Proverbs 18:24
"Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family."
See it at YouVersion.com:
Sent from my iPod
Sunday 30 January 2011
Monday 24 January 2011
The Gospel of Steve Jobs
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/januaryweb-only/gospelstevejobs.html?start=1
Incredibly I had never quite made the association between the Apple corporate logo and the Genesis narrative! Although I have always understood Steve Jobs as being an incredibly driven man who often drives the people around him a bit crazy.
Take a look at the history of the Apple logo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.
Interestingly, original original logo was all about Isaac Newton (a Christian and a creationist) and the apple falling on his head when he had his eureka moment about gravity.
The more familiar 'original' logo had the rainbow in it as well.
The article talks about this:
"Nothing exemplifies that ability more than Apple's early logo, which slapped a rainbow on the very archetype of human fallenness and failure—the bitten fruit—and made it a sign of promise and progress."
You could just a easily put a positive spin on this from a Christian perspective. The rainbow is a symbol of hope, grace and promise from a loving God; and the only hope we have as fallen human beings is the promise of being covered in the righteousness of Christ.
Despite this, reading about Steve Job's early life shows just how far away he was from having a 'traditional' Christian upbringing by USA standards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs
We should continue to pray for him as he faces the big questions of life and death as a result of his ongoing health problems.
Incredibly I had never quite made the association between the Apple corporate logo and the Genesis narrative! Although I have always understood Steve Jobs as being an incredibly driven man who often drives the people around him a bit crazy.
Take a look at the history of the Apple logo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.
Interestingly, original original logo was all about Isaac Newton (a Christian and a creationist) and the apple falling on his head when he had his eureka moment about gravity.
The more familiar 'original' logo had the rainbow in it as well.
The article talks about this:
"Nothing exemplifies that ability more than Apple's early logo, which slapped a rainbow on the very archetype of human fallenness and failure—the bitten fruit—and made it a sign of promise and progress."
You could just a easily put a positive spin on this from a Christian perspective. The rainbow is a symbol of hope, grace and promise from a loving God; and the only hope we have as fallen human beings is the promise of being covered in the righteousness of Christ.
Despite this, reading about Steve Job's early life shows just how far away he was from having a 'traditional' Christian upbringing by USA standards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs
We should continue to pray for him as he faces the big questions of life and death as a result of his ongoing health problems.
Thursday 20 January 2011
A tribute to my lovely wife
The mother of one of Belinda's students had this to say about my lovely wife:
"She is amazingly gentle, funny, and an amazing expert with children who learn differently. We treasure her."
I couldn't agree more!
Wednesday 19 January 2011
Disneyland Hush Puppies Recipe
We first tried hush puppies at Fiddlers Seafood Restaurant in Ridgeland South Carolina. They were delicious. I later came across this recipe at the Disney World Magic Kingdom.
# # # # # # #
Makes 2 & 1/2 dozen
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the egg, milk and oil.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together egg and milk. Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 350 degrees F.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Do not let the batter sit longer than 15 minutes.
4. Use two teaspoons and carefully spoon a ball about the size of a large olive. Fry in the oil until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Drain on paper towels and serve at once.
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
1 heaping tablespoon cooked and finely chopped bacon
1 & 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
3 heaping tablespoons white sweet corn
1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
4 cups corn oil or shortening
# # # # # # #
Makes 2 & 1/2 dozen
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the egg, milk and oil.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together egg and milk. Using a deep pot, preheat oil for frying to 350 degrees F.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Do not let the batter sit longer than 15 minutes.
4. Use two teaspoons and carefully spoon a ball about the size of a large olive. Fry in the oil until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, turning once. Drain on paper towels and serve at once.
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon finely diced shallot
1 heaping tablespoon cooked and finely chopped bacon
1 & 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
3 heaping tablespoons white sweet corn
1 & 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
4 cups corn oil or shortening
Tuesday 18 January 2011
We were higher than Mount Kosciuszko
It turns out that Mount Kosciuszko in Australia is 2228 metres (7310 ft) above sea level while the mountain pass we went over during our time in Arizona in order to get from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon was 2452 metres (8046 ft) above sea level. An interesting fact that I wondered about at the time, but only now thought to check.
Friday 14 January 2011
Wednesday 12 January 2011
Our USA Adventure - part three!!
Hi Everyone,
Me again!! Thanks for all the encouraging feedback concerning my ramblings, they have stirred me on to write some more. Unfortunately I am not often able to reply to emails because I am the only family member without any electronic device (go mum!!) so I have to wait for availability and often the wifi is poor so not able to access my email.
