New Home

Well, we did it-- we moved to Tasmania!!! After checking it out in December 07 we decided this is where we want to settle down. It is such a beautiful little island and we are very happy in our new community. We are renting on the north coast of the island for now. Hopefully within a few months we will buy a little piece of our own paradise. Here are some photos of our new place. Come visit us soon!

The side garden is huge and full of fruit trees, flowers, shrubs, and the chook coop and the garden backs onto the bush. We put in two veggie beds that are just beginning to take root.

Me in the front garden-- weeding as usual. We have spent countless hours weeding and restoring the garden beds





Some of the flowers.... close up-













Our first rainbow at our new home!

Birth Month Holiday

For my Birthday we spent some time in tropical far north Queensland. It was my first time up there and I fell in love with the Daintree Rainforest region. I have to keep reminding myself I would hate it in summer due to the high temperatures and humidity cuz otherwise I would move there in a heartbeat. It is in a World Hertiage Area where the ocean meets the rainforest- everyone living in the Daintree must live off the grid as there are no services available and you are no longer allowed to build new structures up there. Below are some photos of the trip. We flew into Cairns and drove up to Port Douglas and then onto the Daintree.

It's always good when your on a tropical holiday to be not allowed to swim cause of the locals...






















but they look so friendly & inviting!!




















a little closer- look at those snappers!



















A view of the rainforest

the beaches are so natural and stunning up here





















Port Douglas town park also were the weekly markets take place...not bad




















We rode bikes on the beach- awesome!
















































Just inland there are heaps of these huge termite mounds






























Someone dressed up some of the termite mounds- love it!


We visited a Mango farm that produces mango wine, champagne, liqueurs and port- unbelievably delicious and definitely a highlight of the trip. We bought heaps of it and had it shipped home.




















View of Port Douglas and the beach we rode on




















A friend we met while rock hopping in a river gorge. Cause it was so camouflaged Damo nearly put his hand on it which freaked Damian out and he almost fell in the river- it was great and hysterical.




































Strangler fig tree on a jungle walk





The mouth of the Daintree River




















Having lunch at a cafe on the beach as we head north





















Damo doing handstands on the beach at Cape Tribulation



















Another highlight was visiting the Cape Trib Exotic Fruit farm for a tasting and a tour- scrumptious!




















A goanna climbing a tree on the beach




























Feet up & mango champagne to celebrate a great day hiking and staying at the Epipyte B&B... a wonderful place with warm hosts




























A rough day out at sea on the Rum Runner -- off to snorkle the Great Barrier Reef so it was worth the sea sickness.




















Me on the birthday in the hammock reading -- life is tough huh?!?





















We spotted a cassowary on a bushwalking track- this is a male and there are two chics with him (the male raises the young). They are quite dangerous- they have a really sharp and strong toe and leg to propel it into you. Supposedly people have died and been seriously injured by them. We were definitely scared when he ruffled his feathers when we got too close to him!

Some gorgeous photos from the Blue Mountains

MY PARENTS VISIT OZ

My Parents Visit Oz

It was wonderful to see my parents after 2 years of not seeing them (too long!). It was great to share Australia and my life here with them.

10 full days- here is the tour of Sydney and surrounds for my parents first visit to Australia.

We stayed in Manly for the first few nights. A great city beach and good access into the city to see the highlights.

Day 1- We did a few walks around Manly and saw an echidna (I was so excited) and then to North Head, a national park on the edge of Sydney Harbor with great views across the harbor to the city (pictured above)

Day 2- Into the city to see the Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Circular Quay and the Botanical Gardens- a gorgeous day to see the views.



















Day 3- to Taronga Zoo to meet Aussie animals




















After the zoo we headed to Bondi Beach, mostly because every tourist wants to see it (I'm not exactly sure why). We did the beautiful walk around the coast track.


















Day 4- My Dad went to hang out with the boys (Damian's Dad and friends) while my mom and I went to the northern beaches to shop, sleep on the beach and do one of my favorite bush walks up to Barrenjoey Lighthouse at Palm Beach

My Mom with one of the views from the Lighthouse


















Night 4- Damian's Birthday Dinner at a Spanish Tapas restaurant....

















With flamingo dancers- we of course made Damo get up and dance with them :)

























Day 5- Damian's 30th birthday party with family and friends at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden (my work)

This photo is with my Parents, In laws, Damian's sister Clare and her husband Alex and his parents, Eddie and Ellie- the whole family!
















Good friends, good times!
















yummy birthday cake

Day 6- Back home on the Hawkesbury- a day meeting the animals, house, river and community we live in. This is a view from our walk around the neighborhood

















Out on the boat puttering around the local area, Chloe made herself at home on my dads lap and then took a nap there.



























