6 Hours til Sun Burn

That´s right, it only took six hours of me being in Australia to get my first sunburn of 2012, thus beginning the process of tanning from winter´s florescent white to the end of summer off-white (or, if I am lucky, antique white). 

Kim picked us up from the airport bright and early and quickly whisked us away to their gorgeous beach house just north of Manly Beach.  After a quick tour of the house (whose photos do it little justice) Kim was off to work and Martin and I were off to explore Manly (after showers and freshening up of course).

We decided to walk the 10K path along the beach into town, stopping at the North Curl Curl Surf Club for coffees and a snack.  Feeling full, we continued through Freshwater beach, with a slight detour past 8 extremely large Hunters spiders (more on those to come) and finally found our way to Manly Beach. 

Ready for another snack, we made our way to the Manly Wharf Grill for fish and chips and beers on their patio overlooking the bay.  Still thirsty from the walk, we also made a pit stop at Hotel Staynes for another beer looking out at the beach before hitching a “free” ride on the bus back home (with not enough in change and nothing smaller than a fifty, the bus driver was kind enough to turn a blind eye to our indiscretion.)

It wasn´t until we were back “home” that I realized how sunburned I was…unfortunately, the coloring was selective: my new sunburned look was limited to the back of my arms, neck and chest.  I was the typical, and all too common “spotted tourist”.  So while I thought I was getting friendly smiles all day for my California style, I was in fact getting smiles of sympathy for how ridiculous I looked not only to them then, but also for lasting look I would be stuck with for the rest of my trip.  Ah, to be fair skinned. 

We wrapped us the afternoon on the balcony reading and enjoying the views.  And later that night Kim, Martin and I enjoyed a great meal like old times, with good food, good wine and good stories, both from Zurich and home... Unfortunately Nick was out of town for work, but we were able to catch up with him before we left.

The beginning of the walk at North Curl Curl

Amateur Hour

Amateur hour: that´s what I would have called our attempt to get to Australia, had I been an independent third party.  The day began with a scramble to pack.  With all of the construction going on at home, we had things strewn throughout the house and basement and as a result, I couldn´t find the proper luggage, iPod headphones, outlet adapter and numerous other items that I meticulously keep track of.  

After a quick stop at REI to pick up a rain jacket for myself (the first step in blowing the trip´s budget), we realized that we no longer had time to drop our car off at my parent´s house and ride BART back to the airport.  Instead, we drove straight to the airport, incurring $200 of parking costs in stride (and the tally grew).

With plenty of time to spare once we hit the airport thanks to the change in transportation plans (3 hours to be exact), I had visions of a nice dinner and a few cocktails before boarding the plane.  Unfortunately, due to a slight mishap by the United Counter Clerk, our otherwise simple check-in took a total of 1 hour...that is 30 minutes per person, and no exaggeration.    She originally thought it was due to my newly issued passport (stamp free until this trip), however upon further research, it was due to United trying to check us in prior to issuing visas and a completely inadequate system. Unfortunately I couldn´t explain this to the 15 people behind us waiting to check-in in the “priority” line.

I was pulled over for additional screening by TSA once we were finally checked-in. And to top things off, while I can normally pick out a good read in the bookstore, I bought one so horrible that it had to be left on the plane after finishing only 25 pages.

In the end, the only thing that looked “pro” about the start to our trip was my new purse, bought only an hour before the charade began.    But we made it onto the flight, Martin was upgraded to sit with me and we were ready for our now-much needed 2 week vacation!

A Wall of Closets…

Do I need to say any more about how excited I am about our new bedroom!

We officially moved out of the studio apartment and into the East Wing last weekend! And while there is still some work to do (as always) it is starting to feel like home.

My biggest challenge, how to organize the wall of closets!

Martin taking down the plastic sheet between the East Wing and the West Wing (aka our Studio Apartment)

The hallway is open again!

Our bedroom
(which still needs some decorating help)


Our wall of closets!

Grounded in Dunsmuir

With our weekends this winter all but booked, I was surprised and happy to find a free one to make it up to Dunsmuir for a weekend with the family. I took off early on Friday, and with Martin´s German-style driving, we were able to make it up there in time for dinner at Madeleine’s with the parents, Dana, Ray, Cassidy and baby Blake. It had been years since I had eaten there, and yet it still felt like family…although I am sure that feeling was only confirmed when the waitress decided to entertain Cassidy the entire meal and give her a tour of the kitchen (including a complimentary bowl of fruit for dessert). The food was even better than I remembered and it was great to spend time with the family.

With an early day of skiing planned for the following day, we headed back to the house for after dinner drinks and a few games of Looping Louie, Martin´s and Germany´s newest, favorite game. Originally designed for kids 3 and over, the concept involves a man in an airplane circling the game-board on a fixed tower. With a quick bump, you can knock Louie over your square and save yourself from losing one of your three pieces, and in turn, have Louie steal one of your opponents. It sounded simple and innocent enough…until the Germans turned it into a drinking game. For every piece you lost, you had to take a shot. Needless to say, it got ugly, rowdy and fun very fast. Unfortunately it got even uglier and rowdier for Martin... Constantly on the losing end, he ended up losing his lunch and dinner later that night. But not before taking a walk in the cold night air, with the dogs in pursuit, in an attempt to sober up.

Moving a little bit slower than normal the next day, Martin, my mom and I made it to the Nordic ski area around noon. With the sun shining and fresh snow sparkling, we had a lovely time cross country skiing, Martin off doing his normal, yet crazy hills, while my mom and I took the easier route and the opportunity to catch up. We left Martin to continue his marathon and my mom and I went to meet up with the family at the snow park…unfortunately, we arrived just in time to see them pack up the sleds and admit defeat…Cassidy was not a fan of sledding.

With Louie (and Martin) grounded for the rest of the weekend after his Friday night antics we were guaranteed a mellower evening that night. We spent the rest of the afternoon and night relaxing at the house, reading and playing with the kids.

We left after breakfast the following morning, but with plans to come back in the summer; and next time Louie and Martin both owe me.