Today we are very, very proud to publish a post from our beloved niece, Fran. But before we do, a few prefatory remarks are necessary. One, Fran wrote this all by herself and there was no adult editing involved - certainly none by her aunt or uncle. Two, we know we can never write as well as this (and she's 11!), so don't get used to this literary standard. And three, we think it was very kind of her to omit the incident where her father was bitten in the derriere by a large pelican, so we won't mention it either.
And now, take it away Fran!!
The first words I heard when I stepped off the plane that had carried me half-way across the world was "G’day Ma’am!’ It was the stewardess who spoke those words. They were the first words of a spectacular Aussie adventure.
My experience in Melbourne in particular has been amazing. Matt and Marlys took us to many wonderful places inside and outside the city. My six-day experience has led to many new discoveries in Melbourne including a game called Australian Rules Football. It is a fast-paced game with many different rules. The team that we saw play were the Bulldogs. It was a crazy, wonderful, and brilliant game. However sitting in the stands of the arena was no match to the next place Matt and Marlys took us to, outside of Melbourne in the bush. The Mornington Peninsula is where the raging waters of the Bass Strait collide with the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay. The Bass Strait crashes with so much force that the ocean spray flies up and the sound deafens the ear. Standing atop the peninsula cliff looking into the watery depths below you, it seems that at that time the oceans’ temperamental beauty becomes clear. When you tear your eyes from the ocean and you look behind you can see a new sea; a sea of green. The ocean of green is created by the tops of a gigantic eucalyptus trees. It’s a wonderful sight.
Next we were taken to Healesville sanctuary where they have all the Australian Animals in their natural environment. We saw wallabies, dingoes, emus, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, snakes (Taipan etc.), and kookaburras. Kookaburra‘s laughs I have found are definitely laughing at you not with you! We also went driving through a mountain road that led to a forest that looked astonishingly like Jurassic park! There were huge Mountain Ash trees that formed a cathedral like pattern. There were also giant ferns everywhere! I half expected a T-Rex to come bounding at our car!
We left from Melbourne to tour a little more of Australia. When we came back we went to Vick Market, a outdoor market full of Australian charm. We explored St. Kilda, which is a cute Melbourne neighborhood. Melbourne has a lot of great things to see, like the Eureka Tower and Luna Park. Melbourne is a charming city with many things that keep you happy and entertained. The famous Melbourne Tram transportation can take you all over the city and to some of the many great Melbourne attractions!
I would like to finish by thanking Matt and Marlys for their excellent hospitality! We owe them so much, I cant tell you how much a nice comfortable bed, a hot shower, and people you love to talk to, really improves your trip. They took us around Melbourne and the surrounding areas, took us to hidden wonders and showed us the best of Melbourne.
OK, one last thing. We showed Fran off to all our friends and co-workers in Melbourne, and she was an instant hit. Everyone is asking when she'll be back!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Independence Day – Gippsland Edition
Living overseas has made us feel more, not less, American. The simple fact is that’s how people refer to us: "the Americans". In the US everyone is a Yank so you’re never introduced as “my American friend". But here that's the inevitable first impression and so when you meet someone you're immediately saddled with all the baggage, good and bad, of the United States. There's plenty of good, mind you. Everyone wants to share their stories of travelling to the US. But I can't tell you how many times people have expressed surprise at my thoughts or behavior because it is, in their mind, un-American; i.e., not wasteful, loud, and ignorant of the rest of the world. And we are also expected to explain or, sometimes, defend whatever US event makes the news. We also worry more about our behavior ("Was I inadvertently loud or rude like the stereotypical American tourist?") because we know what we do will color people's impressions of USA. In short, it's a daily fact of life that we must act as unofficial, unpaid ambassadors.
With that in mind, when invited back to the farm in Yarram over the July 4th weekend we offered to cook up a real American 4th of July BBQ spread for everyone. This was immediately accepted (what host in their right mind turns down the offer of the guest doing the cooking?) and we set out to show them just how tasty an event this could be.
Motoring down the Monash Freeway to Yarram on Friday after work, traffic conditions were just like I-35 heading north out of the Twin Cities on a Friday afternoon. Slooooow. But this left us plenty of time to consider the names of the towns along the way: Koo Wee Rup, Nar Nar Goon, Bunyip, Kurumburra, Noojee, Mount Baw Baw, Won Wron (one hit, no errors, no one left on base), and Moe (pronounced “mo-EE”).
No trip to Yarram is complete without some sort of drama from Matt. You may recall on the last trip Matt was shooting at empty beer cartons with the other guys when one rifle – the one with a particular kick –gave Matt a half moon scar on his forehead as a permanent reminder of the bush. This time the drama involved the “road”. The track up to Fay’s house is long, very steep, and windy. It’s unpaved and riddled with washouts, potholes and gullies.
ANYWAY, Matt got about 1/8th the way up and immediately slid into a narrow ditch on the side of the rode. Alas, the Commodore, for all her lovely virtues, does not have 4x4 clearance and we were stuck. As Matt started to walk up the ½ mile track to the house (using his cell phone as a flashlight), the people in the house realized we were missing and drove down to find us.
No worries. Fay called the RACV (the Victorian version of AAA) and “Baggsy” rocked up about 10 minutes later in his Ute to pull us out. Which took about 5 seconds. As thanks, Fay invited him in for a can of beer, which, being the typical Aussie bloke, Baggsy accepted. And being a typical Aussie bloke, he immediately fished his stubby holder (beer can cooler) out of his jacket pocket and awaited his VB. He later let slip it was his third one of the night – rescue and beer, we understand.
On Saturday afternoon a bunch of the local young farmers showed up in their 4x4s and Matt was invited out for a ride. Marlys did not see him depart and so was unaware of one important feature of the ride: it did not involve sitting in the cab of the 4x4, but standing in the bed of the pickup and holding onto the roll bar. Don’t worry, he received top notch safety instructions: “If it starts to roll, jump away from the roll. And go quick because if you’re slow everyone else will use you for leverage.” One has never lived until they’ve driven along washed out fire roads at 40 mph on the back of a pick up. The scenery was gorgeous (Matt saw a lyre bird, which is very rare) and although the Ute never rolled (some people seemed disappointed) Matt was sufficiently terrified to deem it a once in a lifetime experience.
