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| Welcome to Hobart Ruthie, Tessie, Ethan and Bryan!! |
At the beginning of August, I had the great pleasure in hosting my friend, Ruthie, her long time friend Tessie, and her sons, Ethan and Bryan. This was their first time to Australia; they started in Sydney for three days then flew down to Hobart for six. Quick background info on my friends: I met Ruthie five years ago while working in the ICU. Ruthie met Tessie many, many years ago (I won't specify the years - wink, wink) while working in the ICU. Tessie was Ruthie's mentor and continues to be a good friend and adopted mum. There is a tenderness between the two of them that is so special and definitely comes with time.
When Rob and I announced our plans to move to Australia, Ruthie immediately committed to visiting us in Tasmania. A year and a half later, I was more than excited to pick up my friends from the Hobart airport. We checked into Ruthie's timeshare in Seven Mile Beach before going to Rob and I's house for dinner.
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| Ruthie, Tessie, Bry (in the black hoodie behind Tessie) and Ethan! |
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| Ruthie wanted to snap a pic to show how the drivers seat is on the other side of the car. |
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| We did a lot of driving around Hobart and I had these two cuties in the back! |
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Ruthie and family had a beautiful timeshare right by the ocean
Note the rainbow... |
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| Seven Mile Beach welcomes you! |
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| Ruthie taking in the view from our back porch |
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| Rob & I greet all our guest to Tasmania with a bottle of bubbles |
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| Rob grilled chicken (on the barbie ;)) while I made risotto, green bean casserole, and served fresh bread from the market. We had Tasmanian made icecream and Arnott's biscuits for dessert. |
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| Post dinner pow-wow to discuss the week's plan with the crew. I only had a few suggestions and plans ;) |
The second day in Tasmania started out at the Richmond Bakery for Aussie pies and picnic at the Richmond bridge. We headed over to Zoodoo to encounter Aussie animals, a quick stop at the Wicked Cheese Factory, a wine tasting at Frogmore Creek Winery and finally, home for dinner from Fish Frenzy (the best fish and chips in town!).
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| Pie Heaven |
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| The birds mind their own business until you pull out a pie. |
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| Our signature pose next to the bridge |
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| Albino wallaby at Zoodoo |
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| We snap a few pics of this little marmoset |
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| The boys go in for a petting while Ruthie and I stand back for pictures. The animals are shy but accustomed to people approaching them. |
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| Going for it! |
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| Tessie is peeking into a makeshift log for a sleeping wombat |
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| Bry feeding kangaroos and deer |
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| I love this pic because Bry is caught smiling! |
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| Rob feeding a wallaby |
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| Ruthie and Tessie get in on the action |
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| Like most animals, the kangaroos & deer hang around when there's food but wander off as soon as it's all gone. |
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| Hi Tessie! |
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| Zebra's are a new and beautiful addition to the zoo |
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| Oh how we love the Tassie devil! |
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| If you visit Ruthie's Facebook page, she has a little dance routine posted with our colorful friend. |
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| The cockatoo liked Ethan |
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Wicked Cheese Factory
"Wicked on the lips, wicked on the hips!" |
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| Heading back home, we stopped into the Frogmore Creek Winery. |
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Being 19, this is Ethan's first formal wine tasting.
The drinking age in Australia is 18. |
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| After our fish and chips dinner, we indulged in wine and my chocolate jar. |
Ruthie jokingly named Rob and I's house, "Mt. Wifi". We had some downtime at home to upload to Facebook, download videos and make calls home. We also did a few walks around my house with Maggie in tow. We were able to walk to Cascade Brewery one afternoon and taste the local beer.
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| An afternoon at "Mt. Wifi" required a snack of bread, cheeses and chutneys. |
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| The Hobart Rivulet Track leads up the river to Cascade Brewery. Maggie and I've done this walk many times. |
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| Bry had apple cider & Tessie (not a beer fan, drank water) while Ruthie, Ethan and I raised a glass :) |
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| At one point on the track, the only way back home is... up! |
During the week, we took a short car ride out to Port Arthur Historical Site (Penitentiary). We spent half the day learning about the convict history in Tasmania. I was concerned that this activity might be boring for Ethan and Bry, but everyone seemed to enjoy the day.
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| Ruthie and boys outside the penitentiary's old chapel |
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| Strike a pose! |
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| Our guided tour included a boat ride along the historical site shore line. We all had a latte while taking in the coastal views. |
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Australia's Biggest Hedge
(Just kidding!!) |
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| Old guard tower |
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Solitary Confinement
The prisoners were assessed a number, never called by name (just their number) and had to cover their face whenever outside the solitary cell. How very isolating! The rules were posted in each cell as a reminder. |
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| Ok, Ladies! Assume the position!! |
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| After a day in jail, we had to stop at the local grocery and stock up on chocolate. Cadbury chocolate is made in Tasmania. |
As the week started to come to a close, we began to wind down and just enjoy vacation mode. I took Ruthie and family to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) but we also just enjoyed some beach time and relaxing at home.
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| Just outside of MONA, Ruthie got cracking on a game of chess |
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| We picked the right day to visit MONA, it was windy and actually rained during the day. Above, Mt. Wellington and storm clouds... |
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| Every day, Ruthie and Tessie walked the beach just steps away from their time share. |
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| One afternoon, I joined them for a stroll |
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| Here I am teasing Ruthie on how many pictures she takes... she is a true photographer and we love it ;) |
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| Seven Mile Beach |
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| Daily walks... |
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| Daily talks...! |
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| Nice pic, Ruthie! |
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| Ethan and Bryan doing what young boys do... video games |
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| Rob had to work some of the days that Ruthie & family were in town but we still saw him every day. |
Every morning during the week, I arrived at the timeshare around 0930. Ruthie was ready and waiting to open the door and snap my arrival pic!
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| G'Day! |
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| G'Day!! |
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| G'Day!!! |
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| G'Day!!!! |
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| G'Day!!!!! |
The final outing we wanted to take was a day trip to Freycinet. Our goal was to have a lovely picnic overlooking one of the world's most beautiful beaches, Wineglass Bay. The only issue with this plan was that I'd be driving Rob's car, a Hyundai Grandeur (Seamus), rather than my SUV because Rob need my car for a quick trip to Cradle Mountain. Seamus has not been a reliable car, as you may have remembered from previous postings. In fact, we were aware that the car was not quite running as it should, but decide to risk it for the day... hoping it would pull through. It did not. About one hour into the drive, the car broke down on the side of the road. Luckily I have RACT (the same as AAA), a husband to save the day and fun friends as company while being stuck on the side of the road. Once the car was towed, we called it a day and headed home for one last night together in Tassie.
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| Broke as a joke |
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| Roadside picnic while we wait for the tow truck |
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| The boys, bored, hung out in the brush, looking like a couple of wombats. |
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| Thank God I signed up for RACT. This is the second time I've been towed!! |
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| The rental car for the night - an SUV again!! |
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| Rob was able to leave work early and rescue us off the side of the road while the car got towed. Maggie was happy to see us all home again. |
The final night, I did a sleepover at the timeshare for an early morning trip to the airport. We had leftovers for dinner (family style) and watched a movie together. The next morning, as soon as Ruthie and crew were gone, I felt pretty sad. For one week I had so much fun laughing, touring, eating and walking with them. A BIG THANK YOU to Ruthie, Tessie, Ethan and Bryan for making the incredibly long trip to see us here. They were our final guest during our time here.
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| LOVE! |
