A few more

A few more pics from our visit in Wheaton - all taken before Jim left for Australia last week. (Sadly, I've not taken more than a handful since he left.)

It's Granddad's turn to play in the tree house with Gemma!

A batch of cinnamon rolls and almond-cream cheese rolls by Jim. "Cheat's": used frozen bread dough. Yum!

And here is Gemma's introduction to summer days playing in the sprinkler! Many more in the future, I am sure. Granddad has a very nice - perfect - sprinkler for playing in. Next time, cousins come, too!!

She and Jim had quite a good time running around. At first Jim carried her through the water, until she got more comfortable. By the end she was loving it and sticking out her bottom to try and "sit"/balance over the spray.

discussing tactics...

Okay, Daddy, let's go inspect a little closer.

A lovely post-sprinkler cuddle

Now off to another anniversary dinner! And one last time alone before being apart for a month!

and yes, that is a 25 week old baby in there.

Jim in Australia: Safe arrival in Sydney

It's been nearly two years since I began narrowing the scope of my dissertation to its present focus on the Pan Asia Institute, an international academic partnership between Indiana University and Australia National University. And now I'm finally here, and quite ready to continue my research on the partnership by interviewing various administrators and faculty at ANU who are involved in the partnership. I'm very excited to dive in! 

Get this: I departed Chicago on Thursday evening, and arrived at my final destination - Sydney, Australia - at 6.25 am on Saturday morning. Even though I was travelling for only 24 hours, I somehow lost an additional day somewhere. So strange how crossing time zones and datelines messes with how we perceive the notions of day and time. And thank God that even though take-off from Chicago was delayed by 3 hours, we still made it to San Fran in time for me to scamper to my next flight, which gratefully was departing just a few gates away.

I'm here in Sydney now, spending 2 days with Mark and Tanya Earngey, before I fly to Canberra on Monday (to begin interviews at ANU on Tuesday). Tanya is a dear friend from our South Africa days who married Mark, an Australian pastor, last year. They will be  hosting me at several points during my month here. 

Mark and Tanya collected me from the airport this morning - brisk, perhaps low 40s, but the sun was coming up and the sky was blue, and later this afternoon it reached into the 60s - a lovely winter day! First thing was breakfast - or 'breakie' - and a brief driving tour of Sydney. Amazing and beautiful!

This is an espresso with hot milk and a tiny bit of froth, known in Australia as a "flat white" (more froth would make it a cappuccino).

My hosts, Mark and Tanya, during breakfast at Well Co. Cafe. We had fantastic coffees and  grilled bacon/egg/avo/onion/cheese/tomato mayo wraps.

We stopped by the University of Sydney, above, which is Australia's oldest university.

Nearby to the university is a great neighborhood filled with restaurants and cafes,  many of them serving Asian cuisine. Notice the two Thai restaurants right next door to each other in this picture.

More Asian restaurants: Vietnamese, Vegan, and Japanese further back.

Coffee #2 of the morning - anything to help me stay awake until bedtime! - at Campos Coffee.

Campos is a high-quality Aussie coffee shop with several locations - this is the original.

The architecture reminded me both of Cape Town - tin roofs,  skinny houses packed together - and also of  New Orleans, with wrought iron work and two-story townhomes, such as pictured above.

A famous landmark, the Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.

Here I am, displaying my long-hidden operatic abilities.

First Days in Wheaton for a summer visit

We're up in Wheaton for a brief holiday before Jim takes off for Australia on Thursday evening. (Gemma & I will then stay here another week.) This is Jim's only real vacation from work & studies this summer - phew! So lovely to be together with family, enjoying some rain and cooler weather, nice neighborhood walks, and of course lots of Granddad and Nonna time. Here are a few pics from the first days.

saying hi to cousin Susie and their two dogs

smelling a neighbor's flowers

Hooray! Playtime in the playhouse! Gemma can climb up the ladder by herself.

Northside Park is now one of our favorite places in Wheaton

Just think, both J & J swung on these same bars as kids. Now it is Gemma's turn.

Out to an Anniversary Dinner (with Mom & Dad) to Schnitzel Platz - awesome German eats!

Last Days at my Grad Assistantship...!

It has been three very good years at the National Survey of Student Engagement, where my graduate assistantship has been located, but Wednesday, July 18, was my last day! It felt weird to clear out papers, books, and other nicknacks that had gathered during my three years at the Survey. It is time to move on (and no, I presently have no idea what I'm moving on TO...trusting God for that!!). Working at NSSE was a great experience - I especially enjoyed working with many wonderful people, including faculty, staff, and fellow students. Here are a few, as I said my final goodbyes.

Pizza at Mother Bear's with Malika (from Kazakstan) and Javier (from Spain). Malika is a year ahead of me in the program and worked down the hall at NSSE. Gemma likes her a lot, too!

I've had a wonderful supervisor in Shimon Sarraf, Assistant Director of Survey Operations and Client Services for NSSE. Here we are, celebrating with a lunch at Samira's (Afghanistan) Restaurant during my final week.

Alison is one of NSSE's full-time research analysts and was a consistent encouragement to me. We worked on several projects together, including a paper we presented at a conference in Charlotte last year, 'Student Engagement and Global Awareness.'

Brian McGowan - a good friend, NSSE colleague, and fellow Higher Education student in my cohort.

Alex McCormick is the NSSE Director and my academic advisor. He played a central role in my IU experience and I am indebted to him for many hours of listening, advice, and encouragement.

Another good friend and cohort member, Eddie Cole, who also worked at NSSE with me.

Tom Nelson Laird directs the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, a partner survey to NSSE. He has been a great sounding board regarding my dissertation topic and helped me to think through important theoretical issues.

One of our favorite places in Btown

...is the downtown Farmer's Market! And now that local PEACHES are in season, I got particularly excited by our last visit. On this Saturday morning a few weeks ago, we even got up early enough to eat our breakfast there. We've always been tempted by the variety of food stands, in addition to all the farm stands, and finally we caved and tried a few goodies (cinnamon pastry; toasted sandwich with egg, sausage & cheese; bacon/leek quiche; and coffee). 

Wait, what am I saying? We have a toddler. Of course we are up early! In fact, of late Gemma has finally started sleeping until 7 AM regularly (it was 6 AM for the longest time) and we are occasionally experiencing the joys of waking up before her for a few quiet minutes. Needless to say, a family breakfast "out" is a nice treat/reward.

This photo is deceptive as it looks like the market is pretty quiet. Not the case: it's always very crowded.

This farm stands offers lamb; other farms also have beef, chicken, pork, bison and eggs.

going through the "2nds" to find a good deal on peaches

who can't love beets when they look this gorgeous?! Boil them, slice thinly & dress with a vinaigrette - yum.

On the way home, a quick stop at the library - another one of our favorite places!