Monday we spent the morning and better half of the afternoon with Badger until he took off back up North with his little son Noah. The rest of Monday we just hung around the property and play what else....Frisbee golf!
Tuesday was another relaxing day on the property. We hung around outside in the fantastic weather and helped Todd set up the water pump that connected two of the far tanks to the house. I'm sure this lingo means very little to our city folk friends and family. Pretty much my brother owns what I calculated to be 24,000 gallons of water tanks. They let the tanks fill with rain water and use that for the house. Talk about self sustained!
Wednesday we had a leisure morning waiting for Todd to get done with some work in the office. But when he was finally done he had a pretty bad migraine. While we waited for him to sleep it off Em and I caught up on some reading. I finished Fear and Loathing a few weeks ago so I moved on to the Alchemist while Emlyn is reading Julie and Julia. She also finished my scarf this week which you will be seeing in the next slide show. I love it! I'm sure most of you are wondering how much use I will get out of a angora scarf in LA but I love it and will find some day to wear it.
After Todd's migraine wore off we took Rylan to the pool for some McSwimming lessons. I polished off what I could remember from my teaching days but Rylan was a bit distracted with all the commotion so we ended up just playing around, which he loved of course. After swimming we met up with Todd and Tipp's friend John and Emma to help them move some furniture into their newly remodeled home. So lovely.
Thursday was a day that I was dreading for weeks but ended up being one of my favorite days of the trip. We had been postponing the Mount Warning climb because of scheduling and my horse incident. Our initial plan was that Em, Todd and I would hike the Mountain and camp at the top. But since the condition of my back was getting worse by the day we decided to make it a day trip and include Tipp. We headed up the mountain at around ten am and arrived at the top at around ten minutes to twelve. I was very surprised because the night before I threw my back out just picking up some dishes. I was pleased with myself and the views were absolutely the best reward. I am not exactly a climbing pro but I will say that going up was much easier for me than coming down. I fell once and I was holding my bladder the last hour down. I can't complain though because it was a really lovely day.
When we returned home from the hike we had a bonfire with marshmallows and Corona. A little side not about Corona in Australia: Don't get it. I thought it tasted a little off and my suspicions were confirmed when I read that they bottled it in New Zealand. CHEATERS!! On top of that you would never guess what a 24 pack goes for. Want to guess? Try 60 BUCKS!!!
Friday morning we rose bright and early to make the morning bird feeding at the Currumbin Bird Sanctuary. I really enjoyed this day because I got to see all the famous Australian wildlife. Last time Em and I visited OZ we went to the barefoot bushman's park. At both parks you get the opportunity to be up close with my favorite, the kangaroos. I went so far as to fulfill an absurd but understandable request and touch the pouch of 2 of the Kangaroos. That evening Tipp had to go to a family event in Brisbane so Todd, Em and I did a round of Frisbee golf and chilled the rest of the evening with Bonnie. She brought over some delicious Thai food and we caught up on Dexter.
Today we packed Ry Kai in his moving bungalow aka a backpack that holds a kid and set off on our last hike of the trip. Springbrook is a national park that sits on top of a mountain about 1 hour drive from Todd and Tipps house. We hiked through lush Rain forest and several waterfalls to reach our rest spot by a water hole. We enjoyed the lovely weather and a yummy McPicnic. On our way home from Springbrook we stopped by the famous fudge shop to pick up some fudge for after dinner and an ice cream for the road. When we arrived back at the property Badger had finished moving Jocelyn's belongings into a storage shed so Em and I relaxed and played with Rylan in our room. Just now we put Rylan to sleep and Todd Em and I are going to watch as much Dexter as possible.
Tomorrow we leave early in the am to Brisbane to catch a movie with Badge and then off to the NRL game (Rugby). Monday morning we fly off to our last destination on the McTravel: SYDNEY!
Thank you all so much for taking the time to read through our travels. This summer hasbeen life changing for both Emlyn and I. We have learned so much about our family, our relationship with each other and most importantly ourselves. I am so eager to come home and begin my career in LA and for Em to go back to San Diego and finish up her last year at state. Thanks again!
Much love, hugs and McKisses from down under,
Lauren
It sounds like you 2 may have done some (hopefully a lot) of that McBonding you planned at the beginning of the summer.
ReplyDeleteIt was good to talk to the 2 of you just now but I look forward to many details of the trip (i.e. Rylan, the hike up and down Mt. Warning, Rylan, Murwillumbah, Rylan, T & T, a little more about Rylan, the dog, horses, and finally RYlan)when you return.