The Next Adventure(s)

Less than a week left here at ol' Carnarvon. The thought of leaving is unreal, I haven't fallen in love with a place so much in my whole life. More on this later though because if I get into it now we'll all be crying and blubbering and I haven't even had to say goodbye yet.

This little post serves as a dual announcement!

The first is that I will be returning to America for most of December and January! The folks are living in Maryland now, but I've already been planning quite a few road trips around the East Coast and if I haven't talked to you already, please get in touch so we can hang out!  All this pending that I even make it with the wet season at Carnarvon (trapped in), snow storms in America (stuck out), and the line of questioning at customs regarding my whereabouts the last few years (held in secret location).

The second is that I will be returning to this side of the planet for the first few months of 2015! I've taken a new governess position with a family who own a plantation on Karkar Island, Papua New Guinea. It'll be hot, it'll be beautiful, and there is an active volcano so what can go wrong!?

After that plans are a bit...undetermined. But what have we learned this year? That's okay, the unexpected is often best.

Its actually quite funny, I'm more nervous about returning to the States than going to PNG. Its been...over 2 years since my last stint in the old mothercountry. And, well, I've changed. Its easy to go new places and have new experiences and become this beautiful new person when you're out in the world on your own.

But how do you take that person home?

I've got about 50 hours of travel in the next week, so I'll let you know if I come up with any answers.

Books! 'Tis A Dull and Endless Strife

Recently I've discovered that among all its finer qualities, I love reading specifically because it demands all of your attention. That in a world where you can sit on the internet scrolling through mindless crap for hours, its very admirable and takes a special dedication to even sit down and read for pleasure for 20 minutes.

And I know there are those out there who read while they do this and that and the other thing. I am not one of these people. I have come to accept that in my life I will never be the cute interesting girl reading a book at the cafe. I am the girl who is trying to stuff an entire roll of sushi in her mouth because its falling apart and I only have one hand and this chapter is really intense so I can't put the book down and I wonder how long I can leave this imitation crab on my shirt before it stains*.

So you want to know what I'm reading!? Yay! Great! Sharing!  *Internal screaming*  Well, let me tell you that I do tend to have this irrational sort of fear about suggesting things to people. I mean, if its something that I really love, I'm just worried people won't like it and that will just break my heart.  So y'know, go easy on me, I'm taking big steps here people.   Deep breath.

For awhile now, I've been hooked on the poetry.  I like that sometimes I don't understand whats going on in a poem, but somehow it gives you all these feelings. How do they do that? The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, perfect example...I lie in wait for the day that I just start reciting that out of nowhere and someone recognizes it. Other favorites are a pair which makes it difficult to stay in the schoolroom all day considering the nature of our surroundings - The Tables Turned (Oh, the irony...) and The Moment (If you also get chills when reading the latter, I love you a bit).

Novel-wise I just finished The Bridges of Madison County in a day.  I can see why it was in the Lonely Old Lady book section (why I was there is a different story), very insightful about the love and the feelings, not quite inspired to go see the real bridges in Iowa again, though. Sorry Mum, once is enough for some things. But I do imagine it'd be a small sort of accomplishment to say that I've been to Grundy Center, Iowa twice in my life. Alas, we can't have it all.

So because of that same fear I mentioned earlier, and the notion that everyone must be thus afflicted, I also tend to take suggestions given to me very seriously just in case the act of suggesting this book means that you are indeed bearing your soul.  So to the two lovely blokes that suggested them, I'm finally making a dent in Clan of the Cave Bear (its like evolutionary fiction...awesome!) and the autobiography of an Australian man called A Fortunate Life. Such an amazing and tragic story. If I had his insight and outlook on life my autobiography would probably be called Holy Crap, How Could I Have Ever Complained About Anything, Its All Pretty Much Candy and Sunshine.

So go spend some time with a book.  And if you can handle it, tell me what you're reading or send me a poem or suggest something awesome**.

*Not very long. It stains immediately. Inspired by true events.

**Do not send me cat videos.

25 Insights From My Sad Handwritten Book

Just recently I've passed the halfway mark of my time here. Six months since landing down under and I'll be honest, there are days where I forget I ever lived somewhere else, and there are days where that first ride into Carnarvon seems so close I could touch it. In consideration of this special occasion, I've decided to let you all in on a little treat.

