Darling Harbour Cruise in Sydney for Surprise Birthday Party

So, we got up very early on Saturday morning in Melbourne Australia on October 10. 

Cousin Liz came with her B.M.W. to pick us up at 8:30 AM for dropping us off at the airport.

Again, saying goodbye, we did not have much time together but that was because of our 2-week job for doing training at Melbourne Mushrooms.

We flew to Sydney and were picked up by our mushroom friends Rob Tolson and John Miller.

Home with them to Windsor, NSW, through the new Sydney Harbour tunnel, that opened in August of 1992.

We had lunch at John & Beryl's home.

Here we are aboard the ship but to the right is Beryl Miller, who hosted our lunch for Saturday upon arrival.

With Ansett Australia from Melbourne to Sydney

Feeling happy for having completed a good job and now a few days with mushroom friends in a more relaxed atmosphere.

What we did NOT know was that on Sunday, they had already organized a bus, for going back to Darling Harbour in Sydney for a Harbour Cruise with dinner in honor of the 21st Birthday of Tania Cox, daughter of one of our mushroom friends, Johnny Cox.

Here we are at Darling Harbour, waiting for the birthday girl to arrive with her fiancée...

We hid behind the bus and sprang out singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY and at first Tania was mad at her fiancée for having lured her to the harbour.

Me on the left with husband Pieter and to the right are John Miller and Rob Tolson.

Here we are with the lovely birthday girl Tania in our midst, with her Dad John Cox to her left.

Such a lovely afternoon and evening!
Pieter wearing his favorite leather jacket from Pond's India Leather Garment Factory and I wear one that I bought in the U.S.A.

A very special toast to the 21-year old Australian Tania Cox!

A happy family!
John & Daphne Cox with daughter Tania, cutting the dessert, and her sister Nerilee to the right.
We had such a great time and felt like family!

Norah & Rob Tolson
We arrived home very late with the Tolsons but what a day!
We knew each other for many years and ran into each other usually at International Mushroom Congresses.
We walked with Norah, along the bay of San Diego on March 12, 1985 at the 5th North American Mushroom Conference.
In 1987, on my birthday we all happend to be together for dinner in Santa Cruz, California; 9 of our Mushroom friends from Australia. Rob Tolson with Rob Tolson Jr. and John Baker.
They ordered around 10:30 PM a large strawberry tort with candles and champagne and sang Happy Birthday to me. Unforgettable!
Already in 1986 in August, Robert Jr. did visit us in Georgia at our home, while he was studying at Penn State University. He did stay a couple of nights with us and visited the Campbell Mushroom plant that Pieter designed here locally.

On Monday we first visit Robert Jr. & Buffy's mushroom farm.
Yes, you can read more about Elf Mushrooms when clicking on this link...
We know the two generations!
We also visited John & Daphne Cox's mushroom farm.
John looked so much like our late friend Roy Chappell... They say that we all have a double; somewhere!
Lunch at Mary Daley and her two sons and Olga, the grower.

Next day we visited the Dorresteyn farm, which was leased to his workers.
Rosy served us coffee and dessert.
Next we went to Brian and Heidi Carroll and Heidi gifted me a nice round broche that she'd hand painted.

It always made it kind of hard to leave such sweet friends!
We went to have lunch with Graham and Janet Price and in the evening we rounded it up with a lovely dinner where some 60 Australian mushroom growers joined!

Pieter did show slides form the Indonesian mushroom farm where we worked and John Miller gifted us in the name of all mushroom growers a beautiful book:

Such a warm gesture and so meaningful!
Also John Baker did buy 30 of my own design Lacquered Brass Mushroom Window Decorations.
On Wednesday we had lunch with a Swiss mushroom friend, the late Hans Tschierpe.
First they'd done a video from my harvest demonstration.
Thursday, October 15 we got up early and left for the Sydney airport by 7:30 AM.
No Hawkesbury river flooding this time!
It was hard to part after such special days together, with also a visit to a local nursery for plants.
We could buy a truckload, if it would be allowed!
Via Honolulu, Hawaii we entered the USA and went on to Los Angeles and Atlanta, home on Friday by 1:00 AM.

Just 9 days later, Pieter left for Kalamazoo, Michigan to work for the Campbell plant there and back home on October 30; tired...
On November 1, we did pick up Pieter's eldest brother Thé with his wife Dora, they stayed with us till November 18. We took them to Florida and they both got lucky with check in for Royal Dutch Airlines, as Pieter let Thé use his Royal Wing card and that yielded them 2 business class seats 74!
Always busy but we can look back with lots of satisfaction!

 To find this card in the mail was so touching...

To Dear Pieter & Mariet(te),
I shall be retiring from the position of General Manager of A.M.G.A. (Australian Mushroom Growers Association) as from 31st December, 1992.
May I sincerely thank you for all of your assistance and friendship over the many years.
All of our members enjoyed your visit to their farms and your presentation at the hotel dinner.
If I can be of assistance to you at anytime in Australia, then please let me know.
Best wishes for the future,
Warmest regards,
John & Beryl Miller (our tour guides to the Blue Mountains on this trip...)...