Anyway, today is Saturday 8th January which means that I have a staggering amount to catch up on. (sorry) We are currently on our way from Las Vegas to Santa Margarita which is near the Hearst Castle approx 4 hours north of LA. It will be a long drive. Back to my ramblings...
Day 21 Wednesday
Still on this day... We did have a long day driving and because we were arriving in New Orleans late we decided to park overnight at the visitors centre along with a couple of other rv's. Having heard and read that New Orleans has areas in it that are not good to visit after dark, especially with children, we decided to stay at the visitors centre. We had no plan other than we were wanting to go on a swamp tour early the next morning.
Day 22 Thursday
Up we got nice and early and went on our way to find the Alligator swamp tour. Lola did a splendid job of navigating us to the place (I'm giving credit where credit is due!) We arrived and paid our money. We opted for the bigger airboat with more people because it cost half as much as the small airboat with less people. Hooray though, because we were there so early there was hardly anyone else there so we were on this airboat thing with only another couple (and the guide). While we were waiting we got to look in the pools that they had inside the building with some baby gators (need to say gators with a real Southern twang). There were a couple of albino gators. We spent the next couple of hours out on the water (swampy, lake, bayou) spotting for gators. The airboat was so much fun and we were moving at a great speed. Thomas, Bethany and Simon had a turn at driving it under the watchful eye of Captain Monkey our guide. We scoured the rivulets for gators but unfortunately only saw a few baby ones because the others are all hibernating (ridiculous!). Apparently in the height of summer they can see several hundred gators. While we were examining every inch of the water looking for a gator, Captain Monkey whisked a baby gator out of a special pool area that he has at the back of the airboat and gave us such a shock. This little fellow became the representative for all other gators that we had not managed to find. We all had a hold of him (me included, despite my cry that I'm allergic to reptiles) and I think we are all glad that we did so. Just one of those things you have to do. He felt quite tough on the top of his body but quite squishy underneath. Needless to say he was not impressed with his showing and he tried to jump out of Captain Monkey's hands into the freedom of the swamp but it was not to be.
We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. So much so that we thought that we would visit their cafe in New Orleans to have a gator snack (and no I'm not kidding). Off we set for New Orleans for what we thought would be an easy acquisition of some lunch however this also appeared to be everyone else's thought also. We had a terrible time with Lola (I'm also still giving credit where credit is due) because she seemed unaware of the one way streets in New Orleans and it was an extremely difficult time manoeuvring the rv through such a busy place. In the end Wes found a spot to double park and Bethany and I went in search of the cafe called Gator-Me-Crazy. It took some time to find it and we managed to order some food and then had to wait ages for it. (Perhaps there was more going on in the kitchen than we realised!) A lot of people came in after us and we noticed that no-one else was ordering gators, rather they were ordering shrimps ??? We had ordered gator rolls and they were ordering shrimp rolls??? Once we finally had our order we ran back through the maddening crowds filling the pavements to a worried Wes because we had been gone for so long. The gator rolls were delicious – they were made of gator (of course), cheese, Cajun spices etc which were rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried – amazingly delicious – like chicken. We also tried some gator sausages and gator kebabs, also delicious. (Note from editor:- I must say that it was a bit surreal to be searching for gators (and holding one) in the morning and then eating some by lunchtime – I felt like a bit of a betrayer).
After lunch we decided not to stay in New Orleans any longer (due to the large crowds and probably not that interesting for the children) and so we headed off for a place called Lafayette (North West of New Orleans) and only a few hours away. We checked into our Lafayette rv park and went in search of some dinner. Unfortunately the only Cajun place near our park was too expensive and everyone was a bit ratty by this time. We ended up in a greasy Chinese buffet restaurant which we thought was a bit ironic given that we were in the heart of the southern states and Cajun country, but we were too tired and past it.
Day 23 Friday New Years Eve
You will all be amazed to hear that the weather was so fine (i.e. warm enough) and so I sat outside the rv with only my long sleeved top, jeans and thongs on eating my breakfast. It was glorious! Today we are heading for Fort Worth Texas. On the way Wes tells me that he has an idea to surprise the children for New Years Eve and that is to try to get to a rodeo tonight in Fort Worth. When we stopped at the Visitors Centre in Texas we met two of the most helpful ladies who helped us call and book tickets and also gave us some suggestions for a place to stay. It was another long day driving and we did eventually pull into Fort Worth at the rv park (we decided to secure our accommodation before we went to the rodeo in case it was too late afterwards). The office was already closed because it was New Years Eve however a kind lady came to help us and we were able to do late check in.
