The Travel Bug

Two weeks from today, we'll head out of Wollongong for the last time.  I'm trying to temper my sadness of leaving Australia with thoughts of Colorado: there's nothing like the promise of fresh snow, a fire burning in our woodstove, and Denver's eye candy of those majestic mountains draped across the city's backdrop to get me excited about going home.

Sam and I wonder how we'll feel when we get home--do travelers look forward to their next adventure, or do they revel in nesting for a period of time?  I am already dreaming about a summer-long road trip across the States...but also yearn to be settled in something that's ours again.  Once the springtime fruit tree blossoms give way to summertime heat, I can see planting a full-fledged garden, meeting friends at City Park Jazz, hiking, and experimenting with my ice cream maker.  Denver summers--all its seasons, really--are glorious.

The ice cream maker in my head was heartily churning but disappeared in a poof when I saw that Africa Adventure Consultants recently launched a contest to win a South African family safari.  We immediately started some family brainstorming and a couple of weeks later, we had an absolute ball filming, editing and submitting a video you can see if you click here and go to 'View and Vote'--ours is titled 'Australian Safari'.  As you'll see, we are far from professional web/graphic/film/nameyourtechnology designers--but it was great fun to plan and execute our faux wildlife documentary.*

After this year in Australia with my kids tracking goannas, quietly observing kangaroos, crawling into wombat holes, and platypus-spotting, their bred-in-Colorado love for the natural world has increased exponentially.  A South African family safari would be an incredible experience that I don't foresee us affording on our own, and the kids would soak up every minute of the wildlife, from the beetles to the Cape buffalo.

Our video doesn't need to receive the highest number of votes; we just need enough to get us into the top 25--all of the finalists are judged on quality, creativity and humor.  So, if you are so inclined--check out our video (as well as the others), and make a vote!  You can vote once a day if you are so inclined, but likely only my mom, at best, would be so devoted.

If we don't win the safari, you are all invited to our house to hover around the ice cream maker next summer and test out some experimental flavors--heirloom tomato ice cream, anyone?


*and a big shout-out to Riley, our favorite 13-year old Aussie and semi-adopted son who helped us scout locations, film sequences, and edit the piece into a somewhat cohesive concoction!