Lisa P and Patrick D - 5

Well, it's now the 5th installment of Lisa's visit and I think it's about time to wrap it up; not because I want to, but because i could go on for ages. I'll just do a quick summary of all the cool stuff we did.

Caversham Wildlife Park - Visited here to play with the kangaroos and koalas. Luckily the weather held strong for us and we were able to have an outstanding time. Took lots of pictures with the roos, and Lisa tried to feed every one, except for the smallest one we found which tried to attack her. I also took the girls here when they visited.

Swan Valley Breweries - Directly after Caversham we went beer tasting (just like I did with the girls), but this wasn't as successful as 3 of 5 were closed. Pretty disappointed, but it worked out as we got to enjoy each brewery much more (rather than rushing around to hit them all). Really enjoyed sitting outside, drinking, and playing quarters outside of Feral Brewery. Lisa destroyed me in quarters, and I believe I still owe her a foot massage.

Fremantle - Took an entire Sunday to walk around and enjoy the great city. Made a quick stop at a surfing contest on the way down, but the waves were about the size of pillow, so it wasn't the best contest. Headed all around Fremantle, especially the markets (one vendor gave me a free apple), the beach, and the Round House (historic site, a former fort). Made a quick stop at Sail & Anchor for a couple brews (in honor of Tim) and to give our friends back home a call (reunion weekend in Milwaukee for Kristyn's birthday). Ended the day at Little Creatures microbrewery having beer, chips, and people watching while sitting in the beer garden overlooking the harbor.

The Paddo + Nightlife - Attempted to have a crazy night on the town, but didn't quite succeed. Started the night at the clubhouse after my game and then headed to The Paddington Ale House for some dancing. Left around 11:15 to head to another bar (early to beat the crowd and massive line), but the line was already formed. Headed to 2 other places but both were closed, so we headed home, opened some beers and turned on the music to have our own dance party. No, Jared and James didn't join. They were on a bike trip down South. Besides, they can't dance to save their lives.

Perth - Visited downtown for a day, and luckily the weather wasn't completely bad. It did sprinkle a bit, but we still managed to ride the river ferry, eat lunch in South Perth, wander around King's Park, go to the top of the Bell Tower, and generally meander around downtown. Overall a great day, despite the disturbing number of mullets and rat tails we saw. Australians have no fashion sense, unless you still live in the 80s or are blind.

Footy - Lisa got to see two more games, plus the black lab puppy that my teammate owns. Lisa wants a black lab puppy terribly, so she was loving it. Anyways, had a couple more games and we split the two. Lost in the last 5 minutes to our rival, North Beach, but it must have been really exciting to watch. Even though the Reserves haven't won much this season, they still know how to put on a show. Now she knows how footy is supposed to be played, not quite the same as the US version.

Overall, the two weeks that Lisa spent here were the most enjoyable of all my time here. I've had a lot of great memories here with footy, the beach, the girls, and fun nights on the town, but having her here topped them all. Still though, we were thinking of everyone the entire time and we can't wait to get together again.