Big Things

Australia is home to over 150 Big Things. What kind of big things? All kinds....  a  bicycle, wine bottle, pineapple, bull,  lawn mower, avocado..... and 144 others spread over the 7 states and territories with New South Wales claiming the largest number and Queensland close behind.These huge surprising sculptures sit at the side of the highway in front of corresponding establishments.  They've been built as tourist attractions, I guess, to give reason for a road trip. Now this is truly an Australian line of thinking. "Hey George, let's pile the kids in the car and drive (double digit number of hours)  to see the Big Banana."

It's  a kitchy place. Provincial, garish, laid-back,  and quaint come to mind when describing  this part of the country. Add to this leafy, serene, tropical, lush, sandy, and  forested.  Western in customs and culture, dress, social mores, and habits. The longer we stay the easier it is to forget we are half way around the world. We begin to not notice the differences in language and intonation. "How ya gowing" spills out of us as easily as natives. The newness of being here is harder to hang on to,  much as we try. So many delights and surprises those first few weeks; the joy of discovery.  We're loving  this amazing opportunity to live here... not just visit. So far away yet so much like California, sort of. If we don't open our mouth nobody even knows we're fereners.....


 Match the word to the translation:  answers below

1.jumper    2. boots       3. woolies            4. popper            5.  bubbler

 a. If he takes these off after a game or practice in the same room or in the car (gads! please no!) the smell will make your eyes water
b. fruit juice or some facsimile in a box with the little straw attached
c. the Aussie equivalent of Safeway, without the uber friendly staff
d. turn the handle and quench your thirst
e. We are donning one of these in the mornings as our house has no heat                                                                             

We're living in a sporty place. The state motto is "Getting more people active through sport and recreation." I picked up a directory of sporting clubs here on the coast and  found all the usual plus racing pigeons, orienteering, horse and pony clubs (not sure about that one) table tennis, darts, croquet, vigaro (what?)and paragliding. Heaps of choices. The set up for soccer here is quite different, and easier to navigate! The club is all centrally located...playing and practice fields, the secretary and office, uniform storage, function room for meetings/events, and changing rooms for the teams. Last weekend Eli played forward and got the first goal of the game, a header.  Yeah Eli! Spectator sports are really big too, there was a footy(rugby) game on last night and I think we were the only ones who missed it.

Recently Melissa made her first loaf of  bread. Next we're going to try pretzels and bagels, although we may not approach the nirvana quality of Los Bagels. Joan and Steve brought us a dozen and the kids immediately drooled and consumed two each. If they could only change one thing about Australia it would be to have Los Bagels. I miss Larripen dill sauce.

I'm now sporting a new 'do, and these are some chocolate lamingtons, sponge cake covered with chocolate and coconut. Almost as popular as sausage rolls and Vegemite, but you won't find either of those in my shopping trolley!! This is a photo of the Noosa river (not far from the Big Pelican) This morning at 6:30 I was a  spontaneous substitute coxswain... I managed to keep us from crashing into anything. Thank goodness!

answers:1.e; 2.a;3.c;4.b;5.d.

More to tell

Joan and Steve returned to their suite on Wunnunga Crescent here in Yaroomba last night and are on their way to Brisbane today and then to Sydney for 3 days. It's been fun to hear of their adventures north...they spent 3 days on this 1902 sailing ship in the Whitsundays snorkeling and beachcombing with  30 or so other adventurers from 'round the globe. Here's Steve with a friendly lorikeet, and their pirate ship the Solway Lass. I don't know if we are going to get a chance to hop of one of these so we're living a little vicariously through our visitors.......

Frazer Island was awesome. We were on a two day tour which was a great mix of riding on the bus, hiking,swimming, and relaxing. Kevin, our driver, was an easy going Aussie bloke. We could even understand his ramblings, stories and jokes (mostly).There were huge bumps in the 4 WD track across the 80 mile long, 10 mile wide lump of sand. We were amid rainforests, spectacular clear freshwater creeks(see above),saltwater pools, dingoes, a shipwreck, lakes, and the most absolutely stunning vivid double rainbow that made the intermittent rain SO okay. This is lake McKenzie, an aqua blue gorgeous piece of liquid, here displaying Kodak moment visuals. As a special treat for Mothers's day we said yes when a biplane pilot asked if we would like to hop aboard for a 20 min. scenic tour of the island and the coast. From the air I swear we were looking down on a broccoli forest.........


