When we made the decision to move halfway around the world, we failed to anticipate an incredible number of things. One of those was the sheer number of farewells we would make over the course of the entire experience. The initial leavetaking, of course, was prominent in our minds, but not the subsequent ones, many of which have proved to be heart-wrenching, and some, especially of close family members, progressively more difficult. In most cases, we cannot say with any degree of probability when we will next meet, and so we usually resort to the phrase, "See you soon." I cannot imagine, and indeed do not wish to imagine too closely, how we will feel when we eventually move back.
The farewells, of course, are mixed with the pleasures of reunions, and this past week we have had the opportunity to say both good-bye and hello. After traveling around Australia for ten days, our friends Rob and Beth and their children returned to our house for two days before flying back to Canada. Melbourne gave them a taste of wintry weather on their last day, but we did not let it deter us, choosing to visit one of our favorite spots, Cape Schanck, in spite of the wicked wind. The beach towels we had intended to use after playing in the surf served instead as shields. The bright side is that I had no wet, sandy laundry to tackle when we returned home.
Beth has written eloquently about our experiences together, the pleasure of watching our children become acquainted, our husbands reconnect, and for ourselves, sharing our love of scenery, photography, and good books, as well as the trials and joys of motherhood. Their visit was great fun, and we certainly hope that we will indeed see them again soon. Rob sent the following picture he took on his blackberry. As I recall, he wondered at the time whether we were actually enjoying our surroundings through any other medium than our respective camera lenses.
Exactly forty-eight hours after dropping Rob and Beth at the Melbourne International Airport, I was back again, this time to welcome my good friend Amy Smith and her daughter Elena all the way from Richmond, Virginia. Somehow they survived the thirty-two hour journey, and since then we have been spending our time drinking coffee and catching up on our lives for the past two or three years since they moved away from Pittsburgh. Yesterday we did manage to fit in a trip to the popular Healesville Sanctuary, the first place that our family visited when we moved here in July of 2010. The animals did their best to impress our guests, and largely succeeded, I believe. I have just a few photos to share of our time there.
We had a good laugh over the male kangaroos lounging around very comfortably, with both arms and legs crossed. The wombats, which reminded Amy of the "rodents of unusual size," were unusually active, as were the echidnas.
The reptiles were the unanimous favorite, however, this time around, as Laney is a big reptile fan. The reptile show is a new one, and although not quite as popular as the birds of prey, very entertaining. The audience was permitted to walk up afterward and handle several of the lizards, much to the children's delight.
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