Project FeederWatch Update

American Robin-1, Black capped chickadee-4, White breasted Nuthatch-3, Common Redpoll-4, Pileated woodpecker-2, Hairy woodpecker-2, Downy woodpecker-2, Cardinal-2, American Crow-2, Mourning Dove-2, Junco-4

OMG

Not sure if I'm allowed to say anything yet but OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Signs of Spring 2013

3 fresh eggs

Driveway free of snow - who am I kidding. I will need a boat pretty soon.

Creating ditches to dry up the driveway is very relaxing work.



Red buds



Ephemeral ponds.



Maple sap running



Pussywillows!

Pussywillows!

Other signs of spring include listening to my red shouldered hawk again (returned on Thursday), seeing a pair of Trumpeter swans fly over my house on Friday, and seeing my first Robin (today).  Also watching the neighborhood kids riding bikes, scooters and roller skates.

Totally Cured of PMS

An eager young friend of mine rode his motorcycle on Thursday and again today on Friday.  Coming into work he hit an icy patch of melted snow and went down.  His leg is sore but his body is pretty much okay.  He says his bike is totalled.  This has totally cured me of wanting to get on the bike for awhile.  There are certain things I won't do on a bike.  I don't ride at night.  I don't ride in the rain (unless I have to). I don't ride on busy highways.  I don't speed.  I don't drink and ride.  I don't ride when I am tired.  And now I've added another condition - I won't ride under 32 degrees.  Oh, heck, I won't ride under 50 degrees.  Riding a motorcycle should be fun not an endurance feat.

Time Warp

My hat makes my shadow look like an alien.

Today was my last day in Australia.  I was up and ready to meet my transport to the airport before the sun was up.  I flew out of Adelaide to Sydney which took a couple of hours of flight time but only a half hour of real time because the time zone is 1.5 hours different.  Time was so confusing on my trip I basically gave up on it.  I would just reset my watch to the nearest clock and not try to make sense of it in my mind.  I had lunch on the plane and after a 5 hour wait, boarded the next plane from Sydney to Los Angeles.  The flight took 14.5 hours but I arrived before I left.  Crossing the international date line can do that to you.  I sat next to the window on this long ride which I thought would be nice because I could lean into the window to sleep.  But I was oddly wide awake the entire time.  I watched two Australian movies plus the "Life of Pi" and the "Perks of Being a Wallflower."  I started to watch "Cloud Atlas" but stopped because I really wanted to enjoy this movie and my mind wasn't sharp enough at this point to pay close attention.  Quantas is a great airline.  We don't have to pay for headphones. We don't have to pay for movies.  The staff are pleasant and helpful.  We had a great dinner on the plane. They give us eye shades, a blanket and a tiny toothbrush with a tiny tube of toothpaste.  A couple hours after dinner they brought pizza to those of us who were still awake.  Yay!  Pizza!  A couple hours after that they brought us ice cream.  Yay!  Mango ice cream!  I ate it all.  What else was there to do?   The woman sitting next to me was on her way to speak at a conference on Montreal.  Already she missed the warmth of Melbourne.  I could feel her pain.  She was a nice lady who looked to be in her mid 30's.  After 12 hours of sitting next to her plump body I felt tempted to snuggle up to her. She looked so soft and comfortable.  By now I had been awake 20+ hours and I knew I wasn't thinking clearly so I did not ask if I could use her as a pillow.  We all exited the plane in Los Angeles and were sent through customs.  I walked out of terminal 5 toward terminal 3 and checked in with Delta Airlines.  I could sense the difference in customer service immediately and this was not a good change.  I have to say though, airport food is improving.  I bought an edamame salad that tasted pretty good.  Plus it was fun to spend American money for a change and to pay American prices.  Australia was so expensive it broke me of a 50+ year habit of drinking soda.  This day felt about two days long and I was getting tired.  On the plane to Minneapolis I tried to sleep but couldn't.  Offspring #2 met me at the luggage carousel.  I dug warmer clothes out of my suitcase and put on the winter coat she brought me.  Now she led the way to the train.  I really enjoyed being a follower for a change.  I visited with her for a couple hours and then drove home.  I enjoyed driving my own car and driving on the right side of the road.  My house sitter had done an outstanding job.  My house looked cleaner now than when I left.  I checked on my chickens, thanked them for the four eggs I collected, glanced at the mail, and fell into bed to sleep for 12 solid hours.  Vacation is over.  Australia was a great vacation.  I didn't get sick.  I didn't get sunburn or sun poisoning.  I saw tons of wildlife and met many interesting people.  I snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef. I saw awesome beaches and landscapes.  I learned more about this planet I live on.  Really the only thing that went wrong was loosing my camera on the first day but I found it within a couple hours.  Money well spent I'd say.

Day Two on Kangaroo Island

Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

A Poisonous Snake!!!

