Tara and Mark in Oz, Chapter 2

We are so incredibly behind on the blog. But I need to start somewhere, so why not where we left off.

[Note: Once again, I don't have all the photos on one computer, so I'm making do with what we have.]

We continued our three weeks in Australia with more good times with family and friends.

In addition to the all the eating and visiting and catching up, we got a chance to head south to Royal National Park for a day's walk through the Australian bush. The weather cooperated perfectly. Believe it or not, an overcast, off-and-on drizzly day was just what we needed. Otherwise, the extremely rough surf at the end of the trail would have been much more enticing. We saw waterfalls pouring into the ocean, all sorts of eucalyptus and various other plants that I don't know the name of, and dead blue bottle jellyfish on the beach (which also discouraged any swimming in the rough surf). Luckily, Mark and I missed out on the opportunity to see leeches and snakes up close (others were not quite so lucky). And to top it all off, we got to meet Alan's walking buddies, a great group to spend a day with. Other than the fact that Mark and I forgot to pack the complete lunch, it was a wonderful day! (The only other bummer is that we found out after the fact that we missed seeing The Killers in concert at Centennial Park that night.)

Enjoying the cloudy view
from the Sydney Harbour Bridge

On another rainy afternoon, we went to the Sydney Jewish Museum to see Molly's African dolls in a special exhibit on South African Jews in Australia, titled "It's Not All Black and White." She is incredibly talented, and it was great to see her art so prominently displayed.

Molly's art on display (in her home)

As I mentioned, we ate at some fantastic restaurants, including Ravesi's, Sabbaba's, Blue Wave Bistro at Bondi's RSL, and Sean's Panorama, all in Bondi Beach; as well as a yummy dim sum (they call it yum cha) restaurant in Sydney, many quick beers and plates of chips at Doyle's on the way back from Watson's Bay or the ferry ride back from the City, and a delicious meal at Molly and Alan's local Thai place. All that plus the tasty meals at home ... it's amazing we didn't come back bigger than we left! (OK, maybe we came back a little larger, but we are working on that.)

Sea spray in the face
on the ferry ride to Watson's Bay

After three weeks, we loaded ourselves onto the new A-380 with QANTAS (damn! that's a big plane) and flew "home" to our dog in Dallas. Thanks to all the Joffes (and Bergers and Spielmans and ...) for a fantastic time!

The (slightly overexposed) Joffe/Berger/Spielman clan

Kai, the lone Joffe dog, anxiously awaiting our return
(... or sniffing the flowers
... or, more realistically, hunting wabbits).

T&M in Oz

Well, here we are, finally somewhere about 1,000 times more interesting than Dallas, and not even a whisper of a post from us on the blog. Sorry about that! It's just that we have actually been busy with fun stuff, without a minute to spare for such indoor activities as blogging. I know, you all feel so sorry for us. I don't have a lot of time, as my battery is down to 30% and the charger doesn't seem to be working right now. But just wanted to let you all know (if you didn't already) that we are in Sydney, spending time with the family and then some! Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, Mum, Dad, brothers (in law) and sisters (in law), to name just a few.

As for what's been keeping us so busy ... walks to the beach, swims at the beach, trips to the dentist (good times!), shopping excursions, dining out, dining in, dining in but out on the patio, playing in the pool, visiting with Mark's family from South Africa, catching up with Aussie friends we haven't seen in more than 7 years, taking the occasional nap and squeezing in a bit of work here and there, and even playing a round of golf on a course overlooking the ocean. Gorgeous. Pictures to come! But for now, it's time to clean up so we can head off to the beach again. Yes, it's a rough life ... Wish you were here!