Asher meets King

King is an old dog, but sometimes he forgets! He has always been gentle and mellow- he chases squirrels because he wants to play with them, he loves our cat Muffin, and would probably play with skunks if we let him. His attitude to Asher so far has varied between indifference and avoidance (I think he's just too old for a little human "puppy"). I had Asher in the side yard on a lovely cool afternoon and King decided to join us. He rolled over for a belly rub and Asher went in for a ...poke!

King wasn't sure about getting his nose picked by a 13 month old.

...

Asher thought King's feet were interesting.

...

And King had a bit of a taste and they were best buddies! Now whenever I walk Asher in the stroller up and down the street he keeps an eye on us and whines and waits for us to return. Lovely dog!

Texas so far

I can't believe I've been in Texas nearly a month- it has gone so quickly, too quickly. Really, too My days seem to fill up with lots of little things, and at the end of the day I feel like I haven't "done" anything. It is similar to the feeling that I had on my first trip to Australia, when I had to make each day count by "doing" something- making the day worthwhile. Of course I tell myself I don't have to do anything at all, I am here to be with family and friends... but I still feel the need to "do." And there are so many people I still want to catch up with.

The first week my family went to San Antonio- had lots of fun.

The second week Dave, Meredith, Asher and I went to Inks Lake State Park.

The third week was shopping, and Dave left.

Poor Asher has strep throat. He's on his seventh day of ten days of antibiotics. I've made him gag and throw up three times so far with the eye dropper and various methods of giving the medication. He throws up so calmly, his little tummy heaving, while I hold him. It makes me sad that he has to go through this at all. Again.

But he is generally still a happy boy. He loves his Granny, Grandpa, and Uncle Buv. His face lights up when he sees them. (But he also giggles at the cat, his reflection in the mirror, and his feet... but don't tell them that!)

We had a great family reunion on Saturday- great to see so many people I haven't seen in years and years. Some boys I used to babysit all grown up with kids of their own makes me feel old! Mom and I have our list of projects- making a cloth book, labelling photos, and now ancestry.com. What a distraction that is! I've traced a set of my dad's great-great-great grandparents back to Germany, and they came by boat through Ellis Island. And I've traced some of my mom's relatives back to the 1700's in Tennessee.

So, have a great day!

San Antonio and a Banana

Asher 'eating' a banana. After this, we decided it was time to try tasting solids. He devoured his first taste of banana!

Above:

1. Asher exploring my face. Whack! Whack! Grab!
2. Asher and his too-small cowboy hat.

Above:

1. Mom and Asher in the hotel room
2. Mom, Kenneth, Asher, Dave and I on the Riverwalk
   

Above:

1. Mom on the Riverwalk
2. Dave, Asher and I on the Riverwalk

Above:

1. Myself, Mom, and Kenneth in the gardens at McNay Art Museum in San Antonio. Highly recommended!
2. Asher patting Dave's face
   

Above:

1. View from the top of the hotel
2. Our hotel, right on the Riverwalk

350 Photos from the USA Trip

Click here to see photos from the USA trip (it may take a while to load):
http://photos.walmart.com/share/p=1006281214710372165/l=13498968/g=3156532/cobrandOid=1011/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

:)

Leaving on a Jet Plane

My brother, Kenneth, had an emergency appendectomy the morning we flew out! He is feeling better, recovering well.

We arrived in Perth at 5:40 am on Tuesday morning- actually quite well rested, thanks to some sleeping pills (like night-time cold tablets) shared by a lady on the plane. We've spent our time in Perth at the dentist, at the Indonesian embassy, and at the Immigration Department in Perth. We have our visas for Indonesia, and we've submitted my Permanent Residency application.

We are finishing up all the last-minute details (like the blog!) and packing (important) for our 5pm flight. It still seems surreal!

World Hunger Relief Farm

David and I visited the World Hunger Relief Farm in Waco, Texas. We were quite impressed with the low-technology techniques they were using and teaching others to use.

Mission Statement

World Hunger Relief, Inc. is a Christian organization committed to the alleviation of hunger around the world.

God calls us to:

• Train individuals in holistic ministry that equips them to work with communities in developing sustainable farming techniques
• Educate those with an economic abundance on methods of conserving and sharing resources
• Participate in local and international sustainable development programs

Our philosophy . . .is to live simply, helping those who struggle to meet their basic needs by sharing and investing in others what God has given to us

You can visit their website at http://worldhungerrelief.org/.

Hello All!

My family at Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid (above)

A Buffalo, Yellowstone National Park

Elk, Yellowstone National Park

Dave petting horse in Texas

Hi All,

Dave and I are winding up our trip to the USA this week. I can't believe it is nearly finished- the time has flown!

Our first two weeks was mainly at and around Gatesville and central Texas. We patched some holes in and repainted Mom's livingroom. Dave and I, along with my brother Kenneth and Mom, went to Galveston for a week and did the whole tourist thing- Moody Aquarium and Rainforest Pyramid, NASA, tall ships, beaches, historical district, the ferry. Kenneth saw the ocean for the first time and had a great big grin from ear to ear. Then we flew out to Yellowstone, where we did a LOT of driving but saw buffalo, elk, bears, deer, a bald eagle, wolves, a badger, squirrels, sheep... and of course geothermal pools and geysers, and Old Faithful. Dave experienced snow falling for the first time! The week after Dave and I went camping with Meredith at Lost Maples state natural area. We went hiking in the mornings, and usually took a nap in the afternoon heat, followed by a swim in the river and a hike in the evening. It was a great place to see birds. This week, our last week, we have installed and are painting the skirting boards in the living room, doing some work in the gardens and bathroom, and catching up with people- we are being treated to a meal at least once each day this week! (We are going to come back to Australia the size of elephants!) Also, since we are doing caulking in the bathroom, we can't shower for 24 hours! We are celebrating our 2 year anniversary tomorrow by going out to a yummy mexican restaraunt (if we aren't too full from lunch). For Father's Day we went fishing with my Dad, who caught a turtle, and Dave caught two fishes, I caught numerous trees.

The immigration department is allowing us to extend the date we turn in the application to after we have arrived in Australia, which is great- it will give us a chance to find and assemble our documents, and it makes the questions less awkward (Where are you currently living? When will you arrive in Australia?)

The days have really flown by here, I can't believe it is our last week! I hope to see you all next week or hear from you soon,

Heather and David

A New Blog

Welcome to Dave and Heather's blog. This is a photo from our recent trip to the Grand Tetons.