Pee Wee Returns from the Merry Old Land of Oz

Tuesday night while we drove home from Minneapolis airport I got the full update on my younger sister's stay in Brisbane, Australia.

The Flora and Fauna:

Koalas and Kangaroos? Seen them... held them... has pictures of them visited the Australia Zoo -- the realm of her childhood hero--Steve Irwin. She did see Terri and Bindi both on the premises. Very cool.

Animals that are cuter down under? Possums and apparently bats, the dog faced ones.

Mosquitoes still exist but unlike the NoDak variety, these apparently didn't like my sister so she wasn't bothered by them. However SPIDERS traumatized the girl and for that reason she's NOT all that eager to return to Australia.

She mentioned that while we have a city overrun by rabbits (like in that Wallace and Gromit's film on that topic), apparently Brisbane is teeming with reptiles.

Also the lilac has now been replace by FrangiPani as her new favorite flower.

The Food:

Vegemite: Refused to try it.

Cabanas: Her new favorite breakfast food. Does anyone know what this is or how to make it?

Fast food: Thought the prices were high.

The Beach:

Acquired a lovely suntan and had a near death experience when she was caught in a rip tide and had to be rescued by Dre's cousin.

The Weather:

Hot. Too hot. That should be remedied soon enough with our below zero weather here.

The Traffic:Insane. Made her car sick. Too scared to drive there. Actually used public transportation most days.

Her Appearance:

No new tattoos or piercings but she did return with bangs. And possibly pounds lighter from all the walking and unfamiliar foods.

Lifestyle changes:

Rumor has it, the kid may have learned how to do laundry. We'll see.

And she came bearing souvenirs... I was rather impressed with the Aussie Animal themed wine charms and the cool zip fleece jacket she gave me.