Maia and I
have been back from Vancouver
for over a month. We’ve got our routine down, and well the problem with routine
is the days compress into one long stream of days that seem like every other
day and you forget to pick out the unique moments and savour them.
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| Playing in the surf |
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| Saskia--our neice and boat guest catches a wave |
And I
reckon it’s pretty unique here. You just need to stay tuned into the oddness
that is Oz and try not to worry that your new Ozzie friends might be insulted
by the fact you find it terribly funny that the purchase of a Halloween pumpkin
came with a safety briefing (knives are sharp, pumpkins are hard, but the goal
is to cut a spooky face into the pumpkin—here are some directions) or that Evan
got a one hour talk (complete with quiz) on how to safely climb a step ladder.
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| Kings Beach |
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| Palm Beach |
We’ve
pondered the excessive efforts to mandate safety (the population is stupid? Possibly
drunk?) and the local’s impressive ability to miss the point (“Did you notice
the new countdown timers on all the walk signals?” “Yup, no idea what they are
for…”) But one place we do appreciate the safety measures is on the beaches. AU
has an enviable surf lifesaving program—a program that grew after the bylaws
the banned swimming on the beaches were lifted in 1902. Yup, swimming at the
beach during daylight hours was once illegal in parts of Australia…
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| Surfers Paradise at sunset |
The beaches
today are great. We’ve been back up to the Sunshine
Coast for surfing and fun at Kings
Beach and down to the Gold Coast for a day at Palm Beach
(you pass through Miami
to get there). Like towns, each beach has its own feel—Kings Beach felt like
something out of a 1960’s Beach Party movie, while Palm Beach was a little more rugged and wild feeling.
