nancy butcher

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

@1a. Inequity-I have taught in wealthy public schools-$10,000 for spaghetti dinner $ raiser to violent urban school where we had to provide food for parents to come and I would spend $$$ each week for food/clothes/supplies not to mention violence all for low wsges.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Welcome home. We flew through the snow. Slick driving home. School delays all over the state this morning. Many school closings and e-days. No electricity for lunch. Temps were between 28-33 F. (-2 to 1 C) Wet power lines turned icy, gets wet, ice again. Then breaks.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Oh, yeah, even though it has been very overcast at night, Lee-Anne and Janine were still able to show me the Southern Cross to me. (Still looking tonight....fingers crossed)

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

We fly out tomorrow. Leave Sydney on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 2:40 pm. Land in Dallas on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 1pm. We will be in the air around 14 hours. On the way there, we completely lost a day. Took off on Oct 9, 15 hours later landed on Oct 11.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Our last day in Australia. We had prolonged beach time. The sun was hot, but the wind and water were cold. Neither of us got more than our knees wet. It was still lovely.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Freemantle is also where the 1800's criminals were sent from ENgland. This is the jail. Prisoners went out to work during the day. Better be in by 10 pm. This bell was the 10 minute warning.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

We went to Freemantle. Today, it is a major port. Western Australia send a fair amount of it's exports through this port.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

This wreath in Perth was from the US government. There was another wreath from the USA.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

The WWI memorial in Perth.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

This is another beautiful beautiful beach.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

The owner, Mick, want everyone to know the name of his car.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

As we came back from the beach, this was "reverse parked" in the "car park." Notice anything different about this American muscle car?

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Those little black dots in the water are middle school age children. They are from the Bush Academy. When I asked what kind of class this was...PE, Swim, detention??? The boys kept saying "the academy." Finally, one said,"the tri-athalon academy."

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Feet in the Indian Ocean.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

The best part of the evening was being with such wonderful people. Lee-Anne and her children: Anthony, Caroline, Patrick, and Patrick's girlfriend, Claudia. Janine and her husband, Craig. Mom and I had a great time, a real Australian bar-b-cue.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

The evening ended with an most wonderful dinner at Lee-Anne's home. Anthony manned the bar-b-cue filled with ribs and sausage. There were salads and chicken and desserts. There was an ice cream cake with hidden chocolate bits inside.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Lee-Anne noted that there were no bagpipes during the ceremony. We were getting ready to leave King's Park when we spied people in kilts. A band made up of multiple bagpipe bands was waiting to march. I counted somewhere between 60-70 bagpipes and about 20 drums.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

As in America, a poppy is the symbol of those who did not return from WWI. There are over 60,000 hand made poppies in this field. They are crocheted by hand. Each one different in the middle. Some have a button, some have a crocheted center, others have a fuzzy middle.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

This is the Eternal Flame to remember those who died in WWI. After the war, there was a March of the widows from the war in Sydney. 10,000 women dressed in all black walked down the main street to the harbor where the husband's had sailed never to return.

[nancy butcher @HoosierGal2013]

Wow! What an amazing day. Janine and Lee-Anne took us to Rememberance Day in Perth. It was the 100 anniversary of the end of WWI. Australia lost about 1/4 of the folks who went to war. The ceremony was very special.