| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Anticipation and Preparations I’m heading out tomorrow morning. I’m in that nebulous place where it doesn’t seem real, yet I’m frantically trying to get everything done before I go. My 3 month prescriptions haven’t arrived. I’ll have to call my Part D provider in a couple of hours and see if they shipped them out. I wonder, did the doctor’s office screw up and not send the scripts in? I’ll have to sort that out. I also have to put the Sportster and stuff I’m not taking with me in storage. Then get a ride back to Hudson. Plus, I have to do a load of laundry. Pack my Carry-on bag. Make sure I have my Itinerary and Passport. Don’t forget to pack some books and magazines, the cell phone and charger and :::Very Important::: the Laptop. Busy day ahead. Remember to Breathe. Get to a Meeting. Eat a good Lunch and Dinner. Don’t forget the notebook with names and addresses. What else? Oh, yeah; Call Consumer Cellular and tell them to shut off my phone (and stop billing me) as of Friday. I have enough cash until I get there (I think). Pack the checkbook in case my ATM card doesn’t work. I’m bringing six bottles of Liquid Smoke, two bottles of Stubbs Sweet Heat BBQ sauce, two glass beanpot shaped jars of B&M Baked Beans, some Butterfingers and, if I remember, a package of Hostess Powdered Sugar covered donuts and a package of those monstrous size Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups. You know, the ones that are something like half a pound each. Maybe a couple of bags of Hershey's miniatures for the kids. Or the adults. I wonder if I can find a jug of locally made Grade A Medium Amber Maple Syrup. That would be a good thing to bring, too. I think I know where to get one. If I have time, I'll stop on the way to Fitchburg. Boy; I hope I can remember everything and get it all accomplished. It's going to take two days to get there. When I return next Spring, I'll arrive in LA four hours before I leave Brisbane. Screwey, Ain't it? I can hardly wait. This is going to be FUN! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Are the items you mentioned something that can't be acquired in Oz? | ||
| Crusty |
Are the items you mentioned something that can't be acquired in Oz? Yes. These are luxury food items (Hostess Donuts?  ) that I usually send over for Christmas (on years when I'm somewhat affluent). Since I have room in my bag, I figure I'll bring them with me. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Make sure any liquids will not be a hassle at the airport. Airline security is now officially "out of control". Z | ||
| 86129squids |
 All those things you're wanting to carry-on might be problematic... surely there's a website that can clarify that for ya! Good luck, and Godspeed to your safe travels! | ||
| Sifo |
I'm confident they will "seize" the donuts!  | ||
| Greg_e |
Hope the meds. arrive in time. I'd think about shipping the care package. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Crusty. Amazon delivers to Australia, let me know if you need anything. Glad to help in any way possible. | ||
| Crusty |
All the food items will be in the Checked bag, not the carry on. I got everything BUT the Hostess Donuts. My bike is put away, the tank is full of 93 Octane with Lucas gas treatment added in a heavy proportion. I got the drugs I'm going to need, and I bought a Ton of candy. I figure I'll let the kids eat their fill of Hershey's miniatures, then they can go out in the yard and play Tug Of War with the Rottweiler. Tonight, I have to shower, do one last load of laundry and do the final packing. Tomorrow, I'll be up at 4:30 to head for the airport. | ||
| Crusty |
This week's weather forecast (in Farenheit): http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?loca tion=ASXX0016 | ||
| Ourdee |
Good luck brother! | ||
| Crusty |
I'm in Aukland, In less than an hour, I'll be boarding another jet to fly to Brisbane. I don't have time to write a full Snippet. The trip here has been very arduous. So far, I've flown from Boston to Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Aukland. Counting the Commuter Train from I-495, I've been traveling for 32 hours with another 3 or 4 hours to go. I feel like a Zombie. I'll write more later. | ||
| Pwnzor |
This journey shall be epic. | ||
| 86129squids |
RoadCrust, travel well, rest well. So glad you're chasing Summer on the other side of the globe! Do tell if the toilets flush backwards, once you get a chance!  | ||
| Ourdee |
Post a short video and I'll post one of my toilet flushing for comparison. Water only please. Let us keep this clean. ;* | ||
| Thumper74 |
...but 'debris' will help illustrate the point... sort of like colored smoke in a windtunnel. | ||
| 86129squids |
 | ||
| Crusty |
The Night/Day Of The Living Dead The trip was a tough one. By the time I arrived in Brisbane, I was completely whipped. I didn’t sleep well on the planes. I’d sleep for an hour, then wake up for a while, then sleep again for a little while. I don’t think I got a total of five hours sleep since I left Hudson; and I didn’t get a full night’s sleep the night before I left, either. By the time I was done flying, I didn’t know if I was supposed to be awake or asleep or what. Melia, Roni Ann and her two kids met me at the airport and we out to the house. It’s about an hour and a half west of the Airport. The temps were just about 34º C (90º F), and while it was humid along the coast, the humidity dropped as we drove inland. Even with low humidity, 90 is hot, but I prefer hot to cold. When Ernie dropped me off at the Commuter Rail in Massachusetts, it was 20º F and I was shivering on the platform while waiting for the train. The ride out to Spring Creek was interesting. I sat in the left front seat of