Marlys (let’s be honest, she’s the chef and party planner) put on a fantastic BBQ. There were frankfurters, baked beans, potato salad with eggs, cole slaw, and 3-bean salad (note to self: cabbage, 2 bean dishes, eggs, and lots of pork products = an aromatic ride home). And in true O’Toole family tradition, our friend Dom ensured there was an American flag dessert. Afterward we all sat around a bonfire, lit sparklers and stayed up late talking and looking at the stars. This far out in the bush the constellations are unrecognizable because there are so many stars! The 4th couldn’t have been more perfect.
With that in mind, when invited back to the farm in Yarram over the July 4th weekend we offered to cook up a real American 4th of July BBQ spread for everyone. This was immediately accepted (what host in their right mind turns down the offer of the guest doing the cooking?) and we set out to show them just how tasty an event this could be.
Motoring down the Monash Freeway to Yarram on Friday after work, traffic conditions were just like I-35 heading north out of the Twin Cities on a Friday afternoon. Slooooow. But this left us plenty of time to consider the names of the towns along the way: Koo Wee Rup, Nar Nar Goon, Bunyip, Kurumburra, Noojee, Mount Baw Baw, Won Wron (one hit, no errors, no one left on base), and Moe (pronounced “mo-EE”).
No trip to Yarram is complete without some sort of drama from Matt. You may recall on the last trip Matt was shooting at empty beer cartons with the other guys when one rifle – the one with a particular kick –gave Matt a half moon scar on his forehead as a permanent reminder of the bush. This time the drama involved the “road”. The track up to Fay’s house is long, very steep, and windy. It’s unpaved and riddled with washouts, potholes and gullies.
ANYWAY, Matt got about 1/8th the way up and immediately slid into a narrow ditch on the side of the rode. Alas, the Commodore, for all her lovely virtues, does not have 4x4 clearance and we were stuck. As Matt started to walk up the ½ mile track to the house (using his cell phone as a flashlight), the people in the house realized we were missing and drove down to find us.
No worries. Fay called the RACV (the Victorian version of AAA) and “Baggsy” rocked up about 10 minutes later in his Ute to pull us out. Which took about 5 seconds. As thanks, Fay invited him in for a can of beer, which, being the typical Aussie bloke, Baggsy accepted. And being a typical Aussie bloke, he immediately fished his stubby holder (beer can cooler) out of his jacket pocket and awaited his VB. He later let slip it was his third one of the night – rescue and beer, we understand.
On Saturday afternoon a bunch of the local young farmers showed up in their 4x4s and Matt was invited out for a ride. Marlys did not see him depart and so was unaware of one important feature of the ride: it did not involve sitting in the cab of the 4x4, but standing in the bed of the pickup and holding onto the roll bar. Don’t worry, he received top notch safety instructions: “If it starts to roll, jump away from the roll. And go quick because if you’re slow everyone else will use you for leverage.” One has never lived until they’ve driven along washed out fire roads at 40 mph on the back of a pick up. The scenery was gorgeous (Matt saw a lyre bird, which is very rare) and although the Ute never rolled (some people seemed disappointed) Matt was sufficiently terrified to deem it a once in a lifetime experience.
Marlys (let’s be honest, she’s the chef and party planner) put on a fantastic BBQ. There were frankfurters, baked beans, potato salad with eggs, cole slaw, and 3-bean salad (note to self: cabbage, 2 bean dishes, eggs, and lots of pork products = an aromatic ride home). And in true O’Toole family tradition, our friend Dom ensured there was an American flag dessert. Afterward we all sat around a bonfire, lit sparklers and stayed up late talking and looking at the stars. This far out in the bush the constellations are unrecognizable because there are so many stars! The 4th couldn’t have been more perfect.
Crimson Rosellas. There were a dozen that hung around the house.
Dom's Flag Cupcakes
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Where the Bloody Hell Have you Been?®
You may have noticed our last few posts were written by other people, and I suppose you have been wondering what we've been up to the past couple months. So we took a squiz at our diaries (Eek! ‘Strine! Here’s the American translation: “we took a look at our calendars”) and here, in a nutshell, is what we’ve been doing.
Work. Lots of it.
A trip. In May we were supposed to spend 5 days on the tropical island of New Caledonia. However, because of the French civil service we spent 4 days at Ayer’s Rock in the red center of Australia. There’s more to this story (and pictures) so we’ll put up a longer post when we get the chance.
More work. Lots more.
Visitors. Marg, Monique, Pat, John and Fran all came to stay. We got to show off our new city and more importantly see a few faces we’ve missed. Rather than tell you how great it was, we’ll let them do it in their own words: there is a link to Monique’s trip in the previous post and Fran is going to give us some material when she returns to the States. The lucky girl is in New Zealand right now.
Still more work. Still lots of it.
That's what's been going on. I know - boring. So what’s up next for us? Well, this weekend we are heading back to Lucy & Fay’s farm in Gippsland (described at "Australia Day"). Since we went there for Australia Day, it only seems right we go back for the Fourth of July. We are putting on a real American BBQ Saturday to show these Aussies how to celebrate your nation’s founding.
Speaking of Gippsland (and to give you a little flavor of the region), the second biggest Australian political news in the last few weeks is their by-election. The old MP suddenly quit and the election was seen as a referendum on the current Labor government. Labor got creamed, but that’s not necessarily any indication of the national mood. The reason they lost (and here’s the real insight into Gippsland) is the Labor government wants to close a post office in Tarralgon, the biggest town. That‘s how rural Gippsland is – closing a post office will lose you an election.
So if that's the number two political story, what’s number one? Easy –it’s “Iguanagate”. Yes, American cultural imperialism has reached the point where others now mimic the annoying habit of adding “-gate” to every political scandal. Anyhow, the short story is a Labor MP got drunk at a bar (Iguana Joe's) and was tossed out. On her way out, she threatened to have their liquor license revoked and said such brilliant things as “do you know who I am? I'll make you regret this!”. Once the story broke, she should have just apologized and said “I was drunk and stupid”. The story would have died immediately - she’s a politician so such behavior is expected. But instead she bullied her staff and others to change sworn statements about what happened that night. And when that got out, she started looking at criminal charges akin to suborning perjury. Uh oh. It doesn’t help that in a movie she’d be played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
So that’s what’s going on in the sunburnt country. Here’s some pictures so you know we’re not just typing this from our basement in St Paul:
Work. Lots of it.