Last weekend we added a new member to our household. Tom continues to be concerned "Willy" is about to go sideways as he (she?) spends a lot of time gasping  but I hold the view that this is normal goldfish behavior. Pet ownership here has brought up again Melissa's plea for a dog,to which my answer has drifted towards "How 'bout chickens?" She is game, Eli has no comment, and Tom is NOT on board. I think the field next door could sport some chooks quite nicely and fetching fresh eggs certainly has a greater appeal  than dealing with dog doo. But to reiterate what I heard from my mom and dad about a thousand times....."we'll see."

Perhaps you have heard Australia in the news in the last few days as we have a new national hero. Jessica Watson, just turned 17, is a plucky, phenomenal teenager who just finished her solo circumnavigation of the globe in a 30  foot sailboat! She left 7 months ago and arrived in the Sydney harbour Sunday escorted in by a huge flotilla. The  PM Kevin Rudd was waiting for her, in addition to a crowd of thousands. She's still in Sydney celebrating her birthday, but soon will return home to Buderim, which is about 20 min. from here! I've never been much of a celebrity chaser but seeing her would be a bit of a thrill. Melissa, inspired  by Jessica's accomplishment, announced she was going to ride her bike to school Monday. She did, but there were more hills and it was further than she thought, so when she got home she decided enough of that, the bus works just fine thank you.

She (Melissa not Jessica) is learning to juggle in her drama class, and Eli is getting an inch taller every month it seems. He is in the water most afternoons making the best of our oceanside digs. I'm happy for him to have this time to"play" after school. I have fond memories of vacant lots, dirt, creeks, and neighborhood kids.  Many of today's kids(including mine) are driven to and fro their organized sports/lessons etc. To be able to come home from school and walk down to the beach for a surf with his mates is frosting his Aussie cupcake. 

We are enjoying the beach, a bit of gardening, the occasional fishing adventure, hiking new trails, and planning our next adventure. Since 4th of July falls on a Sunday, we're throwing a party, figuring winter in Yaroomba certainly can't be much colder than July in Arcata........more than once we have shivered  in our fleece on our deck on 11th st watching fireworks. 

Events in Bangkok have been on our radar lately. Tom's associates there have stayed safe so far but we are worried as this is much more bloodshed than has ever been seen in Thailand's recent history. We are hoping for a peaceful resolution to this crisis in the not too distant future. Tom is scheduled to fly to Bangkok in two weeks. He is completely at ease in traveling to a city with tanks in the streets but for the record I am not! 

We have missed out on some annual events already, and will miss more before the year's end, but so it goes. In place of the kinetic sculpture race, farmer's markets, and the labor day bash at the cabin, we have an indigenous festival called the dreaming ( my birthday),Fame, the musical ( Melissa's birthday), and ongoing new adventures in this beautiful, kitchy, expansive, and welcoming land down under. Keep in touch....we miss you all.

A quiz

Ah, Autumn is in the air. I haven't heard anyone call it fall maybe because there are no leaves falling, we're not in deciduous country here. The days are getting shorter and the nights cooler, might have to break out a sweater soon.

For a change of pace, I have written a little quiz. See how you go....

1. We are considering sending the kids up the road a bit to a different school for the second half of the year because
a. Since we live in the Sunshine state of Queensland and on the Sunshine coast, it seems a shame to not also have them attend Sunshine Beach High School.
b. The uniforms are snappier and we want them to ride the bus for another 30 min a day
c. It will help Eli with his goal to have 500 facebook friends by the time we leave, plus all the girls at Coolum High are now bored with his accent.
d.If we don't get a little more academic rigor going on we are afraid they will forget what homework is.

2. For a while we were considering sending Melissa to a private school but we aren't going to because:
a. She couldn't abide by the long plaid skirt, dark stockings, tie, grandma shoes, and brimmed hats
b. Eli cried and whined so much about not going to the same school as his sister, we couldn't bear his discomfort
c. I forgot to read the fine print and the reason they agreed to take her was not an altruistic desire of the school to diversify the student body but because of the exorbitant fees for international students

3. The best part of our deep sea fishing adventure last weekend was:
a. I caught the first fish, and I wasn't the only one to lose my bikkies
b. Apparently the pair of Perretts hooked a pair of parrots (fish)
c. We caught enough fish to bring the price per pound to below 10 bucks

4. While Joan and Steve were here, we saw the following animals, not pay per view:
a.   goanna, ring tail possum,  swamp wallaby, fruit bat,and koalas
b. Kangaroos, fruit bats,dingoes and cane toads
c. Echidnas, lorikeets, pelicans, and kukkaburras
d. We saw no animals, we watched T.V. all week