By the afternoon my parents found the hammocks on the back deck and slept for hours!




























Day 7- Off to the Hunter Valley (the wine region) about an hour north and west of us. My in laws and sister in law joined us and well, we drank lots at many wineries....

And ate lots at great restaurants

















Day 8 - back home to do laundry and snuggle the chooks...


















and the dog!


















Day 9- To the Blue Mountains- my favorite area- stunning views, vast wilderness, and heaps of...



















shopping in cute boutiques- the males were thrilled ;-)

















We got to the famous three sisters rock formation late in the afternoon to see them shimmering with the low light of the autumn sun


















Day 10- Exploring the valley of the Blue Mountains. We took the VERY steep railway down into the valley and the cable car back up.

We looked at waterfalls, the historical displays, bush walked and hung out in the rain forest


















And hugged a few trees (my Mom, the hippy tree hugger)

























My Dad couldn't resist holding two naked ladies hands

My Mom (the now self proclaimed wine expert) visits Alan's wine cellar

Night 10- to Alan and Margaret's and out to dinner AGAIN before they head off back to the good old US of A

We all had a blast and ate and drank too much. The weather and company was splendid and the sites were beautiful. It was great to have family down under!

A DAY ON THE RIVER

A DAY ON THE RIVER

The captain and 1st mate driving the yacht























On a little beach not far from our home























Going for the stick






















Damo at Refuge Bay






















The little mermaid























Right down the river from our house- Damo on the bow of the boat






























Damo bathing in a waterfall

EASTER ADVENTURE

EASTER ADVENTURES-


We headed north for a week, about 10 hours up the coast to the hippy capitol of Australia, Bryon Bay Area. There is a wonderful music festival over Easter up there, the Blues and Roots Festival- phenomenal! Also went to catch up with our old neighbor and co worker, Graeme & an American friend from surf camp who lives in Brisbane, JD. On the way down the coast we stopped in at Nelson Bay to see Carly and Brett and their new addition to their family, Hayden. It was a great little trip to catch up with friends and dance dance dance!






















First stop the lighthouse in Bryon Bay- the most easterly point of the Australian mainland























JD- beer in hand at our campsite in Mullumbimby at a football field- a little odd but we loved it.






















Nimbin- a crazy little hippy town in the middle of nowhere that has its own laws. Great murals and funky shops- I loved it :)























Graeme standing in the center of the chaos of the strip






















Damo and sweaty Bonnie at the festival- I think this was the only time I stopped dancing!






















Dancin with my darlin






















On the way back down the coast we couldn't help but stop at the big banana! This town is the beginning of the banana growing region and Australians have a VERY odd fascination with having very large fake objects as tourist attractions- I don't really get it but I always seem to stop so it works!

Tassie

The Tasmania Roadtrip- 20/12/07- 8/1/08

Tasmania was beautiful and where we think we would like to settle sometime soon. It is a great place- good food, good folks, cool weather, diverse & beautiful ecosystems, thriving agriculture, affordable land (even on the coast)....it is us. We kinda went a little nuts when we first arrived and did an enormous amount of sightseeing, hiking, driving and towards the end chilled out a bit. It was really a trip to see where would be a good spot to call home on this little Aussie island below the mainland.... so we wanted to see as much as possible!
The photos below are some of the highlights




























We were greeted when we got off the 10 hour overnight ferry from Melbourne with gorgeous mountain peaks and fields of opium poppies (grown for the pharmaceutical industry- Tasmanias' biggest export)


























A quarter of the state is in national parks and the first we went to (Cradle Mountain) is the most popular and spectacular. It rains heaps here and I was lovin hiking in it.






























Next stop... the caves- there are many and they are awesome!

























Christmas Day- hiked for 6 hours to secluded beaches meandering down beautiful coastal hills with amazing ocean vistas on the east coast of Tassie in Frecinyet National Park.
























Christmas dinner at our camp site!
































The happy couple at another waterfall just outside of the capital city, Hobart, in Mt. Field National Park

























The famous Horseshoe Falls

























Heaps of big trees and temperate rainforest


























The gorgeous and dramatic coastline in the southeast on the Tasman Peninsula






























My goofy husband the sea creature on the West Coast at Marrawah Beach


























New Years Location on the Northwest Coast at Stanley. "The Nut" is the prominent feature there (no not Damian) but the hill behind him. On New Years Eve we climbed the Nut at sunset and then chased the fairy penguins around the beach when they come in from the ocean at dark. Then we partied with the locals at the small town pub to bring in the year and soaked in our beautiful huge spa bath. Sounds horrible huh?



























Damo putting his feet up towards the end of the trip at the whiskey distillery in
Burnie before we head back to the mainland by ferry.