A trip. In May we were supposed to spend 5 days on the tropical island of New Caledonia. However, because of the French civil service we spent 4 days at Ayer’s Rock in the red center of Australia. There’s more to this story (and pictures) so we’ll put up a longer post when we get the chance.
More work. Lots more.
Visitors. Marg, Monique, Pat, John and Fran all came to stay. We got to show off our new city and more importantly see a few faces we’ve missed. Rather than tell you how great it was, we’ll let them do it in their own words: there is a link to Monique’s trip in the previous post and Fran is going to give us some material when she returns to the States. The lucky girl is in New Zealand right now.
Still more work. Still lots of it.
That's what's been going on. I know - boring. So what’s up next for us? Well, this weekend we are heading back to Lucy & Fay’s farm in Gippsland (described at "Australia Day"). Since we went there for Australia Day, it only seems right we go back for the Fourth of July. We are putting on a real American BBQ Saturday to show these Aussies how to celebrate your nation’s founding.
Speaking of Gippsland (and to give you a little flavor of the region), the second biggest Australian political news in the last few weeks is their by-election. The old MP suddenly quit and the election was seen as a referendum on the current Labor government. Labor got creamed, but that’s not necessarily any indication of the national mood. The reason they lost (and here’s the real insight into Gippsland) is the Labor government wants to close a post office in Tarralgon, the biggest town. That‘s how rural Gippsland is – closing a post office will lose you an election.
So if that's the number two political story, what’s number one? Easy –it’s “Iguanagate”. Yes, American cultural imperialism has reached the point where others now mimic the annoying habit of adding “-gate” to every political scandal. Anyhow, the short story is a Labor MP got drunk at a bar (Iguana Joe's) and was tossed out. On her way out, she threatened to have their liquor license revoked and said such brilliant things as “do you know who I am? I'll make you regret this!”. Once the story broke, she should have just apologized and said “I was drunk and stupid”. The story would have died immediately - she’s a politician so such behavior is expected. But instead she bullied her staff and others to change sworn statements about what happened that night. And when that got out, she started looking at criminal charges akin to suborning perjury. Uh oh. It doesn’t help that in a movie she’d be played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
So that’s what’s going on in the sunburnt country. Here’s some pictures so you know we’re not just typing this from our basement in St Paul:
Us at Ayer's Rock
Ayer's Rock at Sunrise
A Wild Camel We Saw at the Olgas
It's Winter Here!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Melbourne Review
Want to know what a trip to Melbourne is like? Check out the review in this blog: Marvelous Melbourne
Great story MQ!
Great story MQ!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Out of the Mouths of Babes
People always ask what we miss the most about the US. While black beans are wayyyyy up there, missing our nieces and nephews (age 6 months to 32 years) is the certainly the hardest part about being so far away.
We asked all of them (those old enough to string together complete sentences, anyway) to submit a question or two about Australia. Without further ado, here’s what's on the minds of generations X, Y, and Z.
Britta is 14 and loves country music, movies, and hockey. She is taking Driver’s Ed and is looking forward to her 15th birthday and getting her permit. Her favorite vegetable is broccoli and her hobby is teasing her Uncle Matt.
Q: Have Aborigines been integrated into Australian businesses or are they more separate?
A: One of Australia’s biggest social problems is the inequality of Aboriginals – or Indigenous People. You do not find Aboriginals in the cities or working for big companies. There are no Aboriginals in federal parliament and no national leaders are Aboriginals. While Americans debate whether Barack Obama can be the first black president, no one in Australia can even conceive of an Aboriginal prime minister. The only place where Aboriginals can be seen in any noticeable numbers is in professional football (Aussie rules), where they are recognized as great athletes.
Esko is 13 and a sports enthusiast. He likes to fish, swim, play baseball and golf but his all-time favorite sport to play is hockey. He’s also a huge fan of the Minnesota Wild.
Q (not surprisingly): Does Australia have any hockey rinks?
A: According to the organisation "Ice Skating Australia" there are 20 ice skating rinks in the country. Sadly, there are no reports of hockey and all rinks are devoted to developing and preparing elite Australian athletes for participation in international figure-skating events. The rinks do have some interesting names, however. My personal favorite is Big Banana Ice Rink.
Will is 5 years old. He likes soccer, gadgets, dangerous animals, hanging out with his cousin Jared, and most kinds of candy. He recently lost his first tooth.
Q: Have you seen any real live sharks?
A: Not since our dive trip on the Great Barrier Reef in 2003.
Q: Have you seen any funnel web spiders?
A: No, but a woman we work with has a sister who lives in Sydney and during the summer she has to clean her swimming pool every morning to get rid of the funnel spiders that got into the pool overnight. We also saw a big poisonous spider a couple weeks ago when we were in the Northern Territories. Marlys kept telling Matt to “get closer”. Matt was smart enough to disobey.
Q: What do the funnel web spiders look like?
A: Funnel-webs are large spiders (1.5 - 4.5 cm body length) with a glossy dark brown to black carapace. The abdomen is usually dark plum to black and not patterned.
Q: What is your apartment called?
A: As Buckingham Palace, the White House, Tara, and Love Shack were taken, we just call it home sweet home.
Q: Are there lots of boats there?
A: Yes, we live on Port Phillip Bay, which is part of the Pacific Ocean, so lots of people have sailboats. But there are also cruise ships, barges, fishing boats, and ferries, all of which we watch from Tara…. I mean home.
Q: Have you seen any blue ring octopi (excellent use of the correct plural declension, Will!)?
A: No. The claim to fame for the blue ring octopus is its neuromuscular paralyzing venom, which is a poison more deadly than that of any land animal. The good news is the blue ring octopus is not an aggressive animal and it would rather eat fish and invertebrates. By the way, the toxin in Blue Ring Octopus poison is the same one found in the deadly Funnel Web Spider’s venom!
