It was Bob's turn to be treated by being "scooped up" by Saline to go to shows and he saw some very interesting ones at that. The most memorable one he talked about was Tuvan Throat singers that apparently are able to sing at least two distinct notes at a time.
At midnight that same night, I went with Saline to see a great play called "Justice". this was by the theatre troop that would later win the biggest prize. March 15
Jubjub was our tour guide for this fine day and he took us up through the hills, through some pretty wine country, to a small German village called Hahndorf. We leisurely strolled through this quaint town, and had a great lunch. Jub's had been talking about this difference in service in Oz vs. the states. The lunch at this place was a prime example of that. While the waitress was perhaps friendlier than most, lunch was a long, drawn out affair. It took ages to even get our food as they apparently had to cook each thing from scratch totally. Also, the waitress had a more relaxed approach to service evidently because she started making our ice cream cones, got involved with other things leaving our some of the cones to melt in the stand, then returned to finish up the job. It took a good 5 minutes for this process and you can imagine the shape our cones were in by the time they actually reached us. Again, service in Oz, seemed very different from what we have been spoiled to expect in the states.
Rev had been a dear and had made some initial arrangements for me to visit a detention center while I was in Adelaide. Koalamof took me there to Cavan and I must say I was very impressed with this facility. Koala, a semi-retired Psychologist, knew many of the people there. I had also brought some materials to share from my own Juvenile Justice facility in Portland. I had a great talk with one of the supervisors there as well as the Director. I think it would be like a vacation to work there as the place seemed to have much less horrendous criminals than Portland , even though these were supposed to be their worst young men. For a city that is larger than Portland, its crime rate is probably less than a quarter of ours. The kind of crimes seem different as well, in that most seem to be property crimes instead of the growing percentage here of person to person crimes.
Later that night, Koalamof had us over to his house for a Barby of Kangaroo steaks. What a wonderful meal! When I needed to connect with Saline for some more Festival activities, Bob stayed with Koala and helped him with his computer. Alden did his part too by limited attention getting behaviors (while the adults did all those boring adult things once again) to the most minimum he could muster. *grin*
Saline, still racing at mach speed, had more shows she needed to attend and she shared
them with me. One was soooooooooooooooo bad and lengthy that I kept myself from
standing up and screaming at the dancers by planning my escape routes to freedom.
Saline apparently was doing the same thing as we both felt victimized by the length and
the tedium of what should have been an incredible blend of Indonesian and Australian
dancing. We then had to zoom off to the final ceremonies. Saline's task was to be on
stage to give away prize money to the deserving artisans from the Festival. A theatre
troop from Seattle, Washington of all places was the big winner. This was a fun event
and she did it with humor and style (though moments before she was unclear as to what
she was going to say
I was sorry to see the Festival and the Fringe be over. I can only describe it as an event
where the whole city is turned into a showcase for all sorts of art mediums from all over
the world. The Fringe, as you can imagine, is more alternative events and just as rich
with activities as one might ever encounter. People were literally partying and dancing in
the streets, and, the amazing thing about Adelaide and Australia, it was SAFE to party in
the streets. Saline and I had no qualms, as two women, about walking around most of the
night. I have never in my life felt that kind of safety and freedom. I loved it!
I was also glad that the Festival was winding down for Saline's sake. She had been
w*rking a double shift under extreme pressures and a break for her was long overdue.
After leaving the Festival, we went to her dear friend Peter's house for a party. Peter is
also a writer and an art critic and I felt like I was walking into a party from the 60's. I
swear I could "see" Andy Warhol's stuff in this outrageously artsy house.
Saturday was more a day of relaxation as we puttered around. Bob and Alden went and
w*rked on Koala's ex-wife's computer and had some fun at different parks. Saline and I
hit the public market, this time in more depth, and we had a wonderful time gathering up
stuff for our trip to Kangaroo Isle that was happening on Monday. What is noteworthy
here is that markets and stores are not open as regularly as we have come to expect in
the states. The city nearly all closes down on Sunday and there is usually only one or
two nights a week that shops are open until 9 pm.
That night, we had a nice dinner with some of Saline's good friends. The guys even
watched videos, which left some quality IRC time for Saline and I! *grin* Our time during
this vacation had been too action packed to have much IRC time. Can you imagine
that??!!! Having tooooo much fun to have tooooo much fun! :)
March 17
Sunday brought us more relaxation as we visited, did errands and readied for Kangaroo
Isle. SKIPPY came to visit and we had a great time, walking down to the small area of
Norwood where Saline and Jub's live. We had a great lunch out, hung out at the park and
all around just had a wonderful visit.
