What an amazing weekend!

Ormiston Gorge

Jake getting ready for one of his races

On Friday, the boys had sports day at school – it is similar to Field Day in the U.S. but this one happens mid-year.  The school is divided into 3 houses, the kids from each house earn points throughout the year for good behavior and the winner is announced each week at the school assembly – very competitive.  On the actual sports day the kids come to school in their house colors, the older kids really got into the costumes, wearing capes, face paint and crazy hair.  Dillon had the fastest sprint time in his class (see video)  and Jake came in second in his race, I am sorry to say their house, Flynn, did not win for the day- but came in second.

Saturday began at a school carnival at one of the local primary schools, I was very surprised when the boys asked if they could go on a camel ride – surprised for 2 reasons, 1 that they were camel rides available and 2 that they had the courage to do it.  When done, they were quite pleased with themselves. 

Glen Helen Resort

After the carnival and following our soccer game we headed out of town to the Glen Helen Resort with some friends of ours, it is about an hour and a half west of Alice Springs.  Please keep in mind that when I say “resort”,  in the outback that apparently means motel - not quite as nice as a Motel 6.  I could not help but think that if JD had pulled up at the same exact motel in America we would have kept on driving – but here the alternative would be camping, so when faced with sleeping in a tent on the ground or in a concrete block room with beds and a toilet, I chose the latter.  Once we got over the initial shock, even the boys said, “are we staying here”, everything was perfect!  The resort has Glen Helen Gorge in its backyard, which was beautiful.  It was even more beautiful at sunset as the color of the mountain changed from a paler red to a very striking deep red, we were able to sit on the patio with a cold beer and really enjoy it. 

Glen Helen at sunset

One of the funniest parts of the weekend was the looks and laughs that came our way everywhere we went.  Our friend Heather’s husband had to rush back to America due to a death in the family, but we decided to still go on our trip.  So when we pulled up, the tour group out front saw JD, 2 women with wedding rings and 5 boys pile out – we laughed as we realized that Heather and I looked like sister wives with JD at the head of the household.  If we were not already getting enough looks, one of Heather’s twins who is 23 months old calls everyone mama, so him calling the two of us mama all weekend did not help.

Glen Helen Gorge

Dillon loving it!

On Sunday morning JD decided to take the boys on a helicopter ride, it was an open air copter and they took a tour of Glen Helen Gorge, Ormiston Gorge and the Finke River.  This time it was me that chickened out, which Jake promptly told me, “You better go next time or you will be disappointed in yourself”, I wonder where he has heard that!  Dillon had so much fun that when Heather’s son got nervous and decided not to go, he went a second time – I think he was even more excited the second time around.  We might have a future helicopter pilot on our hands.  I am amazed that just 2 short years ago they were afraid to go on so many of the rides at Disney, now they are riding in a helicopter without a door.

Getting ready for the flight

We left Glen Helen and went to Ormiston Gorge on the way back to Alice.  Ormiston Gorge is featured in my Australia’s Amazing Places book. I wish my pictures could show how beautiful it really was, when we arrived the sunlight was shimmering on the water – it was amazing.  We had a picnic and let the boys play for a while, it was wonderful to have a spot where the kids could play so freely.  The next few hours consisted of throwing rocks in the water, running in the sand and climbing on the enormous rocks.  We actually thought we did pretty well that only 2 of the 5 boys fell in the freezing water!  They were so wiped out my boys actually fell asleep on the drive home.  I am really looking forward to more getaways like this, this country is so beautiful I want to see as much of it as I can!

The mountains are over 300 meters high, just beautiful!

Yes, those specs are the boys on the rocks

Bangtail Muster

A sign in the central business district, not sure how far Texas is...

We went to see our first play at the Araluen Arts Center; it was Happy Birthday, Peter Rabbit.  The theater has a maximum capacity of 458 seats, which makes every seat a good seat.  I thought the production was quite cute and Dillon was really getting into it.  I enjoyed it enough that I think I will try and go to the monthly plays that are coming up.

This was the last week of the Australian Cup horse racing, it was Young Guns day, for those 18 to 35, on Saturday – but we decided to pop by after the boys’ soccer game.  We ran into some friends from school and were able to watch a few of the races.  I think I actually spent more of my time at the kid’s play area behind the track though.  Later that evening there was a group of American friends that had a Cinco de Mayo party, while everyone had made Mexican dishes it was no substitute for the Tex-Mex food I am used to.  J.D. and I are both looking forward to a Mexican meal when we get back to Texas and of course a giant margarita!!!

The kids that helped us decorate.

The kid's lounge.

One of the antique toys at Monte's.

A few weeks ago my friend Angie and I volunteered to organize the designs and details for the school’s entry for the Bangtail Muster parade.  Thank God for Angie and her artistic talent and organizational skills, she worked so hard and I just helped as I was asked.  After a few weeks of putting together details, Sunday was the day to decorate the truck – it looked great!  We then decided to check out Monte’s, a local pub/eatery I had wanted to check out since I got here.  What a great place!  The setting is quite cool and my pumpkin, feta and pine nut pizza was delicious.  They have a cool kid’s lounge with sofa, chairs, TV and play area so the boys will have no problem going back. 