Q: And tell me if you saw any sharks.
A: Still no.
Mirabel is 3 (4 in just a couple weeks). She loves fruit, animals, mermaids and the color pink. She is going to ballet camp this summer and we can’t wait to see her dance. Her favorite ice cream is chocolate. Mirabel is between big brother, Will, and little sister, our darling red-headed Luz (who’s 1).
Q: Have you seen any kangaroos?
A: Yes, we have seen lots of kangaroos – groups are called ‘mobs’ - at animal sanctuaries and in the wild.
Q: Have you seen any penguins there?
A: Yes, we live 2 hours away from a natural penguin habitat. They are called fairy penguins.
Q: Talk about salad for the polar bears.
A: Polar bears – or any sort of bear – are not indigenous to Australia. The only bears are in the zoo and come from other countries. Koalas are sometimes called “Koala Bears” but this is incorrect – Koalas are marsupials and an Aussie will correct you if you say Koala Bear. Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves, which is kind of like a salad.
Q: I’m curious about the tigers at Australia since tigers are very cool. I like the way that tigers eat salad.
A: The only tigers in Australia are the Richmond Tigers, a footy team.
Joseph is 3. He is crazy for trains and his monkey, Mambo. He likes books and match-box cars and is the big brother of one year old Dominic.
Q: Is it true kangaroos can surf? I saw a picture of this once but I'm not sure if they can.
A: We’ve never heard of a kangaroo surfing, but last summer there was a story in the paper where people saw a kangaroo hop into the ocean and get eaten by a great white shark. We're not kidding.
Zuriah is 6, turning 7 in a month, and our great-nephew (mom is our niece, Chrishaunda). “Z”, as he’s known, likes magic tricks and is quick witted with a great sense of humor. Z has a new baby brother, 6-month old Tavien, who’s been dubbed by Z as “Tav-man the caveman”.
Q: Are there lots of kangaroos and wild beasts in Australia?
A: There are lots of wild animals and many that are only found in Australia. In addition to kangaroos, we’ve seen wombats, echidnas, platypi, koalas, and lots of birds like cockatoos, magpies, and kookaburras.
Q. I want to know if there are any lakes out there.
A. Lake Eyre in the state of South Australia is the largest lake when it fills. Like most lakes in Australia it has a heavy salt content and runs very low during the dry season. Lake Eyre has only filled six times since 1885 so…not much of a lake for those of us used to the Great Lakes. Lake Eyre is also the lowest point in all of Australia.
Corrina is 7. She’s funny, kind, and a fantastic swimmer. Corrina loves playing Legos with brother Jared and is fond of adventures…she holds the family record for the most broken bones and stitches. She is absolutely stylin’ in her new eye-glasses.
Q: Do you have computers?
A: Yes. That’s how we do our work everyday.
Q: Do you have paper?
A: Yes. But paper is very expensive. Did you know that Melbourne has the most expensive toilet paper in the world? (Again - we’re not kidding).
Q: Do you swim in the ocean?
A: Yes, although it is winter now so the water is cold.
Q: Do you have drums?
A: No, but there are bands here who do. There's a traditional Aboriginal musical instrument called the didgeridoo, which is a hollowed out log that can be played sort of like a bassoon or clarinet. It is a very unique instrument.
Jared is 9. He loves performing and is quite the budding actor. He loves exploring, pirates (& treasure maps), snakes, reptiles, and Legos. His favorite color is orange.
Q: Do you exercise outside?
A: Matt does, Marlys exercises her right to free speech.
Q: Do you have missiles?
A: The Australian Air force is well equipped with missiles. They are friends with the American army and are fighting with the US in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Q: Do you have game shows?
A: Yes. Most of the game shows are a rehash of USA shows like Deal or No Deal, although the most they can win is A$250,000. One of our favorite shows is called Spicks and Specks. This is a music game show with two teams made up of major and minor celebrities – mostly radio personalities or band members we never heard of, although Geoffrey Rush (fellow Melbournian who won an Oscar playing a pianist in the movie, Shine) was on once. Spicks and Specks enlightens and entertains - and exposes the world of music like never before. The teams go head to head as they sing, shout, and delve deep into the recesses of their collective minds to earn their team an extremely inglorious victory (i.e., no prizes). Whether discussing the lyrical genius of Gilbert and Sullivan, the reasons Ozzy Osborne wore a dress or just how a musician can choke on a harmonica, no musical genre is overlooked… well, except for maybe Swedish folk music, but hey, we all have limits.
Dusty is the oldest (32) and lives in Denver. He submitted these questions under opprobrious duress from his favorite Auntie. Dusty amazes us at his capacity for trivia. He has an unbelievable memory and the ability to recall obscure facts from some news show, article, or documentary. He’s a fan of poker and Jack Daniels. He has two siblings – Chrishaunda and Elias. While Chrishaunda is represented by her son Zuriah in this blog, Elias (who just turned 24) entirely ignored our request to submit a question for the blog entry and will be dealt with later….
Q: What is the highest recorded temp in the outback?
A: The highest recorded temp was 50.7 C (123.3 degrees Fahrenheit) in January 2nd, 1960 in the town of Oodnadatta. Oodnadatta is in the state of South Australia and in 2006 had a population of 277 people.
Q: Has it ever snowed?
A: Yes. While Australia is mostly desert (approx. 40% of the landmass is covered by sand) some states – the alpine areas of Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania – get snowfall every year and even have ski resorts. But winters are very mild, even in the mountains, and most Australians only dream of playing in and seeing snow.
For those of you keeping score, we have 13 nieces and nephews (if we’re still counting Elias, that is) and 2 great-nephews. Due to their age, Tavien, Luz and Dominic got a pass on participating in this little project. Our niece Fran does not feature on the above as she is currently down under visiting us. Tune in again soon as Fran will be our SPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER!
We asked all of them (those old enough to string together complete sentences, anyway) to submit a question or two about Australia. Without further ado, here’s what's on the minds of generations X, Y, and Z.
Britta is 14 and loves country music, movies, and hockey. She is taking Driver’s Ed and is looking forward to her 15th birthday and getting her permit. Her favorite vegetable is broccoli and her hobby is teasing her Uncle Matt.