Century Palm

Splendid fairy wren

The hills on this side of the island are less rugged.

Follow This Path To Find A Surprise

A Long And Narrow Path to the Surprise

Surprise!  A Safe beach for Swimmers. A natural rocky ledge keeps the sharks out.

A Large Male Kangaroo

Love Is In The Air?

Today, for once, I didn't have to set the alarm or arrange a wake up call.  Today I could sleep as late as I wanted.  I was up about 6 but it was nice to wake up on my own and not have to hustle.  I had breakfast in bed (leftovers from the grocery store yesterday) while watching the morning news programs.  Nikki picked me up about 9 o'clock and together we had a great day and also my last real day of vacation.  Tomorrow I would be traveling for over 24 hours and today I didn't want to think about that.  She drove me around town.  She showed me her father's house and his lobster boat.  She showed me her house too.  We drove to the southern tip of the island to Flinders National Park.  We saw the Remarkable Rocks and the New Zealand Fur seals on the beaches.  Yesterday Nikki told me about being bitten by a black tiger snake - the fifth most venomous snake in the world.  She was hiking by herself and she accidentally stepped on one.  The snake bit her in the thigh with one puncture above the zipper on her zip off pant legs and the other puncture below the zipper.  Her cell phone would not work where she was standing.  She knew first aid for black tiger snake bites.  She stood completely still for an entire hour.  Walking would have spread the venom throughout her body and killed her.  I cannot imagine how long that hour must have seemed.  After standing still for an hour she hiked out of the bush and called for help.  She was taken to the hospital for observation.  Snakes can bite with injecting venom.  If she were given the anti-venom without being exposed to any venom, the treatment could also kill her.  After observation the doctors concluded she was bitten but not injected with venom.  She was given antibiotics and sent home.  So when we were walking up the boardwalk from the Remarkable Rocks and Nikki says, "Look, a black tiger snake!"  I approached cautiously.  Although poisonous this snake is not aggressive.  The business end of the snake was under the boardwalk which made me feel better.  I think it was about 5 or 6 feet long and the skin was so black it looked almost blue.  The skin had tread on it like a bike tire.  I peeked at it between the cracks of the board walk and I was very surprised when Nikki said, "Keep an eye on it and tell me if it moves."  She moved off the board walk, knelt down on the rocks and bent over to get a good picture.  80% of me wanted to tease her and yell, "It's coming your way!"  I restrained myself and let her get a good picture.  Further along the path we saw a group of quick moving birds. Nikki spotted an emu wren - another very rare bird.  This nondescript brown bird has a feathery tail that looks like it should be on a much larger bird. She got lots of good pictures of it.  She was so excited she had tears in her eyes.  All the rest of the day she told everyone we saw about the emu wren.  They were impressed too so it must be a rare bird.  She told me about a feral cat project she initiated and developed on Kangaroo Island for which she won Australia's Young Environmentalist award.  Nikki and I got along great.  Later in the day she asked me, "Feeling a bit peckish?"  I've seen that word in books and thought it meant irritable but that didn't fit this context.  I didn't feel like scratching the ground with my feet and slamming my face into the earth.  So I had no choice but to ask, "Peckish?"  She apologized for her Australian slang and replaced it with hungry.  "Oh, yes" I said, "I am feeling peckish!"  Again we drove into another private compound.  I was dropped off a ways away from the lunch location and had a chance to walk by myself for a spell.  We were in a dry area spotted with Century Palms and some eucalyptus shrubs.  We had a picnic table under a white tent.  Nikki found a rock with a depression in it so she filled it with water and we enjoyed lunch while watching splendid fairy wrens taking a bath.  We had vegie burgers, a delicious salad made with lettuce, feta cheese (from sheep's milk), olives, sun dried tomatoes, green beans, and sugar pea sprouts.  The sugar pea sprouts were very tasty.  I ate them all.  We had some yogurt sauce for the burgers also made from sheep milk that was very good.  We had chicken, bread and butter, a fruit salad with rice, wine, soda, water, and for dessert - cheesecake topped with strawberry yogurt made from sheep's milk. I ate  until I was stuffed.  Everything was so delicious. I had no idea sheep were used for milk.  The sheep cheese was less strong than goat cheese and quite delicious.  We drove north to King George beach.  The north side of the island is less rugged and has more vegetation on it.  The trees are taller too.  We saw more birds and a few more kangaroos and wallabies.  She drove me to another beach.  She pointed to some rocks and said a trail started in there.  At the end of the trail would be a surprise.  I should follow the trail and find the surprise.  The trail was difficult.  With my big sun hat I had to hold my head sideways in places or crouch down to get through.  I wondered what the surprise would be.  The only thing I could think of was a nude beach.  I kept walking and eventually the narrow, windy, cave like path came to an end and I saw another large beach. Part of this beach was bordered with a rocky ledge making it safe for swimmers.  Families with small children were swimming here and having picnics.  It was very nice.  I hiked back to the car.  Nikki and I had a lot in common and we were busy talking and sharing experiences.  The time flew by very fast and I was disappointed when it was time to take me to the Kangaroo Island International airport.  The International was a joke.  This airport had one gate.  It did have two runways but only one was paved.  Nikki and I exchanged face book information and hugged good by.  Although the flight from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide is only 20 minutes we are served water and a Mentos piece of candy.  When I checked into the Breakfree Hotel I claimed my suitcase and repacked for the long ride home tomorrow.  Where did the three weeks go?  On this vacation I had lost all track of time.  I did not miss work or home.  To keep the vacation mode going as along as I could I decided to wear my Australian clothing and not dress for Minnesota first thing in the morning.  I packed so warmer clothes could be reached without too much trouble.  I had to face facts; my vacation was coming to an end.   

