Saturday, November 28, continued...

Nambung N.P. is a bizarre landscape consisting of thousands of limestone pillars, set in yellow sand. We walked around them, then took the winding drive through the area. The pinnacles are so surreal looking you feel as though you're on another planet, and it's hard to believe sci-fi movies have not been filmed here. At one point the yellow desert sand of the pinnacles meets the snow white sand of the dunes, and the line is very distinct and dramatic.

Saturday, November 28

Our first road trip - we drove 2.5 hours north to Jurien Bay, then to Cervantes, and then to Nambung National Park. Since all 3 places are right on the coast, I assumed we'd just drive along the ocean, but in fact, there is no road running along the coast, at least not in this area. The road runs inland and to get to any of the small fishing villages you have to drive over to the coast, then back to the road again to continue going either north or south. Both towns were very small and very quiet, with hardly anyone on the beaches.

We stopped to change drivers along the way, and as soon as we opened the car doors the flies poured in. Amazing, it's as if they just hang around, waiting for the opportunity to bug. These were some of the road signs we saw, although none of the animals made an appearance. They also have "road trains" which are basically 3 semi's hooked together - 3 trailers and 1 cab, and they are not easy to pass on a two lane road. The speed limit on these roads is actually higher than the freeway speed limit, which is 100 kilometers, about equal to 60 mph.

Monday, November 23

Our stuff was delivered, oh happy day. Although one nice thing about having almost nothing in your house, the junk drawer stays empty. Every time you open it, there is just the same small amount of junk, it doesn't keep growing, like it will now. In fact, now that I've unpacked several boxes, I find I need a much bigger junk drawer, yet somehow we managed to do without all that stuff for the 7 weeks we've been here. Interesting the way that works.

And I discovered an advantage to having a really small place, you only have to plug the vacuum cleaner in once, and the cord reaches the entire house.

We had dinner with a fellow ex-pat, now living in Melbourne, and he mentioned a strange policy here regarding doggy bags. He said he was having dinner with some coworkers, and one of the women asked for a to-go bag. The waiter explained that because they were not licensed for "take away" she had to sign a paper stating that she felt physically fine at the end of her meal and if she became ill the following day she would not blame the restaurant.

This same ex-pat told us about a great place to buy good wine at reduced prices, and there just happens to be one of the franchises right around the corner from us. This company buys up overstocked or discontinued wines from vineyards all over the country, strips the labels off, and puts on their own bizarrely named labels. He said one of his favorites is called Larry, Moe and Curly Joe, and they all have strange, but easy to remember names.

Well this is probably as good a time as any to discuss toilets. Everyone from home always asks if the water really does swirl in the opposite direction when you flush, and the answer is "I don't know." It's hard to tell because the water basically just goes straight down, like a waterfall, and doesn't really swirl around like in US toilets.

Some other differences are rather odd, like when you turn the DVD player on, the light goes off, and when it's off, the light stays on. Same thing with the electric plugs, there is a switch you have to hit to actually turn on the juice; but when they're on, a little red dot shows up, which to me should indicate it's turned off, since it's red. Then there are the electric cords, which never match the appliance. For some reason they put a black cord on a white microwave, and a white cord on a black lamp.

Sunday, November 22

Here's the road sign we saw last month on our way to Serpentine N.P. It was supposed to be removed weeks ago, but it's still there.

Sunday, November 22

We returned again today to Serpentine National Park, thinking it would surely be reopened by now, but there was a sign saying that as of September 2, the park would be closed until further notice. However, before driving away, Bill called the number on the sign, and the ranger said "Oh, that sign is 4 or 5 years old, and it's o.k. to hike there, only the campground is closed." So, we drove on in, but the ranger failed to mention the road was a disaster, and only a 4-wheel drive could get through. Well, of course, I was driving, only my 2nd or 3rd time, and I was sure the car was going to get stuck in one of the very deep ruts. So Bill managed to get the car turned around, we drove back to a level area to park, and got out and hiked. Just as in other parks, we only saw one small group of people, there just never seems to be anyone else out in the parks.

