Water Sports

There was no skid board.  You probably aren’t disappointed because you don’t know what a skid board is and that’s because I made it up.  It’s actually called a skim board, if you/Adam want/wants to get technical and precise with spelling.  I jumped the gun on the inventory list when I copied and pasted from the gumtree ad onto the last post.  There wasn’t a fishing gun or a football or a volleyball either.  But there was a harmonica and the snorkeling gear does work.  We did some casual snorkeling in the bay after Adam scrubbed the flippers and goggles and breathing tubes down to reduce our chances of getting hepatitis or worse.  After discovering that not being able to see past my arm in the murk of the deep end seemed to be leading toward a panic attack, I decided to hang out like a jelly fish in the shallow water where I could be sure there wouldn’t be any surprises between me and the ocean floor.  I was having a great time until I was blindsided by a herd of exercising athletes butterflying toward me at an alarming rate (imagine being chased by a blood-thirsty pack of seals).  Although the initial fear-paralyzing moments felt like a lifetime, I quickly transitioned from jellyfish mode to panic stricken escape-mode.  I made it to safety untrampled, eventually, but moving as fast as possible in knee-high water while hyperventilating out of a snorkel tube wearing flippers and foggy goggles is really unpleasant.  

Disinfecting

Bizkit Bonus

Landcruising on the beach with Bizkit

Roughing It Cont.

Guess what.  We bought a Landcruiser.  A Landcruiser converted into a camping rig, complete with necessary camping features like a built-in mattress, sunshed canopy, fishing poles x3, fishing gun (shark defense), 4-person tent, lots of useful maps, portable camping cookers x2, 25 litre water tanks x2, full kitchen equipment, snorkeling sets x3, camping chairs x3, camping table, skid board, quality acoustic guitar, a football, and a volleyball.  But most importantly (most importantly according to people like Adam who foresee off-roading through soggy fields circumstances to a certainty), it has 4-wheel drive.  So anyway, we’re going to live/camp out of this thing while we travel through the South and Western Australia area and beyond.  Because we like each other so much and that’s just the sort of thing people do when they’re on trips like this.  Not to mention, in the interest of the travel budget, it’s a pretty smart move.  Minus gas expenses and the luxury of a kitchen, bathroom, and sitting-up-in-bed room, it sure beats paying rent.  But it’s not all rainbows and red balloons.  I do have two minor misgivings: firstly, I will probably (over 50% chance) crash and burn when it’s my turn to drive due to several contributing factors (brain conditioned to drive on the other side of the road, left and right confusion, memory like a goldfish, manual transmission, history of car accidents both minor and major, out of driving practice etcetc), and secondly, what if we can’t find a shower for two weeks or something.  Otherwise, there aren’t any noteworthy concerns that come to mind when considering living out of a dinosaur suv for three months in the boonies of the most predatorially life-threatening country on earth with a minimal amount of survival skills (I’m only speaking for myself here) and only a fishing gun for defense.  What I’m trying to say is, if you have anything to say about this lifestyle decision and you aren’t my mom I already beat you to it so shut your pie hole.

There she is/jk about your pie hole

Anniversary mini penguins

 In celebration of our one-year engagement anniversary (if I were going to make excuses for celebrating a one-year engagement anniversary, I'd do it here), we went to see the mini penguins.  At dusk, you sit on this dock and watch the mini penguins scurry out of the water into the rocks.  No flash photography allowed OR ELSE.  White flashes increase the heart rate of the penguins which indicates that it stresses them out.  Live and let live.  So the mini penguin monitors carry around red flashlights (mini penguins don't perceive red light) to shine on the little buggers so you can take pictures.

Sitting on the dock of the bay blahblah

Wasting time/I know what it is you saw

Wasting time/scuffle with the flat iron

Wasting time/post card melb

The big moment/ahoy, mini penguin!

CUTIES

THIS JUST IN

I just found a wallet.  NO JOKE.  Outside the library not even ten minutes ago.  I returned it (probably not worth mentioning right here at this point that there was no money inside) and was reminded that the best things in life are FREE.  Free like the joy you feel when returning an abandoned wallet with no money in it to the rightful owner who is in an electric wheelchair.  Better luck next time.

Back Alley Art

Nye Schwenwhyee

Pre 2012

T-minus several seconds 2012

On the 2012 money

That's a hitchhiker's thumb if I've ever seen one/2012!!!!!!!

Back to the grind (wallet hunting grind)

Since nye is prime conditions for finding a wallet on the ground, that was our general plan for the night.  Nicole, Helen and my plan, anyway.  Adam wasn't that jazzed about it because he's a stickler for the law, but I had no clear intentions for what would happen after we found the wallet, so legally I think it's probably okay to just look.  I figured we'd cross that bridge (the abandonedwalletontheground bridge) when we got there but unfortunately, we never got there.  Helen got to the abandonedfivecentsontheground bridge and she crossed it decisively by picking it up and putting it in her pocket.  Anyway happy new year even though it's old news better late than never.