I also got a free game called UnblockMe. Nathan and Dad are in competition for top scores on how quickly they can release the red block. At the moment, the protégé (Nathan) is in the lead.
Don’t forget, it’s winter down under. So it’s a tropical winter in Ningaloo. The weather is unpredictable. It was sunny when we arrived, but there was a fierce storm the next day. Overcast days are gorgeous at the beach.
We are staying in a beautiful resort with a lily pond and sweet tasting swimming pool. I accidentally tasted the pool water, it tasted like a sugar ocean instead of chlorine. Odd.
There was also a massive spider near the pool. We fed it a moth, an ant with wings and a beetle. The spider was quick to bite and stun the bugs and then wrap it up for a future snack. It’s been confirmed ...I do not have arachnophobia.
I’m so impressed with how my little camera keep getting brilliant close up shots. Thanks lily flower, for being such a patient subject.
While Nathan and my dad went out on a tour to swim with whale sharks (more about this epic barfing event later), my mom & I went on an adventure.
The tropical bush landscape is littered by giant mounds, I can only assume were created by ants or termites. The mounds were about 10 ft tall and must’ve taken the little bugs years to create. The shape is similar to Dr. Suess’ characters, the creatures with the stars on their bellies.
My main deterrent for living in Australia is the cheese selection. There must be more than Tasty and Colby cheese. I’ve never found a good cheddar or pepper jack.
Ever tried salt & vinegar chips? Gross!
I’ve never been curious enough to try burger rings. I don’t even know what their made of.
Ah, Lamingtons! These are a yummy treat. I like them when they are bite size cakes. A little sprinkle of coconut will make anything delicious.
Smartites in Australia are a shell covered chocolate candy. Once, I was offered a smartie thinking it was the U.S. kind,.. and was disappointed.
Vegemite and Nutella, Aussie pantry staples! Toast up some white bread and start spreading.
Steak & [insert flavor] pies are a typical lunch or snack. I see people take a sauce (ketchup) bottle and squirt it inside the pie. It’s quite an attractive package, having a meal in self-contained pie form. I prefer quiches.
I lived on Iced Coffee in High School. You can’t screw up milk, sugar & caffeine. Local bakeries and delis dedicate an entire refrigerator to their coffee flavored milk.
Just around the corner from the festival were cooking demonstrations. We watched a pastry chef from the city create a rhubarb tart (or was it a pie?). She had a delightful sense of humor and I was impressed with her skills.
She also made some mini chocolate cupcakes from scratch. They tasted as good as they looked. 
We met up with some family friends, Anne & Kari. It was lovely to see them. We had coffees and scones (with jam & cream, of course) at a local hotel/pub.
You can’t see in the photos, but the ceilings in these old bars are very low. People must’ve been a lot shorter back in the day, without the plethora of meat and hormones we have access to today.
I was shocked when I saw a bartender put a lemon wedge into a Corona beer. I should’ve gotten a photo of this tragedy.
We drove back to city just in time to pick Nathan up from the airport. He stayed in Canberra to finish his last exam (which I’m sure he passed with flying colors) and was ready to start his winter break in Western Australia.
“You should write: Perth is weird, because they only wear black clothes. And, they drink too much in this country. Also, my parents have a nice house, I wish they’d give it to me.”
I had a day in the city today, while Dad was giving a talk at a Tight Gas conference and Mom was at a felting art/fabric workshop. Typical parental activities.
He bought bushels of basil, mint, oregano and chives, all in leaf form. Then he sautéed a chili and chopped it up in a fancy food processor. That smelled fantastic. Dad said, “It’s like Christmas, with all the food we were making.”
Dad then cleaned out the flesh of the pumpkin. I’m still laughing at Dad’s awesome expression.
I adore, love to visit the color fish and corals. They have the most unique patterns and shapes, and the oddest head shapes and bulging eyes. 
I was equally excited about the quality of photos I got from my little point and shoot camera. I used the automatic ‘underwater setting’ and the photos turned out surprisingly well.
Check out little Nemo! Clown fish are so cute. They like to hang out in the anemone, just like my kitty back home. Zoe, my cat, likes to hangout in warm laundry crevasses.
This eel was just chilling in the sand, with only his/her top part and head popping out. What a dork! I bet the eel would play online role playing games if it had a PC and arms.
After the aquarium, we went to lunch at a brewery and I had some delicious beer. Yummers!
It’s crisp and overcast, and a little rainy, which is perfect a beach walk. I always miss the beach until I get sand in my shoes.
It was gorgeous one afternoon so Mom & I went for a long walk along the coast.
There’s a restaurant at the top of the tower with a view, but we just wandered around and came back down.
Nathan gave me a thorough tour of the campus. We snuck inside one of his large Chemistry lecture halls. We figured out how to turn on the lights and quickly snapped a few photos. Good thing the campus is close to deserted, or at least the people left are too distracted by their final exams.
After three days in Canberra, I caught a quick and easy flight to Perth, Western Australia. Not sure if I’m prepared for Perth’s coastal rain, it’s become a myth in my mind.