Kangaroo Island

Taking the ferry to Kangaroo Island.  Mainland Australia on the left.

First View of Kangaroo Island

Kangaroos seeking shade on Kangaroo Island.

Australian pelicans

I walked down this road by myself for ten minutes to get to the lunch picnic.

Male koalas have Roman noses

Australian sea lions

Crested terns

View from my hotel balcony.  I think those are Norfolk Island Pines.

Today I left my suitcase at the Breakfree Hotel.  With two small bags I waited outside for my ride to the ferry.  Anxious to get going I stood outside for 15 minutes in the pre-dawn traffic.  Customers left the Pokie next door.  A street sweeper went by along with many taxi's.  A bus pulled up and 4 of us got on.  We stopped at the Adelaide Bus Terminal where the rest of the seats were filled with customers.  As we drove the 90 minute trip to the ferry the driver told us stories about Adelaide and the surrounding community.  As we left town the traffic from the suburbs was very bad.  This particular highway heading south was once part of a government plan to relieve traffic congestion.  All six lanes used to be two directional - coming into to town in the morning and leaving town in the afternoon.  What a novel idea!  I can just see how much easier our major highways would be in the morning and the afternoon if all the lanes were one way.  But the people didn't like it.  Not everyone was going into town in the morning and out of town in the afternoon so they switched it back to a two direction highway.  Once we got to the peninsula where the ferry was, we departed the bus and got on the boat.  As we pulled away from mainland Australia toward Kangaroo Island, I explored the boat.  The ride was only 30 minutes and we could see both shores at all times.  I stood near the railing next to a man who was missing a finger.  He pointed out to sea.  I got a glimpse of a whale breaching.  As I got off the boat I saw a woman holding up a sign with my name on it.  I love seeing my name on a sign like that.  I think the next time I pick up someone from the airport I will make a sign with their name on it.  My guide was Nikki and she was awesome.  When I mentioned I was a birder she got very excited.  She rearranged the day so we could see more birds.  We saw kangaroos and wallabies and koalas and monitor lizards too but to tell the truth, the 15th kangaroo of the day is just not as exciting as a "first time in my life" bird.  And it was so nice to be the only customer on a wildlife tour.  My friends were going to be jealous of me for sure.  We saw 33 species of birds on this day.  Nikki had an awesome camera and she took many shots of birds and animals.  We stopped at a beach to admire the Australian sea lions. She made tea while I walked the beach.  I enjoyed a cup of lemon tea while Nikki and I chatted with her high school teacher while her teacher's husband, a chemistry teacher, went surfing.  When you live on a small island you know everybody. The chemistry teacher wore a helmet as he surfed.  When I asked why he wore a helmet they explained there are a few rocks out there but the helmet keeps the ear canal warmer.  In this cold water, repeated exposure causes a bone to grow over the ear drum.  This teacher had just had surgery to remove the extra bone and restore his hearing.  We stopped off at a couple other great birding spots.  About 1 o'clock Nikki drove into a large private compound.  She dropped me off on the road and said she was driving on ahead to prepare lunch.  I was free to explore the area and walk down the road for about 10 minutes and I would find the picnic spot.  With just my hat and my camera I was dropped off.  I was all alone in the Australian bush.  Awesome!  What a great feeling to be all alone and unable to see any sign of civilization except for tire tracks on a dirt road.  How many people get to experience this?  I am so lucky.  I listened for sounds but didn't hear much.  The temperature was in the 90's and all wildlife was seeking shade and coolness.  I walked down the road and in ten minutes I saw our SUV and a white tent.  Under the white tent was a picnic table and a full lunch.  There is no bathroom here, no running water, only a picnic shelter and prawns, chicken, bread and butter, three kinds of salad, red wine, white wine, sodas, water, and for dessert - an apple muffin with custard and caramel sauce.  There was enough food for at least 5 people.  Nikki said the leftovers were not wasted.  What she didn't want to take home would be put in the worm compost.  Nikki put out a little bowl of water for the birds.  Eventually a group of three supreme fairy wrens came to take a bath.  After lunch Nikki and I did more birding.  She was involved in a glossy black cockatoo restoration project.  She took me to an area where volunteers had built nesting boxes.  Glossy black cockatoos are endemic to Kangaroo Island and there are only 200 left.  A population of at least 500 is needed to ensure they won't go extinct.  Lucky for me, one glossy black cockatoo was hot and she poked her head out of the nesting box.  I was pretty excited to get to see one.  About six o'clock Nikki helped me get registered at my hotel.  I was on my own for dinner.  The hotel had a restaurant but Nikki showed me another restaurant a block away where everyone in town frequents.  She also showed me a grocery store a block away and told me it would close in an hour.  After I put down my bags I headed to the grocery store.  I had tabbouleh salad, yogurt, popcorn and a Cadbury chocolate bar for dinner.  It was delicious.  I took a shower and walked around the hotel and the marina. As the sun set I wrote in my journal while sitting on a park bench.  Not only was this a great day (that totally made up for the day I spent in airports getting from Port Douglas), I didn't have to be ready in the morning until 9 o'clock in the morning.  Such luxury! 