the car where the steering wheel normally is on cars in the US, and Melia drove. The traffic was (of course) on the opposite side of the road, and it was all pretty confusing to me; even though I’ve spent a bit of time in Kenya and I’d been to Australia in the past a couple of times. I think a good part of the confusion was due to lack of sleep. I marveled at all the flowering trees along the way. Jacarandas, Bougainvilleas (sp?) and others with their striking bright purple, magnificent magenta, pink,orange or bright yellow blossoms. During the afternoon, Melia and Roni took the kids and went swimming, while I slept for a couple of hours. According to my watch, it was midnight, and I needed some sleep. After dinner (some wonderful Aus-Mex Enchilladas) we all retired early. Now, it’s 2:00 AM and I’m wide awake. I’ll adjust to the time change soon (I hope), but for now, I’m having trouble. I think we’re going to go visit Adam, Kristyn and their kids tomorrow (today). I’ll remain a fascinated passenger for a while until I get used to driving on the left again. I .think we’re going to pick up the Sportster in the next few days, then I’ll see what I can do to get it running. For now, I’m just trying to get used to being here | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm literally on the edge of my seat... I can't wait to watch this adventure unfold. | ||
| Tootal |
Remember the wise words from the used car dealer in Los Angeles in the movie The Worlds Fastest Indian. No matter where you are in the world, if you're in a car the driver is always in the middle of the road!  | ||
| 86129squids |
Good catch there T- next time I watch that movie, I'll look/listen... One of my fave movies of recent years! | ||
| Crusty |
Making Adjustments Yesterday was a moderately busy day with some notable successes. Everybody was up shortly after sunrise (the sun comes up around 4:45 AM and sets around 6:20 PM. Queensland does not do Daylight Savings Time). We had all had breakfast, fed the chickens, pig, horses and fixed a leaking water pipe out to the Horses’ paddock by 9:00 (this is, after all a small but real farm). I needed to find out if my ATM card would work here in Australia, as all I had for cash was US dollars, and I need to buy a few items here. I also was hoping to be able to get a Sim card for my flip phone, so I’d have a working cell phone. To cut to the chase, The ATM spit out 100 Australian dollars when I tried it; two nice gold colored $50.00 bills. Australian paper money is colored differently for the various denominations. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a Sim card for my phone. The phone is locked and needs a password to unlock it. So, if I want a phone here, I’ll have to buy one. I won’t be able to use my present phone. One interesting thing about cell phones here is that incoming calls are free. You only pay for calls that you make. I also got an adapter, so I can plug in the recharger for the MacBook. The battery was down to 7% charge. I can continue to hack out Snippets. I’m finding myself fascinated with the local flora and fauna. As a general rule, I’m not really into birds or flowers, but when a bright red and green parrot flies by, it just catches my eye; and when we’re driving down the road and we pass trees covered with brilliant red, purple, and orange flowers, they really get my attention. One more attention grabber is just how blue the sky is here. When I look straight up in the middle of the day, the sky is such a deep shade of blue it almost hurts my eyes. We were heading out to go to town, when Melia noticed something about the cow, so she stayed behind while Roni Ann and I (and the two kids) went into town. When we got back, there was a new calf standing on wobbly legs beside her mother. That just made the day a bit more memorable. After Lunch, we set out to drive down to Kristyn and Adam’s place on the coast (about 2 1/2 hours away) to retrieve Melia’s pickup truck (a Ford Diesel with a Crew Cab) and to visit. Adam’s a professional musician, and he’d asked us to stop along the way and pick up his guitar amplifier which had been in the shop for repairs. we did, and arrived in Ocean Shores bearing not only a small Marshall amp, but a quantity of Chinese food and pizza that we stopped and bought for the assembled group at their house.. It was a pretty large group. The five of us in the Suzuki Swift, Adam & Kristyn, and their three kids, and Kaylas (the oldest daughter) friends.I’d never seen the kids, as they were all born well after my last visit here in 1997. It was an interesting visit with much confusion and and laughter and noise. As could be expected, we stayed later than we should have before we decided that we’d better head back. One very interesting thing that I learned was that Cody (Kristyn & Adam’s youngest) had recently gotten a dirt bike purchased from Jeremy Burgess (Valentino Rossi’s former crew chief) who lives nearby. He was happy to show off the bike (a Yamaha, of course) it had “46” stickers on it as well as Anthony West’s racing number on the plates. Cody was very proud of the bike (as any 12 year old would be). I was very impressed. (a brief interruption; a flock of seven Cockatoos, two pink and grey Galahs, two unfamiliar but obvious ducks and a black long necked bird with a long curved beak just landed in the grass outside my window). The cockatoos are making a loud racket. Anyway, we left Ocean shores in a two vehicle caravan, and were about an hour away when Melia got a call on her phone. In all the confusion when we arrived, we’d forgotten to take the amp out of the back of the Suzuki. We took the amp and put it in the truck, and Melia and I turned back while Roni continued for home with the kids. Melia and I didn’t make it home until 1:00 AM. I slept until 5:00 AM and I got up, made a cup of coffee and now, I’m sitting here pecking at the keyboard. The adventure continues. | ||
