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| The Sisterhood, right before we left for Australia |
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| Preparing for Chevy Lag |
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| The mom and one daughter, on to Jet Lag |
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| The dad and a daughter |
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| This pic reminds me of Merle Haggard's song, silver wings |
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| Heading to LAX |
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| It is no wonder that God is happy. This is His view every day! |
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| Emily's view from her apartment/hotel room in Surfer's Paradise, Queensland |
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| Evening in Surfer's Paradise |
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| From Mt. Coot-tha Lookout overlooking Brisbane |
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| My Uncle Bob Hill lives in Brisbane and was nice enough to meet us at Mt. Coot-Tha. |
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| This is the Down Under Cross Country Possum team. |
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| This guy played the didgeridoo, an aboriginal musical instrument |
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| It was Winter in Australia so jackets were necessary |
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| Waves rolling in at Surfer's Paradise |
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| Practice time for Down Under Cross Country |
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| Emily's coach for XC, Coach Dan Whisler |
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| Even though it was winter Raven & Emily decided they had to take a dip |
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| Dipping in the ocean in the winter quickly became writing in the sand |
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| Day of the 5.7 Gold Coast Marathon, Emily with Coach Whisler |
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| Pressed into the masses |
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| There were three start zones for the 3,302 people who participated in the 5.7 |
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| Start Zone |
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| Coming across the finish line |
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| Done and Done, Emily's first International Sporting event is on the books! |
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| Brian Hall, Australia's pride Marathon runner |
And on to surf lessons!
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| There he is! As close as I could get to the 'shorts & sandals' pic that so many requested. Wranglers & tennis shoes! |
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| Life is just better at the beach! |
The Rainforest
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| Waterfalls were everywhere |
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| In a cave where this waterfall came in |
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| This is our tour guide for the rainforest. Initially we thought that the Crocodile DunDee thing was an act... |
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| It didn't take long for us to figure out that it was no act! This guy was for real! |
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| Near the end of our tour he recited the poem, "Man From Snowy River" |
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| And cracked his 8 foot whip. This was no act! He was the real deal! |
Then the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
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| Aboriginal dance performed at Currumbin Wildlife Santuary |
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| Koala bear at the wildlife sanctuary |
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| The kangaroo were like giant cats, just laying around waiting to be petted! |
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| A baby hanging out of it's mama's pouch |
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| Rainbow Lorikeets descended upon the sanctuary promptly at 4:00 in the afternoon and ate the ice cream of anyone sitting around! They were like flies! |
The Down Under Cross Country Event
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| Emily is ready to run! |
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| The finish line |
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| Rollin' in with a smile |
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| Down Under had a photographer at the event, I bought these images through them |
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Emily's room mates
On to Hawaii |
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| As Angela would say "Hobbit Feet" |
Pearl Harbor was profound. I was amazed at the range of emotions you experience as you tour the memorial. It is a somber and sobering place. Knowing that so many men who were the age of my Granddad were never even taken home to be buried with their own families was such a sad thing. They were young strong talented men who wanted more for their lives than what they got from the Japanese. A terrible fact of war.
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| Gun Turret of the U.S.S. Arizona |
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| Pearl City |
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| Morning, Waikiki Beach |
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| Uncle Bob and his wife, Kristi with Shawn & Carol, an evening out |
What an incredible opportunity Down Under Sports gives these kids. If you ever hear of a student qualifying and wanting to go to participate in the events hosted by Down Under, support them! Encourage them! Help them in any way you can. It is well worth it. The kids are well taken care of and the events are well taken care of as well. Worth every dime, every moment, every consideration!
The McCowen's thank each of you who helped get Emily to Australia and Hawaii. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
