lots to do... #1

nova at port elliot beach - she actually wore her sunnies for awhile.


hard workin' bob.


nova and lindsey at port elliot


mmm, apple.


nova was fascinated by the seagulls.... they were fascinated by the food in her hand.


port elliot. still wearing those shades! amazing!


payton and nova beginning our walk along basham park.


a titch warmer, and we would have gone swimming...


basham park/port elliot


the color of the water and the waves were beautiful. no surfing at this beach in particular, but just down the way....


along basham beach regional park. the picture below is nova and payton sandbogging in the bob. nova is always thankful for the five-point harness when daddy's driving...


where to begin? well, let's go back a few weekends and start there...

let's see, that was the 20th and 21st of june. that saturday, we took a soggy, 30 minute walk into the city to have a look at the central market. what a sight! a very crowded, very busy market with heaps of local veggies, fruits, meats, fish, bakeries (oh, the meat pies... YUM! YUM!), cafes, nut and lolli (lollis are candies - not to be confused with lollipops) stands, and random little stores. it is similar to pikes place market in seattle, but whereas i recall pikes as being more linear and less chaotic, adelaide's central market appears to all have fallen out of the sky in one big jumble, people and baby strollers included. on the walk home through the greenway we watched part of local footy game. it's a little easier to follow along when watching in person vs. on the telly or listening on the radio. can't wait to see our local norwood redlegs play (their oval is just a block away from us) or to go to a pro game to see the adelaide crows or the port adelaide power play.

on sunday, the 21st, we took a 1 1/2 hr south of adelaide, across the fleurieu peninsula, past mclaren vale (yet another pocket of local vineyards) and down to victor harbor and port elliot. what a gorgeous day! here it is winter - and it can get quite rainy and grey - but it can also be clear blue skies, warm temperatures, and barefoot-with-your-jeans-rolled-up-why-didn't-i-bring-my-flip-flops wading through the water - even nova. we had a delightful, somewhat sandy, picnic lunch on the beach. the bob - ever the heavy lifter - did some serious work. after braving steep stairs, bogging through soft sand and crashing waves, the bob carried our lunch and gear to a happy eating spot and afterward, served as nova's bed for her nap while payton and i strolled along the reserve (a greenway or park).

they often have paved paths along the beach or through a reserve, and this is what we followed, only to suddenly come across a whale watching spot! complete with whales! how lucky. apparently, the southern right whale comes here either to (there appears to be some debate about this, i'm too lazy just now and our internet is too slow to verify one side or the other) feed to calve. perhaps it is both. anyway, we saw three whales swimming around, playing, blowing, sticking their tales in the air. it was great. fortunately, we had the forsight to bring the binos (payton had an in on the potential whale sighting). on the way back we saw a seal at - where else? - seal rock. a happy drive back to adelaide with nova singing us home. this was father's day.