Translation Revelation

In the past, I have discussed some of the vernacular differences between the US and Australia.  And after only 8 months of living here, I finally figured out one of the street signs.  It was one of those..."you idiot"... moments.

There are a lot of signs around the city with a circle containing an "S" with a slash across it.  I have known from the start that meant no standing.

What I couldn't figure out was why people would stand in those locations.  It made absolutely no sense.

Talk about being too literal...the light bulb finally came on.

No standing means no waiting in a car for someone  - blocking that area of the street.

Luckily I have never waited in a no standing zone because with my luck a policeman would have come and asked me what I was doing.  And after seriously explaining I was waiting - not physically standing, I would have gracefully accepted my ticket with minimal arguments hoping I wouldn't get a second one for not knowing the road signs.  :)

Scratch Made Stuffing

In the land of prepared boxed goods, I had not made stuffing from scratch since I left home (a long time ago).  I had watched my mother make it for 18 years or more but never really done it myself.  Since I couldn't find a prepared stuffing mix here, I decided to make it the old fashioned way.

When I moved out of the house, Mom gave me a cookbook with a few of here recipes in it and one of them was her scratch stuffing.  This is the recipe:

Day old bread, broken in pieces
Broth to moisten
Salt & Pepper to taste
Celery chopped
onion chopped
poultry seasoning
chopped gizzard, liver, neck meat.

That's it.  Note all of the precise measurements and baking instructions.  The definition of scratch cooking.  :)

We tore up some bread.  I decided to toss in some bacon, Caesar spiced croutons and jalapenos.  I made my own poultry seasoning from the spices I had in the cupboard.  Interestingly, our turkey only had a neck...no other giblets.

It turned out OK.  I needed to bake it a little longer at a higher temperature than I originally tried but it was still worth eating.

Thanks Mom!

Christmas Decisions...

Since we didn't have company and we are getting ready to go on a cruise in the near future, this year to keep us as healthy as possible, I made no Christmas cookies or pies. 

Yes - it's true.

We had no sweets in the house this Christmas.  Didn't make any goodie boxes for anyone.  No pinwheels, no peanut butter dates, no chocolate covered pretzels, no peanut clusters, no chocolate oatmeal cookies, no sugar cookies, no snowballs, no party mix, etc., etc.

Christmas turkey and dressing was not followed by the traditional dessert of 1/2 piece pumpkin pie and 1/2 piece pecan pie topped off with a mound of whipped cream.

In hindsight, what a poor decision...a huge mistake. 

There are some Christmas traditions you just shouldn't change.

Merry Christmas!

From us to you - Merry Christmas and Goodonya!

Train Ride Home

We decided to do something different to get back to Brisbane this trip.  We took the Sunlander Train from Cairns.  It was a 31 hour train ride I don't ever have to take again.

Please don't misunderstand...the train was nice, food was good, there was a bar. I didn't have to drive.

But long train rides are not for me.  There is not enough room to walk around much and the stops aren't really long enough to go outside and get a lot of exercise.

Then there are the bunk beds.   I have passed the stage in my life where bunk beds are cool.  Bunk beds are for kids. 

The only picture I took was of the banana plantations and the trees that had the bananas wrapped.  Being from the mid-west, we assumed it was to keep the bugs off of the bananas.

Nope - it's to keep the fruit bats from eating them.  :)

I did see some kangaroos on the trip back...then Robert let me know they weren't kangaroos. 

Now - kangaroos are hard to mistake in bright daylight.

He informed me they were Wallabies.

Next adventure...New Zealand!

Normanby Island

Our last Reef snorkel trip took place on Normanby Island.  It is part of the Frankland Islands national park.  On our way there, we cruised down the Mulgrave river looking for salt water crocs.  Alas, we didn't see any.

Normanby Island is south of Cairns and closer to the continent than our first trip.  There was a lot of algae in the water which made it a little cloudy for snorkeling but the sandy beach was beautiful and the algae brought in all types of fish to feed.

The best thing about Normanby was this is where we swam with the turtles.  I know we saw at least 6 different large green sea turtles.  In fact, we saw one in the shallows and I had to struggle to stay away from it due to the waves.  I didn't want to scare it off!  I was so surprised to see it so close by and in about 4 feet of water.  Robert almost missed it.  (I know - how can you miss something like that?)  The turtle was happily munching on some plants growing on a rock and totally ignored us.  Later, he was swimming along the shore...almost within arm's reach.



Unfortunately, we didn't have an underwater camera with us and have no turtle pictures...only memories!

