March 16 - Last Full Day at Nambucca

LAST FULL DAY AT NAMBUCCA
Although considerably preferable to the alternative, old age can be a pain ... literally.  This morning I decided to baby my knees and hip, which have gotten sore from walking in soft sand and up and down hills, as well as getting torqued about in the surf.  So I didn't do my usual beach walk.  In the late morning the girls went back to Shelly, and Keith and I went for a surf at Main Beach for awhile, but found the surf wanting and a little bit of a rip.  We then walked back to Swimming Creek, found a good (rock free) spot to go out, and caught a few nice waves there.  I'll really miss this part of the trip.  Later in the day it was time to wash and hang a final load of clothes and begin packing since we leave for Melbourne tomorrow.  Tonight we had an easy dinner of fish and chips that we ordered from a place downtown and took it and a bottle of wine to the picnic area on the estuary for a leisurely dinner.  It was a serene, easy evening overlooking the estuary, river, and a colorful sunset.





We returned home for a cup of coffee and to watch a "derby" (i.e., neighborhood rivalry) between two recent NRL powerhouses, the Brisbane Broncos and the N. Queensland Cowboys.  It was an exciting game with the Broncos looking as if they were going to run away with it, the Cowboys mounting a courageous comeback, and as freaky an ending as possible.  With the Broncos up by 4 -- and a "try" (like a TD but worth 4 points) needed to tie and the succeeding free kick (worth 2 points) to win -- the Cowboys looked to have a sure tying try with under 2 minutes to play ... BUT ... the bullish Scott Bolton, who had burst through the line and seemed headed for glory, was guided by defenders, who had no chance of bringing him down short of the goal line, into an upright of the goal post, which as in the olden days of the NFL is located right on the goal line, not the back line.  He hit the upright hard, fumbled the ball (which they call a "knock on"), and it fell harmlessly to the turf just outside the goal line.  Broncos win!  Incredibly tough way to lose for the Cowboys though.  Glad I stuck around for the end. https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/teams/cowboys/watch-how-a-goalpost-robbed-johnathan-thurston-cowboys-of-epic-win-over-broncos/news-story/3eab0b42b13164cda55d23e7dd939552

As mentioned above, tomorrow around noon we fly to Melbourne to begin the Aussie touring part of our trip.  I'll post as I can.

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