Thanks for your visit and comment and stay tuned for the next Australia trip...

Related links:
Working & Socializing with Staff from Melbourne Mushrooms | previous post by me
Two Cousins from Two Continents in Melbourne, Australia | previous post by me
Visiting Healesville Sanctuary in VIC, Australia | previous post by me
My 2nd Trip to Australia from Atlanta - Dallas - Los Angeles - Sydney - Melbourne | previous post
Katoomba & Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains Australia | previous post by me

With Hawkesbury Valley Heritage Tours to the BLUE MOUNTAINS Australia | previous post by me

Sydney Centre Point Tower, Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise & Opera House | previous post

Surroundings of Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda, VIC, Australia  | previous post by me

Visiting Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW | previous post by me

My 1st Trip to Work in Australia and also Meeting my First Cousin Liz | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's 2nd and 3rd Trip to Australia | previous post by me

Trips to Australia | previous post by me

{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post by me

{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me

{My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms} | previous post by me

Working & Socializing with Staff from Melbourne Mushrooms

Of course I will not bore you with any details or pictures from our Mushroom Consulting job...

We're now into our 2nd week of working for Melbourne Mushrooms. It was such a miserable wet and cold day on Thursday, the 1st week!

A very kind gentleman at the Mushroom plant, named 'George', gave me a thick and warm coat.

I could have hugged him for giving me such WARMTH!

Melbourne Mushrooms P/L.

As you can see, it is fuzzy warm lined out totally with this imitation fur...

So I was in heaven!

Where the farm is located, in Mernda, you just can see under the + sign to the left.

On Tuesday, October 6, 1992 we were all going to have dinner with the Staff, at a restaurant in St. Andrews, top right in this map. It was in the hills.

It is often good for being able to socialize in a more relaxed atmosphere instead of constantly doing training on the job...

That's me in the center, wearing my black leather coat.

Pieter, in the center, is listening animated here.

Me in the center left, looking like I'm in thoughts...

Here again, me looking at the camera...

Dinner is being served at the long table...

A note from Campbell's MUSHROOMS that we later received in November from staff members Craig Bass and Richard Bell
Wishing us to balance our work commitments with our guest for a little free time...
Pieter's eldest brother did stay with us in November of 1992.

On October 15 we both did fly back home, via Honolulu, Hawaii this time.

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Stay tuned for the next part.

Related links:
Two Cousins from Two Continents in Melbourne, Australia | previous post by me
Visiting Healesville Sanctuary in VIC, Australia | previous post by me
My 2nd Trip to Australia from Atlanta - Dallas - Los Angeles - Sydney - Melbourne | previous post
Katoomba & Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains Australia | previous post by me

With Hawkesbury Valley Heritage Tours to the BLUE MOUNTAINS Australia | previous post by me

Sydney Centre Point Tower, Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise & Opera House | previous post

Surroundings of Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda, VIC, Australia  | previous post by me

Visiting Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW | previous post by me

My 1st Trip to Work in Australia and also Meeting my First Cousin Liz | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's 2nd and 3rd Trip to Australia | previous post by me

Trips to Australia | previous post by me

{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post by me

{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me

{My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms} | previous post by me

Two Cousins from Two Continents in Melbourne, Australia

Mind you, our trips are NOT vacation and NOT as a tourist but we treasured any opportunity that was outside of the job, of doing training and consulting work.

Yes, after our first week of working for the Mernda mushroom plant, the Two Cousins from Two Continents got together again in Melbourne.

Here we are inside the elevator of a big department store in a new mall...

On Saturday, October 3, 1992, Liz had picked us up at noon and Pieter treated all three of us to lunch on a terrace in South Yarra, at an Italian Restaurant on 306 Toorak Road. 

There now is a Korean Zen Charcoal BBQ restaurant...

Happy together again!

Liz did go frequently to Europe for business and she called me when she was in Venice, Italy only 45 minutes away from where we lived and worked in 1989... Small world!

It always is fun to get a real taste of a country by exploring its shopping malls.

Undies and Cousins... both got hooked on La Perla from Italy!

Studying a garment...

Liz also has been a fabulous seamstress, so we had lots in common!

We did end the day with a lovely dinner at Marcella, after having visited with her at her apartment.

Next day it would be back to work!

Stay tuned for more and thanks for your visit and comment.

Related links:
Visiting Healesville Sanctuary in VIC, Australia | previous post by me
My 2nd Trip to Australia from Atlanta - Dallas - Los Angeles - Sydney - Melbourne | previous post
Katoomba & Jenolan Caves, Blue Mountains Australia | previous post by me

With Hawkesbury Valley Heritage Tours to the BLUE MOUNTAINS Australia | previous post by me

Sydney Centre Point Tower, Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise & Opera House | previous post

Surroundings of Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda, VIC, Australia  | previous post by me

Visiting Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW | previous post by me

My 1st Trip to Work in Australia and also Meeting my First Cousin Liz | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's 2nd and 3rd Trip to Australia | previous post by me

Trips to Australia | previous post by me

{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post by me

{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me

{My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms} | previous post by me