58

Not much to say about this one except I made a really ugly face and I'm regretting posting about it... 

The guy on the right is James - middle child of the family we are staying with. He's studying to be a composer and he's a fun guy to hang out with. He's interested in American culture so tonight Curt and I told him about the wonders of Lucky Charms and the Wendy's Frosty. We've also discussed public health care and uniforms in schools but the food chat was most interesting. 

57

Curt had to get his computer fixed by Apple today. His battery exploded [again] and it was messing up the track pad and keyboard. He was hoping they would just give him a new computer out of the goodness of their Apple hearts, but no such luck. They are replacing the battery and top part so it's in the shop for a couple days. In the meantime he's stuck using his iPhone and borrowing my computer. I'm afraid the whole situation made him a little grumpy. 

56

Today we visited the sight of the Sydney Olympics. It was really interesting to see all the stadiums and memorabilia. The picture above is the Olympic Cauldron where the flame is eventually displayed during the games. It's now a water fountain near the playground. No doubt a hit on a hot day, but it was too cold to play when we were there. 

They have a display outside the main stadium with the olympic torch, a section of the track, poles from track events, markings to show how far people long jumped, and a list of what I assume is people who helped or donated to building everything.

I told the guys I had to look for my dad's name. They thought it was because he did something for the olympics. I knew there had to be a John Wilson on the list... and boy was I right!

Four John Wilsons! But how do they know which one they are ... ?

55

We went out with the church's young adult group tonight to a pub where you grill your own steak. It took forever to grill ours (I really only trust my dad to get it well done enough for me) but in the end they were good and the fries there were delicious! 

Unfortunately there wasn't any A1 steak sauce. Oh, what I would have given to enjoy that steak with some A1...

54

We were treated to a chocolate cafe after church tonight and it was delicious! I had a dark hot chocolate served in a "hug mug" which is a delightful as it sounds. Curt and I split a cheesecake which was not as delightful as it sounds. There was something strange about the cheesecake itself - not tart or tangy like it should be - but all those swirls of chocolate were delicious.

53

We transferred to a new house tonight. The boys are staying with a family a couple street away while Curt and I are staying with the Moores. Dean is the pastor at Ryde Baptist Church where the band is playing this weekend. They have three kids, one dog, and three chickens. One of the chickens thinks she belongs in the house and will sneak in the doggy door when given the chance.

The room we are staying in had this colorful display of books that I noticed right away. They struck me as odd because they looked to be the size of the Harry Potter series, but the cover art was all wrong. A closer look proved they were indeed Harry Potter, just with different art and titles. Ever heard of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?

I happen to think these colorful versions are much better than the muddy colors of our editions and they spruce up any old book shelf with their bright binding.

52

Whenever Curt plays a show, he  prefers the stage be organized and free from cable clutter. The stage was a mess tonight - I really can't believe Curt let it go like that.

The show was for Baptist Youth Ministries in Narwee near Sydney. It was a huge crowd of area youth groups. They all gather a few times a year for regional meetings with music and a speaker. The night went really well and quite a few people said it was the best meeting yet. The band is hoping to stay connected with BYM and play more shows with them in the future.

51

We have been touring the beaches in the area. We are staying on Avalon, but we visited Palm Beach, Whale Beach, and a few other beaches I can't remember right now. This adorable little car was parked at one of the beaches and I thought it was the quintessential summer image.

50

We are staying with a family who lives right on the beach, the view is amazing and the people are great. Everyday they get a visit from a bunch of parrots looking for a meal, and today was no different. I think it's one of the coolest things about Australia - colorful parrots just flying around, painting the sky with their bright hues. They ate the crumbs and then flew away when they were all gone.

I especially love the little stripe of lime green on their necks. Wouldn't a quilt with these colors be brilliant?

49

Today we went into downtown Sydney and met up with a couple friends, Kevin from Canada and Bruiser from Melbourne. We met them both last year and have been on a few camps with them this year. They happened to be visiting Sydney so we got together and visited the Opera House. This picture was taken standing next to the Opera House with the Harbor Bridge in the background. The boys saw some people doing this pose and thought it would be funny to recreate it.

They are fun guys to hang out with and everyone had a great day.

48

We travelled from Melbourne to Sydney today. Got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, although it took us almost 2 hours to get checked in and to our gate. We got to the gate with about 20 minutes before boarding started, so we were all pleased with ourselves.

In total we had something like 14 bags that got checked, plus a backpack and other carry-ons for each of us. So I guess it was more like 20 bags altogether. Qantas was not as helpful as last year, and we ended up having to pay for some of the excess.

We boarded the plane and found that we were in the very back row of a very empty plane. It was a huge plane but probably only half full, most of those people being in the front. So we had the back half to ourselves, got settled, and survived the most turbulent take off any of us have experienced. A few of us, myself included, got queasy and had to reach for the barf bags just in case. Thankfully we didn't throw up, but it was the first time I thought I would spew on a plane.

After the rough start snacks and drinks were served. It's one of our favorite things about flying in Australia - despite the fact that it was an hour flight, we got free snacks, plus wine and beer. I had a nice chardonnay while the boys enjoyed VBs and Heinekens. The flight attendants took a liking to us and gave us extra snacks and drinks. Needless to say, when we got off that plane we were all happy, relaxed, and ready to embrace Sydney.

Our luggage all came through, no broken guitars, but one suitcase did lose the handle. Unfortunately it's a suitcase we borrowed from my parents (sorry Mom & Dad - forgot to mention that.) We are getting a new one to replace it, courtesy of the airline. I think it was about time for them to get some new luggage anyway....

47

There are these disgusting candies lollies here in Australia that look like M&Ms but don't be fooled - they lack the trademark "m" as well as the delicious chocolaty taste. 

Yet- we can't stop eating them.

46

Another night, another show. The band played a surprise show for a youth group at the camp in Adanac. It was a small but enthusiastic crowd. The show itself was quite scaled down, but everyone had a good time. Curt thought he would have to play a guitar for the whole show, but Bonte came to the rescue and brought up a keyboard for Curt to use. We spent the night at Adanac and finished watching the Mission Impossible trilogy, our third trilogy of the tour. (We've also watched the Bourne movies and Back to the Future 1-3).

45

The guys played a big concert tonight - Good Day in Warragul. There were two other bands - Simeon and San Salvador - plus a bunch of blow-up gladiator games, snow cones, and fairy floss aka cotton candy. It was quite the event and a really fun night. The kids were all really excited to hear the band and the night went off without a hitch.