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 had lunch and watched *The Simpsons 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 beachside 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 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's and now mine. Mina met Sue when she 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 sold their house, 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 couldn't resist.
After lunch, I left Sue and John and caught up with my old school friend, best man at my wedding, rock climbing, and SCUBA diving buddy from many years ago—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 couldn't 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-through bottle shop." This is like a McDonald's drive-through, only you pick up booze instead of burgers.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
John and I went to visit my Dad and Verna this morning. They live on a few acres not far from John's place, and 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 had forgotten all my landmarks. In Ringwood, I had dinner with Janita, her son Jauch, and Fred. We had such a good time that I forgot to take any pictures. On the way home, I got lost and almost drove to Phillip Island. For non-locals, Phillip 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 for 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 Schanck, a beautiful cliff and beach area only 30 minutes from John's home.
Bushrangers Bay.
Cape Schanck is washed by the waters of Bass Strait— the body of water that separates mainland Australia from Tasmania. I feel I must remind everyone that Tasmania is a treasured part of Australia. Like many cliffside areas around the world, Cape Schanck has a lighthouse that once saved many sailors' lives, I imagine. We walked down to the Cape and then headed out on the 6-kilometer walk to Bushrangers 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 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 eucalyptus 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 sights and sounds of the rugged Australian coastline. Because there had been so much rain lately, the small creek that empties into the bay was flowing quite swiftly. It was relaxing to spend time at Bushrangers Bay.
That evening, I attended a family dinner with my Dad, Verna, John, Di, Lawrence, and myself. We ate lots of good food, had 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 ran some errands. It was a very overcast day with 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. Greg, Fred, and I attended grade school together at Monterey State School. I enjoyed looking at all our old school photos that Greg has carefully stored on his website.
By the way, it's an excellent website, Greg. We had dinner at an Indian restaurant, chatted about how to change the world, and discussed movies. I had a great time. I drove back to Pearcedale without getting lost this time. It's 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 taking it easy and drinking 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 again, most drives are from Pearcedale. We had a great meal, talked over old times, and watched a video of Fred on a dating show back in the '80s, which Vic has put on CD to torture Fred with. Then we watched Collingwood just beat Melbourne in an Australian Rules Football game. Collingwood is limping along in this year's football season. Sorry guys, I had to mention it.
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 had a yummy breakfast and then headed into Melbourne to spend the day as tourists in our hometown. 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 along the South Bank, 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 bustling people. We had dinner at an excellent restaurant in Chinatown, where we were inundated by friendly servers. We also visited several pubs on the way back home. We both had a great day and evening.