Mulgrave river on the way to the island

Normanby Island

Mount Bartle Frere - the tallest peak in Queensland.

And then there were bats...

LOTS of bats.

Cairns has lots of mango trees - a fruit bat spa - so to speak.  We would see them flying out at night by the hundreds.  It just so happens, we ate dinner right across the street one evening from where they live and it was an incredible show. 

I have mentioned how large the bats several times to various people.  Hopefully these pictures will give you an idea of their size.

The trees are covered in them.  This is just one example of how close they are packed together during the day.

During the day, the trees seem to be alive as they continue to move and fan themselves to stay cool.

 Up close...they look like they have fuzzy scratch-able tummies but I'm really not interested in finding out.

When they come out and at night, the noise / screeching is something to behold.  Each evening as they were flying overhead, I thought about my friend that really doesn't like the bats and their noise.  She happens to be going on holiday in Cairns early next year and I kept thinking...Oh...she isn't going to like this one bit!

We used to have some that lived near our house but a recent storm took out their tree and we have not seen them since.  When visitors arrive, we will have to go look elsewhere!

Outer Great Barrier Reef

Our first trip the Great Barrier Reef actually started Friday evening in search of stinger suits.  These are lovely outfits, generally black with colorful highlights made entirely of body hugging Lycra.  No matter what you wear, all will be revealed in one of these babies. If a tour company is taking someone on a snorkel or dive during box jelly season, they are required to have stinger suits available.  We went ahead and purchased ours as we expect to be snorkeling over the next couple of years and chances are it will be during jelly season.  Ours have hoods and mittens attached and you almost need to be an Olympic athlete to get into / out of one.  To my knowledge, no pictures exist yet of me sporting mine.

Saturday dawned with with some clouds and gusty winds.  We went to the harbor, got on the boat and headed to Green Island.  Once on the island, we dressed in our stinger suits and went to the beach to check out our snorkel gear one last time before going to the Outer Reef.  All worked fine.

We then boarded the second boat and went to an anchored platform on the Outer Great Barrier reef and jumped in.  It was WONDERFUL.  The waves were a little choppy and it was a work out paddling around but the coral was beautiful and the number of fish incredible.

For me the best thing was the school of Humphead (aka Bumphead) parrot fish we bumped into.  They were HUGE.  Talking to a marine biologist the next day, she said they can grow to over 6 feet and 100 lbs.  These are the biggest fish I have every swam with.  Unfortunately, by the time we saw them, we had already blazed through our 27 pictures on the disposable underwater camera.  Here's a video for you to get the idea.  Apparently no one has explained to them they aren't supposed to touch the coral as they were eating it left and right.  They crunch very loudly.

We also saw several giant clams.  They are so cool.  I really wanted to tap one to see if it would close.  But I restrained myself.

We have not found a place yet to get our underwater pictures developed yet and I have no idea how they turned out.  Here are a couple we did take though...

Outer Great Barrier Reef from the platform.

Giant clam through the observation window.

BTW - no stingers spotted!

Karunda

After saying good-bye to Uluru, we flew to Cairns.  It was much cooler there!  :)  We arrived to our hotel at dusk, went to our room, opened the balcony door and discovered the bats flying very low overhead.  But that's another story!

The first evening, we walked around and familiarized ourselves with  the local dive gear shops were as we were on the hunt for stinger suits.  It is box jelly season here and that is one animal you DON'T want to be stung by.

But I digress again...on to Karunda!

Friday morning, we went to the Freshwater station and boarded the Karunda Scenic Rail train for our trip up into the mountains following the Barron River through Barron Gorge.  Karunda is a mountain village that has lots of shops and beautiful views.  Unfortunately, we had rain and low clouds most of the day and the pictures are somewhat dreary.  Well...except the ones from the butterfly sanctuary!


These are the brightly painted Karunda Rail engines.  The weather truly dulled the colors and the picture does not do them justice.    This was taken from our passenger car as the train was going around a curve.

On a clear day, there would be blue water in the distance...the Coral Sea.  The town of Freshwater is in the foreground.

Example of the rock they had to dig through to make the 15 tunnels.  The project started in 1886 and finished in 1891. At one point, the longest tunnel had 8 different sections under construction at the same time.  Amazingly, they all matched up at the end. 

 Barron River overflow.  During the rainy season, the water comes over the top of the overflow faster than it can be let out through the gates.

 Barron Falls from the west side of the Gorge...at the bottom there is a power generating plant.