5. The Kingaroy Eisteddfod is
a. Thankfully not an occasion that required false eyelashes for Mel as was seen on some 6 year olds
b. Perhaps the only time a dance studio uses a chain link fence for warm ups
c. A dance competition which allowed me the opportunity to drive 6 hours for Melissa to be on stage for 2 min 45 seconds



6.This is Joan and Steve's Hippie Camper. They love it because
1. Secretly they have yearned for the opportunity to drive a colorful vehicle
2. They were relived to find out the configuration of 6 separate bolsters in the back which make up the bed actually are comfortable for sleeping
3. Everyone else who has one of these things is 25 years younger than they are,so their image is preserved



7. Joan and I went to Brisbane for the day on the train. One of the best things about it was
a. finding a place to rest so Joan could soak her aching feet in the water after traipsing about the modern art museum and the botanical gardens
b. eating in not one but two food courts.
c. watching the traffic cross the street as a mob; the cars stopped in all four directions and the entire intersection filled with humans for one minute. This was so entertaining we watched it three times.
d. getting home early enough to get in on the barbecue Steve and Tom had made for the poker
guys.

8. We had a great trip to Fraser Island but the reason I'm not writing about it this time is:
a. My camera pooped out half way through so we have to wait for Joan and Steve to swing back through to get the pictures off their camera
b. I haven't finished getting the sand out of my hair yet
c. the kids made me promise not to tell anyone how much fun it was


Tune in next week for stories of Joan and Steve's adventures in the Whitsundays, answers to the quiz, and other undisclosed rantings.........

It's May now

Notice: there are no kangaroos in this blog post, so if you were expecting more kangaroo-news, you will need to wait. The Joey at the Gym continues to show up most days but she hangs in a sling on the doorknob and passersby would never know a baby 'roo was nesting there. Kangaroos are quiet!

Melissa and I are both officially singing outside the shower. She has joined her school choir and I am now a happy chorister in "Cool Harmonies", which is the local community choir. Yvonne, the director, is a joyous and bubbly Susanne Sommers look-alike. She leads us in warm-ups such as "Pops Got a Head Like a Ping Pong Ball" sung to the tune of The William Tell Overture. We sing gospel tunes, native American and Aboriginal songs, and lots of African rhythms accompanied by Yvonne on the drum. One of the first things I noticed is that my fellow singers don't sound Australian (or 'Strain, as they call it here) when they sing! We sing at a convalescent home in a few weeks, and then at a Choral fest.

Last weekend, in addition to a rainy day marathon Monopoly game, we took in a Mooloolaba river cruise. It's what the tourists do, so we were called to task. It was a smallish, tired boat and our trip was fairly short, but we had a nice overview of this busy fishing harbour which was dotted with mega multimillion dollar mansions. I felt so sorry for those poor homeowners who had to put up with us looky-loos cruising alongside their anchored yachts. A seafood lunch was included in the price so we opted for the freshly caught prawns. Our skipper assured us if we got too messy eating them he would hang onto our ankles while we cleaned off in the river. Funny guy.

OK, so ANZAC Day (Australia's Veteran's day) was this past Monday. I figured since I'm here, I might as well go whole hog and get up for the dawn service. Our friend, who lives 30 minutes from us is an ex-pat American named Don. This made for a bit of confusion for Tom, when I woke him up during the dark pre-morning hours, telling him it was time for the Dawn service. "Don? Service? what?!???...why is Don having a service?...." was his befuddled reply. When he finally registered I was speaking of the ANZAC services, he rolled over, muttered something about it still being dark outside, and went right back to sleep....

So, I got myself to the appointed spot in town and listened to the decorated military veterans speak about remembrance of those who gave their lives in battle. At 5:30 AM there were HUNDREDS of people gathered. This is a patriotic country! Pictured to the left is a tin of the special cookies (or "bickies") for the occasion...coconut macaroons in American-ese. They commemorate this addition to the basic rations for the soldiers in Gallipoli in 1915. America has candy for every occasion but I don't recall any veteran's day or memorial day confections!

