The Americas! (Part VI)

A and I spent the day in Austin with The New (but not as new as T.N.N.) Niece.  The drive from Houston was fun and we (A and me) always get into good conversations as the miles roll by.

First stop after arrival was lunch at Chuy's Tex-Mex.  This meal filled a psychic void I didn't know existed.

After lunch was a decent coffee from Flipnotics (which I get confused with Frippertronics - totally different)

We spent the afternoon with The Niece - she's an absolute joy to be around. T.N.'s poppa arrived home and after quick deliberation we went out for BBQ. We ate until it hurt. Literally.

A nice Aussie shiraz on the back porch rounded out the evening.

The Americas! (Part V)

I did my part to improve the US economy by shopping!

Guitar stuff from Guitar Center, a new pair of shoes, bits and bobs from REI. (It only took going to four stores to find 1 pair of size 9.5 black Converse All-Star low tops!)

Afterwards, dinner with grandma and a beer with an old high school friend. Truly, a lovely day.

Houston's sprawl continues unabated. Strip malls, huge 12-lane highways, traffic. It's surreal to be in a place that is familiar and yet you can't remember how to get from place to place.

New sister

Nieve.

The Americas! (Part IV)

Monday - travel day. We did the 8 hour drive from Tulsa to Houston with D&D.

Before hitting the road I had some x-rays taken of a small bone spur on my right tibia. (Diagnosis: benign.)

Overheard by Amanda in the clinic's waiting room:

(To be read in an Oklahoman accent)

Old Lady 1: "I tell you, computers are the devil. They got your whole life on there. Except when you want them to."
Old Lady 2: "mmm hmmm. I expect you're right."

Items spotted:

• Longhorn steer
• Camels
• Heaps of extra-denominational churches (e.g. Christ Bible Church of the Savior)
• Religious bumper stickers
• Intense thunderstorms
• Flooding in Paris, TX.  (I have finally been to Paris, France and Paris, TX)
• HUGE lightning strikes
• Natural gas wells
• Buzzards
• A hawk
• Horses
• Ponies (!)
• Cattle
• Wild hog traps for sale
• Goats
• Big box stores (so many...)

An exchange I had with the woman running an antique store in Canton, TX (pop. 5,100) at which we stopped along the way:

Me: "Do you know if there is anything like a Starbucks* in town?"

Her: "Oh gosh, we don't have anything fancy like that here!"

* Desperate times call for desperate measures.

The Americas! (Part III)

Sunday was another lazy day hanging out T.N.N. and the family. We had lunch at L's in-laws house and re-acquainted ourselves with their extended family. There was a brief and frenetic easter egg hunt, finger sandwiches, presents for the weeuns, heaps of food. The day was concluded with some wine and Top Gun. Whatever happened to Kelly McGillis anyway?

T.N.N.

Sleeping furiously!



Update: It appears I can't rotate the image. Tilting your head 90° to the left may work.

The Americas! Part II

Saturday was spent hanging out at L's house with the family, alternately holding The New Nephew and chewing the fat. Tulsa isn't without charm but it's been storming* on and off since our arrival and haven't seen very much of it.

T.N.N. is about as mellow as they come, just spending his time sleeping and looking cute. I've been told that he looks like L (and thus, me) and that's pretty awesome.

We've also got to spend time getting to know L's in-laws and they are lovely people.

*Golf ball sized hail!

The Americas! Part I (The Beginining)

Day 1 was full of travel: 12.5 hours SYD > LAX, 4 hour layover in LAX then 2.5 hours to TUL.

After landing, T. picked us up from the airport and whisked us straight to L's place to see the new nephew. He's as cute as a button and did nothing but sleep during our (short) visit.

We crashed out at 23:30 and managed to get 6.5 hours of sleep, which is about as good as can be expected.

The Odyssey

Today we leave on our 6-week trip to the US and Argentina! We're combining a work trip for Matthew with a holiday to Argentina with our friends Laurel and Andy, and visiting as much family in the US as we can (includingTulsa to see our new nephew, and Austin to see our niece)! Here's our crazy itinerary:
Sydney > Tulsa > Houston > Argentina > Portland > San Francisco > Sydney.

Six weeks away from home, with only our carry on bags and whatever we buy along the way. American friends, hope to see you soon!

Wildlife World and the Maritime Museum

I recently went to Wildlife World again, this time with my friend Alison. I never get tired of cute animals.

a blurry Bilby (in the nocturnal exhibit)

Alison and a koala

Wombats are keen diggers

Arty photo in the ceiling mirror

gift shop silliness

Earlier this week, Matthew and I went to the Australian National Maritime Museum. We didn't have time to see everything, so we just went onboard several of their historic vessels - the James Craig, a cargo ship built in 1874 (one of only four ships in the world built in the 1800s that is still sailing); HMAS Vampire, a destroyer built in 1956; and HMAS Onslow, a submarine built in 1968.

Matthew at the wheel of the James Craig

Matthew in the submarine engine room

Here's a link to the rest of our photos!

Matt White on the matte white

Matthew is teaching himself guitar, and our lovely friend Mark recently loaned Matthew his matte white Joan Jett signature Gibson guitar.