TWO NOVEMBER WEDDINGS.....

Al and Lisa's Wedding

What a wedding it was! A long weekend away in the cute quaint town of Mudgee in the southern part of the Hunter Valley. Great fun had by all. Beautiful gardens for the ceremony, gorgeous mountain vistas for the reception at a winery and a very slow double decker red bus to get us to and fro.
Damian was the celebrant- my husband the priest! He did so well and looked so handsome- I was so proud I cried (which of course isn't saying much because I always cry at weddings!)





























My husband the marriage celebrant (not legally but who cares)























Us at the wedding!

Lisa asking for it!

And she gets it :)







Alex and Clare's Wedding in the Hunter Valley Wine Country..... we drank alot of wine and had a blast! Clare looked amazingly girly and beautiful- it was great to see her as a bride. The ceremony was in a sweet little chapel and the reception was at a huge gorgeous winery. We all made a weekend out of it and enjoyed the company and location.
I did the flowers- all Australia native flowers and Damian was the MC. We also both got to do readings at the ceremony. I love weddings!






























The siblings- how sweet!




























Andrew (Alex's brother), Me, Alex, Clare, and Damian- little happy family































Sittin in the tree
































The Happy Hunter Valley Lovin Couple





























Goofin' around

Around the river

Spring has sprung with heaps of flowers in bloom around the cabin. Here are a couple photos with the beautiful view from our decks.

Fiona, our lovely neighbor with a great catch that was super yummy

Sammy, Tace, Luko and Sophie chillin in the hammocks on a lazy Sunday afternoon

Look at that gorgeous face!

The cute little snugglers

Chloe the river dog! She is such a great little swimmer

Taco in the chiminea. Roast Taco for dinner anyone?




















Damian, the great daddy to our babies





























Introducing the new additions to the funny family of ours. The ladies, as they are currently known, are so beautiful and egg-filled- yummy!

This winter we had some intense storms. Many boats sunk or were left high and dry. And a caravan was even washed away down river to right in front of our house. The picture below is it being pulled up from the muddy river.

Muogamarra Wildflowers

The wildflowers this winter were breathtaking. The winter rains were abundant hence the lush vibrant growth. Muogamarra is a highly restricted National Park down the road or the river from us that is only open to the public for 6 consecutive weekends of the year. It is stunning there and we got to spend two of our weekends there this year. The native flowers of Australia are very unique and their beauty is often striking.

The sweeping immense views from the park overlooking the river we live on

.The Hawksbury Sandstone forms natural sculptures over time

The Gee bung fruit is edible although not very tasty!

The Eristemon....my favorite!

One of the many beautiful grevillea species (spider flower)

HALLOWEEN

Halloween in Australia isn't a big deal (just another unwelcome american import is the general consensus) but considering it is my favorite holiday, I thought I would throw a Halloween party. Last year I hosted Thanksgiving, which of course is VERY American, so I thought I would swap back and forth hosting one of the USA holidays each year.

Halloween in Australia Warning:
Pumpkins in spring in Australia are not cheap! I spent 40 dollars on three small pumpkins but had a blast carving them- it is one of my most favorite smells of all time.




























Chloe being primed for the witches pot! This garage door decoration I made from old black plastic has been gawked at and discussed many times this week.

Little Red Riding Hood (me), the Big Bad Woolf (Damian) and the Wicked Witch (Margaret- Damians' Mom)





















Brendan and Verity looking like a pretty scary couple




























Kim, my coworker, gets my vote for best dressed. She looked ridiculous in this eighties get-up. Very original and hysterical. And her eye makeup was over the top. I am not sure I will ever take her seriously again!

Thai Thyme

At the beginning of our Thailand adventure, we took a three day live aboard boat trip to the Semillon Islands National Park about 5 hours off the coast. There are nine uninhabited islands with amazing sea life and stunning coral.

















We snorkeled everyday until we were pruned. Seeing sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, eels, and every color fish you can imagine. We also did a bit of hiking up to amazing vistas like this one.


















We ate amazing food and enjoyed the company of 20 other great folks

















Another adventure was a day out in Phang Nga bay on a long tail boat (a traditional Thai vessel). There are 43 limestone islands in this bay, which means heaps of CAVES. Very cool to go canoing into and through caves.

















The happy in love and in a cave couple.






















I got a bit carried away with the cave photos- They were so beautiful!

















A view of the floating Muslim village we ate lunch at.





















Damian and our guide at "James Bond Island". Another beautiful place spoiled by the filming of a movie. It is a zoo of people there but still spectacular.

















A view of some of the beautiful islands in the bay.


















Amy and Mel at their marriage ceremony on a secluded island they rented for the occasion. It was called Ko Bon (like me!). Their drink specials were things like Bon Island Ice Tea and Bon Delight (like me)! Needless to say I drank alot.





















