Mom/Priscilla comes to Adelaide!
We gave Mom 24 hours to recover her grueling 30+ hour trip from New
York before driving her to Clare Valley, a wine-growing region about 2.5
hours north of Adelaide. But she was a real trooper! We had rented two houses at a sheep station
(ranch) called Bungaree, so that all the family (including close family friends, the Faulkners)
could spend the weekend eating and drinking and enjoying each other's
company. It was a beautiful place and we all had a great time.
The
pictures below are of the houses in which we stayed. Below those:
on the left is the old store (now the office) at the station,
while the one on the right was taken after lunch at the Penna Lane
winery on our way back
from
Clare. Next to Gerald are Leo and Anne, family friends.
Then
Priscilla, and then Gerald's folks, Graham and Ruth.
Thanksgiving
We
decided to create a Thanksgiving meal for the Dunnes (and friends),
even though the holiday is not celebrated in Australia. We had
originally planned to get a 10 kilogram turkey (about 24 pounds) for
the 20 or so people coming, but we soon realized that none of the ovens
there would fit a bird that big! So we went for Plan B and cooked
two 6 kg turkeys. There was also stuffing, cranberry sauce, veggies,
salad, pumpkin and apple pies and lots of other goodies. Of course
there were LOTS of leftovers. Some of that may be due to the fact that
it was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside! Still, it was a lot of fun, very
tasty and a nice way to "break in" (brother) Patrick and Claudine's new
home. Below, Patrick shows that he has mastered the art of eating
turkey, sitting outside in their backyard.
Wine Tasting
Needless
to say, it was imperative :-) that we take Priscilla/Mom to the major
wine regions in the area. Clare Valley was taken care of the first
weekend when we stayed at the sheep station. We also visited the
Barossa Valley, Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale regions, which are all
within an hour's drive of Adelaide. Mom learned the art of taking
small sips and distinguishing among the varieties and quality of wine.
Most of the wineries we visited do little if any exporting to the
U.S., so we are always happy to "catch up" with the winemakers on our
visits. Below we are at Coriole, d'Arenberg, Rockford, Grant Burge and Hugh Hamilton wineries.
Don't worry, we visited many more than those!
Girls' Day Out
Elyse
and Mom ventured out for a day on their own driving down the Fleurieu
Peninsula, south of Adelaide. The drive was filled with
spectacular views of beaches,
farm/pasture lands, and vineyards. We had a great time exploring
it
all together. Below left is Aldinga Beach, where the Dunnes had a
beach house when the kids were growing up. A fantastic place for
sailing, and the fine art of beach cricket. It is not unusual to see
cars driving up and down the beach! Mom's ready for a dip at
Sellick's
Beach below right. We also enjoying watching a game of Lawn Bowls
(the most popular sport in Australia) when we
stopped for a cup of tea along the way. The view of trees and cows is
in the Inman Valley, between Carrickalinga and Victor Harbor.
To top it all off, we took a long walk
around Granite Island (where we are sitting below) near Victor Harbor, and then waited for dusk
so we could see the Fairy Penguins return to feed their chicks after a
day of fishing. We couldn't take a picture of them (without blinding
them with our flash!), so we have used someone else's. The penguins are
ADORABLE and well worth waiting for! It was the perfect end to a wonderful day.
Walks and Wildlife
Mom
probably walked more in her month in Australia than she had walked in
years! We took walks around the city, visiting museums and cafés and
enjoying the architecture and flowering bushes/trees. We also took
walks in some parks. Below are some treasures sited during a visit to
Morialta Park. On the left are four Tawny Frogmouth Owls (number 3 is
looking at you!), while on the right is one of the many koalas we saw
that day - including one mom and baby pair! Below those is a picture
of Mom feeding a Tammar wallaby at Cleland - a nature reserve where one
can walk among the animals. There were lots of them around with joeys
('twas the season!) and one was even considerate enough to jump (fall?)
back into his mom's pouch while we watched. Very funny to see.
Priscilla wasn't too thrilled about being this close to an emu, but
Elyse thought it was pretty cool!
In and Around Adelaide
It
was fun to be able to share the central market with Mom. She couldn't
understand how we could resist "impulse buying" with all the delicious
foods to choose from. Can't say we understand how we did either (not
that we ALWAYS resisted.....). She (and we) were reminded how sweet a
mango or pineapple can be. YUM! There are about 150 stalls in the
market with fruits, veggies, olives, cheeses, meats, candy, sauces and
much more. It even has a stall selling just mushrooms!
We
all met Gerald's friend Joe (known since they were about 6 years old!) and
his wife for a Friday night meal at the market on the night of the
"Classic Adelaide" car show. The main street was blocked off and
FILLED with fantastic old cars - Aston Martins, Porsches, Lamborghinis, Mercedes
amongst others. A V12 Jaguar on display was one of only two ever made! Here are a couple of samples we liked. Ruth
even found a personalized one (her maiden name is Bond). (By
chance, Gerald and Joe are actually standing in front of our
favorite dim-sum restaurant, Ding Hao! Absolutely the best squid
we've ever
had.)
