Cockatoos, Wallabies and Geckos

Michele: I watched the sunrise at the beach. The transition from night to day is quite magical on the beach as the shadows released their hold. Waking before sunrise is not my usual behavior. By the time that I returned from the beach,7:00 am, Gavin and the kids were awake. We are all still living some time zone that is somewhere between Australia and the US.

Buying a soccer ball at Mission Beach was a priority for Will. Once this was accomplished we took the soccer ball to the beach to try it out. Low tide is a great time to play soccer. Robin elected to collect sand dollars.
Back at the house for sandwiches, the kids discovered several sulphur-crested cockatoos in a tree across the street. We watched 5 or 6 of the birds swoop in to graze on the berries from a palm tree.

After lunch we walked up the road to see where Larry (Gavin's uncle) had spotted wallabies. Just three blocks inland is a grassy hillside that is teeming with wallabies. We climbed up and had some staring contests with the amazing creatures.

Back at the house, the kids made a fort in the downstairs playroom. Lifting a cushion of the couch we found two geckos. The smart gecko wriggled into the weave of the cane couch where it may still be. The less clever one gave us a hilarious chase before Will caught him and gently put him outside.