Damian and his coconuts- enough said!






















No that is not Damian with his banana! There were heaps of Monkeys hanging out at caves and temples on the main land that we visited. I had a blast watching and laughing at them.

















I laughed so hard when I saw this picture of myself- I hope you do too. I look so freaking funny. Every time we road around on the motor bike I would forget to take my helmet off when we got off the bike- hence the helmet.

















These are the cool long tail boats that the Thais use. This photo was taken at a bay we stayed at the last couple nights in Phuket for the wedding.

Home Sweet Home

The front of our lovely little shack. This photo was taken right around Christmas. One of the first things we did when we moved in was plant the front garden into a veggie patch- Surprising huh? Faintly in the big pot you will notice our Charlie Brown Christmas lime tree!

















This photo is taken from our living room- all windows and a beautiful view!

















Damian enjoying one of the 5 hammocks strewn across our back decks.





















We get heaps of rainbows out the back. There must be gold in them there hills!

















Or is the gold in the water?!?!






















Damian posing out the back of our house from our jetty.


















The sweet little kittens. They weren't as sweet as they looked. Meet Taco and Tia. The little Grey (Tia) disappeared only after a short time of us having her. We think it was one of our resident diamond pythons. We are happy she at least nourished another creature with her passing.

















This is my girl, Miss Chloe. She is phenomenal. I love her to bits and pieces. She has the sweetest nature of any dog I have ever met and she is a good swimmer and nuzzler!

















Mr. Taco- he has some cattitude. Damian and him are best mates. I think he is alright. Can you tell I am a bit partial to my puppy?

















One of the leaf tailed geckos that live in our garage. They are so funky looking!

















The rainbow lorikeets are abundant around us. These are a couple that used to visit us and hang out on our back deck before we got the kittens!

Gardens Galore

Well, as many of you know, I spend most of my time working in gardens & lovin' it. So usually I tend not to bore you all with ALL the details about the gardens I dabble in, but thought maybe showing some photos of what I have been doing would be fun and informative. I only have digital photos from the past couple years of different gardens I have poured my heart into, so many small projects from the past two years are not included and the previous years projects are not covered.

THE FAIRY GARDEN

I'll start with my most recent- the fairy garden. Jerry and Susie were some of the best people I have ever worked with- fun, excitable, creative, engaging, and inspiring. Their garden was already something else when I arrived on the scene in the spring 2006 for a consultation. It was just a quick stop as we were coming from australia heading to PA for a visit. My expectations were I would spend about 3 hours creating a design and call it good (so I designed an elaborate garden). Little did I know 100s upon 100s of hours later at the end of the summer Damian and I finished creating it. I lived there on the weekends and we spent the last month of our time in America living and working there.

Susie's vision of a place where fairies would be hiding in the trees and tug on people's hair as they walked by gave me a super fun canvas to work with. The space grew more and more magical as the days wore on. We pulled up the sidewalk with a jackhammer, pulled out the lawn, tore up the deck, ripped up all the bed borders- and put in more plants than any LA yard has ever seen- tons of natives, drought tolerant perennials, a bunch of vegetables, and many annual flowers, created a patio, laid down pavers and steps and rock borders and raised beds, and benches, mulched, and pruned and weeded and woodchipped and made many little nooks and crannys for the fairies to call their home. It was a blast!

The front entrance is a very busy throughfare a block from the village of Redondo beach. The two front beds are full of perennials, natives, and annual flowers under the Australian native paperbark trees. Across the sidewalk are two huge beds of fragrant roses.








This is the gigantic raised heart bed with a green mirror ball (green being the color of the heart chakra). It contains recently planted fall crops- broccoli, chard, cabbage, lettuce, and kale. There are also strawberries and medicinal herbs.

In the background is the summer veggie patch, lush and healthy producing eggplants, sweet and hot peppers, basil, tomatoes and squash mixed in with beneficial flowers.











Under the avocado we put in a bunch of shade loving natives with a mediation bench.











The main entrance comes into the fountain with crescent moon shaped beds on either side, planted in white for a lunar glow effect in the evening.









This is looking out onto the road from the house, showing the James Hubbell gate. (For more on James see below)

YOGA SWAMI'S COMMUNITY GARDEN

My other big garden project this past American summer was with a yoga center. Dawn and Martin own The Yoga Center, a fabulous studio in Carlsbad, North County San Diego (the same town Damian's surf camp is) . They recently started running Yoga Swami- a great yoga boutique with a large overgrown property in Encinitas (funky little town a little south of Carlsbad) that they wanted to turn into a community garden. A place where the community could come together in a sacred peaceful place to be with eachother or learn through educational workshops or volunteer and get some hands on experience. This space was just full of trash and weeds taller than me when I arrived to check it out.
Plans started to evolve to create a yoga yurt in the only sunny spot on the property, so big dreams of a large vegetable plot were squashed. So I designed several native shade beds, put in a couple meditation benches, a small veggie patch, a cactus garden and after some rooting around I found a pond in the shed that they had purchased a while back, so we put that in too (what an ordeal that was!). This project was super low budget so we worked with a bunch of donated plants and kept things quite simple, being as resourceful as possible.

