Wildlife in California

I've been inspired by Andrine's stories of wildlife in Africa.  This list isn't quite the must see animals of all time!

1 Deer, near our house
2 Snakes
3 Wild Turkeys, not the alcoholic beverage variety
Countless squirrels 

Whilst the squirrels are cute, they have no road sense what so ever.  Needless to say the road kill toll is high.

We were also wondering why the lawn in the garden was dug up - a family of gophers has moved in.  Charming aren't they?

Chevron! Oh yes that's why we are here.

It's probably not a good idea to take a photo at a gas station, but it's not everyday you fill up at a Chevron.  Well actually you do, they are everywhere.

Brad has settled into work really well, it helps of course that he knows many of the people and is working with the same team.  It also helps that his boss is in the next office, as opposed to 14,000 miles away.  

School Field Trip

Hayley will be horrified by this posting, but I couldn't resist.  

Hayley and I accompanied the 1st Graders on a 'field trip'.  It was a great day, and it was interesting to see how Cameron is getting along with his class.  Mrs Hutchinson, Cameron's teacher, keeps telling me how wonderful he is.  Of course he is a different for me at school pick up.

The car pool system (or kiss n drive as we know it) is a sight to behold.  Children are deposited and collected from various points at the school, volunteers open and close car doors and move children with absolute precision.

Hayley has a place at St Isidore's in the fall (August 2013), we've also met a teacher from the school that will tutor her until then.  Hayley is spending a few days with the class in the next couple of weeks and we are meeting families with girls in the same class.  Hayley is missing school and her Aussie friends terribly, but she has been putting on a brave face.

We have 2 weeks of school before Summer Holidays!  I'm busy planning where we can go for a holiday and which camps the kids will go to.  I've learnt that a camp isn't an overnight stay in the wilderness, they are more like planned activities over the course of week.  A lifesaver for working parents, and desperate housewives!

The I680

The I680 is a force to be reckoned with.  There are many good things about it, it's efficient and fast, and it has a 'car pool' lane which is exclusive for cars with 2+ passengers.  Very handy on our trips to and from school each day.  It is a bit scary though, and I've learnt that if you can't merge or change lanes - go with the flow.  In my rear vision mirror this afternoon there was a speedy Jeep who ignored my indicator and request to change lane, and a very big red Coca Cola truck.  So I stayed in my lane and ended up on the I580!  The Sat Nav was activated into RECALCULATING ROUTE, again.  Hayley was oblivious, until I dropped the F bomb!

I'm looking forward to our sea freight arriving and we can move into our nice quiet street.  The drive to school will be winding down the hill, with only 1 lane in each direction.

Pizza

We ordered Pizza on Friday night, I accidently upsized.  I hope the perspective of the pizza, the full sized dinner plate and Hayley's face / expression provides perspective.

1st day of School

Cameron's 1st week at School (Saint Isidore's) was a success, and he has 10 new best friends.  He also scored an invite to a classmates birthday party!  Cameron is in a class of 36 children, and has 1 Teacher (Mrs Hutchinson) + 1 Teacher Aid.

On the way home from school one day last week Cameron asked how to spell 'ben'.  I responded by explaining there was 1 way to spell a boys name or there were 2 ways to spell the word, and it depended on the context.  His example was 'if you have ben to the movies'.  Say it out-loud and mimic the American accent.  It was at this point that I understood how quickly children pick up a new accent.

Hayley and I are 'home schooling' and we've had some nice time together.  I think however she has learnt more about shopping USA style rather than Math (Maths in Aus = Math in USA).

Wheels

On Day 2 we picked up the hire car and started driving.  Featured here is the "Cherry Red" Ford Explorer, and it's similar to the one I've leased (arriving soon I hope).  You will be pleased to know that I've not driven on the wrong side of the road (yet), and I've even started navigating the shopping cart (trolley) in Safeway to the right of the aisle!  I think this means two things - my brain has comprehended driving in California and I've spent too much time in the grocery aisles.

The supermarkets here are amazing - food, wine, flowers, coffee (Starbucks), bakery and even mail. The range is incredible, and I've never seen so many varieties of pop tarts and Cheerios.

1st Impressions

Our drive from SFO to San Ramon took us around the outskirts of the City, our first impression was that San Fran is like Sydney.  Hilly, busy and spectacular.  The weather was stunning, there was no sight of the sea mist the city is famous for.

I wasn't prepared for the scenery around Danville & San Ramon - it's green, mountainous and beautiful.  The 4 lane freeway (each direction) does punctuate the landscape however!

Our first home was an Apartment near Brad's office in San Ramon.  It was a good base as it was central to everything we needed.  The pool and mini basketball court was great.  The kids were becoming addicted to the waffles for breakfast and we needed more space (plus separate bedrooms for the kids) so we moved to another short stay apartment in Pleasanton.

Air Travel USA Style

Perth to Melbourne in Qantas Business Class was a dream, Sydney to San Francisco in United Business Class ... well let's just say we've had our introduction to travel USA style.  The cabin crew don't even try to be friendly or helpful!  Not that Hayley noticed, she slept most of the 14+ hour flight.

Down Under

And our journey begins ....

Thanks to our friends and family in Perth and Melbourne, our last few weeks were like a whirl wind and we appreciated your kind words and gestures.