MORE AUSTRALIA.

(Relaxing in the sun on this crazy tree).

Hey there, it is our last day here before journeying home bright and early tomorrow morning (no really, our cab is picking us up at 5:45am). It has been lovely, for real. In two weeks, I have met more nice people than I can believe. I had the pleasure of cooking again at the Coop (I got to make up a recipe to feed 100 people--I made sesame broccoli salad!) and also got to help chop for their monthly Acoustic Soup night (a big pot of soup, some sides, bread, and beers along with a bunch of live acoustic acts, all within the Coop--so cool and reminded me of our old Ithaca Soup and Spin record listening nights...sigh...). We also has the pleasure of being invited to a few lovely dinners at the homes of Raf's fellow (new) research buddies. We had an epic, day long bike trip around the lake and the city, a trip to a park in the bush (Tidbinbilla) where we saw more kangaroos than I knew what to do with. We saw beautiful black swans, black cockatoos, and more white cockatoos, magpies, emus, pelicans and parrots (all running/flying wild and free, people!). I did a lot of walking around, a lot of cooking, maybe just maybe ate too much fresh bread, tried new foods (fresh passion fruit, lamingtons, a flat white coffee (or 3) and a tempeh/tofu blend to name a few), and got a bit of jewelry making done. Overall, it was a really, really great trip and I'm really, really glad I tagged along. :)

My buddy hung out on my leg for 15 minutes before flying away!

A snack break mid bike ride.

Bike path collapse (which led to crazy, pushing bikes up a steep hill to re-route) due to flooding the week before.

Park/lake in the center of the city.

Nerd Alert!  :)

Lake.

Majestic black swans.

Yep, another swan photo.

Emu.

I forgot what this bird is called, but it is rare and protected.

Kangaroo in Tidbinbilla.

More kangaroos.

Bob, Angharad, & Raf resting in the shade on the giant rock.

Crazy trees (which only grow like 9mm a year and look like they are dancing)!

Beginning the trek up the hill at Tidbinbilla.

Mountains and Flintstone bench.

Kangaroo explosion. No really, we were footsteps from hundreds of them all day...

Hey!

Pelican.

Sweetie amongst giant rocks!

The biggest of them all!

Yup.

Passion Fruit. Eat when fragrant and wrinkly!

See?

Raf HATED it. I loved how it smelled. The taste was meh, and the seeds you swallow were weird in texture...

My favorite (and frequently frequented) bakery...(I'll miss you--sniff, sniff).