| Author | Message | ||
     Zac4mac |
Yay!!! Graham and John have connected! Once again I'm jealous Sir Crust.  Z | ||
| Crusty |
Titan I’m not a “Dog Lover”. Don’t get me wrong; I like dogs (for the most part) but I don’t want one of my own. I grew up with dogs in the house; my dad always had one or two around for hunting and/or pets and I’ve owned a few over the years. I just think that owning a dog right now, would be more work than satisfaction. Here at the farm, along with a dozen chickens, a bunch of horses, a pig, a cow and a calf, and two cats are two dogs, Juniper and Titan. Juniper is a young female Great Dane. I think she’s about six months old and is still growing. She’s white with black spots (almost like a Dalmatian), has one brown eye and one blue eye and, while not hostile is very suspicious of me. She hasn’t gotten used to me yet. She likes to stand out in the yard and bark at the cow in its paddock, who ignores her. Titan is a male Rottweiler. He’s mostly black with a little bit of brown. He doesn’t bark much, but he is an excellent watch dog. Titan has taken a real shine to me. He likes to lay near me when I’m in the house and he constantly wants me to pet him. He seems to have adopted me. To be honest, I’m enjoying it. Both dogs are excellent around the kids. A two and a three year old can be pretty trying on dogs, but the two dogs just put up with the abuse and don’t seem to mind a bit. They know their responsibilities around the family. They’re good Farm Dogs. There’s room for them to run here without disturbing any neighbors. Yesterday, I was in the house when I heard Roni Ann yelling at Titan. I looked out a window, and I saw him running at full speed chasing a kangaroo. I will say that Titan can run pretty quickly; however, the kangaroo’s speed was in a much higher class. It really was a sight to see the two moving at high speed toward the horizon. I thought it was fun until Melia and Roni explained that one time, the kangaroo being chased got caught in a neighbor’s fence and Titan killed it. When he’s running like that in a chase, he doesn’t obey commands. Titan wouldn’t come back to the house until he thought (hoped) they’d forgotten. We could see him just sitting a couple of hundred yards away, but he didn’t come back until he thought he could get away with it. He acted quite contrite, but that didn’t cut any mustard with Melia. He spent the remainder of the day connected to a leash. Yesterday was Sunday. Sunday is Dump Day, We all spent a few hours loading up the back of the F - 250 with things to haul to the Dump. Melia has been wanting to bring a few large items for disposal, and having both me and Roni Ann to help enabled that to be accomplished. We also cleaned out the garage/ storage area under the house, and out back under the veranda (porch) where the BBQ grill is located. I got soaked using the Power Washer to clean a number of things, but I enjoyed it. It kind of reminded me of when I worked as a Miner and we would clean the tunnel floor using a combination of water and compressed air. (it’s called blowing bottom). When I was mining, it was a job that everybody hated. Now, it was fun. Ain’t life screwy? There are a couple of tree frogs in the gutters croaking at each other. It really sounds weird with the echo of the drainpipe reverberating their croaks. There are a few things that need to get accomplished today, but nothing really critical except for feeding and watering the animals. We have to go into town and pick up the power cord converter that we ordered last Friday, I need a new AA battery for my cordless mouse and I’m hoping to find a few postcards. Roni Ann and Melia also have a few things to do in town as well. I hope we can go pick up the Sportster soon and that it’s in fair to good condition. I’d really like to start working on it. | ||
| Buellish |
John.this thread badly needs pictures! | ||
| Fb1 |
Crusty, this is truly good stuff. Nourishment. | ||
| Fb1 |
Just saw this today, get ready for a cuteness OD... the kid is a SERIOUS trouper! "Absolutely priceless," indeed. Thanks for sharing. | ||
| Pwnzor |
People didn't believe the moon landing, and that was broadcast live on TV. I guess we'll have to let Crusty paint pictures in our minds. | ||
| Crusty |
All right; I'll start taking pictures. | ||
| Crusty |
This is a Flame Tree in the town of Forest Hill  Fruit Bats in a tree by a river  A Termite Mound from about 10 Feet away  A Koala right here on the farm  | ||
| Pwnzor |
