A few pics!

Hey guys!

Hope all is well with everyone...  Here are a few pics from our travels as of late.

Here we are - fresh off the jet and looking quite amused!  Sydney harbour with the opera house in the background.

Sydney harbour bridge after our whale watching adventures!  We saw some humpbacks from close proximity (50 meters) and had a fun tour guide; however, no excellent whale pics transpired.

 I went one day to help REC (Randwick Equine Centre) radiograph young horses before the big yearling sale season.  This day we were at Strawberry Hills and the owner (ridiculously wealthy) owns all kinds of birds.  The guy in the picture was a bit pushy and was trying to take away my water bottle.  These birds will land on your car and rip it apart if you don't shoo them away.  One of the associates had her windshield washer valve ripped off by one - I don't get it... :)

 First sighting of a kangaroo!  Yippee!  We have now experienced an essential part of Australia.  BTW - we enjoyed some roo on the grill that evening (no, not this one!).  Roo meat is common in markets.  It is all wild harvest and tastes quite good if grilled properly.

 These are our rubbish bins.  The yellow ones are for mixed recyclables, the red are rubbish (trash), and there are green bins that are for organic yard waste.  It is a pretty cool system and all paid for by the council (town/suburb) so no additional fees are required.  These are posted just to show some differences - little things you wouldn't think about, but are part of the "experience" here.  Like the electrical sockets that have switches.

 Here we are enjoying Saturday evening at Coogee (sweet hair).  There are some really neat rock cliffs that overlook the sea.  Behind us you can see Wedding Cake Island - a rock formation that efficiently breaks the surf coming into Coogee Bay - which makes Coogee beach a pretty mild beach with little break.  The island is about 1 km from the shore.  In November there is a big swimming race that goes around the island - I believe it's around a 2k swim.  Depending on our motivation, we may enter!

 Our favorite tasting room!  This is the "backroom" tasting room at Lambloch in the Hunter Valley.  Nice couches, a wood burning stove, big windows with spectacular vineyard views, and delicious wine.  These guys also had some fantastic imported scotch to taste.  Wonderful.

 Second to last winery on Saturday.  What a lovely place with spectacular scenery.  This may have been the only winery from which we didn't purchase a bottle of wine.  They had a great rustic tasting room and a very welcoming atmosphere.  Good wine, but not good enough to buy a bottle or two...or six.

 The infamous "Wedding Cake Island" east of Coogee Bay.  Lots of members of the Coogee fishing club take their boats out and fish around the island.  Not yet members...

 Beautiful right?  This is a fantastic view of the Hunter Valley wine country.  We had an amazing weekend and plan on making our way back.  We are now part of a wine club and the Hunter Valley Wine Society - yes, so sophisticated and drinking some FANTASTIC wine!

 Our last winery of the day and a gorgeous sunset to cap it off.  Again, the Hunter Valley.

 The "nature loo" at our rustic accommodations in the Hunter Valley.  This loo requires no flushing and no water.  It is a bit strange to get used to, but I suppose the concept is good.  The owner of the property has 150 acres, his house, and his "guest" house.  We had a great time and it was SOO nice to get out of the city.  We also saw the kangaroos here!

 That's just a 'lil o jug a wine there!  Our gracious hosts and Aussie friends (who are from Ohio) Liz and Tim.  Liz is Amy's intern-mate and Tim is her husband.  They are wonderful people and now to be long-time friends!

Good morning Hunter Valley!  This was the hilltop behind our country abode.

 Here is a view looking west off of our balcony.  It is strange not having a sunset here, but I guess we're getting used to it.  This is Oberon street.  There are all kinds of plants popping up in pots on the balcony now!

Coogee beach from the south.  This photo was taken about 8 minutes walk from our apartment.  Can't wait til the weather warms up some!