Q: Have Aborigines been integrated into Australian businesses or are they more separate?
A: One of Australia’s biggest social problems is the inequality of Aboriginals – or Indigenous People. You do not find Aboriginals in the cities or working for big companies. There are no Aboriginals in federal parliament and no national leaders are Aboriginals. While Americans debate whether Barack Obama can be the first black president, no one in Australia can even conceive of an Aboriginal prime minister. The only place where Aboriginals can be seen in any noticeable numbers is in professional football (Aussie rules), where they are recognized as great athletes.
Esko is 13 and a sports enthusiast. He likes to fish, swim, play baseball and golf but his all-time favorite sport to play is hockey. He’s also a huge fan of the Minnesota Wild.
Q (not surprisingly): Does Australia have any hockey rinks?
A: According to the organisation "Ice Skating Australia" there are 20 ice skating rinks in the country. Sadly, there are no reports of hockey and all rinks are devoted to developing and preparing elite Australian athletes for participation in international figure-skating events. The rinks do have some interesting names, however. My personal favorite is Big Banana Ice Rink.
Will is 5 years old. He likes soccer, gadgets, dangerous animals, hanging out with his cousin Jared, and most kinds of candy. He recently lost his first tooth.
Q: Have you seen any real live sharks?
A: Not since our dive trip on the Great Barrier Reef in 2003.
Q: Have you seen any funnel web spiders?
A: No, but a woman we work with has a sister who lives in Sydney and during the summer she has to clean her swimming pool every morning to get rid of the funnel spiders that got into the pool overnight. We also saw a big poisonous spider a couple weeks ago when we were in the Northern Territories. Marlys kept telling Matt to “get closer”. Matt was smart enough to disobey.
Q: What do the funnel web spiders look like?
A: Funnel-webs are large spiders (1.5 - 4.5 cm body length) with a glossy dark brown to black carapace. The abdomen is usually dark plum to black and not patterned.
Q: What is your apartment called?
A: As Buckingham Palace, the White House, Tara, and Love Shack were taken, we just call it home sweet home.
Q: Are there lots of boats there?
A: Yes, we live on Port Phillip Bay, which is part of the Pacific Ocean, so lots of people have sailboats. But there are also cruise ships, barges, fishing boats, and ferries, all of which we watch from Tara…. I mean home.
Q: Have you seen any blue ring octopi (excellent use of the correct plural declension, Will!)?
A: No. The claim to fame for the blue ring octopus is its neuromuscular paralyzing venom, which is a poison more deadly than that of any land animal. The good news is the blue ring octopus is not an aggressive animal and it would rather eat fish and invertebrates. By the way, the toxin in Blue Ring Octopus poison is the same one found in the deadly Funnel Web Spider’s venom!
Q: And tell me if you saw any sharks.
A: Still no.
Mirabel is 3 (4 in just a couple weeks). She loves fruit, animals, mermaids and the color pink. She is going to ballet camp this summer and we can’t wait to see her dance. Her favorite ice cream is chocolate. Mirabel is between big brother, Will, and little sister, our darling red-headed Luz (who’s 1).
Q: Have you seen any kangaroos?
A: Yes, we have seen lots of kangaroos – groups are called ‘mobs’ - at animal sanctuaries and in the wild.
Q: Have you seen any penguins there?
A: Yes, we live 2 hours away from a natural penguin habitat. They are called fairy penguins.
Q: Talk about salad for the polar bears.
A: Polar bears – or any sort of bear – are not indigenous to Australia. The only bears are in the zoo and come from other countries. Koalas are sometimes called “Koala Bears” but this is incorrect – Koalas are marsupials and an Aussie will correct you if you say Koala Bear. Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves, which is kind of like a salad.
Q: I’m curious about the tigers at Australia since tigers are very cool. I like the way that tigers eat salad.
A: The only tigers in Australia are the Richmond Tigers, a footy team.
Joseph is 3. He is crazy for trains and his monkey, Mambo. He likes books and match-box cars and is the big brother of one year old Dominic.
Q: Is it true kangaroos can surf? I saw a picture of this once but I'm not sure if they can.
A: We’ve never heard of a kangaroo surfing, but last summer there was a story in the paper where people saw a kangaroo hop into the ocean and get eaten by a great white shark. We're not kidding.
Zuriah is 6, turning 7 in a month, and our great-nephew (mom is our niece, Chrishaunda). “Z”, as he’s known, likes magic tricks and is quick witted with a great sense of humor. Z has a new baby brother, 6-month old Tavien, who’s been dubbed by Z as “Tav-man the caveman”.
Q: Are there lots of kangaroos and wild beasts in Australia?
A: There are lots of wild animals and many that are only found in Australia. In addition to kangaroos, we’ve seen wombats, echidnas, platypi, koalas, and lots of birds like cockatoos, magpies, and kookaburras.
Q. I want to know if there are any lakes out there.
A. Lake Eyre in the state of South Australia is the largest lake when it fills. Like most lakes in Australia it has a heavy salt content and runs very low during the dry season. Lake Eyre has only filled six times since 1885 so…not much of a lake for those of us used to the Great Lakes. Lake Eyre is also the lowest point in all of Australia.
Corrina is 7. She’s funny, kind, and a fantastic swimmer. Corrina loves playing Legos with brother Jared and is fond of adventures…she holds the family record for the most broken bones and stitches. She is absolutely stylin’ in her new eye-glasses.
Q: Do you have computers?
A: Yes. That’s how we do our work everyday.
Q: Do you have paper?
A: Yes. But paper is very expensive. Did you know that Melbourne has the most expensive toilet paper in the world? (Again - we’re not kidding).
Q: Do you swim in the ocean?
A: Yes, although it is winter now so the water is cold.
Q: Do you have drums?
A: No, but there are bands here who do. There's a traditional Aboriginal musical instrument called the didgeridoo, which is a hollowed out log that can be played sort of like a bassoon or clarinet. It is a very unique instrument.
Jared is 9. He loves performing and is quite the budding actor. He loves exploring, pirates (& treasure maps), snakes, reptiles, and Legos. His favorite color is orange.