Swimming With The Dolphins

My boat, the Temptation, coming into pick me up.

View of Glennig Harbor

The jetty at Glennig

Kelp Gull tracks in the sand.

This morning I was scheduled to swim with the dolphins.  I had to leave early. As I stood outside the Breakfree I noticed a "Pokies" next door.  People were leaving the Pokie about 7 a.m.  Pokies is a gambling and drinking club that closes at 7 a.m.  I had seen many Pokies in my travels in Australia and really didn't understand what they were until now.  My taxi picked me up and we headed out of Adelaide toward the sea.  Traffic was steady coming into town and I was glad I wasn't in that mess.  Even so the traffic lights were really long and I was shocked to see $4.00 roll by on the taxi meter at a single red light. Since I was going to be swimming I had brought the minimum amount of stuff with me.  $28 dollars later the taxi dropped me off at the marina and I found the Temptation dock.  I watched the boat pull into to the dock.  There were about 30 people on this trip.  We were handed wet suits, masks and snorkels.  The staff on the Temptation gave us a run down on what to do. The boat had two long ropes hanging off the back with battery operated shark repellents in between the two ropes. Here in southern Australia the water is colder and great white sharks live here.  When it was time to swim with the dolphins we were to get into the water quickly and without splashing off the back of the boat, swim to the long rope, move ourselves down the long rope so we would be evenly spaced, and flip our legs over the rope so we would be in range of the shark repellent.  Then we were to look down and all around for the dolphins.  The staff warned us that we needed to be quick and their voices might sound sharp but we shouldn't take it personally.  Also we were not allowed to touch any dolphins.  If we touched one we would transmit bacteria to them that would shorten their lifespan considerably. Wild dolphins can live 50 years.  Dolphins in captivity and touched by tourists live about 9 years.  As I squeezed into my wetsuit I realized, in horror, that I forgot my earplugs.  With a perforated right ear drum I cannot swim without an ear plug or I will get water into my middle ear.  I asked the staff but they had no ear plugs.  What was I going to do?  I paid money for this trip.  And I paid $28 for a cab ride here.  Two of the people on this boat were not going swimming.  They were content to watch from the dry deck.  I wasn't content to watch.  I wanted to swim with the dolphins.  So I "McGyvered" the situation.  I took a piece of cinnamon Trident sugarless gum (the gum most recommended by dentists for patients who chew gum), chewed the hell out of it, and when the time came, stuck it in my right ear canal.  Did it work?  The results are mixed.  I got to swim with the dolphins.  The gum came out easily when the swimming was finished. But I did end up with an infection in my right ear.  And because the doctor scolded me for using a Q-tip, I did not tell him I put gum in my ear.  So it was with Trident sugarless gum in my ear that I slid off the back of the boat and reached for the rope when the time came.  The staff were yelling, "Swimmers In!  You should be in already!"  It's not that easy getting in.  The boat is moving and propellers make the water choppy.  We cannot reach the rope when we get in.  We have to swim a couple feet toward it.  They want 4 of us getting in simultaneously.  Once I reach the rope I move myself down, hand over hand, to space us out.  We have 15 people on each rope.  And then we have to move our bodies to the other side of the rope by swimming under it or crawling over the top of the rope.  And the boat is still moving so the legs of the person in front of me are in my face, kicking my mask, and generally in my way.  Once in position I looked.  I didn't see any dolphins.  The staff yell at us, "Swimmers Out!!"  We haul ourselves up the rope and onto the deck.  In a kneeling position and in a wet suit, getting to a standing position is a lot easier if I have something to hang onto.  So I crawl four feet to a railing to stand up. Then I take my snorkel out of my mouth and the slobber dribbles down my chin.  So lovely.  I go back up to the top deck only to hear, "Swimmers In!!!"  I come down the steps, slide into the water, position myself on the rope, try to get some man's knees away from both sides of my head, and look for dolphins.  I see one 20 feet away when my head is above water but do not see any under the water.  I hear, "Swimmers Out!!!"  I haul myself in again but this time I'm not going up on deck.  I'm standing right here so I can be near the end of the rope and maybe get a better chance of seeing a dolphin.  As the Temptation motored east and west of the marina we got in and out of the water at least a dozen times.  