Hello again from the land down under. Stephanie and I have had a busy month (or so) with lots of adventures. As the summer is winding down there have been severals festivals around Melbourne. There was the St. Kilda (Beach) festival, the Melbourne Boat and Lifestyle show, the Food and Wine Festival including the Saturday wine tasting event and the Thai food festival on Sunday.
Work has been going well, although busy. Stephanie and I have gotten into a pretty good groove on balancing the work schedule with our adventures, which are usually on the weekends. We have a few long weekends coming up (Labor day then Easter Weekend).
We wanted to share some of the photos from our recent trips.
We hope you all are doing well.
Best wishes,
Matt
p.s. We are looking forward to having Debbie "Doc" Payne down in May. We'll get the planning going soon for that. Peter Markey is also on the radar, as well as a few other potential candidates!!!
A wonderful view on our way down to Phillip Island (http://www.visitphillipisland.com/) where we saw some incredible Australian wildlife. This was just before crossing the bridge from the Melbourne peninsula to the island.On Phillip Island we visited a Koala santuary. Picture of me with a sleeping Koala in the background.
Closeup of a sleeping koala in the tree. He seemed very comfortable, and even started to munch on some leaves while we watched.
Stephanie got a picture with one of the pettable Koalas!
A wonderful sunset viewing from the Southwest corner of the island. This is where we saw some of the sea lions, a wild snake, a rabbit, and a baby penguin!
Stephanie and Matt on a lookout off Phillip Island.
On of the great attractions on Phillip Island is the arrival of the penguins in the evening. You aren't allowed to take photos, but Stephanie and I took part in the staged equivalent. Cheesy but necessary.
In between festivals we mixed in some of my new favorite sport... cricket. We saw a Twenty20 version of the game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia versus India. Australia crushed them on this evening, but it has been a fairly equal battle between the two countries.
Matt relaxing behind the wheel of his new boat at the Melbourne Boat show over at the Docklands. He saw many he liked, but preferred taking pictures over writing checks.
Final table for Sean Kerr... no more All-In Blinds would be seen for a while on poker nights following Sean's departure. It was a tough loss for all.
Matt, McKoy, and Tristan at Sean's rolloff party at the Long Room. Good times were had by all.
We changed up sports with the start of "Footie". Also known as Australia Rules Football. We watched a preseason match between Hawthorne and Carlton... won easily by Hawthorne.
Stephanie caught a picture of this guy on the street just before heading to Seaford beach. This was the only person we have seen drinking Fosters since being in Australia. Fosters, Australian for beer... well actually for those who don't have any other options.
On a separate beach event we caught this shot of St. Kilda beach. This is the closest beach to us in Melbourne... about 20 minutes by tram.
After St. Kilda beach we headed to The Espy. One of the great local bars down in St. Kilda. This day we caught some cover tunes from a local band that was about 60 years past their prime.Stephanie and Matt on a evening cruise with PK and Kyoko. City view in the background.
Another view of the city from the boat.
A few views from the boat. A nice sunset and a sweet view of the West Gate bridge.
Charlie, McCoy, and Matt at the Growling Frog golf course in Yan Yean, Victoria. I shot an 88, not too bad given the windy conditions, and a triple bogey on #18!!!
There was a pack of wild kangaroos on the golf course. Here is a shot of one overlooking the course and the wonderful scenary.
And finally, a shot of the crowds from the Thai food festival. A great weekend.
