Sam and Alex on the way to the water and waves!
Sam catching an early morning wave.
He is up!
Heading "outback," This means they are heading out behind where the waves break. About 100 yards out. The instructor told me it is only about 16 feet deep there. She had the boys dive down and touch the sand to help reduce thier fears.
Up and moving fast!
How is that for a graceful fall!
This is Kari, the owner of the surf school, with the guys after graduation
With part of thier money, the girls, Kait and Emma, went shopping. They purchased matching outfits from a shop that sells items from Nepal. These are tibetan pants, hemp shirts and striped headbands. They had so much fun trying them on, then wearing them out of the store and through the market and mall. They definately got alot of attention!
While the boys had surfing lesson this morning the girls boogie boarded.
Kait coming in from a break after being pummeled by the waves.
Day 2 of Surf School--School was at Thirroul Beach again today. The guys had a great time. I did not get to go because of having one car so I took the girls shopping. These are Helen's photos.
Sam in true "wipe out" form!
Apparently Sam caught the wave way out and rode all the way into the beach and on to the sand. Apparently the waves were "dumpers." That is a swell that comes up quick and high and then drops suddenly making them difficult to ride. Tomorrow is the last day of school. It will be at Wollongong North Beach at 8:15 am. Thank God I can get a Cappucino at the beach!!!!!
Sam and Alex are going to school! The only school that they are so excited about that they did not sleep the night before! Surf School!!!
They get 3 days of lessons. Two hours each day. Yesterday was day one. The school provides wet suits, rashies, and the boards. 
They are getting sized up for thier boards. John and Shaun look on. It is Australia day weekend so they have the day off. Both guys were as excited and nervous as the boys!
School--surfer style! They got a quick lesson on Rips (rip tides), how to stand on the board, how to get from laying to standing and off to the water!!
The waves are big. It takes every bit of Sam's effort to get the 6 ft board out ot the surf and out to the big waves.
He is quite exhausted but very, very determined to catch a wave!! But, he is wiping out on this wave.
Kait looks like a sweet beach babe lovingly cheering on her brother. However, the smile is because Dad promised her an amount equal to Sam's surf school tuition for SHOPPING!
After several attempts and wipeouts, Sam is getting the hang of it! John caught this sequence on the camera. He's getting up.
He is a bit more up as he is hurtling toward the shore!
Almost there! Balance is the key!
Hang ten, Dude! He is a surfer!!! I'll get more pictures over the next two lessons--Tuesday and Wednesday!
After 5 hours at the beach, we were a bit wiped out! But after a brief recovery period, we were off to experience the view of Mt. Kiera. Off our back patio we have a view of Mt Kiera. It is a high point in the escarpment. The escarpment is a mountainous ridge along the coastline. The Illawara region is the area between the escarpmant and the sea. We live in the Illawara region, in the largest city of the region--Wollongong.
Here is a view of Wollongong and some suburbs. I believe if you click on the photos you can see them full screen. The lighthouse is a landmark near our apartment. To the left you see a large hotel, The Novotel, it light brown. In front of that is North Beach. So between the lighthouse and The Novotel is where we live.
This is looking to the north. You can see the ridge of the escarpment and the many cities and beaches heading towards Sydney. 
This is looking south. This is where John works--Bluescope Steel and Port Kembla.
Saturday was Australia Day-a celebration of the discovery of Australia by Captain Cook in 1700's. We had a fun weekend celebrating with the Aussie's. On Saturday, we had the Edwards to our apartment for dinner and the festivities. There was a carnival atmosphere in the parks surrounding Belmore Basin and South Beach. Bands, Amusement rides and games, magic shows and girls walking on stilts was entertainment for a very large group of picnic-ing families. At 9:00pm there was a beautiful fireworks display choreographed to music. We are lucky to live close so we were able to walk over(only 1 block) and come home for dinner. We walked back just minutes prior to the fireworks.
A regatta was taking place while we were at the beach--one of many events held for the special weekend.
This is our drive into Canberra. The Parliment Building is the structure just ahead. The building is built into a hill in the center of the city. Canberra is a planned city. There was a small village on the site, when the decision was made to create a capital city between Sydney and Melbourne. Canberra, an aboriginal word, means meeting place. The city was planned around the government buildings, with the streets actually being large circles and concentrically move out to form the city. There are cross roads--so from the sky(I am told) it is like a large spider web-type formation. The reason the Parliment building is underground or at the normal rise of the land, is to symbolically state that the govermental leaders are not above the people. Of course, it could be a security measure too! Anyway, after the building was built the excavated hill was place on the top of the structure. Can you tell we took the tour?
