It is a truth universally acknowledged (in my own head) that there's an inverse relationship between having time to blog and having things to blog about. I didn't have a lot of time in the last few months because we were too busy doing things...about which I will now blog, having recently come into more time. I'm sure Jane Austen would have said that much better but you get the point.  

Also, I'm hereby renewing my vows to this blog. I love you, blog, for storing all our photos and moments and memories and various musings. If for no other reason but to give a little window into our lives for family and friends across the miles, I'll keep showing up for you. And paying my yearly fee, which is due in a few weeks. I do. I will. 

When last I left off here, I was dissertating away so that probably would be a great place to pick up.  And maybe later I will. But I'm going to start with the most recent and backfill instead.

Australia's Father's Day is in September and all G wanted was a day hike together in Namadgi National Park. (After our recent move we have sworn off THINGS for gifts for the time being. We didn't intend to acquire all this stuff, it just happened. And we're going to get rid of much of it before moving back next year.) 

So last Saturday off we went. We had driven up on Sam's birthday in August and taken a look at Honeysuckle Creek in Namadgi and the remains of the original tracking station that relayed information and data for the US moon landing (so perfectly captured in the movie The Dish). We didn't have enough time that day to explore the part of the park called Legoland (after rock structures that are stacked and seemingly fitted atop each other) but we vowed to come back. And we're glad we did:

We had such a great day, tromping around the wilderness, jumping from boulder to boulder, chatting away, and picnicking & admiring the views. It was a great way to celebrate G and the fantastic father he is, doing one of the things he loves most in this glorious world. If you come visit us here, we'll take you here--you get a lot of payoff for a relatively easy hike (my favorite kind).