Bat Country!!! Keep the pictures coming, these are great! | ||
| Ourdee |
Wow | ||
| Crusty |
Waffles, Bats and One Hell of a Storm When I packed to come to Australia, I brought a few food items. I packed them in my suitcase pretty carefully (I thought), and figured they’d be a treat for everybody here. I overestimated the skill level of the baggage handlers, as it turned out. When I got my suitcase in Brisbane, two of the zippers were destroyed beyond use, one of the handles on the side was gone, the plastic stiffeners around the corners were shattered and one of the beanpot shaped jars of B&M baked beans was shards of glass which cut right through the side of the Ziplock bag it was in and leaked bean juice all over my freshly washed clothes. Not everything was destroyed, however. I had put all the food items in a number of Ziplocks, so, even though there was sticky sauce all over the outside of the bags, what was inside was fine. All the clothes in the bag had to be washed, but they were OK, and the suitcase itself had to be thoroughly washed out with a garden hose outside. It’s amazing how many fruit flies appeared in just a few minutes for a free meal. Anyhow, one of the items that wasn’t adversely affected was the quart of Massachusetts Maple Syrup. So yesterday, Melia broke out her nearly antique waffle iron, and we had waffles for breakfast. I had been a little concerned about the syrup as the only Maple Syrup I could find in the rush before leaving was Dark Amber. I usually use Medium Amber, and I didn’t know if the Dark Amber would taste as good. It was a wasted concern; the waffles were very tasty, and the syrup was all you could ask. Everybody loved it. We had a wonderful breakfast out on the veranda. We ate, then scattered to do our chores. So, after chores were done we went into town. I had to exchange the electrical plug converter that I was using for a new one. The very nice lady at the Computer Shop had lent me her personal converter last week, as she had run out, and the new converters wouldn’t come in until Monday. People here are really friendly and helpful. I also wanted to get some postcards to mail to my friends back home. Melia and Roni Ann had things they needed to get, too, so we planned an expedition to a few different places in a few different towns. I’ve been getting a lot of requests for pictures, so I brought my camera, and I’m really glad I did. The pictures I took yesterday are only a poor example of what I saw, but they at least give an idea of what’s here. The Flame Tree I photographed was surpassed by many others that we saw, and the same holds true for almost everything I took pictures of. We were driving down a road by a river and Melia pointed out the Fruit Bats, so we stopped and I got a shot of one tree. There were several trees full of them, as well as a few flying around. One of the places we went was to a bakery/restaurant for lunch. I had my first Australian Steak Sandwich in almost two decades. I guess I should have taken a picture of it, as it was superb; but I didn’t think of it. I was just enthralled with the flavor. When we returned home, we had just driven through the gate, when Roni got excited and pointed out that a Koala was in a nearby tree. We stopped, and I took a few photos. I managed to get the crotch of my pants caught on the barbed wire fence as I was going over it, which gave Melia and Roni a good laugh, but just made me feel even more like a City Boy (which I am). We got back to the house and put everything away and we sat outside watching the kids play in the lawn sprinkler. The sky started getting pretty dark with storm clouds, so we headed into the house and it didn’t take long before the weather got interesting. First came the lightning and thunder. I was sitting out on the veranda and I was just watching the lightning off in the distance. The wind picked up a bit, but it wasn’t raining. Melia told me that when it storms here, it doesn’t always rain; I was wondering if this was going to one of those storms. It wasn’t. After a bit, the rain started. within seconds, it was a deluge with lightning strikes less than a second apart. It was bad enough that I got a bit apprehensive; especially when I saw lightning hit the ground about 100 yards away, and it blinded me for a few seconds. After that, I moved inside. The lights kept blinking, usually in time with a lightning flash and we figured the power would go out pretty soon. It did. We all went to bed early. I was awakened around 11:00 when the power came back on, and I walked around turning off the lights that we missed when the power quit, then went back to bed. This morning, there are numerous large puddles out in the yard and everything outside is wet. Considering how dry it’s been since I got here, I bet it’ll be dry long before mid morning. Still; it was one hell of a storm. (Message edited by Crusty on November 23, 2015) | ||
