocean.  Over time they have slowly appeared from the ground as the sand in the area has shifted.  It looked like we were walking through the scene of a science-fiction movie as we were exploring.  Slowly Uncle Joe maneuvered his trusty CR-V through the millions of rocks protruding from the ground.  We parked the car to walk around for a bit and Lindsay got so excited because she thought she saw a giant lizard lying on a Pinnacle.  The Steve Irwin inside of her starting blurting out “crickey!” left and right.  This might be a surprise to you but there wasn’t actually a giant lizard there, it was a tree root.  Nonetheless it was pretty hilarious.

After adventuring around The Pinnacles for a bit we continued on our drive and arrived in Dongara.  We tried to find a place to stay but apparently everyone that lives in Dongara decided to get married this weekend and on top of the footy grand final the sleepy town of Dongara turned into a bustling place to hang out for the weekend.  We eventually found a place to stay at The Priory which used to be a nunnery.  To come to the conclusion that “nunnery” was an actual term took a 15 minute long conversation that concluded with the fact that there was a difference between a “nunnery” and a “convent”.  (F.Y.I.: A nunnery is a building or group of buildings for nuns whereas a convent is a community of persons devoted to religious life under a superior… thank you dictionary.com!).

After checking into the nunnery we headed to get some dinner and went to a great seafood restaurant right down the road (which I guess everything in Dongara could be considered right down the road…).  The footy crowd was still there and you could definitely tell which team had won and which had lost.  Some of the poor St. Kilda Saints fans were laying their heads on the bar while clenching a pint in the other hand, whereas the Hawthorne Hawks fans were singing, dancing, and having a great time basking in their glory.

Our hotel was quite the place to be in Dongara!  There was a live band, the bar was packed, and everyone was having a great time enjoying the evening.  Uncle Joe, Lindsay, and I had a drink and then went out to where there were no lights at all to look at the stars.  The sky was absolutely breathtaking!  I felt like we were in a planetarium gazing up at the Milky Way, the Southern Cross, distant planets, and billions upon billions of stars.  The Milky Way was quite possibly one of the coolest things I have ever seen!  I would definitely advise everyone to take a moment out of their busy lives to take a drive and just look up in the sky; it really puts everything in perspective.

The following morning we checked out of the nunnery and stopped at a small café for breakfast before heading down to the beach.  The trek to the beach was down a small trail that led straight to the ocean.  All three of us were wearing our Australian outback hats looking like locals as we walked around a bit looking for shells, whales, dolphins, and other sea creatures.  After getting our ocean fix for the hour we hopped in the car and headed out of town heading back to Perth.

 
Heading back South along the coastline we stopped for lunch in Lancelin at a great ocean side restaurant that had a guy singing, great views of the ocean, surfers, and fishing boats, as well as a great atmosphere.  There were families picnicking and little kids running all over the place as well as locals getting their drink on.  After wining and dining we walked down a few steps to one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen!  The water was the most beautiful mixture of blue and green colors I have ever seen with the warm sun creating a beautiful pearl effect on top of the water’s perfect surface.  It seemed as if I could see the bottom of the ocean because the water was so picturesque.

 

From Lancelin Uncle Joe entrusted me to drive the rest of the way home, but before getting home we made one last stop along our whirlwind tour at Yanchep National Park.  This place was amazing!  There was an area that had a bunch of koalas hanging around in trees and they were fully protected from predators and humans.  When the sun began to go down, like magic kangaroos were coming out of the surrounding forest to graze on the grass, they weren’t afraid of the people that were practically touching them as they were eating.  It was the craziest thing!  It was so cool to finally see koalas and kangaroos up close!

 

Finally we got back home, unpacked the car, and chilled for the rest of the evening.  Tomorrow is the Queen’s birthday which is a national holiday in Australia so lots of people have work off and most kids don’t have to go to school.  Check back for all of my Queen’s birthday festivities!

 

Thanks for reading and I miss you all!

 

Liz

 

P.S.  In response to Lindsay’s “Funny Story of the Week” simply involving me is basically a big lie.  All of the “Funny Stories of the Week” actually involve her and they are just too embarrassing to publish on the internet.  Glad we cleared that up!