This town is Alice!

January 4, 2011.

I have wanted to see the Outback of Australia ever since the first I read Nevil Shute’s “A Town Like Alice”. I have read it many times. We flew over the red landscape and landed. I am really here!

We rented a nice little SUV so we could fit all five people and our luggage with some comfort. Laurel volunteered to drive as she is a Melbourne girl and most familiar with the rules of the road. I became the navigator. We found our way very easily to the Desert Palms Resort. It really is an oasis in the desert landscape – startling green of the grass and palm trees set off by the tropical colours of the flowers and birds. The women looked forward to the pool at the end of each day’s adventure. Dan enjoyed the quiet of solitude! We had two villas, one for myself and Dan and one for Lynne, Laurel and Thea. It worked out very well. It was wonderful for Lynne to have both her girls together again!

For our first day, we decided to tour the town and do some chores. We needed to cash traveller’s cheques, get a few groceries and get the feel of the area. It is a very short drive from the resort across the Todd River to the CBD (Central Business District).

The Todd River is normally a dry river bed. Every year it is the site of the Henley-on-Todd Regatta. The boats are a little different. They have no bottoms or tops! Contestants stand inside their vessels holding them waist high and, at the sound of the starter’s gun, race along the course - hopefully without tripping over each other or collapsing from laughter or exhaustion. While we were there, there actually was a little water in the bottom of the riverbed. A good thing it was not race time!

Alice Springs is a small town of 28,000 people living over a large surrounding area. The CBD is about 5 blocks square. We wandered up and down looking into shops as our interests dictated. We picked a nice place for lunch, the Red Ochre Grill. It is known for its presentation of “Bush Foods” or meals made with local ingredients. We decided to have a typical pie and a pint. Well, Dan had the pie and pint, I just had the lamb shank and vegetable pie. It was very good! So good, we made a repeat visit later in the week.

All that city life made us glad to return to the serenity of our Oasis and the pool! We met up for happy hour on the lanai and each group made a simple dinner in their own kitchen. A very relaxing day!


It was not as warm as it can be in Alice but we had a low of 22 C (72 F) and a high of 38 C (100 F) daily while we were there. Very pleasant! The clear, bright skies turned me browner than I ever get, even with 30 SPF sunscreen!

We started out early on Day 2 to take advantage of the coolness of morning. We had a full agenda. We started at the Alice Springs Reptile Center. We were greeted by Frank who has the run of the property. Watch out for Frank when you open a door – he may try to make a break for it!


We timed our arrival so we could take part in the Reptile Talks. My part was filming but the others learned how to hold the small dragon, a blue-tongued skink and a python!

From the Reptile center we crossed the street to the Communication center of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. This was more my speed! I really appreciated the map with all the pins representing private runways in the vast outback territory. Yellow pins for strips with landing lights, blue for those that would be daylight only, pins for the planes on duty and for their current location. There were displays of medical equipment from years gone by and some that would still be current. Some were familiar to me from my days as a Lab Tech. Some would be illegal now such as Dr. Poppy’s Wonder Elixer with Canabis Extract. It supposedly relieves any number of symptoms and leaves you with a pleasant feeling all day. I’ll bet!

We liked the look of the menu in the Flying Doctor’s restaurant so we stayed for lunch. They were out of the items we particularly wanted to try, but they did have Sticky Date pudding with Butterscotch Sauce. Yum!

That fortified us for the afternoon’s trek through the Alice Springs Desert Park. We strolled through an amazing display of flora and fauna in the park’s 75 sun baked acres. There are three desert habitats represented, Desert Rivers, Sand Country and Woodlands. We saw birds of all kinds from a Black Cockatoo to the little Kookaburra. Who would have expected such a big call to come from such a small bird?

Lynne and I strolled along leaving the others to keep to their own, much slower, pace. I particularly enjoyed the colours; the red of the soil, the greens and browns of the vegetation, the bright colours of the flowers and birds. The distant reds and blues of the MacDonnell range formed a backdrop to it all.

We all met up at the Nocturnal House and then divided again. Dan and I followed a path taking us back to the entry and settled down with cold drinks. I was feeling very tired and losing interest. Lesson one: carry water! I was suffering from dehydration. I could not seem to get enough liquid, I was so thirsty! After a few minutes, I was ready to go again. Unfortunately we were running out of time. My close encounters with emu and kangaroos would come another day.

It was time to check out the pool and take time for Happy Hour once more. We have a really early start tomorrow!

Traveling to Australia

January 3, 2011.

