Zazzle You!!

Wonderful night's sleep last night...NOT!  But now that I am up and starting to move around it's time to start getting in gear and explore what's out there for my next chapter in life...time to look for the blessings hidden in the outcome of yesterday.

Now that I have a bit of spare time I'm hoping that I might 'zazzle' some of you...well okay...all of you out there with my newest venture I just started days ago.  Kind of ironic that I would venture into marketing some of my photographic art but that's just what I have done.  So...if you'd like to be 'zazzled' head over to my store 'Stuffed Monkey' located on http://www.zazzle.com/ for a look at one of kind items you wouldn't find in a retail store.  If you're into unique and individualism I'll see you at Stuffed Monkey!

Here's a link to Stuffed Monkey for your convenience getting there:  http://www.zazzle.com/stuffedmonkey 

Now...until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

Paying Some Dues...Again

"Mistakes are part of the dues one pays for a full life."

~Sophia Loren~

I posted this quote earlier today on Face Book not knowing how close to the heart it would become in no more than a 30 minute span.

The past 6 months I've been contracting at a large company here in the Twin Cities and had just completed a project that lasted 5 long and sometimes horrendous weeks.  There were more than my share of bumps and bruises in those 5 weeks but not to the point where I expected the end result would not only be the completion of the project but also the end of my contract.

Almost 3 years to the day I find myself once again facing the holidays unemployed with many emotions swirling in my foggy brain.  It used to be when you heard the phrase 'tis the season' it would conjur up childhood memories.  Now, when I hear that 7 out of 10 times I find myself thinking of who got laid off or are there upcoming layoffs.

Sure didn't expect this today and I guess I will need to do some regrouping (again).  Wish mom was here but, even though she isn't I can hear what her words would have been to me as plain as day.

"Gute, things will get better."

So with some blind faith here I'm going to believe that they will and that the upcoming season is about friends and family and holiday memories.

Until next time, wherever this may find you, have a great day!! 

"The greatest glory in living does lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail."

~Nelson Mandela~

Who'da Thunk It!!

It's November 3rd and no snow yet here in 'Minnesnowta' as my Aussie friends like to call my adopted home state.  I have yet to see a snow flake this fall so far but rest assured it'll happen sooner or later...later preferably but I've no influence on the weather. 

Even though we haven't gotten any snow here where I live unbelievably Hawaii has beaten us here in the Twin Cities and the first snowfall of their season has hit the Hawaiian Islands...more specifically up at the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's big island.  Sure the snows were at 13,000 feet + but even so...who'da thunk it that Hawaii would have snow before us? 

hhmmm...wonder what my nephew in the Air Force stationed in Hawaii thought about that?? 

Anyways...until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

PS...thought I'd post a pic of me at around 3-4 years old on God only knows what brand lawn mower that was but I actually do remember riding with dad on it as a little girl and just loving it!!  Dang...the world was sooo small back then!!

Tam around 3-4 years of age.

Still Hanging on to Fall

While Denver is digging out from their first snowstorm of the year and the East Coast is getting ready to be pummelled by their first snowstorm here in the upper Midwest we're doing okay...so far.  Though the peak of fall colors has come and gone it seems we are having yet a second peak with the oak trees showing brilliant reddish brown colors and the tops of the birch trees are still golden and holding on to their leaves.

Late yesterday afternoon I made a run to Springbrook Nature Area which is a 5-10 minute drive from the house and dashed around to the west end of the small lake to take in the glimmers of sun we had been experiencing off and on during the day.  Okay...dash is really the wrong word but I walked as briskly as I could through the woods on the wood chipped trails strewn with fallen leaves trying not to stumble over some hidden object on the path.  I said try...I managed to find several tree stumps that had been cut down to the edge of the ground but still managed to catch a toe.

To say I succeeded on getting to my destination in time for the primo light of the fast approaching sunset just wouldn't be true.  I missed it by just a few minutes but since I was there on the wooden walkway crossing the lake I decided to experiment with taking some pictures with the aperature remaining open for 15-20 seconds and see what I'd come up with. 

As I'd neglected to bring any of my tripods in my haste I used my cell phone case to help prop up my camera on the railing and started taking some pictures.  So here's one picture from my experimentation...I think I just might keep trying this only next time I'm gonna have to grab a tripod.

Now...until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

Suck it up???

I really should have known better to whine about the upcoming winter to Natalie, a.k.a. the Tour Guide, in Australia...or should I say whinge as she would put it?!  But silly me I whined about the predictions for the upcoming winter of colder & wetter than last year and her response made me laugh!

"Suck it up princess...you live in Minnesnowta!"

Nothing like getting right to the point!!  So I guess...at least until the first snow flake falls I'll suck it up but expect whining in the future! 

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

Just Not Ready Yet...

Do you ever wish you'd just shut the tv off and not pay attention to the weather?  Trust me...I love living in a part of the world where there are 4 true seasons but I just can't help grimacing and moaning and maybe...just maybe...whining a bit when the weather person mentions that first snowfall of the year and yup...it happened tonight.  This coming Tuesday night into Wednesday morning there is a fair chance of snow...not the accumulating type mind you as the ground temp is too warm yet and will melt any snow that falls shortly after it reaching the ground. 

Oh well...not much I can do to prevent snow from happening and when that first flake does fall I'm sure the voice of one of my great aunts Inger will echo in my mind..."it had to come, it did, it did." 

Now...until next time...wherever you are have a great day!!

