March 7 - March 8, 10:48 a.m. Aussie Time

Noosa to Brisbane via the Sunshine Coast and Glasshouse Mountains – A report by Barb We woke at 5 a.m. to more heavy rain and wind and realized the dinghy, attached to the rear of the boat, was causing us to fishtail about the anchor because it was HALF FILLED WITH RAINWATER. Let me repeat that: the dinghy had filled half way up with rainwater (over a foot deep) from the past 24-hours of non-stop rain we were getting. So I put on my rain gear, loaded up on bug spray, grabbed the large stockpot and went out into the elements to bail out the boat. All just part of the adventure (or so I kept telling myself).

Upon return, Emmett brewed me up a lovely cup of coffee and we watched the sun rise over the Noosa River. The rain let up a bit for the 2-hour cruise back down the river to base where we returned the Happy Jack and decided to take a gamble on the weather and follow the coast road back down to Brisbane.

The gamble paid off as we found the SUN on the Sunshine Coast. It couldn’t have been a more lovely afternoon. We had an Indian curry breakfast (take away from a restaurant in Noosa) on the Sunshine Beach just south of Noosa Heads.

Then we stopped off for a quick bluff walk in Coolum before having a wonderful vegan lunch at Oliver’s in Mooloolaba, where I had TWO bottles of sparkling wine while basking in the beautiful weather on their outdoor patio.

After lunch, we walked the Mooloolaba beach and enjoyed the sun, surf, and watching the sail boats. Back in the car, we made the last-minute decision to take the “Tourist Route” through the Glasshouse Mountains and stumbled upon a scenic overlook not even in the guide books. The views were outstanding—we couldn’t believe how blue the skies were after two weeks of gray rainclouds and how far we could see…all the way back to Morton Bay 60 km away.

After a quick hike around the lookout, we headed to our hotel near the Brisbane airport, checked in, and then spent the evening packing for our departure and finishing up the last of our snacks and beer.

So by the end of the trip, we returned the rental car with an extra 802.9 km on it…almost 500 miles! It didn’t feel like we had traveled that far, just like it didn’t feel like it had rained every day except for two the entire two weeks we were here. Whatever it is about Australia (combined with whatever it is about the way we travel), it never seems tiring, disappointing, or boring. You can drop us in the middle of the wettest season in 120 years, throw all the mozzies and leaches and spiders at us that you want, leave us scratching our heads about why none of the places we rented had any damn potholders even though they had full kitchens…and we’ll still have the grandest of times. The people, the land, the general attitude of all leaves Australia our spiritual homeland.

Until next time…CHEERS!

March 5 - March 6, 4:23 p.m. Aussie Time

Heading to the Sunshine Coast – a report by Barb and Emmett

Well, there’s only one way to sum up the last leg of our trip: RAIN. And then some more RAIN. And then a little more RAIN.

We’re writing this from the inside of our houseboat currently anchored by Thomson’s Canal in the Noosa River. If we were outside on the front deck (which is covered), we’d be eaten alive by the “mozzies,” (or “mosquitoes,” if you were speaking regular English). If we were outside on our back deck, we’d also be eaten alive by the mozzies but we’d be sopping wet as well since it’s not covered.  So today’s happy hour is in the upper living room/main deck of the houseboat. I’m not complaining…the views are lovely and the wildlife is active…eagles, brahminy kites, cormorants, ducks, blue herons, jumping fish, terns, five sets of canoes paddled by teens making the most of the weather conditions, and another houseboat full of 30-somethings dancing to house music (or, in this case, houseboat music).

We have had two lovely breaks in the rain. Last night’s happy hour, we managed to squeeze in an hour atop our high deck and finish off a bottle of lovely Oyster Bay Chardonnay. And this morning we awoke to partly cloudy skies for breakfast and for a mid-morning happy hour of MIMOSAS!! I can’t tell you how happy I was to have those mimosas. But shortly after the last drop was enjoyed, the rain started up again and has not quit in literally seven hours and counting. And counting. And counting. And counting.

So after leaving Straddie via ferry yesterday and driving two hours north to the supposed “Sunshine Coast,” hearing for the billionth time “It NEVER rains here,” I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I truly understand what “sheets of rain” looks like.