Then, the drive of our lives through the spaghetti freeways to the rodeo. (I canna take much more of these roads) Fort Worth is HUGE, so many people, so many cars. Lola did well getting us there although it was a bit hairy at the end bit. We managed to find parking for the rv and we found where the rodeo is and in we went. Wow, what an experience! It was such a lot of fun and was an amazing people watching kind of place. The rodeo riders varied from those who were thrown off straight away and those who managed to stay on for longer. The bulls were extremely annoyed and the clowns in the ring managed to protect the riders from harm. I think we only saw 3 or 4 riders go off injured. At the beginning of the evening we all stood while someone prayed and then we had the National Anthem and then the rodeo started. It was very interesting to see all the cowboys who had come to watch the evening. There was a mixture of all the cowboys (immaculately dressed and groomed in their best jeans, shirts, boots and hats), with their lovely ladies on their arms (also immaculately dressed and looking glamorous) and then there was all the rest of us. We did note that the cowboys were very polite and well behaved and they were so proud of the lovely lady that they had with them and were very courteous towards them. Even when we were outside and Wes was waiting in the queue for the tickets some cowboys came up and started another line, when they realised that Wes was there first they all stepped back so that Wes could go before them. We enjoyed our evening and Thomas and Simon even bought themselves a hat each. (They look very handsome) We left the rodeo at around 11pm and got back to the rv park close to midnight. We had some ice-cream (since dinner had been a snack at the beginning of the rodeo) and headed off to bed.
Day 24 New Years Day
Today we accidentally had a sleep in because Wes' iPod alarm didn't go off – some bug with the change to the New Year (hooray!!) Our plan for today is to go to Roswell (where the aliens are), however we discovered we had a flat tyre. The rv doesn't come with any tools because they don't want you doing anything to it, so we had to call the emergency assistance number. (Trust this to happen on one of only a few public holidays here). Eventually the man came and changed the tyre and we headed off. We had planned to get all the way to Roswell but it was too far so we stopped at a town called Lubbock. Seeing that we had missed a Cajun meal in Lafayette, and that we were nearly out of Texas we thought that we would like to have some steak before we cross the border. The man at the rv park suggested a place and off we headed but they were closed because it was New Years Day. We then spent the next 45 mins or so looking for somewhere to have dinner. The whole town was spread out so widely that it took ages to get anywhere. (Reminds me of towns like Dubbo where there is plenty of land so everything is spread out rather than building up the way). We ended up at Applebees again and had a great meal. Had our second time of forgetting which side of the road we should be on – but all was well – fortunately.
Day 25 Sunday
Today Lubbock to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Today is just a day of travel other than stopping in Roswell. Roswell is famous because it is near the site of an alleged alien flying saucer crash and Government conspiracy to cover it up in the 1950's. We stopped and gathered all the information we could, we saw the museum and visited the shops, even McDonalds (wifi) which has a space ship playground in it. However, we came away unscathed from any alien sightings and we are not believers, despite all the merchandise trying to persuade us otherwise. Remarkably there were a lot of people visiting the alien museum. Probably good for the town.
While we were at the tourist info at Roswell the lady there suggested a rv park near Albuquerque that we could stay at and so we headed off. It was another long day of driving and we were nearing the recommended rv park only to find that it had closed or disappeared (?) and so we continued our journey in the dark at great speed on a congested freeway (I hate night time driving) to another one that we saw a sign for. We turned off the freeway and headed towards it and started up a hill only to start sliding on the ice/snow under our wheels (aahhhhh). It turned out that this one was closed for the winter (I wonder why) and so we had to reverse (!!! ) a short distance back onto the road and begin another search. This time we programmed into Lola the address of another rv park that we have a book for and she led us there. Hooray. We did a late check in and then went in search of dinner. Tonight we ate at a restaurant called IHOP (stands for International House of Pancakes) and it was great. We had seen lots of these restaurants but hadn't gone in because they looked to expensive, but we found it to be very reasonably priced and we had a great meal.
When we got up the next morning Wes went to find the man from Cruise America (the people we have rented the rv from) in the office located in the rv park and he came to help us with a few things concerning the rv. One of these being the fact that the door on the side of the rv won't stay shut and has swung open a few times when we have been travelling – the closest we came to hitting a passing car with it was in Washington when we had just left Arlington cemetery and were turning the corner. That experience certainly caused the children a lot of stress (wonder why?). Murray gave us an octopus strap to ensure that it stays shut. However the door seems to be bent (?!) and so has a propensity to open even when it is locked. The kind man was also able to help Wes understand about 'winterising' the trailer for when we get to areas where the temperature drops below zero (as if we would ever be somewhere where this would happen) and there is water in the pipes and the water freezes and the pipes burst! We saw the whole event of not staying in the original rv park and coming to this one as God's provision for us as it gave Wes great peace of mind as to how to look after the trailer if we are using water on board. When we were in Washington and everything was frozen we didn't use any water on board so it wasn't an issue.