| Ourdee |
Friday was the last day I rode Lil Red. Then the snow came. My street still has Snow and ice on it. Salt is everywhere. Daytime highs are in the thirties. Is there room for my tent down there? | ||
| Ourdee |
The question that keeps entering my mind is how did you meet the family you are staying with?. | ||
| Crusty |
The question that keeps entering my mind is how did you meet the family you are staying with?. Ron (who isn't here, right now) is my closest friend. We've been close since the early '70s. He met Melia when we were Helicopter Logging in the Idaho Panhandle in 1978. The three of us have been best friends ever since, and have had many memorable adventures over the years. Roni Ann is their daughter and is my "Niece". I'm Uncle John to both Roni Ann, Kristyn (their other daughter) and their kids. We're closer than many families and I would do damn near anything for them, and they for me. | ||
| Pwnzor |
That's friggin awesome, John! Friends like that are few and far between, you're really blessed. | ||
| Alfau |
If you are a fisherman, you don't tell everyone about your favourite fishing spot because before long, your spot will be over-run. | ||
| Alfau |
Google shark attack brisbane 2015 | ||
| 86129squids |
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| Crusty |
Today we went to Toowoomba on an errand, After looking at all those bright red Flame Trees, we got to look at a large number of purple Jacarandas.  | ||
| Crusty |
From the Twilight Zone It’s a cloudy morning, and the humidity is up. I’m sweating, even though it’s not hot out yet. I was just sitting here, zoning out and waiting for the coffee to finish becoming a beverage and I was looking out the window at a small tree with little purple flowers, There is a spider whose body is about the size of a nickel racing back and forth between branches. I don’t know if it had just caught a meal or if it was web building, but it sure was moving fast. I hope I don’t run into him or one of his relatives when I’m outside; especially if it poisonous. I just looked at the weather (www.weather.com.au). It’s currently 19.2º C (70º F) and the Humidity is at 95% . Yuk. Yesterday, we went to Toowoomba and one of the errands I accomplished was I mailed out some postcards. I won’t be mailing many. The cards cost $1.10 each to buy and $2.75 each to mail to the USA. Just sending postcards could eat up a lot of money real quick. I was thinking about getting souvenir T shirts for some people, but I doubt I could afford to send out more than one or two. I could always just bring them back with me and mail them out when I get back to the States. Hmmm; yeah; that makes the most sense. It’s winter back home and nobody will be wearing T-shirts until when I get back anyhow. It’s strange for me knowing that Thanksgiving is tomorrow. They don’t celebrate it here, and the weather sure doesn’t feel like it’s that time of year (it’s supposed to be in the low 90s today). I bet Christmas is going to feel even stranger. I can hardly wait! Melia hasn’t heard back from Ben, who’s been storing the 79 Sportster, even though she’s e-mailed him a couple of times. He might be away on holiday (vacation). I really hope he responds soon and that the old Iron Motor is in salvageable shape. I’m getting used to driving on the left (as a passenger in a car, anyhow). I got used to it when I was in Kenya for 6 months, and I’ve been here in Australia twice for a couple of months each time and driven (and rode motorcycles), so I think that once I have my own transportation, I’ll pick it up really quickly. I am a bit surprised that I don’t see more motorcycles on the road than I do. The roads and weather seem ideal for bikes in my eyes; though the idea of hitting a kangaroo does make me pause for thought. However, the Kangaroos here aren’t as bad as deer in quite a few places back in the US, and I ride there without undue worry, so I’ll just have to be alert. When I built the ’79 from a rolling basket case, I built it with touring Australia in mind. It has a 3 1/2 gallon Superglide tank, a stock and very comfortable seat and a 2 into 1 “Chrome Salami” exhaust that was stock on a ’78 XL. It also has a sissy bar and highway pegs and Buckhorn bars. Ergonomically, it was set up to fit me the way I prefer to ride. Like I said, I hope it’s in salvageable shape. I’m really feeling scatterbrained this morning, in case you can’t tell by the way my writing is jumping all over the place. I guess I’ll just end this here. | ||