Q: Do you exercise outside?
A: Matt does, Marlys exercises her right to free speech.
Q: Do you have missiles?
A: The Australian Air force is well equipped with missiles. They are friends with the American army and are fighting with the US in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Q: Do you have game shows?
A: Yes. Most of the game shows are a rehash of USA shows like Deal or No Deal, although the most they can win is A$250,000. One of our favorite shows is called Spicks and Specks. This is a music game show with two teams made up of major and minor celebrities – mostly radio personalities or band members we never heard of, although Geoffrey Rush (fellow Melbournian who won an Oscar playing a pianist in the movie, Shine) was on once. Spicks and Specks enlightens and entertains - and exposes the world of music like never before. The teams go head to head as they sing, shout, and delve deep into the recesses of their collective minds to earn their team an extremely inglorious victory (i.e., no prizes). Whether discussing the lyrical genius of Gilbert and Sullivan, the reasons Ozzy Osborne wore a dress or just how a musician can choke on a harmonica, no musical genre is overlooked… well, except for maybe Swedish folk music, but hey, we all have limits.
Dusty is the oldest (32) and lives in Denver. He submitted these questions under opprobrious duress from his favorite Auntie. Dusty amazes us at his capacity for trivia. He has an unbelievable memory and the ability to recall obscure facts from some news show, article, or documentary. He’s a fan of poker and Jack Daniels. He has two siblings – Chrishaunda and Elias. While Chrishaunda is represented by her son Zuriah in this blog, Elias (who just turned 24) entirely ignored our request to submit a question for the blog entry and will be dealt with later….
Q: What is the highest recorded temp in the outback?
A: The highest recorded temp was 50.7 C (123.3 degrees Fahrenheit) in January 2nd, 1960 in the town of Oodnadatta. Oodnadatta is in the state of South Australia and in 2006 had a population of 277 people.
Q: Has it ever snowed?
A: Yes. While Australia is mostly desert (approx. 40% of the landmass is covered by sand) some states – the alpine areas of Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania – get snowfall every year and even have ski resorts. But winters are very mild, even in the mountains, and most Australians only dream of playing in and seeing snow.
For those of you keeping score, we have 13 nieces and nephews (if we’re still counting Elias, that is) and 2 great-nephews. Due to their age, Tavien, Luz and Dominic got a pass on participating in this little project. Our niece Fran does not feature on the above as she is currently down under visiting us. Tune in again soon as Fran will be our SPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Dry Thoughts on a Rainy Day
It’s raining today so of course all thoughts in Melbourne are on the current drought. It is the height of bad manners in Australia to complain about receiving rain, and instead everyone says “I hope it’s falling in the [water] catchments.” The experts say we need two straight years of above average rainfall to break the drought because one year will just loosen up the hard, hard soil. Unfortunately, this May has been extremely dry - and May is supposed to be one of the wetter months.
We were in a town called Ballarat a few weeks ago, and decided to ride our bikes around Lake Wendouree, a tourist attraction in town. For you Twin Citians, Lake Wendouree is about the size of Lake Calhoun, and during the 1956 Olympics the rowing and canoeing competitions were held on Wendouree.
But as you can see from the photos above, the lake is completely dry. Those buildings off in the distance? Those are boathouses. It was eerie riding around a lake, seeing signs like “no swimming” and passing rowing clubs, boat launches, fishing piers, and mooring buoys, all sitting on a dusty pan of former lake.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
And now… MORE about sports….
As many of you are aware, we were very fortunate to have a couple destination options for this international assignment – Brussels, London, and Melbourne. As we were weighing the pros and cons of each, we received some excellent advice from our friends Donna and Dirk – long time expats themselves. Dirk said, “As you’re choosing, think about what you’ll be doing when you’re NOT working. Consider where you want to wake up each morning.” Hmmm foggy London? With the bad traffic and high cost of living? Or Melbourne? Endless beaches, sunshine, and kangaroos? Right. Melbourne it is. (No, we never considered Brussels…). Donna advised, “When you’re living abroad, don’t live like a temporary citizen. Embrace the city and culture as if you were planning to spend the rest of your lives there.” There have been a few blog references to sports and how Australians – especially Melbournians – are crazy for any sort of sport. As part of our quest to truly embrace the city and ‘live like a local’ we’ve attended a number of sporting events.
Tennis
The Australian Open (one of the big 4 – the other three being US Open, Wimbledon, and The French Open at Roland Garros) is held in Melbourne each January. (Yes, Tanya, you can gloat to your friends that you were correct.) The “Asia Pacific Tennis Grand Slam” is fabulous. The tennis grounds are permanent, with 3 major arenas and 22 side courts where you can get close to your favorite players. You can get up close with Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jarkko Nieminen, the Williams sisters, or Raphael Nadal as they practice, play doubles, or in early round matches, play singles. It is THE BEST way to spend a day. The hot January sun beating down, ice cold VB, hushed crowds, and the rhythmic sound of the tennis ball bouncing off the racket and the new cobalt blue courts – unless of course you’re watching Maria Sharapova where each shot is punctuated with her signature grunt.
If you think this event is completely peaceful and innocuous, here’s an excerpt from the January 16 newspaper, The Herald Sun.
“THE Australian Open erupted in ugly violence last night as police doused tennis fans with capsicum [ed. that’s ‘Strine for pepper] spray. Panic gripped Margaret Court Arena as spectators gasped for air after coming into contact with the spray. Many ran for the exits and the match had to be stopped. Police used the spray to try to subdue fans of Greek player Konstantinos Economidis who became upset when police tried to evict members of their cheer squad.”
Can you imagine tennis fans being so unruly that they need to be pepper sprayed? Yep. If they’re AUSSIE tennis fans.
Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football, Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply “footy” is a sight to behold. It’s played between two teams of 18 players on a large oval grass field with four goal posts at each end. Half the footy teams are based in Victoria and I tell you, Melbournians are MAD for this game.
It’s a game I wouldn’t necessarily think of as intuitive and it takes a while to get the hang of how it works. Lots of men without helmets, padding, or any other protective gear running, jumping, tackling, and kicking (the football) back and forth across the field. I have no idea what is going on, but then Matt finally came up with this explanation – imagine a game combined of soccer, rugby, and keep away… THAT’S IT! I’ve got it!
