Aussie friends

On Saturday we drove to Adelaide to stay with some strangers.
It was a long drive and we passed many dead kangaroos on the side of the road. Dead kangaroos make me sad in a way that dead raccoons will never do. The lack of phone and internet was starting to get to me; McDonalds (or Maccas, as they call it here) are suddenly an appealing sight. For the free wifi, you know.
Most Aussies are very friendly. One of their endearing traits is the way they say "No worries" whenever you ask them for something unreasonable, like they really mean it.
As in:
"Do you have wifi here?"
"I don't know, I'm new here."
"Okay, I guess I'll just go try it."
"Yeah, no worries."

This actually happened, almost word for word, at every Maccas.

We also passed many fields of grape vines.
Mile after mile after mile.


Here is a funny thing that you see at the beginning of almost every driveway in rural areas. We think the painted tyres are so that when Dad comes home snockered after the pub closes, he can find his driveway in the dark. No street lights in the country, don't you know!


So, have you been wondering about the strangers?
Strangers no more.
This is Craig and his wife, Carla, who were so kind as to open their home to two old travelers. Carla makes a mean pavlova, if any of you are ever out Adelaide way.


And their funny kids.


Craig was 3 years old when I saw him last. His Dad was my favourite teacher in high school and as much of a mentor as I ever had. I was on holiday in Sydney, staying with their family, when my Dad died. Which changed all of our lives, but that's another story.

We spent the rest of the weekend with Craig and Carla, our new Aussie friends. We walked through the city of Adelaide, ate dinner in a pub, watched a very short fireworks display at the Festival of Lanterns, and ate ice cream cones from Hungry Jacks, the Aussie equivalent of Burger King, all before bed on Saturday.
At church on Sunday, Jeff talked to the Dad of the missionary who was his Zone Leader in Hamilton. Then, at a family dinner of Carla's extended family, we visited with the missionary's daughter, who is married to Carla's brother. Got it? Small world.

We wish we had allowed more time to explore Adelaide. It is a beautiful city, surrounded by suburbs and parks in the hills. There was a time difference of half-an-hour as we drove west, which is a bit confusing. They say that Adelaide is half-an-hour and ten years behind Sydney. Our kind of city.

So, I have decided that one of the nice things about a trip like this is the relationships that you get to renew, like with Ben and Le'ah, or begin, like with Craig and Carla. It warms the cockles of my heart to see families with loving, hard-working parents who are doing their best to live good lives. I would happily pack them all up and take them home with me, but I know their parents and I might have a bit of a fight on my hands. Plus, my kids might get jealous.

Maybe.