40 Years Later...

I was the youngest of three and the only girl born into a family that pretty much lived, breathed and dreamed sports...at least it seemed that way.  My big brothers were active in about every sport offered back in the '60s and I was right there standing in as the batter so one could practice pitching baseball to the other or strapping on their oversized football pads and hiking the ball so they could practice passing the football.  You name it, if one of my brothers played it, I at least tried it and suffered many a lump and bruise for my efforts...and usually came back for more!!

My brothers had set up a modified half court for basketball up the hay mow of the barn and every fall they would make sure the hay bales were strategically stacked so that there would be enough space for that basketball court.

As there was almost 8 & 9 years between me and my brothers we never competed against each other in basketball with the exception of playing many a game of horse up in that barn.  

In my earlier years I was relegated to sitting on the haybales watching they and their buddies play by the one light bulb that dimly lit the haymow.   From time to time I'd call out encouragement, advice or even a foul which usually resulted in the person I called the foul on scrambling up the hay bales to toss me into the loose hay in mock anger.  I think I tried to keep quiet so it would be a long time before one of them would realize what time it was and send me to go to bed much to my chagrine as I idolized those guys and hated to miss out on anything.

Years later...okay...many years later I still have a love for the game of basketball and can get talked into a game of horse from time to time but the game as I grew up knowing has evolved to almost being unrecongnizable with the amazing feats of athleticism by the women athletes on the court these days.

I couldn't have been prouder this past Saturday to stand with hundreds of other basketball fans of the WNBA as we welcomed home our Minnesota Lynx as the WNBA Champions after 13 years of struggling in the league and I doubt if I was the only one who had tears in their eyes as these amazing women athletes came down the escalator at the airport to the roar of "We're Number One!!' 

The fans parted like the Red Sea for the players but in amazement I watched as the players waded into the midst of them to give many hugs, high fives, pose for pictures and sign a multitude of autographs.  At one point I watched as a little girl who couldn't have been more than 5 years old tug at Taj McWilliams-Franklin's shirt trying to get her attention.  Taj didn't feel the tug so I shouted out her name and as she looked at me I pointed downwards.  She immediately bent down to see what the little girl wanted and obliged her by autographing her tshirt and gave her a big hug.  As Taj stood up she looked at me and gave me a high five almost as if she were saying 'thank you' for pointing out the little girl.

What awesome role models these women are...so unlike many of their male counterparts in the world of professional athletics.  Who knew back in the day that I would become part of a fan base for women's professional basketball and be standing there welcoming home the WNBA champions witnessing a bit of history...and because I and countless other girls wanted to play the game at the high school and college level we would see the game slowly but surely progress to the game it is today.  Only difference now is that I am old enough to recognize and appreciate history in the making.



Alexis Hornbuckle of the MN Lynx
with the WNBA Championship trophy.

I wonder just how many little girls went to bed Saturday night still wearing their tshirts with the autographs of their favorite players?  I'll bet you there were quite a few and years from now I hope the players still remember who they are and how much of an impact they make on their fans like they did Saturday as they slowly shuffled through the crowd of people...as the WNBA champions!!

Now...wherever you...until next time have...a great day!!

What Happens With The Sisters...

DiAnn, Rosemary & Bonnie
'What Happens with the Sisters stays with the Sisters'

Several weeks ago I had a blast with three of my cousins!  All you have to do is take one look at this picture & you have a pretty good idea how great the day was.  Sixty two years ago, Rosemary was my mom's flower girl and (I think) about forty eight years ago I was Rosemary's flower girl.  So needless to say we all go back a 'few years' and when Bonnie emailed me about getting together on a Friday it really was just a no brainer that I was going to make every effort to get up to the Fargo area to join them for the day...and what an awesome day it was!!  Thanks gals for remembering the 'little cousin!'  Love you all!!

...and now...wherever you are...have a great day!!

I Swear I Only Blinked...

Seems like I only blinked since my last post and now September is in the rear view mirror and it's already the 2nd day in October. 

As a kid a day could drag by painfully slow and one couldn't wait for the next birthday to be 5 or 10 or finally a teenager and now look at the days...they blaze by like a fall day.  Some in hues of gold and reds...other days maybe not quite so bright but as I grow older each day's passing has quickened and rival the speed of light. 

So...with those thoughts I am going to run outside and enjoy the fleeting fall day and try and capture some of the colors of life.  I hope each of you do too.

And now...wherever you are...have a great day!!

Remember When You Were Awesome?

Just the other day I got an email from an old coworker & it was awesome to hear from her.  The last time we had seen each other we were at a funeral of a mutual friend last fall. 

Not only was it great to hear from her but she sent a link to a blog that I just couldn't help but smile when I was reading it.  Let's just say it took me back to a more innocent time when we were less inhibited and reserved that seems to infiltrate oneself as you become older.

I'm sharing that link with all of you today though it is geared more towards the female persuasion I do think any guys reading this can relate too...especially if they have a 'little princess' of their own.

So...with that said here is the link...and let's hope we all wake up awesome tomorrow!!

http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2011/08/waking-up-full-of-awesome/

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

It Has Been A While...

Greetings  from the great state of Minnesota!!  Just a quick shout out as it has been way too long my friends but my reprieve (or maybe it truly was your reprieve) from my ramblings needs to come to an end.  I hope the summer (or winter for my friends Down Under) has been kind to you all and this finds each of you safe and happy.  I will be back soon and until then...wherever you may be...have a great day!!

A Short Reprieve

I know I've not blogged in a bit over a week and I have decided to take a short time away from it while we enjoy the short summer time here in Minnesota.  I will be back up and running after Labor Day.

I hope you all have a wonderful few months and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for following me these past months.  It means a lot to me...but I promise I will be back! 