We had about 4 hours to spend in Karunda and one of the places we went was the Butterfly Sanctuary.  I have no idea what types of butterflies these are, but they are some of the better pictures we took.

Lunching butterflies.

 Pools at the Barron Falls.  Picture taken from the East side of the Gorge.

Barron Falls from the East side.  The train tracks and viewing platform on the West side of the Barron Gorge are visible in the upper left portion of the picture.

Our return trip to Cairns from Karunda was via the Sky Rail.  It is the longest cableway I have ever been on at 4.7 miles in length.  The steepest grade is 19 degrees. And of course, they had technical difficulties while we were on it and it stopped and started several times when we were over the Barron River / Barron Gorge at approximately 133ft above water.  There we were, swinging in the breeze / rain.  We did see some cockatoos but the weather had declined enough we didn't get any pictures.  I was glad to get back to freshwater.  It would be good to go back and do on a clear day!

As we were chatting with a local after arriving back into town, she pointed out some black cockatoos with the red tail feathers.  Once again though, the wild birds did not cooperate and I didn't get a picture.  

On to the Great Barrier Reef!

Incident on the Walk

We are lucky enough to be taking care of Gemma this weekend.  She is a beautiful Malamute who is very gentle and always happy to see us.  She is getting older at 11 years, however, she really doesn't seem to be slowing down.  There are still flashes of puppyness and when she is ready, you better have a hold on the leash as she is going to go.

Apparently, her parents take her on the same walking route a LOT.  When you leave the garage, we let her lead one time and she turned right for one block, left for 2 blocks, left for 2 blocks, left for 2 blocks and left to her house.  She was home, ready for water and kibble. 

She does have a doggie door and likes to find prizes in the yard. 

The first day, she found a petrified bat in the yard and slept with it. 

The second day, she dug up an old bone and left a mud clods on the carpet. 

Last night when we went for a walk, we went down towards the park.  It was a beautiful evening with lots of people out.  We saw several other dogs and Gemma was very well behaved.  On the way back, I was holding the leash and mis-stepped, twisted my ankle and fell flat on my face.  Robert grabbed the leash, helped me up and as we started down the sidewalk, the leash got tangled under 2 of Gemma's legs.

You could see it in her eyes...she was not impressed with our dog walking abilities.

Luckily, I have absolutely no scratches anywhere from the fall and no one else was hurt.  Stairs are a nightmare right now but this will soon pass.

We are getting ready to head over to see what she left us this morning!  It's good to have a dog nearby again!  :)

On a different note, Cairns pictures were delayed and should be up this week.

TTFN!

Uluru Sunset

Our last Uluru adventure was watching the sunset followed by a bbq at the base of Uluru.  This was my favorite tour on this trip.

We started with a glass of wine and some nibbles.  It was relatively cool and there was rain in the distance.  We were lucky - the rain clouds did not cover the setting sun and Uluru turned a beautiful red color as the sun set.  We even had a rainbow over Uluru but it was too faint get a good picture of.

While waiting for the sun to set, I took this picture of the "hand" on Uluru.  There are several formations in the rock that are easily described.  My favorite one is a section that forms a giant skull in profile.  That part of the mountain is sacred and we are not allowed to take pictures when on tours.  However, if you do a search on "Uluru skull", you can easily find several pictures of it on the Internet.

The two pictures below should give you an idea of the color changes as the evening passes.  The first one was taken about an hour before the second one.   I have approximately 18 other "sunset rock" pictures.  Not much changes in each.... 

 Sun setting in the west highlighting the rain falling in the distance.

 Moon rise over Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.

After the sun set, we traveled to the Park's Visitor Center and had a wonderful meal while watching the moon rise over Uluru with lightening in the distance.  Sadly, we neglected to take the camera with us to dinner and missed that picture.

The Red Center is a fascinating place and believe it or not, has been on my bucket list since I was very young.  I am so glad to have had the experience!

Kata Tjuta

Our next adventure was a hike into the Kata Tjuta Canyon.  Kata Tjuta is the Aboriginal name for the Olgas which lie about 16 miles from Uluru and are a part of the same national park.  The tallest dome is actually higher than Uluru.  We started at 3pm and once again I was glad for a few clouds as we were hiking east with the afternoon western sun at our back.  Other than the heat, this was a very easy hike. 

Going into a narrow canyon, I kept expecting trees with some shade and at the end of the path to reach a pool of water. Or the canyon walls would provide shade for the floor.

My mental image was very different from reality...there were a few trees (let's say 7) but none of them provided shade on the path and no pool of water. The canyon must face almost due East/West as we were in the sun the entire time.  We were walking in a stream bed which means at some point during a deluge there must be water.  Just not this day.