I mentioned how bad the flies are here, and this pic shows how many are typically around your head at any time. They like to hitch a free ride, and then take turns buzzing your face. We have to get some netting to put over our hats, the insect repellent we used did nothing to deter them.

Saturday, November 21

Bill went sailing today with his mates, and they won first place in their division. Afterwards, most of the participants met at the yacht club to have a beer, and 95% of the room were men. Soooo, when an American woman walked in and rather loudly announced that she would pay for the beers at her table, because she had her "fanny pack" with her, the room suddenly fell silent and everyone turned to look. In case you didn't read my earlier post, "fanny" in Oz means the front, not the back, so needless to say she attracted a lot of attention with her announcement.

Thursday, November 19

Haven't blogged in a while, been busy trying to get things to work, like the new phone, cable, internet, etc. The technology here on the West coast is a bit behind the times, somewhere back in the 80's I'd say, and everything takes a very long time to get delivered or fixed. You just have to learn to be patient, and we are trying, but most nights we spend at least an hour or two on the phone, talking to tech support.

Last night we signed up for a Camarillo phone number, so friends and family can call us at the same cost as before we moved over 9000 miles away. Very cool, spent all morning talking with family, until my voice finally gave out, but there's always tomorrow!

Bill has been invited to race on a friend's sailboat Saturday, and he was told he has to wear dark blue pants and a white shirt. A uniform! Since he doesn't even own a white shirt, we will have to go shopping tonight, but luckily it's a Thursday so the stores should be open until 9:00.

Well we've had our cable T.V. for a couple of days now, and it is nice to see so many American programs, although some are very old reruns. Also the times are all goofy, like the late night talk shows are on in the early afternoon and Ellen and Oprah are on in the mornings. And I was dismayed to find that the Sham-Wow! man has followed us here, I was hoping to not have to be subjected to any more of his infomercials, but he is here.

Been picking up some more Aussie lingo - some of the trees have interesting names, like woolley butt and black boys. Attorneys have multiple names including barristers, solicitors and just plain lawyers. Rip tides are rips, a cooler is called an esky, and instead of saying spoiled they say spoilt and learnt instead of learned. Mom or mother is always mum instead.

At dinner last week with some of Bill's coworkers, we were discussing the different meanings both countries have for various words, and one lady recalled a trip she made to the US when she was a teenager. She said she was shocked speechless when a boy told her she had a really nice fanny, and she felt like slapping him. As I was listening to her story, I was somewhat surprised that she would find that to be so incredibly upsetting, but then she explained that in Oz, the fanny is the front of that part of the female anatomy, not the back. I guess they probably don't sell fanny packs in Aussie stores.

Saturday, November 14

Busy day, starting with garage sales (yes they have them here but they're pronounced like gare-rage) and plant sales (got a bunch) and we ended up buying a new BBQ. We really missed barbecuing and intended to get just a small one, but ended up with a monster. So at least when anyone comes to visit we can just throw something on the barbie, like an entire cow or pig.

I had my first driving lesson in our new car, so much easier to drive then that big old clunker. But I must say I'm not crazy about all the roundabouts, they're everywhere. I practiced yesterday by going up and down the street, going through the roundabouts at each end, over and over ,and some old guy standing out in his front yard kept watching us go around and around, he must have thought we were terribly lost, or simply Americans.

I bought one of those shopping carts with wheels (they're called trolleys here) like old ladies use, cause I was tired of carrying heavy bags home from the store. Oh, and we bought a web-cam, so now we can Skype. It works amazingly well, lots of fun but you have to make sure you brush your hair before you turn on the computer.

Friday, November 13

Well hurray! our ship has come in and our stuff is now going through customs. I expect we will have to pay some fines, as we've been told they are extremely picky and the only thing we'd been told in advance was not to pack any seeds. We were talking with another ex-pat recently who said customs fined him $150 for having packed a box of popcorn, and another $100 for dirt on the bottom of his son's shoes. I'm sure they'll find dirt on some of our outdoor things, can't imagine how they wouldn't, especially with garden stuff.

