The Rest of the Photo's

"The Birds"

1. Lorakeet
2. Yellow Eyed Bird
3. Blue Wren
4. Three Cockatoo's who accosted me.
5. Spiked Head Dude
6. Cockatoo Gang Leader


With Jim gone, I thought I would see if I could capture photos of the magnificent flowers and birds… and I had this bizarre experience…

I got up early on Saturday and put the Macro lens on my Nikon. I wanted to capture some of the lovely flowers and was hoping to get a big, black hairy spider. I suppose I looked rather strange lurking around the edges of the building probing the cracks and crevices. Thankfully ANU is the Harvard/MIT of Australia and the students are used to much stranger behaviors and no one seemed to notice me.

I was photographing the water lilies when a white/yellow Cockatoo landed not far from me AND POSED FOR A PICTURE. He put his little foot forward and then demonstrated his yellow headdress as is to say, “What do you think of that, Babe?”. Rats! I had the macro lens on the camera. I could do nothing but admire him.

I spent the rest of Saturday shopping at the mall. I found the most marvelous possum scarf… great Christmas presents...

Sunday morning rolled around and I put the telephoto lens on the camera. This lens is about 10 inches long and allows me to take the long distance bird pictures you see posted here. It is 8am and I am armed only with the camera with a telephoto lens and hope that I will see another Cockatoo…. I decided to sit quietly at the picnic table at the Graduate Student Office (closed for the weekend) and see what birds will drop by. In the first hour, I got the pictures of the little blue wren, the funky dude with the cool hairdo (I wonder how he gets it all pointy like that each morning), the yellow eyed bird when my phone rang.

Just as I hung up, I heard the swooping of the large wings as a Cockatoo landed on the tree. I snapped a bunch of great photos. Then his friends began to land. SIX Cockatoo’s in the tree right next to me. I am giddy. I am armed with a telephoto lens: CLICK, CLICK, CLICK…

Then things got a little peculiar… Three of them simultaneously decided to come closer.

Two landed on the picnic table and one landed on the ground near my feet. Up close these guys are about 14” tall with a 2” beak.

I wouldn’t say they were tentative in their advances. The first one marched (not hopping, but stomping) forward with great self-confidence. His beak was at my eye level and I can’t even take a picture. He is way too close. The second one landed on the bench across from my knees. The third one was rapidly advancing near my feet but I could only keep track of two of them. I was more worried about the Cockatoo beak at eye level because this bird wants something and NOW! Just about that time, I feel the one at my feet grab my shoe and give it a hard shake. He actually has one foot on my shoe and a firm hold with his beak and he is shaking as if to pull off my shoe.

I look quickly down at him and then up at the Cockatoo at eye level who is reaching out, open beaked for my elbow. Three of them are on me like a pack of dingos on a three legged wombat….Jimmmmmmmmmmm!!!

OK. They have my full attention, so I am on my feet at this point moving away from them and the other three fly down from the tree and land facing me. I have six cockatoos after me! No embellishment here folks. I tried to take a picture of all six of them (as I was running away) but they were so close that the lens could not focus! See photo above with four of them in one frame.

A very tiny Asian woman came by the sidewalk at that point and gave me a pitied look as if to say, “Another tourist bites the dust. It’s a tragic bird pecking” – she hurried by. Apparently someone who looks a lot like me (at the Graduate Student Office) must be hand feeding these birds – just wait until I find that person on Monday… “annoyed, sightless tourist clouts cordial old Ms. Shillingsworth, known to the locals as the Cockatoo lady of ANU”.

October 20th - Jim returns to the USA

Photos:
1. Lara dressed for work. She remains behind for a few days to finish up her project.
2. Telstra Tower from the other side of the Lake


For Jim’s last night in Australia, we went to dinner at the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain overlooking Canberra. This tower has a rotating restaurant (1 full rotation every 90 minutes). The locals affectionately (?) refer to the tower as the “Hypodermic on the Hill.” From the photo, you can see why.

The slow movement of the world around us made Lara a little queasy but she still managed to make her way through the rack of lamb without incident.

This has been a wonderful trip to a truly fantastic country. We somehow managed to avoid all of the “horrible ways to die down under” and came away with a fervent desire to come back when we can spend more time exploring all that Australia has to offer.

