Taco Tuesday

Like most families we have a typical weekly menu we run through, with the occasional 'cooking-show-inspired' deviation.  This change is usually met with such unpleasantness that the old menu item is placed back into rotation- immediately. Obviously, moving to Australia has caused our old familiar favorites to change and adjust as we get use to the fare and what is offered locally. However, on a unanimous vote no substitutions were to be made for Taco Tuesday- we are Texans after all.

Now for a moment refer to your Atlas- we are roughly 9,000 miles away from Mexico- just like Vegemite is a specialty item in the US, so is chili powder in Oz. To pull off decent Mexican food in Australia it takes a perfect storm of culinary illusions so complex I might as well be cooking turkey dinner.

Let me set the stage. Old El Paso has the market cornered here- that said I am slowly but surely paying for every chuckle and snicker I had at some poor pale Midwesterner's expense in the Mexican food ISLE at the grocery store! Forget Goya or Herdez. Hell, I'd give my right arm for some Rosarita and Caldo Polo! I haven't seen a black bean since we landed and if Aussie's could make their Ketchup as thick as their salsa we would all be in a better mood!

We have been vanquished to the Old El Paso Taco Kit; a gastronomical charade that includes taco shells, taco seasoning and a soupy red sauce. To render these ingredients edible we fortify them with coriander (cilantro), Colby cheese (a pale, flavorless, poor melting version of longhorn cheese) and a three dollar lime. Oddly, avocados are readily available so we throw those in too.

I've looked for corn tortillas- and called no glory. Alas, we are stuck with flour tortilla look alikes that have a "freshness sachet" included in the package and expire mid-March of next year...TASTY!

The beans come in three flavors: vile, disgusting and salty. We like salty.

The result is a passable fast food taco. The savages are restless but sated. Ole!

Maybe soon we'll replace Taco Tuesday with something new like Meat Pie Monday or Vegimite Vacay. But for now we are stickin' to our guns!

Remember the Alamo!

The Atkinsons

Uptown Girl

I have lots to report but this is just a news-flash type post. I'm sitting at the library using their amazingly fast Internet while young Vee is at a writing workshop with Australian Girl author Davina Bell. Vee loves the books, although they are a bit harsh. One child pick pocket comes over on a boat from England in shackles to a criminal colony in Australia. That was interesting to explain- stealing is wrong, you will not be rewarded with a book series, carry on. In truth I know she's probably too young for something like this, but I could not help myself- are there literary stage moms? Will this experience be what she sites as her "a-ha" moment when she wins the Pulitzer? I'm calling it now. Yes, yes it will!

Living large in AU,
Evangeline and acclaimed child author Vee Atkinson

No man left behind...or dog.

Today our missing family member will embark, (tee-hee-hee), on her great adventure to Oz. Petunia, our beloved Basset Hound, has been completing her quarantine time at the Norwood Halfway House for Dogs; a fantastic facility that offers spacious screen porches, door to door veterinary services and frequent trips to Dairy Queen for treats. We can not begin to thank deSha and her family for the amazing care they have taken of our best friend. We owe you, like, a kidney!

We would also like to thank our extended club family for all their love and treats- during what has surely been a trying time for the old girl.

We will keep you posted on her progress, she still has another 30 days in Sydney Quarantine before her flight to Perth. If you find yourself in Sydney with nothing to do visiting hours are Monday and Wednesday from 11-12. She likes raw hides and soft serve. And belly rubs.

Camp Photos

Going Native

My dear friend Melinda says that once you buy toilet paper in a new city you’re officially a resident. 

We checked that qualification off the list a few weeks ago, but the purchase of toiletries didn’t make Perth feel anymore like home. For the most part we’ve been house bound, our only outlets tourist destinations, retail and social media- not my top three. Anyone that knows my kids can imagine just how antsy they are without the ability to roam- my chickens are free range!

Monday we turned a corner and started to feel like locals! What did it? Holiday camps, a wall clock, parking garage navigation and taking out the trash. Let me explain.

Camp

First, after LOTS of quality time together I signed the kids up for “holiday camps”. Its winter break here in Oz and just like Americans, Aussie's love their kids- but too much vacation time, is well, too much vacation time. Camp offerings run the gambit- from arts and crafts to sports. It's been me and mi amigos here in Perth for 23 days- so I was ready to sell them to the gypsies! Instead I went for the next best thing: Week 1- Aussie Rules Football for Davis and Soccer for Vee. Week 2 - Circus Camp! 

We are at the middle of Week 1 and the sports camps have been great! Yes Footy is hardcore and sending my baby boy off to camp with an ill fitting mouth guard and a cheap pair of new boots, (cleats in our world), was tough- but he LOVES IT! Football aside, just getting to hang out with other kids and play in the mud has done wonders for moral around the house. Vee is not new to soccer but Americans start organized sports really early compared to the rest of the globe, she is the youngest at Soccer Camp and one of only three girls. Everyone has adopted her as a baby sister and she is loving the attention! Sports Camp ends today, next week we head to the circus!

Tick-tock

There are lots of thing I wish I'd packed but none more than a clock. It sounds weird but without reliable internet and the loss of my iphone I never know what time it is. And to be totally honest, there was a empty nail over the pantry, I see it all day- everyday. I hate bare walls and we have lots of them. I won't buy random posters just to cover the walls, so the least I could do was buy a clock and cover the damn pantry nail- done. For some reason it feels great.