See you this fall!

Now...wherever you are...have a wonderful day!!

Buckling Roads

I'm not sure what happened with Mother Nature but we went from a spring struggling to appear to the depths of hot, humid summer temps as quickly as one can flip a switch.  I can't speak for any other Minnesotan but as for me....NOOOO....turn the heat off and I want my good friend 'Less Humid' to appear...now!! 

It's just way too early to be wishing for a snow flake but I find my mind wandering towards thoughts of snow as the mercury edges upward toward triple digits.  Yes...triple digits!  We broke records yesterday with the mercury topping 97 degrees (or for those of you who go by celsius 36+ degrees) and we're possibly hitting 100 degrees (37+ celsius) with heat indexes getting to 105 degrees (40+ celsius).

Which brings on the buckling road phenomenon.  You might be wondering what the ...?  Well, I don't know if this phenomenon is just something that happens here in the U.S. when temps get to extreme levels but highways/interstates, especially older concrete ones here can buckle from being unable to expand as far as they need to in high temps so the concrete/pavement crumbles and heave upwards to relieve the pressure which can be quite a spectacle, hazard and bring a rush hour to its knees and ruin your commute.

I've not experienced a road buckle first hand though have experienced more than my fair share of commuting hell resulting from a buckled road but I hope never to experience it as it happens.  I've been told it is be quite frightening at the very least and can lead to serious damage to vehicles and bodily harm to people too. 

I'd be curious to find out if this phenomenon happens in other countries...what about it readers?  Does this happen where you live?  I'd love to hear from you!

As for me I'm going to go see if I can find my friend 'Less Humid'...   he's got to be around here someplace!

Now...wherever you are...have a great day!!

Springtime Smiles

I love living in Minnesota...heck I just love living in the northern part of the U.S.  I think I could get 'planted' about anywhere in the northern part of this country and be happy even if I might have a tendency to complain and whine a bit when the temps get below 0 and the wind chills bump it even colder into the -25 to -35 degrees below 0 range. 

But there's just something about the diversity of the seasons that I like.  Not just because that's all I know as I lived in Virginia & Tennessee for a couple of years and  there just didn't seem enough of a contrast...plus the fact that I seemed forever sick in the wintertime there.

Springtime is a wondrous part of the year to me.  It's a rebirth after such a cold, long winter and one finds themselves smiling when a sight of spring happens upon them.

A couple of weeks ago I was at the MN Arboretum going around the three mile drive there and I was looking for some of those sights...and I wasn't disappointed.  About halfway around the loop I spied a family of Canada geese out for a stroll and it was a perfect photo op time.

The family seemed to not have a care in the world and kept coming down the path towards me with their brood of six goslings.  The goslings were so cute and you could actually see different personalities in each of them...the 'mommy hugger' which wouldn't let its mom out of sight to 'junior' who had to be shooshed back into line as he wandered away too busy exploring his world to remember to keep up and in line with the rest of the family.

Neither parent gave me more than a second look as they strutted by with their brood though I know that if I had gotten in between them and their brood it wouldn't have been pretty and I would have been running away.  All it took was a warning hiss from one of them to know that you were indeed encroaching on their brood.  After been chased down by an uncle's gander as a kid I did not want a reenactment of that horrifying experience...once was definitely enough!!

I don't know how one could not smile seeing a parade of babies passing them by on a lovely spring day.  Heck...we take our babies seriously here in Minnesota...after all where else can a family of geese bring rush hour to a dead standstill when they decide to take their brood across a road.  Yup... gotta love springtime, babies and traffic jams!!

Now...wherever you are...have a great day!!

I Wish You Enough...

I am not usually one of those people who will forward emails on and on especially the ones that say "you must forward to 10 people within 10 minutes of receiving this or you will have 7 years of bad luck' blah, blah, blah.

However, every once in a while you get one that you just have to share with others because, for whatever reason, it touched you.  

A few weeks after I had returned from Australia I got this in an email from an old coworker and it hit home with me and so I decided to share it today.  It is an excerpt from an original story by Bob Perks, in 'Chicken Soup For the Grieving Soul' who is a motivational speaker and it just hits the mark.

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, "I love you. I wish you enough." She in turn said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy."

They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me.

So I knew what this man experiencing.

"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever goodbye?" I asked.
"I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, the next trip back would be for my funeral," he said.
"When you were saying goodbye I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more."When we said 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them," he continued and then turning toward me he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory.

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much
bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish enough "Hello's" to get you through the final "Goodbye."
He then began to sob and walked away."

Now...wherever you are...I wish you enough...

Another Deer Affair...

Living in a metropolitan area of approximately 3.5 million people one would not expect to see much in the way of nature with the exception of the multitude of gray squirrels that are forever tormenting the dogs from their multiple rendezvous at our bird feeders. 

 

Once in a while a stray raccoon or two strides across the top of the 6 foot wooden fence that surrounds the backyard under the cover of the night.  I cringe whenever one (or all) of the dogs put up a stink when it's dark outside and beg to go out as I am so afraid they will get into it with a boar (male) raccoon traipsing across the fence.  So far...knock on wood...that hasn't happened but it's been close a time or two.

 

Occasionally one of the mallard ducks that love the pool next door will miss and fly into the backyard but soon exit usually with a dog hot on its tail.  I've even had a turkey hen and her babies land only to leave very quickly and minus a few tail feathers.