It has been a little embarrassing to realize how little we know about Australia. While it may be a small country, it is one of the seven continents on this planet and we really do not pay any attention to it. We hope to remedy that so when we come back we’ll be better “ambassadors” for our own country.

Headscratcher of the Day Number1. While watching the news this morning, the reporter was discussing the government’s response to some riots last summer at a beach and she described the response as “shambolic.” I’m not sure what that is, but it certainly doesn’t sound very good!
Headscratcher of the Day Number 2: Jim's flight leaves Sydney 1:45pm on Friday. After nearly 14 hours of travel he arrives before he left at 10:10am on Friday in LA! Whoa Dude, how does that work???

The Sydney Zoo

Photos:
1. Sydney Opera House
2. Sydney Harbor
3. Two frantically active Koalas.
4. Mom and Baby Koala
5. Freshwater Croc
6. Lara with a Two Headed Lizard
7. Wallaby
8. Lara with our guide, Wendy
9. Lara and the Big Merino

Ron picked us up at 0730 on Sunday morning and took us on a car tour of more of Sydney. We landed at a charming restaurant (Zigolini’s) for breakfast. Meanwhile, the weather had changed dramatically with a 40° temperature drop and drizzly, overcast skies and rain showers. We were thrilled because we knew that this would reduce the crowds at our next destination: the Zoo!

We said good bye to Ron (with requests that he let us reciprocate his hospitality when he visits Phoenix next month). After just one wrong turn and managing to stay on the unnatural side of the road the entire time, we showed up at Taronga Zoo.

Since it was still threatening to rain, we bought those incredibly ugly “trash bag” ponchos and went to the “I” (for Information) booth to make a plan for our very limited time at the Zoo. The Information Booth was manned by Ian (who made a point that the “I” stood for “Ian”). Throughout the day, he apparently moved around to various Information Booths in the zoo and every time he saw us, he would point to the “I” and grin. It began to get a little creepy…

We also saw him at a “touch” booth with a bunch of VERY old stuffed animals from some defunct museum. These horrible examples of taxidermy were available for children to touch and get a feel for the various animals. They looked liked THOUSANDS of children had taken advantage of this opportunity (either that or the moths had been VERY busy). We passed….

At Ian’s recommendation, we hired a personal tour guide, Wendy (a 10 year veteran) to help us make the most of our visit. We had a great time with her showing us around the zoo with an emphasis on the distinctly Australian wildlife. Every time we spotted an animal, she would exclaim, “Good Show” or “Oh, Good Job”. It was so much fun and we felt so competent at finding the animals. This really added to the enjoyment of the tour! She had a great recommendation for an African safari (www.abercrombiekent.com) and we began planning our next adventure….

We only visited the Australian side of the Zoo which included Koala’s. Jim spotted a baby Koala wrapped up in its mothers arms (“Oh, Good Job, Jim”) and we were rewarded with a few shots in the fleeting moments of movement – a shifting of sleeping positions. The Koala’s were fun. They are so cute it is hard to remember that they will also rip you to shreds. We finally saw a Taipan snake - Number 3 most deadly snake in the world and a Death Adder (which doesn’t look a thing like a Lizard). A highlight for Lara was the spotting of a Duck Billed platypus (“Oh, Good Show, Lara!”). They are much smaller and active than we expected. True to Australian form, this animal also has a poisonous barb.

We saw “Ian” again at a “taste” booth with a bunch of bowls of prepared animal and bird foods. Wendy highly recommended the small bird nectar, offering us a taste. Let’s just say that Jim passed on the opportunity and I think Ian was heard to say to Lara, “You’ll want to leave something for the animals.”

At the Wallaby Paddock (Wallaby’s are basically dwarf kangaroos), there is a path through the enclosure that depends on the honor system for visitors to stay on the path. Lara asked if there were “guards” to keep kids, etc. from dashing around and bothering the Wallaby’s. Wendy looked puzzled and stated that it wasn’t really a problem. Then she brightened and said, “There was that time when an entire family apparently couldn’t read the signs and set up their picnic blanket on one of the open spaces in the middle of the bedding areas.”

We had a great time at the Zoo. There is a subtle difference between this zoo and zoos we have been to in America. The entire atmosphere is much less commercial and has no flavor of a circus “side show.” It is all obviously geared toward ecological stewardship and preservation of these unique species.