At dinner with friends, one lady talked about her experience on the Aussie train that basically runs from the east coast to Perth, and she said the route is completely straight for many, many miles. Apparently it wasn't until several hours had passed that the train came to a curve, and the conductor was able to see the end of the train. He saw that a car, which was being transported by one of the passengers, had slipped off the back of the end of the train and was being dragged along the track, and had been dragged for miles. Needless to say the car was in pretty bad shape, and since many of the passengers had been drinking for hours, they all volunteered to lift the car off the tracks and back onto the train. However, the conductor thought this was not a good idea and so they had to wait several hours until a farmer arrived with some heavy equipment and was able to push the car back onto the train. The lady telling the story recalled that as they sat there for hours, waiting for the farmer to arrive, people began complaining about having to just sit there, when someone pointed out that they had been just sitting for hours before, the only difference was now they were not moving. So, to pass the time they continued drinking, and eating, and ended up consuming all the alcohol and food on the train, and because of the long delay, they arrived almost a full day late, hungry, thirsty, and hung-over. Another lady recalled shipping her household goods by train, and because different states in Oz use different guages of rail line, all her breakable items were basically rattled to pieces. Even her bike had broken in two because the metal had rubbed against something and after so long it simply broke through.

Thursday, November 12

Had dinner last night with some of Bill's coworkers, and one of the women lives in Darwin, which is basically at the very top of Australia, where it is quite humid. She was explaining that she is having a house built, and because they had not yet installed window screens, (they call them flyscreens) the frogs kept jumping in through the windows, and were even in the toilet. When I asked her what they did about that, she said she closed the lid but when she came back in, the frog was squeezing himself through the little space between the rim and the lid. She said since they've put the flyscreens on the windows, the frogs jump up and cling to the screens, hoping to get in, and there are so many they literally cover the screens.

Then I asked her if the cane toad had found its way to Darwin yet, from Queensland, and she said that they had, and most of the critters that eat them had died off. The toads have two poisonous sacs located on their upper backs, and when a predator bites them, the poison is released and kills the predator. She explained that in many areas of Australia, once the local wildlife that eat the toads has died off from having done so, they slowly start coming back as they adapt by learning ways to eat the toad without coming into contact with the poison sacs, such as flipping the toad over onto its back. She noted that she has not seen a goana, a very large lizard, in over 4 years, and they used to be very common, but the hope is that they will eventually return. I mentioned that I'd heard many dogs die from biting the toads, and she said that her dog has learned how to deal with them, and has basically become an addict. The dog licks the toads, just enough to get some sort of buzz, and she said when he comes back into the house it's obvious by the way he acts that he has been out licking toads again. She likened it to cats with catnip, and said the dog has shown no ill effects, but she thinks he is addicted to toad licking.

If you're not familiar with the saga of the cane toad, it's basically a phenomenal goof-up by the government, who brought the toads in to control the cane beetle. However, the beetles stayed far up on the cane and the toads did not jump up to eat them, per the plan, so the effort was fruitless. To make matters worse, the toads then began multiplying like crazy and they started to spread, and have continued spreading, becoming a far bigger pest than the beetles ever were. Thus far efforts to erradicate them have been unsuccessful.

Wednesday, November 11

Well we finally got our high speed internet in yesterday, after a 5 week wait, and I installed it! An amazing feat, I told the phone tech that I was techo-challenged but he was able to walk me through it with no problems, he was a very patient guy.

When clerks, waiters, etc hear our accent, they often say something like, "You're not from around here," and then they ask if we're from Canada or the U.S. When we tell them we're Americans, they always like to guess which state, and oftentimes they guess correctly! Then, if they've ever been to the U.S., they like to talk about it, and they LOVE New York. Also San Francisco, but we've yet to hear anything complimentary about L.A. The typical comments are that the air is dirty, it's too spread out and there's no way to get around. All valid complaints.