Ever heard of a cane toad? These critters are everywhere, and they are poisonous too (and some say hallucinogenic too, if you lick them!) They are an invasive species that was introduced in 1935 in an attempt to control the sugar cane beetle..but oops the toads can't jump high enough to eat them. So here in Queensland they are now huge pests. One female can lay 20,000 eggs, and dogs and other animals will die when they eat the toads. Last year the government introduced "Toad Day Out" which offered prizes for the most and biggest toads brought in. In one town alone, in the northern part of the state, they euthanized over 10,000 of them!! Apparently, locals have no compunction about the rather vicious but effective toad eradication policies. I'll just mention blow torch and you can let your imagination go wild.

My heart sings during class as I glance over and see my hubby doing his downward dog pose keeping his head in the sinta of his outstretched ahms away from his boe-dy (rhymes with Cody) and his heels pressed toward the flo. He's enjoying the class and wants to keep it up post-Australia. Rumor has it they have classes in Arcata ........YA THINK???!!!!!!

Random one liners: Joan and Steve are coming on Monday Yeah!!-----I'm doin' Zumba, are you? -----all the pop music on the radio and in stores is American!!!!

P.S. Don't forget to check out Tom's article about our stay here in the April 28th edition of The Arcata Eye. below is Eli's entry in "Australia's got talent"

Jilly the Joey at the Jym

You know you are in Australia when someone brings a Joey to the gym.  Her mother was roadkill so she is now under the guardianship of a wildlife carer who brought her in this morning. She is 6 months old, about the size of a loaf of sourdough. I thought she was much younger. When kangaroos are born they are the size of a lima bean with little back legs. Following a trail of saliva left by the mom, they crawl up to the pouch, latch on, and don't let go for 3 months. Her carer now gets up for nighttime feedings at 2 AM (I don't miss those!). Jilly, snug in her human pouch, was hung on the doorknob at reception whilst her carer ran to nowhere on the treadmill.

At the soccer field last weekend this fine specimen of our local kookaburra was posing for us. Isn't he a beauty? When you hear these guys "laugh" it is much more of a sneering, mocking call. They seem to be saying nyah, nyah, nyah. I can see why it's called a laugh but I can assure you it they are definitely laughing at you and not with you. They are quite common here on the coast but most of them are not as large as this one.

We have a holiday coming up on April 25th, ANZAC day. This is a remembrance of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp in their first military action in WWI. Labour Day is next Monday. While this is a similar holiday to what we have back to home, what is unusual about the Australian version is that it is celebrated on 4 different days throughout the country depending on where you live!  Australians celebrate about the same number of holidays as America, with some notable differences. June 14th is the Queen's Birthday and on Friday of the same week there is  a public holiday for our local *Show Day*. What is this?  From what I can decipher, it is  a week-long agricultural expo/county fair sort of event. Sounds like fun, but a public holiday? Schools, banks, and stores will all be shut.

Speaking of holidays, we were a little surprised to see what Good Friday was like around here. Everything was shut. Stores/restaurants were open on Easter but closed on Good Friday. Apparently we are in a more predominantly Christian country than America. This must be why I looked all over town at greeting card displays and found nary a bat/bar Mitsvah card. (Sorry Kayla!) There is no dilemma about naming our recent school holiday "Easter break".... It was printed all over the school literature and on signs everywhere. I'm not sure how it is handled in the cities but here in our local PUBLIC school,  a Chaplain is on board (and receives a stipend for his services) for pastoral care.  He handed out little red bibles to all the year 8 kids the same way the Rotary hands out dictionaries to 3rd graders in Arcata. Hmmm....

 Here is a photo I posted on facebook last week.. I post photos now and again, but this one received no less than 10 (ten) comments exclusively from females. Eli was totally uninterested in this fact because, of course, all my friends and family are way to old  to matter. oh well.....

Lastly,  keep an eye out for an article in the Arcata Eye that Tom submitted for their "Arcatans Elsewhere" column. Should be published in a week or so. Bye for now!

A ......... of Kangaroos

So what is a group of kangaroos called? See below for answer. This sighting was on Wilderness road in Lovedale in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. They stared at us for several minutes and as we encroached on them they bounded away. We spotted another collection of them the next day also. We've petted them a few times now in enclosed areas but my parents and niece needed to see them in the wild, a requirement for any visitor to oz.