An interesting thing happened while Alden was napping, Bob was gone with Skippy to
downtown, and I was on IRC. A nick named Albert kept messaging me and I was polite,
but too busy visiting with friends to really get involved. He kept sending me roses
(virtual of course) and was very sweet, but again, I barely had time to talk. Well it turns
out it was BOBDHUBBY, signing on from a provider downtown! What a funny surprise,
and all my IRC friends that were online were in on the prank. Fool me once, shame on
you! Fool me twice, shame on ME!! *huge grins*.
March 18
Koalamof met us at the house to load up all the extra things into his panel van. The
excitement was mounting as we readied to leave. Saline had a huge stash of special
treats for Alden for the trip. Some were called KINDER SURPRISES. These chocolate
eggs are hollow and have a toy inside that kids put together. She also had a "lolli"
(which means candy) that lit on and off like a flashlight and a tube of sweetened
condensed milk. Apparently these tubes of milk used to be her treats to take to school as
a child. The drive itself was spectacular as we headed to the ocean. We stopped for an
authentic "pastie" (pronounced pah-stee) for lunch on the way. Pasties are a sort of a cross between a pot-pie and a burrito.
The ferry ride was a short hour across, but it was like time stood still on this photo
opportunity moment. The color of the water was prettier than any photgraph you might
see and not believe that it was a real picture. The crayon and paint makers could not
capture the greens and auquas to do this water color justice.
At Kangaroo Island, we headed to our cabin. From what the pictures looked like, and from
what Samela warned us about (as if we weren't hearty stock *grin*), we expected
something very sparse and almost primitive. What we found were new, two bedroom
houses, with microwave and a fully equipped kitchen. There might have been a total of 6
cottages, but they were all nestled into the bush for privacy and just a few minutes walk
to the beach.
We were immediately greeted by wallabies who were interested in checking out these
new humans. Well, we were so tickled, we started scrounging right away to see what we
could feed these beautiful creatures. They crept up so close...they were almost eating
carrots from our hands. You can just imagine the excitement of a 4 y/o if the adults were
so delighted.
We got settled in and Koalamof and Christina were in the house next door. We headed
out right away for the beach and for some fishing. The beaches were made of fine sand
that was a creamy shade of beige. The beach was deserted, even though the weather
was ideal. The fishing was a success with enough tasty King George Whiting for a first course for all and dinner for some.
March 19
Bob and Bruce were very adventuresome and went fishing first thing in the morning
while it was still dark. No luck this time, but sunrise was reported to be very nice.
Today was the day we went exploring the island more in depth. We started off driving to
Seal Point, where we went with a guide on the beach amongst the seals. It was
fascinating to be within 20 meters of them and to hear the interesting facts about these
creatures. Some of the mom's were returning from the sea and the baby seals were
calling to their mom's.
The next stop was the main harbor area of the island. We had lunch in a typical
Australian Pub, which is generally a combination of a hotel, gambling place, restaurant,
bar, and liquor store. Afterwards we drove to a Eucalyptis distillery. I hadn't realized that
euchalyptis trees and gum trees were the same thing. What a wonderful scent!
There had been lots in the media about the culling or killing of koalas due to their
overpopulation. Apparently there was concern that they were stripping the gum trees and
were a threat to the environment as well. We went to the Koala areas and while we did
see a few, there were no signs of trouble with the trees or overpopulation. We learned
about ant colonies there though. Huge mounds or circles with giant bull ants racing with
their internal purpose driving them.
Our next stop was an echidna research station. The people there were friends of Saline
and Jubs and it was quite a treat to meet them and see the good work done there. As we
bumped down the gravel road to get to their even less improved road, Saline pointed out
that people used unusual markers for their places. Sure enough, we noticed someone
had used a washing machine to mark their mailbox and driveway. Another had used a
refrigerator. "Oh come see me and turn right at the refrigerator!" *huge grins*
The research center was a NO CAR zone and people had to park quite a distance away
and hike in. What a peaceful place they have. Their A Frame that they built themselves
is right at the lagoon and is in the middle of lush treed areas as well. Many people from
all over the world do internships there and so there are camping areas and community
shared spaces as well. Bob was very interested in the environmental issues discussed.
I imagine it would be of real value to spend some more time there. They even hand
made drums!
