It’s pronounced ‘Cans’

Cairns, Queensland, Australia

Because when you pronounce the “R” in “Cairns” the locals genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about.

Seriously people, it’s a word.  In our common language.  You can look it up.

Who uses a silent “R”!?!?!

Cairns fishThey have this giant outside pool right next to the ocean that anyone can use and the fish sculptures are a symbol of the city.

Oh, and just in case you’re asking. “Guys? Why do they have a giant public pool right next to the ocean?  Can’t people just swim in the ocean?”

Why yes, yes they could.  Right up to the moment where the giant crocodiles that are all over the place ate them.

Which would of course lead you to then ask “Guys, didn’t you just go diving in that water?”

Continue reading “It’s pronounced ‘Cans’”

KGB ukulele Christmas 2012

It’s time again for another foray into our tiki-style Christmas carol extravaganza!

This time with a little help / good natured tomfoolery from our friends Rod & Elizabeth, who we just happened to stumble across during a visit back to California…

(hey, what!?  We all happened to both be back in CA at the same time?  As we already told you all, in the sailing world it was just a matter of time and proximity.)

They were even nice enough to teach us that cold war Christmas classic…

Continue reading “KGB ukulele Christmas 2012”

Happy New Year!

The past year has been an adventure beyond description and we are blessed to have the chance to make this dream come true.  Thank-you all so much for sharing it with us.  Your comments and emails have been a real encouragement for us as we have strived to maintain this video blog in a part of the world that doesn’t exactly lend itself to high speed internet…or any internet for that matter.  Your questions and comments on the blog, Facebook and emails have been great, please keep them up!

We’re still out here exploring the south pacific, in the coming year we hope to see an actual continent again (no rush on that though!)

If I could offer you one thought for the coming year it’s this:  According to the people I talk to out here travelling with me, very few people who set out to do a trip like this actually accomplish it.  The number one reason has to do with health and often it is simply because they waited too long.  They bodies gave out before they were ready.

I know dropping everything isn’t in the cards for everyone and grabbing a piece of your dream now, however small, at least gets you going in the right direction.  Upon seeing some of the marvelous islands we’ve been to, one of my fellow crewmen (woman, actually but crewwoman sounds funny) has gotten into the habit of says “Good work God.”  God has indeed done some awesome work on this little ball of rock we call Earth…and the only way you can experience it is to take the first step now.   Simply said: it’s awesome out here.

Until then, we’ll keep blogging as long as you keep watching!

-Greg & Tiffany

Here’s Tiffany with her new Polynesian ukulele (not to be confused with a Hawaiian ukulele) and a nice, cheap, fresh baguette in Tahiti, two key pieces of Polynesian culture.

Here’s Greg smirking next to the tiki we’ve been calling “tripod”, one of the gods from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands with his Hawaiian ukulele.  Um, they put this tiki, in all his glory, on their $2 coins…

Christmas in the South Pacific (part 2)

Now that hopefully you are hidden from the cold somewhere up there, hunkered down with the family against the rage of old man winter, let’s set the proper Christmas tone for down here.  It may be freezing where you are but here in the Southern Hemisphere, it just happens to be the peak of summer.  Christmas is bit more of 4th of July picnic and cold beers than hot coco time around the family hearth.   It leads to situations that can are very unusual to our Northern hemisphere Christmas expectations.

 

 

Oh, and these people have never eaten pumpkin pie (much less Key Lime pie).  Seriously, how do they live?

 

And as a final Christmas treat for you all, my favorite video of the previous entry: the out takes.  You’d be surprised how much goes on when you’re trying to record Christmas songs.

 

 

Stay warm!  We are 😉

 

-Greg

Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas everyone!

Wanting to share a little of our tropical Tiki-lounge style of Jesus day with you, Tiffany and I whipped out the ukuleles and played some classic Christmas carols.

PS:  In case you are wondering, Tiffany is playing a Polynesian ukulele, which obviously we got in Polynesia.  I am playing a Hawaiian ukulele, which not so obviously, we got in Florida.  They are both different instruments and are supposed to have those separate sounds.  More on that later, for now, enjoy the music:

Santa Claus is coming to town

Jingle Bells:

Jingle Bell rock:

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

PPS: In case you were wondering why we picked those songs, well, they were the easy ones.  😉

Thanks for sharing in our adventures and we pray your homes are at least aglow with the season if not with the actual sunshine.  Here’s to a tropical Christmas!

-Greg