Another grad day for Ashwin...

Ashwins love to the Little Gym took him to a newer level & here he is graduating from the 'Beasts' on his last day of class. Unfortunately we had to stop classes as I couldn't carry him around due to the risks of having another pre-term baby, so once our little girl comes into the world he'll be able to get back to it!

A daytrip to Tiburon...

Since coming back from our trip home, it's been a long time since posts as the impending arrival of our baby girl has taken over our lives. Anyhow, in between trips to IKEA (grrrr!) we managed to get out for a daytrip to Tiburon to have lunch - as there is not a great deal to do there. Afterward we took the ferry back to San Francisco Pier 39. Still it was a lovely day to be cruising around on the bay.

Fun in Caloundra

Here's a roundup of pics from the fun in the sun at Caloundra where I spent most of my time in Queensland. We had an awesome time hanging out with Auntie & Uncle (as Ashwin calls Taryn & Lukey) & it was great for Ashwin to meet little Josie (from the UK). The surf was wonderful & the best in the world - from what I have seen anyway! And the relaxing time, well it can live on by breathing & meditation - aaaah could I still be there??!!

Nice shoes Ashwin!

Ashwin is checking out DVDs while wearing his cousins high heel shoes - they are just gorgeous with some maribou feathers decorating the toes. Looks just lovely with the green ensemble as well. The other shoe is in his hand, mmm no wonder he couldn't walk too well with both shoes they are fairly high for a toddler!!

Eureka - Melbourne!

Here is the newest Melbourne icon - Eureka tower, man it is huge 91 floors high. Something I didn't realise is that this is a residential building, accoring to the source Wikipedia. Oh you can also check out the observation deck (Skydeck 88) & see the views from 88 floors high, with a cube that extends out from the building 300 metres above the ground - eeek! Apart from seeing this building complete Melbourne is still it's beautiful self & we love it ;)

Boxing day posse!

Boxing day being a day of relaxing & catching up with pals, we did just that! Here is a crew of folks who hadn't seen each other for a very long time - up to five years for my friends Cory (taking photo) , Catherine & Josie from UK. It was so good to catch up with other friends too - Shane, Gen & Lily (Sunshine Coast) & Miss Rach (all the way from Mildura!)

Kite flying - yay!

Here's James & Ashwin with Lukey out for a kite flying demo at Currimundi - it was a day just before a massive storm was about to hit the coast! The winds were fierce - Whew & what a great day to learn the finer points of kite flying :)

Freeesh pancakes!

How is this for a yummy breakfast - fresh fruit, pancakes & maple syrup (all the way from Canada). This was to christen the Jamie Oliver frypan my sister scored for a Christmas presso. They went down a treat and afterwards we went down to the beach for a kite flying demo!

happy xmas!

sunset & moonset

Here we are in beautiful Caloundra on Xmas Eve - James is looking a bit jetlagged & Ashwin & I are getting read to eat some fish & chips for dinner. That same evening Lukey spotted this beautiful moon set over the water - stunning!

Maleny lunchin'

Up in the hills of Maleny is just so lush. We went up there for a Sunday drive in the pouring rain which was quite muggy especially as we were in Queensland. We enjoyed some lunch & checked out the main hippy drag which was great.

Zoo family

Here is the zoo crew when we all headed up to Alma Park Zoo for a fix of Australian animals. Again it was another hot day so we ended the day early after checking out the koalas & kangas & took off to the beach for a sunset swim - aaah the life!

Rainforest stroll

After such a yummy lunch on a hot summers day we went for a stroll through the rainforest up in Buderim. Man it was just beautiful there with all the rainforest plants and some water flowing through to a river (eventually)? Ashwin was a bit tired as you may see in this pic & needed some sleep so we had to do a U-turn & head on back home.

Nothing like a pub meal!

Check out this place! Man it was so good it was at the Buderim Tavern up in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast. This is a covered open deck overlooking the beautiful coast & the food was just scrumptios - Ashwins favourite were the beer battered chips, mmmm!

A real Lemon Lime Bitters - yum!

What a refreshing drink on a hot summers day! After my last experience with this drink here in the US I had to have a proper one when I hit the shores down under. Man this is how it is made, not with a full shot of bitters - yuck! At least we make it at home ourselves now & don't trust the dodgy bartenders down in Monterey :)

Fish & Chips Aussie style!

I get so hungry for chips checking out this pic of Fish & Chips - they were deee-licious! The chips were ultra fresh & well done & the fish, mmm from New Zealand. Still it was so tasty & I got my fill in for real fish & chips before coming back to the USA.

BMX Bandit!

Here is Ashwin testing out his new wheels with his Grandad & Great Uncle around the back yard! He was having an awesome time cruising around the place with his feet not even touching the pedals. One day he'll get to ride that BMX & it will be ultra-retro by then!