Day 26 Monday
Today we are traveling from Albuquerque through scenic New Mexico to a place where there is a famous Meteor Crater, not far from Flagstaff. Today we really began a very scenic part of our journey and we enjoyed every moment of it. We drove through many areas where native American people live and the scenery is just spectacular. We stumbled across the Petrified Forest National Park and, with very limited time left before they closed the Park, we ran (yes, ran) and drove through the park with its magnificent scenery and petrified trees/logs. When we left there we started our journey to the Meteor Crater (they have so many visitors to the crater each year that they have an rv park, petrol station, visitor centre and museum etc) We were told that they didn't have anywhere for us to buy dinner so we headed for the town before the crater. On our way into the small town Thomas (great young man that he is) spotted an A&W fast food place. We had been looking for one of these since we started our trip and this was the first one that we had found. The reason that this place is so important is that when I was growing up in my early years in Malaysia A&W was the equivalent of McDonald's and we used to go there sometimes. I have good memories of having chicken and chips in a basket (which they no longer do) and having root beer. So when we saw this place Wes stopped and we went in for dinner. Wes and I got a root beer float and I think that Wes has put a picture of this on his blog. It was heavenly and so incredibly delicious, what a treat. The only problem was that I managed to chill myself to the core and it took quite a few hours to thaw out! Anyway, moving on ... we headed off for the Meteor Crater, checked in an watched Transformers 1 (Thomas brought a few dvd's with him and we have enjoyed watching them).
Day 27 Tuesday
Up and out again – this time to see the meteor crater and see the museum etc. All great and very interesting except for the billions of years etc etc. We were there for hours and hours. Then we started heading off for the Grand Canyon. On the way we discovered a place called the Walnut Canyon and we popped in there for a look. Wonderful! And we went for a walk down (and then up again!) many stairs to look at the sights. Then off to the Grand Canyon. We weren't sure whether to stay at Flagstaff, William (both towns about an hour's drive from the Grand Canyon) or at the Grand Canyon. We decided to keep traveling and stay at the Grand Canyon because we would be there first thing in the morning and could get on with the day instead of having to travel there and then start (this had worked well at the Meteor Crater). The drive up to the Canyon was spectacularly scenic and we enjoyed every bit of it. We arrived at the Canyon around dusk and thought we would check out the two rv parks. The first one we went to was deep in snow and had a few sites ploughed. It was just outside of the Grand Canyon National Park. We were put off a bit by the fact that the restrooms were 'closed for the winter' (great?) (the problem being that we are only allowed to do number 1's in the rv – too much information shown in the movie RV!!) so restrooms that are 'closed for the winter' are no use to anyone!! So we headed off into the National Park to check out their park. I have no idea what state their restrooms were in because they had graded their roads so well (???) that we got stuck on the road with the snow up the side of the rv. I had visions of jumping out (??) and using the dustpan to clear away the snow from the rv so Wes could get it out of there. But no need, super Wes to the rescue... (when all this was over Wes confessed to me that he was actually very worried about how we were going to get out of this) and after some very skillful driving Wes was able to reverse the rv down the road and then out of there. That was enough for us to decide to go with the first rv park with or without facilities. Besides there was a McDonald's down the road!!. So after a quick stop at Maccas we headed into the rv and parked ourselves in a moderately graded spot. I think that's enough for one day!
Day 28 Wednesday
We decided that we would treat the children to breakfast at Maccas today – partly because of the cold and also because they have 'facilities'. We noticed that it was cold when we woke up (although we are getting used to this) and when Wes checked the weather it said that it was -22 degrees celcius. So that is my justification to anyone that might think that I am 'mentioning' the cold often!! You should have seen us trying to pull out from the rv park with the front windscreen frozen with ice. We tried putting the heater on it but the rv was so cold that it wasn't thawing quickly. We took off with my head out the window spotting for vehicles.
Note from editor: I still haven't got used to the fact that Americans drive on the opposite side of the road to us. I am actually a danger to myself and everyone else when it comes to crossing the road and I stand at the roadside and look to the left and to the right and then to the right and to the left and only when cars are coming can I tell where I am and by then it is too late to cross. (Quite ridiculous really and probably just as well I am not doing the driving!)