This is a view from the front door to the old parliment building and then to the War Memorial in the distance. Apparently, per our tour guide, the prime minister's office opens from the far end of the building and through a succession of opened double doors this is his view and a visual reminder of the past.
Here is the tour group, John, Emma, Kait, Helen, Alex, Sam and Shaun. I am the photographer in this one.
This is on top of the building and under the large structure that holds the flag. The flag (you can see it in the 1st photo) is as long as 2 greyhound busses. It was pouring down rain but the kids really didn't care!
On Sunday we went for a drive past all of the foriegn embassies. Most countries have a building or series of buildings for thier diplomat and offices. We were able to drive by the embassies although we were carefully watched by Australian Police in bright orange cars! This is the United States Embassy. It was all Georgian architecture (it looked like Miami U.) It was by far the largest compound and it did have the most security. Although Germany and China were a close second.
By contrast is Canada's embassy. Like some other countries, it had no fence or security. Sam and Alex actually roamed around on the lawn. Alex, Shaun, Emma, and Kait pose for the photo and Sam is looking for maple leafs on the ground.
The buildings and the grounds were an expression of each country. They were just beautiful. We only got out at Canada first and then the US. By then, we felt it was best to stay in our cars and just drive past. We were the only tourists there on a Sunday morning, so all eyes were on us. John was sure his FBI/Marine Corp file had been pulled and checked as we left the area.
Questacon is a wonderful science museum in Canberra. We had a great time here on Sunday. The highlight has to be the Free Fall. The area in the museum was to defeat your natural fears. There was a fake guillotine, dizzy-ing activities and then this Free fall. You had to be suited up as Sam in a jumpsuit. And then climb the steps to the big fall. You had to climb up on a platform, reach out and grab the bar. You, then had to hang from the bar and let go. So you free fall and then land on a slide at the bottom. 
This is Sam--he was first to go. Although by the look on his face prior to the drop he had second thoughts. But once he plunged, he plunged again and again.
The first time Kait just could not do it. But the second time she went with a squeal. Then she made the drop several more times.
Many of you have asked me to put pictures on the blog of our apartment. We live in an apartment that is privately owned condominiums. The front of our building is on pictures of the kids going school. It is has a security door and then we have an elevator ride just one floor to our unit. This is a view of from our front door. It is a great room floor plan. We set it up into zones. We have a sitting area for reading and talking. the kitchen beyond that. We set up a computer area on the far wall. The dining table is sort of in the middle of everything.
This is a look back the other direction. It is a better view of the TV area. The building is just a bit over one year old. To purchase a unit like ours is $550,000. We also have a two car garage space with garage door and opener in the parking garage under the building.
Here is the kitchen. It is small but very effecient. I'm liking the black granite!
We have two patio doors out to our veranda. It is quite large. Many people in our building have sofas and other things to make real living space out here. We have a grill, table and six chairs. AND our Christmas tree-now patio plant!
This is our Hall! Thrilling Huh? The bedrooms and baths are to the sides. the room at the end of the hall is the laundry room, with a door to the outside.
This is our bedroom. We have a small bath off of it. Toliet, Shower and sink.
This is Kait's room. She and Sam have patio doors out to a small patio on the back of the unit. I dry our clothes on it. We don't use it too much--although it has a view of Mt Kiera.
This is Sam's room. The bedrooms are small and sparsely furnished but we are making them work. The kids share a large bath room. It is actually two rooms with a short hall between. One room holds the soaking tub, sink, and shower. Across the hall, there is another room with a toilet and sink. Seems odd--but it works very well. There you have it! Our home in Wollongong!
Sam had been bugging and, I mean bugging, John to go fishing. They had to wait for our crate, which had the fishing poles in it. It arrived the week before Christmas--so we have been busy with holidays and traveling. John needed to get a fishing license and Sam reminded him daily. Well, Friday night John got his fishing license before we went out for dinner. Sam could not sleep and he was up at 6:00 am to check the weather. When John and I got up at 7:15 he was on the internet looking up Wollongong fishing. He knew the weather report, had snacks packed, was dressed and was ready to go. The place they had spotted for bait (shrimp and squid) did not open until 9:30!
Sam says he got bites from some fish but they all got away. Better luck next time. Sam is right now trying to talk John into going again tomorrow!