 

But I never expected to see what I did this morning as I stepped out onto the upper deck at the house.  Looking between the branches of the sugar maple tree into the neighbor's backyard there stood a doe.  Nothing really unusual about that as I see deer quite often but I have never in my 50+ years seen a doe nursing their fawn in the wild.  I hurriedly shooshed the dogs inside...ran downstairs and grabbed my Canon camera hoping that the doe hadn't gotten too nervous by our movements on the deck.

 

Much to my relief the doe hadn't moved a step and the fawn was butting at its mama impatiently wanting more milk.  This wasn't a newborn fawn but I would 'guesstimate' maybe a week old as s/he could easily walk under its mama's belly with ample space to spare.  It was an amazing sight just standing there watching the two as the fawn nursed and mama gave it a morning bath. 

 

I could have stood there all morning watching but sadly I had to be satisfied with what pictures I had taken, put the camera down and jump in the shower and be off to work.  But that was okay cause if I hadn't been working I probably would not have been up and at 'em that early and would have missed out on this.  Just brings a smile to my face thinking about it.  Anyways...

 

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

 

On this day...

On this day, Memorial Day in the United States of America, I shall take a moment to remember all those brave men and women who are serving or have served our country throughout the ages unselfishly giving of themselves to protect us.

Fort Snelling National Cemetary, Minneapolis, Minnesota

~Thank you~

I Do Love My Flowers!

Hope you enjoy my flower picture...

Now...until next time...have a great day!!

The Fresh Smell of Spring!

Awe.... the fresh smell of springtime in Minnesota....achoo!!  Well...I guess I'll  trust what others are saying about it smelling like spring...right now I can't breath through my nose and my voice sounds like a raspy 30 year smoker.  Oh...wait...that is me...but raspy voice doesn't exactly come to my mind.

Yup...I've got the dreaded spring cold/sinus infection complicated by allergies and the slow spring here has every flower, tree, grass and mold variety all firing at once and one of my worst nightmares come true.

I've had allergies for many years now but it's been a few since nature has exploded all at once and I've only had a couple of colds in the past 4-5 years that haven't been much to speak of...until now.  So I am feeling a bit sorry for myself and have jumped straight into the pajamas the minute I've walked in the door from work the last two nights.

Oh well...this too shall pass...another week and I'll have forgotten about my red 'Rudolph' nose caused by continuous blowing which freakishly sounds like a honking goose.  I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a 'warning-infectious disease area' sign on the outside of my cubicle tomorrow.  My co-workers haven't pulled out the face masks yet...and it probably is my imagination but am I getting more instant messages versus visits to my cube lately??  But can I really blame them?!  LOL

Ummm...would someone please pass the NyQuil??


Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

A Red Carpet Departure!!

I did not sleep well and was up and down a few times during the night.  I would go outside and sit for a while just looking up at the stars and whatever the constellations were that I was looking at.  Heaven knows I could only identify the moon and knew absolutely nothing about the stars in the Southern Hemisphere.  A couple of weeks earlier it had dawned on me in the middle of the night looking up at the stars that I was truly in the Southern Hemisphere when I tried locating the Northern Star and realized I knew not a single star shining in that night sky. 

Even though I wished it away morning came and it was time to head to the airport.  I am one that doesn't like to be seen getting verklempt but from time to time I had to wipe a tear away.  I'm sure Natalie probably noticed but didn't say anything which was probably a good thing as I would have lost the battle right then and there instead of later. 

Before I arrived in Australia I had given Natalie a hard time about having the red carpet treatment and a band playing when I landed.  Well of course that didn't happen and I never expected it but now, leaving Australia I had to laugh as we approached the international customs departure area.  Lo and behold there before my eyes was a red carpet at the entrance!!  It was a brief moment of humor...and then I had to say goodbye.

You never leave someone behind, you take a part of them with you and leave a part of yourself behind. 

~Author Unknown~



My Last Saturday

Despite all of my wishing and hoping my last Saturday had arrived and Sandi, Natalie and I were going up to one of their favorite villages high up in the Dandenong Range for brekkie in the quaint village of Olinda. 

It was a lovely, sunny morning as we drove up the Dandenongs and soon we found ourselves in Olinda.  I don't recall the name of the restaurant but the food was yummy. 

It was kind of humorous to me when I took that first sip of my 'long black' coffee that morning...when I first arrived in Australia that first sip gave me quite a jolt...it was so strong.  Now having my last cup of 'long black' the first sip seemed pretty normal to me...no screaming taste buds from the sudden jolt of caffeine.  Had I really gotten used to that caffeine jolt?  It appeared so.

After brekkie we strolled down the boardwalk wandering in and out of the quaint little shops.  I found a key rack made of a board and square nails with an Australian penny embedded in the wood and picked it up for myself. 

Natalie had hated dealing with pennies when she was in the U.S. and because of her strong dislike I had sent her a paperweight that had U.S. pennies embedded in it as a joke.  I chuckled when I first got to Aus and spied that very same paperweight sitting on the ledge in my bedroom.

Pennies hadn't been used in Australia for quite a few years as it was taken out of circulation in 1991.  Much like the value of the U.S. penny the Aus penny was worth about .833 of a cent at that time so it made sense to stop using it.  I think we should consider doing the same thing here with the penny.  So I just thought it right that I have my own Aus penny to take home.  Anyways...
The day went by quickly and the next thing I knew Sandi was dropping us off and we were getting ready to head over to Natalie's mum's for dinner with Rob and Auntie Barb.  It seemed only fitting to spend my last evening in Australia with Natalie, Helen & Bob just as I had spent my first evening with them...only this time I would stay awake!!