Up until now, every diary I've ever had has two entries. One about how excited I am to start a new diary. And another a few years later about how I'm really sorry I didn't stick with it. But, good news! I'm finally seeing something through! What this means for you is that by the time something makes it up here on the blog, its been written in the diary, mulled over in my mind, discussed with a few people, written on the computer, and edited four or five times. On this special day though, I offer you a few glimpses into those fresh, straight off the paper, live from the scene reports...plus a few very poor doodles when I'm feeling artistically inclined:

Day -6:  But this time before leaving is hard. Whenever I look at someone a huge part of me is aware that I only have a few days left to see them. And everyone seems to see the same when they look at me.

Day 1:  Its so f*cking hot here.

Day 3:  Made a good new friend, she said something I think I'll keep in mind the rest of my life: “You should travel three times in your life. By yourself, with your other, and with your children.”

Day 11:  The evolution/creation question came up at dinner...Jess asked “But which is true?”...It's hard for me sometimes to portray the argument unbiasedly. Some people think the world is too perfect to have occurred by chance. I think its perfect because it did.

Day 29:  We have a new saying..."Monday is the new Friday at Carnarvon." Sadly Tuesday at 7 AM isn't quite the same as Saturday afternoon...For as nice as we've been with each other, nothing bonds folks like getting' a bit sloshed together. *Chris loves to talk...Alison tends to be more of a listener. 

Day 68:  Maybe when you've had a life like mine where the most unthinkable things have happened, you have a hard time separating the dreams from the dawn. I wish I could say I was always practical or realistic...I seem to be in some walks of life.

Day 74:  Dad called last night and he sounded a bit lonely. I really miss him...he's one of the few people I can just sit and chat with for ages.

Day 76:   But maybe there is more. More that I could be doing with my skills...I guess sometimes I'm just too romantic about science.

Day 82:  I hate that sinking feeling though...when you know something is going wrong and you're not sure what to grasp onto.

Day 84:   I do find that more often than before I feel a strong need to just spend some time alone with the trees and the grass and the birds...I'm feeling a certain sickness, not homesickness (cause where is home?) but more sea sickness. Not sure where I'm going or where I want to end up...and its sort of bumpy all the time and everyone is always throwing up.

Day 88:  Chris, the girls, and I went out for some fishing this morning...I need to be more vocal about when I enjoy things cause when I love doing something I tend to get into it and forget to say thank you and tell them I'm having a great time.

Day 92:  There is just a basic primal bond between humans and nature and taking time to appreciate the latter strikes such a true chord within me.

Day 104:  Whether its two months or eight, I will have to leave, and that's just changed my perspective on everything. I want to take more walks, climb more trees, give more hugs and all that. On a less dramatic note, it is crazy cold.

Day 106:  For all the feigned sophistication a person might have, Dr. Seuss is probably one of the best sources of wisdom one might have on their shelf.

Day 130:  Last night we went out to check the fires and there was a big one heading up a big hill and we just turned off all the lights in the car and stared at it. It was so beautiful. On one side there were hundreds of little burning stumps which looked like twinkling stars. And the other side was just a spreading ring of fire. It is just one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Day 138:  And I see all this here, and part of me is involved, but part of me knows it isn't mine. And I begin to worry – how lucky do you have to be to have all this?

Day 150:  Letters are physical. An object you can hold on to and come back to when we can't hold on to and come back to each other.

Day 158:  Its one of my favourite things. Going along with people who you can just share a silence with or discuss whichever errant thoughts cross your mind.

Day 162:  I'm excited for her [my mum] to just chill out and experience the life I have there at Carnarvon. Cause that's really what I have. Its not about sites and being a tourist. Its about meeting my people. Experiencing our life. ...I miss the Carnarvon stars.

Day 164:  Did my first proper bush wee. Thought I could hold it until we got back, but I was busting, and we're laughing so hard cause Chris had to stop to wee three times, he thought there was something wrong with me. “They're going to have an erosion problem back there.”

Day 170:  Boy do I love her, but Mum sort of gets on my case about everything. It just gets a bit heavy. I suppose that's what mothers are for. If someone has to pull you back to reality, at least they cook you your favorite foods and give you cuddles.

