Perth Blackjack Rules

We had a rainy day with time to kill and the casino called to us.  We played blackjack.

The rules are slightly different in Perth than in the US and the dealers have to be on their toes watching the bets.

For all my blackjack playing friends...here's the rundown:

1.  Anyone can play any open spot from anywhere on the table.

2.  Anyone can bet on anyone playing.  If I am getting good cards and winning, people standing and watching can wager on my cards and my play.  Reminds me of craps and takes getting used to.

3.  The dealer deals their first card face up and does not deal a 2nd dealer card until all other hands are finished. If no hands are left to play against the dealer, no 2nd dealer card is dealt.

4.  As soon as you hit 21 you get paid.

5.  If your hand has 5 cards and you haven't busted, you get paid.  For example, if I have a 2, ace, 3, 3 (19), I can take another card with no risk of busting and get paid for having a hand with 5 cards.

6.  You can double down after taking a hit.  For example, if my first two cards are a 2 and a 3 and I draw a 6 (making 11) I can then double down.

7.  If the dealer hits 22, it is a push (standoff) - none are paid.

8.  There is no hand shuffling.  After each hand, all cards are fed back into the machine and into the decks.  (It looked to be 3 decks.)

I think it would be very confusing to learn in Perth and then play in Vegas. 

Looking forward to trying Brisbane blackjack one of these days.

Rottnest

Went to Rottnest on Tuesday.  We were caught in a couple of rain showers, but the coves and beaches were just beautiful.  This would be a favorite spot of ours if we lived in Perth.  The boat ride to the island included 4-5M swells - pretty rough.  But all was well and we enjoyed the day walking on the sand.

Osprey nest on the high point of the rock.

 One of the many, beautiful beaches (totally devoid of people) to walk on.

 Gull nest.

 Various birds on the beach.  We stood and watched the sandpipers chasing and running from the surf for quite a while.

Baby Quokka - when the Dutch discovered the island, they thought these little guys were rats when really they are a marsupial like a roo.  Hence the name "Ratsnest" - Rottnest.

"You have any food???"

 Quokka joey in the pouch - the tail is showing.

Another fun day goes by in Perth!

Caversham Wildlife Park

A fun place to visit and a beautiful day to visit on.  Unfortunately, I didn't write down the names of some of the animals/birds...

Like this one...I don't have a clue what it is.

 Baby tawny frog mouths.

 Adult Frog mouth - master of disguise.

 This bird had the deepest call I have ever heard.  Almost like a tiger chuffing.  He was very vocal for a Monday.

 Check out the neon beak.

 Snoozy Koalas available for petting.

 Giant flying foxes - these are the kind that live by our house.

 Lunch!

 White roos - they don't occur naturally - only in zoos from selective breeding.

 Yep - there's a joey in there...feet and tail out.

 Momma swan and babies.

 Baby swans

 One, unhappy wombat.  This guy weighs about 25 lbs and can run up to 40k (24 mph).  He would have much preferred staying in his pen today.

 A shy little possum.

Freo (Fremantle) Sights

Saturday was our day for Freo.  Winter was still trying to make a statement so while it was a little breezy, it was still sunny off and on and a nice day to be out walking and shopping in the community.  Fremantle was the original port city in this part of Australia and is older than Perth.  Once again, they have maintained and continued using the old historic buildings and the streets are beautiful.

 Early Church

 Window in the church

 Indian Ocean

 Pine tree with the needles going up instead of down.  These were all over the area.

 Round house

 Of course - who wouldn't want to go to Notre Dame in Australia???

Tomorrow is Swan Valley Winery tour.  :)

More Perth Pictures

Thursday, I took some pictures of the local buildings.  They have done a wonderful job of leaving the older buildings mixed in with the modern skyscrapers.

Pretend the gates are closed - they are to the Royal Mint.

 Perth Mint - they still make coins here.

 An old Catholic (?) church in CBD.

 St. Mary's Cathedral

 Convent

 Where little Mercedes cars go to school!  It is actually a very pretty campus!

