Let's Get Caught Up!

Hello Everyone!



Firstly I will appologize for not having our blog up-to-date. Things have been very busy with Canadian company, Christmas and our trip back to Canada. But I know, that's no excuse! I hope to try and get caught up over the next couple of weeks so please keep checking things periodically to see what has been happening for us over the last couple of months.

As you can see we FINALLY got the motorbike out of customs. We got it plated on December 23, 2008 and took her out for a ride on Christmas day (which will be on the blog soon).

I will go back a couple months and post a few highlights on places we've seen, our Victoria trip, Canadian visitors, CNH Christmas Party, Our First Aussie Christmas, Kamloops visit, Saskatoon visit, and the Denver NHL Hockey Game.

Bryan has been very very busy since we got back from Canada and has been out of town the majority of the time. He is currently on his way to the state of Victoria (South of us). Victoria is currently going through severe bush fires and the total number of deaths as I am typing here is over 180 and expected to climb. Extreme heat and last night very strong winds (100 kms) have made the state an area of disaster. Please keep in mind and in your prayers the people in the state of Victoria. Bryan should be OK as he is driving through the North part of Victoria and the fires in this area are not as severe.

I hope everyone is fine and enjoy the blog.
Love you all and missing everyone!

Bryan & Maureen

Our First Aussie Christmas - Dec 2008

Our Christmas Day started out early. We finally got the bike approved for the road and that is just where we took her on Christmas Day - a long road trip. No place in mind except to ride North of Sydney. We passed many beaches on the way with people doing many different things from surfing on Christmas day to fishing to having a major bbq to just relaxing and enjoying the weather and being together with loved ones.

Left: Bryan all geared up and ready for a good ride!
Right: Picture of the approximate route we were going to take.

We decided to ride down the 'Coastal Highway' as to try and take in as many views as possible. One of the stops we made was at a look-out point for the 'Sea Coast Highway'. It is a bridge that was just completed about seven years ago along the ocean with huge cliffs backing it. The highway was made out in the ocean because the cliffside kept on falling on the existing highway. There is also a walking path that you can take.


Left: The bike with the 'Sea Coast' Hwy in the background.
Right: View of the 'Sea Coast' Hwy from the look-out point.

Above: Another view of the "Sea Coast Bridge'.

While riding on the bike I thought I would have a little fun! When we ride I take the pictures for Bryan's hands are kinda busy! I thought I would take a couple of shots of us on the bike. The picture of Bryan in the mirror shows that he has a black ball in front of his mouth. We decided to get microphones for our helmets. That way we can talk to each other (without yelling over the road noise) while riding. They work very well. We can also listen to the radio on them too.

We finally saw a beach that we thought would be a good place to have our Christmas picnic lunch at. Geringong was that beach. It was really nice for it wasn't crowded at all. We got out of our bike gear and into beach gear. The day until then was clowdy. Once we set up our blanket and lunch the sun decided to peek through the clowds. Nice of the sun to accomodate us! We had lots of fun peeling our King Prawns and enjoying the wonderful fresh taste of each morsel. Oh ya, we just had to have turkey as well so we bought some turkey breast slices and made up some turkey sandwiches to go along with our lunch. It just wouldn't be Christmas without the turkey!

Above: The two of us obviously enjoying our day and the King Prawns.

After lunch we went for a walk along the beach and yes even though it wasn't the warmest (about +25C) we had to go and get wet in the ocean as well. Then we decided to go for a walk along the coast and see what we could find. And we found lots. We saw a bunch of different kinds of crabs and lots of other little ocean life among the small pools of water along the rocky terrain of the coast. We found lots of big shells too.

Left: Bryan doing what he loves - climbing rocks.
Right: Me holding huge snail shells in each hand.

This was our first Christmas without snow. We enjoyed that aspect a lot! But something was mising. A snowman!

Above: Our sandman! I forgot the carrot at home, sorry!

After we were done exploring the coastline we changed and hopped on the bike again to see what else we could find. We drove up to the Illawarra Tree Top walk where you can climb up and see a fantastic treetop view but when we got there it was closed. So, we made our way back down the road and stopped in to see the 'Carrington Falls'.

Above: "Carrington Falls"

Above: View from the top of Carrington Falls.

Above: Close up of Carrington Falls. Note-picture is in color not black & white.

Our Christmas day was coming to a close. The sun was thinking of settling down for the night and so were we. What a day it was! Fantastic food wonderful companionship shared with each other and awesome breathtaking views. One could not ask for more of a gift on Christmas. Christmas 2008 will be one to remember so sure!

I'm getting there. Just about all caught up. Keep checking, I'm getting closer to being caught up!

