Uncle Don's Visit
06 April 2015 | Sydney, Australia
Kim
Finally we have a visitor! It has been almost three years since we left St. John and we have not had a single visitor on Flour Girl. I suppose our blog has somehow made the sailing life look unappealing, but the surf blog proved irresistible and David's brother Don emailed to ask if he could come to Australia and take surf lessons from Zack. Of course we were thrilled but Zack was beside himself. (He did get 2 weeks off of school, so win win for him) Don works for an airline so he can jump seat to major cities and Sydney is on that list. We offered to met him in Rozelle Bay which is about as close as we can get to the airport but he decided to take a ferry over to Manly to meet us. It would make it easier to surf the next day, but did run the total cost of his trip up to $7 Australian. It was a 22 hour trip and Don was a bit jet lagged and tired the next morning, but determination won out and we were on the beach by noon, ready for a surf lesson. Unfortunately the waves were not good. This was a first for us, as every time we have been to Manly Beach the waves have been great. David was out first and took a few good dumps. I tried and managed a small ride. Zack was out there but the dumping waves were not a lot of fun and he decided to just dig in the sand. Don was not discouraged so he got out into the waves to start drinking his required amount of pre-surf-success salt water. It was ugly but he kept at it. I think the surf deities require you to drink a minimum of 10 gallons of salt water before your first ride so Don had about 3 down. A good first day. We were blessed with a week of sunshine and perfect weather, the surf got better every day and was perfect for learning. Zack tore it up every single day, getting sunburned but not tired. Don, David and I had the inverse experience. While we did not get sunburned we got torn up. Each day we would get up, eat breakfast and put on a brave face as we made our way over to the beach, keeping silent on all the aches and pains we were feeling as the week progressed. Surfing is tough on the over 29 crowd! Zack's board is short and not all that buoyant so the 3 of us shared the mini mal. It would start with David getting out and surfing till he had 2 rides in. That is the unofficial goal, 2 rides where you actually stand up. Don would go next, as I need to really warm up before getting into the chilly water. Don really stuck to it and like the pro that he is got a stand up ride on his second day. We weren't ready for this, so there was no evidence on film, he would have to keep at it until we got it on video. We eventually did get a video of Don surfing, so there is proof! We had a great week of surfing and laughing at each others wipe outs and cheering each others rides, no matter how short or ungraceful they were. It was great but we were tired!
We planned to take the boat over to Rozelle and hike in the Blue Mountains on Sunday as we like the $2.50 all day public transportation deal and the hikes are phenomenal. It was Friday and we had come home early from surfing so we could go to the mini concert held in Manly on Friday nights during the summer. They have a small stage and the kids all run around in the park playing. The theme is world food and about 10 booths are set up, each selling food from a different country. Zack got pizza and we all opted for Cuban as it had the longest lines and was getting rave reviews. The food was very tasty and super filling. The band was really good and it was an enjoyable evening. Zack hooked up with some kids and got to run around. We sat on a bench as that was about all the energy we had left.
On Friday as we were coming back to the boat after surfing we had a catamaran on the mooring next to us. It had kayaks on the back and was looking maybe like a cruising boat, so we were scoping it out for kids as we usually do, and yes we think we saw one! We were getting ready to go when a kayak pulls up to our boat. It was Scott from Island Home, the catamaran. Zack came out and we left the boys to chat. They got on well and made plans to kayak in the morning. We stopped by on our way into the concert and met the rest of the family on Island Home. As David was tying up the dinghy in Manly he slipped and cut his foot on some oysters, a nasty gash. The one thing Manly is missing is a public dinghy dock. This ruled out hiking on Sunday so we decided to stay in Manly. We were so tired it was a bit of a relief. Zack hooked up with Scott the next morning and they kayaked and played on the beach together all day. In the afternoon we got out the knee board and and I was dragging the boys around when Geoff from Island Home mentioned that it was illegal to tow skiers in an anchorage and that I would most likely find myself with a ticket if the Maritime officers came round. We have heard about fines in Australia and they are not insignificant, so party over (after a few more goes.) The next morning the Scott and Zack wanted to hang some more so we headed over to the beach to surf and boogie board. Scott's family joined us and we chatted while the boys got rides and had a great day. They invited us over for a barbecue that evening (Aussies love to BBQ!) We went home and tossed a salad and made some cookies. We had a great evening on their really nice Cat. The cookies were a big hit and a joke all in one. Cookies are called biscuits here and if you refer to a biscuit as a cookie you are definitely an American. Cookies, biscuits, whatever, they all went! It was great meeting new friends but unfortunately they had to leave the next day to head north. We may see them again up in the Great Barrier Reef, so not really good -bye.