Friday was a messy, windy day - winter making sure no one forgets her. 

Perth Images

Some of the pictures I took in the botanical garden at King's park and a few other sights...

                   A really big Boab tree

 Momma parrot going in the nest to feed.  I waited for about 20 minutes to see if she would poke her head out so I could get her face...she didn't cooperate.

                       Eternal flame memorial

                         WWI memorial

                          WWII memorial

                  Kangaroo Paw plant (the red, fuzzy flowers)

Perth from King's park- our hotel is the one WAY off in distance close to the yellow crane (if your eyes are good enough to see that!).

         I just liked the ship weather vane on this building...

         Roo family sculpture on Adelaide Terrace

It's rainy this morning...hope to get out later and take more pictures...

King's Park Perth

I spent the majority of today in King's Park which is approximately 3.5 miles from our hotel.  The park contains monuments, fountains, an art gallery, cafe, kids chasing ducks, and a botanical garden. 

I took some really good (?) pictures...too bad the cable I need to download the pictures is with my spouse.

Regardless, there was a big boab tree, kangaroo foot plants, lots of color, tons of parrots and the art gallery was interesting to look through.  I love the native art of Australia.  Can't wait to go to Freemantle on Saturday to see what is available there.  I could spend a lot of money on it.

And, of course, I had to buy a touristy koala Christmas decoration I couldn't live without in the mall I detoured to on the way home.  The shopkeeper wanted to know if I was on holiday. 

Of course I said: "Yes". 

Shopkeeper: "From where?"

I said: "Queensland". 

He didn't expect that answer.  :)

Regardless - I will probably hit the mall again before I leave.  It is an outdoor mall with lots of interesting shops!

Out and about in Perth

Our first adventure starting in Australia has commenced!  We are out and about in Perth.

And wouldn't you know my PC apparently has developed a new feature where it won't shutdown when you tell it to.

This is really handy!

I've spent a couple hours working on it and now am going to go play.  Hope to post some picture later but am not going to count on it!!

Flying Foxes

Robert and I went for a walk the other night at dusk and saw a lot of flying foxes.  Apparently, we live close to a small flying fox colony.

I would call them bats.

I have always liked the little bats, zipping around and catching bugs.  I used to see them on the company campus going to work before dark in the morning.  They would swoop by and say hi.

However, while our colony seems small, these are the largest bats I have ever seen. 

Their wingspan can grow to 1 meter and they can weigh over 2 pounds. 

I haven't been able to get a picture or identify if they are the grey headed bats or the black bats.  I do know they are big and I although am fascinated with them and the calls they make, I'm pretty sure when one of them swoops close to say "hi", I won't be as calm as I have been around other bats.

Grocery Run...Again

As a child, I remember my father commenting that it was a good thing we didn't live 20 miles out of town as my mother had to run to the grocery store every day.

Since moving here and not working, I realized today I am doing the same thing. 

I get up in the morning and ponder "what sounds good for dinner tonight."

I try to be creative and there is always 1 ingredient missing from the fridge or pantry.

For example, I am making black bean soup with jalapeno cornbread for dinner.  I have every ingredient needed, including all of the required spices...

Except for buttermilk for the cornbread.

So - off to the grocery store I go!  At least it is good for a walk!!!

And a good excuse to make buttermilk biscuits this weekend. :)

Flower update

A second flower came out during the week...

Doors

Friends in the US, think about the last time you went to a business that had doors that swing open.  Most of them open outward or swing both ways.

Here, most business doors open inward.

Just imagine what an idiot I looked like when I went to the dry cleaners and could not get inside because I kept trying to pull the door open from the outside.

It only took me a couple of weeks to break that habit.

Now I will be entertaining when I go back to the States...

Finally!

This plant has looked just like this picture since the first time I walked on the boardwalk on May 2. 

I have been patiently waiting for it to open, fully expecting it to bloom and die while I was gone in late June and July.

Then I figured it died due to stress from the nearby construction.

As it turns out, all that was needed was patience...

Now I just need to be taller to get a better picture!