The Blue Mountains

From Sydney, we took a day and hopped the train out to the Blue Mountains.  As we had successfully trained our kids to stay up late and sleep in mornings, we arrived around lunchtime and had to take the easy hike along the top of the canyon, instead of the more difficult hike along the bottom.  Dave was disappointed - I was relieved.  The entire walk was gorgeous - from the dramatic vistas to the bird calls and flowers, the cold waterfalls and the sweet conversations.  Because somehow, our time in Australia made us all like each other better, too.  By this point in the trip, Lilly and Sophia had imagined themselves into complicated worlds with many characters and loads of dialogue.  They played well on trains and on hikes.  Annika had proved herself as a world class hiker, and was only carried once on this hike - on a mad rush straight uphill to the nearest toilet.  Dave and I had relaxed to the pace of the trip, rarely having a reason to snap at the kids or insist that they hurry.  Australia was gorgeous - every aspect.  But this relational aspect may have been my favorite.


But notions of positive relationships do not good photos make.  The Blue Mountains, however, make incredible photos.