Hard as you like...

Here is Ashwins Bono impersonation (ok just the glasses - minus one lens), well he is kind of looking like a rock star?!? The hair looking good & minus a shirt even better but the smile has to be replaced with more of a serious look :)

Glorious Monarchs

A friend had told me about the annual butterfly migration to Natural Bridge in Santa Cruz, so we thought it would be a great opportunity for a day trip. After a rainy morning the day later turned out fine & the sun shone beautifully. The butterflies were a bit disturbed by the rain but that didn't stop them from flying out in bursts from their nests. In amongst the gum trees the butterflies cluster together for warmth. There's the four of us together in the centre with natural arch in the background - so reminded me of the monolithic rock formations of the twelve apostles on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. And as Mr Ashwin loves butterflies he was in his element seeing the monarchs in real life & nearly had an opportunity to hold one - maybe next time.

Presidio on a chilly day...

Here we are on a mission to the Presidio to find the warming hut (top pic) for a hot chocolate & some yummy food. Afterward we had to walk off all the warmth & feel the chill of SF city. Lucky for us Fort Point was open & we went for a wander around there - some excellent views of the Golden Gate there, unfortunately with a white sky... Maybe we could 'shop it one day if I feel the urge. I especially like the tunnel shot in the centre as the rooms seem to go on forever & they did as you walked through to the end. There were some great vantage points at the Fort after climbing the steep staircases, I had to take it extra slow due to my extra 'baby pounds' at the moment. Still it was a fab day out & a farewell to SF for a month...

Portobello West market

Continuing the shopping expedition in Vancouver we were lucky enough to be in the city for this fantastic fashion & art market full of local designers. My sister & I really enjoyed the shopping, maybe a bit too much!

A knittorama

I tracked this knitting store down while in Vancouver - it is on a very cool street - main street, with lots of interesting stores to check out. I scored a hat pattern & of course, some beautiful yarn - my new favourite scarf is knit from malabrigo, oh it is so soft!

Hello Charlie!

This was my new mate Charlie the salmon crested cockatoo who lived at the Bloedel Floral Conservatory with other birds that reside in this warm, spacious dome. It was strange to feel the tropical feel of a rainforest in Vancouver and we had a fun time checking out the plants too.

Who are these people?

These were cool sculptures that were on one of the best vantage points in Vancouver, well before the trees from the botanic gardens grew huge. Ashwin has some balloons we bought from some dude in the street & they brightened up the cold, grey day.

Peanut Butter Ash

Breakfast was fun for Ashwin too - his favourite was the little peanut butter packets that he scooped out & got into his mouth & all over his face. This day he had a milk moustache as well, as he had a drink of remaining milk from the milk jug.

Poached Eggs & Canadian Bacon

For a slacko vegetarian like me I couldn't resist the temptation of Canadian bacon on the menu with eggs and yummy little hash browns. At our hotel there were about 4 different treats to choose from every day & this prepared us for our touristy activities!

In amongst the totems

Having finished our walk on the Treetops Adventure & experiencing the thrill of Capilano Bridge - we were starving. So a hot chocolate & chips was enjoyed & then some last minute tourist pics before we left to catch the bus to the ferry.

Capilano Suspension Bridge

There's my sister taking a picture on the hairy scary suspension bridge! It was a freaky feeling once you walked on as it felt you had 'sea legs' & once you made it to the centre of the bridge it felt much more stable. Then you have to look down & it certainly is a long way down to the river below - including a stunning view of the valley as well. What a great experience, if ever in Vancouver - check this out!

All rugged up & ready to hike

Here we are at Capilano Bridge in amongst the tree walk which was just amazing! I loved being up on the platforms with the tall trees & little lakes below. If this is a taste of the forest in Canada I certainly will be up to see some more.

Just for Ashwin

A great sign for our own little 'Nudie' Ashwin who loves to wander around after a bath in the nude no matter what the temperature! I am sure he wouldn't be so keen in Canada - this was near a waterslide on Granville Island, which has the best market for food & crafts.

Cheap macs anyone...

Here they are for only 99 cents - what a bargain! Yep only a Macintosh fan would love a picture of the Macintosh Apple itself - anyway there is my confession and my love of the Mac here online!

Hi there!

Another highlight at the Vancouver Aquarium was the beluga whales who look so ethereal swimming through the waters. We enjoyed watching them so much, they hypnotise you with their presence.

My favourite cuties - sea otters!

Here is the posse of sea otters hanging out at the aquarium in Vancouver. Later on that day we experienced a couple holding hands and going for a swim together - I have it on video to upload sometime! The blonde otter was rescued from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 - what a lucky & beautiful otter she is!