After breakfast we headed up to the Canyon and spent the next few hours taking in the glorious sights of God's wonderful creation. The snow covering many of the rocks and parts of the tops of the Canyon made it all look even more beautiful. While we were there looking at this part of God's wonderful creation it made me even more thankful that we know God and are able to enjoy His creation from his point of view. We heard people saying 'wow, how was this made?'. We do have the privileged position of having our eyes , ears, hearts, and spirits open to see the world from God's perspective.
After feasting on the sights we left the Grand Canyon and headed off for Las Vegas . We passed the Hoover Dam but were too late to do a tour so decided that we would do come back in the next couple of days. We were fortunate enough to be arriving in Vegas before it was dark (hooray) and we had a good view of the city. Very flat and spread out. We programmed Lola to take us to the rv park which was located right next to Circus Circus and she did well in getting us there. We checked in and then decided we'd had enough for one day. So we made some dinner, did a huge amount of washing (we had 5 machines going!) and sat down and watched half of Transformers 2.'
Day 29 Thursday
Today is our explore Vegas day and so off we set (on foot again!). There is a main street called 'The Strip' which has all of the main casinos and sights on it. Circus Circus is located at one end of it and we were staying just next to Circus Circus. We started off at some shops and bought Bethany some clothes which she was delighted about. Then we spent the rest of the day looking at sights. There are many things advertised to look at. The things are all 'provided' by the casinos, so you have to walk to the casino and then through it (a long way through it) to the sights at the other end. Everything is done by the casinos to ensure that you walk through all the poker machine and other gambling areas just in case you want to stop for a quick gamble. The children are allowed through these areas as long as they are with you and you don't stop. We were able to see the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and many other things. No expense spared by any of the hotels/casinos. We were aware of a lot of tourists here and it is the only place that we have seen an abundance of smoking. It was an eye opener for the children particularly when we walked past one woman who was sitting operating three poker machines at once and she was still there doing the same thing when we came back and passed her a couple of hours later.
In Las Vegas they are proud to call themselves 'The Sin City' and yes there was an abundance of this. In my naivety I presumed that this had to do with all the pokies and gambling etc but that was hardly anything compared to all the sexual stuff there. It was not possible to be anywhere outside without some visual information about women and how to get them and use them. As night time approached it became even more difficult with men (and women) giving out cards to entice men to visit strip clubs etc. Wes was approached many times, even though he had his whole family with him, and was even holding hands with Bethany. I don't think any of us have a desire to visit there again. By time we got back to the rv it was late and we had walked approx 13 kms. Off to bed exhausted.
Day 30 Friday
Another day in Vegas. We set off in the morning and dropped Bethany and Simon at the Circus Circus adventure dome theme park while Wes and Thomas visited the Atomic testing museum and I went to the shops. Later in the day we dropped Thomas at the theme park as well and he enjoyed some of the rides there. (In case you are wondering about leaving the children there by themselves –all is well because it is all set up for parents to be able to leave there children there to enjoy the rides while the parents go to the Casino – they were completely safe and sound). We also met a family from the wonderful city of Canberra (:)) who had three boys and they went on many of the rides with Bethany and Simon. Wes and I did some grocery shopping and we picked up our exhausted children who had had unlimited rides on roller coasters etc (and had the time of their lives) and we had dinner and watched part 2 of Transformers 2). I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the Transformers movies so much. Today, doing what we did in going to the theme park etc we were able to stay away from most of the rubbish that Vegas has. So we finished our time in Vegas okay and not overly bombarded with filth.
Day 31 Saturday
Leaving Vegas today via the Hoover Dam that we saw on the way in (which is in the opposite direction to where we are going today). We arrived there and booked in for a tour. The children and I opted to take the shorter tour (much cheaper) and we sent Wes off to do the full tour. The whole thing was very interesting and an engineering marvel of the industrial age (built in 1931 – art deco style). Wes had a marvellous time and we managed to tear him away from there around lunchtime. We then drove for hours cutting across country towards the western coast towards a place called Hearst Castle. By around 9.30 we had had enough and pulled into a town called Paso Robles and slept the night in a car park. The last stretch of road was particularly hairy as we were travelling through a mountainous area and it was foggy (help!!) We nearly had tears from the navigator (i.e. me)
Day 32 Sunday
Up and out early (easy to do when you are just parked in a car park) and off to Hearst Castle. This castle was built in the 1920's (actually over a period of 18 years) by a man William Randolph Hearst who was a famous media magnate. He enjoyed inviting famous movie stars to his Castle and the whole place is huge and very lavish. It was an extraordinary sight. We did enjoy doing a tour of it all and it was well worth the visit.