March 4, 8:19 p.m. Aussie Time

Bush to the Beach Day – A report by Barb and Emmett Woke up this morning to non-wet conditions so we thought we’d make a run for the Blue Lake National Park again…the same place we tried to do yesterday and got drenched. We made it half way to the park before the rain came and foiled our plans once again. So we turned around and decided to explore the other point on the island called Amity Point. Much smaller than Point Lookout but it is also more sheltered as it is on the bay side…so the ocean was actually calm and we could see the resident dolphins a mere 50 feet from shore. A true delight. We walked a bit around the park, noticed that the showers had passed and decided to take one last stab at Blue Lake.

The third time was definitely the charm…we made it to the lake, had a lovely lunch, and an overall wonderful hike. This time, we took a “spider stick” which helped to lessen the web-in-face encounter factor.

After the hike, we headed back home so Barb could take a nap (that darn cold is still hanging around). Then it was back out to Point Lookout’s Main Beach for Happy Hour on the sand while watching the waves and the stormy (but not wet) clouds pass by.

Then dinner, then laundry, then packing up and getting ready to head out to our final leg of the trip in Noosa where we’ll be on a houseboat for three days/two nights. Guess what the forecast is…yep, RAIN! Oh well, it hasn’t stopped us much up until this point. The only thing we haven’t been able to do is kayak and snorkel on Straddie. Other than that, we’ve checked everything else off our list.

We won’t have access to the Internet while on the houseboat so don’t expect any more updates for the next few days. We’ll try to post on our last day in Brisbane before getting on the plane for the always thrilling 13-hour ride home.

Cheers!

March 3, 6:00 p.m. Aussie Time

North Stradbroke Island (“Straddie”)  -  A report by Emmett Well, we woke up on our last morning in the rainforest to… rain. Buckets of it. Figured we’d head for the coast, maybe find the sun. After arriving on Straddie in early afternoon via the Big Red Cat Ferry, we found only more rain. But we also easily found our way to Cypress House, our Japanese-style abode we had rented for the next three days. For those of you who know our place in South Pasadena, this house is similar—the outside is inside, lots of light, very open, lovely garden with fruit trees. A few differences—the shower is outside, the spiders are bigger, and we use the dishwasher. Overall a very lovely base for our Straddie adventures. We took a quick look around the town and its beaches, then settled down for a lovely dinner and early bedtime, as Barb’s cold was getting worse.

Wednesday morning the rain had relented, so we drove around the island to Blue Lake National Park for a morning hike. After a couple kilometers (and several near-death experiences with large colorful spiders who caringly strung web traps across the trail), the clear skies turned to drizzle, which turned to downpour. We are not hiking wimps—two days prior we had hiked 17 kms of rainforest trail in the rain and leeches. But the rainforest canopy was not there to protect us, and giant spiders are a bit more of a deterrent than leeches (who knew?), so we turned back, hopefully to retry tomorrow.

Returning to Pt. Lookout, we had lunch at our house and then headed for some beachwalks, as the rains had again diminished in frequency and intensity. The first walk was an elevated trail above several rocky outcroppings and gorges, with storm-lashed waves crashing and sending spray almost to our eye level. Then we took another trail down to Deadman’s Beach, where we were treated to a bevy of lovely tidepools, and a few stinging squalls of rain. Barb’s DayQuil was wearing off, so we grabbed a café table overlooking the waves and she got a flat white. With more rain looming over the Pacific, we decided to call it a day and head for Cypress House.

(Click on image for slideshow.)

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March 1, 6:00 p.m. Aussie Time

Springbrook Summary Sorry about the lack of postings...access to the Internet is limited here in that no-access-at-all kind of way, and quite frankly, even if we had access, we've been enjoying just sitting in our rainforest chalet with our fire and Aussie wine and beer at night too much to do much else. But we’ll get you caught up on the past three days.

We left Brisbane on Saturday and decided to take a detour along the Gold Coast rather than driving straight through to the “Hinterlands.” What did we discover? Two things: one, the Gold Coast’s northern half is littered with hideous high rises and Disneyland-like adventure parks (gag, gag, gag)…and two, the southern half is a delightful bliss of little towns—one of which, Currumbin, is home to Elephant Rock Café where Emmett and I enjoyed our best meal yet (House-made Tofu & Seaweed salad for me and the Bangkok Burger (tofu burger with chili and peanut sauce and all the fixin’s) for Emmett).