Christmas is over. We spent New Year's Eve preparing to leave and at last the day came. We had a pleasant New Years Day dinner with the kids on the way to the airport and we were on our way!

We had an Air Canada flight to Sydney with a connecting flight to Melbourne. This time the flight did not seem unbearable. We had the two seats by the aisle rather than by the window. Did the ability to get up at will make it seem easier rather than being trapped by the window unwilling to disturb that sleeping stranger on the aisle? We ate, watched movies and slept the time away.

We arrived in Sydney a half hour late. We went through customs quickly but it took a long time to get our luggage. No one from Quantas seemed interested in getting us to our connecting flight on time. Apparently they just get you on the next flight - no worries mate. But we had Lynne and Thea meeting us in Melbourne and no way to let them know we were about to miss our connection.

We were now booked on the 3:00 PM flight and they were expecting us at 1:35 PM. To complicate matters they were also flying late. They arrived and could not find us. They wondered if we had gone off looking for them.Eventually we all got together and took a taxi across Melbourne to the suburb of Geelong.

We had arrived! The motel was small but comfortable. The receptionist very helpful. She arranged a taxi for 5:30 AM the following morning and sent us off with suggestions for dinner. We strolled the waterfront but it was very cool with a strong wind. We grabbed a quick Calamari and chips from a beachfont stand, investigated the Yacht Club and watched Lynne and Thea ride the Ferris Wheel.



With a 24 hour day behind us and a 4:30 AM wake up call ahead, we turned in early.We got up at 4:30 AM as planned. The taxi arrived on time and we were at the Avalon airport by 7:00. Laurel met us there. We were ready for our flight into the Red Center and the town of Alice Springs! This time all went according to plan. We landed, picked up our car and found our way to the Desert Palms Resort.

The Goods Screening and Apparel Art Show

David had a tough start to December. "Black Friday" he arrived at the store expecting a great day and found a pipe had burst flooding the store. The ceiling had come down in places, the stock and electronics were damaged. The Tortoise was living in a waterfall.

The store was closed almost a week. Friends and family pitched in to clean up, insurance sent in a team to dry the premises out and finally The Goods was back in business.

Just in time for the first annual Art Show!

Chriustmas Tree 2010

After the Christmas Craft fair ends, it is time to get on with family Christmas. Jen, Lexi and I went out to get our Christmas trees.

The night before there was a torrential downpour and we were thinking we might have to cancel. In Richmond, blue skies prevailed. There was lots of standing water to capture Lexi's attention. She stomped in puddles, splashed in a lake and fell face first into the ooze. She enjoyed it all! By the time we had our trees and returned to the truck, Lexi was wet to the waist and her boots were full of muddy water level to the tops!

But she had carefully(?) carried a lady bug on much of the journey. The highlight of the day!

We loaded the trees, put dry clothes on the child and went off for lunch.

The followiung pictures were taken with my new shockproof underwater camera. I forgot it could zoom... That is why Santa let me practise with it early!

Bag Ladies on Holidays

The Bag Ladies attended a big craft fair hosted by the Chilliwack Arts Council. A relaxing weekend but very cold and snowy!

We did get home

The last entry to the Road Trip blog blue screened and never was rewritten!

We had a leisurely start - Delbert made us breakfast at the Oasis and we waved good-bye to everyone as we headed the trailer west. It was a long day of driving so that we could spend the night just before the gates to Jasper National Park. That left us with a pleasant day's drive to Mackenzie where Dan's cousin Gloria lives with her husband Norman.

We had a good visit with them. Gloria walked us around the town on her exercise route! The town has been hit hard by the recession and there are many empty houses offered at fire sale prices. The mill has been bought and is being re-opened. Other industry is planned so a revival is coming. Not everyone could wait.

Norman, Gloria and Tica took us on a ramble along Lake Williston. Tica likes to encounter grizzly bears to earn her keep but no joy on this particular day. I am glad she was there to keep watch and also glad that was all she had to do!

From Mackenzie we were heading south. One more stop in Williams Lake to visit my cousin Margaret. It was a short visit - we were leaving the trailer in her yard. We would be back in a couple of weeks for a Bag Lady on Holidays event - the Williams Lake Fall Fair. We would stay at Marg's then and show Lynne around the area.

The last leg of the journey we made good time without the trailer and by dinner time we were home! March to August - what an adventure!

Moving to the Farm

July 17th;

We moved from Speers to the farm outside of Mayfair. We wanted to spend some time with Victor and Jacquie. Since we were going to a neighbouring farm for a birthday and anniversary party tonight, it seemed like a good move to take our bed with us!

