Some Highlights

The last few days have been full. Even with less than perfect weather over the past few days, we've made the most of the rain-less moments. The forecast calls for sunshine for the next few days, so we're hoping to get in a few more beach days before Andrea departs! Here is a little medley of what we've been up to lately...

Eumundi & Ginger Factory

Although we don't have any great pictures to give you an idea of the magnitude of this place, let me tell you that this outdoor market is amazing! We spent a few hours enjoying the local crafts (including these Aboriginal instruments). We stopped by the ginger factory on the way home for a bit more shopping and some delicious ginger cinnamon ice cream.

Surfing

Yes, we did surf. Yes, we did "get up" even if for only a few seconds. That's surfing, right? We definitely got throttled, but we had a blast doing it:). Our amazing pastor, Tim, took both of us plus his daughter, Holly. We think he is probably the most patient man in the world! We celebrated afterwards with coffee & chocolate muffins.

Australian Meat Pies & Fig Tree Park

Andrea experienced her first ever Australian meat pies yesterday. We went to Beefy's, a recent winner of the Brisbane pie contest. After eating the frozen Wooly's 80 cent pies and practically gagging in repulsion, I was happy to find these pies quite tasty. We both agreed that meat pies might not make it onto our list of "must have foods" but they were still quite good & certainly no Aussie experience could be complete without them. Oh, and I'm convinced that all food becomes infinitely better when consumed in this fig tree park (I forget the name) in Buderim. Amazingly beautiful.

Groceries on the Scoot

We took a little trip to the grocery story (Woolworths) on the scooter. It was wonderful to share this experience with another American who can appreciate all of the differences & nod in agreement at some of the ridiculously expensive prices! Andrea insisted on posing with the vegemite (basically the equivalent of spreading soy sauce on bread) - and when it was all said and done, we used our excellent spacial skills to fit all the items in the two storage compartments:).

Mt. Ngungun = Fabulous

Today we hiked one of the Glass House Mountains, Mt. Ngungun. The humidity in the air here makes for some incredible sweating opportunities and the overcast weather didn't inhibit this in the least bit. It was yet another quick, steep climb and the view from the top were gorgeous. Australia is so green and lush!