The float loaded with some kids.

The Bangtail Muster parade was Monday, it happens on May Day an Aussie holiday so the crowds were plentiful.  There were 30 float entries and a bunch of antique cars, motorcycles and groups.  I was told it was one of the largest parades in years.  The boys and I were able to ride on the float, they said they had a great time and they wondered when we could be in another parade. 

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.

8:00 AM Breathalyzers???

I am still amazed when I see the police pulling people over for random breathalyzers at 8:00AM, last week would make the third time I have seen this since we moved here.  The funny thing is I have never seen the random testing any other time of the day.  The legal limit here is .05 so it does not take much.  They even have a TV show based in one of the big cities called Random Breath Tests, it is a Cops type format.  How ridiculous to think you can make a guy who had one beer without eating appear to be exciting television! Luckily I have yet to get pulled over on our way to school, but many of the moms at our school have been.  I explained what was happening to the boys, and their prompt response was “well, you would never do that mom” – of course not…..

The kids plotting their next move in Shark Attack.

So needless to say when we went out Saturday night with friends we took a taxi!  We went to the Gillen club with a group of new friends.  What a great place to hang out with friends, the kids have an enormous play area to keep them busy and we can sit outside under a cover and enjoy some adult time.  It was fun to be out with such a great group, everyone was getting along really well.  I am looking forward to doing this again! 

The days have started to get busy again; the boys are taking Karate, piano and tennis lessons.  They have decided that karate is not their favorite thing, not sure they will make it past this term.  I am amazed for such a small town that there are so many options for special interest and sports.  We are currently trying to decide between basketball and soccer for team sports and there is also a hip hop dance class we are going to check out.  JD is also getting into the act and taking guitar lessons, the boys said we will be a jamming family – when asked what I would do, they said I could sing if I would take some lessons.

We are also helping to put on the Easter event in town, the boys helped me paint moving boxes that will be used as “walls” in our Nerf war.  This was hilarious – 5 colors of paint and we told them to get crazy, they had a blast.  What we did not realize is that one of the cans of paint must have been oil based – of course the one that Jake decided to paint his hands with to make handprints.  I learned a valuable lesson last night about removing dried paint, you can put mayonnaise on it and the paint softens and rubs off.

Of course we have to do something touristy when we can, so this weekend we headed to the Tropic of Capricorn.  It is about 20 minutes north of town, not much of anything there – just a marker and an invisible line – but we were there!

We saw the Todd flow!

JD and the boys on top of Anzac Hill

This week the biggest news in Alice Springs was the rain and possible floods.  We had rain for three days and after only being here 2 months, I saw the Todd River flow!  The majority of the time the Todd River is a dry river bed, and legend has it that if you see the Todd River flow three times you will stay for life. While flooding was a concern most were happy to see the rain, it cooled things off to about 65 – 75 degrees plus gave the plants and trees a nice drink.  JD has been very surprised that we have had 2 rain events since we moved here, he had told us repeatedly that it almost never rains in Alice before we moved here.  With all the rain over the last few years this town is amazingly green for a desert.

Once the rain cleared out it was time to get out and enjoy the cooler temps and meet up with new friends.  Saturday I took the boys to the town pool, the new indoor pool was perfect on a cloudy day.  We were lucky because this time they had both water slides going and there was almost no one there, made for a wonderful afternoon.

The markets at Todd Mall

On Sunday we went to the Todd Mall outdoor markets, they started again on every other Sunday, now that the weather is cooling off.  You find a mix of aboriginal art, craft items, fresh produce and food.  We have been twice now and it is the same vendors each time, I think the crowds come out just to run into people they know and eat the food.  I actually love going because there is a café on the mall called Soma and they have the best hazelnut latte in town (life without my Keurig has not been easy!).  One of the booths we like is lazy susans made out of fabric, wood and resin – JD and I both really like them and we will get one as soon as we can agree on a fabric, hard to believe we are having difficulty agreeing.  This week we were also looking at didgeridoos, there is a store on the mall that has hand painted ones and the shop owner also offers free lessons – I think we will sign JD up. 

Anzac Memorial

If you can see the gap in the center of the pic, we live just to the left of it.

We decided to head up to Anzac Hill when we left the markets; we had visited here on our first day in town but had not been back since.  I got some great shots of the town from there.  Found this blurb on the web about it: The most visited landmark in Alice Springs, Anzac Hill is the ideal spot for an overview of the town. The lookout affords a panoramic view of Alice Springs and the beautiful East and West MacDonnell Ranges. The Anzac Hill Memorial was unveiled on Anzac Day 25 April 1934 and was originally dedicated to all those members of the armed services who had paid the supreme sacrifice during World War I. Today the hill has now become a memorial to all those who have served in the defence of their country during all wars in which Australia has participated.

Another view from Anzac Hill

My wine of the week is Tim Adams, The Fergus – we tried the 2007 but have only been able to find the 2008 since – delicious!

http://www.timadamswines.com.au/wine/Tim-Adams-2008-The-Fergus/