JAMES HUBBELL'S GARDEN

The Hubbell garden up in Wynola (1 1/2 hours inland from San Diego in the Mountains) was a joy to work in. James Hubbell is a great man with vision and creativity beyond comprehension. He is a famous artist and architect that lives at a magnificent property with at least half a dozen structures that are works of art- every inch of them. He has been creating them for decades and during the cedar fire of 2003 many structures were horribly damaged or destroyed. There was no doubt he would re-build, but the task seemed daunting, so he started with something new- a garden that would bring hope and beauty and food. I had the pleasure and honor of being the gardener and educator for the two years I lived up there and ran the Camp Stevens' Organic Garden. Every other month or so I would hold volunteer/education days, where anyone could come out and work and learn in the garden.
It is a biointensive organic garden- one of the funkiest. A huge spiral bed dominates the one side with a gorgeous Hubbell designed arbor in the center and triangular shaped beds on the other side. There is also an orchard and thriving native plant garden in the background. For more on James Hubbell and all the great projects and work he does all over the world see www.hubbellandhubbell.com It is really amazing- you should check it out!



The garden arbor


















The most beautiful pool at the highest point on the Hubbel property.













The art studio

CAMP STEVENS' ORGANIC GARDEN

I was so excited when so many of you were coming out for the wedding and could see my garden in spring and viola... completely buried in feet of snow. So there are loads of photos of my pride and joy... the Camp Stevens' Organic Garden. I was the organic garden and grounds manager for the 256 acre camp, conference center and retreat center. Using organic, biointensive, and permaculture principles, I grew herbs, diverse veggies, small fruit, flowers for the dining hall table bouquets and for dried flower wreaths and arrangements. The orchard contains apples, pears, cherries, nectarines, peaches, apricots, plums, pluots, & persimmons.

The front section of the garden from the kitchen (above)



Apricot in flower

All of the produce went into the kitchen for the amazing chef Susan to utilize in the organic meals.

A summer harvest: beans, beets, peppers, tomatoes, hot peppers, eggplant and basil











We start our annuals from seed using mostly heirloom varieties and some of our own saved seed in our small greenhouse or directly out in the well prepared garden beds.


Yummy heirloom tomatoes!














Beautiful heirloom corn













Damian proudly resting on the seedling tables we built for the flowers and veggies hardening off outside under the shade structure.


























Paul Maschka (horticulturalist with the San Diego zoo) and I conducted weekend long and one-day workshops on many different topics for adults. This photo is from our "Celebrating the Harvest" weekend workshop where we cover a wide array of methods for preserving the harvest, cooking, fall and winter cash and cover crops, and wreath making from flowers produced and dried in the garden.


I participated in 6th grade outdoor education and camp garden activities with Camp staff and counselors.

Throughout the summers, camp groups would do different garden projects. With my help one group designed and created this garden map with their counselor. In pictures below you will see the colorful display on the observation hive and the bright compost gates created by campers.






Throughout my two years there I developed a great internship and volunteer program where many wonderful people came out to help, learn, share their skills, and become good friends in the garden.


Brandon next to the cob tool shed eating some fresh picked golden raspberries.













A partial view of the mural Beth, an intern and wonderful artist that was working with Jim Hubbell, created with me in the garden.











A bird bath that Joe Heneseler and I made together. Joe is also a great artist and architect that worked with James Hubbell for years.
















We also held alternative building workshops there mostly with cob construction. There are many cob structures on the grounds. A few are shown below....

This is the best composting toilet in the world. This was my first project when arriving at Camp. Ryan Casey the former gardener designed this and we created it with a group of university volunteers. The frame is made with used pallets and it has a very thick cob plaster. It is a double seater with a flush option for the number "1" side.




We created this outdoor classroom also known as the peace pavillon my first spring with the cob workshop group. It was my favorite week at the camp- working with cob (clay, sand, and straw) is like playing in the mud! When we pulled the supports out of this arch- it didn't collapse- we were thrilled! This bench and and archway wrap around a giant oak tree and flow into the seeding table and wash station. The grey water from the sink feeds into the raspberries.



The 2005 cob workshop built this sweat lodge which I was not heavily involved with besides the plastering, but my husband was a part of the workshop.