Sharon is celebrating her 60th birthday. Her husband Peter is turning 70 and they have been married 38 years. All good reasons to celebrate! Set up a couple of large tents. Bring on the food and beverages. There is lots of room for parking out here! Family, friends and neighbours are all welcome. It doesn't even seem crowded.

A smaller party the night before was rained out. Rivers flowed through the tent and the downpour blew through cracks in the walls. Today the weather was sunny but the wind was cold. People gathered in sheltered spots to visit, exchanging news with locals, renewing old acquaintances and meeting new. All ages were represented from babies to the elderly. The younger set ran and explored, climbing large round bales of hay, keeping warm with their exuberance. Adults circulated in the tents or around the fire to warm up.

The tables were laden with food - appetizers, main course and many desserts to choose from. The bar table was unlimited as well. Double the number of people and there still would have been plenty to carry home. We did our best to taste everything! The evening ended early. It was just too cold and windy to stay out any longer.

For the next week we parked in the home yard at Victor's farm and just relaxed. If there was something to do, we did it. If not, we visited, walked the dogs, napped or read. Such a hard life - no cell phone or internet. The world seemed far away!

Dan spent a lot of time riding the Kaboda lawn mower. There is a lot of grass to cut; all of the yard, 0.2 km driveway, then up and around the horse corral. He trimmed overhanging trees so they would not wipe him off the mower. I got to drive the farm truck while he loaded the resulting brush. An earlier model Ford F 150 XLT, it had seen better days. The seat did not move forward so I had to stretch my platform thongs to meet the pedals. The windscreen is cracked in many directions. The cab is full of useful bits of chain, cotter pins and tools. Most incongruous is a tiny, perfect, birdís nest in the middle of the dashboard.

Walking the small dogs was a pleasant job. Up the drive to the main road and then right past the fields of green peas covered in white blossom on one side and the fields of canola in bright yellow blossom on the other. Or turn left and walk up the hill past old granaries and used equipment to the horse corrals. The roadside is a colorful mix of wild flowers - purple, blue, yellow and pink. At first, the corral is empty. Somehow the horses know people are coming. It is a small herd but the ground thunders as they gather from distant corners of the pasture. What must have been like to hear the great herds of earlier times! Victor and Jacquie love the horses and their connection to the beginnings of farming in the area. These are the descendents of his father's stock.

Uncle tells us the days were easier then. Unlike tractors, horses had to rest so the farmer got to rest too. Days were shorter and Sunday was a day off for man and beast. Now the farms are enormous, the equipment to run them is huge and complex. The new sprayer seems like some huge transformer folding the spraying arms high against the sky. It is all computerized and controlled by GPS. So sensitive that it knows exactly what has been sprayed and will automatically turn off the nozzles that cover ground for a second time. The new tractor has wheels taller than I and I climbed a ladder into the cab. The red leather armchair is luxurious and well sprung so that the rough ground will not be so noticeable on a day's run. With so much to do, days can get really long when the season demands it.

Jacquie and I spent a day in Saskatoon. On the way we stopped to pick strawberries at a U-Pick. I do the same at home and have to remember the berries are ripe there in early June. I often missed them in Florida where the season is closer to Easter. That is a good indication of the differences south to north! That and the daylight. In Florida, it was getting dark between 8:00 and 9:00 PM. Here the sun is still setting at 10:00 PM and the sky is bright and the birds are singing at 4:00 AM.

The garden is beginning to produce. Jacquie has planted a mixed row of lettuce. What a good idea! If you pick a leaf from this plant and a leaf from that on down the row, you end up with a mixed green salad. Green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, spinach, romaine and curly types fresh as they can be! Add some green onions from another row. Dig some new potatoes. Thin the row of beets for baby beets and greens. What a wonderful treat!

The moon is full this week and the room is bright much of the night. A huge gust of wind buffeted the trailer and woke me. I could see the moon shining brightly to the south. To the north, a line of black clouds seemed to be headed our way. The wind howled. The cloud to cloud lightening put on a spectacular display. Very quickly the clouds covered the moon and I watched as the lightening outlined the darkness. Were we safe in the trailer? Dan had parked so we would be sheltered from the prevailing wind by a huge Quonset hut. The house sits in a clearing on the top of the hill. Perhaps we had the better location. Dan slept on so I decided to stay put and watch. What a show! It was over very quickly - the clouds moved on, the moon came out and all was quiet again.

All too soon it was time to move on again. Now we will be turning west and start heading home.