Still on the hunt for “Devonshire Tea, Scones and Cream,” we headed to Berrima (on the recommendation of Ron) and the Loft Restaurant. We were rewarded with Real Leaf Tea (instead of bags), scones with cream, and a slice of absolutely perfect crab quiche.

Berrima is in the wine country south of Sydney and has a lovely downtown with several intriguing shops. We “visited” with several of the shop keepers. The drought and global warming and other environmental concerns are VERY important to a majority of the Aussies we have met. There seems to be a real sense of concern and a desire for good stewardship of the environment among the average Aussie.

On our continued way back to Canberra, we spotted a sign for “The Big Merino” in Goulburn. When we had read the Bill Bryson book on Australia, he had mentioned the Australian penchant for large, concrete “sculptures” with shops inside. It was apparently started with a “Big Banana” (with a café and gift shop inside) and includes a Big Lobster, a Big Bull, a Big Koala, a Big Oyster, a Big Lawnmower, a Big Marlin, a Big Orange, and (wait for it) a Big Merino. A Merino is a type of Sheep that produces Merino wool: very soft and luxurious wool. To quote the always eloquent Mr. Bryson, these “sculptures” are scattered around the continent “like leftover props from a 1950’s horror movie”. So when we saw the sign, we had to stop. I’ll say this for it…it’s BIG. After browsing the gift shop, we found nothing that we absolutely had to have.

While driving, we have only seen a couple of live kangaroos. On the other hand, there are ENORMOUS numbers of dead ‘roos, wombats, etc. scattered along the road. It makes you very nervous as dusk approaches. Considering that there are 4 or 5 kangaroos for every man, woman, and child on this continent, it’s not like they are endangered. The locals just shrug and add “Roo Bars” (massive steel bumpers) to the front of their cars. However, there are signs everywhere with a phone number to call if you manage to only injure the poor critters and someone will come to their rescue.

Headscratcher of the Day. While standing in front of the Dingo paddock in the zoo, Wendy mentioned that the Dingo’s originally were introduced to Australia by Asian fisherman some 4000 years ago. The Dingo was cross bred with European dog breeds to create the familiar cattle dogs. In some of the colder climates of Australia, the ranchers would allow these dogs to warm up their beds. You can still hear rural Australians refer to a particularly cold night as a “Two Dog Night.”

Sydney man bitten five times by a Death Adder….

This was the opening story on Friday’s news. Apparently, some bloke picked up a Death Adder (number 9 on the worlds most deadly snakes listing) in a park just north of Sydney on Friday. The victim reportedly stated that he “thought it was a lizard”. It bit him five times. This 47 year old man went into cardiac arrest before the paramedics arrived to revive and cart him away for multiple ampoules of antivenin.

Jim’s comment: “After that “lizard” bit me the first three times, I would have taken it out of my pocket!” The reporters certainly didn’t seem to think this “misfortune” was any particular tragedy for the world at large….To directly quote the TV reporter, “What the h%$# was he thinking?”

In related news, did you know that Australia has the highest number of Olympic medal winners as a percentage of the population? It is a newly formed York theory that this caused by two factors:

First, the need to be able to react quickly and run swiftly from the many things that want to eat or harm the average Australian.

Second, a Darwinian removal of the slow, clumsy, and generally less than bright members of the population. (Hmmm…I wonder if that 47 year old Sydney man had children yet…)

Our conclusion: If you are not a reasonably intelligent, Olympic-class athlete, then your chances of reaching adulthood in Australia are somewhat diminished.

Sydney at last!

We were to meet Ron Smart (our friend Julie’s dad) at his sailboat at noon on Saturday so we had a leisurely three hour drive from Canberra to Sydney. Jim only went the wrong way on the street one time on this trip!

Lara’s Comment: It is still startling to take a glance at what I think should be the driver of the other car only to see that person completely asleep or clipping their toenails or taking a full two arm over the head stretch. I gasp, choke back my own scream then realize, “Oh Yeah; it’s the other person in the front seat who is the driver!” It’s been four weeks and I am still caught off guard at least once a weekend. It is for this reason that Jim is doing the driving!