Zack and I had made cookies and brownies in anticipation of Don's visit, and now they were all gone. A few days earlier Don had told us the story of his mother's chocolate cake. The best chocolate cake he has ever tasted! There were lots of stories attached to this chocolate cake. One that it caused one of Don's coworkers to have a heart attack (it being so good and he being unable to resist it) another that it almost lost Don his job, and the stories went on forever. David knows how competitive I am and he made lots of jokes in that direction. It became a daily topic of conversation and humor. (I think they just really wanted chocolate cake.) David and Zack kept goading me until finally I cracked. I baked the chocolate cake. That's all I am saying on that subject.
We had volunteered to pick Don up in Rozelle Bay when he arrived and part of it was so we could sail by the Sydney Opera House. Which we thought was pretty cool. Don gave it a Blah, and said he wanted to take us to see Train at the Opera House. WOW! Now that is cool! For anyone who does not know, Train is a really hot band from California. We were totally stoked. And how wonderful for Zack. His first concert and it is at the Sydney Opera House, what a memory! We motored by the Opera House as there was no wind, and yes, Don took pictures because it does look cool from the water. We anchored in Rozelle Bay and spent the next day walking around Sydney and Chinatown and Paddy's Market before the concert. Don took us all out for dinner before the concert, and then we walked to the Opera House. We arrived a bit early and did the tourist thing, taking pictures and walking around. It was April 1st and Don decided to play a joke on us. He went up to get the tickets and I went with him which sort of ruined the first joke. We were walking away and he pretended he had lost the tickets. We believed him, fools that we are. So one up to Don. I no longer celebrate April Fool's Day but I do love a good joke and Don got this one. It has been a very long time since I have been to a concert and I don't know if things have changed or if it was just because we were at the Opera House. It was a first for me to see a bar set up outside selling beer, wine and champagne. Don bought a bottle of champagne and we sat watching the concert sipping champagne. We had great seats, in front of the band at the beginning of the seat section, so we could see everything and didn't have to worry about people in front of us. The warm-up band was a local Australian and was really good. Train rocked, they were really great. Zack loved the show and was filming parts on his iPod and taking pictures, it was sweet! Definitely a memory to last a lifetime.
We spent a few days in Rozelle Bay. The weather had turned to crap and there was not much point in going back to Manly as it was too rainy and cold to surf. April 3rd was our 10 year anniversary so Don took Zack to the Sydney Zoo and David and I had the day to ourselves. Zack had a great time at the zoo with his Uncle Don (who wouldn't, Don spoiled him rotten.) David and I went out for a movie, Focus, which was really good, and wine and pizza. We were on our way back to the boat and just missed our bus. We waited on the next one which worked out well. As we were getting on the bus I heard someone say "hide". I knew that voice. I looked and there were Zack and Don ducking low so they could jump out at us. What a coincidence! They hadn't eaten so we stopped off and had some pizza then made our way home in the rain. It was raining the next day but Sunday was looking promising, so we headed back to Manly so Don could get in one last day of surfing before he left. Poor Zack woke up on Easter Day, tossing his guts. He had a stomach bug. He also had about 3 pounds of chocolate in his basket, not a good combination. He spent the day in bed. David and Don went for a snorkel to see if they could see a leafy sea dragon or a woboegong shark. We have read that they could be found here at the beach next to Manly, but the boys had no luck. Don had asked for Thai for Easter dinner so I whipped up a few things and we had a nice dinner for Don's last meal on Flour Girl. He did end his trip with a big piece of coconut cream pie for breakfast the next morning! We had an amazing visit and hopefully Don had a good time as well. So contrary to popular belief, we do not eat our visitors, and yes it is safe to visit Flour Girl. So come visit us!!!