I inherited this beautiful cob tool shed with a living roof and the gorgeously hand crafted orchard latter in the foreground. Also notice how the grape wraps around the roofs edge.









I also kept bees there for pollination, education, and honey.



This is the observation hive located in the garden for educational purposes. There are 4 other hives in the meadow.










All of the landscaping was created with native or drought tolerant plants.


This is a photo in the early spring from the native wildflower garden bed, shaped in a sun pattern on the garden's edge.













On all garden bed edges, perennials are planted to attract beneficial insect, deter pests, and/or for aesthetics. This budleya or butterfly bush is always whimisically dancing in the breeze while butterflies swirl all around it, including this tiger swallowtail.









Food waste from the kitchen and dining hall is turned into our rich compost using thermophilic (heat loving) methods or vermiculture (worm composting).

This is the composting area with bright beautiful gates, created by some university volunteers and painted by a camper kids.

Grapes growing up an arbor over a bench- providing shade in the summer and a snack!

Many of the vegetables were grown under fruit trees. The diversity of life in this garden was immense. Diversity=Stability!

Spring Mix growing in the dappled sunlight of a nectarine tree

More photos coming soon!

Fiji Time

BULA.... WELCOME TO FIJI!

We loved Fiji and Fiji time.... it was exactly what we needed after a summer of good hard work. It was a great place to transition from living in America to living in Australia. We did a bunch of fun tourtisty things and the places and activities we did were all so much more cooler and beautiful than we thought they would be, especially as our hectic lifestyles prior to departure (goodbyes to be said, gardens to finish etc) hadn't really given us the time to build any expectation.

Oweing to time & budget restrictions we didn't get to many of the 300 some Islands, but split our time between the touristy City of Nadi, and a little private cottage we rented for 4 nights on an Island off the Northern Coast.

Unlike most people on the island who chose to do very little, we turned our time into a series of small adventures, we hiked around the island (setting out with no intention of doing so!) and it took us about 7 hours!! Although we did stop about 5 or 6 different times to snorkel and hang with the fish & coral life!

We did several other smaller hikes, and spent some time paddling the ocean in some kayaks (of course we chose the windiest day to do this). My favorite day was the one where we did ABSOLUTELY nothing- I barely left the bed (this was mostly due to the horrible sunburn, but nonetheless it was an enjoyable lazy day) The photo below is the proof

We also got very lazy, and instead of trying to mission to the usual secret and hidden sights like we normally do, we did a couple of day tours from our hostel in Nadi. The first was a day in a village, where the chief (the regular guides were off cutting sugar cane) hosted us for the day. We walked through the rainforest for a couple of hours, and discovered that pretty much everything around us was edible, we swam at a waterfall, had a traditional lunch, went horseriding & fishing, learnt to weave (well Bon did as it's a woman's job in fiji) and finished the day off with a visit to some of the most beautiful & amazing Hot Springs. The first one bubbles up in this really muddy pool, so you get totally covered in this naturally hot mud - I'm sure people pay hundreds for the same experience at some wanky day-spa! The next Hotspring is just a natural pool that's beautiful and perfect for washing of the mud!

Our last day in Fiji we went out to South Sea Island for an all inclusive day of snorkelling, kayaking, eating seafood, drinking Fiji Bitter, going in a glass bottom boat, getting a massage, etc. It was great to be so lazy and catered for!! In the middle of the day Bon & I were stoked for the clouds & cool breeze (as we'd already had our fill of sun & sunburn!) but by the time we boarded the boat, it was pissing down, a full on 2 - 3 hr tropical downpour that left us & our belongings thoroughly saturated, and for the first time the whole trip and very funny and enlivening but definitely looking forward to a hot shower.

Besides Fiji time which we became quite accostumed to, two of our other fijian traditions/customes that we appreciated were the bures which are the traditional fijian houses shown below and KAVA..... in fiji it is always kava time! We drank more than our fair share. It is just the root of a plant that they dry, mash up and make a tea that contains mild sedative properties and makes your mouth feel pretty numb and tastes like a room temperature mild tea. The rituals around drinking it were quite fun and festive.... sitting in a circle, clapping, shouting, playing music and singing. KAVA TIME- Taki (rough translation.... right on)

Thanks for exploring Fiji with us....
Vinaka

look down below

Hi all,
So we finally just published Bonnie's Oz reflections, but owing to the date she started it, it's hidden further down, below the entry about our Aus Wedding. Right now we're living in Sunny Southern California where I'm running surf camp, and Bonnie's got about 3 different landscaping/garden design jobs on her plate. After such a break from working, we are both loving spending long, long hours on something we love.

So scroll down if you've got 10 - 15 minutes to read Bon's gihugic entry!