Day 172:  We escaped to light the woofer. This thing uses pressurized air, a mix of petrol and diesel, and a fire ring to blow gigantic smoke rings. There is also a huge explosion and its AWESOME.

Day 173:  Went out to one of the old sites. Its amazing, you find all sorts of things left over from lives long past. Hand made nails, tea cups, cut throat razors, horse rein parts, belt buckles. Its really just another of those things about Carnarvon that makes you feel small and momentary and at the same time connected to something more.

Day 176:  Apologies, dear Reader, if you are my child. Mum was wild once too!

Day 185:  I've already started thinking of what I'll say when I leave. Maybe I should say those things sooner.

*This is completely, 100% backwards. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that.  

Assimilation

At some point or another, it becomes a writer's main purpose to just get over writer's block.  I mean, we want to come up with an excuse that some how makes us sound good despite the fact that we've essentially been failing at what we set out to do. I of course am not here to convince you that I've gotten over my writer's block. But I will share with you some things I've realized while trying to figure out why I have it.

Simply put: I've gotten used to the place. Now usually when people say that, it means they've gotten bored of it. But its the complete opposite. Because I've gotten used to things, I don't feel like an outsider anymore. I don't feel this need to tell the world what us weirdos are doing out here all the time. We're weird, we're doing stuff, all the time – alright? Maybe we don't want you to know.  Don't worry, I'm just kidding Mum, really we're fine. *Rides off into the sunset with my gun not wearing a seat belt.*

Full Assimilation:  Got me a real cowgirl hat. 

Really, despite my decline in writing about life out here - its fantastic. Everyday we do something I could write a novel about. So summing it up in a blog post or a Facebook status is just too difficult.

I have learned though, that if you stop cataloging and recording everything you do, you wind up having some pretty wonderful experiences because you're paying attention to the situation instead of thinking what's going to happen next or how you're going describe it afterwards. Yeah, it makes it hard to share with everyone else. But, you'll share it with the people who you did it with, and I'm beginning to realize that's enough. It's more than enough.  A few simple moments with the people you care about are what your lasting memories will be made of.  Dancing in the kitchen, exploring on a hike, looking at the stars, talking by a fire.

So, it isn't really writer's block I'm suffering from.  I'm suffering from just having too good a time.  And what a privilege to have such an affliction. 

What was I saying about not recording everything? This video is actually a bit old now, old news to any of you following me on Facebook, but I wanted to put it up here now because it just shows exactly what I'm saying here – too many amazing times to keep track of and I'm lucky enough to have them every day.  

10 Things That Have Happened Since I Last Posted Here

Well, sometimes this thing just sort of gets away from me. Its been a busy few weeks since I last posted, and with all the running around we've been doing there has rarely been a moment where I have the free time and the internet connection to post something. Lots to catch you all up on, so let's get to it.

1. On our way from Lake Tinaroo to Townsville we stopped at Milla Milla Falls. No one should be surprised by this point that I convinced the girls to swim out underneath them.
   

   
2. We stayed at Baygal Beach just outside of Townsville at the girls' grandmother's house. It was absolutely lovely, and we ended up staying an extra week so we had to start school on the road! Also, saved some sea turtles!
   

   

   Can't you see we're struggling?  It really isn't the best work environment.

   
3. With three adults riding abreast in the front of the car, you better believe we got up to some hilarious antics (be proud of me that I didn't draw on any sleeping people until the last day). This is how I was taught to navigate T-intersections:

Chris: Anything your way mate?
Kaitlyn: *flawless Aussie accent* Naw mate, she's alright, get up 'er!

Every.  Single.  Intersection. 

Unrelated road stop: "Bit high don't ya think?" We definitely didn't lack for entertainment on the road.

4. After the two day journey back to Carnarvon, we were welcomed home by a few A-list guests. Bob Brown (former senator, leader of the Australian Green Party, and founder of Bush Heritage) and his partner Paul were visiting and we had a few great nights round the campfire. Lovely blokes!
   

   
5. I started a bush fire! Planned burning, so its controlled, but still very exciting. I've never really been a pyromaniac but...there is something very alluring and thrilling about lighting a fire that big, I've never seen anything like it to be honest. To me, controlling fire is one of those basic fundamental adaptations that made us human, so the whole idea of controlling those flames just stirs something primal in me I suppose.
   

