21 April - Day 69

Meet Slops! My friend "C" who is orignally from Tasmania told me about Slops yesterday. Slops is a beer drinking pig who can be found at The Pub in the Paddock in Tasmania. The pub has been licensed since 1880 and literally sits in the middle of a paddock in the lush green Pyengana Valley about 30 minutes from the east town of St Helens. Slops is the main attraction. Patrons of the pub are encouraged to buy beer for the pig, who lives in a pen behind a sign reading "Hi! Geez I'm dry. I'd luv a beer." When speaking about Slops, the bartenter was quoted as stating proudly: "He drank 76 full strength stubbies in one session. Mind you, he fell over after 54, but the little trooper kept on going lying on his side". I did a litle bit of research on Slops and there were some reports made to the RSPCA about animal cruelty but he can still be found at The Pub in the Paddock and now has a beer drinking friend named Priscilla to keep him company!

20 April - Day 68

The amount of work that we have done on our house the past 2 years is unbelievable! We (along with M's parents) ripped up every single plant/shrub in the front yard as well as the entire lawn. The lawn was then replanted bit by bit and new plants were added. It has been almost non stop projects since we moved in but we have enjoyed the challenge and love the results. The biggest project has been the picket fence M and his Dad built from scratch, complete with an automated gate! Although we have had fun, it will be nice when we move to Houston and live in an expat house that we aren't allowed to alter in any way : )

19 April - Day 67

We learned last week that our friends (and tenants of our rental property) will be moving to Groote Eylandt in north eastern Australia, approximately 600km south east of Darwin. "J" has been transferred with her company and she and "C" are looking forward to an exciting adventure. Groote Eylandt is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. It is the homeland of, and is owned by, the Anindilyakwa people (who still speak the isolated Anindilyakwa language). Groote Eylandt is an Aboriginal freehold land and an area of high conservation value. It was declared an Indigenous Protected Area in 2006. Visitors must have a permit to visit the island. Alyangula is the main town with a population of 670. Doesn't look like a bad place to visit!

18 April - Day 66

What a beautiful day in Perth! "M" and I went and watched the Red Bull Air Race today. Hannes Archer from Austria came in 1st place followed by Matt Hall from Australia. It was Matt's fastest career time so I'm counting him as a winner too! Unfortunately, the American didn't go too well and finished in 8th place. Click on the pictures to see more detail.

17 April - Day 65

It's amazing what you can see when you take an 11.5 kilometer (7 miles) walk around your city. The Red Bull Air Race is in Perth this weekend. When I got down to the river foreshore, the qualifying races had ended but I did get to see the Roulettes. The Roulettes are the Royal Australian Air Force's elite formation aerobatic display team that showcase Air Force flying skills to the Australian public. It was pretty amazing! I also captured a picture of the security team (Clydesdale and companion). It was a party atmosphere all around the river with people picnicking while watching the air race. A Hollywood style sign reading PERTH was also on display!

16 April - Day 64

Preparation is underway for my parents visit next weekend! It’s a great motivator to get some outside projects done. We were very excited yesterday to have concrete laid which expanded the driveway, created an additional front path, extended the back patio and created a path down the side. Eventually, we will paint both the old and new concrete a brown or gray color. Now the clean-up begins!

15 April - Day 63

Welcome to the Outback! For my US friends and family, I’m not talking about the steakhouse : ) I’m referring to the part of Australia that exists outside of the cities and populated areas. Australia’s population is very concentrated. The Australian Outback is everything outside of these populated areas – 65,000 million square kilometres (or 2.5 million square miles), inhabited by less than 60,000 people! The term Outback is used to describe the emptiness, remoteness, and the huge distances of inland Australia. The most popular Australian Outback icon is Ayers Rock. Uluru is the Aboriginal and official name. Ayers Rock is located in the middle of Australia, very close to the actual geographical centre.