Back Again- Just Had to See Those Eels

Another beautiful day down under. Today we decided to take Doug to the Royal Botanical Gardens.  On the way there we stopped and registered Coop for swim lessons at the local YMCA which he will begin on the 18th.  We walked through the gardens, stopped to get some coffee and even purchased some kid binoculars for Coop. Not the best binoculars in the world...  Do you know how hard it is to focus them for someone else- especially a child??? Anyway, in the Garden Shop, I saw the book photographed below, The Dog on the Tuckerbox.  I did not get to read it, but liked it simply because it had the word tucker on it!  I will have to go back one day and read it.  (A tuckerbox is a box for food and tucker means food down here)

One of the reasons for our return trip to the Gardens was to see the eels. Our friends, the Lacsons, told us that they had seen them (they did not know they were there- nice surprise, huh?).  This time we were lucky! We saw three of them!  Interestingly enough, the pond they live in is drained several times a year and the eels are removed, but they continue to come back.  Cool for visitors to the park, not so good for the ducks that swim above them and are eaten for lunch....

Our "birding" continues.  The black bird (right) we have seen before, but this time we had a much better view. It is a Little Black Cormorant. They live near water, but are not water birds so they are often seen with their wings spread out for drying.  The bird on the left is the Masked Lapwing.  A really good looking bird!

The boys had a great time running around the grounds, watching the birds and Cooper even tried to climb a tree.  Below Tucker is being followed by a  cockatoo.

This was a cool tree that we saw. Coop said it reminded him of a cave. Later this evening while Coop was munching on some broccoli we noticed some similarities....

We followed a different path through the gardens this time and ended up behind the Opera House. Wow, what a view.  The sun glistening on the water, the boats going by and the bridge in the background. It was picture perfect!

Once at the Opera House there were tons of stairs to climb. Cooper loved it and Tucker did a great job with them. He is quite the little climber. We watched the water for some time and enjoyed the sunshine and the cool breeze.

Cooper looked down at one point and noticed the "screws" in the ground. He said something like, "You need a really big tool for those." It was really funny. Funnier when he said it than now...

The Harbour Bridge is always a site to see, but it was even more gorgeous from this vantage point.  We could even see the groups of people "climbing" the bridge (a big thing to do here).  You can see the people on the bridge below.

The area below the Opera House-- sort of boardwalk-ish, but a lot nicer and no wood-- is filled with outdoor restaurants.  The food varies from seafood to steaks to pizza.  It looked good, but a little pricey for lunch with two little ones on the verge of exhaustion. Maybe another time.

 This topped off the morning- The Sydney Opera House Barbie doll.  Seriously?

The Sydney Opera House Barbie® doll looks breathtakingly beautiful in a dress inspired by the architecture of the Opera House combined with a fashionable twist. The sails of Sydney Opera House inspire Barbie® doll’s bodice while the water surrounding the building is displayed in a luxe, ocean-blue chiffon. With a clutch inspired by the Sydney Opera House sails and the Sydney harbor breeze blowing in her hair, this Barbie® doll is a true Australian beauty.