To keep my legs from getting in the way I held onto the rope with my right arm extended straight and my left arm bent.  This kept my legs out of the next person's face.  I wished everyone had done that.  As we were hanging onto the rope the boat continued to try and get near the dolphins.  Sometimes the boat sped up and it was all I could do to hang on.  Water was rushing over the top of my head and I was trying to hold it above the water level.  And I am trying to keep my right ear out of the stream of water.  At one point I asked out loud, "Are you kidding me?"  A group of men took me into their group.  One of them was engaged to an Australian girl and he was with his future brother in law, his father, and three buddies from college.  Most of them worked for Goldman Sacs.  All of them were at least six feet tall and, except for the father, quite boisterous.  But they included me in all the dolphin sightings and conversations so that was very nice.  I saw 6 dolphins under the water from about 10 feet away.  The dolphins aren't really interested in us so they just swim on away without coming to check us out.  I think the two non-swimmers on our tour saw more dolphins than I did.  At one point the boat was moving reasonably fast.  We all had our faces in the water looking for dolphins and both hands on the rope.  The staff asks, "Is there anyone who has not seen a dolphin yet?"  What the heck?  We have both hands occupied and a pipe in our mouth.  None of us can answer that question.  It's as frustrating as being asked a question by the dentist in the middle of an exam.  Obviously no one said they had not seen a dolphin. When I saw everyone taking off their wet suits I asked, "Are we done already?"  I wanted to continue but our swimming was over for the day and for the rest of my trip.  My time in the ocean had come to an end.  So sad.  I love the ocean.  I also love the feeling I get with "sea legs."  I unzipped my wet suit. This one zipped in the front.  Wetsuits that zip in the front are way more difficult to take off than wetsuits that zip in the back.  I couldn't get it off.  I tugged at one sleeve and tried to pull my arm out and it would. not. come. off.  Laughing, I said aloud, "I will have to wear this suit the rest of my life."  Another passenger that I had helped with her camera earlier helped me out of my wet suit.  She really had to work at it too.  I thought I was good once I got my arms out but she was kind enough to help me get my legs out too.  It felt good to be rid of that wet suit. I was tired and hungry after all that hustling getting in and out of the boat.  I hadn't really had a full meal since Port Douglas.  I found a restaurant on the marina that wasn't too expensive.  I enjoyed a egg, mushroom and tomato panini on an outside table overlooking the harbor.  Very nice.  I walked around the harbor for a while.  The staff at the Breakfree told me I could take a tram back to Adelaide after the swim.  They gave me a map of Glennig with the tram station marked.  I spent two hours looking for the tram because more than one street has the same name but I found it eventually.  I was glad to spend only $3 to get back to town.  I got on the tram fine but didn't know how to pay for it.  A tram staff helped me purchase my ticket and after that I could sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.  My stop was at the Southern University of Australia campus.  I took a short cut through campus to get back to my hotel which I found after only a 20 minute walk.  I was hoping to walk by a grocery store so I could buy something for dinner at my apartment tonight but I had no luck with that.  I got back to my apartment and showered and was relaxing in a super sized bath blanket when someone knocked on the door.  A hotel staff said he had a gift for me.  He noticed my attire and said he could come back later.  I said no, I could take the gift now.  He gave me a card from the manager and four pieces of Haigh's chocolates.  Score!  Chocolate!  The note thanked me for coming to town during the film festival and hoped I was enjoying the show.  I wasn't here for the film festival but I sure liked the chocolate.  That night I walked a couple blocks to an Italian restaurant and took a small pizza to go.  I ate the whole thing while watching television and finished it with off with the rest of the Haigh chocolate.  Australia has their own version of 60 Minutes and Funniest Home Videos.  Even their commericals for Progressive Auto Insurance has their own Australian version of Flo with a similar hair style.  To prepare for tomorrow I knew I had to pack carefully because there were strict luggage restrictions on the next leg of the trip and I would have to leave most of my belongings at the Breakfree for two days.   I spent an hour planning what I would need and what could stay here.   I went to bed early because I had to get up early for my tour of Kangaroo Island.

