G’Day from Oz. I hope you’ve had a great weekend … I did 
Tag Archive for 'australia'
My daughter has a nice big globe sitting on her desk. When I venture in her room, I frequently sit on her desk and spin the globe. Over the weekend, I was sitting on her desk chatting and unconsciously spinning the globe. I stopped the spin near my home town in Texas. I jabbed my finger there and had a good look.
I grew up in a place where you spend most of your childhood thinking of ways to get the hell outta there. Well, here I am sitting on a desk on the opposite side of the globe. On the side of a mountain near Melbourne, Australia. Saying “G’day Mate” and driving on the wrong side of the road.
I now find myself often thinking of the family and friends back in my hometown. I think that it wouldn’t be so bad to be back in that little town again. I think that I’d love for my children to grow up with their cousins, aunts, uncles, second cousins, and … hell, basically everyone in the town, close to them.
But, we’re still here. On the other side. What keeps us in the land of parrots and animals with pouches? It’s hard to describe. I think it’s lifestyle, career, my wife’s parents in Sydney and … money. It’d take a wad of cash to move and re-establish back home. And … there’s something about living in the land of Oz. Something magical that I just can’t describe. Maybe it’s a a real fantasy land for a fella from a small town in Texas. I dunno. One day, I’ll go back home. Until then … I’ll be Down Under.
As promised, here’s one of the more cheeky sods from the herd of kangaroo near the house. I drive by these guys on the way to work each day. Usually I don’t see them unless one was unlucky crossing the highway however, early on a Saturday morning, the girls and I can usually find them grazing along the side of Cardinia Reservoir. I took these pictures a few weeks ago. I think my youngest had just thrown her jam filled donut to this guy. I don’t know what he’s complaining about … they were good donuts!
Here’s more of his family:
It’s Willow Wednesday again. This cheeky gal loves to go down the road on a Saturday morning and feed the local wildlife. Here’s she’s got a friendly Crimson Rosella perched on her hat ready to eat out of her hands.
About five mins from the house is a picnic ground where the local bird life are accustomed to getting a free feed. Both of my gals love going early on Saturday morning to feed the crimson rosellas, cockatoos, galahs, corellas and king parrots. Unfortunately this picnic ground has become a favorite of tour buses and the birds are beginning to suffer from too much fat in their diet. We’ll need to curtail our contribution to their bad diet.
Tomorrow I promise I’ll take you and my girls a bit further down the road and find that herd of kangaroo.
My house is on the side of a Mountain adjacent to Sherbrook Forest. The forest is dominated by giant mountain ash trees kin to the red woods of Northern California. There trees are breath taking in their own right however, during the fall and winter they retain their leaves thus leaving only the calender and the temperature to herald the change of seasons.
Since the house is on the mountain side the main part of my home is on the second floor. Just outside the kitchen window you can see the top of a lonely maple tree in the backyard. The maple is out of place amongst the ash, eucalypts, acacia and wattle. However, this little maple screams at the top of it’s little tree lungs that autumn has arrived. I love the stark color contrasts of the maple in it’s full length red attire and the lush eucalypt carpet of the valley.
That brings me to this misty raining Saturday morning, camera in my hand …