Here in Western Australia, most of the population is concentrated in Perth, and we've been told that there are more people living in Southern California, just from Santa Barbara to San Diego, then there are in the entire state of Western Australia. And WA is a big state, comparable in size to all the area from Denver, CO, west to the ocean. We've also heard that there are more people living in California than in all of Australia and New Zealand combined. Hard to believe, I will have to check that one out.

As far as traffic, they have a rush hour, but it is just that, lastly only about 1 hour, in the morning and evening. Bill says the train is virtually empty when he's taken it after 6:30 p.m., although it is crowded for a while in the morning. The train system is great, always on time and you never have to wait more than 10-15 minutes for the next train, depending on the time of day. If you buy a pass, you just swipe it prior to getting on the train, and again when you get off, and it keeps track of your balance.

Sunday, November 8

I couldn't stand not having any (well not many) plants or flowers to fuss with so we went to Bunnings and loaded up, and the patio is starting to look a whole lot better now.

Finally getting used to the fact that pedestrians do NOT have the right of way here, and there are signs warning pedestrians to give way to traffic.

Saw an interesting article in the paper, it seems building owners (or at least certain ones) do not own the outside walls of their buildings, only the inside. Some shop owner said he'd planned to put large windows all along one of the outside walls of his building, but when he returned from holiday (vacation) he discovered several other businesses had posted advertisements there. When he complained he was told he did not actually own the outside of the walls, only the inside.

Picked up a bit more Aussie lingo - a lounge can be both a couch and a living room, whitegoods are major appliances like refrigerators, washers and dryers, etc. Bits and bobs are odds and ends, breakfast is brekky and Tasmania is Tassy.

Saturday, November 7

Visited Yanchep National Park today, only about 45 minutes from home. There are 6 N.P.'s within a short drive from Perth, and many more down south, about a 3 hour drive away.

While hiking at Yanchep we saw our first wild kangaroos, and they are fairly common once you get out of the city. These signs are as routine as deer crossing signs in certain areas of California.

We also got some great pics of a mother koala and her baby, and like any little one, he was awake most of the time while his mom was sleeping. Amazing how they manage to not fall out of the trees while they're sleeping, although we've been told they occasionally do fall.

Friday, November 6

Well we found a great place to buy fresh, reasonably priced fruits and veggies, it's like a big open market with things like rice, grains and couscous in big open barrels. It's owned by Asians and the workers scurry around like crazy, trying to refill the bins, as it's very crowded and the aisles are narrow. It's only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and you have to get there early, but it's worth it, everything is super fresh. They also have a few small eating places, and we actually found a Mexican place last weekend and the burritos were not bad. Never expected to find a Mexican restaurant here but there is pretty much every kind of food imaginable.

The houses here, at least in our neighborhood, are a combination of older homes called "character" houses, because, well, they have a lot of character, and newer townhouses. Many of the older homes have tin roofs and lots of gingerbread, especially lacy ironwork like you might see in New Orleans. The pic I took was from the car and is not the greatest example, but it gives you some idea.

Thursday, November 5

Well, our stuff did not arrive on Monday as scheduled, which probably means the ship has been hijacked by Somali pirates. Hope they enjoy wearing my hat with the corks around the rim.

More pics from Kings Park. The ducks are the same family of 13 babies that are now about a month old, maybe a bit more, they are so much bigger than when I first saw them. The flower pics were all taken in the botanical gardens, seems like there's always something blooming there. Many of the trees are covered with flowers, I guess I'm going to have to learn the names but the signs only list the latin names and very few give the common names.

