Hanging with Kevin and Karen

Right now Lora and I are hanging out in Far North Queensland. I fly back to Hobart in two days to finish up the last of my school work for the semester. I'm not really looking forward to it. Two weeks ago Kevin and Karen came out to visit us and we took them to see some of our favorite places in S. Tas.

First stop, some sea kayaking near the candlestick. Karen had been kayaking a few times before but it was a first for Kevin. We loaded up the boats with overnight gear and headed over to a little cove to set up camp for the night.

Heading over to camp.

A shipwreck we checked out on the way to camp the first night.

After waking up to rain and having a quick breakfast we started paddling towards the candlestick. Remember a while back I hiked in to this spot to check it out. The little column is called the Totem Pole and is a very famous climb. The paddle across the bay took about 45 minutes and neither boat had any trouble.

Here we are paddling through the crack between the two islands. The swell can prevent people from being able to do this so we were really lucky.

The view looking back at the Totem Pole.

Same view except Kevin and Karen are in the way. Just kidding.

After getting back to the car we then headed to the wildlife park so that they could see the local animals. I think they both really enjoyed seeing the Tassie devils fight it out for food. I know I did.

One of them giving us a menacing look warning us not to try and take its food.

I thought it would be funny to go and hang out with the roos. They were a little freaked out by the whole thing as you can see from the picture. Leave it to me to make totally tame animals get freaked out.

We really had a great time visiting with Jim, Pat, Kevin and Karen. We all ended up visiting Cairns for a few days before they all headed home. One of the highlights for me was a return trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. I think Pat enjoyed visiting another wildlife park. Next time you see her you may have to ask her about the Koalas here. Just kidding Pat. We'll try to get some of those pictures up a little later.

Well it's back to normal life for us just for a bit. I'll try to keep you guys posted as to what the haps are as they occur.

Peace

Tim

Jim and Pat hit up Ozland

Jim and Pat are here visiting us in Tasmania and soon to be in Cairns. While here in Tas we had some fun even though it was a short trip. First off was a round of golf as promised. We ended up at a really nice course on the water front. My mate Nick came with us for an early round. Jim ended up beating us both but not by a huge margin. It was really a nice morning and I'm hoping to play some more golf soon.

Nick teeing off after Jim smacked a good one over the water.

We then went on a little drive down south after meeting Lora and Pat for lunch. We ended up at the Tassie Devil Park where we watched the Devils tear roo carcass to shreds. These animals are SO COOL! I think Pat enjoyed the live kangaroos better.

At the Devil Park with a couple of cuties.

Some devils.

In a field of roo poo!

Up close and personal.

We then took a drive to the coast where we saw a really cool sea cave that led out to the surf. The local surfers use it to access the waves. It seems really cool to have to paddle out this 50 meter long cave.

Contemplating the swim!

All in all I think both of them realized what a great place Tasmania is and how much it has to offer. I also think they realized why we chose to live here in the first place. Now we're off to see Cairns and meet back up with them.

At the Saturday market.

A few losers in the world still don't read our blog.

Lora was talking with our friend Danielle today and found out that she had never checked our blog. We have been living in Tasmania for over a year and she's one of our closest friends. Can you believe it? She's just now realizing what cool stuff she's been missing out on. Maybe now she'll know what people are talking about around the office water cooler.

Waiting for Tassie spring

Well after finding ourselves in hail and snow we returned home and waited for 2 more weeks for Tasmania's west coast to hit spring. I then finally was able to hit the field again. Things went off without a hitch, but it was still a bit cold at times. Fieldwork in a temperate rainforest is very different than tropical. I got back home 2 days ago, just in time to hang out with Dad and Pat. They arrived this afternoon and we had a great walk around the harbour, a drink at the pub and a nice seafood dinner. We will post more fun as it happens.

Below are some pictures I took on a bit of sightseeing with Anna before she left Australia.

Russel Falls at Mt. Field National Park

I finally got to see a couple of Echidnas up close. They are great. This is a juvenile one, but I have seen some BIG ones too.

Just a couple of shots of the color patterns of Snow gums.

Life in Australia

First off, can you people get the American economy back on track please! It hurts living in an expensive foreign country with a bank account full (ok not FULL) of U.S. dollars. Maybe William needs to encourage the country to spend money again and go out and buy luxury items. It seemed to work before.

For those of you who check our blog you may have been wondering where in hell are we lately. It's been quite a while since our last post. SORRY! Lora's assistant, Anna, went home a couple of weeks ago so I've been out in the field with Lora a bit and working on papers for Uni. We've been stuck out in the boonies and have had no Internet or cell service. Also, since all I pretty much have been doing lately is typing and staring at a computer the last thing I really want to do is type some more. Why oh why do I love procrastinating so much?

Lora's about done with her Tassie sites and will be home in a few days. On Thursday Jim and Pat will be heading over here for a visit as will Karen and Kevin. I plan on playing some golf with Jim. Isn't that what you're supposed to do with the in-laws? Golf seems to be one of those sports which I enjoy every time I go out but then forget about it the next day. This means I never improve due to lack of playing time. Right now I suck so it should be fun.

When Kevin and Karen visit we plan on doing some fun stuff. Maybe an overnight sea-kayaking trip or a quick hike into a cabin in the mountains. You know fun stuff. By the way, Karen got your message today and no you don't need to bring a sleeping bag. We can get all that stuff here for you.

Well now every one knows that we are still alive and well. Summer is almost here and the weather is starting to get good. That means more fishing and longer evenings. Of course Lora has plans for me again this summer. Can you say field bitch? That's what I'm going to be. Oh well, it could be worse.

Tim