Back from Down Under

Hello Family! Long time no blog.

I got back from Australia last night. We had an amazing trip.
Australia is equal parts

• Texas attitude
• London accent
• Irish driving
• add some Cancuun beaches
• some Hawaiian waves
• mix-in some Union-Missouri-style drinking and fun

That is Australia. I saw a bunch of Masey-Furgeson tractors that made me think of grandpa.

Of all the places I have gone, I would say Australia was both the easiest to navigate (thank you, English language) and the prettiest beaches. It was, however, expensive. Had it not been for Callidus paying for most of it & us using some frequent flyer miles, I do not think we would have been able to afford it.

Here are a few pictures we took.

This is Megan and I in front of the Sydney Opera House.


This is the island of Whitehaven in the Whitsunday Islands in north east Australia.


This is me trying to lift a giant mango in Bowen:


This bus made me laugh so hard. We were walking around downtown Sydney when we saw it. Basically, it was a tour for Australian seniors called, "Adventure Before Dementia".


Here are some kangaroos we saw near the Proserpine airport. This is not a great picutre, but they were wild and would not let us get too close:


This is Megan & I before our helicopter tour of the Great Barrier Reef.


Here is a photo of the Great Barrier Reef from the helicopter.


This is Megan & I in our "Stinger Suits". The "Stinger Suits" prevent us from getting stung by jellyfish. Jodi & I should have had these off the coast of Florida. :) I think these "Stinger Suits" make us look like teletubbies.


And this is a picture of the fish at the Great Barrier Reef. Megan overcame her fear of fish to go snorkeling with me. She had a mild panic attack the first time we went snorkeling in Mexico. She did much better this time. I was very proud of her toughness and her ability to face her fears. She even saw a 4-foot long eel.



It is good to be home. I picked up PugPuggy last night. I missed her.

Megan & I flew home separately. She had a lay-over in Hawaii where she rented a car for a day. I am picking her up from the airport at 9 AM this morning. I am looking forward to seeing her. I am taking PugPuggy to the airport.

Love you much. I really hope to see you all soon.

Ben