Hahndorf

Today we went up into the Adelaide hills to Hahndorf for lunch and a walk around. Hahndorf was first settled by Prussian Lutherans in 1839. The name was derived from Captain Dirk Hahn who brought the first settlers over from Eastern Prussia on a ship named Zebra. The German influence is still very visible in the architecture of the little town. I loved all the stone and brick on the buildings. It gave off a very quaint feel.

This is Martine's mum and her nephew Ethan. I thought they were too cute walking hand-in-hand. I had lunch with three generations of Lockes today. Last night we went over to Alison's (Martine's sister) for some lasagna and cocktails. Gary and Spencer showed up later (Martine's nephews) and we all sat outside talking and laughing until late into the evening. I feel very lucky to be here and be in love with this amazing woman who loves me so well. Her family has welcomed me with open arms.

As we walked, meandering in and out of shops, I spotted a florist with bouquets of sunflowers on display out front. They looked so beautiful and I knew I had to have them for my sweetheart. I told everyone I'd catch up and I ran across the street to get some. As I came out of the florist I saw them all coming up the street toward me. Martine caught site of me carrying the bunch of sunflowers and she smiled. When I gave them to her she cried. I love to sweep her off her feet and it's my plan to continue to do so for a very long time.

Peace on ya.

Just a day in Adelaide

We arrived in Adelaide on Wednesday afternoon and had a BBQ in Anthony and Vanessa's back yard. Most of Martine's family was there and it was great to finally meet everyone. They all made me feel at home right away...which is what I expected.

We had a great show at the Grace Emily Hotel in downtown Adelaide last night. We shared the bill with Susie Keynes and lots of folks came out to support us. The sound system was great, the room was great, the audience was great...gotta love shows like that! I got to meet some of Martine's friends that she's known for years, one she's known since she was 14 or 15. It was a fun night!!! I was nervous before we got there, especially now that we're getting into Velvet Janes territory, but by the time we went on stage, I was calm and ready to play. After all, it's not a competition. We're all individuals who bring different talents to the world and that's a very good thing. No one person's talent takes anything away from anyone else. We all bring color in some form. It's all good.

Today we got up and went for a much-needed run around the neighborhood. Everywhere we go people are giving us Tim Tams and other desirable Australian junk food. It's tatsy but not great for the waistline. The rest of the day has been a lazy one, also much needed. I'm sitting here now watching Anthony and Martine play Mario Brothers something or other. I love the photo on this post. Ethan (the little guy sitting in the middle) is looking at me like 'Seriously? These people call themselves adults?!' Lol...very cute. Anthony has a beautiful family and I'm happy to be hanging out with them. Getting to know him makes me miss Tyler a lot. He's good guy and Martine is lucky to have him as a brother.

Tonight we're going over to hang out with Martine's sister, Alison, for a bit. Hopefully her nephew Gary will be there too. I haven't met him yet, but I've heard a lot about him. Spencer (her other older nephew) came by to say hi to us the day we arrived. Good people all around!

I can't wait to get out and explore the city a little. It's not nearly as large as Sydney and I think that's a good thing. We're going to a city caroling gathering on Sunday. It's a picnic in the park with music kinda thing. Should be fun, in spite of the Christmas carols. ;-) More to come. Thanks for reading.

Peace on ya.

Finally here

After many months of anticipation, I'm finally in Australia. It's a country that has been on the top of my list for many years and I'm finally seeing it up close and personal. It's a lovely country so far and the best is yet to come. I know you all have been waiting with bated breath for my first post from here...all four of you...lol! After a very cramped, very long, flight on United Airlines, we arrived in Sydney, New South Wales on Wednesday, December 9th. Martine's good mate, Alex, picked us up and I was very happy to finally meet her in the flesh. She and I had chatted on Facebook a few times and I knew we would get on like a house on fire. I was right. She and her partner, Nerrilee, are fabulous company. Alex has been a gracious host, inviting us to stay at her house in Leichhardt, even giving up her bedroom for us.

So, back to when we arrived...after a couple of much-needed showers (14 hours on a plane...ick!), Alex drove us around downtown Sydney and to the touristy Bondi Beach. We stopped for my first Aussie beer (not Fosters, which I'm told is Australian for dog's piss) and I chose a Tooheys Old Black Ale. It was tasty! I've tried a couple of others since then. One I'm told is from a brewery in Fremantle, Western Australia. We'll be there in January and I'm looking forward to actually visiting the brewery. So many things to see and do. We did a house concert here in Leichhardt on Saturday night and I got to meet some of the folks I've heard about from Martine...Mardi (I'm hearing that name a lot more over here), and some new folks neither one of us had met. We had a great time playing for them. I love doing unplugged house concerts. Not that I don't enjoy walking on to a big stage with my sticks and sitting behind the full drum kit that's already been setup, and banging the crap out of it!!!!...but, I digress. I also love the intimate, personal feel of an unplugged show in someone's living room.

