Trip #3 to Lake Australia (by Christie's Dad)

Back by popular demand, my dad graciously agreed to contribute the following post.

I am thankful to report that the draught is truly over in this fine country. I don't really mind the rain all that much, and there has been some sun as well. The rain is one of those things that reminds me of green Ohio. The umbrella that I purchased here a week or so ago is now ready for the "rubbish" as it is called here - having evidently exceeded design limits for opening and closing cycles. Sometimes we let our moods rise and fall with the cloud cover, and that is really too bad. This is a beautiful country rain or shine. The following photo was taken on the edge of the rain forest--in the rain of course.

Being with family is always the highlight and, of course, this trip no exception. Watching the grandkids grow and mature is greatly rewarding. Their enthusiasm and energy levels are inspiring. Inspiring does not equate with quiet, but I'm not complaining.

Ruth and I gave the family an 8 day break and flew, first to Sydney, and then on to Port Douglas, up north in Queensland. Sydney is a wonderful, clean city with much to see. The harbor is beautiful, and the ferry transportation system is second to none. At least, that's what the ferry operator said.

There are probably more shots taken each day of the Opera House than of the White House, especially in more recent times. The photo is not level because the boat refused to hold still.

The Harbor Bridge is another famous landmark and an engineering marvel as well. The city train system crosses it right next to many lanes of traffic. There is also a very popular walkway across offering stunning views. Climbing up onto the bridge is a cardiac adventure.

No trip to Sydney is complete without a ferry ride to Manly Beach. The trip provides great harbor views, a sort of smooth ride, and tops it all off with free internet on board. (Don't expect that in the hotel, however).

The next picture taken from Harbor Bridge shows, besides the seemingly ubiquitous Opera House, a 3000 passenger cruise ship on the right. Why should I be concerned with a few rain drops every day or so? The poor folks on this ship, we were told, were not allowed to disembark to see Sydney due to being quarantined with many sick passengers. Talk about feeling rejected! Cruises are great, but not always.

A one day trip was made to the beautiful Blue Mountains. The cliche always holds true, that pictures don't do justice - especially mine. I'm happy to say that this was as close as Ruth got to the 2000 foot drop-off. (She's the one with the backpack).

Also in the Blue Mountains we were guided to this beautiful Wentforth Falls with its rainbow.

Our trip to the enchanting, tropical state of Queensland was a refreshing step back from the big city. Port Douglas is a one-of-a kind town at the edge of the well-known Four Mile Beach, only 200 yards from our villa. This part of Australia is known also for its not-so-gentle salt water crocodiles, but we were assured that they rarely visited this beach (only rarely?).

On our last day here we celebrated Christie's soon-to-be birthday with lunch and dessert at a tea room in downtown Melbourne. Great food!

Packing up and saying goodby is becoming more difficult each trip. This is not just due to leaving family and nice scenery, but also leaving some warm, newly-made Christian friends as well. Gillian and David Brown come to mind, as well as Phil and Sharon Daffy. (Phil is the pastor of Ross and Christie's church). I will also miss their wonderful Australian accents. Come to think of it, everywhere we went, folks asked us if we were from the U.S.A., and some even kindly stated that they liked OUR accents. It's nice to know that, no matter how far away Christian friends live, we can always say: "See you soon."