The evening was full of chatter and laughter and once when I started to tell a joke Auntie Barb chimed right in and started reciting it with me and we both laughed...I surely didn't expect her to know that one!!

But, as was typical, the evening flew by and it was time to head back to Natalie's and finish up with last minute packing and get ready for the long flight back home to Minnesota.  I'm just not sure how a month's time could go by so damned fast but now, just over two months later looking back it was a blur of sights and sounds and people that can only be described as amazing.  For a first international trip I doubt if I will ever be able to top this one...truly a dream come true.

So until next time...wherever you are...have a wonderful day!!

Christmas in March??

I have to admit one of the outings I'd been looking forward to for almost three months was my Christmas gift.  Christmas gift?  Yeah, I know...Christmas was past but you see Natalie had sent me a 'certificate' for Christmas for an afternoon at Her Majesty's Theatre to see Mary Poppins.  To say I was thrilled when I got that at Christmas would be a complete understatement!  It caught me completely off guard and made me even more impatient to travel to Australia and now the day was upon us and off to the theatre we went...Natalie, her mum, Auntie Barb and me.

I met up with Helen and Auntie Barb at the Boronia train station as Natalie had gone ahead to Bayswater to drop off our rental car and she met up with us when the train stopped at the Bayswater train stop and off we went to Her Majesty's Theatre.

Her Majesty's Theatre was built in 1886 and is classified by the National Trust of Australia.  Once inside it was nothing but grand...sadly no photography was allowed there so I had left my camera at Natalie's which really made me feel a bit naked as I always had it in hand.

Her Majesty's Theatre holds 1,700 and our seats were in the grand circle (upper balcony) right on the rail so no looking from side to side to see the stage.  Just perfect seats in my opinion and it soon became evident that they were awesome!! 

I sooo enjoyed Mary Poppins...it was a fabulous production and if you ever have the opportunity to treat yourself to see this play do.  I don't want to give away anything about the production but there were some awesome creative scenes that had the kids in the theatre literally on the edge of their seats...ok...and me too.  It was magical in many ways and somehow I felt my mom was right there with me.  I couldn't help but think about mom as Mary Poppins, the movie, was the very first movie my mom ever took me to as a little girl of about 4-5 years of age.  

What a wonderful Christmas gift and a perfect day out with Natalie, Helen and Auntie Barb!!  A very special memory for me!!

So now...until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

Puffing Billy

My last adventure on my own finally come much to my chagrin. This meant that I had less than 48 hours left in the Land Down Under and even now I am still wondering where did all the days and weeks go?  The time had flown by and I had seen sooo many places and met sooo many people just in passing...brief moments in time but each one had left a little memory with me and I found myself getting verklempt over the thought of leaving Australia.  It just didn't seem right that my dream trip went by so fast but it had.

But in the meantime one last adventure...Puffing Billy!  I have to admit I took a bit of ribbing about my insistence that I wanted to ride on Puffing Billy but so be it.  It was off to catch the train up to Belgrave to ride on the world's oldest steam locomotive train up the Dandenong mountainside.

It wasn't hard to find the station once I got off the train at Belgrave...just follow the stream of people and in just a few minutes I was at the station for Puffing Billy.  There were people from all over the world and the red carriage I got on to head up the mountainside and there was a group of young exuberant fellows with me that were from Korea.  It seems they had been rewarded with a trip to Australia for their hard work at their company and were all smiles and chatter.  We talked from time to time but there was a definite language barrier but even so we tried.



Puffing Billy

 It was a pleasant ride up to Menzies Creek and then further on to Lakeside with ever changing scenery as Puffing Billy wound up the tracks through the rain forests past small towns where people waved us along, across wooden trestles and through the rain forests.  People were hanging out of their carriages or sitting on the ledges as we wound up the mountain.  There was an air of joy and happiness wherever you looked...everyone was just having a fun time.

Once we made Lakeside you were at your leisure to walk down by the lake or hang out and watch the engineers switch Puffing Billy around for the trip back down the mountain.  I chose to hang out and watch as the engineers refilled the water tank and then switch the engine to the other set of tracks...lots of photo ops for me.

It really seemed only like only minutes and it was time to head back down the mountain.  This time I got on the second to last carriage as they were going to drop the last carriage off at Menzies Creek.  As we started off I 'snuck' out onto the back platform and just spent time watching the mountains pass by.

At Menzies Creek we stopped and the conductors worked at unhooking the last carriage and didn't mind my being on the platform watching and explained the workings of the portable brakes and lights they were hooking.

Riding on the platform
with one of the
conductors.

As we left Menzies Creek for the last stretch of the trip I thought that I would have to go back inside the carriage as two conductors were riding on the platform but they gladly welcomed me to stay and I had the very best seat I think one could have standing back there with the fellows watching the scenery pass by and listening to stories of their love of the rail. 

I could have kept riding on the back platform all day long.  As a kid you were always a bit jealous seeing people standing outside the caboose as the trains would pass by and here I was all those years later getting to do just that.  It was yet another little dream come true on this amazing trip I was on.

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures of Puffing Billy here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

The Mighty MCG

First I have computer issues and then Blogger has had technical issues the past couple of days when I have wanted to blog...Murphy strikes again!!

But...I'm finally able to get access and it's past time to get to the venture to the mighty MCG or just The G has Natalie would refer to it.  You are probably asking yourself...what is the MCG?

The MCG

The Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG) just happens to be sacred ground for the game of cricket in Melbourne...much like Yankee Stadium is to baseball and you just can not go halfway around the world and not tour the MCG.  If only I had been a month or so earlier I could have gone to a cricket game though I know pretty much nothing about the game of cricket.  Now an AFL footy game would have been a bit more understandable but that season was a month or so away.  My timing hadn't been the best for sports...maybe next time.

