Around Home

Since our last blog we have been enjoying staying at home and spending time with our friends.  Cameron turned 7 years of age a couple of week ago and you can just see the top of his head as he examines the gift his mum and dad gave him.  Adrian looked on with anticipation of more fun times spent with his brother.

Recently there has been a new addition to the Valadez home in the form of a cute puppy called Eevee name after a Pokemon character.  She really enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper.

We recently had the opportunity to share in the birthday celebrations of Joan Ratner PhD whose husband, now deceased, was the first paediatric surgeon in South Texas.  Joan, her son Adam and his wife Varda run the Patient Institute in San Antonio.  The patient Institute is a not for profit organization which assists folks navigate the complexities of the US health system.  To know more of this organization have a look at  www.patientinstitute.org

 We also had the opportunity to catch up with Randy and Wanda Reynolds who some will know as they had a 3 year posting to Australia in the early 90's when Randy was in the USAF.  Ed, Wanda's father and Janette and Wyman Curry also joined us at our home.   We had a great time.

We are surrounded by a number of different critters and are frequently visited by squirrels who enjoy the food we put out for the variety of wild cats who transit through our yard.

This black and white cat has adopted us and is here every morning for breakfast and stays all day.  She particularly liked our garden pot to sleep in.

She enjoys it even more now we have flowers in it.

Weather wise it is hot with temperatures in the high 90's.  We have had some recent rain so everything is still green.
This will be our last summer in Texas as our E3 Visa expires on 10 Jan 14.  It has been a wonderful opportunity to live in our home and to enjoy good times with the many friends we have here.
So if anyone is still wanting to come to San Antonio for a vist while we are still here you need to get here before we leave.

All are welcome and your bed is ready for you.
.
Cheers Beverley and Ross

Canada Visit

Recently we returned to Fredericton, NB our second home to attend a wedding of friends Kerry and Colin whom we met when we had the great pleasure of living in Fredo for 3 years.  More about the wedding later in this misif.

We flew into Bangor Maine and enjoyed the fantastic lobster.

 The car we rented was a convertable Camaro SS and even though it rained quite a bit while we were there we did get the opportunity to have a ride with the top down.  It was great fun but we would not swap it for our 2 door mercedes.

For the mechanics amongst you here is what the engine looks like. 

So back to the wedding which was conducted at the Nashwaakis United Church.  In Canada the United Church is called the United Church of Canada.

There were 5 bridesmaids, 5 groomsmen, and flower girl and a ring bearer hence the size of the bridal limo.  

The bride and groom are Kerry and Colin Woodward and it was a lovely wedding with family and friends, all of whom were very special to the bride and groom.  The speeches were full of heartfelt words and after Kerry and Colin spoke there was not a dry eye in the reception hall.  It truly was a joyful day for all and we wish them every happiness.

The reception was held at the Student Union Building at UNB / St Thomas University where Ross completed his degree.  It is a very pleasant campus as you can see.  Both Kerry and Colin are graduates of UNB and have an IT background.

July 1st is Canada day and it is not unusual to see proud Canadians place lots of flags in their yards on this day.

 

The yard above is over the road from Jacqueline and John's place that you will see below.  Here is a happy shot of Jacqueline and John after lunch at Montana's.  This was Sunday 2 July and the sun finally appeared. 

This is their lovely home and from the back patio you get a good view of the St John River which is frozen over during the winter months and a hive of activity during summer.

Then it was time to catch up with our Beaver Dam friends.  Here Cathy, Angie, Debbie and Barb enjoying a chat with Doug, George, Blair and Ross enjoying a beer and a chat.  Very Ozzie.

We had a great dinner and Barb made a huge trifle.

We also popped into our local pub, the site of the last duel in New Brunswick which the mural depicts.

We also enjoyed time with Donna and Mike and James, Suzanne and their growing boys.
It is always a pleasure to visit with our dear friends in Fredericton who have welcomed us into their lives and changed us for the better.

Best wishes to all,
Beverley and Ross

UK Visit June 2013

In early June I was given the opportunity to undertake a quick visit to Liverpool in the UK. It was work related and a really worthwhile trip. It only takes between 7 and 8 hours to fly direct from Atlanta to Manchester and then a quick train ride down to Liverpool.

When I arrived in Manchester it was a Manchester United game day and the rail service runs special trains that only go to the football ground.

