Sleeping In

Mom caught Dad and Zach getting a little extra beauty sleep this morning.

Morning Yoga

Portrait

Picnic in the park

Life is very civilized Down Under. We spent last Sunday having a picnic in the botanical gardens along with dozens of other Melbournian families. It was a perfect day for a picnic.

We sprawled out in the shade of a beautiful palm tree and enjoyed some goodies from the local market.

The greek salad with cucumbers and tomatoes from our garden was delicious!

Zach was all smiles after eating crackers.

Then it was time for photos with Mum.

Despite receiving less than an inch of rainfall since Christmas, the gardens were spectacular!

An Evening in Melbourne

After arriving in Melbourne late in the afternoon on Saturday, we headed out in search of dinner. Our first stop was the James Squire Brewery so Dad could take some pictures of the equipment and taste the beer, of course.



Then we walked up the street a few blocks to Chinatown were we drooled over the menus of Chinese, Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Japanese restaurants.



We worked up quite an appetite with window shopping for dinner and finally picked up some potstickers, chicken laksa, and sushi before heading back to our hotel to enjoy our spread.

Although Zach has been a little fussy about eating lately, he was very eager to taste the sushi (avocado and cucumber).

One bite was not enough for our hungry boy. It tasted even better with chopsticks.

Yum!

He felt particularly silly after his meal of sushi and managed to get himself wedged between the table and chairs.

Then it was time for a bath and playtime with his best mate before heading to bed.

A Walk in the Park

We spent the weekend in lovely Melbourne and had a picnic today in our favorite spot in the city, the Royal Botanical Gardens. The gardens were just as beautiful as always and the weather was perfect. After eating lunch, Zach and Dad decided to go for a short stroll.

More Pool Time

You are probably begining to think that all Zach does is swim. It is not far from the truth. Here he is swimming in our friends Glenn and Lisanne's pool last week. Mom thought the water was freezing, but Zach didn't seem to mind.

Taking a Dip

We're pretty sure Zach is begining to grow scales and gills. He can't wait to get into the pool! He can do a breast stroke better than his dad!

With the extremely hot weather, Zach's not the only creature who enjoys taking a dip in the water. Here's a scene from our bird bath last weekend. It was just about as crowded as the public swimming pool! The magpie, pigeons, and parrots were looking for a little relief from 115 degree temperatures.

Scorched

We promise never to complain about 105F degree heat again. Not after yesterday. Topping out at 116F degrees, yesterday was the hottest day on record ever in Shepparton and Melbourne. It literally felt like a furnace outside. And to make matters worse, the hot wind was gusting up to 50 mph. To keep cool, we went swimming...twice.



Zach (seen here between swimming sessions) had a grand time and didn't seem too impressed by the fact that he was experiencing record breaking heat. By late afternoon, however, there were ominous signs that February 7, 2009 would be remembered in this area for more than just the scorching heat. The telltale orange/tan haze of smoke began obscuring the distant horizon in all directions around Shepparton and by nightfall, the acrid smell of forest fire smoke had drifted through the vents of our house where it was still nearly 90 degrees inside. This morning, news of the devastating bushfires (forest fires for those of you in the northern hemisphere) all over Victoria dominated the radio and television.



The sun was a salmon pink dot in the sky today and smoke covered the golf course beyond our backyard. Initial reports in the morning news were of 14 people killed by fires and 100 homes destroyed. Tonight the reality of what happened to a large part of our state is unimaginable. At least 76 people confirmed dead, with over 700 homes destroyed and they haven't even made it into the two towns hardest hit by yesterday's fires to assess the toll. Marysville, a beautiful tiny tourist town in the mountains to the southeast of us, where we had gone skiing in August and enjoyed a wonderful lunch was completely destroyed by a fire that rapidly whipped through town. Literally nothing is standing but brick chimneys. We had been planning to spend a weekend in Marysville next month. All this devastation happened in a single day of fires fueled by 115 degree heat and violent winds. Here's a picture of the magnificent eucalyptus forests that we drove through last August, in the very area that has now been reduced to ashes.



That's our friend Glenn standing next to one of the beautiful tree ferns and towering giant gum trees six months ago. Since we know the magnitude of these fires is reaching the U.S., we want everyone to know that we are fine. Here are a few pictures from today to prove it.

Mom's favorite boys smiling for the camera.

For those of you counting, Zach now has four teeth.

Thankfully, the weather is supposed to cool off for a few days giving all of us a reprieve, at least for awhile.