Recovery Phase

I know,  I know, I said that the last post, was the last post, but I had to show the recovery of the 3 kids on the couch together when we finally picked up the Beagle and got home!  

...and we're home!

Well, we left Sydney about 26 hours ago and are pretty much settled back into our Monticello home, with the Beagle who seems very happy that we didn't forget about him!   He sure didn't forget us!  I don't have any photos to post and not sure I'm even typing anything coherent as none of us have really slept at all for the last 28+ hours.  I think we're due.  

 The blog was a fun way to sort of document our trip, reflect on it and share pieces of it with those we with we could have taken along with us.  We hope you all have enjoyed it a little bit as well!  Thanks for all the comments!

...the McNulty's, signing off on the Sydney Trip 2008Blog. 

The Final Family Bash

Sunday night, Aaron organized for the entire family to stay at a great place up in the mountains near the Hunter Valley called Eaglereach Wilderness Resort.  We stayed one night in this amazing cabin and everyone made a different dish for dinner.  Selina: Peanut Satay, Daniel: Maki Sushi, Mum: Lasagna, Linda: Special Potatoes (I think there's a more technical term).  We had a feast Sunday evening, overlooked the Hunter Valley area from the deck and watched the Olympics.  Then Monday before leaving, we did some Yabby fishing, Kangaroo feeding and ???

On the way up to Eaglereach (about 2.5 hour drive out of Sydney) we stopped at a great little historic town called Morpeth, I think.  

Opera: Don Giovanni

Selina and I went to the Opera, Don Giovanni, at the great Sydney Opera House with Aaron and Selina's mum.  It was outstanding!  We ended up in the 3rd row somehow and could really appreciate their awesome voices.  

Karaoke!

Our Friends, Lauren and Jay, forced us to go sing karaoke with them on our last Saturday of the trip.  Much to our surprise, Selina and I actually did about 6 songs each and had a great time!  Note, that I will NOT be posting any video however :) 

Bondi Beach

We spent today at the famous Bondi Beach!  ...daddy proudly representing Purdue University while doing my best Bay Watch.  I left my clothes on for the safety of all the beach babes who would not likely be able to resist the danger.  

Luna Park Lovers!

This is a small amusement park on Sydney Harbour called Luna Park, which happens to be the spot where Selina's Mum and Dad met and fell in love!  :)  

More Harbour Pics

...here's one of the 7 ferries we rode yesterday and some random pics from around the wonderful Sydney Harbour.  

Diving Video

Now, I'm "borrowing" some internet from Selina's mum and dad's neighbors (I think).  So, I decided to upload some more video.  Here's some video compilation of my scuba diving last week:  DivingManly-Sharks_iPod.m4v

Nanny's Big Surprise Video

Finally got a chance today to upload some video...sorry for the lack of vids everyone :( Anyway, here's the short version of Nanny's Big Surprise when we arrived here:

http://www.dgmphotography.net/SydneyVideo/NannysBigSurpriseSHORT.m4v

Opera

Today, we decided to take it somewhat easier than we have been. We've been flat out since we got here from dawn till dark! Wonderful! Today, we decided to show the girls the famous Bondi beach, where we used to do most of our surfing. I'm 'borrowing' internet access from a cafe here to post some stuff quickly as internet access has been surprisingly very difficult to come across. Which is why we haven't been uploading any video! Anyway, tomorrow night we will go see an opera at the great Sydney Opera House!

Riding Ferries All Day :)

Today, we rode various ferries around the harbour all day long for just $14. What a deal. We rode a total of 7 ferries and traveled all over the harbour to spots that included Watson's Bay; the spot where Selina and I were married. Below are some shots of the church, St. Peter's, where we were married and some shots along the short where we had some of our wedding photos done. Circular Quay is the "ferry central" and so we made several stops there during the day. One of our stops was enhanced by this didj player who Zoe thought was pretty cool :)

BEACH

We've realized that our girls have the same love for the ocean and the beach that mum and dad do! Perhaps I'll get them certified and scuba diving with me next time we get to come :)

Oma, they were actually hard at work searching for shells to bring back to you in these particular shots.

...and for all of my Indiana corn-dwelling friends, note the big John Deere cleaning the beach. :)

...more familia