After our delish lunch, we headed up to the Mouse’s House and got settled in. And then the rain began.

Our time in Springbrook can only be described as beautiful, wet, mist-shrouded, wet, lush, wet, teeming with jungle floral and fauna, wet, and more wet. We are, after all, in the rainforest during the wet season. But the rain didn’t stop us one bit from doing what we love to do…hike!

Here’s what we’ve been doing the past two days:

• Hiked out to Best of All Lookout.
• Drove to Canyon Lookout and saw five waterfalls.
• Hiked Purling Brook Circuit and the Warringa Pool Track (6 km) and saw a few waterfalls.
• Drove through the Numinbah Valley and saw waterfalls.
• Hiked out to Natural Bridge and saw one super-duper big waterfall.
• Drove to the Queensland/New South Wales Border Lookout…no waterfalls but the bucolic valley vista was a nice change of pace.  
• Hiked the Warrie Circuit (17 km) and saw about two dozen waterfalls!!

We also have seen pademelons (a type of wallaby), red-bellied black snake, spiny blue crayfish, colorful birds, land mullets (a type of skink), bush turkeys, lots and lots of leeches (I kid you not…they are everywhere on the trail and they get up on your hiking boots and crawl into them and up your legs and yes, there is blood and lots of swearing on our part), strangler vines, shirt-ripping vines (we don’t know their name, just their skill), giant spear lilies, Antarctic beech trees and hoop pines (very old species dating back to the Jurassic age), and lots and lots of rain.

Did I mention we were in the rainforest in the rainy season? Oh, and the Sunshine and Gold Coasts (where we are!) are getting hit with a major typhoon that has dropped (and continues to do so) more rain in two days than they’ve had in four years! We keep hearing, “It never rains here,” from the mouths of locals and we try very hard not to punch them when they do.

Anyway, we’re back at our lovely chalet on our last night in Springbrook enjoying a fire and happy hour (of course). Tomorrow, we hit the road and head to Cleveland where we’ll catch the ferry to North Stradbroke Island…and hopefully dryer, sunnier, less leechy conditions.

Until then, enjoy the few pics (click on pictures for larger view, if you dare!). More to come when the Internet isn’t so darn slow.

Cheers!

Feb 27th, 8:00 a.m.: Some Final Thoughts on Brisbane Before We Head Out this Morning

Brisbane is like Vancouver with a Southern California attitude, Southern hospitality, and Kauai weather. I like it. Not vegan friendly. Barely vegetarian friendly. That will have to change when we move here.

The birds are incredibly noisy here. They don’t have that nice, delicate chirp like a songbird or the regal cry of a hawk. Nope. They sound like ducks being strangled, a yodeler being strangled, or a monkey being strangled. They are also on a strict schedule, always starting up one minute after dawn and prattling on until one minute before dusk when they suddenly stop, as if someone throws a switch. It’s like clockwork…and it’s pretty impressive. At dusk, bats the size of Texas fly across the city. It’s like the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. I kid you not. Surreal. Awesome, but surreal. I loved it.

Geckos! And lots and lots of butterflies.

Brisbanites (Brisbanians?) are kind, patient people. I remember this from the last time we were in Australia so it might not just be in Brisbane. They, like the rest of the country, love their city and love their country, always more than willing to make recommendations on where to visit, where to eat, where to go, and what to see. As a result, the first thing they ask you is, “How long have you been here?” Then, “What have you seen so far?” From there, they rattle off their Top 5 list.

Aussies are not afraid to have a glass of champagne with lunch. Or a bottle of wine. And they always have afternoon tea. Every day. Such a civilized way to live.

Screwtops on wine bottles, even the expensive ones. So convenient.

Speaking of expensive…when did it get that way? $14 for a plate of tortilla chips, beans, and guacamole. $4 for a package of humus. $1.20 to send a postcard to the U.S. plus $1 for the postcard itself. WTH?