The Dreaded Parking Garage Conquered 

I've gotten pretty good at driving on the left hand side of the road, round-abouts not longer induce sporadic bouts of profanity and we even listen to the radio. But navigating a parking garage is a whole different ball game. There are ramps and ticket booths and dividers and people backing in and out- it’s a war zone!

Now in Texas, the only time I'm ever in a parking garage is for a doctors appointment or maybe a trip to a museum- its rare. Here parking spots are in short supply so there are lots of parking garages. 

The plot thickens; the grocery stores are located in shopping malls.  I'm not sure why this is. But you literally see people pushing carts through like a Dillards. Panty hose and produce, no problem. Liter of milk and a new pair of shoes, why not? I digress.  

Anyway, to get to the store you've go to go to the mall and park in the garage. This week I mustered all my courage and took the plunge. I'm proud to say my car is still in one piece, no sideswipes, no head on collisions and I managed to get a decent spot next to the lift! As if by magic the world is my oyster!

Taking Out the Trash

Today is trash day, not a big deal but it was raining last night and Kirk came home late so he didn't put the can out. This morning I heard the truck and remembered the overflowing bin in the garage. Panicked, I dropped everything and ran out of the house and hauled the bin to the curb...in my nightgown.

It's official, we're locals now.

More soon mates,

The Atkinsons

Photos!

Treasures from the beach! Real sponges! 

Fremantle Prison, looks a lot like a boat inside.
Closed in 1991- hard time for sure!

 Swan Bell Tower

Ice cream fueled city walks!

Waiting for the next train! Just missed it!

Independence Day

So, the Fourth of July is kind of an American thing...this is big time news in the Atkinson house as past celebrations of this holiday have bordered on the absurd. Also, nothing makes you feel more American or patriotic than NOT being in America. Suddenly all those ugly shopping centers and gross fast food joints become, centers of convenience and fair commerce and the Whataburger a foodie pilgrimage. Seriously, we've not been here a month yet and I think I could convince my kids to forgo Christmas for some Chick-fil-a. Ugly American pining...I think not. We are suddenly appreciative of what we had; even if it is something as simple as a decent cheeseburger.

Fast food cravings aside our adventures continue. With school not scheduled to begin until the 24th of July we have dutifully been ticking off landmarks in and around Perth. Now, Vee and Davis are young so loading my county bumpkin children on a train into the city to visit the Western Australia Museum might have been a little too much. And maybe our trek to Fremantle to tour the prison was not the wisest decision; especially since we were treated to demonstrations of the whipping post and the gallows. But I think the most amazing thing I've seen in Perth is how far my kids can walk!

That said, the environment in which we are walking makes all the difference. Last weekend we went to Bold Park and walked the nature loop, 5K. Vee led the whole way, spotting birds and referencing wildflowers. Davis broke down and actually sat in the road no less than four times. Needless to say we scared most of the wildlife away, but we did manage to see lots of parrots and several cockatoos. Note: you can also see these birds while driving down the freeway; but viewing them in a nature reserve makes it special.

I hope this finds you well and enjoying a long weekend with friends, and family and all the things that make America great.

Love from Oz,
the Atkinsons

Fourth of July Feast!
Pictured far right is the world's most expensive ear of corn- good new is it was fantastic.
The 'beanz', not so much.

Houston we have a problem....

Greetings from Western Australia, or WA. WA also stands for Wait Awhile as we landed safe and sound 19 days ago and have JUST been hooked up to Internet in the last 24 hours! Its a small miracle considering Kirk signed up for service three months ago. Needless to say we are thrilled to be connected- even though reaching optimum band width requires me to hold a wire coat hanger in one hand and a piece of tin foil between my teeth. Ahhh the Outback!

Where to start....

The flight was long but uneventful. All of the awesome "treats" everyone gifted the kids with to kill time on the flight were opened on Beltway 8 en route to the airport! Needless to say, everything was a big hit and the kids were VERY entertained. A special thanks to the thoughtful friend that included orange fluorescent Silly Putty.

The flight is about 26 hours broken up by a "lay-over"- note to future visitors, while the luxury and extravagance of Qatar Air might draw you in, no amount of free liquor can make up for an eight hour lay over in Doha...we just made it out alive...consider yourself warned.

We have rented a house outside of Perth, in Peppermint Grove, which is as WASPy and high-falutin' as it sounds. American accents aside, we stick out everywhere we go simply because of how excited the kids are about everything! Sidewalks, paved roads, trains, retail other than Target, taxi cabs and most of all street musicians! Vee and Davis love to hand out money to ANYONE playing an instrument- after dolling out $20 in change, (two dollar coins look like nickels!) we have taken to drawing pictures, writing "Have a nice Day!" on them and handing those out. We don't get the same reaction but we can still buy lunch at noon!

The trains are easy to navigate and driving is not nearly as hard as I expected. I am ashamed to say, any and all cultural benefit the children get from our travels is sure to be nullified by the extreme profanity I use while navigating around town!

This post is a first go so I will cut it short. I promise more as I get the hang of posting photos.

Thanks so much for all your emails, they mean so much. Also, Petunia is still in residence at the TCYC with deSha- thanks to all of you that have been so sweet and loving to her while she awaits her big trip across the pond!

Adios mate!
The Atkinsons