Long overdue

   It's been far too long since I posted an update so here's a quick overview of the last several months.


   Way back in April:

   We got married on the steps of the Bathurst Lighthouse on Rottnest Island.  You can see too many wedding photos here https://picasaweb.google.com/ken.potts1/Wedding

   Here we are hiding in a cave on the island the day after our wedding (happy couple).

   The weekend after we returned home to Queanbeyan we went up to Natfly in Temora - One of the biggest fly ins of the year.  It was a long drive but we had fun camping in the car, looking at airplanes and hanging out with some nice airplane people from the Canberra area.  This pretty tandem Flybaby was on display at the Rotec booth with 4 or 5 other radial-powered planes.

   As autumn closed in on us in May, we had a good time hiking the nearby Molonglo Gorge...

   As well as the reservoir behind the Googong Dam.

   Anthea took me to the arboretum where, among a few other plants, they were proudly displaying some North Carolina natives.

   In June we escaped the winter for a weekend camping at the coast (in our Ford Laser camper conversion).

   Hamish enjoyed the trip to Jervis Bay as much as we did (despite the windy conditions).

   He also showed that he can tolerate a kayak reasonably well.

   July brought a little home-improvement.

   The kitchen still isn't finished but at least it's part way there (yes at the moment it is in better condition than the photo shows).

   During the winter we continued our regular rehearsals with our big-ass ukulele band (the band is big, not the ukuleles).  Here's a picture of us at our first gig.

   In August I went back to NC to take care of some loose ends.  I didn't manage to get everything done but I still managed to visit family and friends some and I had the opportunity to fly up to Smith Mountain Lake, VA with my friends Chip and Alison (that's Chip in the hanger at Sanford aka Raleigh Executive Jetport).

   The Smith Mountain Lake flyin was a visit to Jack and Karen's new place (they're opening a B&B right at the airport).  That's Jack's Pietenpol Aircamper there.

   Turning onto final back in Sanford.

   Back in Canberra, September found us "training" on Lake Burley-Griffin.  We rented a canoe a few times in preparation for our upcoming float on the Murray River.  That yawl looks like a homebuilt to me, but I don't recognize the design.  We didn't get close enough to talk to the owner.

   September is the time of the Queanbeyan Swap Meet and American Car Show.  Believe it or not, those are American cars - Ford Mainlines (strange name for a car...)

   It's October now and the days are finally longer than the nights.  Soon I'll find out if Canberra has a summertime.

   Here's a pic of our band, "The Tuggeranong Ukulele Gang", returning from a gig at the coast

   I haven't got a boat or airplane project going at the moment but I'm able to make a few shavings occasionally by working on Anthea's new ukulele.

   I think I might have to start on the boat before my tools arrive.  I built my first boat with only a few tools, I should be able to make a pretty good start of this one, too.  We'll see.

Wedding Photo #1

   Yep - I'm a married man.  The wedding was as perfect as any I've been to.  Here's my favorite photo so far.  We haven't seen them all yet and we're still in Perth so I'll post more (pictures and story) once I've gotten home.

Big ol' Holiday Weekend (Part 3)

   Monday was Canberra Day so Anthea didn't have to work.  We drove down to Tidbinbilla, a nature preserve, for a walk in the bush. http://www.tidbinbilla.com.au/
   We arrived just in time for a guided walk so we slipped into line and went looking for koalas.  Within Tidbinbilla there is a large enclosure (many hectares) that is designed to keep invasive predators such as foxes and cats out.  One of the species that doesn't probably need protection from those predators is Koalas, but they have several living there.  Tidbinbilla suffered a tragic bushfire several years ago and all but one of the koalas in this region were killed, so there is an effort to re-introduce them to the area by bringing them into the enclosure.  The ranger explained that this was a very hands-off process.  They introduce a koala into a smaller enclosure within the sanctuary to make sure they can handle the local diet, and once they are acclimatized, they are released into the sanctuary.  There is no fancy tracking or study or husbandry after release, they just head into the forest and are occasionally seen by visitors like us.
   When we arrived there was a newcomer who was being acclimatized, so we were able to see a koala right off the bat.  We also saw one that was free within the sanctuary (not a guaranteed experience), but the lighting was bad so you get to see the new guy instead of the old resident.

