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.

Kakadu

Jenni's trip to Kakadu...

In early May my friend Karen (yes, finally proof we have friends) and I went to Kakadu National Park for the long weekend. We were joined by Karen's friends James and Josh. Hiking, rock art, vistas, waterfalls... made me miss Colorado.




Anyone care for a swim?




And, finally the last photo of Claude the Cane Toad alive. May he rest in peace.

Jealous?

Nightcliff Foreshore Sunset May 13, 2008

Little Lizard on The Inside of the Front Door

Crocodile Rock

Well, we finally received our shipment from the United States. It's bizarre having all this stuff that is so associated with our lives in the US, and now it is here Darwin, Australia. Basil thoroughly enjoyed having all the boxes to climb on and explore. The movers entertained David with conspiracy theories involving the United States, the Bush family, and the World Bank. Apparently, whenever the World Bank needs money, they send the US off to war, which causes them to borrow money from the World Bank, and then the bank intern receives money from the payments...or something like that. David resisted the colonial urge to say, "So...?"

We've also managed to get out and do some exploring. We spent a Sunday in Litchfield Park, just south of Darwin. It's the smaller of the two big parks (Kakadu being the other one). Our first stop was the Termite mounds near the park entrance. They have a special area designated to look at them, but really they were all along the road. You can play spot the Termite mound in the photos. They were very tall, at least 7 ft. We also did a little hiking, but most of the longer trails were closed, still too wet from the rainy wet season. Jenni did a little swimming at Florence Falls (photo), and then we hiked to Buley Rockhole (6 km roundtrip). Jenni swam at Buley Rockhole too. There was no one on the trail, but there were plenty of people swimming. Apparently we were the only visitors who hadn't thought to bring a case of beer.




Jenni "The Navigator" plotted our route back to Darwin, which involved going to the edge of the park in the opposite direction and then heading on a 30 km long dirt road. We got about 5 km into the dirt road, and discovered it was still closed, and there was no way the little CRV was going to go through it anyway. On the way back to the main park road, David spotted a rock that looked like a Kangaroo...and turned out to be a Kangaroo, because it moved and hopped away from the road.

Jenni's Story

So I've gotten to do heaps (My second favourite Australian word so far. First is "suss," short for suspicious) of traveling in the last four months, all for "work." I went to Sydney and the Blue Mountains, Alice Springs and the APY Lands (near Ayer's Rock/Uluru), and New York... uhm, near New Jersey. Completely exhausted from all the travel I was "delighted" to find out I needed to go to the Tiwi Islands to conduct literacy assessments (Will the fun never end?). But it turned out to be quite the adventure. The flight to the Tiwis is only 30 minutes, but it was all in a single engine prop plane with 8 or so seats. They seated us according to weight and I was happy to be in the back next to the short, skinny Tiwi man without any luggage.

We were meant to assess the Tiwi kids for two full days, but only ended up giving them tests for one because the Northern Territory teachers decided to go on strike. Instead, we went to the art gallery and hung out at the local club (Only open 4:00-7:00 thanks to the Intervention). One teacher said he was going to make a picket sign that said "Free Tasmania." A local joke about how Tasmanians aren't really Australians -- kind of like Texans in the US. David saw an editorial where the author described a recent day at a boy scout jamboree, and the Tasmanian troop was listed under the overseas visitors.

Anyway, the REAL adventure was the plane flight back. We stood around the plane listening to the pilot describe the "emergency procedures." One of the things I noticed about the Tiwi Island pilots is that they're all young. Apparently this is how new pilots get their hours before flying real airplanes like 12 seater twin engines. Our pilot was tall and looked mysterious in his mirrored sunglasses. His masculine confidence was palpable as he opened the luggage compartment and tossed our suitcases in as if they were light as pillows. He looked around to see if anyone noticed.

It was then that he said, "I'm going to need someone to sit up front with me." I bravely suppressed an urge to shoot my hand straight up in the air. Calmly I responded after at least a 2 second pause, "If no one else wants to, I will." He actually looked visibly disappointed. It was then I realized he'd been looking directly at the long-haired 15 year old girl with the short skirt and tank top when he made the offer.

So that was how I got to sit in the front seat of the plane. And I have to say it was worth it, although I'm sure I ruined a budding romance. Although, perhaps I saved the poor young woman from inevitable disappointment. The pilot's mobile phone ring was the theme song to Top Gun.

Big News
And now for the big news. After many months of deliberation, newspaper polling, media attention, the masses have decided... We want Elton John. That's right, folks, the Sultan of Song, Mr. Big Glasses or a whole host of other nicknames he doesn't have, is on his way to Darwin.

Finally, the world will recognize Darwin as the cultural centre that it is. There's even talk of a Duran Duran reunion tour. Did anyone say Blondie?

But seriously, if anyone wants tickets, the concert has yet to sell out. Apparently that's typical in Darwin. No one buys tickets until the last minute.