Today’s blog is covering our family break back in Australia. Please excuse this post if you feel it’s a little self-indulgent but after over the past 12 months we have been USA and this short 6 week holiday in Townsville with our family is very important to us.
Our plan for 6 weeks was to plant ourselves in one location (after 28,000 kms and 55 Van Parks in 1 year) and spend time with both Kaz and Adrian and our two gorgeous grandkids, Joy and Sonny. Well that was the plan.
As we got off the plane in Townsville Karen got on the very same plane to fly to Brisvegas for a women’s Rugby League tournament so that was a quick 15 minute “ships-passing-in-the-night-in-an-airport” family reunion. It was so short that we didn’t even get a photo together.
We spent that first night at Karen’s before setting off the next day for Cairns to catch up with Adrian. He was there before flying off to Portugal for a training seminar. At least we got to see him for a few hours before he set off for a month at 6am. At least he left the grandkids with us. Lin was attending a Tony Robbins seminar so we grabbed the kids and Adrian and ducked down to the markets at Cairns for a bite to eat and a look about. Over the next few days we took Joy, Sonny and occasionally Lin’s father who was visiting at the same time to various sights in Cairns. The Botanic Gardens, the Esplanade and Kuranda (up by Skyrail, back by Scenic Train). It was a great few days.
Back in Townsville after another two nights at Karen’s we moved over to the unit at Queen’s Road. Karen’s return after two weeks away was celebrated with a night out at the Cowboys versus Tigers NRL game. Thankfully my Tigers took home the win with a thrilling 1 point field goal in extra time but despite that Kaz & Stu could still smile in the bus on the way home.
A few days later and we were back at the Cowboys leagues Club catching up with my old Navy mate, Tug, who we’ve known for almost 50 years. A good time was had before he shot through on his never ending journey around Australia. Then it was back to the QR Unit for a play with my new best mate, Sonny. We had a ball sitting on the floor for hours making tall Lego towers and knocking them over again in fits of the giggles. Joy also had a good time with us and even had a sleepover with Nanna and Grandy and dropping off to sleep with a reindeer we bought her s few Xmas’ ago. We are so going to miss these two wonderful cherubs.
Then came the important event of our Australian holiday, State of Origin. We met up with Kaz and Stuey at the Bohle Barn and after a big pub feed watched another exciting game of Rugby League at its very best. Following the pics of that night I have posted two photos from the RSL showing some of the devastation of the February 2019 floods that got reported in the United States and all around the world. There’s a pic of the car John (an A-Team gym buddy) loaned us to run around in while we had no wheels at all. He’ll never realise how grateful we are to him for that kind gesture.
Then came the annual Townsville Show. One of my only recollections of my (Maternal) grandfather is him spoiling us at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney when I was about 6. I was dying to do the same to our grandchildren. Lots of Fairy Floss, junk food, kiddies rides, animals and attractions later I don’t know who was more tired, us or the kids. But we all had a tremendous day out. We are so lucky to have these two kids as the entire day if we said ‘no’ to anything (generally rides for the big kids) there was no squabbling just “ok”. But we didn’t have to say that too often as neither asked for much.
One Friday night Shane and I took ourselves off to the Strand Markets and found the NAFF (Northern Aust Fringe Festival) on. A few days later in typical Townsville winter weather (beautiful one day, perfect the next) we shot over on the ferry to Magnetic Island for a day with the grandkids again. Joy tried out the “fruit tin stilts” I made for her before flogging me with her “higher, higher, Grandy” calls on the swing. We ate ice cream, played on the beach and had a grand time. It is hard to believe that tropical Magnetic Island is a suburb of the 12th largest city in Australia and just a 20 minute ferry ride away. A few more games and a bit more spoiling and we found ourselves heart broken to be flying back to the US and leaving the family behind. But we’ll be back at Xmas.
We are now back in Denver, Colorado but apparently very fortunate to be here. On entering the USA in Los Angeles am Immigration Officer had a chat with us and was going to refuse us entry and send us straight back to Australia. Despite us having a 5 year, Multi-entry Visa no one had told us we are not supposed to stay for anymore than 9 months in a year. He allowed us to stay but with a note on our file saying that after we return to Australia around Xmas we are not to return before mid 2020 so it looks like a trip to Asia is on the books next January – May. (Anyone want to hire a Car & van for 6 months next year?) As we are not refugees who will be ‘taking’ from their system and we’re actually self-sufficient and ‘giving to’ their economy ($80k AUD so far including the car & van) I find it hard to fathom the logic but it’s their house so their rules.
That’s it for this blog.
Cheers for now
Garry & Shane
Dooley, just read this post, while a wonderful time back home so lucky with Immigration for sure, would have scared the crap out of me at Xmas I’d leave the rig in Canada and wander around their for the early part of next year, then that would open another can of worms I suppose………………………… Grandkids are wonderfull but they can certainly wear you out….