A Day Spent Traveling

When visiting a country that is the size of a continent, some days are spent in transit.  I said good by to my friends at our apartment in Port Douglas.  They wouldn't have to leave for another six hours.  By myself I took a shuttle to Cairns and boarded a plane for Brisbane.  After several hours in the airport I boarded another plane for Adelaide.  I sat next to a man who lived in Brisbane but worked in a copper mine outside of Adelaide.  Because he was trying to pay off his mortgage early he had chosen a more strenuous work schedule than usual. Usual for him was working for two months and not working for two months.  Right now he was working for two months and not working for one month.  He seemed happy though.  Eventually I found my transport to my hotel in Adelaide.  Turns out my driver was waiting for me outside of the airport, down one block, turn left, and walk two blocks more.  I'm lucky to find him at all.  At times like this, wandering around pulling a suitcase and looking for a ride, I missed by companions.  The houses in Adelaide are much different than the ones I saw in Port Douglas.  None of these houses were on stilts.  The homes in Adelaide looked like they were built right on the ground and without basements. Most of the roofs were red tile and each tiny yard was fenced in with stone, brick or metal.  The city was on a hill and divided by a river.  The layout of the town looked to be systematic with major roads at even intervals.  I checked into the Breakfree where I had an entire apartment to myself with a deck, kitchenette, and a washer and dryer.  Tomorrow was my opportunity to "Swim With The Dolphins" and the Breakfree staff helped me arrange a taxi ride for tomorrow morning.  Since it was already dark and I was unfamiliar with the city, I decided not to go out to eat.  By now I was out of power bars but I did have some Muesli bars left so I ate one of those and went to bed.  Although I didn't really do anything all day long, I was tired.

Snorkeling The Outer Reef

Today was my last full day in Port Douglas.  I was going to miss this warm climate and this nice apartment.  As I ate the last of my two egg omelets on the patio overlooking the pool I thought to myself I had better make this day last.  Just then a bird landed on our railing just a few feet from my plate.  I had my bird book in front of me.  I asked it what page he was on.  This one turned out to be a fan tailed cuckoo.  He turned both ways so I could get a good look at him before he flew off.  We were due to take the Poseidon boat today.  They picked us up at our hotel and took us to the marina.  The journey to the outer reef took an hour and a half in our fast boat.  We were way out there on the horizon.  We couldn't see land anymore.  And we were close to the continental shelf were the water gets really deep really fast.  Out here there is soft coral and hard coral.  Hard coral, most commonly in the form of stag horn coral, is delicate and breaks off easily in high waves. Soft coral is more durable to damage from the wind and waves because it moves with the current.  We had three hours to enjoy snorkeling.  When I got in I saw a white tipped reef shark right away so I followed it.  Some of the people on the boat were diving.  The reef shark saw some divers so it turned around.  I turned around too.  After five minutes the reef shark saw more divers.  This time it turned out to the deep blue sea.  I didn't follow it out there.  I've never snorkeled above divers before.  The bubbles they form are really loud.  As the bubbles rise the large bubbles divide into smaller bubbles.  I floated in the path of some bubbles and let them hit my face.  I could feel and hear the soft pattern of bubbles breaking on my skin.  One fish I saw had a hugely prominent nose.  I don't know if there is a Pinocchio fish but that would have been a good name for it.  I saw a male and some female parrot fish.  The parrot fish have big front teeth like donkeys.  Even though the parrot fish are 20 feet below me, when they swim toward me with those big choppers I feel intimidated.   The parrot fish have a second pair of teeth back farther in their mouth to help grind up all the hard coral they eat into sand.  I heard a parrot fish can eliminate 200 pounds of sand per year.  When they want to rest at night they form a mucous in their stomach  and start spitting it out of their mouths until their entire body is surrounded by mucous.  This mucous prevents predators such as sharks from detecting their heartbeat or their smell.  We moved snorkeling areas three times.  Our final snorkel was at a place called Castle Rock.  A round coral castle grew up from the ocean floor.  I really liked this place.  I slowly swam around the perimeter three times.  Each trip around took five or ten minutes.  When I got back to the place where the blue fish with the yellow tails hung out I knew I had come full circle.  Then I decided to swim on top of the castle but near the edge.  That was beautiful too. I went around twice.  The coral has deep crevices in some places and some pretty big fish were hiding out in there.  The coral was so close to the top of the water it would have been impossible to swim upright.  I had to lay flat or risk touching it.  I did  not want to touch the coral.  For one thing the Great Barrier Reef is 100% awesome and I didn't want to ruin it at all. And another reason for not touching it is that some if it is hard and could scratch you.  Bacteria thrive in this hot water and any cut would get infected.  Snorkeling the great barrier reef was magnificent and everything I had hoped it would be.  When they blew the whistle we had to swim to the boat and turn in our stinger suits, fins, masks and snorkels.  We had lunch on board and it was delicious.  As we motored back to Port Douglas I sat on top with my legs dangling over the side of the boat enjoying the sea spray.  I saw land come into view.  I hated to be done with snorkeling on this vacation.  At the dock we saw our friend who did not go snorkeling with us.  She planned a river cruise for the afternoon.  She told us to walk on the other side of our apartment building and look at the fruit bats. She had scouted them out earlier in the day.  We stopped at the apartment to grab out cameras.  We could not believe it.  There were tens of thousands of fruit bats hanging upside down in trees right next to our place.  I watched them with my binoculars trying to catch one in the act of flying, landing, and swinging upside down.  I wanted to know if they were graceful in this or awkward.  I stared and stared through my binoculars until I couldn't look anymore.  I never caught one in the act of landing.  We were standing in the road across from some people's yards.  Kids were playing in the front yard.  I can't imagine living next to this many fruit bats.  We had heard about a boy from Cairns who died last week from a disease he contracted from handling a fruit bat.  One tour guide said the boy died from rabies but they're using a different name for the illness so as not to scare off tourists.  Some people are advocating eradicating the fruit bats.  Others know the importance of the fruit bat in this tropical ecosystem.  Why are there so many huge flocks of birds here?  Besides the fruit bats I also saw huge flocks of red collared lorikeets and metallic starlings.  I can't imagine doing the Christmas bird count in this town.  Since this was our last night together we decided to finish off our leftovers.  I had showered and packed and we had finished dinner when a big thunderstorm hit.  Thunder here lasts long and is very loud.  Suddenly the lights went out.  Electricity was out of commission for half of Port Douglas. We were glad we decided to eat in tonight because we not only would have gotten wet but we might not have been able to find out way home in the dark.  Some times we accidentally walked past our apartment in the day light.  My friend had a flashlight with her so we sat in the dark and reviewed our marvelous trip to Australia. After 45 minutes someone knocked on the door.  The caretaker brought us some tea candles.  She didn't have any matches to spare so she lit 3 of the candles and gave us 3 more candles to use when these went out.  Now we had candles.  Naturally it was time to tell spooky stories.  None of our stories was very spooky so we started making shadow puppets on the wall.  Kangaroos are easy to guess but no one guessed my wombat shadow. One friend started falling asleep.  To engage her and keep her awake I did a shadow puppet of a horse galloping.  I don't think her eyes were open and she soon went to bed.  We all turned in early.  I left my candle sitting in a saucer on the floor of the hallway.  Three minutes after I went to bed all the lights came on.  We had a lot of lights on when the electricity went out.  This struck me as funny and I giggled as I moved through the apartment turning off all the lights.  Tomorrow would be an early and long day for me.  Much as I hated to admit it, the Port Douglas chapter of our trip was now over.