After we finished there we headed off towards Los Angeles for the final part of our trip. It was wonderful to see the coast again (even though we rarely go to the beach) and we enjoyed all the scenery on the way up to LA. The roads were even a bit quieter on the way up there until we got closer to LA (hooray) Fortunately Wes had found a rv park on the internet and we headed for that. The rv park is located in Malibu and we are perched on the side of a hill with wonderful ocean views. The weather is even a little milder here and my favourite coat has not been out of the rv since being here. :)
Day 33 Monday
LA here we come! So off we go with our trusty home to explore the sights. We have decided to explore the Hollywood, Beverly Hills area, and what better a way to do it than in a 30ft motor home (nearly beats walking). It was a bit tight in places but since Santa Monica Boulevard is so long it was great to see it from a moving vehicle. We also drove down Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard and managed to find a car park to park the rv for the day. We set off on foot and began exploring Hollywood Boulevard. As soon as we started off we were accosted by the first of many sales people trying to sell us a tour of Hollywood and the Stars Homes. Wow was it bad. We gathered all the info and even managed to barter some good prices and eventually we went on a driving tour around Hollywood star spotting. Needless to say no one famous was out and about however we saw many places and even some homes (through thick bushes and high walls) of famous stars. The best part of the tour was the guide and he made it all very funny. The children enjoyed it and I guess I did too – but it's all very shallow. But then the Bible says that many people are living in the dark and haven't had their eyes opened – so I guess they are just trying to do their best in what they know. Remarkably the streets of Hollywood look rather run down and old and tired. There are also a lot more 'homeless' and 'unusual' people wandering around the streets. You can really see the difference between what you have in front of you and what the camera manages to do with it. There really is a lot of 'magic' that happens.
During the day we found out that there was going to be the Premier of the movie 'The green hornet' and so we decided to stay and watch it all unfold. We stood in the crowd for 2 hours watching it all happen and saw the actors Seth Rogen, Jay Chou (whoever they are?) and of course our all time favourite Cameron Diaz (although she didn't see us). We were also particularly delighted to see Kari Byron, Grant Imahara, Tori Belleci and Adam Savage from the Mythbusters (although they also didn't see us). It was fun and we were glad to have been there are the right time. I wonder whether we'll just have to see the movie now? Off we went to find the rv (which was still there fortunately) and back to the rv park through the LA motorways (oh dear). We have decided that the drivers in LA are the rudest we have come across in all our time here.
Day 34 Tuesday
Our last day of sightseeing. We got up late and had a slow start to the day, in fact I typed up more of this part 3 so that we can send it home before we leave tomorrow because we all know that I won't get it finished if I don't do it now.
Deciding which one thing to do today was a difficult task because there is so much to see in LA. We decided to spend the afternoon at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum (as you do while you are in LA with all the other things it has to offer). We decided to do this because of our interest in US Presidents (Wes) and in US history etc (Wes) and because it wasn't in crowded downtown and therefore difficult to drive to and of course to park the rv (Wes and my nerves!) The reason I give you all this background is because to our great surprise we had a wonderful time and it was a terrific place to go to. We learned a lot about Ronald Reagan and his part in the bringing down of the Berlin Wall and the cold war etc. The Museum is really a great testimony to him and the things that he achieved. He was a great bloke. They also had at the museum the Air Force One aeroplane that he, and some other presidents, travelled on that has now been retired. We also saw a replica of the Oval Office which was great since we weren't able to get into the Whitehouse. They also had a miniature replica of the White House. Most of the staff there are volunteers and they were so friendly and helpful, beyond what would normally happen when you visit somewhere. They were just lovely. So all in all we had a good time.
Then, back to the rv and another drive on a freeway or two (or three) and we picked up some fish and chips for dinner since we are staying next to the beach. Now I am trying to finish writing this so we can send it off tonight.
Tomorrow we pack up and hopefully manage to fit everything in our bags :) and clean the rv and return it to the depot by 2pm(wonder how many freeways we will have to take to get there?). Then to the airport and we wait there until our flight leaves at 10.30pm. We are booked to fly home on an A380 and we are really hoping that they are still flying, we arrive home on Friday morning. And that's the end of that – sadly.
We have really had the best time. We have seen so much, experienced so much and had a most wonderful time as a family. It's really great hanging out together.