Now, can someone explain why the uniforms are so hideous? There’s one team – Hawthorn – that’s known as the “poos and wees” this is because the team colors are urine yellow and excrement brown. What could be worse than these colors? I’ll tell you what could be worse – the putrid way they’re displayed on the stripped knee socks and jerseys the players wear, that’s what. Imagine thick, alternating swathes of the offending colors. I just can’t get behind a team that looks that revolting.
Neither can our (aforementioned) friend, Tanya. John and Tanya made their second journey to Australia this past March. We had a fabulous time visiting pubs on St. Patrick’s Day, the Melbourne laneways, the Yarra valley and a Hawthorn vs. Melbourne footy match. Hawthorn is a top tier team and they beat the pants off of the Melbourne Demons. How badly you ask? By more than 100 points. That’s not just a win… it’s humiliation. John and Tanya took a spin around the massive arena (which seats 90,000!) and returned with a souvenir. A Melbourne Demons shirt. Tanya shrugged her shoulders, “I just couldn’t pay good money for Hawthorn shirt – they’re horrible”.
This year, Aussie rules celebrates 150 years of Australian Football. I’ve decided to barrack (Australians don’t say root…rooting is only done by consenting adults) for St. Kilda – the area of town closest to where we live. They’re called the Saints and their colors are black, white, and red. Now this is a team I can cheer for!
Cricket
For us Yanks cricket has always been that genteel game played by snooty British twits wearing white pants and cardigans and saying things like “By Jove, splendid wicket there Lord Reginald!” In reality, cricket is nothing like that: in Australia (and every other cricket country) it is a sport played by the common masses and inspires the same sort of rabid intensity of sport fans of any class or socioeconomic status. In fact, in Australia going to the cricket is considered the ideal party day out for the younger set – which we learned at the matches we attended this year.
Remember a few paragraphs ago where I said Aussie rules isn’t very intuitive? Let me tell you a little about cricket. Cricket has been around over 250 years. It is a bat and ball sport played by two teams with 11 players each, although when a team is batting that team only has two players on the field and they are both batsmen (batters). The batsmen) are “bowled” (pitched) to by a bowler. Why don’t they just say “pitch”, like baseball? Because “the pitch” is a rectangular area of the ground approx. 20 yards length the bowlers run along before they bowl the ball (a hard Cricket ball about the size of a fist, thrown overhand into the pitch, it should bounce once and then reach the batsman). Behind each of the (2) batsman (one on each end of the pitch) there are two sets of “wickets”. Wickets consist of three wooden stumps (a couple feet high) with two bails (wooden doo hickeys) on top.
As a batsman, the object is to hit (bat) the cricket ball in order to defend the wicket that’s right behind you. When you do bat the ball, you and the second batsman (non-striker), run back and forth across the pitch to score runs while the other team (mostly comprised of fielders) races to catch or field the ball and get one (or another) of the batsmen out. If you hit it out of the field (a “boundary”) in the air its 6 runs. A boundary on the ground is 4 runs.
There are multiple forms of cricket but the three most common versions are –20 over cricket, one day cricket, and test cricket, the last which is a match that spans several days. The two longer ones have breaks in the match. The breaks are not called anything like “interval” or “half time”, they’re called “tea”, “lunch” and “drinks”.
Confused yet?
When booking tickets Matt had no idea where to sit so he bought reserved seats, not general admission, to ensure we were not amongst the unwashed masses. When Kris, a co-worker, mentioned all the seats are great except for those in “Bay 13”, which he described as a haven for the young, the drunk, the slightly offensive – you get the picture. Matt googled “bay 13”, and sure enough, it was mentioned in several news articles. The most common adjectives in the stories were “notorious”, “rowdy”, “intoxicated”, and “arrests”. The actual area had been eliminated by a reconstruction of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (aka the MCG or just “the “G”) a few years ago, but the atmosphere lingered in the general vicinity: Hmm, should we be worried our seats were in “section 13”?
We brought our good friends Megan and Will (visitors from the states and cricket virgins) to the match. “It will be a great way to spend a leisurely afternoon” we said. “Sunny Sunday, quiet and relaxing like baseball”, we said. Not in Australia. The fans were intense, riveted, and unruly. In the end we sat above section 13, which meant we were out of the hooligan section but had an excellent view of it. Fans – replete with face paint and wearing Australian flags as capes – were getting hauled off by police at a regular clip and the Melbourne police set up a temporary office to book, fingerprint, and/or fine the offending fans.
Megan and Marlys watched 4 hours before deciding they had enough. Matt and Will stayed on a few more hours until the end. Imagine the poor blokes hauled out of the MCG – some pulled out and arrested even before the first bowl. That means missing 6 (or more) hours of cricket with your friends. Although we suppose that does mean enough time to make bail, sober up, go home, change, have a few beers, and head back to the MCG to meet up with your friends and catch the end of the game.
Some of you may ask how you know when a Cricket match is over and there’s a winner. My answer is: that’s a REALLY good question.
Tennis
The Australian Open (one of the big 4 – the other three being US Open, Wimbledon, and The French Open at Roland Garros) is held in Melbourne each January. (Yes, Tanya, you can gloat to your friends that you were correct.) The “Asia Pacific Tennis Grand Slam” is fabulous. The tennis grounds are permanent, with 3 major arenas and 22 side courts where you can get close to your favorite players. You can get up close with Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jarkko Nieminen, the Williams sisters, or Raphael Nadal as they practice, play doubles, or in early round matches, play singles. It is THE BEST way to spend a day. The hot January sun beating down, ice cold VB, hushed crowds, and the rhythmic sound of the tennis ball bouncing off the racket and the new cobalt blue courts – unless of course you’re watching Maria Sharapova where each shot is punctuated with her signature grunt.
If you think this event is completely peaceful and innocuous, here’s an excerpt from the January 16 newspaper, The Herald Sun.