The first stop was a platform to see a panoramic view of Kata Tjuta. This little guy was busy busy busy digging a burrow right next to the walk.  It is a sand goanna and as usual, I could have spent hours watching him.  He posed for several pictures.

Kata Tjuta (many heads)

 Canyon entrance - there is a lot of foliage...just not much bright green. 

 Farther into the canyon.  It is amazing there is enough for cows, camels, horses, other animals and people to survive on. 

 Looking back out the canyon from the platform at the setting sun.  These few clouds were getting ready to put on quite a lightning show.

 We went as far as we could on the path.  If you could keep going, this would be the way...

King's Canyon

After spending time at Uluru for sunrise, in and around the National Park, the only wildlife we had seen were the noisy miner birds, magpies and the occasional spider.  At dinner that night, I mentioned to Robert I really wanted to see wildlife that I don't normally see in Brisbane.  His only comment was to watch out for snakes.

Soon, looking out the window of the restaurant, my wish came true:  There were two field rabbits helping themselves to the tasty green grass by the pool.   Not exactly what I was looking for, but did meet the "wish" requirements.  :P

On our second day at Red Center, we met a bus driver and 12 other people at 4:00 am to drive to King's Canyon for a day of hiking.  Due to the temperatures, they would not let us on the bus if we had anything less than 3 liters of water per person.  We drank every bit of it and then some...

Leaving at "O dark thirty", along with minimal traffic at night, there is a higher chance of seeing wildlife on the roads. This day was no exception.

First, we almost slammed into a pack of feral camels.  Australia does have a LOT of wild camels (estimated upward of a million) roaming the Outback.  Someone turned a few loose a hundred years ago expecting them to die (which is another whole discussion) and they thrived.  There are enough camels to support a business to export them to the Middle East. (Which makes me wonder why we only saw 6...Northern Territories is a BIG place.)

Next we came close to hitting large red kangaroos.  They grow quite big in the desert.

Then there were the brumbies...the wild horses.  Beautiful animals that survive on scrub brush.

And then there were the various cows, bulls (open pasture) and smaller roos on the road. Unfortunately, I missed the dingo.  He was on the other side of the bus.

Once we arrived at King's Canyon, we had a choice: 1 - climb up 500 steps and do the rim walk in 3 hours (6 km); 2 - walk in the valley for 90 minutes then go to the resort.

Robert and I chose to do the rim walk.  After all, it was a little cloudy and the temperature was cooler - in the 90's.

I made it up the first 200 steps on the vertical climb, realized I was on vacation, turned around and walked the valley.  Plus my knee started acting up and this is a place you don't want to be rescued from.

Robert continued on and did the full hike.  Below are some of the pictures he took.  Unfortunately, the captions are my interpretations as he is at work and I wasn't on the walk to hear the guides.

Facing back to the valley about 1/3 of the way around the rim.  The point across the valley is where the hike ends.

 Facing towards the back of the canyon.  That is the direction they are heading to circle around.

 On the far side, there are steps going down to the Garden of Eden, an Oasis with fresh water at the bottom.

 Garden of Eden watering area.

 The entire canyon has beautiful colors in the various rock faces.  Note the tiny people on the other side...and nothing to stop you for going over.  Another good reason to walk in the valley.  :)

By the way, if you have ever seen the movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the scenes where they are climbing up the steps in show girl costumes and work boots were filmed on the first 500 steps mentioned above and there are several shots around the rim hike in the film.

Sunrise at Uluru

We spent three days in the Red Center of Australia at Yulara.  It was warm.  I believe the high temperature we were walking in was 43-45C (109-113F).  Even the locals were surprised at how unusually warm it was for Spring.  During our time there, we went to Uluru (Ayer's Rock), King's Canyon and Kata Tjuta (The Olga's).

The first day, we took the sunrise tour at Uluru which required a 4:30 departure time. Luckily, the tour included coffee / tea at the sunrise area or it would have been a very long day.  We had a few clouds, but still saw some wonderful color.

Sun rising in the East.

 The orange-red color. Due to the clouds, I don't think it wasn't as bright as it would be on a clear day.  (Hadn't rained in 8 months...we had rain all 3 days.  :)  )

Tourists climbing Uluru.  The Aboriginal people prefer no one climb to the top due to the sacredness of the site and safety risks.  However, they have not permanently stopped it - yet.  It is approximately an 1100ft climb with only a chain to hold on to which doesn't start until after the first 90 feet. We had the option of climbing or going to see the cave paintings.  We chose the paintings...

