No worries.

I have to say I am continually amazed at the amount of things to do in such a small town and now that it is cooling off there will be even more going on each week.  One of the highlights of the last few weeks was the American Idol show; they were brought in for a free concert.  There were 7 performers, all contestants from the 2009 and 2010 seasons.  It was an outdoor concert with tables and chairs set up and a giant dance floor.  The warm up song for the crowd was the Electric Slide and while many people rushed to the dance floor, so did the American Idol contestants – dancing right alongside the crowd. There were probably about 200 people in the audience, something else that takes getting used to.  I tried to get Jake to go dance with me but had no luck!  They performed on the grounds behind the RSL club; I think the boys were more excited about playing on the old tanks than they were about the concert.

There was a Sunday picnic at the DET that was a lot of fun.  They had Rex the snake man there putting on a show for the kids.  He showed the crowd 2 Thorny devils, a skink and a python.  I think I learned more than I ever wanted to know about snakes and reptiles. He is also the guy you call when you see a snake in your yard.  Our neighbor found a snake recently, she called us to come over so the boys and I could see it and then the snake guy was there in about 20 minutes to capture it and take it away.  The funny part is they just put it in a bag and throw it in the car with them and leave, I do not think I could drive knowing I had a snake in the car, particularly a poisonous one!

A Lizard on top of a termite mound

We took another visit back to Desert Park; it was much more enjoyable in the cooler weather.  It is such a beautiful place and I really enjoy all the trees and birds.  This time we went on trails I had not been on, one of them lead to an aviary that has black cockatoos – they were huge!  I tried to get a picture of the orange feathers under the wings but all you could see was blurred color.  I am still surprised at all the birds I see, how incredible it is to be looking out my window in the morning and see a green parrot on my patio or pink galas on my morning walks.

Yesterday I went to the horse races for Ladies Day, it is the Australian Cup and a huge deal here in Alice Springs.  The outfits were incredible!  I loved my custom fascinator with the ostrich feathers and jewels but next year I think I might need even more flash!  A group of us from school got a table together; all together there were about 30 tables.  There was a performance between races by two performers from the Phantom of the Opera, I got a private serenade from the gentleman performer while he was strolling through the audience and somehow no one at my table thought to get a picture.  Lunch was served by the Crown Plaza with 6 hours of bottomless champagne, beer and wine – I was honestly surprised that any of us were able to walk out of there.

My friend Angie and I

We have been here for just about 4 months and the thing that has surprised me the most is the kindness of the people here.  I am not sure if it is an Australian thing, a small town thing, or just an Alice thing.  An example of this happened a few weeks ago, we went to the hardware store to buy a leaf blower and we were told they were all out, the salesperson then told us to come back the next day and he would bring his in from home for us to borrow – the next day JD went back to the store and borrowed the leaf blower, no names and phone numbers exchanged.  I know everyone knows the Australian expression “No Worries”, but I am beginning to believe it is not just an expression; it is a way of life!

Easter

 

My friend Angie's daughter

We have had a busy few weeks, but now that the boys are out of school on a break we have been able to slow down and enjoy it. The school schedule here runs year round with a 2 week break for Easter, 4 weeks in June/July and 2 weeks in September, followed by 6 weeks in December/January before the new school year starts.  Right before the break there was crazy hair day at school, here they use it as a Leukemia fundraiser so I spent the morning spraying about 100 kids hair for charity.  They take it to the next level here, I have never seen such designs, flower beds, bird nests, 2 ft. high mohawks!  At least for this break the weather has started to cool, last week we had temperatures over 100 and this week we are in the 70’s, beautiful mornings! 



1971

2012

We visited the Telegraph station for the first time, we did not make it into any of the historical buildings (this is the site of the original Alice Springs), instead we walked the dry river bed and let the boys climb on the rocks.  The boys were climbing the same rocks, same spot as JD did when he was seven – check out the pics of JD and some kids back then and the boys now – it honestly looks the same even 40 years later!

There was an Easter Festival the week before Easter, I helped the committee put on this event and it turned out great!  If you recall from the earlier blog posts the boys and I were busy painting boxes for the Nerf War, that area was a huge success.  The boys did not leave the Nerf area with the exception of the Easter egg hunt!  It was a very hot day but it looked like everyone was having a good time.

Easter Sunday was a perfect day.  We went over to some friends in the morning for an egg hunt and a waffle breakfast, I think with well over 125 eggs hidden, there were plenty for the 5 boys! In the afternoon we had two families over for a lovely dinner and ping pong playing.  We have not one blade of grass in our yard so a ping pong table under the covered patio seemed like a good idea! After dinner the kids spent about 2 hours chasing each other with light sabers, very fun to see.

JD has finally found a motorcycle, he is very excited about that – I think the boys and I will stick to riding bicycles!  I am starting to figure out more and more at the grocery store thanks to my friend Angie, it would have taken me years to figure out that digestive biscuits are the same as graham crackers!  We are currently trying to decide on our first vacation here in Australia, so much to see, where do we want to start.