Light tower at MCG

The G is the tenth largest stadium in the world and the largest stadium for playing cricket and holds the world's record for the highest light towers at any sports venue.  The 1956 Olympics and the 2006 Commonwealth Games.  In 2009 The MCG was named one of the seven wonders of the sporting world. 

Tours run all day long at the MCG and I didn't have long to wait once I found my way from the Richmond Station.  I managed not to get lost this time like I had going to the Fitzroy Gardens but frankly...if I had managed to lose my way to The MCG I pretty much would have had to have been blind as the stadium is huge!!

We had quite a character of a tour guide taking us throughout The MCG from the ABC Press box to the Life Time member seats to the hallowed grass itself on the field.  We went throughout most of The MCG...about the only places we didn't go were the maintenance closets.

Also located at The MCG is the National Sports Museum dedicated to Australian sports.  I was particularly interested in the Women's Basketball section which was disappointingly small but I've been reminded more than once that basketball is not a big sport in Australia.  I, however, am a big fan of many of the Australian women players who currently play or played in the WNBA here in the U.S.  Some of those players are mighty Michelle Timms, Tully Bevilaqua and Lauren Jackson to name just a few.  Lauren is one of the premier players in the world of basketball if not the very best current player and a handful of years ago I had the great pleasure of sitting with her when the Minnesota Lynx were playing the Phoenix Mercury and she has a wonderful personality and a sense of humor that still makes me chuckle to this day.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Melbourne be sure to put The MCG on your bucket list of places to see.  The only thing that would have been better when I was there is if I could have seen a cricket or footy game.  But that wasn't to be.

MCG logo

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures of The MCG here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

My 'Good Friend' Murphy...

Ever have one of those days where your 'good friend' Murphy rears his ugly head and throws a kink into everything and nothing seems to go right??  Well...my week so far has been visited by Murphy (as in Murphy's Law where what can go wrong will) more than once.  Don't get me wrong though...my days are awesome as I just started a full time contracting job Monday after not having any steady work in way too long a time after being laid off when the U.S. economy really went south. 

It's been the evenings that have been a bit screwy for me between some 'lovely' Minnesota weather last night keeping me off the computer and technical computer issues. 

There's just something about severe thunderstorms with heaps of lightning which squelches my desire to have a laptop computer in my lap just in case lightning strikes and considering the house was struck by lightning about 13 years ago and suffered about 10k in damages I stayed away from the computer and yes...lightning can strike twice in the same spot. 

Add to the severe thunderstorms rolling through and the sirens sounding on and off for several hours signaling to 'duck and cover' because of tornadoes in the area...much more excitement than I like on any given evening.  Since I was a kid I've never been a fan of severe summer storms and I seriously doubt that that will change.  No...actually I know that won't change and I become a bit of a 'nervous Nelly' whenever tornadoes are possible.  Oh yeah...we've had one of them too since I've lived in this house so nope...not a fan.

Add to the weather there seems to be connectivity issues with the Internet provider here at home and it's been frustrating.  At least I want to believe it was a connectivity issue and not my lack of IT saavy.  At any rate...barring any further run ins with my 'good friend' Murphy I plan to be back on track blogging more about Australia tomorrow.

In the meantime...thanks so much for having checked in and for your patience!!

Until next time...wherever you are...have an awesome day!!

Not Murphy!!

Too Long of a Pause!

It's been too, too long since I last posted and I do apologize for it but sometimes you just gotta get some other things done and stay the course.  Since I last blogged I have been offered a new job and am ecstatic over being employed once again after way too long of a time.  Maybe our economy is starting to pick up a bit.  Anyways...

Along the drive at Rochford Winery

I believe I left off chatting about our trip to Healesville Sanctuary and after lunch we were starting to head back to Melbourne.  On the way back we stopped at one of the showplaces of the Yarra Valley, the Rochford Winery.  What a beautiful setting to see as we drove down the curving road lined with trees and vines to the main building which contained a restaurant, cellar door and a wide open area where there was a huge stage where concerts were put on throughout the year.  In fact the next upcoming concert would be Lionel Richie.  Ok...he's not exactly Bruno Mars but I have seen Lionel in concert and he does put on a good show and his music isn't all that bad either but the concert wasn't until after I headed back to the U.S. so wouldn't be able to try and get tickets for him.

Scrumptious looking grapes!

We went in to the (what I'm assuming) the Cellar Door and Natalie and Helen were checking out some of the wines so I slipped outside and took a stroll around the building and a bit of the grounds.  Of course I had camera in hand.  It was harvest time for the grapes and I would have loved to have snatched a couple of grapes off the vine and taste them but somehow I had visions of the 'wine police' catching me and my getting into God only knows what kind of trouble so I resisted the temptation but the grapes sure looked yummy!!

A road between pastures at
Yarra Valley Dairy.

I guess I took a bit more time than I thought strolling around and when I went to find Natalie and Helen I found them patiently waiting in the car to head out to our last stop...the Yarra Valley Dairy which was a working dairy farm where a variety of cheeses were made from both cow and goat milk.

Before I knew it the day had flown by and we were on our way back to Melbourne.  What a grand day it had been but one that went by way too fast just like every other day for the past three weeks.

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures from the Rochford Winery here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

Just a Little Pause...

I've not finished blogging about Australia but I am getting awful close and maybe that's why I've not been so religious blogging every day the past week.  Maybe if I don't blog so often I can make it all last just that much longer?!  Seriously I know that isn't logical thinking but...who knows?!