Tidbinbilla's new koala

   As we headed off down the trail we saw movement in the brush near a creek and our ranger told us it was a swamp wallaby.  Later in the day we also saw a rock wallaby, but I didn't get a photo.

Swamp wallaby

   After all the work Anthea has done to dispell the "everything in Australia is dangerous" myth, we were given a tour through this beautiful sanctuary by a ranger who was a bit nervous about the ants at our feet (he called them "Jumpers" and they did).  Wherever he stopped, he looked down to make sure an attack was not imminent.  He explained that he'd found himself under attack on more than one occasion while trying to give a nature talk, and that it was hard to concentrate on the subject of koalas when there were 30 angry insects trying eagerly to sting you into submission.  I don't want to paint the wrong picture of the man - He was not trembling and sweating over the ants, he was just careful to look twice.  Still, It's good to know I'm not the only skeerdy-cat in the woods.

   After our guided sanctuary walk we went off to explore other parts of Tidbinbilla and as if the two new (to me) species of wallaby weren't enough I even got my first sight of wild emus.

Two of the three emus

   I also managed to get closer than ever to kangaroos...

Mom and Joey

   Big and little alike...

Joey

   Lots of kangaroos...

What a mob

   So many kangaroos...

 Even more

   And on the walk back out we naturally had a close encounter with a dreaded Brown Snake.  I got this picture and we stopped at the ranger station on the way out so we could get a positive I.D.  We were told that snake identification in Tidbinbilla is quite easy because there are only two species:  The Brown Snake and the Red-Bellied Black Snake (both are venomous, but neither is aggressive).

 Brown Snake

   After our day of back-woods fun we headed off to Canberra where we were treated to a free outdoor Jimmy Barnes concert (http://www.jimmybarnes.com/) and then the Canberra Day fireworks.

Happy Canberra Day

Big ol' Holiday Weekend (Part 2)

   Sunday was day two of the Big ol' Holiday weekend.  We had a picnic at Lake Burley-Griffin and watched the sailboats.  It was our second regatta in two days and this time most of the boats were production fibergass thingies.  I didn't take many pictures, but we did try to get a picture of Anthea's ring.  It's surprisingly difficult to photograph jewelry - In person, the ring is shiny, sparkly and smooth all at once.
   Between the big lustrous pearl and the little splashes of diamonds, Anthea has named the ring "Moon and Stars".  I like it.

Moon and Stars

   Later, after we returned home from the festivities, we watched zombie movies and I may or may not have tried to eat her brain.

Big ol' Holiday Weekend (Part 1)

   There was so much fun over the weekend that I've decided to split it into more than one post.  Monday was Canberra day so we had a 3 day weekend (actually, Anthea had a 3-day weekend - I'm still on my weekend-of-indeterminate-length pending acquisition of a visa that will allow me to work).
   Saturday we had a little too much excitement to choose from - The Queanbeyan Regatta was to take place in the afternoon and it would overlap the evening festivities at the Queanbeyan rodeo by a little bit.  We chose to head to the river for the regatta.
   Although there were a few production boats in attendance, the regatta was mostly made up of homebuilt boats.

A partial lineup on the beach

   Some of the entrants looked a little bouyancy-challenged but the majority did just fine (and a few, like the Platypus express, were quite speedy).

The Platypus Express even had a color coordinated crew

An early lead with a mad dash from the start

   Back in Durham I was an original member of TechShop http://www.techshoprdu.com/ - I joined before they even opened and I helped build the original facilities, so I was intrigued by the regatta entry for the "Queanbeyan Men's Shed" - The name sounded to me like the Australian translation of "TechShop".  After the regatta I looked them up and I saw an article in the local paper that was intriguing - The article was just an announcement that the Men's Shed was changing locations, but the following sentence invites further investigation... "The organisation, which helps men with issues of isolation, loneliness and depression, had outgrown its location, causing occupational health and safety issues and noise complaints from neighbours due to the operation of power tools."

