The Great Minnesota Get Together

Today we headed out to St Paul to hang out with every other Minnesotan at the State Fair. This is by far the best state celebration anywhere.

And might I say, without my Ausie friends throwing daggers, even better then the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Sorry, its true.

Where else can you milk a pretend cow?

Where else can you eat an abundance of deep-fried cheese curds?

These are the kind of savory treats you fast for days to enjoy.

Where else can you not only pet baby farm animals born just days earlier, but can actually watch them being born live?

Where else can you enjoy walking with the crowds to the next food stall?

Where else can you try Australian Battered Potatoes with sour cream and sweet chili sauce?

Oh wait, i ate them all the time in Australia, and man are they goooooooooood!

Where else can Chesney go on a ride with her cousin?

Or enjoy a ride with her little bro?

Or hang out with butterflies landing all over you?

And they landed everywhere

It really is a great celebration for us to enjoy at the end of the summer. We are glad to be able to enjoy it after being away from it for 6 years.

My favorite places

We arrived in the town of Motueka on the NorthWest coast to this brilliance in the sky.

We were in awe.

The next morning we headed off to the town of Kaiteritei for a boat ride up the northwest coast to take in the stunning coastline.

The seals did not disappoint.

And the waters couldn't have been any more blue

The boat then dropped us off at Bark Bay and we hiked 7.5 KM on a beautiful trail to Torrent Bay where the boat then picked us back up.

Some views from the trail

Ever wonder where your kiwi comes from? the northwest coast of the South Island is most likely. Here is a Kiwi orchard chockers full of delicious kiwi, yummy.

The next day we headed further west to the fairwell Spit to walk along the shore.

We then hapened upon a beautifully rustic campground near Wharariki Beach and stayed there for the night. We walked the 20 minute hike to the beach and were not disappointed. This was the most stunning place we have been to.

Look at that reflection in the wet sand, the sun was perfectly situated for it.

There were sea lions wandering around and playing in the pools just feet from up.

It was amazing.

We sat down a bit to wait for the sunset.

And then it came.

The next morning at the campground the kids thought it would be cool to eat breakfast at the log table situated near our camper. I think the chickens that wandered around the campground were use to people and a bit aggressive. They jumped on the table and started eating our food as soon as we sat down. Thus ending our outdoor eating experience.

The expansive sand dunes at Wharariki Beach

We are settling to our home now. Our belongings have arrives and are almost all unpacked and household projects are in full swing and being checked off our multiple-page list. I have to say we are probably the busiest unemployed people in the world right now.

Nelson Bay, NSW

Last weekend we headed up the coast to Nelson Bay. Just a short 2 1/2 hour drive and it was incredibly beautiful. I have never seen water this blue before- it was spectacular.

WOW!

The purpose of the trip was to see some dolphins. And we were not disappointed.

They were magnificent in the water.

The kids really enjoyed the boat ride. standing at the "I'm king of the world!" spot.

Driving the boat a bit

And hanging out in the net over the water where the dolphins would swim under.

It was a great weekend enjoyed by all!!

Summer is coming to an end.......boohoohoo

I know, you all feel my pain. "Poor Kelly. BooHooHoo. Suck it up, Jahnke- We are cold in MN." But actually I misspoke. School break summer is ending. We still have months left to enjoy the heat. Teehee.
I have to say we have made the most of these 6 weeks off between school years. Want to know what we have been up to? Well, thanks for asking- I shall tell you.

First up, Chesney lost a tooth, this being her fourth. We were on the beach when she lost it, so I consider her lucky it didn't fall in the sand where it would have been gone for all eternity.

Then we had the pleasure of my parents, Bob and Martha, coming for a visit over Christmas.

Duey and I were able to take advantage of the parents mentioned above for babysitting and went into Sydney to watch the fireworks over the harbour bridge. Spectacular.

Logan attended a daylong Rugby Camp and he loved it.

Chesney went to an ice skating lesson to see if she would like it. She did not.

We hung out at Darling Harbour.

We went to the Sydney Aquarium

Chesney lost her fifth tooth. She is such a trooper. She won't pull it out when it is uber loose. But she doesn't freak out when it gets stuck in odd positions from eating either. Good girl, her daddy was very proud because, according to him, he use to freak out at losing teeth as a boy.

We took in a day at the Taronga Zoo

The we went to the Australian Museum, where logan tried on various animal skulls

And Chesney couldn't understand why I was saying "Maybe a dingo ate your baby."

Australia Day was yesterday, So like all good Americans living in Australia, we celebrated.

We hung out with the very large crowd of people

We listened to the singers on the floating stage, including the recent Australian Idol winner (whose name I can't remember) and the bushy haired guy that sings "You make me feel like dancing" (whose name I also can't recall). Then the sail boat show.

What else did we see?

Fireworks, of course. And lots of them. The show was spectacular.

But above all, we just hung out and soaked in the sun.

School starts back for Chesney tomorrow- she will be entering in year 2
Logan starts back on Monday for his last year at preschool. He will be going three full days this year. Hmmmm, what will I do with all my free time.