The weather had taken a dramatic shift and it was 100°F in Sydney! We changed from gloves and a jacket to shorts for the first time in weeks. When we found Ron at the marina, his first words were, “You must be Jim and Lara. You walk like Americans!” We never found out what that meant exactly because we were immediately captivated by this interesting man. He has been active in the world of music for many years (in this case “world of music” literally means music in all corners of the world). He is full of fascinating stories of his travels and concerts.

A friend of Ron’s (Neils) joined us. He is an architect with an impressive sailing resume. We set sail from a mooring on “Fire N’ Ice”, Ron’s 24’ sailboat into THE Sydney Harbor. When we came out of the marina and saw the Harbor open up before us with the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge and the hundreds of colorful sailboats, we looked at each other and grinned. Lara exclaimed, “Can you believe where we are at this moment and what we are doing? This is so cool.”

The winds were a bit fluky so we had to tack back and forth to make it to the “Heads” (the entrance to the harbor).

Literally hundreds of sailboats from various clubs were racing amongst the hundreds of other boats just out having a nice afternoon. Jim was impressed with the politeness of that many people in close quarters. Sailors tended to give way with a polite wave and a hearty “No worries!”

Ron and Neils were excellent tour guides with a running commentary on the history of Sydney and the Harbor. Ron graciously allowed Jim to man the helm for much of the trip out. This sailing trip was a highlight of our trip to Sydney.

That afternoon, we had tea and biscuits at Ron’s cool, three storied Sydney home. These harbor-side neighborhoods have their houses perched precariously on the hillsides - reminiscent of San Francisco.

Ron and Neils directed us to an excellent Thai restaurant (We could tell it was excellent because the name of the restaurant was “Thai Excellence” – truth in advertising!). Ron told us to “Just ask for the foil wrapped seafood. It’s not on the menu but they’ll know what you mean.” This was another in an unbroken string of wonderful Australian dining experiences.

Headscratcher of the Day – When discussing urban renewal over tea with Neils and Ron (what better way to spend an afternoon?), we all agreed that well planned urban renewal can be wonderfully revitalizing to a city. At that point, Neils mentioned that “When it’s done meanly, it can be dreadful.” It took us a minute to figure out that “meanly” didn’t imply malicious intent. In that context, it suggests a careless, penny-pinching approach. Not a lot to argue with there…

I killed three spiders....

I have killed three spiders this past week. Just as we were getting comfortable, the creepy crawlies came out.

From my Frommer’s Guide: Spiders are common all over Australia, with the funnel web spider being the most aggressive. Funnel web spiders live in holes in the ground and stand on their back legs when they are about to attack (I am feeling faint…seeing black spots…gotta stop reading…). Red-backs have a habit of resting under toilet seats (I think I can hold it for 15 more days) and in car trunks (who needs luggage anyway?).

The first spider was about 1.0 Australian cm in circumference (Austalian centimeters are actually about 1.5 times as big as American centimeters). He was black and hairy and had lots of attitude as he strolled out from under the couch. The “bad” spiders have “fiddles” on their backs. Yea Right! Like I am going to find my reading glasses, stoop over and take a good look at his back. By the time I get close enough, he will be standing up on his back legs with his other six arms reaching out for me. (I think I am going to throw up). Rather than trying to see if he had “fiddles,” I just stood back and threw things at him until he was dead (note to self – must buy a new microwave).

The second one was on the kitchen floor (a relative of the first as it was black and hairy too). I squished it with a tissue and it BUZZZZZZED in my hand. I screamed and threw the tissue in the air – jumping back in an agile and deft manner! The author would like to highlight that Jim York barely even looked up from his book (Jim’s note: Any spider that vibrates as a part of its death gasp does not need another victim. Besides, it’s not the spider you can see that you worry about.). The third one was much smaller and brown and I flicked it off of Jim’s shoulder. Eeewwww…. (Jim: You will note my calm lack of agile leaping or girlish screams.)

On a more comforting note; let’s talk about food. Jim and I love to grocery shop. (Did you know that about us?). We like to walk up and down each aisle, carefully examining the items, putting a few special things in our basket. Perhaps, for Jim, it’s the thrill of the hunt… (Jim’s comment: Shopping is NEVER like hunting but it’s as close as Lara is likely to get so I put up with it.)