Love,

Bryan & Maureen

CNH Christmas Party Dec 2008

On December 20th, 2008 we attended Bryan's first Australian CNH Christmas Party. It was really something. All the festivities were on a boat that had glass walls from floor to ceiling. It also had an upper deck where you could take in all the panoramic night views of Sydney Harbour. Really something to see. We took the train down to Darling Harbour and walked to the wharf where the boat left from.

Upon boarding the boat we were met with a warm welcome with trays that held a variety of drinks for everyone. It was really nice to meet some new people and to see some of others that I have met once or twice before. Everyone was very very friendly.

Above: People boarding the boat. Notice the glass walls and the gentlemen on the top deck waiting to greet us with drinks and appetizers.

Above: One of the views from the boat through the glass walls. Sydney Harbour Bridge is in the background.

Above: A view of the front of the boat. There are spiral staircases outside leading up to the upper deck located on either side of the band.

That is all the pictures I have of the Christmas party. Unfortunately, it was late in the day when we boarded and darkness came all to quick. I believe a need either a better camera, a tripod or a few lessons on taking pictures at night. We met up with Colin (co-worker of Bryan's) and his wife, wonderful couple and both her and I love to dance. Bryan was busy visiting with Colin and she asked me to dance and I gladly accepted the invitation and we both had a blast dancing while our husbands conversed upstairs. Bryan was off the hook! We both had a wonderful time and can't wait until the next time we get the opportunity to go on a supper cruise on the ocean. I think it will be a must to do with the next fortunate company from Canada that comes down our way. Now, if that's not a good enough bribe then I don't know what is!! There are several supper cruises that we can take advantage of over here. Start planning your trip people!

Love,
Bryan & Maureen

Bryan's Dive in Australia Dec 2008

Hello Hello! I'm getting closer and closer to getting caught up with the posts.

When Bryan was in Australia a couple of years ago he connected with a fellow diver by the name of Lorraine. She was kind enough not only to take him diving but to show him a few sights around the Sydney area. Well Lorraine's husband, Theo works for a diving shop called 'Frog Dive'. Bryan has kept in contact with Lorraine and she invited us to the Frog Dive's Christmas Dive and Party at Kurnell, near Sydney. Bryan of course accepted without any delay. It was a cooler day and very very windy but a good time was had by all. Oh ya, Santa came and talked to all the kids bearing gifts and candy.

Left: Bryan getting ready to dive.
Right: Bryan and Theo (a master diver) making their way into the ocean.

Left: Bryan and his diving partner, Theo making their way into deeper waters.

Right: The two divers are in the bottom of a big swell.

Although you may not be able to see the severity of the ocean from these pictures but the day of the dive was extremely windy. Lorraine, last minute, just before walking into the ocean decided that it was too windy to do a dive and backed out. There were quite a few divers that came that day with full intentions of diving but they too thought it was way to windy. Bryan and Theo were the only ones that dove that day. Later driving home we heard on the radio that the winds in that area reached over 70-80kms. Way too windy.

Bryan mentioned after the dive that getting out into the ocean far enough to clear the rocks was hard but trying to fight the waves and getting back in was even harder. Then there was the long walk from the ocean front to the picnic are. Quite the walk to begin with let alone after a rough dive. Bryan agreed that he would not dive in those conditions again. There would be better days to dive in. He had a lot of fun diving once under the water. Theo was great to dive with for he was showing Bryan lots of different things under the water that he had never saw before. All in all he had a good time despite the wind and the waves.

The 'Frog Dive' also had a surprise for all the kids that came with their families. You guessed it, Santa made his way to the beach bringing gifts and candy for all the good boys and girls.

Santa handing out gifts and candy. Notice the wonderful ocean in the background. Not what we're used to.

After the party was over and everyone's stomach was full of great food we made our way up the road a bit to and saw some wonderful sights.

Left: A view of the rugged coastline.
Right: In the distance you can see Sydney CBD.



Left: Two cargo ships passing.
Right: A seadoo having a blast in the open ocean.

We also found out that this is a great area to watch whales as they pass by in the winter months.
After viewing the wonders around us we made our way back home. There was a nice rain just before we got home and it left us with a wonderful sight to see from our balcony.

You can see the bright double rainbow that lit up the sky for all to enjoy as the sun was setting in the Western sky. That concludes the diving experience and scenery wonders that we both enjoyed so much.

Everyone take good care of yourselves and of each other!

Love always,
Bryan & Maureen

Our First Canadian Visitors Nov-Dec 2008

We were so excited to hear that airplane tickets have been booked!

DVonne Scrivens, my girlfriend from Saskatoon SK made her way down under in November and our neighbours from Pike Lake, SK Harvey and Donna Pippin found their way to Aussieland in December.

We had great fun sharing with our friends the sights and wonders that we had experienced and new ones we shared together as well. We went from Darling Harbour to Circular Quay to the Sydney Opera House to whale watching to the lighting of the Christmas tree at Darling Harbour to the Blue Mountains to many many more sights and great food. Here are a few highlights from our Canadian visitors.