| Crusty |
Some shots of the house    The shed  Melia's Flame Tree  | ||
| Crusty |
Some of the animals The Rottweiler is Titan  The Great Dane Pup is Juniper (she's 5 months old)  The white horse is Ace  I've forgotten this horse's name, but I think it's Mary  | ||
| 86129squids |
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| Crusty |
Thanksgiving 2015 Each year on Thanksgiving morning, I like to do a quick review of the preceding year and do a “Gratitude List” of sorts. It helps me to see just how good my life really is. This year, there’s so much to be thankful for, I don’t know if I can get it all down. Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated in Australia, and that’s a pity; but I still get a bit of satisfaction and perspective from looking over the previous year. I’ve just had one of the best years of my life, and it’s not over. In the past year, I’ve gone from the concept of being able to travel to actually being able to do it. A year ago at this time, I was just thinking about how I’d like to be on the road again. I had to work out how I’d be able to do it. I had to find the right bike, and I had to find a way to test my blood for my INR. However, everything fell into place, even when it looked like I was up against a wall, and I’ve gotten to see so many really beautiful and interesting places and meet some really interesting and beautiful people (well, some of them were beautiful). I’ve had incredible amounts of help for people. I’ve had good times and some scary times. My life has not been boring in the least. I’ve made many new friends, and spent some time with old friends. I’ve stayed with friends and I’ve had people who never even met me offer to let me stay in their house when I pass through. I’ve had the Badweb community pull together and generously help me to get to Australia. I’ve received anonymous help from people (I still don’t know who Sam is), and I’ve received help from people who made me promise to not tell anyone. I’ve gotten closer to my brothers and sister and their families than I’ve been in many years. I got to travel. I rode in 44 different states, most of them more than once. I rode my motorcycle down some legendary roads. I saw beautiful areas that I never even suspected existed. I saw lots of neat and exciting things. The National Parks in Utah were so beautiful that I started suffering from sensory overload and needed to take a break. And through it all, I felt the presence of Bill, my oldest friend. It may sound screwy, but I feel like he’s been with me the whole time, watching out for me and sharing my adventure. I have a Blessed life. I don’t want to lose sight of that. And the Best is yet to come! | ||
| 86129squids |
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| Crusty |
On the Good News front; Melia has heard back from Ben. We're going to go pick up the Iron Motor early next week. He warned us that it looks like a bike that's been sitting in salt air for a couple of decades; lots of rust and pitted chrome. I'll see what I can do with it. I don't want to get my hopes too high, but I would really like to have a running Sportster here in Australia. Just something else to be thankful for! | ||
| Greg_e |
Sandpaper and black paint! Hopefully the electrical still all works. | ||
| Crusty |
Christmas Cards and a Slow Oven It’s 4:30 in the morning here, yet it’s 1:30 in the afternoon yesterday back in Boston. It’s strange having 95º F (35º C) temps on Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving isn’t a Holiday here, so yesterday was just another Thursday. Melia does volunteer work for Meals On Wheels, and yesterday was her day to work. Roni Ann took the kids to the pool, so I had the house to myself for a couple of hours. I spent the time listening to the Trans Siberian Orchestra and writing Christmas Cards. Like Thanksgiving, it doesn’t really feel like Christmastime when it’s hot and dry. I guess I’ll just have to adapt. Anyhow, I got a deal on Christmas Cards. A package of 20 Australiana Christmas