At any rate it will be until mid week before I'll get a chance to blog again as I have to go back to North Dakota to finish up some of mom's estate matters.  My 'sage' advice here is, if at all possible, never get named an executor of some one's estate if you can help it and surely not one of your parents if possible.  It just tears open your wounded heart every time you have to deal with yet another part of the estate and, in my case, selling mom's condo which is the 'last' home I have to remember her at even though she was at the condo for about 2 1/2 years after moving off the farm after 58 years of living there.  I can visit the farm whenever but my childhood home was torn down 3 or so years ago so it's not really home anymore. 

Anyways...please check back in 3-4 days as I will be back blogging about my last few days in Australia and then who knows what after that?!  I do want you all to know that I greatly appreciate your interest in my blog & would love any feedback you might have.

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

Off to Healesville Sanctuary

We were off to the Healesville Sanctuary which was about an hour from Melbourne tucked in the foothills of the Yarra Valley.  The Sanctuary has approximately 70 acres (30 hectares) of Australian bushland and is home to about 200 different species of wildlife including koalas, dingos, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and are also successfully breeding both the duck-billed platypus and the helmeted honeyeater and a great variety of other animals and birds.

Koala

We started to wander around the sanctuary and were soon to see probably the number one animal most visitors to Australia are dying to see...a real life koala and this time, unlike Tasmania, the koala was closeup in a tree and wide awake...no sitting on top of a green tarp!  I got some amazingly cute pictures of the koala...it definitely seemed as if he were posing for all of us!!  They are so damned cute you just want to hold them and hug them and squeeze them but that option was not available at the sanctuary though there are other places one could go to have that experience.

Yours truly with a Koala!

I did, however, get to go in the enclosure for a closeup encounter with this guy a while later and he was about as disinterested in our small group that had paid extra to do this as he pretty much slept through our experience.  But I think most of us were thrilled to be able to get up so close whether he was sleeping or not. 

I hadn't been paying too close attention to the brochure we each received when we went in to the sanctuary but after my koala experience Natalie guided us quickly to what was the Birds of Prey arena to see the Birds of Prey presentation put on by staff at the sanctuary.

I believe a wedge tailed eagle.

Not exactly sure what I was in for as we milled around waiting for the doors to open to the entrance I was soon going to be surprised by what I was soon to experience.  We would soon be thrilled to see such Australian raptors as the Black Breasted Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon and the Wedge tailed Eagle to name a few as they flew in and around all of us gathered in the arena. 

It was an outdoor classroom of sorts and there is nothing quite like feeling the wind from flapping wings as a raptor soars past you to a spot in the arena.  Of course Natalie and Helen both would have to explain what it was like to be slapped by the wings of an eagle...I was watching the eagle as they were watching the handler and tried to get Natalie's attention but it probably was a good thing that I didn't as the eagle swooped right over them slapping them with its wings.  If only I had had the video camera going...it was just an awesome sight and a show that was well worth it!!

As we were filing out after the Birds of Prey show there was one of those moments that probably only I could appreciate but it touched me deeply.  Natalie was once again leading the way through the mass of people with her mum Helen following and of course me bringing up the rear.  It was like a mass of salmon trying to swim upstream and squeeze through the double door entrance/exit.  Helen was just about to the middle of that squeeze area when she stopped, turned around, saw me and said "just looking for my family."  Can't begin to tell you how those few words touched my heart and I hope that memory remains with me always!! 

Vet working on a snake.

We continued wandering around the sanctuary going in and out and here and there looking at all we could see.  There is even a hospital there where you can go in and watch surgeries, etc. as they are being done as they treat sanctuary animals or working on one of the many orphaned, sick or injured animals that are brought there every year.  We got to watch a vet and his assistant take some type of snake out of a pillow case...who knows what was wrong but I'm guessing it was poisonous since Australia just so happens to have 10 of the most venomous snakes in the world  and 8 out of 10 of the top venomous snakes are found in Australia but it's just a guess!!

It was a great day at the sanctuary but we hadn't finished our sight seeing yet.  After a lunch and wandering around more in the sanctuary we would be off to several vineyards on the way back to Melbourne but I'll leave that for another blog.

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures from the Healesville Sanctuary here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow
 

Driving Around Port Philip Bay

When I returned to Natalie's from the Fitzroy Gardens she informed me that her mum Helen had called and she and Bob would be picking me up at 10 a.m. the next morning.  What Natalie didn't tell me was what exactly we were going to be doing...I was in for a nice treat come the next morning!

Helen arrived right on time the next morning and there was little time for chit chat and we were off on what would turn out to be an all day driving trip.  When Helen asked me if I was ready for the day I said I thought so which brought a quick question from her...'did Natalie tell you what we were doing today?'  My response was all Natalie had said was that I was being picked up at 10 a.m. but nothing about what we were going to do.  Helen just chuckled and shook her head hearing my response.

What I soon found out was that we were going to drive completely around Port Philip Bay which is the largest bay in Victoria and one of the largest inland bays in all of Australia.  Well...almost completely around as you had to take the Sorrento/Queenscliff ferry and cross the bay.

Arthurs Seat

It was a lovely day, bright and sunny and not overly hot as we started out.  Our first stop was at Arthurs Seat which overlooked Port Philip.  Silly me...while we were there I did not think to take a picture of the oversized chair that represented Arthurs Seat...what was I thinking?!  Obviously I wasn't...

Waiting while his master fishes
from the pier.