Grocery shopping in Australia has been particularly satisfying as it is a step back in time with a whole cast of characters providing services behind shiny, glass shelved, splendiferous, food-filled counters. There is Sam the Butcher, Alice the Baker, Joseph the Seafood Seller, Max the Deli shopkeeper, Seth the Poultry Merchant and the Fruit/Vegetable stand (see photos). Each appears to be its own separate entity with a neon sign and uniforms.

We have concluded that Australians like uniforms.

Middle aged men wearing knee high socks with shorts, ladies at the races in their dresses, pointy toed shoes and high hats, men at the races in their suits and dark hats, the University gentleman on a bike wearing a gold corduroy jacket with one pant leg stuffed into his black sock and sporting a bike helmet, the elderly lady in downtown Canberra wearing her “I love Lucy” dress with a gold lapel brooch and sporting black lace up shoes, the gardener in his Paul Hogan outback outfit (he also wears the black socks with his shorts). I have to say that their teens look just like our teens – possibly thinner and a little more wholesome.

Aussies seem to like their back up systems. This is probably related to the fact that death is waiting for them at every turn (reptiles, mammals, arachnids, unfenced cliffs, spiny sea creatures and the unforgiving “bush”). I guess having a “Plan B” approach to life is necessary for simple survival.

Every light control and every plug has its very own on and off switch. Is this a safety feature so you can stick a fork in the plug and then have to intentionally turn it on to hurt yourself? Then there is the design feature that every public and private bathroom has a drain right in the middle of the room. Jim thinks this is so people can still go potty when they have had a few too many “schooners” (if you can’t even hit the floor, you’ve got problems). Even the toilets have two flushing mechanisms. Being too modest (OK that’s a stretch) to ask about this feature, Jim and I think we have it figured out: One button for “Number 1” and the other button for “Number 2”. These buttons even have brail bumps on them (so you can select the right one in the dark?). We think the “number 2” button involves a masticator (look that word up). I suspect that we could ask since the Australians are generally…well…blunt. However, that would probably be an admission of persistent improper flushing technique.

On being blunt, we have noticed two notable examples. The first is their government-required warning statement on cigarettes. They simply state “Smoking will cause a slow, painful death.” Not a lot of empathy there. None of this “we really care for your well-being,” Surgeon General, authority figure approach.

The second example involves the road signs to Canberra. When one is outside of Canberra, the road signs simply point to the City. “The City: 80 Km” with an arrow. I guess there is only one city that could possibly be in that direction, so it’s sufficient.

There are only about 7 widely separated cities in the whole, entire continent (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Cairns, Perth and Darwin), I guess it is pretty straight forward and efficient to just print up a bunch of signs that just say “The City is That Way”. Everything else is just red dust and bramble bushes with squatters. If you can’t figure that out, you don’t deserve to be on the road.

Headscratchers:

Prime Minister John Howard has been voted into office so many times that he has been the administrative figurehead for 16 straight years. I guess they decided that it really doesn’t matter who’s in charge as there are so many other more important things to worry about (like the fact that every time you set your feet on the floor something is likely to crawl out, stand on its back two feet and sink its teeth into your ankle).

Sign Observed in Cooma: Ski/snowboard hire and dental clinic. (Is this “one stop shopping” for the extreme sportsman?)

Horse racing and the Australian Alps

Photos:
1. Winning at the races!
2. Graeme and Jillian
3. The Grazings Restaurant in the Royal Hotel, Gundaroo
4. Lake Jindabyne
5. Lara at Charlotte's Pass
6. Mount Kosciuszko
7. Lara amonst the Snow Gums
8. The Australian Alps
9. Kangaroos massing behind Jim
10. Sunset on a great weekend!

On Saturday, after a few hours of (early Australian time) work, we walked downtown to a pancake house where Lara indulged her craving for strawberry crepes and Jim satisfied his craving for a real newspaper! (Note: The equivalents of two “Grand Slam Breakfasts” set us back: $41 Australian $28 US.)