Tony's Tour

Daintree Rain Forest Stream

Pink flower at the tea house.

Baby estuarine crocodile outlined in red.

I never saw a cassowary but they are around here. : (

Pretty vine plastered to a tree trunk.

This palm is several centuries old.



The golden orb spider weaves a golden web.



Cape Tribulation in northeast Australia.

Today we left with Tony's tours to head north into the Daintree rain forest.  We were picked up at our apartment and toured with a retired couple from Canada and a dentist from England.  The woman from Canada had the same shoes as I did (Keen sandals).  Hers were purple and mine were green.  I had a purple shirt on and she had a green shirt on so I offered to trade but we weren't the same size so it never would have worked out.  Both of us loved our new sandals that we bought just for this trip.  The sandals were comfortable and supportive and leave funny looking tan marks on our feet.  Our first stop was the Mossman gorge.  Here I saw my first aborigine people who worked at the Mossman Gorge Visitor Center.  The center was brand new and our tour guide mentioned that this is the first time they've had to go in through the center.  He mentioned Aboriginal people probably wouldn't keep their jobs long because of poor work attendance.  He said, "Something happens to a member of their family and they don't come back to work for a week."  I thought to myself that I took a week off of work when my mother passed away and how is that any different?  The gorge was beautiful.  The river cuts a deep valley as it speeds from the mountains down to the Coral Sea.  The water is clear and fast.  Our guide walked ahead of us.  Suddenly he stopped walking and backed up.  I saw a golden spider web woven across the path with a big hole in it where his nose went through.  The spider was big too.  Our guide knew a lot about ecology and evolution.  Perhaps he was racist but he was enthusiastic about nature.  He said he lived an "alternative" life style.  He lived north of the Daintree river in a house on a hill without electricity or running water.  He used the water from the stream behind his house. He drank the water unfiltered.  He had propane for his refrigerator and for lights at night.  If it ever got cold he could warm up his house by lighting candles.   After visiting the gorge we were driven to the Daintree river where we stopped for tea and muffins.  We were loaded onto a boat and taken upriver to see birds and to look for crocodiles.  Several boats were taking tourists to see all the sights.  We saw fruit bats, a whistling kite, a great egret, a fig parrot, an emerald dove and one baby crocodile.  When the boat docked on the other side of the river we were loaded into the van again and taken north of the Daintree river.  We had lunch in a tree house.  Our guide brought out the cold food, set the table, and went down to a kitchen area to bring up the grilled meat, fish and vegie pattys.  We had damper (an Australian bread made of flour, salt and water) served warm with butter.  We had 3 kinds of salads and much fresh fruit.  We had the chance to swim in the river (no crocs here) but the thought of going into a tiny bathroom in this heat and changing clothes was too much for me.  I decided to wade instead.  The river had a strong current and was cold.  I saw a shrike thrush fly by.  We drove up to Cape Tribulation, named by Captain Cook who actually wasn't a captain yet when his ship hit a reef at this area.  We learned the story of Captain Cook from our guide as we drove south again.  To cross the Daintree River in a vehicle you have to take a ferry.  There is  no bridge across.  We waited in line with 4 other vehicles until it was our turn to drive onto the barge and be towed across.  On our way south back to Port Douglas we passed fields of tea and sugarcane. We stopped at the Daintree Ice Cream Company where they sell four scoops of tropical fruity ice cream for $6.  I passed on the ice cream.  I was still full from my lunch in the tree house.  When we got back to our apartment I went swimming in our pool in the dark and with the pool lights on.  Swimming felt great after our day in the rain forest. 