“THE Australian Open erupted in ugly violence last night as police doused tennis fans with capsicum [ed. that’s ‘Strine for pepper] spray. Panic gripped Margaret Court Arena as spectators gasped for air after coming into contact with the spray. Many ran for the exits and the match had to be stopped. Police used the spray to try to subdue fans of Greek player Konstantinos Economidis who became upset when police tried to evict members of their cheer squad.”
Can you imagine tennis fans being so unruly that they need to be pepper sprayed? Yep. If they’re AUSSIE tennis fans.
M&M at Australian Open in Jan
Australian Rules Football
Australian rules football, Australian football, Aussie rules, or simply “footy” is a sight to behold. It’s played between two teams of 18 players on a large oval grass field with four goal posts at each end. Half the footy teams are based in Victoria and I tell you, Melbournians are MAD for this game.
It’s a game I wouldn’t necessarily think of as intuitive and it takes a while to get the hang of how it works. Lots of men without helmets, padding, or any other protective gear running, jumping, tackling, and kicking (the football) back and forth across the field. I have no idea what is going on, but then Matt finally came up with this explanation – imagine a game combined of soccer, rugby, and keep away… THAT’S IT! I’ve got it!
Now, can someone explain why the uniforms are so hideous? There’s one team – Hawthorn – that’s known as the “poos and wees” this is because the team colors are urine yellow and excrement brown. What could be worse than these colors? I’ll tell you what could be worse – the putrid way they’re displayed on the stripped knee socks and jerseys the players wear, that’s what. Imagine thick, alternating swathes of the offending colors. I just can’t get behind a team that looks that revolting.
Neither can our (aforementioned) friend, Tanya. John and Tanya made their second journey to Australia this past March. We had a fabulous time visiting pubs on St. Patrick’s Day, the Melbourne laneways, the Yarra valley and a Hawthorn vs. Melbourne footy match. Hawthorn is a top tier team and they beat the pants off of the Melbourne Demons. How badly you ask? By more than 100 points. That’s not just a win… it’s humiliation. John and Tanya took a spin around the massive arena (which seats 90,000!) and returned with a souvenir. A Melbourne Demons shirt. Tanya shrugged her shoulders, “I just couldn’t pay good money for Hawthorn shirt – they’re horrible”.
This year, Aussie rules celebrates 150 years of Australian Football. I’ve decided to barrack (Australians don’t say root…rooting is only done by consenting adults) for St. Kilda – the area of town closest to where we live. They’re called the Saints and their colors are black, white, and red. Now this is a team I can cheer for!
Tanya, John, and Matt at Footy
Cricket
For us Yanks cricket has always been that genteel game played by snooty British twits wearing white pants and cardigans and saying things like “By Jove, splendid wicket there Lord Reginald!” In reality, cricket is nothing like that: in Australia (and every other cricket country) it is a sport played by the common masses and inspires the same sort of rabid intensity of sport fans of any class or socioeconomic status. In fact, in Australia going to the cricket is considered the ideal party day out for the younger set – which we learned at the matches we attended this year.
Remember a few paragraphs ago where I said Aussie rules isn’t very intuitive? Let me tell you a little about cricket. Cricket has been around over 250 years. It is a bat and ball sport played by two teams with 11 players each, although when a team is batting that team only has two players on the field and they are both batsmen (batters). The batsmen) are “bowled” (pitched) to by a bowler. Why don’t they just say “pitch”, like baseball? Because “the pitch” is a rectangular area of the ground approx. 20 yards length the bowlers run along before they bowl the ball (a hard Cricket ball about the size of a fist, thrown overhand into the pitch, it should bounce once and then reach the batsman). Behind each of the (2) batsman (one on each end of the pitch) there are two sets of “wickets”. Wickets consist of three wooden stumps (a couple feet high) with two bails (wooden doo hickeys) on top.
As a batsman, the object is to hit (bat) the cricket ball in order to defend the wicket that’s right behind you. When you do bat the ball, you and the second batsman (non-striker), run back and forth across the pitch to score runs while the other team (mostly comprised of fielders) races to catch or field the ball and get one (or another) of the batsmen out. If you hit it out of the field (a “boundary”) in the air its 6 runs. A boundary on the ground is 4 runs.
There are multiple forms of cricket but the three most common versions are –20 over cricket, one day cricket, and test cricket, the last which is a match that spans several days. The two longer ones have breaks in the match. The breaks are not called anything like “interval” or “half time”, they’re called “tea”, “lunch” and “drinks”.
Confused yet?
When booking tickets Matt had no idea where to sit so he bought reserved seats, not general admission, to ensure we were not amongst the unwashed masses. When Kris, a co-worker, mentioned all the seats are great except for those in “Bay 13”, which he described as a haven for the young, the drunk, the slightly offensive – you get the picture. Matt googled “bay 13”, and sure enough, it was mentioned in several news articles. The most common adjectives in the stories were “notorious”, “rowdy”, “intoxicated”, and “arrests”. The actual area had been eliminated by a reconstruction of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (aka the MCG or just “the “G”) a few years ago, but the atmosphere lingered in the general vicinity: Hmm, should we be worried our seats were in “section 13”?
We brought our good friends Megan and Will (visitors from the states and cricket virgins) to the match. “It will be a great way to spend a leisurely afternoon” we said. “Sunny Sunday, quiet and relaxing like baseball”, we said. Not in Australia. The fans were intense, riveted, and unruly. In the end we sat above section 13, which meant we were out of the hooligan section but had an excellent view of it. Fans – replete with face paint and wearing Australian flags as capes – were getting hauled off by police at a regular clip and the Melbourne police set up a temporary office to book, fingerprint, and/or fine the offending fans.
Megan and Marlys watched 4 hours before deciding they had enough. Matt and Will stayed on a few more hours until the end. Imagine the poor blokes hauled out of the MCG – some pulled out and arrested even before the first bowl. That means missing 6 (or more) hours of cricket with your friends. Although we suppose that does mean enough time to make bail, sober up, go home, change, have a few beers, and head back to the MCG to meet up with your friends and catch the end of the game.
Some of you may ask how you know when a Cricket match is over and there’s a winner. My answer is: that’s a REALLY good question.
Bay 13
Marlys & Matt at Cricket
Matt wearing Aussie Cricket jumper outside the G
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