New kids off the country block
From rant to gallivant.
From Bellbrae to Erskine Falls.
Well, from Bellbrae to Erskine Falls, via Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven, Moggs Creek, Big Hill and Lorne, as we snake our way along the Australian National Heritage listed ‘Great Ocean Road’ that hugs Australia’s south-eastern coastline.
Erskine Falls
Inspired by Shelly’s toys on vacation post, and with the rain finally abating for the first time in the two weeks of the school holidays, I proposed a trek down the coast with the kids (smalls) for the last weekend of their school holidays. They were in!
Erskine Falls
After dropping my wife off at work, and grabbing a coffee we meandered down the Great Ocean Road, with the obligatory carsickness stops for Thing 1 (aged 11).
Thing 1’s photo
Following the #brickstameet day in the urban landscape, it felt good to be back in the familiar surroundings of nature. And thanks to the reinvigorated confidence gained at the #brickstameet, it felt good to be lying down on the ground again, oblivious to the questioning stares from others. This confidence also rubbed off on the smalls. Thing 2 (aged 10) is often concerned with what others might think, yet after seeing his older brother and I lying on the ground, indifferent to onlookers, soon joined in. And ended up snapping “photo of the day”.
Thing 2’s “photo of the day”
As we wound our way along the snaking road back home, we even managed to squeeze in a pub lunch at the Aireys Inlet pub before the rain returned. The way all toysafaris should end.
It was the perfect way to reflect and revisit shots captured, sitting in the last of the sunshine, enjoying the food, the beers (not for smalls), the company, and the recollections of a wonderful day had by all.
Nice day to have a schnitzel, have a schnitzel, have a schnitzel
Nice day to have some chips, have some chips, have some chips
Nice day to have some sauce, have some sauce, have some sauce
Nice day to have some beetroot, have some beetroot, have some beetroot
Nice day to go to the pub
Cosmic Psychos – Nice Day To Go To The Pub
If you’ve got smalls, I encourage you to get out and shoot toys with them. Feed off their youthful enthusiasm. Be amazed by their ideas. Be surprised by what they produce. Be proud if they get a better shot than you.
If you don’t have any (or even if you do), be the smalls.
Get your knees dirty. Don’t give a hoot. Have fun!
Brett,
Your blog post made my day! To open up Stuck in Plastic and see this wonderful post reminded me of all the times I’ve been off on high adventure with my own ‘smalls’. They are some of my best summer and fall memories, cavorting arounds n the woods, hiking in strange lands, exploring the great western united states with kids and lego in tow. When I look back at the photos, both the ones with and without toys, I find myself grinning like a fool because of the wonderful memories. Im so glad you and your boys had a fabulous adventure! I wish you many more!
Of course my only regret is that we can’t join our families and head off into the woods together. Now that would be a memory worth creating!
Cheers and thanks for sharing!
Thanks Shelly. It truly is a wonderful experience to share with the smalls. As I said, I found myself getting swept up in their enthusiasm and hubbub, being pulled along on their adventures, rather than focusing solely on getting the shots that I had in my head. It was a beautifully refreshing day with the smalls. The toy photos captured by myself and the smalls were added bonuses to rekindle memories of the day.
And yes, a Wilson/Corbett family toysafari would indeed be memorable event!
Fantastic shot! I love it!
I think you can do a lot of wonderful shots out there; the landscapes are so beautiful!
I would like to go there too, to catch some LEGO Star Wars Endor photos.
It would be perfect!
Enjoy your LEGO vacations! 😉
Alas, the smalls’ school holidays have ended. But Endor is always just an hour windy drive away!
Australia is so beautiful…
A very nice post. It reminded me to take one more camera with me to an upcoming trip with the family. I won’t be using that camera.
Still, after a few days from first seeing it, I get a strong Revenant feel from the “photo of the day”. It’s great! 🙂
Thank you Vesa! Arj received a lot of praise for that bear shot, yet I think the praise from the artist responsible for the book that he endlessly thumbs through meant the most to him. And yes, our baggage for day trips is constantly growing, from singular, to plural, to multiples; cameras, containers of Lego, other junk, all jammed into three backpacks. It looks like we’re heading away for a weekend, not just for a few hours to shoot Lego!
Good post 🙂 I don’t have any kids but my siblings do, and they have giving me some great ideas. Just leting them them work their free minds, they see things I would miss.
Exactly! Kids are great, especially the ones you can hand back to their parents when you’re done! 😛 But seriously, they are amazing at seeing things us big people miss. Hence my challenge to “be the small” and get your knees dirty!