   

   Casually light everything on fire on the way home.

   

   Honestly, how could you not be amazed?

6. We went to mini-school again! A few more foreign govies like myself this time. Favorite moment of the whole trip of course came when an Aussie, Canadian, Brit, Irish, and an American (with Scottish influences) all had go at each other about vocabulary and accents, truly an international panel!
   

   

   The Outstation, swag and a bag is all you need!

7. We came back from mini-school, had a weekend off and then a mob of Bush Heritage folks came out to Carnarvon for a week of 4WD courses, barbeques, and beer as far as I can tell. They were great fun and I loved having some folks around the cottage (especially bacon and egg breakfasts everyday) and some great nights around the fire having a chat, howling at the dingoes, drinking too much, singing songs, playing guitar, making fun of each other – ahhh, bliss.
   

   
8. Learned lots of things and made lots of friends that week, but some of my favorites were learning to drive the quad, shooting the pig hunting gun, and learning how to properly chop wood and start a fire for the soon to come chilly Carnarvon nights.
   

   

   That's a big bullet.  But more than anything, I've discovered its a loud bullet.

9. Chris is now realizing that I'm “like having a four year old boy around”. While probably meant as an exasperated shot at me somewhere between “can we play with the welder” and “can we go push over burning trees”, I'm choosing to take it as a compliment. Safety first of course, but if you're not exploring and having fun, what's the point? And I mean, I only wanted to push over the ones that were going to fall over anyway.
   

   

   
   

10. It only took until about noon time the day everyone left for Katie and I to proclaim our boredom, whereupon we decided we had nothing better to do so we might as well hike to the top of Mt. Lambert. As far as I can tell, my adventurous kindred spirit Katie is the only kid that's ever done it properly, and we had a jolly good time. Tough hour and a half climb, but some beautiful views and we slid on our bottoms most of the way down so we made it back in a third of the time.

That just about brings us up to the present, a crazy few weeks for sure!

(Wow, I've just reread what I've written and seen the number of times I talk about fire and I think maybe I do have pyromania problem.  Send help.  Or fire extinguishers.)

Atherton Tablelands

From Karumba we've headed east towards Cairns and are relaxing around Lake Tinaroo and the Atherton Tablelands.  The area is gorgeous, shaped by many now extinct volcanoes, and lush with subtropical rainforests. 

Highlights include Dinner Falls (where I got the girls in trouble for running off-trail for a dip in the waterfall), Lake Eachum (where I got the girls in trouble for jumping off the viewing platform into the lake), and the massive Cathedral and Curtain fig trees (where I got no one in trouble because now they've caught onto my ways and endeavor to keep me away from the call of the water).  Also spotted some a giant croc (made as a to size model of one shot in the area), lovely wind turbines (made by Germans) and The Crater (made by escaping volcanic gasses).

All this camping and beach and lake is bringing back fond memories from childhood - Longport shore days (41N. Pelham still home to the best outdoor showers known to man), mass camping/skiing trips with the Pittsburghers, and my mum cuddling me to death in the Adirondacks because she feared me freezing or getting eaten by a bear.  With all the international travel I've done/am doing I forget sometimes where the travel bug first bit me.  I sometimes fear returning to the Motherland, but these memories do give me something to I can fondly look forward to revisiting and rediscovering again.

Leave me some comments, tell me when and where I should visit you!

Karumba

So I'm with the Watson's now, and we are in Karumba!  Exciting!  Well, a bit.  Karumba is essentially an extremely hot fishing town on the northern gulf coast of Queensland.  Fishing is literally all there is, you can't even swim in the ocean because there are crocodiles. So we've been mostly passing the time swimming at the campground pool, a little fishing (with handlines!  Classic!), and eating Barramundi and chips for every meal.  We're heading to the Atherton tablelands tomorrow, hopefully its cooler there!

Sydney

Sydney is a lovely city.  More than many others I've known, its very in touch and integrated with nature and the natural surroundings (though the flash architecture doesn't hurt).  You never feel lost, there is always something interesting on, its hard to go a block without an amazing huge tree or park, lots of fun bookstores, and you can get seafood wherever you want.  My kinda place.

Cumberday!