A fabulous time was had by all on our holiday, though the kids would interject that not enough hours were spent in the water. We ran out of time, We had a lot on the list: A sunset cruise on the Noosa river where we saw hundreds of bats out for nighttime feeding. The "flat" hike to Kondalilla Falls which concluded with a 90 min wait in the parking lot as we were unable to move our car until the owners of the car behind us finally returned from their walk (luckily they were not camping) We took in the Mooloolaba beach and pier and the famous Australia zoo complete with a song and dance number by Bindi, Steve Irwin's daughter who is well on her way to fame. On to the Hunter Valley for some touring,wine tasting,and aqua golf (thank you Eli for winning that bottle of wine and meat pie!) The girls colored some eggs, and Eli got in on the action when it became apparent there were chocolate ones hidden as well. Here he is tossing Mel in the pool as McKenzie looks on, grateful it wasn't her, as the water was NOT warm.

We could have spent a week in Sydney but had just a few days. These are a few of the reasons is why it's one of the great cities of the world 1)the ferries 2)fascinating museums and art galleries 3)the opera house, and how enjoying the sheer beauty of this amazing edifice has nothing to do with opera 4)not one but two city explorer buses 5)a multicultural populace, in stark contrast to Coolum and Arcata 6)great swaths of parkland and enormous trees with a backdrop of skyscrapers 7)street performers, including a guy doing the foxtrot with a life sized doll 8)looking up often and not caring if we were tagged as tourists 9)Bondi Beach and Lebanese food 10) going out in the morning for an urban stroll to Circular Quay and Rocks (the first convict settlement) whilst my family slept 11)Cheering on the international competitors in the Sydney Triathlon Sunday morning 12)the Harbour bridge 13)4.5 million Australians, one fifth of the nation.


And the name of a collection of kangaroos is........a mob or a troop. I like troop better, don't you? And this from my mom: if you ever find yourself in the company of several giraffes, they are called a tower. It's true. Look it up!

Snakes , Chocolate, and Convicts

So about the snakes: Maybe you have heard that 20 of the 23 most poisonous snakes in the world are here in our adopted country. This fact occurred to me the other day as I was traipsing through this most gorgeous National Park called Kondalilla Falls. When in the presence of lush rainforest one does not always stare at the path so I gasped a little as a lovely brown snake slithered by in front of me.(For the rest of my hike I did considerably more staring at the ground ahead.)When I got home Google and I had an informative one-sided relationship and I was able to bring up a species list for the park,which did not mention THE brown snake, which is in fact venomous.The list was also is preceded by a disclaimer of course about this list not being necessarily complete. Further research about snakes in our area came up with the name of our local "snake catcher" should a deadly one turn up in your laundry room. Melissa saw a venomous snake on the sidewalk at school last week and apparently quite a commotion was raised. Goannas the size of infants are regularly seen as school as well. Most recently a Goanna attempted drag away a student's school bag but in the end just chewed the corner off.

Several National Parks are nearby and I have to hand in to the Australians these parks are a delight to visit. Each graffiti-less one is outfitted with a picnic area complete with flush toilets in good repair, non-potable running water, maps and information. And the walking tracks!!!(or in U.S.A. speak, trails) So lovely and well constructed and visitor friendly. Many of the beaches are patrolled, have showers and are accessible with well marked paths. And the library!! The library is open 54 hours every week!!! Yeah! Another noticeable difference is the Australians believe in public restrooms. They are just about everyplace you might think you want one. Don't get me wrong,I love America, but I'm just saying.........

Chocolate: I have recently discovered my favorite chocolate bar right here in Coloom! Here it is in a reclining pose pre-consumption. This is very exciting as far too many people around here prefer that plastic-y stuff called milk chocolate. I will refrain from further derogatory comments in case anyone out there actually likes it. Heaps of dairy milk Cadburry bars everywhere, and now in many shapes like eggs and bunnies as well. I haven't come across any egg-dying kits but in many other ways the holiday seems to be celebrated here in much the same fashion. Posted signs indicate the fish n' chips place nearby is planning a big day next Friday. We are planning to celebrate by making the short trip to the Australia Zoo to visit the ghost of Steve Irwin, the crocs, and more poisonous snakes.

Convicts: No, I haven't met any but I am reading "The Fatal Shore" the story of the founding of Australia by Robert Hughes. If you are in the mood for a brutal tale of deprivation replete with leg irons and flogging then by all means rush out immediately to get this book in your hands. For almost 100 years England *transported* more than 160,000 criminals to the distant southern continent because America wouldn't take them anymore. The First Fleet set ground in Botany Bay in 1788 with hundreds of passengers wholly unskilled to begin a colony. No doubt colonists throughout time endured enormous hardships but I believe in most other cases at least the majority of them chose to be colonists........

That's it for now. We have family arriving tomorrow, School holidays begin Thursday, and Tom will land back in Oz Friday. Thanks for staying tuned!