Lee Point

On Sunday we took a biking excursion out to Lee Point. Not many places in the world you can go and not see anyone else on the beach (or only a handful of other people). The bike ride was nice, and we found Darwin Mountain (+- 100 meters, 2% grade).

Skydiver landing on the beach

View Larger Map

Fogg Dam

Yesterday we decided to forgo the usual routine of get up and work on the weekend in favor of getting out and doing something. We headed out east along the Arnhem Highway, originally intending to go to Mary River park and Fogg Dam. We ended up spending most of our time at Fogg Dam. This place was about ten times better than the Territory Wildlife park. There was about 80% of the same wildlife, only they weren't in cages and actually be able to live their lives...not to mention there were also those creepy giant spiders. This time we were in a cage in the form of an observation tower, able to observe the animals out our leisure. Although the territory Wildlife park's nocturnal exhibit is probably worth the visit, the fact that Fogg Dam is free was nice too. Jenni could tell David enjoyed himself by the constant stopping and taking pictures, even when covered by 20 mosquitoes. We'll try and limit the number, but here are a few.

Wetlands, hard to tell, but this was really hazy because of bush fires. Pieces of ash were falling from the sky too.

More Wetlands.

Some Local Flora.

Water Lilies.

Not sure what type of bird this is, but it looks like a stork.

A giant Jabiru.

This is probably a kestrel.

Wish this one would have come out better, but it is carrying a small branch, then went back to its nest. There were two in the area, so probably a pair.

Our first territory croc! The signs said there were estuarine crocodiles, so this is most likely an estuarine (saltwater) croc.

Catchin' a few rays.

Just a detail of the previous photo.

You can check out these Photos on a Map...
Last few weeks we've been having to endure the sound of jets flying overhead. Apparently it has to do with war games, and involves countries from around the world. David prefers to just blame it on the French.

Here is some more information on it.

Correction

I corrected the blog to fix the name of the position I was at - from Fly Slip to Fine Leg. Chris let me know the actual name, and I told him I guessed based on the Cricket Wikipedia page.

"Mind you weren't far off. Fine leg is on the "On (or leg) side" and Fly slip on the 'off side', but both behind the wicket. You also had a short spell at mid off, and may have ventured in to short mid off, but not quite silly mid off."

Australia is great, just that bloody language barrier...

Cricketers

We went for a walk yesterday along the Nightcliff foreshore area. It was a pleasant walk despite the heat. The water has slowly been changing from the muddy brown of the wet season to the azure color of the dry.





On our way we decided to go to the university and watch our friend Chris play cricket in a local league game. They happened to be a player short, and the fill-in was running late, so Chris asked David to play a few overs till the other guy got there. We now take you on the pitch for some play by play action.

"Ok David, go to Fine Leg."
Blank Stare.
"You don't know what that means do you?"
"Nope."
"Just go over there. No to your other right. A little more. A little more. A little more. A little more. Good enough. Just walk in when the bowler starts."

The bowler goes in, the batsmen doesn't take the chance and nothing happens.

So far so good, nothing to worry about.

"Hey!"

What? Oh you're throwing the ball around to everyone. Oh! You're throwing it to me. Please don't let it hit me in the face. Please don't let it hit me in the face.

Nothing too exciting happens with the next bowls, and then they switch sides of the pitch, and now the batsman is facing David. Crack! A ground ball comes rushing towards David.

Crap! Ok. Remember your training, this is what all those years of little league have been for. Choke up on the bat! Wait that doesn't help. When did that ever help! Focus! Get in front of it, and just scoop it up!. Whooooosh! Right between the legs. Where'd it go? Oh yeah, I don't have a baseball mit on.

"Um, David, next time drop to your knee."

Luckily, later, there was next time. A very light ground bowl, barely missed by the bowler. David, seeking to redeem himself, over zealously charged the ball, sliding down to one knee he scooped it up. It helped that the ball was rolling slowly and had nearly come to a stop by the time David got there. Triumphantly standing up, he looked for someone to tag out, but by then everyone was returning to their field positions.

