Ants and Possums

After enjoying separate weekends of fun, Carey in Melbourne with the girls and Greg in Sydney with the guys, we headed up north to Pittwater for a weekend together. Pittwater is a charming town about an hour drive north of Sydney. And while it is techniquely a beach town, it has a little twist. The only access to Pittwater is via the water, be it by boat, kayak, ferry, etc. We opted for a water taxi as it was the most efficient way to lug enough food and booze for twelve people across to the island.
Friday night consisted of a nice home cooked meal followed by an entertaining night of drinking games – the highlight of which was the introduction of flip cup to Sydney’s northern shores. While flip cup was the highlight of the night, the lowlight was definitely the game of hide and seek. In an abbreviated version of the story, Carey’s turn at hiding resulted in her being found in a closet covered in giant Australian ants. Needless to say, this was not Carey’s favorite part of the weekend.

Following the fun filled Friday night, we awoke Saturday morning to find that winter had officially ended in Sydney. It was by far the nicest day of the year, perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky, sun shining. In fact it was so nice that the guys decided to start the morning with swim. And Greg soon realized that the water isn’t exactly at its warmest in the early days of summer. A split second after he jumped off the dock, he bounced straight back out of the water and climbed back onto dry land – guess its not quite swimming temperature just yet.

After a hardy Saturday morning breakfast we headed out on a mid-day hike, or as it’s known here...a mid-day bushwalk. And while the picturesque waterfall at the end of the walk was absolutely gorgeous, the highlight was probably the fact that we made it through the entire afternoon without encountering any snakes, spiders, or any other deadly Australian critters.

We decided to top off Saturday in true Australian fashion, with a barbeque. On the menu for the night was of course the traditional burgers, sausages (or as the English call them bangers), chicken, and the Australian staple…Kangaroo. And while Kangaroos are comparable to deer in many respects, they actually have a taste very similar to a steak and are quite good.
After the big barbeque and a few drinks, Carey decided that following on the successful introduction of flip cup, it would be wise to introduce another American classic to Sydney’s northern shore…cheerleading. This was in response to a massive request by the girls, especially by Ali, who says she wishes she was American (for the cheerleading and sorority life... ah, some of america's finer offerings..). By the end of the night the house was filled with six girls chanting “big G, little o, Lets Go Lets Go!”
The local wildlife must have mistaken the cheerleading for some sort of calling. While we were hanging out in the house, a not-so-little possum wondered onto the porch and started rooting through the trash bags. As soon as it got a look at all of us pointing and staring, it must have taken offense and decided to leap at the glass door directly at Greg’s head. Luckily the door was shut so no harm was done, other than Greg being a little shaken up by the entire chain of events. I guess it wouldn’t be a weekend away in Australia without some sort of animal hi-jinks. In the Blue Mountains it was the moths, at the Great Barrier Reef it was the sharks and stingrays, and here in Pittwater it was the ants and possums. Gotta love the Australian wildlife.