Today is Stan's Birthday! Happy Birthday, Stan from me to you with love!! What a quaint and happy little place we found for last night's stay. I think I will always remember Ruthergen, Victoria. We actually stayed in the area until about 2 pm today, getting to know the inn-keeper a bit, learning about her young family and how it happened that they left the city and moved out here to Rutherglen. We toured the little town and visited recommended wineries. We...

Today is the last day for Stan to be at his current age! Tomorrow he officially turns another year older, although if he were still in the states, that event would occur 16 hours later. Freaky Australian time! None the less, I want to be the first to wish this wonderful man of mine and father to our daughters, Happy Birthday!!! Stan, you are indeed, you are the light of my life! We saw more countryside today. Honestly, once you leave the city, any city, the...

Late yesterday we became seriously concerned about the time and destinations we have planned next week for New Zealand, particularly on the South Island. New Zealand is said to have some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and it offers opportunities to do and see things found nowhere else. Since we only have four nights in Christchurch (South Island) and five nights each in Wellington and Aukland (North Island), we realized we have may have shorted ours...

It was such a pleasant sound waking up this morning to rain on the rooftop. Nice, sleepy-sleep. With rain falling outside, it was such a great day to leisurely catch-up on email, the "blob," and phone calls to our darling girls. Luckily, we caught both of them and it was fun and the very best getting to chat with them. Not a day is to be wasted though. We left in the rain, driving toward Mornington Peninsula. OK, try to picture a large circular bay surround...

It's still a little unbelievable to think that we are actually here, in Australia. But we are. It is so home-like. But all we have to do is listen to the very unique accent here, and everyone's very proper application of the English language or note the strange, perhaps Aboriginal influenced names of cities, towns and streets and we know this is not Kansas. Still, this place is much like what we know at home. . coffee boutiques, quick gourmet bites, and 7-Ele...