It's a wild, wild life

We now entered the care of one Tim Harris of Extraordinary Kangaroo Island, a luxury outfit that provides guided drives to as much wildlife and notable sights as you can cram into two days. Plus gourmet lunches, history and anecdotes, and great company for two harried parents and two good-humored kids.

The first stop was a bee farm which was novel but not yet extraordinary. Next was lunch, cooked on the spot, in a secluded tent in the bush.

Not only can Tim spot wildlife, make Australian farming history interesting, drive on dirt roads, play 20 questions with a 6-year-old and crack up a 2-year-old, he can cook too. Not that anyone but Jess appreciated it.

T. was just happy to have a limitless supply of sticks he could turn into guitars.

After lunch things got rather giddy. With our VIP access to the wildlife park in the center of the island, we were suddenly feeding kangaroos...

Petting koalas...

And conversing with cockatoos. That's literal, more or less: this bird says "hello!" in an Australian accent. It had Colin doubled over laughing--and T. beaming and saying "hello" right back.

Also on site were wombats, black swans and their goslings, the rare cassowary, a white peacock, and an emu.

Okay, we give in: this is extraordinary.