Arrived in Sydney Saturday night, and with our nerves all jazzed up we went on a 3 hour walk all through the city and across the Harbour Bridge and back again, which was actually lovely and beautiful and highly suggested.  Got a few hours sleep and then got up for Oz Comic Con!

It was really pretty fun, got autographs, photos, met lots of cool people and had some funny times.  Benedict was very sweet to everyone, smelled good, had oddly proportioned limbs, and showcased his dancing 'skills' at the Q+A. 

The first con sort of thing I've ever gone to, it was...interesting!  I wouldn't say the cliche 'never meet your heroes' applies,  but there was something off during the whole experience for me.  As a trained evolutionary biologist, I love wildlife and nature, just beautiful fantastic things to observe.  But I've found that I'd rather sit in a forest everyday and never see a koala than go see a bunch of caged up sad  looking ones at the zoo.  It was a big event, things were rushed and a bit impersonal.  I guess what I'm saying is, humans aren't much different,  know when you're going to the zoo.

Nonetheless, we're really pleased with how the practice wedding photos turned out!

Are we in a Western?

Should this work and get posted, it shall be the first mobile post from my comfy spot packed in the Bush Heritage truck!  Not sure how the pictures will turn out, but the first are American university t-shirts which I found at a petrol station in a tiny town on the road.  Of course.  Typical Australian souvenir.

We spent about 9 hours driving yesterday from Carnarvon to a town called Cooyar (pop. 65), where like cowboys of old, we strolled into the  local pub and inquired about renting some rooms for the night.  Had a lovely dinner and breakfast and we're off again this morning for the big Brissy. 

Catch you guys later!

On the Road Again

Term 1 is finished!  Three week holiday here I come!  This is the reason to be a teacher!  We've enjoyed the last few days before we all head out in different directions for our holidays - easy last week of school, a few beautiful sunsets, and having an old friend for dinner.

Just beautiful.

Last photo of the late Peggy.  She was delicious.  First time I've eaten a pet/lawn-mower.

I'm heading out on Monday for a long road trip to Brisbane where I'll be for a few days, and then to Sydney at the end of the week.  Not taking my laptop, so I'm sure some of you out there will be happy to have a break from lengthy adventure essays.  Expect some short, mostly photographic posts from the road!

Lots of love, keep in touch!  

An Altogether Unexpected Holiday

With Easter holidays coming up, I've been in the early stages of designing my first Big Travel Adventure since my arrival. As hard as it is to make plans with a group, its even harder when you're on your own – there is nothing baring you in any direction which makes picking only one direction a bit of a challenge. With a solid bit of cash saved up and the only requirement being that I do a CPR/First Aid course somewhere during my 3 week holiday, the options are pretty wide open.

Cairns this time of year sounded great. Rain-forest, reef, beach, first aid courses, travel by train and see the coast. I thought about new places I'd never been and maybe revisiting a few highlights from my tour as a 10 year old. It was all going to be a very fun adventure.

But this blog isn't called Very Fun Adventure, now is it? No, no, darling.

You see, when I got up last Sunday, I expected to stop procrastinating and finally book some tickets for Cairns and get my ducks in a row. However, just when I thought I was going the right way, the ever elusive unexpected option presented itself. By lunch time the same day I had secured tickets which would allow me to have a whole day of meeting and greeting and listening to one of my favorite actors. In a few weeks. In Sydney. By way of Brisbane to do my CPR/First aid course. Sorted.

It really did happen rather quickly (...sound familiar?). I do knowingly admit that I seem to have developed a little bit of a quirky attitude lately, with the overwhelming mental response in these should-I-really-do-this situations being, “In the last minute I have considered this option, affirmed its possibility, seen its potential, and it would be quite lovely. I can hardly unconsider it and should I not go through with it now I will surely kick myself for a long time knowing that I considered it to be lovely and did nothing, so I might as well just do it.” Blame only-childhood or something. I can't recommend it as an approach for every situation, but surely some good must come out of bucking up and just doing what you want now and again.

I'm pretty excited about it. In the last few years though, the craziness of meeting celebrities has sort of calmed down. I am always excited, don't get me wrong, but now I can just chill out and have a chat and respect that they're just as normal as anybody else. Must have happened when I worked at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, girl gotta play it cool if your gonna pick up famous people at the airport.