First Dance Video

So now there is a video of that 'first dance' on the links section. This one is from the Australian Wedding, and Bonnie is making me put it on the website for ya'll....
Thanks to Alex for video taping it- I am sure Damian will get his revenge for it at some point in time. I just loved creating the dance, practicing it, and performing it- it was so fun and wonderful to dance with my baby (I can be such a girl sometimes!) Hope it makes you giggle!

Australian Wedding Reception

So after our winter wonderland wedding in California, and our tropical rainstorm honeymoon on Kuaui, we made it to Sydney to celebrate our love with all our family & friends over here. It was a mellow saturday afternoon vibe on a big deck overlooking bushland in Sydney's rural West. It was my first chance to see a lot of people i hadn't seen in at least 18 months, and the first time Bonnie got to put a lot of names to faces.

We didn't do a second ceremony, but we had a few short speeches and then we performed our first dance for everyone and cut the cake. Then we all headed to the bar for a few more beverages and conversation.

Thanks to all who came along to help us celebrate our love!!!

OZ reflections

So I just gotta say from the little I 've seen of Australia it is just a beautiful wonderful country and Sydney is truly the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Every view is breathtaking. You have all seen photos of the harbor bridge and the opera house before but then you see it and it becomes spectacular. Below is my favorite of my dozens of photos of the opera house. It is taken from the botanical gardens right in the city. There are a couple of wonderful national parks in the city as well and very quaint sections with a hip small town feel- just lovely!

Australia is refreshingly different. As an American, you can understand the language (mostly anyway... I've learned many new words) and people and yet there is cultural difference. It's nice we are not all homogenized....Yet.

So I've compiled a list of a few of my favorite things....and not so favorite about Australia. If you are Australian- WARNING: You may not want to read the not so favorite part, but if you do please do not take offense!

Top Ten Things I Love About Australia.....

Number 10- Australians are obsessed with sport. Those of you who know me probably wouldn't think this would be something that would interest me- and usually you would be right, but there is something about their passion that is slightly infectious, and well, you are just bombarded with information about it so it starts to grow on you. Their news programs cover EVERY sport and go on forever. And they have sports I just totally do not understand and therefore am intrigued.... rugby union, rugby league, cricket and this aussie rules game. Aussie rules is quite amazing- these guys are wearing practically nothing crashing into each other like mad men- definitely badass.

Number 9- The electric kettle. Why do we not have these in America? They are in every home in Australia and so quick and efficient especially compared to our stove top kettles- just odd really.

Number 8- BBQs. It seems as though everything in Australia revolves around the BBQ. In the two months I have been here I have been to more than a dozen barbies. Almost every park and campsite has one. It is a great way to eat and celebrate- very OZ.

Number 7- The money. I love money in any country, but here it is so colorful and fun and it makes sense- the biggest coin is worth the most amount of money and the smaller it gets the less amount of value it has- so logical. In comparison American money is quite bland and makes no sense whatsoever.

Number 6- Great funky city markets on the weekends. Enough said.

Number 5- THE FOOD! Food is so very good here....even fast food. Damian has been complaining that we don't have real bakery's in America for the past couple years, and finally I get it. The savory goods from a bakery are scrumptious! Savory pies and muffins and roles and pasties galore- they are so amazing. The meat here is so good- I have turned into a hardcore carnivore- sausages, lamb, kangaroo- yummy! Other highlights include the charcoal chicken, toasted sandwiches, kababs, potato scallops with chicken salt, and I have even developed a liking for vegemite.

Number 4- The Land- Beautiful Mountains and Waterfalls and Empty Pristine Beaches- Even in the city. It is remarkable how much of Australia's land is preserved. Barely any development on the beachfronts- instead it is National Parks with eucalyptus growing down to the sand beaches. You can even find wilderness within the city. Really beautiful!

Number 3- The Flora- it is so different here than in America. I have so much to learn! The 800 varieties of gum trees, the palms, cycads, wattles and banksias- so lush and exotic. My favorite new plant is the grass tree or black boy. Hiking through forests of ancient grass trees is pretty magical.

Number 2- The Fauna- again just so unique. Below are some photos of a few of my favorite encounters.

The kangaroo and A Sea Eagle

Fruit Bat or Flying Fox or as my friend Dom says "Flying Chuichuas" hang out in colonies of tens of thousands in the trees. There is a colony in the city at the Botanical Gardens- they make such a raucous- pretty cool.

A goanna or monitor lizard and The wombat is a super cool creature.

Number 1- All Damian's family and friends. Seeing my husband in his element- his country and meeting many of the people that helped to create his beautiful spirit was the number one highlight. Everyone I met was super welcoming and warm and wonderful.