Stanley Park, Vancouver

Here is my sister all rugged up on a freezing cold morning in Vancouver. We had planned to go for a wander around the park but instead opted to go to the aquarium for some inside time till it warmed up in the arvo.

Oh Canada!

Here we are leaving the USA for our first holiday in ages - a few days in Vancouver, Canada with my sister. We stayed in this great hotel on the 27th floor & had free breakfast every day - yum! Needed the food to deal with the cold weather of Vancouver every morning, it was refreshing to feel such cold :)

Flower boy...

Here is a favourite pic of Ashwin in the flowers hanging out with some dandelions in the grass at Shoreline. Our camera is excellent for capturing quick moments unlike the ol' Olympus compact which has a delay & you miss the moment!

Auntie visits from Queensland

Next in our line of visitors was my sister visiting from sunny Queensland. We had a fantastic couple of weeks together before heading back to Australia for the Xmas holidays. Here we are chilling out at Shoreline park on a sunny afternoon.

Sailing in Sunnyvale

As Xmas was around the corner James had a brilliant idea of buying us a digital camera for our combined prezzo. That was a wonderful gift and we both love our Canon Rebel XTi - I had lenses from my previous SLR so we settled with a Canon body & it is just fantastic! Here's Ashwin on one of our first photo shoots in downtown Sunnyvale.

Melbourne Cup celebration!

Thanks to our Aussie mates Kath & Andy for organising a fun party in celebration of Melbourne Cup day - held on the first Tuesday in November. Here are the ladies at the party looking lovely - it is always a great excuse to dress up & of course wear a hat & some feathers!

Our visitor from Melbourne...

Here is Ange - a good friend from Melbourne who came to stay with us for a couple of days before she went over to New York for a holiday! It was so good to hang out, this is pic from when we went for a wander through the Mission in SF - there's some great shopping to be had but alas we were there way too early to get any done - could have seen a sexy film though! Still we had a fun time & visited my favourite yarn store artfibers in downtown SF.

Pinata birthday cake!

Here is Ashwins sugar cake surprise for his birthday back in October. Yep it has been a long time between posts but I have to finish this lot of pics then get on with the last 3 months of missing in action holiday postings... It was a Ghiradelli outer shell with Hersheys stuck all over and then you smash the shell & inside was a rich chocolate cake covered in more lollies - whew sugar overload!

Stamper extraordinaire!

Ashwin is in action with one of his favourite birthday prezzos his stamper kit. As you can see he likes stamping everything in sight including himself! He was playing stamps with James and next thing I saw he was covered in red ink, I am sure Skippyjon Jones inspired him.

Ashwins 2nd birthday!

Happy birthday to you little one - Ashwin was 2 years old on the 11th October. Here he is opening one of his many gifts that was sent from Australia - we had to space the gifts out as he had so many. He had a fun time ripping open the paper and discovering what he scored. Overall he had a good time with his pressos and he got some goodies that he really enjoyed! He had a great day as well hanging out with the family :)

The train driver on his birthday...

For Ashwins 2nd birthday we were in Los Gatos on a venture so we thought we would take him on a train ride at the park. Unfortunately it was closed due to the weather - too much sunshine = beach time! So Ashwin had to settle for a stationary vehicle instead, that he really enjoyed! We will have to take him on a day that the wildcat railroad is opened, hopefully soon!!

The truckeater!

Ashwin must have been a bit hungry on our way back from SF the other day as he was munching on his truck before he fell asleep with the truck in his mouth. Maybe he was just entertaining himself along the boring trip on the freeway.

The glorious Golden Gate

As we were checking out the sites with the relatives from Australia we stopped by to check out the Golden Gate on a clear morning. Here we are, just the two of us - as Ashwin was asleep in the car taking a morning nap. We enjoyed the sights of the city from the Marin side of the bridge as you could see the panorama from the Golden Gate to the Bay Bridge with the city in between.

A afternoon break at North Beach

On our way back through the Fleet Week crowds we stopped by to take a break at Washington Park. They had a collection of Ferraris on show that I had to keep Ashwin away from and we hung out till we felt we could face the crowds again! Man we were tired as we thought we could tram it back but no chance, so we had to walk for miles/kilometres back to the car - exhausted!

There go the Blue Angels!!

As we had guests to entertain we saw in the paper that it was Fleet Week in SF and you can go on board navy vessels and the air acrobatic team the Blue Angels were on show. Man it was crazy busy, still we experienced the sights & sounds of America in it's glory!

Get that suit off me!

For a Halloween costume we thought we would get Ashwin a frog suit to wear but there is a problem - he hates it! So it looks like it will be given back to the Goodwill store. So much for making an effort to celebrate a great American tradition, think if anything Ashwin will be a pirate but the problem is keeping the bandana on his head! It's next week so we'll see how we go and if we can trick or treat around the 'hood??!!