Once in Liverpool I stayed at the Marriot just down the street from Lime St station so had an easy walk. The Marriot is directly across from St John's Garden.

The city centre of Liverpool has been closed off and turned into pedestrian malls that are easy to get around and obviously popular with the people.

It is a pleasant walk through the malls down to the famous Albert docks which had recently celebrated 25 years since its refurbishment.

A number of museums are located in the docks area but the one that was the most enlightening was the Slavery Museum and I was surprised to learn that all the slaves from Africa destined for America were brought to Liverpool first. A very sobering place to spend a little time.

Another thing I found out was that both the Union and Confederate governments had embassies in Liverpool during the Civil War.

If you love old boats then this is the place to come.

The historic buildings in Liverpool are amazing architectural masterpieces and somehow seem to blend with the many modern style structures.

While there I also took the opportunity to eat at Jamie Oliver's Italian (also located in the mall). The meal was superb.

And was finished off with an individual (non Italian) trifle.

No visit to Liverpool would be complete without a least some mention of the Beatles and this new exhibit and interactive display is also located in the Albert Dock area.

Although it was only 4 days it was good to be back in the UK and as you can see by the photos it was sunny  and warm every day.

Cheers Ross

Aussie V8 Supercars Austin, Texas

In May I got the chance to attend the first visit of the Australian V8 supercars to the USA. The 3 day event was staged at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, only 80 miles away.

http://circuitoftheamericas.com/v8-supercars/

The circuit is relatively new and host the US Grand Prix and the Moto GP as well. I went with my neighbour Keith ( who happens to be an Austin Police Officer) and we were treated to under cover seating and and a hospitality venue that supplied breakfast and lunch as well as an assortment of beverages.

This is the area we were seated, directly over the pit lane.

In the middle of the circuit is a concert venue called Austin in the Round and the stage is to the left of the observation tower.

And of course there are always the stunning girls.

On the Friday afternoon when all practice had finished the organisers opened pit lane for a walk through.

The Australian teams were more than happy to answer questions,

and even put on pit stop demonstrations for the crowd.

We had a great time over the 3 days with the eventual winners being the Red Bull racing team. We were surprised how many Australians had made to journey over for the event. Just about everywhere you went in Austin you would hear an Australian accent.

At one of the practice sessions we were lucky enough to sit next to Bob Bondurant, one of the real racing legends here in the US (at one time being top driver for Ferrari F1). He gave a presentation during the break and described his journey of recovery from a very serious accident to becoming one of the USA's top driving instructors. http://www.bondurant.com/

All in all a top weekend

Cheers Ross and Bev

First Cuise - Allure of the Seas 2

The cruise started in Ft Lauderdale, Florida and it is easy to see the amount of money tied up in beautiful boats.

I can also understand why many people retire down this way. In its own way it is quite similar to the Cold Coast in Queensland.

Our first port of call was Laberdee on the north coast of Haiti. This area is totally isolated from the devastation that still grips the main population areas.
We enjoyed a small boat cruise along the coast line and watched the brightly coloured local fishing boats trying to earn a living from the sea.

At the same time enjoying the local favourite tipple. Jamaican rum and fresh coconut.

Our second stop was the Jamaican port of Falmouth with its colonial architecture.

We visited the "Good Hope Great House" which is well preserved and stands as a reminder of the plantation days.

The view from the front of the house was very reminiscent of the scenery around Lae in PNG.

And of course the hometown favourite.

On the evening we departed Jamaica we were treated to a magnificent sunset.

Day 5 saw us arrive in Cozumel, Mexico and a totally different scene to the previous 2 stops.

Cozumel is an island off the Yucatan Peninsula and it is nearly totally reliant on tourism for its survival.

The island has a rich history including some very old Mayan ruins (complete with this young man in costume) and was first visited by the Spanish when Cortez stopped there in 1516.

It also has an agave plantation and tequila distillery.

The main street of the capital San Miguel De Cozumel near the cruise port has some very upmarket shops and fine restaurants.

Cozumel along with Cancun are very popular holiday destinations with both the Canadians and Americans and what better way to fill in time waiting to reboard the ship than with a tangerine margarita.

The remainder of the cruise was very relaxing and so after 7 days we returned to Ft Lauderdale and made it home to San Antonio the same day.

It was our first ever cruise and we still have a lot to learn but enjoyed it enough to know that we will do it again.

Cheers Ross and Bev