Cards cost $2.99 at the Post Office and postage is at a reduced rate for Christmas Cards, as well. It's down from $2.75 to $2.55 per card, but you have to write "Card Only" on the envelope. I guess Australians like to send out Christmas Cards. Postcards, however are the normal rate. I’ll mail out the Cards later on today. Melia has an early afternoon appointment in town, so I’ll ride in with her. I need to hit the ATM and get some cash. It's going to cost me over $50.00 just for postage. I also need to get some toothpaste. I keep forgetting, and it would really be a drag if I ran out. Last night was the Full Moon, and we were going to cook Hot Dogs over an open fire out in the back yard. I figured I’d make my moderately famous Roasted Potatoes (Chips, here). The stove in this house is a bit strange to me. The burners on top are gas, but the oven is electric. Melia had warned me that the oven is slow, but I figured that it would be up to temp by the time 45 minutes had passed. So I went online and converted 425 F to 218.333 C. I set the dial to just below halfway between 200 and 250 and thought everything would be fine. When the time was up for the potatoes to be ready, they weren’t even halfway done. It took an extra half hour for the spuds to be even edible, and they were a soggy, oily mess. Roni Ann loved them, but I know what they’re supposed to be like, and I was bitterly disappointed. I don’t cook a lot of things, but the things I do cook are all Very Good, and I take pride in cooking well. My pan fried potatoes are Internationally renowned (I’ve had people on three Continents rave about them); I consider my Roasted potatoes to be even better, but you’d never know it by the barely edible mess that I served last night. Next time, I’ll just turn the oven up to Max and see if it gets hot enough. Today is supposed to be another Hot one. And so is tomorrow and the next day and the next day and… I’m Lovin’ It! | ||
| Crusty |
Dark Reflections One of the things that I’ve noticed about myself is that I start to get restless after a very short time anywhere. It only takes a week or so until I start to get the itch to move on. It wasn’t nearly this bad before this year and my intentional homelessness. Even in that third floor apartment in Fitchburg, I felt like it was my home, of sorts. Now, I have no home and I don’t know if I’ll ever find one. It doesn’t matter where I go, I feel like I don’t fit in. One of the places that I think about settling down in is western Colorado. The climate is dry and the folks I met were all friendly, but I only know Sue there. I have a lot of possessions that I don’t want to part with, and moving them from Fitchburg would be costly. Cincinnati has reasonably priced real estate. I could probably afford to buy a house there. The people I met were very cordial and welcoming (especially at the Looney Noonie), but it’s so damned humid I’d feel that I need to grow a set of gills to breathe. I’m attracted to Fitchburg, Mass. for a few reasons.It’s familiar and many of my friends are there. It’s a city in decline, but it still has many unique and fascinating aspects. It has its own flavor. However, it’s still in New England and I really hate the winters there. I’m in Australia, for now; but moving here isn’t really a viable option. Plus, I can feel the itch starting to surface. While the past week has been interesting and full of discoveries, I’m sitting still. I want to feel an engine powering me down the road. I’m afraid that the Iron Motor is going to be a money pit and it won’t be reliable enough to travel on. This could be an unreasonable fear, but it could also be a likely scenario. Of course, it’s projection on my part; I won’t have any real basis for opinion until I see the bike. I’m hot and tired right now, that flavors everything that runs through my head. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll wake up with a more positive attitude. I sure hope so. | ||
| Pwnzor |
My best friend lives in Durango, Colorado by himself in a single wide mobile home. You and him would likely get along famously... if you need a place to shack up for a bit while you find something, or just passing through. I just need to let him know you're coming. Chin up, Crusty... the dominoes will fall in the right direction soon, I'm sure you'll be mobile in no time. I've been studying up on converting my cargo van all the way to "bug-out" van over the last few weeks... got the itch to do some rambling myself. |
