Hi, everyone. I thought you might like to know that Maureen made it to Australia happily and without incident this week. She called from Cairns last night (Thursday) about 10, which was noonish on Friday for her. She also sent this e-mail this morning which I thought I would pass along to you:
I have safely arrived "Down Unda" and have taken up (brief) residence at a hostel in the northern city of Cairns (pronounced "CANS", who knows why). The flights here were not so bad, I got a lot of sleep on my major flight from LA to Auckland, NZ so I'm not feeling too jet lagged at the moment. When we flew in to Cairns it looked like PARADISE! You could see pieces of the Great Barrier Reef below as well as huge green mountains all along the shore. The weather is perfect here, about 75 and low humidity, I haven't seen a cloud all day. The hostel is clean but with only one working phone and a bar that boasts "frog and toad racing" this evening. Seriously. They are racing frogs and toads against one another. What a country.
I was hoping she might run into these fellows as soon as she set foot in Australia, but apparently not. But, she'll be there for six weeks, so still plenty of time.
Hope everyone's been having a good week. There is much excitement in Cincinnati with little Abbey's first birthday on Wednesday! Can't believe our little baby girls from last summer are now both one year old. I'm sure Amy and Scott will be updating us on the birthday festivities soon.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
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13 comments:
Glad to know she made it. Photos, we want photos!
I like the video link. By any chance was she traveling in a fried-out combie, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie?
No, but she did observe that the women glow and men plunder.
But then she had get off the phone saying the oddest thing..."Better run, better take cover." So, who knows!!
Hmmm... Interesting.. Well, I know that when Aussies meet a strange lady, it makes them nervous. Sometimes the polite thing to do is to just smile and give them a vegemite sandwich.
Gretchen actually. If the toads are Cane toads, it will be worth watching. They are gigantic and the subject of an odd cult movie that was out years ago.
John, you have surely heard of this.
I know Michael's busy performing and teaching in Carmel, but I thought Brian might chime in on this one. Brian, are you slack jaw, not much to say?
Yes, do you speak-a my language?
I do remember that Cane toad film, Gretchen, which I think was a documentary. Did they ever get rid of those things, or are they running amok down under?
I thought I was all set up with an account, but it wouldn't accept my clever password. Anyway, on your cane toad question, go to you tube and type in Cane toad for a pletora of info. They are allive and well. One film of a toad eating a mouse is gross, but the one about the man who loves cane toads is a segment from the very documentary you referred to, John.
Anne, are you trying to tempt me?
Joe and I did this goofy song lyrics routine a few weeks back at the dinner table with Jumpin' Jack Flash until our wives made us stop. Maybe it's a family disease.
On a more philosophical note...why did Dick van Dyke have an australian accent in Mary Poppins?
Brian, I have a feeling that American movie and TV producers in those days didn't go for real authenticity when it came to any "furrin" characters. As long as Dick Van Dyke sounded vaguely British, no need to quibble. Same thing, right? Sheesh!
There's a classic Bonanza episode where a Chinese mail-order bride is portrayed by a young Marlo Thomas. They just put darker makeup on her, and lots of eyeliner. It's very bizarre, but maybe nobody even bothered to notice then.
"Ohh, Donald.."
Or in this case, the stereotype version, "Ah, so, Donald.."
Glad you're on land now.... and off to a fun adventure. Enjoy it all!
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