How the Rangers Live

(steve)
As the Sydney stay winds down Karen and I have been trying to make sure we savor any last tidbits from the city. Last weekend was highlighted with three main events. First up on Thursday was a trip down to the Sydney Opera House to take in a concert performed by the Sydney Symphony. The concert was called Gelmetti's Shock of the New III Rhythm and Ritual, showcasing a troupe of Taiko drummers, a choir (called Cantillation), and an awesome didgeridoo player. The concert was fun and it was neat to get a look inside the Opera House for an event.

Friday evening was our fifth wedding anniversary. To celebrate we walked to a great restaurant called Oscillate Wildly in Newtown. Once seated, we indulged in a delicious three course feast with a great bottle of wine. The best part was the dessert where Karen tucked into a brioche and I had a carmelized apple. Umm, dessert good. We left the restaurant warm and happy after our three hour visit.

Flash Slideshow

Saturday saw us pay a weekend visit to our ranger buddies Chris and Kathleen and their doggies Digger and Shadow. They live in the Sydney suburb of Westleigh, directly on the edge of the Berowra Valley Regional Park managed by Kathleen. Let's just say their house was amazing. The views from the back of the house over the park were stupendous. It was easy to understand the stories of interesting animal encounters we had heard before arriving. Not to outdone by Chris, Kathleen took us on a tour of her park, including a fun 4WD romp through some of the back-country service roads. Things got serious as we heard the sound of dirt bikes, a no-no inside the park. Unfortunately, we never found the trespassers to give chase. I was imagining a wild escape attempt followed by Chris leaping from the truck to apprehend the bandits. Oh well. We ended up staying the night where we were treated to the traditional Aussie BBQ of lamb and sausages. We spent the night telling stories, looking at photos, and playing with the dogs. The doggie time was a treat for us since it's been five months since we've seen our mutts.

The following morning Karen and I awoke, with dogs curled on the bed with us, to look out through the picture windows over the park again. The view never got old. Since it was Sunday, we were slow to get moving and ended up getting a taste of classic Aussie movies. We started with the first 20 minutes of "Muriel's Wedding," and watched "The Dish" straight through. For all you Aerospace weenies out there, "The Dish" is a great compliment to "Apollo 13" and "The Right Stuff" as it details the story of Australia's part in communicating with the Apollo 11 crew for the first moon landing. Pretty funny, and a true story. We wrapped up the weekend with a short walk through the park, always interesting in the company of rangers. Chris and Kathleen were incredibly nice to allow two tourists (especially Americans) to invade their house. We really appreciate them spending so much time with us to make sure we had a true Aussie experience, it was truly above and beyond what we expected. We can't wait to return the favor when they visit us in the future. Isn't it nice to have friends from around the world?