Wow, my brain is going twenty different directions right now. I'll try to stay on track so my readers (all four of them) can follow this post. Martine and I spent a day exploring downtown Sydney and another day walking through Leichhardt, Annandale, Camperdown, and Newtown. I think that covers it. We walked all day, with only a couple of stops for a meat pie and another Australian beer I hadn't tried yet. Beer belly here I come...it's a good thing I brought my running shoes with me. It's not just the beer; it's the bloody Tim Tams and Mint Slice too! Dammit!!!! If only they weren't so tasty.

I've already taken about 400 photos, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, The Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and...much more. We walked through the botanical gardens and saw hundreds of flying foxes hanging from the trees. Of course I took many photos. They looked like large bats; it was fascinating! I'm sure the people who live and work in Sydney don't really care so much, but it was interesting to me. The photo on this post is of the Anzac bridge, formerly known as the Glebe Island Bridge. It's a large cable-stayed bridge, spanning Johnstons Bay, between Pyrmont and Rozelle, in proximity to the Sydney CBD (central business district). That's just a little bit of Sydney trivial knowledge for ya.

Now it's back to going through my Sydney photos. I'll write more soon. We leave for Adelaide on Wednesday and it's there where I finally get to meet Martine's family. It will be good know my soon-to-be extended family. I'm sure I will love them! Thanks to all (four) of you for reading this blog. It's time for dinner and Playstation games here in Leichhardt.

Peace on ya, peeps.

Some thoughts

I'm sitting outside in La Grange, Texas with Christy and Sheryl's 47 dogs...ok, maybe not that many...maybe only 39. It rained cats and dogs last night...ok, maybe only dogs...but it's sunny now, albeit windy. We spent the last week on a cruise ship, touring the Caribbean. The first night and day at sea had us questioning what the hell we were thinking, as we rode out Hurricane Ida. I get motion sickness very easily, so I was ready to go home even before we left New Orleans. Now I'm glad I went. The seas got calmer and I gained a new experience and a new perspective. I've seen poverty in this country and I've seen television reports on poverty in other countries, but seeing it up close and in person was sobering, in spite of the free tequila samples. When we walked through a small fishing village in Costa Maya, we were offered a room, and all we could eat and drink for $25 per day. When
we walked into Roatan, we were swarmed by cab drivers, tour guides and children, all trying to make a living for their families. The woman in the port area told us to walk out of the gate and turn right. She also said there would be people there trying to sell us things, but not to be scared. I had no idea...scared doesn't describe what I felt. There was fear involved, but I also felt shame in my privileged life. I've never had to live in nothing more than a shack and cook my meals on an open fire. I've never had to wonder whether I would have enough to feed my family. The kids were the hardest ones to turn away. If only I had a dollar to give every one of them. I wondered what it would have been like to spend my summer vacations asking people on the street for money. I also saw more stray dogs than I could count. Most of the males had not been neutered and most of the females looked
like they had just had a litter of puppies. Several had open sores or they hopped along, favoring one paw.

There we were walking off of this gigantic cruise ship with our expensive cameras and our Western privilege. I was happy to see that the Sweet (www.discoversweet.com) staff had organized several community projects in all of our ports, in an attempt to make a difference in the communities and in the lives of the people living in them. It may not seem like much on a grand scale, but every ripple in the water makes a difference, and Sweet definitely made its share of ripples...and I'm not talking about the ones made by the Norweigan Spirit.

I send a heartfelt thanks out to Shannon Wentworth and all the Sweet crew for all their hard work and for providing us with an unforgettable experience. That's a big part of what life is all about, isn't it?

Peace on ya.

Sherrill's place

I am baffled when I try to formulate the logic behind what Sherrill was thinking when she decided on her sign verbiage. What made her think "eat here and get gas" would actually bring in the customers?? It's beyond me...

Back to my nap now. Tipton is such a happening town!

Peace on ya.

Reflecting

It was one year ago today that Tyler went in for the surgery to remove the tumor from the base of his brain. The dreaded anniversaries have begun...

Still looking

I know you have all (all 5 of my readers) been waiting with bated breath to find out whether we found a house yesterday...

Unfortunately, we came up empty-handed. We had our hands full of info sheets, but nothing we are really interested in buying. It's really disheartening after spending so much time and energy searching. Does it mean we're not supposed to buy a house here in Indy? Does it mean the right house is here, but it's not quite on the market yet? Does it mean we will find it tomorrow? No idea...

I've heard it's a beautiful day outside, but I'm stuck in the basement with a cold. I have too much work to do to be down here laying on the couch like a slug. It makes me grumpy. Damned cold weather!

Ok, I know you're not reading this blog to witness my bitching and moaning, so I digress. (grumble, grumble...)

Back to house-hunting, wedding planning (the invitations and ring are on order!) and all that jazz. I can't wait to marry the woman of my dreams and find our home, not necessarily in that order.

Peace on ya.