Since it was still early (9am), we decided to walk off the calories with a stroll along a new route of Lake Burley Griffin. About 4 miles into the “stroll,” getting concerned as we were seeing fewer and fewer “strollers/hikers/runners”, we hailed bikers and discovered that we were only about a third of the way back to any known civilization! Would we be the first tourists to die a horrible death just getting lost around Burley Griffin? We stopped at the Canberra Yacht Club to get some water and to watch the crew races (teams of 30 in long, skinny canoes with oriental dragon heads on the front and much yelling– go figure?). However, we discovered that the Yacht Club is a “Members Only” establishment. Undeterred (and fearing an ugly death by dehydration or, worse, a miserable hour walking with a grumpy, thirsty Lara), Jim struck up a conversation with a gentleman who was working on his sailboat. In no time Jim was this bloke’s best friend and (more importantly) “guest”. Soon, the two of them emerged from the club: The gentleman toting a schooner of beer and Jim with the two bottled waters. Ah, gotta love the Aussies! We are saved from yet another opportunity to die in Australia!

We finally arrived home after our 3 hour stroll and changed into our Race Day Clothes. We had been warned that the races are a dress up affair. The ladies wear fancy hats, dresses and some men may be in top hats and tails!

Graeme (one of Lara’s clients) had suggested we meet them there on Saturday afternoon. Graeme found us straight away (I think we were standing in the “bookie” section where he was placing his bets) with the following greeting in his thick Scottish accent, “Ken A offer ye a beer?”

With a few “borrowed” members badges we joined Graeme’s friends and family in the members section of the racing club where we were introduced us to his wife, Jillian. See the photos. Since we had our camera and were looking a bit like “tourists,” Graeme suggested we “tak a photae o ma wifie” who was cashing in her winnings. We looked a little puzzled until he loudly informed us in his Scottish accent that a photo of Jillian actually winning money was a truly unique event!

We carefully listened to Graeme’s betting “system” (since he used to own 1/112th of a race horse): “Dae nae wad on the naig that is sweity and fleyed afore the breel” (Translation: Don’t bet on the horse that’s sweaty and spooky before the race.). We then headed off to find a bookie (who was sweaty and spooky) where we began making huge wagers ($5AUS!). In actual practice, it seemed that Graeme’s system mostly consisted of random wagers followed by yelling “Run, ya donkey!” (he sounded a bit like Shrek to us which kept Lara at a slight giggle most of the race).

Graeme and Jillian left early as they had to meet their mates to throw a few fish on the Barbie.

As we came up to the last race of the day, we were still $6 up and Lara wanted to take our winnings and skip away triumphantly. Jim was busily examining the horses and noticed one with “fire in his eye” and a teeny, tiny jockey! Over Lara’s slight protests, he placed his bet and we cheered the horse to a 4 length going away win, ending up the day $26 richer and Jim got to gloat all the way to dinner!

That evening, we had reservations at The Grazings in Gundaroo (as recommended by Julie Morelocks “mum”). It turned out that Jillian/Graeme’s best mate is the manager at Grazings and they had called to tell her to “take good care of us!” I’m beginning to think that Australia is small enough that everyone knows everyone else!

Gundaroo is a tiny little farming town jut north of the city. We walked around the dusty main street (5 or 6 buildings) and found a historic plank building that was left open so we let ourselves in. The interior was sealed with old newspapers and we saw one section with newspapers from January 1857! We got to the restaurant early and found a delightful anteroom to the restaurant where we could play a quick game of Scrabble. Continuing his “best day ever,” Jim won by a single point! Jillian’s friend (Beth) and our waitress (Stephanie) provided great conservation and insights into Australian life.

We managed to make it back without hitting any kangaroos (however we ate one as an “entrée” – tastes like chicken….) getting home much past our usual 9:00pm bedtime.

On Sunday, we got up at a leisurely 8am to head to the Australian Alps for sightseeing and trout fishing. We drove up into the clouds at Charlotte’s Pass near the base of Mount Kosciuszko (the tallest “mountain” in Australia at 7313’).

There was a cool walk among the “Snow Gums” which are the higher altitude version of the eucalyptus trees all twisted and gnarly as a result of the cold winds and snow.

The scenery was strikingly different from anything we had seen so far and well worth the trip and $16 AUD fee for the park entrance.

We had an interesting lunch where we found that a “Burger with the Works” involves a small hamburger pattie (or at least we thought it was hamburger…) and a combination of Canadian style bacon, pineapple, beets, lettuce, onions, cheese, and a few other “dodgy bits”. It was surprisingly tasty!