On the way to a tiny watering hole.  One of the only places to find fresh surface water around Uluru.

 From a distance, Uluru looks like it has a smooth surface.  Up close you can see where pieces have fallen out over time. 

 Cave paintings at Uluru.

  Look at the top indention:  It is shaped like a heart.                           

We're Back!

We have been on holiday for the last 11 days.  We went to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and also Cairns to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.  It was a fantastic holiday and once I finish getting things somewhat back in order here at the house, I will post pictures and let you know more specifics!

However, today I had an interesting encounter.  I was walking with a friend and we had a Staffordshire terrier with us.  Of course, nature called (to the the Staffy) and while in the process of scooping, I kind of (OK - I did) block the sidewalk.  A gentleman walked by and he was apparently very annoyed at me.  I pulled the pup back, made room and sincerely apologized as I honestly didn't realize he was there.  He, in turn popped something off indicating I was an idiot. 

Now, over the course of my 40-odd years, this wouldn't be the first stranger I have annoyed (stop laughing) but this is the first time in Australia anyone has been so pointed.  One of the BEST things about Australia is the people that live here.  All I have met are patient, friendly, helpful and willing to strike up a conversation. They have no trouble pointing out their annoyance but normally it isn't in a confrontational manner. This reaction caught me so totally off guard, I have about decided he wasn't born / raised in this lovely country.  Maybe he doesn't like or has a fear of dogs / animals or or maybe he just got up on the wrong side of the bed.

Or maybe Fate is serving me some of my own for something I did...Just wonder what it was and if Fate is now justified???

On the upside, I didn't pop off with a blue streak that might have embarrassed my walking buddy!  And I hope the gentleman has a better, uninterrupted walk tomorrow!

I Miss Zin...

No, not Zen, Zinfandel.

Those of you that know us know we tend to drink red wine with dinner.  In the US, while we tried to cover all continents from Australia to Europe, South America to South Africa with our selections, we did drink a lot of Napa Valley wines. - especially Zinfandels and Old Vine Zins.

Australia has some beautiful wines and we do our best to try lots of them, have enjoyed most and still try to keep a varied selection to choose from.  However, California Zinfandels are very hard to find here - almost non-existent -  but we came across one one recently. 

Of course, it was stored in the cooler and Robert pulled it out the other day to serve. After tasting, I was actually surprised when I realized how much I enjoyed Zinfandel. It was a nice break from the yummy Shiraz and Merlots we have been drinking. 

Just one more thing to add to the list to eat/drink when I go back and visit in the States.  :)

Rainy Season?

I think the "Rainy Season" may almost be upon us. 

According to one local, it generally rains daily from mid November to the end of January and the humidity will vary during the day from low to high making it unbearably hot.  I believe he called it "ugly weather".

Saturday it rained. 

Sunday it rained.

We would see a break in the weather and by the time we noticed the clearing skies and got ready to walk, the clouds would move back in and the rains would start again.

Finally, Sunday late afternoon there was a decent break.  We saw only blue sky from our front entry with clouds miles away on the other side of Brisbane in the distance.  The rains were finished for now!!!  Time to go for our normal walk with a stop in at the pub on the way home.

We got almost 3/4 of the way around the neighborhood when the rains broke again.  Luckily we got home before the hail started. 

Worst of all, the local pub had to do without our cheery faces this weekend. 

Today, there isn't a cloud in the sky but based on my mid-morning outing, it's going to be a hot one...

Greatest Birthay Present Ever

Well - in My Humble Opinion...

I took Robert to the Australian Zoo Friday for his animal encounter with the wombats.  He is fascinated with these animals and if it was possible, we would have one for a pet.  Unfortunately, we don't have a large yard and it would probably dig through the walls and floors never mind the fact I think it is illegal to actually own one here.  Plus, I'm not sure I could get it back to the States!

As long as they were eating, no problems.  Once finished, they were a little skittish.  Interestingly enough, they have a hard piece of cartilage on their back that the keeper knocked on.  If I had been knocked about like that, I would have probably said something but these guys and girls just continued to eat.

 Robert and Tonka

Southern wombat on the left (soft coat), Common on the right (coarse coat). They enjoy back scratches.  As it happens, the Common wombat in this picture has a joey in her pouch but it is too tiny to see.

 Close up!

 As a bonus, we saw this koala joey hanging out with Mom.

While he had fun, I'm not sure Robert thought it was the BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER but that's MY story and I'm sticking to it. :)