Playing Catch-up (here, it's "tomato sauce")

It took a while to get the blog up and I apologize. There was a cookie issue which needed to be resolved.
We arrived in Alice Springs, fresh and healthy, on Thursday, August 27. Ok, we were dazed and confused, but were picked up at the airport and taken home. We were also treated to a delicious dinner that evening (about 40 hrs after we left Gainesville) by a couple who would prove very gracious, generous and invaluable with information, orientation and transportation.
The flights were fun, believe it or not. The staff was so nice and flying business class was a new and pleasant experience.
We got to go to the lounges in LA and Sydney supplied with food and drinks and a new pal for Thomas.
A woman about my age with a little girl about Thomas's caught my eye at Dulles and we crossed paths again at LA. Turns out, they were on their way to Alice Springs as well! The two sleep-deprived, hyper 5-year-olds nearly caused an international incident, but we made it onto the plane for Sydney. We haven't gotten together with them again yet, but hope to soon.

We have been entertained by several American families, all really nice, welcoming and happy to share how to "get on" here.
The couple who met our planehere took us to Simpson's Gorge, about 9Km west of town, the next Sunday. I think it's where the word "gorgeous"comes from. The colors of the rocks here are beautiful - oranges, reds, yellow ochre. The rocks there added purple, rose and black for stunning contrast. There were birds skimming the waterhole (billabong) and our first sighting of wild marsupials. Rock Wallabies live among the rocks along the way.
I'll defend my usually-weak photography skills now. They say, you have to take photos here at dawn or dusk. The light is so strong during the day, colors wash out. They're right. There were three wallabies (a smaller version of a kangaroo) in this photo. Good luck. (hint: they're the only soft things.)