Bonus Favorite... almost every toilet in Australia has a button option for a full flush or half flush- pretty smart.

Continuing on to... My Not So Favorite Things...

Number 10- All shops close at 5:00pm except on Thursdays- quite inconvenient.

Number 9- The Hills Hoist is an Australian invention and obsession. When I settle here eventually I vow not to own one. It is this enormous rotating square clothes line on a pole- looks like an old TV antenna on steroids. The good thing is EVERYONE uses them so no one uses an electric dryer the bad news is they are in EVERY backyard even city lots that are barely big enough to house the thing.

Number 8- Australia is home to the most deadly creatures on earth- kinda scary

Number 7- The worst of American culture has found its way here- McDonalds, Starbucks, horrible TV shows (although they have created some of the worst shows I've ever seen), and bad American top forty music that I don't even know, thankfully.

Number 6- They drive on the other side of the road which is quite confusing at first and these roundabouts they love, take a bit of getting used to.

Number 5- Most strangers ask if I am from Canada. They are being polite, of course, and I find it endearing but I am really bad at lying so I have to say, "No, I'm American" which is followed by an apologetic, "Oh." Which is usually followed by an interrogation of my political perspectives.

Number 4- Paying for condiments and matches. Even ketchup- 50 cents! I definitely took these free items in America for granted.

Number 3- So get this- a cosmopolitan- 16 dollars at a bar. You just cannot afford cocktails at any bar in Australia unless you are a millionaire- it is a total bummer and almost made me not want to live in this country. Bottles of liquor (called spirits here, liquor refers to all alcoholic beverages) costs twice as much than in the states- no exaggeration. And although the wine and champagne is wonderful and reasonably priced, the beer kinda sucks. Not much variety- it is mostly just a few versions of lagers which are very expensive and there are almost no microbrews. Obviously the alcohol situation is a huge problem for me.

Number 2- Another issue- one of my other favorite drugs: coffee. It is VERY expensive to buy a cup of coffee at a coffeeshop. You can't just get a typical American percolated or drip coffee that costs 1.50- it is all expresso drinks (called funny names like flat white, long black, etc) and a large is an eight ounce cup and it costs 3.50. Needless to say I spent an enormous amount of money on coffee.

Number 1- By far the hardest thing to cope with while here in OZ, was that everyone, because of my accent, thought I was saying my name is Barney. Quite funny at first but also slightly embarrassing especially because people don't want to say, although many did, "Hold on, your name is Barney, like the purple dinosaur?"

And let me tell you- it is really difficult to try to say your own name (the one you've been pronouncing the same way for your whole life) with a different accent.

Thanks for making it to the end of my tangent/soap box.

New Links

So as we grow & learn more about blogging, this site is bound to improve by leaps & bounds (i can already hear you all saying "but how can it get better than this ?") well read on friends. We've just added some links, the first one is a remake of 'sexual healing' done by Damian's mates Chrisso & Scottie. They performed this at the Friday night open mic of our wedding weekend, and cracked everybody up.
The second link is a slideshow of photos from our wedding done by Damian's mate (& blog advisor) Al. The song is 'Love Serenade' by the Waifs, and was the song we used for our first dance. Enjoy.......

Winter Wonderland Wedding

Here are some photos of our amazingly beautiful wedding on March 11th, 2006. In one of the worst spring snow storms in Julian in Southern California we wedded outside despite the weather (thank goodness I made the cloak in time!). Despite the cold it was a super warm ceremony with our boss, good friend, and our cupid, Stuart marrying us and a hundred of our close friends and family members from all over the world coming out to celebrate with us.
We are so blessed!

My Dad walking me down "the aisle"


THE KISS- look at all those smilin' faces in the crowd- love it.




The snow queen and king!

Honeymoon Highlights

Here are some highlights from our pics from our honeymoon.... Our awesome outdoor shower at our organic orchard cottage on the north shore of Kauai- a peaceful wonderful getaway!


Us blissed out in the setting sun after a refreshing swim









Besides the mudslides the intense rains produced raging waterfalls, lush pastures and rainbows lite up the sky- totally magical




Me swimming at the Queen's Bath- a volcanic rock swimming hole in the ocean....just heavenly!

The world of Blog Begins

G'day,

So Bon and i have been talking about setting a spot on this thing called the internet for a while, and today we actually just went and did it. We have no idea if we'll enjoy it (or you will), hopefully we can load a bunch of photos onto it, as a pictures worth a thousand words, and that'll save us a bunch of typing.
So welcome to it, we're in Sydney right now, having just done the Aus version of wedding on the weekend. Both weddings were amazing and special and perfect to us, so thanks to those who made either day (Big thanks to those few who made both!)
Now we're gunna go and play with this space and see exactly what we've got ourselves into!