I have just asked the rest of the family what they will miss about America when we go home, this is what they said:
Eating out – Bethany, Being together – Bethany, the hilarious conversations between Mum, Dad and Lola – Thomas, all being together and Dad and Tom's impersonations and jokes – Simon, the American people – Thomas, the people and the places that we have gone to – Bethany, Seeing wonderful places but it is the American people themselves who have really been the highlight for me they have been so warm and welcoming – Wes, I agree with Wes wholeheartedly – Belinda, also I have really enjoyed having a much less full and busy life than usual – Belinda, root beer and root beer floats (you can buy 12 cans for $3.95 here but they cost $2.50 a can at home, if you can find them) – Belinda, the icecream (mmmm), a rocket/spaceshuttle launch (which they keep delaying)-Wes.
What we won't miss about America:
The 'flicky flicky men' and occasionally women – Simon (what he means by this is the people in Vegas who were trying to inundate Wes with cards to entice him to go to strip clubs), Having to park the rv – Wes, the annoying drivers honking at us – Bethany, spending so much time trying to work out how to use all the different types of taps everywhere (faucets) - Thomas, Freeways (guess who said that)-Belinda, the bread and the cereals – all of us, working out this whole tipping thing , its very confusing and we have struggled to try to minimise offence - Wes
What we are looking forward to about going home:
Seeing my friends – Simon, hearing Australian accents everywhere- Thomas, seeing my friends – Thomas, seeing my friends – Bethany, going to our home – everyone, seeing Buzzy and Saucer – everyone (except Wes about Buzzy), sleeping in my own bed – Wes (which he won't be doing if his attitude to the precious Buzzy doesn't improve), seeing family and friends – Wes and Belinda. Watching my tv – Wes, bread and cereal – everyone, home cooked meals – everyone (except the cook) – bittersweet really because then I have to cook but I canna take much more of the take away!) my birthday – Simon, going to Newday – Thomas, driving on the 'right' side of the road – Thomas, the warmer weather (how long will that last?), going back to Church – all of us, having an expanded wardrobe – all of us.
What we are not looking forward to about going home:
Having to cook, wash, clean etc etc – Belinda, being able to throw out disposable cups and plates when they are dirty – Wes, going back to work – Wes, dad going back to work and not being with us – Simon, not being on 'holidays' – Belinda, having to do the bathrooms on Saturdays – Bethany, having to do the vacuuming at the weekends - Simon, going back to work – Thomas.
Well that's all folks. Thanks for reading this, hope you enjoyed it.
Love to you all and looking forward to seeing each and every one of you soon.
All of us (and editor, Belinda) xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tuesday 11 January 2011
One of the stars of 'The Green Hornet' - Seth Rogen
We were also delighted to see four of the stars of one of our favorite family shows Mythbusters.
A turd between two palms
Monday 10 January 2011
USA Route Map
Sunday 9 January 2011
Saturday 8 January 2011
Your comments and feedback
Dear blog readers. Thank you for your comments and feedback. We look forward each day to seeing who has commented on pictures and our updates.
Wes
Wes
Sent from my iPod
Friday 7 January 2011
Thursday 6 January 2011
My American Holiday :) by Bethany
Posted with her permission:
Hey everyone,
Well, many of you have been asking how America is so instead of explaining it over and over I thought that I would write this little summary of our trip so far. Hope you guys enjoy!!
On Thursday the 9th of December my family and I boarded a Qantas plane to L.A. It took 13 hours (not including the boring stuff to do at the airport!). The we got on another plane which took us to New York City and that trip took 5 hours so overall it took 18 hours!!
Ahhhh trek much?
But I just managed to entertain myself by watching movies the whole time!
We stayed 4 days in New-York and saw loads of sites like:
The Brooklyn Bridge, Time Square, Grand Central Station, the site of one of the 9/11 attacks, The Statue of Liberty, The Museum of Natural History (the one from 'Night at the Museum 1'), The Empire State Building, The Rockafeller centre and like a billion other things!! We caught subways (underground trains), buses but mainly walked!! On the last day of our time in New-York we picked up our R.V. (or as we like to call it, 'the rolling turd!' J) It's huge, like driving a bus around everywhere!
Tom and Simon sleep in the double bed above the drivers seat and I have a double bed to myself which during the day folds up to be a couch where we sit when driving. My Mum and Dad sleep in a double bed at the back of the R.V.
In the R.V. we have a ; shower, toilet, sink, fridge, freezer, microwave and like loads of cupboards which I like to scatter my stuff in.
When driving we have a table with 2 bench like seats around it facing each other which can seat 2 people. Us kids either sit there or on the couch which has 3 seats.