Wednesday, November 4

It suddenly got hot, very suddenly, and the temperature is estimated to be 34 degrees, which in farenheit would be around 95. That's 15-20 degrees hotter than it has been. One thing that is very different from Camarillo, is that it does not cool down at night, and it does not get damp, even though we are only about 15 minutes from the beach. The humidity here is much lower, so it is a dry heat. However, dry or not, if it gets into the 40's, as we've been told, it will feel hot. That would be about 105 faranheit. Although our Aussie friends told us the weather here was very comparable to So Cal, they must have been referring to the winter, not the summer. We've been warned that although Christmas is typically quite hot, January and February are the warmest months.

Well today while walking in Kings Park, I came upon what appeared to be a bloody crime scene, as there was a bloody stick, and blood splattered all over the ground. My keen P.I. training told me something was indeed amiss! (although I can't recall having investigated any cases involving a claimant being bludgeoned in a forest.) But then when I reminded myself that we are in Oz, after all, it occurred to me that possibly the tree itself was bleeding, and of course, that in fact was exactly what it was. It was a bloody tree. Looked like some type of eucalyptus, and further up the truck was another bloody spot. Too bad my camera battery had died, would have made a great pic.

Sunday, November 1

Drove to Lake Monger this morning, only 8 minutes from the house. A really nice place to walk, full of waterfowl. We stopped to take a pic of a black swan and her two babies, but the mama swan came after us and chased us off - very protective of her little ones. Then when we were a safe distance away, one of the babies came after us too, squawking with his little wings outstretched - pretty funny, just a little guy but very brave.

Well, the dill seeds I planted have come up, and my one lonely little tomato plant is doing well also, so my garden is born. I’m sure I’ll keep adding plants as time goes on, can’t just quit gardening cold turkey, even though our outside space is pretty limited to room for just a few pots.

Monday, November 2

Our stuff is scheduled to arrive at the Fremantle port today, Hallelujah! But of course we will still have to wait a few more weeks for it to clear quarantine and then actually get delivered to the house, but we are getting closer. The feeling of camping out is getting pretty old, when you only have 2 plates and 2 bowls you wash dishes a lot. Bill took two of the kitchen chairs that were left here and put them upstairs next to the bed, to use as nightstands. Very classy look. But they do the job.

The flies are bizarre, horrible one minute and completely absent the next, hard to figure what brings them out but when they are they are incredibly persistent. I don't care how silly those cork hats might look I'm wearing mine as soon as it gets here along with our stuff.

Tuesday, November 3

Finally, the heating-A/C repairman showed up today, now that it’s spring and we no longer need heat, or air-conditioning at this point. While we wait to see if the heat will come on, we begin a conversation about where we’re from, why we’re here, etc. He says he was born in England, close to the border with Scotland, and his village was the first line of defense from “the heathen hoards” that came from the north. He explains that he moved to Bermuda and lived there for years, but decided he wanted a more permanent work situation, and after living in warm, tropical Bermuda, could not bring himself to return to the cold weather in Great Britain, so he came to Australia. He asked if we’d gotten used to the slow pace of life here, and he said that when the temperature hits 100 degrees, the tradesmen are all sent home, and they are paid for the whole day. He said that a new hire in most businesses is given 4 weeks vacation the first year, and that is added onto with subsequent years of service.

Well, I finally met one of our neighbors today, the first one I’ve seen. She said everyone is very quiet, except for the tenants who lived in our unit prior to us. They were three students from Zimbabwe, and they were very loud. We had assumed there must have been young guys living here, as none of the appliances worked but the problems were never reported, presumably because they never cooked or cleaned.

On our way to King’s Park today, Bill noticed a couple of strange things. In front of one house, squarely in the middle of the driveway, is a light post. Hopefully they drive a motorcycle instead of a car. Then at the intersection is a stop sign, yet near the sidewalk is a sign saying “no stopping allowed.” Near the park is the Subi Oval, a large stadium where Aussie rules football games are played. The streets near the stadium all have no parking signs that list only the specific dates of all the games, so spectators cannot park in front of the houses. But unless there is some sort of overlay for each sign, the city has to print new signs every year, which would seem to be very expensive. We passed by one house with a sign on the wall which read “Beware of wife.”