Melbourne Australia
Visiting Friends
Saturday, August 11 2007
This shot is of Frankston beach, in winter, from the end of the Frankston pier.
Lawrence picked me up at John's place on Saturday morning
and we headed into Frankston to secure my rental car. We ate lunch and
watched the Simpson's movie at a cinema in Frankston.
Then we walked to the Frankston pier. Frankston has changed quite a bit since I
lived here more than 16 years ago. It seems to have become less of a beach
side town and more of a shopping center.
Sunday, August 12 2007
It was good to see Sue again.
I got up on Sunday and drove myself from Pearcedale to
St. Kilda and beyond.
Click here for a view of my approximate route.
In St. Kilda I had lunch with Sue and John.
Sue is a good friend of Mina and now me. Mina met Sue when Sue left Australia to
roam around the USA.
I had an excellent lunch, thanks Sue and John.
Sue and John have some great travel plans coming up. They
have sold their house and quit their jobs, bought a Ford F250 and an
off-road caravan (or trailer in USA terminology) and are heading off in
three months to travel all around Australia. I guess Sue has never lost her
traveling bug.
You have to be careful how many glasses of wine you have when eating lunch with
John as he is an ex English Bobby, Australian Constable, and is currently a
prosecuting solicitor (lawyer for my US friends). Sorry John I just could
not resist.
After lunch I left Sue and John and caught up with my old
school friend, come best man at my wedding, come rock climbing and SCUBA
diving buddy, of many years ago now; Fred.
Fred is seen here standing in front of some public toilets which is his normal
practice on a Sunday afternoon. Sorry Fred I just could not help myself.
For the little black duck.
Monday, August 13 2007
The sun came out a bit on Monday and I spent the
afternoon with my two brothers John and Lawrence talking and drinking beer.
When Di got home from work (notice that all three brothers are not working;
is there a pattern here I wonder); John, Di, and I went out and had dinner
at the Baxter Pub. The Baxter pub is like many Australian suburban pubs and
has what is referred to in Australia as a "drive though bottle shop". This
is like a Mc Donald's drive though only you pick up your booze instead of
burgers here.
Tuesday, August 14 2007
John and I went over to visit with my Dad and Verna this
morning. They live on a few acres not very far from John's place; it always
feels quite rural when you visit them. We chatted, drank tea, ate cookies,
and generally had a good time.
That evening I drove from Pearcedale to Ringwood; at
night I might add. Fifteen years ago this trip would not have been a problem
for me but now it was quite difficult as the streets and roads have changed
a bit and I have forgotten all my landmarks. In Ringwood I had dinner with
Janita, her son Jauch, and Fred. We had such a good time I forgot to take
any pictures. On the way home I got lost and almost drove to Philip Island;
for non locals Philip Island is a long way in the wrong direction and the
place to see Fairy Penguins. I did make it back to John's place eventually.
Thanks for a great dinner Janita and sharing old and new times.
The two brothers.
Wednesday, August 15 2007
On this day I went for a hike for the first time since
leaving the USA back in July.
Steve, Lawrence, and I drove to
Cape Shank which is a beautiful cliff and beach area only 30 minutes
from John's home.
Bush Ranger's Bay.
Cape Shank is washed by the waters of Bass Straight; this
is the body of water that separates mainland Australia from Tasmania. I feel
I must remind everyone that Tasmania is very much a treasured part of
Australia.
Like so many cliffy areas in the world Cape Shank has a light house that once
saved many a sailor's life I imagine. We walked down to the Cape and then
headed out on the 6 kilometer walk to Bush Ranger's Bay.
On the walk back we saw a mob of
Kangaroos and one of their smaller cousins a Wallaby. It sure was a pleasant
hike.
This was a very pleasant coastal walk along the rugged
cliffs to a very remote and beautiful beach. We chatted and joked along the
way and took in the distinctive sounds of Australia, primarily the birds. I
have hiked a bit in Northern California and even though there are many
eucalypt trees in the Bay Area,
that can give you a similar smell of the
Australian bush, no place in the USA offers the unique sounds of the
Australian bush. At the bay we soaked in the beautiful sounds and sights of
the rugged Australian bay. Because there had been so much rain lately the
small creek which empties into the bay was flowing quite swiftly. It
was relaxing to spend time at Bush Ranger's Bay.
That evening I attended a family dinner. My Dad, Verna, John, Di, Lawrence, and I
were all there. We ate lots of good food, had just a little too much to
drink, told all sorts of stories, and generally had a good time.
Thursday, August 16 2007
In the morning I went into Frankston with John and
followed him around as he performed some chores.
It was a very overcast day not much sun all day long; quite dreary.
Fred, Greg, and his wife.
In the evening I drove to
Cheltenham and had dinner with Greg, his wife Marsha, and Fred joined
us. Greg, Fred, and I attended grade school together at Monterey State
school. I enjoyed looking at all of our old school photos that Greg has
studiously stored on his web site.
By the way it is an excellent web site Greg. We ate
dinner out at an India restaurant. We chatted about how to change the world
and movies. I had a great time. I drove home to Pearcedale without getting
lost this time. It is all starting to come back to me now; this driving in
Melbourne thing.
Friday, August 17 2007
I had a really slow day at John's place this Friday just
took it easy and drank many cups of tea.
Vic looks drunk in this shot but I think he was just happy. For the Old Dog, PTB, and ROI Vic!
That evening Fred and I headed out to have dinner with
Vic and his new wife Katia. Vic lives in Brunswick which was a big drive
from Pearcedale; but then most drives are from Pearcedale. We had a great
meal, talked over old times, watched a video of Fred on a dating show back
in the 80's which Vic has placed on CD to torture Fred with.
Then we watched Collingwood just beat Melbourne in a Australian rules football
game. Collingwood is limping along in this year's football season. Sorry
guys I had to say this.
Saturday, August 18 2007
This morning Lawrence picked me up from John's place and
we headed to Mornington for breakfast at a greasy spoon restaurant Lawrence
likes. We ate a yummy breakfast and headed into Melbourne to spend the day as tourists
in our home town. Neither of us had done this in a long while so it was new
and exciting for both of us.
The Yarra River.
We walked the South Bank which is a popular spot in
Melbourne that runs alongside the Yarra River. We walked to Federation
Square which has very interesting architecture and was full of people
bustling about. We ate dinner in an excellent restaurant in China Town where
we were inundated by friendly servers. And we visited several pubs on the
way back home. We both had a great day and evening.