| Ourdee |
nice | ||
| Zac4mac |
Summer sounds nice. Just went out and shoveled the walk and took the new 4WD Buick out for a spin/slip for my first time in snow with it. Wild parrots... cool. Z | ||
| Pwnzor |
Fantastic | ||
| Buellish |
I'm enjoying Australia through your eyes John. | ||
| Crusty |
Myths, Sightings and Other Stuff The question that’s asked most by people I know in the USA is “Does the water really spin backwards when you flush the toilet?” I have to admit that I believed it did when I came to Australia for the first time back in 1994. Supposedly most of the water usage at the airport in Sydney is from people checking this out. The honest answer is I don’t know. The toilets are fashioned a bit differently here, and the water doesn’t spin at all. I have read that the spinning has more to do with design than coriolis force. I even tried filling a sink with water and letting it drain, there wasn’t any evidence of the water spinning backwards. It seemed to be spinning the same way it does in the Northern Hemisphere. I will state for the record that I don’t believe it does spin backwards; I can’t offer definitive proof, however. It seems like it’s almost a religious thing for people to believe that the water does spin in an opposite direction. Since I dislike discussing religion, I’ll leave it at that. I still haven’t recovered completely from Jet lag. If I hadn’t been up until 1:00 AM the night before last, I probably would have by now; but getting through yesterday with only 4 hours sleep the night before was tough. I did get to bed at a reasonable hour last night, but once again, I woke up early. Now, it’s getting light, so I guess I’m up for the day. I feel pretty good, however. Yesterday was hot, about 40º C (well over 100º F), and we moved pretty slowly throughout the day. Combined with the lack of sleep, I was really sluggish; though I did manage to accomplish a few things. In the Morning, we were sitting out on the veranda (back porch) drinking coffee and looking at the beautiful scenery and a pod of 4 large kangaroos came bouncing through the field a hundred yards away. They would hop for a few hundred yards, then stop and graze for a few minutes, then do it again. They traveled in a single file a few yards apart and they made pretty good speed. The fences that keep horses and cows contained didn’t even slow them down. They just hopped over them as if they weren’t even there. It’s a common sight for Melia and Roni Ann, but they got a kick out of watching me and my reactions. A short while later, they showed a bit more interest in the field then pointed out a fairly large Monitor Lizard that was walking through. It looked to be about five feet long to my untrained eye, and they agreed with my estimate. We watched the lizard for a while and there was a bit of discussion about how nasty being bitten by one can be. They’re not venomous, but they are carrion eaters and scavengers, and their mouths contain lots of really nasty infectious bacteria. If you get bit by one, you’ll need medical attention and it will take a long time to heal. I think I’ll just try to avoid close contact. Speaking of lizards, there are plenty of geckos running around here. They pretty small, about 3 or 4 inches long, and don’t look anything like the Geico Gecko; then again, the cartoon Road Runner doesn’t look anything like a real Road Runner, either. The geckos are pretty fast runners, and catching one wouldn’t be easy. One thing I wanted to mention and keep forgetting is the eagle Roni and I saw when we went into Gatton (the nearest town) the other day. It was gold and brown and it was very beautiful. I think eagles are beautiful anyway, and this one was really a step up. Roni told me it’s name; but being an old geezer whose memory skills are diminishing, I promptly forgot it. I might have forgotten what it’s called, but I won’t forget how beautiful it was. A few other things of note are Gum Trees. There are many varieties of them. Some have smooth bark, some have bark that’s peeling off in large strips, some are grey and some are reddish brown. They all look pretty neat and different from anything I’ve seen back home.Termites are pretty common, as well. While I haven’t seen any mounds around the farm, about a mile or two down the road there are hundreds, They stand as high as five or six feet tall, and look like some sort of rock formation in the American Southwest. They’re very different from the fire ant mounds which are also in the same general area. I received a pretty strong warning to avoid the fire ant mounds, as the ants have an extremely painful bite. The fire ant mounds just look more like a low pile of gravel. Today is supposed to be a bit cooler than yesterday was. It got close to 40º C (104º F) if not over that. Today, it’s only supposed to hit 28º C then mid 30s for the rest of the ten day forecast. (Low 80s F today and low to mid 90s F for the next 10 days). This really looks like I’ve found a year of Endless Summer. | ||
| Ourdee |
Foot of wet heavy white stuff here. 23 degrees out right now. Lil Red is hiding in the garage. | ||
| Lemonchili_x1 |
You will get really sick of the Cockatoo's!! Welcome my friend! It sounds like you are having a great adventure! Five foot lizard - was it a Goanna? Were you lucky enough to see a wedge-tailed eagle? As you know I'm embarking on my own adventure, but I'll be here until January sometime, plenty of time to catch up for a ride and some showing you around  . I'm in Brisbane, Sandgate specifically. Gatton is not far away  | ||
| 86129squids |
Just saw this today, get ready for a cuteness OD... the kid is a SERIOUS trouper!  |
