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 Easter
2006
From
Friday the 14 to Monday the 17 of April 2006 the Easter Holiday
Blue Mountain family trip took place and celebrated
the second anniversary of this salubrious event. The first
Easter trip actually took place over the Easter Weekend
in 2004 and was such a big family success that many happy
returns were planed for the future. Participants in the 2006
event included The O'Donalds (Will, Liam, Eszter), the Cummings,
the Fumeauxs (Gary, Ute, Max, Lauren, Luke), the Crockers (Mat, Larissa, BABY)
and the Rosenbaums (Louise,
Roman, Chris, Roman junior). With a total of six children and
many happy adults the weekend was very lively, as usually
adventurous and full of Easter suprises. Most parties left
Sydney some time Friday morning and made their way up through
mostly bad traffic to the Blue Mountains and headed towards Will's aunties
secret hideaway in Blackheath. Everybody - except Brian who
arrived early the next morning for the bike ride - was assembled
by the time the Fumeaux's cooked up a mouth-watering roast
dinner plus a slightly charcoaled deliriously delicious desert!
for the first night away. Kids went to bed reasonably early
thanks to the digital projector panorama screen which lit
up the lounge-room with Jimmy Neutron. Make a mental note
to bring the projector next time for digital slide shows
and DVD movies and games for the young ones. Saturday morning
started with several kids rising early and the Rosenbaum's
cooking up a storm of ham and eggs for breakfast.
"Either define the Moment or the Moment will define you."
Bryan turned
up not-too-early to join the bike team. This was the day
allocated for the BIG 6foot-track bike ride across the Megalong
valley starting from just before the Jenolan caves and finishing
at the Megalong valley road before the tea-rooms. A car shuffle
was arranged with Gary and Roman taking the kids to the caves
and Louise, Mat, Brian and Will were tackling the mighty
6foot track by bike in a single push. Female companionship
was scare this year because Larissa was taking care of newborn
ANGIY and Ute suffering from a debilitating
back-injury. Once the awesome-foursome had begun their trail-ride
the two sacrificial lambs took a small platoon of kids to
the mighty "Imperial"
cave at Jenolan. All kids braved numerous medium sized monsters,
dragons, spiders and other cave-dwelling demons while descending
several 100 stairs in a one hour cave trip, well done everyone!
After a small rest at the mouth of the caves down by the
river Roman took the four-wheel drive back to the house alongside
Gary's people-mover (it took about 45 minutes with almost
no traffic even though it was the Easter weekend) and arriving
just in time for a quick break for the kids before it was
time again to drive down to the valley for picking up the
bike team from the end of the single track.
"Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness."
We met the tired but happy bike team after a total ride of
6 hours which resulted in a shell-shocked Louise and a few
falls for Bryan who cut his elbow in a nasty accident. A short
ride up the road towards Blackheath (this time nobody braved
the 10km uphill exit trail to the house) meant hot showers
for everyone and a feast prepared by the barbecue virtuosos
Will and Mat. Larissa’s special Brazilian ice-cream-cake
send everyone hustling for seconds. The day ended with lively
debates about the meaning of live and the simulacrum of religion.
"Take my advice - I am not using it."
Sunday morning dawned once again in the penumbra of the miraculous
aubade to sun-shine. It was Easter morning and chocolate eggs,
rabbits and little chickens were littering the battlefields
around the house. Six chivalrous knights in pajama armor were
at the starting line raring to go. Let the games begin and
off they went discovering a nearly endless assortment of goodies
which one delivered safely into parental hands were recycled
immediately by throwing them of the veranda so that they could
be discovered again and again! Live was indeed a box of chocolates.
Yet the next adventures were just about to bless the day.
While Eszter and Louise were preparing for there horse ride
at the Werryberry staple in the Megalong valley. The chocolate
warriors also prepared for their first pony ride in the wild.
Since there was not enough ponies most of the kids ended-up
on big horses but only Lauren managed to pass the test by
falling of a wildly galloping frenetic pony. Back to the house
for a quick lunch and all parties prepared for a climbing
session at the Dam Cliffs where mainly girls and young children
scaled the cliffs. Gary finished the adventurous afternoon
with a dramatic rope-swinging experiment over freezing water,
to the delight of all children young and old. A tired crew
turned up just before dinner time at the house with Eszter’s
and Mat's curry dishes spicing up the night. The last night
finished once again with colorful discussion and the Rosenbaum's
returning early to catch up with relatives.
The next morning before everyone left for home, Gary managed
to squeeze in a record-breaking return bike trip to the tea-rooms
down in the Megalong-valley and back up to the house.
 Lets
do it again...........................
 Roman
28 April 2006
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