Another Full Day Spent in a Swimming Suit

Fruit bats or flying foxes hanging out.

Pretty coral and yellow fish

Beautiful giant soft shelled clam - 5 or 6 feet long.

Since my scheduled snorkeling trip was cancelled my friend and I set up another one via the "Reef Jet."  The "Reef Jet" was about $100 where most of the other trips are $250 or more.  This trip did not include a pick up from our hotel and did not include lunch.  We could easily walk to the marina in 15 minutes and buy a heckuva great lunch and still come out ahead.  The reef jet did not sail out to the inner reef but jetted there in 15 minutes.  More time to swim.  And the chairs were much more comfortable.  But this was not a luxury cruise.  Our captain was the sole staff but he had a great sense of humor.  As we left we played music from the movie, Titanic.  Coming in from our swim he played the ominous shark music from Jaws.  We donned our blue stinger suits and hung onto our hats as we zipped out of the Port Douglas harbor to Low Island again.  We weren't allowed to go on Low Island on this budget trip but I don't mind jumping out of the boat.  It keeps the sand out of the stinger suits.  I just can't describe how great snorkeling is.  As soon as I put my mask in the water I am mesmerized by what I see.  It's better than swimming in a giant fish tank.  I puttered about in the water admiring the coral, the giant soft shelled clams and the fish.  I saw a hawks bill turtle pulling itself along in the water with it's front legs.  I joined him (or her, I don't know).  I followed my turtle and I don't think I disturbed it because it continued to swim at a slow pace.  When it came up for a sip of air I backed off to give it room.  I think the life of a turtle looks pretty great.  For some reason my mask would not hold a seal and I kept having to flip onto my back and lift up the bottom of the mask to drain the water out.  I was having such a good time that I tried to delay emptying the mask but once the water collects to the level of my eyeballs it's time to take care of business. The fish were so beautiful and graceful.  Even I feel graceful and beautiful when I am snorkeling.  I try to join the schools of fish.  I can swim ahead quickly with my fins or I can just float there in the surf and see where the water takes me.  After our snorkeling adventure we wanted to grab some lunch.  The weather was very hot.  I had my swim suit on and I put my travel skirt on top.  I was too hot to wear my long sleeved shirt.  My travel skirt has quick dry fabric and was very useful on this trip.  The only problem was I got the skirt a size too big.  As I walked the skirt would travel clockwise around my waist.  The zipper that is supposed to be on my back would be on my left hip, in front, on the right hip, and back to the correct position again.  I walked around the marina and downtown wearing only my sandals, swimsuit and travel skirt.  At home I wouldn't go out to the mailbox with such skimpy clothing but here it seemed appropriate.  It was about 2 o'clock.  We spent a half hour picking out which restaurant we wanted.  They stopped serving at 2.  Most places stop serving at 2 and won't open again for dinner until 6.  We were hungry after our swim.  We decided to stop at the grocery store. I offered to cook. We had spinach cheese tortellini and raspberry pie for lunch.  It was delicious.  I went swimming again in the evening.  As I swam circles in the swimming pool I saw the water change.  I suspected I was loosing my mind until I realized the colored lights had come on in red, blue, green, purple, and gray.  I saw a new bird land in the palm tree.  I floated on my back and watched it and tried to memorize it markings so I could look it up in my bird book.  It turned out to be a singing honey eater. As dusk fell I saw quite a few larger brown birds fly by.  I later learned those were fruit bats.