Maclean and Davis family vacation

Pam, James and Rachel flew home today after spending nine days with us. We had a great time together despite three of the days being rather wet and cool. Rachel and James went swimming in the water outside our house the day they arrived ......the water temp was 80....sand 82 !

The highlight of the visit was without a doubt a visit to the late Steve Irwin's...Australia Zoo which is just over a half hour from here. The feeding of a very very large crocodile was excellent, however we all agreed an encounter with a TIGER (behind glass) was sensational. We petted a Koala, and Kangaroos...saw the LARGEST snake...again behind glass, but for a few seconds we felt as tho the glass didn't exist with the snake AND the TIGER! We walked through the most amazing tropical aviary....the variety of birds....the sounds...colours...loved it!!!

I had fun with Rachel...set her up with acrylic paints and gave her a few pointers as she had attended a painting class for an hour outside the local Target store and became very enthused. She took home two paintings for her dad. I seldom paint anymore so I gave her my acrylics and a few brushes. She will probably want to practise over the next few days as the temperatures in Melbourne are going to be down around 50F for the next several days.

A lovely surprise in the mail today...a gift for my birthday on Friday from my sister Libby....a bottle of one of my favourite perfumes....Georgio. Pam took us out for dinner on Sunday night and also paid for a pair of grape coloured jeans I had my eye on ! Thanks Pam....I love my lovely daughter...and my sons very much. Watching Pam with her two children brings back memories very vividly of myself at that stage of life. James is growing rapidly and his voice is breaking....almost as tall as Perry (6') and not fourteen till November 29. Very handsome even with the bands he has on his teeth. When I was a kid, teeth bands were very hard for kids to deal with....these days they are a dark bluish colour and the wire is very fine. Rachel will need to wear them also, tho not as long a time as James.

It's almost seven thirty....time for a cuppa!