Deven

John and I had an opportunity to meet Deven Michael Pekrul, born on Nov. 17, 2007 to Tracey and Zac. What a beautiful baby! We is just so calm and snuggles into your arms. We also got to meet Tracey's parents and older brother Sean. What a great family. Deven or Mr. as he is referred to, is well loved.

follow up

Well it's been a week since we've return from Australia and although the jet lag and the waking up at 1 or 2 in the morning has stopped the need to send out information about this amazing trip continues.

When we went to the Great Barrier Reef we rented an underwater camera and it took me awhile before I got them down loaded from the CD so it's time to put some pics in showing some of that.

Most of these shots I (John) took while snorkling. we dove on three reefs the first one where I took most of the photos was called Whale Reef due to the spouting of water through the reef as the waves roll in during low tide. the tide was actually fairly high the day we dove and so I was able to swim above the reef and therefore be relatively close to it as I snokled around.

Anyway here's a few more shots to look at this is actually my first posting so I think I will keep it brief.

Papa John

While Dad was in meetings, I was able to walk to the main shopping mall in Cairns. In the mall, everyone used trolleys (grocery carts) to go from store to store. If the trolley was too big for the shop, they would park it outside the store. In order to shop both floors of the mall with the trolley there were escalators without stairs. Just be sure to hold tight to your trolley when going up or down.

Target is a big retailer here in Australia. They also have Myer which reminds me of a Dillards and David Jones more like Nordstroms. Clothes and groceries seem very expensinve, but people here make a lot more money an hour than we do in the US.

We made a day trip to Port Douglas up the coast from Cairns. It was about an hour ride by coach. The beach was amazing!! No rocks, no shells just smooth sand. The ocean was as warm as bath water. Lots of families with young children playing on the beach. The only creature we had to share the beach with was the sand crab. A very industrious little insect that rolled little balls of sand one after the other. When you walked by they would dive into their hold for safety.

Cairns Harbour is bustling with boats, both old and new. In fact, we found a picture just for the master diver in the family.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is amazing. Here you are in the middle of the ocean and you can see the reef below the surface of the water. We screamed across the water in a catamaran to visit 3 different reefs. The crew divides everyone into 3 groups, snorkelers, beginning divers, and certified divers. Dad and I snorkeled at the first reef and were scheduled to dive at the second reef. We wiggled into our wet suits and put on our snorkeling gear, then off into the ocean. Dad was one with the ocean immediately, but he patiently waited for me to feel comfortable. I had a great time. Then it was time to go the second reef, and our turn to dive. After receiving instructions from the instructor, getting weights strapped around my waist (as if I needed extra pounds/kilos) and the tank fitted to my back, I was asked to step off the boat into the ocean. My heart was pounding, but I stepped off and made my way to the rope we were suppose to hold on to. I started breathing way too fast, then keep losing my regulator. By this time, I was done and didn't make the dive. Dad on the other hand was a champ and made a great first dive.