Luckily no one on the other team yelled out - "Hit it to the bloke in the red shirt!" David didn't have the team colors of black and white on, having just shown up on a lark.

All and all an exciting 10 minutes. They managed to complete the game without David's assistance, as the fill-in had arrived shortly after David started.



Our friend Chris (of Chris, Fiona, and Clare) in kung-fu action figure mode.

Oh Say Can You See?

We are sure you had the slightly off-key opening stanza in your head as if we were actually singing the anthem.

Last night we went to the Americans-in-Darwin party. Apparently there are at least 15 Americans here. The party, complete with red-white-and-blue balloons, petite American flags and sparklers, was hosted by Georgetown's former city planner. We met a guy from Florida who grew up in Fort Collins on Mountain Avenue and went to Irish Elementary. About every part (East, West, Middle square states) of the U.S. was represented. There was even a Minnesotan who talked just like Carl Kasell. Yup, it was that exciting.

We ended up making a 5-layer bean dip (recipe from David's Mom), and it seemed to be enjoyed by most people, as there was not much left. One little girl decided the top cheese layer was the best and her regular grabbing of cheesy handfuls made it a 4-layer bean dip for late arrivals. For some reason when everyone heard that we needed to bring American style food, they brought a dessert: rice crispy treats, apple pie, cheesecake, 5-cup marshmallow salad, etc... Some people were a bit cheeky and brought KFC (we didn't think of bringing McDonalds -- next time). There were also ribs and the coup de grace chili-cheese-dogs. All the kind of stuff we ate on a regular basis back in the States, so it really felt like home.

For us the main topics of conversation were: Where are you from? Why are you here? and What do you do? Nothing regarding the primaries or upcoming presidential election, Austral-US relation changes since the Rudd government, how the Broncos will do next season...Luckily there were enough people that these questions sustained us through the evening, and we did meet some very nice people. And if the conversation lulled, we had two aces up our sleeves - How long have you been here? and Can you believe the cost of housing? I'm sure, after leaving early in an abrupt Mary Wolgemuth style exit, they remarked to one another, "Well, there goes the life of the party."

We spent the drive home convincing ourselves it's not us who is boring, really. It's just that we are very selective about our friends and it takes a special group of people and the right context to bring out our charm.


...So, how 'bout them Broncos?

Americana

This weekend we are planning on attending a gathering of Ex-Patriots, Americans and their families who are residing in Darwin. Apparently there are about 30 or so. It is a pot-luck lunch, and we were asked to bring Americana fair. Some people are bringing "chili cheese dogs" and

"marshmallow" salads. David suggested Jenni get her mom's recipe for Special K Loaf (it is good and definitely screams America!), but we haven't quite settled on a dish yet.



Any suggestions?



By the way, David changed it so you don't have to login to make comments, but can post anonymously. This should make it easier to comment without having to sign up.



We happened to be walking home last night and caught sight of Basil chasing something in the yard (we were only gone for 15 minutes). We have been trying to discourage him from chasing little tree frogs, but it wasn't working. This turned out not to be a tree frog, but a Cane Toad! Cane Toads will release toxins if under stress, and pets are more often than not killed. So luckily we got Basil away before anything bad happened. Its strange that we didn't see a single frog during the wet season, but have seen several during the dry season...



Here is a photo. It passed on last night at the hands (or more accurately, feet) of our neighbor, but will live on in blog-infamy.

Greek Festival

Yesterday, we went to a mini-Greek Festival. It actually reminded David about Greece: lots of good food and lots of people. There are actually a large number of Greek imigrants in Australia, and particularly in Darwin. They were heavily tied to the pearling industry that thrived in Darwin pre-WWII. There is a big Paspaley Pearls shop on the Smith Street mall. It has this beautiful store front on ground level, with faux columns, and when you look up you find a three story tall typical example of neo-communist cement architecture. Kind of a stark contrast to each other.

Anyway, if you are interested check out this link.