After we left there, we headed back to the harbor area to try to catch the Ferry Penquins
returning from the sea at night. We went to a person made area where they were
supposed to go, but then opted to head to a natural area on the beach to wait in the
rocks. Night fell and we were treated to some amazing stars. We wondered at first if we
had missed them, but Saline confirmed that there were babies still unattended in the
rocks. Our efforts were rewarded when these adorable little penguins, maybe 10 inches
tall, came waddling up from the shore. We didn't stay long as we didn't want to intrude
and we could tell that they were altering their course to try and avoid these humans.
Back at the cottage, we were treated to another show. Koala had been kind enough to lug
his huge telescope along and so he set it up for us all to enjoy. I understand that the
stars are different in different parts of the country, but found it very facinating to see that
the constallation Orian was actually upside down in this place. It was very disorienting to
not see the Big Dipper or the North Star, but instead I learned how to find true south with
the Southern Cross. I don't ever think I had seen the Milky Way be so clear and
expansive. I believe we saw 5 or 6 satalites that night and we had way more of our share
of shooting stars.
March 20
This day was less planned as the only goal of the day was the pursuit of Muntry Berries
and for Bob to go Abalone hunting, and for Alden and Saline to build a "volcano" on the
beach. At first, it seemed like Muntry berries were not to be had. Lots were found
unexpectedly while Saline, Bob and Jubs were on a hike. We also picked pine nuts and
had them as a wonderful treat for dinner. Bob did manage to find one Abalone that he
didn't keep, and an oyster for Saline, which she DID (internally *grin*).
That afternoon/early evening, Bob, Alden and I went out in the row boat to go fishing. The water was calm and the sun glistened through the clouds in picturesque ways. Huge
Pelicans lazily floated near by and a couple of dolphins graced us with their presence.
Alden was in heaven when he actually caught a tiny fish and was very understanding
about why we weren't able to keep it. Bob caught a small one also.
When we got back to shore, the dolphins were there to greet us; what a gift! Saline had
nearly completed the "volcano" and was waiting for Alden to get it smoking. It was
amazing really as she lit the fire she had built under the volcano. Smoke came out
tentatively at first and then billowed impressively. Alden's eyes lit up and it was also fun
to stomp it down when we were ready to leave.
Back at the cabin, we had a great meal together with Koala treating us with some
homemade dairy free coconut ice cream! We all decided it would be a great thing to
serve at this bed and breakfast we were dreaming about starting. A mellow last night on
the island that we wished didn't have to end.
March 21
Sadly enough, it was our last few hours on the island but it was also OUR
ANNIVERSARY! OUR 20th Anniversary! Jubs had driven out very early to pick up the
crawfish we had ordered for our anniversary celebration and before we knew it, we were
ready to board the ferry back to the mainland.
Once back, Saline and I had to rush to go to the market and get ready for this special
anniversary event. Bob knew we were planning a big party for our anniversary and our
last night in Adelaide, but he was unaware that I had made arrangements for us to renew
our wedding vows.
There was a little synagogue called BEIT SHALOM which means "house of peace" and
the president of that congregation had gone out of her way to help out. She had arranged
champagne, fancy cookies, had a huge arrangement of flowers and even gave us a
wedding present of love poems. I will NEVER forget her kindness or the loving warmth in
that synagogue!
The story behind this event, was that when Bob and I were married 20 years ago, we had
said that we wanted to be married again on our 10th anniversary. When the time came, I
was hesitant, but Bob insisted. He even surprised me by having my parents fly out as a
surprise. He said that he wanted to do it again on our 20th anniversary. I tried to talk him
out of it and advocated for our 25th instead.
When it turned out that our 20th anniversary would be happening during this wonderous trip to Oz, it just seemed too perfect for a surprise! We said an updated version of our vows and I sang Bob a song I had written for him. It is called "UNSUNG HERO". Alden was up with us on the Bima and he cried when I sang it. He said he had to cry at the song because it was so beautiful. I will never have a higher compliment than that very moment.
After prayers over a champagne toast and cookies, we all headed back to Saline and Jub's house for a feast! The crawfish were incredible and we had prawns and Morton Bay bugs to go with along with smoked fish. A pavlova topped off this amazing dinner and we had a great time visiting with everyone on our last night. We even got to all watch some of Demetri's video. What an amazing day to remember! Saline and I stayed up half the night gloriously talking and refusing to give into the fact that we were leaving. Here are some pics of this part of our trip:
jubs and koalamof
jubs on the ferry
jubs and saline
saline and alden
Revhug
Skippy
Saline and Sam
Rev n me
Wedding
kangaroo
Saline and wallaby
berry picking
fishing