   If it's more power tools than isolation issues it might just be my kind of place - The flotation in the QMS boat seemed to be 100% beer kegs, so I guess it could be either way...

Queanbeyan Men's Shed (precision paddling team)

   In the background of the above photo you'll see one of the safety boats run by the Queanbeyan branch of the New South Wales State Emergency Serices (http://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/) which is a volunteer organization that assists the public in the event of emergencies (or regattas, apparently).  Anthea and I have been talking about joining as soon as possible, but the SES folks that we talked to at the regatta said we missed the training cycle by two weeks and we'll have to wait until the next recruitment period in six months.  We'll find something else to do with our Monday evenings until then.

Breakfast in Fiji

Thursday, Hour Zero - I Awoke at 5:00am after quite a late night packing and made it out the door a little late (6:00). My friend John was kind enough to drive me to the airport even though I would miss his birthday the following day (Happy Birthday John!) - And by miss, I mean March 4 would be the day that would be surrendered to the International Date Line somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.

John sampling Mickey's Quokka Pale Ale at my going away party

Hour 2.25 - My first Delta flight left RDU for Atlanta on time and I had a nice time talking to an Australian who was headed home (to Mississippi) after a business trip to the Triangle. I don't recall whether he moved to the US and then started a family or the other way around but he seems to have become pretty settled in Mississippi. When I told him I'm getting married on Rottnest Island his face lit up and he shared some stories of mis-spent youth taking the train to the coast and the ferry to the island. Upon arrival in Atlanta I headed directly for the next plane (which was already almost fully loaded when I got there).

Hour 4.5 - Began my uneventful second Delta flight to LAX.

Hour 9.75 - Arrived at LAX on time and hiked from the domestic terminal to the international terminal in order to switch airlines and countries. Later in the day (about 5:00pm local?) I ran into another Australian and we had a good time drinking in one of the airport bars. He said he was moving here to be with his girl in far Northern California (is this some kind of epidemic?) and I told him I was going to Canberra to see mine. He was even more enthusiastic about a Rottnest Island wedding than the first guy was.

Hour 19.5 - My first of two Air Pacific flights departed on time. Not much to say about that flight. I tried to sleep. I did sleep. I woke up. I tried to sleep again. Etc.

Hour 31.25 - Arrived in Nadi (Pronounced Nandy) Fiji and exited the airplane to the sound of live island music (Three voices, two Ukeleles, and a guitar if I remember correctly) in the wee pre-dawn hours of the morning. (Here's somebody else's video www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMubeDVpSCk&feature=related ) I left the arrivals area, went through security and entered the departure side of the building. I bet there haven't been many shorter vacations in Fiji than mine. Technically I never even entered the country. Next time I find myself in that particular spot (just past the singers) I intend to turn right instead of left.

My only glimpse of Fiji

Once the shops opened I exchanged some cash for Fijian dollars and bought some breakfast. Bacon and eggs with toast and a Fiji Bitter (woo hoo!)

Nadi Breakfast

Hour 35 - The second of my air pacific flights left on time at 9am with me rejoicing at the empty seat next to mine. I would have a few precious hours without worrying about someone else's elbow. The extra room made up somewhat for the shrieks of the children on either side of me who were trying to outdo each other on sheer volume over the next several hours. Fortunately they didn't manage to break any windows.

Hour 39.5 - After a loud but otherwise uneventful flight we landed in Sydney and I cleared through customs with my mostly intact luggage. I met up with Anthea in the arrival area and we took a cab to our lunch date. I was thankful that I was able to steer us toward the best-lit table because that's where she finally got to see her ring. She likes her ring :)

Hour 43 - We got on the Canberra-bound bus and I punctuated our conversation during the trip with my best impression of a narcoleptic. The ride to Canberra went well and we collected the car and headed to Queanbeyan.

Some time around Hour 47 (8pm) we arrived home.

The stairs go to the house.  The roll-up door is the airplane factory

The view from our balcony

Garryowen Park, up the hill from the house

Last post in the U.S.

Too much to do (freaking out a little) - Sorry. See you in Australia in a few weeks.