Then we met up with our fishing guide. As usual (for Jim), the guide started the conversation by saying “You should have been here yesterday!” Apparently, it was a great fishing day on Saturday but today a cold front had just moved in (temperatures in the low 40’s with high winds!) and the fish were not biting. Jim still had a great time and Lara got a good photo of kangaroos trying to figure out how to cross the river with Jim in the way.

There were large wombat holes all around the river – big and deep enough for a tourist to fall into and never, ever be seen again (Ah Ha! Another way to die in Australia). As near as we can tell, a wombat is like a huge gopher. I would hate to find these things in my yard. Bravely, we looked in every hole but (thankfully?) we never saw one. Oh well….

On the way out and back, we stopped at the McCafe (a coffee shop add-on to the standard McDonalds). We felt guilty, but the tea and coffee were good!

All in all, another great weekend!

Cultural Samplings

Photos:
1. The cultural "catalog" Lara found
2. Death Cap Mushroom warning sign
3 & 4. Walk around Lake Burley Griffin

A couple of nights ago we attended a play at the ANU Theatre. In the Lobby, Lara found a Spring Calendar of Events for Canberra (it’s Spring here).

The following are direct clips from this 24 page color brochure. You can’t make this stuff up (although we might have added a few parenthetical comments!)

Calendar of Events – Canberra (October to December 2006)

80 Years of Action!: This exhibition celebrates the 80th year of public transportation in Canberra. It showcases a selection of material from the Retired Transportation Employees Club Collection, showing such favourites as bus drivers’ uniforms, schedules, maps and tickets. (Defibrillators will be on hand for those overcome by the excitement!)

400 Years of Dutch Lace: Celebrate the 400th anniversary of a Dutch ship landing on a unknown land south of Java by joining Victoria van Strik and Petronella Wensing as they discuss the lace that was being made in Holland when that ship landed. (This sounds like a doctoral thesis gone horribly awry.)

Assembling an Archaeological Collection: Mary Clare Kelly discusses the Weston Storage Facility’s unique artifacts. Bar Opens at 5:30pm. Bookings are essential. (The essential bookings are to ensure your place at the bar as you see if any of your missing stuff made the cut!)

Naidoc Week Event: Norman Shillingsworth, didgeridoo musician extraordinaire, performs in celebration of Naidoc Week. His performance is augmented with selected dance movements. (OK so I am envisioning a guy playing a didgeridoo whilst prancing frenetically around a stage. I AM actually sorry we missed this one!)

Director’s Talk: Director of the Nolan Gallery, Peter Haynes, delivers an inspiring talk on the exhibition illuminations followed by refreshments in the courtyard. (Is this followed by a stimulating presentation on paint drying?)

Hedges and Edges: Good-looking hedges and neat, crisp edges are critical to the appearance of your garden. Graham Williams will reveal his trade secrets about how to make these time consuming garden tasks easier. (Does the term “give a rat’s patootie” come to anyone else’s mind?)

Is there Sci in this Fi?: Join science fiction author Maxine McArthur and Robbie Matthews, editor in chief of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and Peter Barrett of the Canberra Skeptics as they discuss whether its important to get the science right in sci fi. Bar open from 5;30 pm (Because when you blow 0.28, who really cares about the “science” in science fiction?)

The Art and Science of Weather Prediction: Come along to Mugga Mugga to learn about old methods, and new, of weather forecasting. (It’s all still guessing. Where is the open bar when you really need it?)

I think Lara’s gales of laughter while reading it and waiting for the curtain to go up may have offended more than a few members of the cultural elite in Canberra!

After staying up late for the theatre (Aussies doing British accents – utterly incomprehensible to a couple of Yanks!), we slept in on Saturday (all the way to 6:15am). Then it was off to a pancake house we had discovered for a traditional Aussie breakfast and a 3 hour hike around Lake Burley Griffin. Very pretty and quiet.

Now it’s off to the horse races!

Head Scratcher: The photo above highlights another way to die in Australia. Our confusion was based on the part about not being sure if you had eaten the dreaded “Death Cap Mushroom.” How do you eat something without knowing about it? Is this an accidental byproduct of generalized grazing in the park? Wouldn’t the feverish chills and convulsions and vomiting be a pretty good clue?