After New-York we moved on to Washington D.C. We stayed in a pretty nice R.V. park. It had a spa and most nights we went in it! :)
Oh and did I mention that it was cold?
FREEZINGGGG in fact! In New-York and Washington D.C. and everywhere else where we have been. The has also been loads of snow!
It snowed every day in Washington D.C. which was really pretty. It went down to -4 degrees in the day and -8 at night! In Washington we also saw loads of sites like: The White House, U.S. Capitol, The Smithsonian Museums (the one from 'Night at the Museum 2) Arlington (Their cemetery for their soldiers and presidents) and a bunch of other stuff including shopping, yay!
Then after 4 days in D.C. we set off to our friends house in Raleigh, North Carolina. The people we went to visit were close family friends of ours and moved to America in late 2009. They are called the Smiths. In their family there is 4 girls: Hannah (15), Izzy (13), Lucy (11) and Sarah (7) then there is their parents Murray and Ash and their 2 dogs, Jazzy and Zada.
I am really close to all of them so it was awesome to see them again. We stayed with them for 3 days and went to their church on the Sunday that we were there. Then on the Monday the girls didn't go to school and instead we went shopping :). It was loads of fun and I really enjoyed being with some girls for a change from my brothers!
After the Smiths we travelled down to Orlando, Florida and went to Walt Disney World for 5 days and we went to N.A.S.A for one day. At Disney World they have 5 different theme parks and they are:
Blizzard Beach Water Park, Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. We spent Christmas day at Blizzard Beach which was awesome because it was practically empty! Which means… NO LINES!! We did tones of souvenir shopping and I even got my name embroided into the back of my Minnie Mouse hat! My favorite ride was called "Expedition Everest" it was a high speed rollercoaster which was sooooooooooooo fun!
Tom, Simon and I went on it 3 times.
After Florida we drove to the New Orleans and went on an Alligator Swamp tour. It was loads of fun and we got to see some alligators and I got to hold a baby alligator which as you may know I am not to thrilled about reptiles and stuff like that but after a while it was okay. Then for lunch we went to a place called 'gator-me-crazy' which sold all sorts of alligator dishes and I discovered that Alligator is actually really yummy hehe :).
Then after the New Orleans we travelled through Texas and on New Years Eve we went to a real Texan rodeo. It was really cool everybody looked like cowboys/cowgirls except for our family (not including me because I wore my leather boots, jeans and my cowgirl checkered top so in my opinion I fitted straight in with the locals :D) and the boys even bought themselves a cowboy hat each which they love to wear now!
The next day we just did lots of driving but we did stop at a place called Roswell. Roswell is where 'Aliens' have supposedly landed and where the first sightings of Aliens have been. (apparently ?!?!) The whole entire town is about Aliens, Aliens and more Aliens. Their McDonalds even has a big UFO out the front of it!
Personally I think that most of the people in that town were crazy!
Then we stayed overnight at a meteor crater (well not literally in it but near it hehe) then the next day we went to the crater and watched a video about it and looked at it and stuff like that. It also had a really cool gift shop that we bought lots of stuff in. After that we went to Walnut Canyon which was a big canyon (well obviously!) but it was really pretty because it was covered in snow.
Today we went to the Grand Canyon which was spectacular!!
But freezing too!! It was -22 degrees?!?!
But strangely we are getting used to it. We are going to get such a shock when we get back to Sydney and it is warm again… but I sure am looking forward to it! :)
Right now we are in Las Vegas and we are staying here tonight and tomorrow night. Then we are moving on to L.A. and then back to Sydney!
But before I go here are some strange things about America (that I think are strange anyways :))
Here we go:
-Their 5 cent coins are bigger that their 10 cent coins…?-Their supermarket is called "piggly wiggly".
-Their bread is filled with sugar so it never goes bad or mouldy.??
-They have 24 hour drive through pharmacies.
-A lot of restaurants are buffets. (which is great for me :)!!)
-And every restaurant you go to has free refills.
But so far America is going great but I am missing you all!
Oh and if anyone was interested in checking out my Dad's blog, the web address is:
He has been updating it every day with photos and things from our trip which is really cool but sometimes there is some really weird ones of me on there so watch out hehe :)
I hope you are all having wonderful holidays! , Merry Christmas! , Happy New Year! And safe travelling to all of you that are going away!
Can't wait to see you all very soon!
Love you all loads!
Beth xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
This is in Celsius - Belinda says 'no wonder we're cold!!!'
Walnut Canyon - you can just make out a cliff dwelling
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