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Now we’re off to Springbrook (heading South) for four days/three nights in the mountains. We’ll be staying at the Mouse’s House where we’ll be able to step outside our chalet and choose from miles and miles of hiking trails. See you later!

Feb. 26th, 8:15 p.m. Aussie time: A Little Old and A Little New

Today, Emmett reports. I’m too busy celebrating the return of my ankles FOR THE WHOLE DAY!! Welcome back, my dears! ********

The day began with rain showers, but quickly cleared to sunny skies, so we hopped in our car and headed a few kilometers west of the city to Mount Coot-tha. The views from the lookout ranged from the inland mountains to Moreton Bay. Driving around the mountain’s park, we stopped to do a few hikes, including the Aboriginal Art Walk, a hike through a beautiful outdoor art installation. The pieces were stone arrangements and imprints on wood and stone, featuring ancient symbols of Aboriginal stories—snake, hand, axe, human figure.

Leaving leafy Mount Coot-tha, we drove back to the city and had lunch at the Foyer Café in the Gallery of Modern Art (“GoMA”). Lunch came with several drinks, as the ride into the city was a mite stressful—roundabouts and one-ways are everywhere in Brisbane! After a tasty lunch we dove into GoMA’s amazing displays, and spent the next three hours in a state of awe and wonder. It was probably the most compelling contemporary art museum either of us has ever experienced. The creativity, passion, and invention of the artists seemed perfectly paired with the obvious devotion of GoMA’s staff, and the gorgeous space that was an artwork itself. Meandering back to the West End in the late afternoon, we picked up some Aussie wines for the next leg of our trip, and a dinner cheese-free pizza from a local shop, where for the first time we didn’t have to explain what “vegan” meant, because our clerk’s brother was a vegan.

The last day on Paradise Street was still paradise.

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Feb. 25th, 8:00 p.m. Aussie Time - Day Along the River

Good news…I know where my ankles are! They made a brief appearance early this morning before going into hiding later in the afternoon. But at least now I know I didn’t leave them on the plane or at home. Maybe they’ll stick around for the whole day tomorrow. In any case, with or without them, it was another wonderful day in the land of Brisbane. We started out by finishing up a few sightseeing details in the CBD: more squares, parks, and architectural highlights. Then we got lucky when we hit up the Parliament House, getting there just as their Q&A session started. This is the session where the opposition party asks questions of the seated party and then mocks, jeers, scolds, and ridicules them (even name calling goes on!) as they respond. It is quite funny to watch. A real treat, especially considering we stumbled upon it.

We spent the second half of the day strolling through the South Bank Parklands, which was much more pretty than we expected it to be. It was the home to the Goodwill Games in 2001 so we thought there was going to be a kitsch factor to it…but it was just another lovely park along the bank of the Brisbane River. There are so many of these parks along the river. It is really nice to see a city value and invest in so much public green space as well as public art. You could spend a week here just exploring all the parks along the river.

(Click on the first photo to open in slideshow view.)

After the park, we hit up the Queensland Art Gallery…a pure delight. And then we jumped aboard the CityCat ferry and rode it from one end of the route to the other (a nearly 2-hour round trip along the river). Then it was home for happy hour and dinner.

There’s something about Australia that makes me want to drink beer. I remember this from the last time we were here. I thought maybe it was just the weather, but we’re here in the opposite season from last time (late summer vs. early spring) and I still crave it. Tonight we stopped off at the “bottle shop” and got a bottle of white wine. But when we got home and I took a sip, and it just wouldn’t do. So it was back to the beer. Pure Blonde and Cooper’s this time. Ahhhh…..

So that’s it for Day #2. Enjoy the pics…

P.S. I’m going to stop reporting on Emmett’s back because he hasn’t had any problems with it for a while now. Let’s all just assume everything is fine in that area unless otherwise noted. Besides, I have more pressing issues to worry about, like my ankles.

