Big Red Rock

On our way home from the Great Barrier Reef last week, we stopped in the center of the country for a few days to explore the Outback and the big red rock known as Uluru or Ayers Rock. The flat red sandy desert and giant rock outcroppings were amazing. At two miles long by one mile wide, Uluru can be seen rising on the horizon from fifty miles away. Up close it is truly impressive.

The red stone makes the blue sky brighter.

Zach enjoyed some of the Aboriginal rock paintings hidden in caves around the base of Uluru.

This cascade was parched on the day we visited, but the rainstorms that arrive on the morning we left would have transformed this gully into an amazing waterfall.

Laura and Anna enjoying the sunshine and blue sky.

Zach had a grand time except for the flies. We left the cork hat at home and it was no use swatting the flies. There were just too many of them. Fortunately they don't bite.

The best part for Zach was getting to take a walk along the hiking path. He loved hanging onto Aunt Laura's hand.

And he couldn't wait to see what was around the corner.

Eventually he enjoyed taking a rest on the cool bench with Dad.



Before heading back down the trail.

We ended the day by watching the colors deepen on the rock as the sun set behind us.

At the Lagoon

Since he couldn't swim in the ocean in Cairns (stinging jellyfish), Zach had a grand time playing in the large public swimming pool known as the Lagoon on the waterfront in Cairns instead. At first he was a little afraid of the fountains of water but soon became curious and would even touch the spouts with Dad by his side.

Afterwards he dried off in his new towel. FYI, Mr. Kanga didn't get to go swimming with him.

At dusk the Lagoon is particularly dramatic. But not as dramatic as what comes flying through the sky overhead at sunset, though.

Flying foxes by the thousands!! Fruit bats the size of foxes...a little creepy but harmless. Those are rainbow lorikeets squawking in the background. Bats are silent.

Boys will be boys

Zach found a patch of muddy sand to play in while walking on the beach. Mud affinity must be genetically encoded on the Y chromosome.

Beach Time

While in Port Douglas we spent plenty of time walking along beautiful Four Mile Beach. It is a long (as it's name implies), wide, flat beach perfect for strolling.



Zach grabbed a shoulder ride from our friend Lisanne who joined us for one of our walks.

But most of the time Zach preferred to walk and followed Dad all over the beach.



He took a moment to wave at the camera. The small round dots on the beach are balls of sand made by hundreds of tiny crabs.



We couldn't pass up the opportunity for a family beach vacation photo.

Aunt Laura paused from searching for seashells long enough to pose for this picture.

Mom and Zach in their beach hats.

Zach found a baby coconut in the sand.

Dad found a bigger coconut on the beach. Dad and Zach debated about which coconut was better. Eventually they decided to bring the bigger coconut home with them.



Dad then spent half an hour peeling the husk and cracking the shell so we could eat fresh coconut. In Zach's own words: yum, yum.

Sail Away

We spent most of last week at Port Douglas in Far North Queensland near the Great Barrier Reef. We had been there 3 1/2 years ago and were eager to return with Zach. We were also lucky enough to have Zach's Auntie Laura fly in from Seattle and join us there. To take advantage of the warm tropical weather and the Great Barrier Reef, we took a sailboat trip to a small coral cay to do some snorkeling.

The sailboat was beautiful and the trip out to the island was a wonderful way to start the day.

Perched in a prime location near the front of the boat, we watched the gentle waves and turquoise blue waters while Zach charmed the other passengers.

The fresh tropical breezes were the perfect antidote to jet lag after Laura's long flight Down Under.

We were all smiles when we arrived at the island.

The grown-ups took turns snorkeling and playing with Zach on the beach. He had the most fun with Auntie Laura who let him eat coral!! (He's working on cutting a few new molars.)



We were there at the very end of the season for stinging jelly fish. They don't show pictures of these very unattractive blue Lycra suits on the glossy brochures, but they are a necessary evil since the stingers can be lethal. Fortunately we didn't see any jellyfish. We did, however, see bright blue parrot fish, all varieties of butterfly fish, shy little clown fish nestled in their sea anemone homes, and giant angel fish.

Zach thought the suits were hilarious!!



After an exciting day filled with an incredible diversity of tropical fish and a spectacular undersea garden of soft coral in every color of the rainbow, Dad and Laura decided to relax with a can of VB (Victoria Bitter).

Ten minutes into our return trip, Zach was in a deep slumber. The excitement of the day was no match for the calming waves, gentle sea breeze, and warm sun. It was a marvelous day for all of us.

New Trick

Auntie Laura arrived Down Under ten days ago and we have already had some wonderful adventures with her at the Great Barrier Reef and Central Australia. But before we get to pictures from the last week and a half, we wanted to show you one of Zach's new tricks. We're not sure he actually knows what this means but he's pretty pleased with himself and has been doing it on command for the last five days. Enjoy.

The Kiss

Dad taught Zach how to kiss.

Splish Splash

Bath time has become more interesting (and wet) lately.

May Shots

Two pictures from the week:



Our little bloke in his Blunnies and onesie with his new favorite stuffed animal, Camel.

Fresh from the garden.

Yum

Some nights Zach refuses to eat anything that Mom and Dad try to feed him. He wants to feed himself, instead. Food tastes much better coming from his own spoon. Yum!

After Vintage Fun

In keeping with the weekend theme of wine, we spent last Sunday at a wine festival at Tahbilk Winery. The festival was intended to celebrate the end of the harvest of the 2009 vintage. Unfortunately, the heat and smoke ruined many of the red grapes this year. The consensus is that there is not much hope for the 2009 vintage. Instead we used our afternoon at Tahbilk to sample several earlier vintages.

Zach enjoyed the aroma with notes of chocolate and tar in this glass of Shiraz.

He concluded that it would pair perfectly with this brownie.



After hanging out with Mom by the straw bales while Dad tasted wines, Zach spent the rest of the day performing tricks.

Like looking at the world upside down (a.k.a. Zach Down Under)

And looking for a needle in the hay bale.

But mostly he just wanted to walk...

And walk....

And walk....

Eventually he thought he would walk over to the big kids playing footy to see if they would let him join in. He's a little too small for footy just yet.