As we wound our way back down from Arthurs Seat Bob found a spot along the bay where there was a picnic table and we stopped for lunch.  Helen had packed a picnic lunch for us and it was delightful sitting along the bay.  Before I knew it it was time to continue on our journey and we found ourselves at one of the marinas along the way.  It was nice to walk out onto the pier and people watch and enjoy the sights and sounds of the marina and I had to chuckle at the golden lab patiently waiting for his master to catch a fish...looked like it had been a ritual that had been done more than once.

Heading across the bay on the ferry.

We headed off to the marina where you can catch the Sorrento/Queenscliff ferry to cross Port Philip Bay.  Bob thought that we were too late for the 2 o'clock ferry but he had us right on time and before we knew it we had driven aboard the ferry and headed to the top to enjoy the 35-40 minute trip across the bay.  After my rough sea adventure in Tasmania I was glad to see that it would be smooth sailing across the bay and it seemed like no time had passed and the trip was over and off we were to see what else the day had in store.

Bob knew so much about this area that I was quite amazed... until I asked and he told me that this had been his backyard as a kid.  It warmed my heart that he would take me to places he ran around as a kid.  I gotta tell you...no tour could ever hold a candle to the personal touches I had been experiencing on my dream trip to Australia...it would be hard to put in words just how amazing it all had been thus far and the days now were waning to a handful.

We ended a wonderful day with fish and chips from a local takeout which we took to Natalie's and had a bit of wine and beer too...I was sure liking this one kind of Tasmanian beer...yum!!  A perfect ending to a damn good day!!

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see more pictures from the trip around Port Philip Bay here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow

Singing in the Rain...

As Natalie put it I was now off 'my leash' and would be able to venture out around Melbourne seeing what I wanted to see.  So I decided to head out to the Fitzroy Gardens near downtown Melbourne and with my cameras and backpack in hand off I headed to the train station.

Near as I could tell I would head to Flinders Square on the train and then walk over to the Fitzroy Gardens.  As I was soon to find out I would have probably have been better off if I had gotten off at Parliament Station but figuring it shouldn't be such a long walk I stuck to getting off at Flinders...silly girl I am!

Cook's Cottage

It was a bit more of a walk than I expected and the muggy day was now becoming overcast and it looked like possible showers but I continued on.  Finally I arrived at Fitzroy Gardens and took one of the pathways into the gardens and found myself by Cook's Cottage (also known as Captain Cook's Cottage).  This cottage was constructed in 1755 in the English village of Great Ayton in North Yorkshire by Captain James Cook's parents and in 1933 was sold to the highest bidder which was Russell Grimwade of Australia who, in turn, donated the cottage to the people of Victoria.  The cottage was taken apart brick by brick and shipped to Melbourne where it was reconstructed at what is now Fitzroy Gardens and has been a popular tourist attraction since then.

From Cook's Cottage I headed to the heart of the gardens as I saw that there was a cafe located there and it was past time that I had a bite to eat.  I ordered a sandwich and as it was still nice enough though overcast and threatening I went out onto the patio area and upon looking around saw a corner of a table that might be available and asked the gal sitting on the other end if she minded my sitting there.  Much to my surprise (and delight) she invited me to join her while she had her lunch. I noticed she had a Nikon digital camera on the table as I set my Canon Rebel near hers and in no time at all we were talking photography and places we had been, where we were from and everything in between. 

Rohani was from Malaysia and was just finishing up a working holiday and had, like me, decided to go to the gardens for the day.  We talked for quite a while and had just finished our lunch and the heavens decided to open up and we found ourselves in a downpour.  Fortunately we were able to position ourselves under several umbrellas and stayed put while most everyone else around us scrambled for indoors.

It turned out to be quite a pleasant afternoon despite the rains sitting out under the umbrellas chatting with a complete stranger about each of our travels in Australia and photography.  Rohani had been having problems getting clear pictures with her camera and it really was a simple fix as she wasn't allowing the camera to finish focusing before she took the picture. 

We must have looked quite silly each with our cameras in hand focusing on plant leaves and rain droplets and even her latte' that had a wonderful design on it and comparing our pictures.  I am not a guru with cameras by any means and if you start talking technical with me my eyes will glaze over...I just am not technical...I just take what I see and how I see it and let the camera do the work for me but Rohani made me laugh with her excitement at finally getting clearly focused pictures with her camera with just a simple adjustment.

We sat there probably a good three hours as the rains continued until they had dwindled to a drizzle.  In one of my smart moments I had put one of those flimsy rain ponchos in my backpack so I wasn't going to get too wet and also had a plastic bag I gave to Rohani to cover her camera and we bid farewell.

I was soon going to be very glad that I had a rain poncho on as the rains started to increase from the drizzle to a gentle, soft rain as I struggled to find my way back to Flinders Square.  It probably took me a good hour to finally find my way back to Flinders Street in what should have been a 15 or 20 minute walk but I had a guardian angel of sorts watching over me as I kept running into the same gal I had asked directions from initially...I actually think she was just keeping an eye on me to see that I found my way and finally I was to the station.

To say my internal compass was all messed up in Australia would be an understatement and my inability at reading any type of map while there it was really quite amazing that I never found myself wandering into the outback.  If I had been there longer that just might have happened but this day was probably the most mixed up I had gotten.  Even so I was still able to find my way back to Natalie's after a fashion.  Of course...days earlier I had managed to get turned around heading back to her place but come to think of it I never did tell her about that time..shhhhh!!  Anyways...

Until next time...wherever you are...have a great day!!

If you would like to see what few pictures of Fitzroy Garden I took here is a link to that photo album on Picasa:  Play slideshow