Our cruise from Hawaii brought us back to one of our favorite places – Sydney. There’s something special about returning to Australia, and this trip was no exception. We enjoyed two house sits in the greater Sydney area: a week on the coast north of the city and ten weeks in the western suburbs, both filled with the fun of caring for dogs and exploring new neighborhoods.
Being in Australia over the holidays was perfect. It gave us the chance to reconnect with old friends and welcome new ones into our circle. Our history with Sydney goes back to 1993, when George worked on the launch of Optus Communications. It’s amazing to see how much the company—and our friendships—have grown since then.
We caught up with longtime friends Sally and Brian, who introduced us to their vibrant group, including Lizzie, Hamish,
Laura, and David. Reconnecting with Tom and Yawen from San Diego was another highlight; their home in Potts Point (formerly King’s Cross) became a hub for gatherings, and through them, we met Keiran and Ian, who treated us to an unforgettable dinner.
The holidays were made even more festive when Rachael flew in to join us. Thanksgiving was a true celebration,
complete with turkey, all the trimmings, and a table full of desserts. Sharing this American tradition with friends—many for the first time—was a joy, and George even wrote a skit to explain the holiday’s origins (see below).
We also reunited with friends from Optus; we had a great visit with Louisa. We also caught up with Karen and Tony (and thier
respective spouses). We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon and pub lunch in Neutral Bay, with Rachael along for the ride. The festivities continued between Christmas and New Year’s, when Matthew, Stephanie, and Stephanie’s mom Celia joined us.
Tom and Yawen hosted a spectacular New Year’s Eve, featuring delicious prime rib and a front-row seat to the fireworks.
To cap it all off, we hosted a southern-style BBQ and music jam, surrounded by our Sydney and San Diego friends. Good food, great music, and even better compa
ny made it a memorable start to the new year.
We can’t wait to return to Sydney and see everyone again. Next stop: Santiago, Chile
George’s First Thanksgiving Play:
Narrator(George): “As many of you here are not from America; we thought it would be helpful to explain the origins of the first Thanksgiving with a dramatic reading.
I will be your narrator, the part of the Native American Indian will be played by Rachael, the Pilgrim will be played by Tom: and finally Lizzy will be supplying all our sound effects.”
Sound: Dramatic introductory trumpet blast
Narrator: In 1620 a group of separatists, known as the Pilgrims, set sail from England in search of religious freedom.”
Pilgrim: “We are going to America to worship any way we want, surely that will work out!”
Narrator: “There were 132 passengers and 30 crew members. In addition, there were two bull mastiff dogs”
Sound: Dog barking
Narrator: “Since there were rats on board”
Sound: rats squeaking
Narrator: There were also several hard-working cats
Sound: cats meowing
Narrator: The journey was long and the weather was very rough”
Sound: wind howling, thunder etc
Narrator: “Finally, after 10 weeks there was a shout from the ship”
Pilgrim: “I see a Ho!”
All But Pilgrim: “That’s Land Ho!”
Narrator: “It was Plymouth Rock!”
Sound: Goes crazy with air guitar solo with electric sound
All but Sound: “Not that kind of rock”
Narrator: “When they arrived in Massachusetts, they were exhausted from the journey, weak from lack of food, extremely cold (since it was the dead of winter) and completely unprepared to cope with this new environment.”
Pilgrim: “I am tired, I am hungry, I am cold and I think I just broke a nail!”
Narrator: Luckily for the new settlers, there was a tribe of indigenous people known as the Winnebago Indians
Indian: “Wam-pa-no-ag Indians”
Narrator: “OK, the Wampanoag Indians, who took pity on them.”
Indian: “We will teach you how to make shelter, how to hunt for wild game and which plants like corn, pumpkins and sweet potatoes will grow. We will teach you to fish in the ocean and the streams and how to prosper in our native lands. But you better not screw us over later, ok?”
Pilgrim: “Oh we would never lie, break treaties, cheat you, or steal your lands….”
Indian: “well, OK, then.”
Narrator: “So the Indians taught the settlers how to build shelters and how to be a ho in the corn fields”
All but narrator: “That’s how to hoe the corn fields”.
Narrator: “Oh, with much help from the Indians, the pilgrims made it through the harsh winter, and their first crop of corn and local vegetables was extremely bountiful.”
Pilgrim: “We are going to have a feast to celebrate our amazing harvest and the fact that we made it through the first year here. Hey Indians since you helped us out a little:”
Indian: “A LOT!”
Pilgrim: “Yeah whatever, anyway since you helped us out, we would love it if you would join us for the feast”.
Narrator: “So, the Indians joined the feast brought fish and local game and it was foul”
All but the narrator: “No that’s fish, local game and fowl”
Indian: “Here’s a turkey, you can get stuffed”
Pilgrim: “I think you mean we can stuff the turkey.”
Indian: “I got a bad feeling about the future of our relationship.”
Narrator: and so began a long tradition of hosting annual party to give thanks for another good year. It is an occasion to invite family and friends’ round for a bountiful feast, featuring stuffed turkey, local vegetables and amazing desserts.
All: “Welcome to our thanksgiving celebration!”
couple of hours on Sunday. Nathan works at the local 
Arthur is a big boy, as one local commented this morning he has been “feedin’ in a healthy paddock”. This is just one of many colorful turns of phrases we have heard. One chap outside of the small grocery store commented about the wind, which was “strong enough to blow a dog off his chain”. Another person commented that she did not remember how many it was, but she was “still on her hands”; which we later learned means that it was less than 10, as she could still count them on her fingers.
town. ANZAC stands for Australian, New Zealand, Army Corps. It was quite a big event for the little town of Morpeth. Arthur had a great time resting on the sidewalk out in front of the pub, where many folks in colorful attire and a chest full of ribbons stopped to give a head scratch or belly rub.
Arnott family. 
About 40 minutes drive from the house is the Burleigh Heads National Park. There are many walking tracks within the park itself including the Ocean View Walk around the the rocky headland; the Rainforest Circuit which takes you through the park where you can view beautiful plant and bird life. Along the way there are many places that allow access to the beach. We went on a Saturday, so the beaches and trails were busy, but everyone was friendly and we had a great hike of about 3 miles or so. The views were amazing!
George’s birthday dinner was a special evening. We sat at the edge of the lagoon, at the 
In 1970 Steve started working with reptiles at his parents nature preserve in Northern Queensland, at 10 he wrestled his first crocodile while his father looked on. Later Steve married an American from Oregon (Teri) and together tho two launched a film series aimed at raising consciousness about wildlife conservation and raising money to expand the preserve his parents had started.
We generally wake up pretty early (the sun rises a round 4:45AM here). The very first thing we do when we actually get up is take the dogs for a walk. Cuddles generally leads and Honey straggles along behind. We walk into the “village” and back – about a mile and a half round trip. 
Some days I go for a swim in the pool and George works out on the exercise equipment at the house, yesterday we started canoeing on the canals behind the house. Afterward we shower and get ready for the rest of the day. 