Left: DVonne and I in front of Criniti's (one of our favorite places to eat).
Right: DVonne having her birthday dessert .

DVonne and I at Darling Harbour with local native playing the didgeridoo. Nice sounding!


Left & Right: DVonne at the world famous Bondi Beach.

DVonne and I took the train down to Bondi and spent the day soaking up the sun and looking at all the great sights around us. Next, I took DVonne to the Koala Park Zoo in Castle Hill where she was able to pet a Koala and feed the Kangaroos. At the Zoo we met a fellow Canadian named Sam. He was from Calgary and joined us in our tour of the Zoo. Later we met up with Bryan after work and went had coffee.

DVonne feeding the kangaroo and petting the Koala.

Next on our list we took a drive to the 'Blue Mountains'. They are roughly about an hour West of Westmead. We took in the sights for the day and saw quite a few breathtaking ones at that.


Left: DVonne and I infront of the 'Three Sisters'.

Right: A waterfall in the Blue Mountains.

Whale watching is something that Bryan and I have wanted to do since we came to Australia. We decided to take DVonne and hope to see a bunch of whales. The company that took us out guaranteed that if you did not see a whale that you could sail again with them as many times as it took until you saw a whale. Can't beat that!

So off we went. The day was pretty windy and the boat rocked a lot with the ever swelling waves of the ocean. There was about 50 or so people on the pretty big boad and because of the rough seas many stayed inside the cabin with paper bags in hand (sea sickness was had by many). It didn't seem to bother us at all. It was quite the opposite for us. The three of us stood at the very front of the boat hoping to get the best view when the whales came by. The longer we were out the rougher the seas became and we became wet like the sea in no time flat. The boat went up and down with the waves and it felt like we were on a roller coaster ride. One huge wave came up and it even lifted us off of our feet. We were soaked but having the time of our lifes riding the waves with the boat. Unfortunately, we didn't see any whales but we didn't mind for the boat ride was an experience on its own.

A week later we did the whale watching tour again. The day was predicting calmer seas but if they were rough we wouldn't mind at all either. The whale watching this time was very successful. We not only seen whales but also a couple pods of dolphins too.



Left: A pod of dolpins swim alongside the boat
Right: A humpback whale.

The boat had to stay quite a distance away from the whale for she had a little pup along her side. Unfortunately in this picture the pup was not visible. It is the law that when a pup is spotted that any boat has to stay a safe distance away to protect the pup. Wow it was really exciting to see the mumma and babe in the wild. Really really worth the trip.

After whale watching we met up with Sam from Canada and we all went to Darling Harbour for supper. It was Sam's last day in Australia. Poor guy had to go home! Fun was had by all.

DVonne also had a cruise that she went on in the beginning of December. She left on her cruise and Harvey and Donna Pippin from Pike Lake area landed in Sydney.


Left: Harvey & Donna's arrival. Note the Christmas Tree in the background.
Right: T-shirts saying "PIKE LAKE SASKATCHEWAN CANADA TO AUSTRALIA AND YES, IT'S A HELL UVA LONG WAY"

Harvey and Donna brought with them two more t-shirts saying the same, a gift for Bryan and I. We had a nice visit over supper that night and the next day since Bryan had to work I took Harvey and Donna to Circular Quay to see the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

Left: Look up, look way up! Harvey & Donna on top of the Opera House
Right: Harvey & Donna in front of the Harbour Bridge.

On our way back from Circular Quay we stopped at the Town Hall Train Station. There the train stops below a fantastic shopping centre. Yes, I know that you are all thinkning. No, it's not the contents of the shops that interested me, it's the building itself. I had to take Donna & Harvey for a little tour. They seemed to be impressed also. Harvey was really taken with the huge clock in the centre of the building. It was also all decked out for Christmas too. A lovely sight.


Left: The second floor of the 'Queen Victoria Building' at the Town Hall Train Station. The clock in the centre is huge.
Right: Harvey & Donna in front of the huge 3 storey Christmas Tree.

On the weekend the four of us went down to Darling Harbour for they were having their annual lighting of the huge Christmas Tree. There was a choir singing Christmas songs and following that was a nice fireworks display. We went down early and had supper before we took in the festivities.

Down at Darling Harbour


Left: Christmas Tree @ Darling Harbour.
Right: Fireworks after lighting of the tree.

Harvey this one is for you!

'NICE SHOES!'

Well that concludes our highlights from our Canadian visitors. Bryan and I truely appreciated DVonne and Harvey & Donna coming to visit. We had a great time visiting, catching up and sharing some of Australia with them. We hope to continue to receive more Canadian company in the very very near future.

Love,
Bryan & Maureen