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Feb. 24th, 8:00 p.m. Aussie Time: A Day of Walking

Somewhere between LAX and Brisbane, I lost my ankles so don’t be surprised if you see me in photos with legs that go from my knees to the brick slabs that have become my feet in one smooth, puffy, ankle-less stroke. I’m hoping I find them tomorrow, though my fear is that they may be lost forever and I’ll end up with pregnant-lady legs the rest of my life. Wouldn’t that be ironic. Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. Water, water, water. Deodorant, deodorant, deodorant. Pretty much sums up the mantra for the day. We definitely aren’t in Kansas anymore. Hot, humid, and always a threat of a passing tropical downpour (though there wasn’t a drop all day). Emmett said the West Side, where we are staying, reminds him of New Orleans, especially because we’re just a few steps from the Brisbane River. I continue to say I feel like I’m in Kauai. In either case, it’s easy to see why we feel right at home in here. Our mission today was to keep moving, moving, moving. We knew if we stopped, we’d simply fall asleep and end up wide awake at midnight for hours. So we did what we always do on travel days like this: head out to explore the city on foot. We made our way across the river to the City Center and visited squares, parks, churches, landmarks, and places of architectural interest. The highlight of the day was Roma Street Parkland, which has several gardens, 25 public art pieces, lakes, open spaces, and boardwalks. (Heidi – it would be worth flying to Brisbane just to see this place…it nips at the heels of Butchart Gardens.)

When our dogs went from whining to barking, we took the bus back to the West End, located a pub that was well inhabited by the locals, took down a pint of Aussie beer (good god, these people know how to brew beer), and then loaded up on groceries before heading back to our place where we finished the day with another round of beers and munchies.

Tomorrow is another day and we can’t wait for it. But first…SLEEP!

(Click on the first picture below to see larger pictures in a slideshow.)

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Feb 24th, 8:00 a.m. Aussie Time: We Made It!

First things first: I am thrilled to report that Emmett had NO back pain or problems whatsoever during the entire 14-hour flight from LA to Brisbane! I credit this to the physical therapy exercises he diligently does every day, which has made his core incredibly strong. Yay, Emmett! Way to go. You’re my hero!

V-Australia is an interesting airline. From Abba’s “Dance with Me” pumping through the lobby of the check-in area to the funky neon glow mood lighting in the plane’s cabin, everything felt borderline edgy without being pretentious, and fun without being kitschy. Despite a slight mix up with the vegan meals (they gave mine to the guy across the aisle who ate it even though he didn’t order a special meal) and the guy who sat next to me who smelled like he had already been on a plane for 14 hours (insert a couple of gags here), it was an overall pleasant experience, as much as a 14-hour flight in Economy class can be. In case anyone cares (that would be you, Heidi), I watched two movies—An Education (which I thoroughly enjoyed…great music, wonderful costumes, and good acting by all) and Julie & Julia (which I also liked a lot, surprisingly...of course it had to do with food and writing so why wouldn't I like it?!!).

We deplaned to humid, sunny weather (for a second there I thought we were in Kauai), got our rental car, navigated our way through morning rush hour while getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road, somehow made our way to our Brisbane accommodations (Paradise 9), and are now heading out for a day of walking adventures. More on that later.

Leaving Today for Down Under

Well, Emmett and I are off for Brisbane (or "Brissie," as the locals call it) today, but we are thrilled to know all will be well looked after by my dad, who is playing the role of Mr. Mom to Mira and Mr. Caretaker to our house. He'll be staying at our place, soaking up the non-snowy winter of Southern California and mastering the art of driving backwards out our driveway. Who knows...by the time we come back, we may have trouble kicking him out! We hope to post photos on a daily basis here so check back often. In the mean time, CHEERS!

Board Book Class at SFCB

Earlier this month, I took a wonderful class at the San Francisco Center for the Book called "Board Book with Layering Techniques" with Marsha Shaw. Marsha was spectacular as an instructor...so encouraging, incredibly talented, and inspiring. You could tell she not only loved teaching, she loved being creative. If you get a chance, check out her website. You'll be dazzled. This is the second class I've taken at the Center and if I lived closer to San Fran I'd take every single class they offered. No kidding. Their facilities are nice, the range of classes they offer keeps students challenged whether you're a professional artist or hobbiest, and  students and teachers alike seem to thrive off one another (no sense of competitive one-upping that I've experienced).

Below are some hastily shot photos I took of the board book I made. (Click on the first photo to take you to a slideshow with larger images.)

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