The wee Watson girls on the other hand, are flipping out. Dragons have been a highlight of our classroom for ages now. I tend to stick with it because anything which gets them writing, creating, listening to stories, and make-believing has to be good. So while they're nowhere near the “Oh Benedict Cumberbatch, I love him, cheekbones, eyes, mmm” they're immediate reaction to hearing my travel plans was more along the lines of “YOU'RE REALLY MEETING SMAUG? WHAT IS HIS FAVORITE COLOR? DOES HE LIKE VEGEMITE? WHAT'S HIS FAVORITE ANIMAL? IS IT FUN BEING A DRAGON? CAN HE FLY? WILL HE SKYPE WITH US?”  I now have the ammunition to make this quite the unforgettable Q&A.

I'll have a few days in Brissy, head down to Sydney for a few, then head back up north and meet up with the Watson's for some camping and a roadtrip back to Carnarvon. I've already been in touch with a few Australian fans who are going and so I'll at least have some people to awkwardly stand in line with and such. For what I'm sure is not the first nor last time in my life, thank you Tumblr.

I'd say this is the last thing I'd expect to be doing, but that means I would have had to have thought of it at all to begin with.

Gotta love it. Altogether, unexpected.

Their marketing department knows exactly who their audience is.

Short Stories

Nothing too crazy has been going on, just regular old life on the station. I had a phone call with my family a few days ago and seeing as it was the second or third one where they asked “Whats been going on?” and all I had to talk about were laundry and various encounters with wildlife I sort of realized that while things are very exciting for me in the day to day, I'm sort of not up to much on a grand scale. Therefore let me entertain you with a few anecdotes from everyday life down under.

"Clean up the shoes"  Didn't realize boots all got to hang out together.

Apple Juice

In case you were wondering, 5 Seeds is great! I love cider. Its like alcoholic Juicy-Juice...I'm still a child in many ways. American cider is...well...they do lots of things better. The classic British ciders are good for an every day sort of drink but are hardly THE BEST THING I'VE EVER HAD. Though, if you really want to spice up afternoon tea, grab a Thistly Cross, chug it down because you're dying of thirst and its delicious, and then realize its 12% and stumble the rest of your way around the Royal Yacht Britannia.

Old Books

You should be thrilled to find out that I've finally finished A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones books for those not in the know). I'm actually really pleased, simply because it means I've moved into the “people who finish books” crowd and away from the “people who buy books and make great piles that they use as bedside tables” crowd. To be fair though I'll probably still make a table out of them.

They are great and highly recommended to people who enjoyed the show and people of all sorts really! I breezed through the first ones, but gee whiz did I run out of steam...I think it took more time for me to read A Dance with Dragons (the current last book in the series) than it took George R.R. Martin to write it. When you know the end of a book won't provide any closure, its very hard to care about finishing anytime soon. So reviewing that information, if you like whole, completed, tied up stories maybe this one isn't for you.

Does anyone know if Winds of Winter is the last one? Surely there are more family crests that need to be thoroughly described?

New Books

The ASoIaF shaped hole in my life needed quick refilling with anything but fantasy or fiction. My favorite takeaway from Bill Bryson's fantastic Down Under was that since Australians are so far away from everyone else, they just have to pay attention to themselves – providing us visitors with amazing books on the most obscure of Australian goings on.

The Watson's invited me to have a look at their bookshelf, and low and behold there was my gem. I am now currently reading Ketching the Kenniffs, a history of two bushranger brothers who stole cattle, horses, and caused a whole lot of ruckus at the turn of the century in Queensland. The brilliant part of it is that they operated right here in the Carnarvon Ranges. The former manager of Carnarvon Station was even murder by these guys! Its bringing a whole new level of insight to the land I'm currently living on. These guys were really here and I can see the whole thing like a movie when I walk out my back door.

Nicknames

Whenever you join up with a new mob of people its always fun coming up with new nicknames for each other...I truly consider it a big step in becoming friends. If I've nicknamed you, we have entered into a serious friendship. Act accordingly. And if I have multiple nicknames for you, well we might as well be married.

