Camel: A Love Story

Zach fell in love with a fuzzy stuffed animal named Camel in April. Here are a few snapshots of the love affair over the months.

Horsing around in the living room when Camel was still a soft shiny stuffed animal, April 2009.

Taking a nap together in Cairns, May 2009.

Camel cooling off in the fridge in the Outback, May 2009.

Camel and the Twelve Apostles, June 2009.

Piano lessons with Grandma and Camel, June 2009.

A walk in Montana with Camel, June 2009.

Visiting Great Grandma Clara, July 2009.

Picking wildflowers, August 2009.



Hiking the trails near Bend, Oregon, August 2009.

Nothing better than taking a break from it all.

Four generations

We spent last weekend in Leavenworth, WA, where Aunt Laura performed at a chamber music festival. Grandma and Grandpa Loge met us there and brought Great-grandma Clara all the way out from Montana with them. That's how we got this nice four generation shot of Grandpa Ron, Great-grandma Clara, Mom and Zach.

Cooling Off

With record high temperatures in Seattle, we filled up the wading pool for Zach. At least we think it was for Zach. All the grown-ups took turns cooling off, too. Unlike most Seattle-ites, we loved the hot weather. 103F felt just right to our Australian-tempered internal thermostats.



At first, Zach took his swimming time very seriously. But that lasted only a second before the squeals began.



He squealed with Auntie Laura in the pool with him.

And he squealed with Dad...

Who he then proceded to splash repeatedly.

And he squealed with Mom. Somehow, the pictures don't quite capture the experience, though. Listen for yourself.

Yes, those are squeals of delight and they went on for hours.



After all that squealing, it was time for a strawberry popsicle.



Even that produced squeals!!

Seattle Snapshot

Like his parents, Zach has been enjoying his second summer of 2009. The Seattle version is all about playing. He wakes up and heads straight for his toy corner in the basement. He reads books and plays with his trucks and pushes around his trolley of blocks. Eventually the fun moves outside.

The day often begins with breakfast on the deck with Mom (when she is not at work) and Tassie. He likes to point at every airplane that flies overhead. We are usually in the early flight path for SeaTac so some days there can be dozens of planes, which means endless entertainment for Zach. Once he's done with his Cheerios and blueberries he's off to playing again.



He can spend hours climbing up and down the stairs.



He also has been mastering how to climb up the slide, mostly so he can then slide back down. He dislikes the swings, intensely. He is interested in the merry-go-round but we have to remind him he's not quite big enough for that yet.

One weekend in mid July we headed down the hill to the Seattle Center to take in the Bite of Seattle. We quickly spotted "Outback Jack's Australia Road Kill Grill" but we didn't see kangaroo or sausage rolls on the menu, so we moved onto a different stall for crab cakes and cheese steaks.

Zach enjoyed a big bite.

We have also discovered the local wading pool this summer, much to Zach's delight. He's the only kid with a kangaroo on his towel and the only kid whose mom makes him wear a hat in the pool! If only he would grow some hair...

Under the Big Sky

After arriving jetlagged and dazed from Australia, we dropped our stuff off in Seattle and made a beeline to Montana for two weeks of R&R. We had grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins to visit, most of whom we hadn't seen in over a year. We also had our new dog, Tassie, to meet for the first time. The end of June is always a beautiful time in the Big Sky State, but this year it was simply magical.



A wet spring and extra snow cover made the hillsides green and the wildflowers stunning.

We tried to spend as much time as possible in the moutains.



The views never get old.



In addition to meeting his new puppy, Zach also got to meet his Grandma and Grandpa Loge's setter, Huck. They seemed equally disinterested in each other.

We spent a few evenings at the family cabin



Where we roasted hotdogs on a stick



And took long walks with the dogs at sunset. Brett even spotted a wolf!

When we were not in the mountains, we found plenty of time for some of our other favorite activities.



Success!! A beautiful brown trout!



Hanging out with cousins Sage and Chaz.



Gardening with Grandma.



And laundry basket rides with Grandpa.

Needless to say, we left Montana rested and rejuvinated and glad to be back.

And we're back!

After nearly two months of packing, saying good-bye, traveling, unpacking, saying hello, and getting settled back into life in the Northern Hemisphere, we have finally achieved enough organization in our life that we can start blogging again. But before we tell you about all of Zach's newest adventures, we thought it was only fair to share a few of the highlights from the last two months. Warning: we've been busy. We'll start with Australia and share pictures from Montana and Seattle in subsequent posts.



We spent our penultimate weekend in Australia returning to some of our favorite stops on the Great Ocean Road. Despite it being early winter, the weather was gorgeous--cool, mild, calm.



We marvelled at the Twelve Apostles again.



And watched, mesmerized, as the massive waves crashed against the beach, one after another after another.



The final week in Australia was punctuated by several good-bye dinners. Rather than say good-bye, we chose to say "see ya latah" in our best Aussie accent. (It was better than using our best Arnold accent and saying "I'll be bahk.")



On our final night in Shepparton, Zach got to feed Paula the Camel one last time (Mom cried when we said good-bye to her).



Then on June 17, it was off to the airport for the long flight home (we all cried when Glenn dropped us off at the airport).



But Zach's tears didn't last long. He was thrilled when our plane ("vroom-vroom" in Zach-speak), the massive A-380, arrived. The seasoned traveller couldn't wait to get on board!


June 17, 2009


June 30, 2008

The after and before shots are a nice reminder of how much things can change in a year. It feels like Zach left his last vestige of babyhood behind in Australia. As you'll see, he's 100% toddler now!

We have thought long and hard about the best way to sum up our year Down Under in words and pictures, but there's no easy way to do it. It was an incredibly profound, important, life-changing, eye-opening year for all three of us as a family and we're incredibly grateful for the people who helped give us the opportunity to experience such a warm, welcoming country for the people who made us feel at home there.

We miss it (you) everyday....

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.