The Chronicles of Williams

We love possums.... Ever since we moved into our house we have seen possums. They are one of the nocturnal features we'll miss when we return to Wyoming. They're super laid back like everything/everyone else in Australia.  When you go up to a possum they just look at back at you and hang out.  We hear them make this little growl noise at night sometimes as they make sure their territory is maintained.  We hear them run and jump across trees and onto the roof of the house and we have to work super hard to keep them out of our deck herb garden.  The last couple of weeks, we've been hearing something closer...  in the ceiling maybe.  We just knew it was those little possums! Last week, Tanner and Jessica were heading to the backyard to get dried laundry (when it was dark) and they screamed because a possum landed in their laundry basket just as they walked onto the deck!  We laughed so hard because the possum and Jessica were both terrified... looked at each other in

Bringing in 2011 in Sydney was great.  We jumped on the train and found a nice spot at Bradfield Park (under the harbor bridge opposite the Opera House).  The bridge gave us shade during the day and we had an excellent view of the show.  It was awesome!  Here's some of our pics of the day and then the fireworks show at the bottom.  The public transportation is so organized that getting on a couple of trains right away was no problem....although the crowds were amazing!    We got home around 3am... but it was well worth it!  Hanging out, reading waiting for the show! Trying out the new hammocks  under the Sydney bridge. Austen and Nikki hanging out in Sydney. Behind us at the park. Happy New Year! Tanner, Jessica and Cullen are holding our spot... middle of the pic per Nikki and Austen's view from the bridge above. Tons of people waiting in the sun and holding their spot near the Opera House. Our view of the boat light parade. Happy New Year

We headed to Bondi Beach on Sunday.  We arrived around 10:30am on Sunday and were surprised atthow big this beach was... and so many people!  We finally found the perfect parking spot and headed to the Coastal Walk on the south side of the beach to see the sculptures that on exhibit for about 4 weeks with this being the last day. (186 sculptures along the coastal walk) Ceramic statues Where to start?? Metal sculptures on the cliff.... cool see through eyes Look how tall Cullen is getting! David and Cullen liked getting a break from the crowds Eucalyptus tree wave sculpture We decided to sit on the beach and jump in the water to keep cool.  It was fun to people watch and listen to the waves.  The waves were gorgeous and the water was so aqua blue.  This beach is in a cove and is very large.  It seems to be the perfect beach for swimming, laying in the sun and surfing.  It's fun to watch the lifeguards drive up and down the beach monitoring the tons of

The Sounds of Sydney...  you never think about when seeing the beautiful pics of the harbor, ships and the famous Opera House, but listen to this..... (sorry it's sideways... ) The Circular Quay is the heart of Sydney and this is where the ferries and trains merge.  When we take the train from Springwood and the Blue Mountains, we arrive at the Central Station and then hop on another train just a few stops away to the Quay (pronounced "key").  Artists, musicians and strollers all hang out here for a ton of entertainment.   Somehow the Didgeridoo is integrated into so much of these performances and of course we love that! This weekend, there was so much to see in Sydney.  Cullen has been wanting to visit the Aquarium since we arrived, so we finally made time to do that.  Here's a few pics of that visit.  It's not so scary to think about the sharks and snakes here... the rumors are always worse than reality so when you're here and educated about the chance

Manly beach... surfer class Sunday we enjoyed our discount to all trains, ferries, busses to and around Sydney.  We drove to the train station and rode the train right down into the heart of Sydney.  Musicians and entertainers and out, the outdoor cafes are filled up, the sunshine was perfect and it was a perfect day!  We got right onto the Manly ferry that goes from Sydney up to Manly which takes you to a thin strip of land on the edge of the ocean/harbor where there are miles and miles of bike riding trails, surfer classes, BBQ grills out for the public to use, snorkelers and scuba divers, joggers, bikers, skaters, jazz on the main plaza area.  It was a nice mix of San Diego and Hawaii. While hiking around we saw a super cool Eastern Water Dragon (cool lizard).   He just loved sitting on the rocks while we're all walking by and taking pics of him.  Sail boats were everywhere and along the ferry ride you can see that each little beach and cove of the harbor was full of the