Somehow, these Aussies have jumped over a few of the steps. No doubt, one rum and coke fueled evening on the verandah we got to talking about childhood nicknames. Mine isn't so much just a childhood one – my family still calls me by it today! Its some what embarrassing, so the next logical paragraph is dispelling it to the internet.

When I was a wee bub I had a clogged tear duct. What's that? Its a thing in your eye that makes tears to keep your eyes moist. You know when you wake up and your eyes are a bit crusty? Well that's what my eye was like all the time, except it wasn't crusty it was fluid. Equipped with the history you now possess it should not surprise you that of course, my father started calling his adorable only daughter, Booger.

I've embraced it over the years, its a fun nickname once you clarify with everyone that you didn't get it by picking your nose. As you could imagine, the Watson's LOVED this story. Its the sort of thing that takes lifetimes to come up with, so they weren't going to let it go by any means. It wasn't a few hours later that Booga (Australian spelling/pronunciation) was asked if she wanted another drink.

A few weeks on, Miss Boogs regularly receives greetings, emails, and questions in the classroom. Kaitlyn is all but a formality used during introductions at this point.

Driving

This one is self explanatory. We were out one afternoon when Chris stopped in the middle of the dirt road, got out and said “Let's see your driving, Booga!” The hardest part was that it was a big truck and wasn't automatic. Rightsidedness didn't really cause any trouble, though I do expect once there are a) two sides to the road and b) other drivers within 100 kms it might be a bit tougher.

I'M DOING IT!  I'M DOING IT!  

Birthdays and Local Anthropology

Not only did I get to celebrate my birthday recently (and got an awesome Bush Heritage shirt!) but we also had one of the girls birthday's. The weekend before we went over to the manager's homestead at Mt. Moffat on Carnarvon National Park (not our property, an actual National Park) where there are kids the girls' age and, this is a big and for them, the kids have a pony. The girls got to ride the pony all day, we got to drink, and then we got to tour around the park a bit. After a few months at our Carnarvon, its nice to be somewhere with beaten paths and sign posts!

Heart Cave, as we call it.

Marlong Arch - Carnarvon National Park

Beer in hand in the late afternoon, new Bush Heritage shirt,  gotta love hiking in Oz!

I love birthdays. Its like a holiday, but instead of celebrating something sort of sad, religious, or made up you get to celebrate someone you care about. That being said, I don't make things easy for them. Why give people presents when you can send them on a treasure hunt with clues and secret maps?  If it isn't already, I also highly recommend adding the following to your 100 Things to Do Before I Die List: witnessing three kids, one grown man, and one dog experience Pop Rocks for the first time.  

Wet tea bag + Burnd edges = Centuries old treasure map 

On Kate's big day we went for a little adventure to Conglomerate Springs where we enjoyed crushing up ochre for some Aboriginal face painting, climbing around the giant boulders, and inspecting some Aboriginal carving stones.  The floods a few years ago washed away some of the soil, exposed about three feet (deep) of never before seen carvings.  With six feet of dirt on top it just makes you wonder...these people were here a long time ago.

Not your everyday traffic problem (or solution).  Note, rifle in foreground just in case we come across anything feisty. 

Face painting Aboriginal style! 

Booga in all her glory.

Rocks, man.  

For some more recent evidence of Aboriginal habitation, we stopped and took a look at these 'Scar Trees'.  The long oval shape is actually a scar from where an Aboriginal would have cut out a shield for battle.  These threes aren't more than 100 years old.  Combine that with our rock carving knowledge and it blows me away to think of how long the Aboriginals have inhabited this country.  Fascinating!  Or maybe you just see rocks and trees.  You have to admit they're nice rocks and trees though. 

Its a nice lookin' shield really.

Is this heaven?  No, its Australia.

The Big Drove

Over at yet another neighboring cattle property, Dooloogarah, the owners were doing one of their biannual cattle droves (rounding them up to brand etc.). Back in the day this would have been done on horseback over a few days, but now they use quads and helicopters and get it done in one morning! It was pretty amazing to watch (from atop a stack of hay bales), only a few cheeky bulls which tried to get away!

Sorry for the bad quality...we were pretty far off as to not get run over and this is just a snapshot from a video.  Helicopter floating up there on the left droving the cattle to the pen on the lower right. 

That's about all for now, we're heading away for a few days, but some fun news should be coming soon so watch out for that!