The Family starts to arrive

I'm so excited to be picking up my youngest brother tomorrow from the airport. He'll be down here in Tasmania for 10 days before all three of us fly up to meet my parents for a week of sailing in the Whitsunday Islands. I have some fun things planned for his visit but mainly we'll just be hanging out. I'll keep you posted as to what trouble we can get into before Lora gets back home on the 11th.

Friday Fishing

I went fishing yesterday and had a ball. Nick and I took a "Tinnie" (an aluminum boat) out for some salt water flathead fishing. Basically you use a double hook and big sinker to drag along the bottom of the water. For bait we bought the cheapest meat we could find, lamb necks. These flathead fish are UGLY but they taste GREAT. It's been a while since I've done any fishing and we had a blast. It was a bit cold but the sunset out there on the water was brilliant. We ended up catching enough for dinner and even was able to invite some friends over to help us eat the catch.

A pic off the internet of a flathead

We breaded them and then put them over a veggie salsa we made and a bed of Rocket (Arugula). As Lora would say... It was Scrumpsh! Sorry to not include any pics but I still don't have a camera since I've misplaced mine a month or so ago.

If you find the word Hobart we were fishing in the bay under the "art" in Hobart.

I'll update the blog in another day or two with pics of our trip to Fraser island last week. It was an awesome trip and so great to see Lora again. Stay tuned.

Tim

Great Barrier Reef

Anna and I have been working non-stop since she arrived, so as a treat we headed to the reef for a day of snorkeling. We went with Denise and her friend Kimberly who was visiting from the states for a several weeks.


Denise, Kimberly, Anna and Me on the boat ride to the reef


It took just over an hour to get out to the reef from Port Douglas. Once there, the boat moored in 3 snorkeling areas.

The reef


It was great snorkeling. My favorite would have to be the giant clams. They are huge with crazy colors. Along with all the heaps of fish, Kimberly and I saw a good size reef shark.

After our last snorkel

The only draw back of the day was that it started off cold. Both in the water and out. The water temperature was warmer than the air temp, especially when considering out windy it was. By the end of the day the winds had calmed and it wasn't so bad. After the first snorkel Anna's turned purple from the cold.

Kimberly and Denise comparing their toenail polish to Anna's lips

Overall it was a great day. After this we had one more day in the field and then we started our drive to Brisbane and more importantly getting Tim from the airport.

Just Checking In

I though I'd let everyone know what we've been up to recently. But first of all a big CONGRATULATIONS goes out to Chris and Amy on their wedding! I talked with them today and they seem really happy. Both Lora and I wished we could have been there.

Lora is still up in the Far North with her fabulous assistant, Anna. They are tackling plots and having to figure out new techniques as they go. As always once she figures it out on the first few plots it should get easier. Looks like they will be heading down to southern Queensland in about a week and a half. I plan on meeting them up there for a much needed reunion and vacation. We have plans to hire a 4wd and take it over to Fraser island for a few days.

One of many freshwater lakes on Fraser
Copyright: Alaettin KI

Fraser island is the World's largest sand island. There seems to be a lot to see and do as long as you stay out of the ocean. Seems to be a small problem with sharks. Luckily there are many lakes where one can take a dip in crystal clear water. Oh yeah. I should mention that there is also a 75 mile long ancient dune where someone may try to fly.

I've been busy with my 4 hour work week. Boy it's exhausting! No really I've been really busy recently. I finished up a semester of school work so now I'm half way to completing my Masters degree in Ed. YEA! Teaching up at the Uni has been quite an experience. It took me a little bit to get used to students actually taking notes whenever I said anything. I've received a lot of positive feedback from my students which makes me believe that I'm doing a decent job. It's been a lot of fun but quite a bit of preparation goes into each class.

I'm also still doing some work in the outdoor education setting. On Wednesday I'll be taking some students rafting. Actually, I'll just be safety kayaking but damn they pay well here with my teaching credentials. If I thought I could make a living doing it in the States I might give it a go. Working with kids in the outdoors back in North Carolina is a big reason I became a teacher.

Well that about covers it. Both Lora and I will be really happy when we finally get to see each other. I'll keep you posted. Don't forget that you can always call us or post a message.

Tim

In queensland again

I am back in the field in far north Queensland. It is a lot colder in Atherton than I would expect. I was really hoping it would be warmer. Anyway things are going well. I have an assistant now, Anna. It is nice to not work alone anymore, plus she loves bugs too. We pretty much hang out all day everyday, which can be intense but so far we get along great and haven't gotten on eachothers nerves yet.

Sunset in Port Douglas

It is really nice to be working again in the sites I spent so much time setting up. Things are much less stressful now. My only problem now is that I really miss Tim. I am hoping he will be able to come visit in a couple weeks.

Here is a picture of Anna and a HUGE fern. There are a lot of tree ferns here so I am use to tall ferns, but check out the girth of the rachis of the fron in Anna's hand.

Middle Kings Free in a Day

Ok I know most of you will not be able to attach any meaning to this but I'm stoked! Just found out about two friends that did something I've been dreaming about the past year or so and was seriously thinking about trying this year if I came back home for Chris and Amy's wedding. Most people didn't think it was possible but I felt it. These guys did too. I'm stoked for them. The story off one blog, http://thoseresponsible.com/blog/default.asp?Category=4, is below.

By Grayson Schaffer
Yesterday, John Grace and Tommy Hilleke became the first people to run California's Middle Kings River in one day. Their time to hike 11 miles over the 12,000-foot pass and then run 30 miles and 6,400 vertical feet of Class V water: 19 hours 53 minutes. We're impressed. Given that the Kings is in the same part of the world as Yosemite, one can't help but draw the comparison between this descent and freeing El Cap in a day.

It really is like climbing El Cap free in a day. I've paddled this section before as I'm sure Mom and my sis, Kimberly will remember due to the fact that I wasn't able to pick them up from the airport because of an extended trip on this section of river. For those that don't know this section of river is considered by most to be the most difficult and sustained bit of river in California. It takes most of the few parties that have done it about 5 days including the full day of hiking. I can't wait until I get back home to Cali next year. It's on! Anyone keen?

Just checking in

I thought I would just let you all know what we've been up to lately. Lora is busy scrambling around the house packing for her field sites up north. She leaves tomorrow for Sydney where she will give a short talk to her lab detailing what she's been up to. She's a little stressed because she didn't have the longest time to prepare for it. However, she's pretty comfortable talking about her project and her PP presentation looks good. It even includes the picture of the 15ft python! Lora's assistant, Anna, arrives in Sydney on Thursday. It will be quite a relief for me knowing she's not alone in the woods. Not to mention Lora will have someone to help her collect all the mountains of data she normally collects on her own ... when I'm not suffering alongside her.

The sad news is that Lora and I haven't had the longest time together with her just getting home on Saturday from her last field site here in Tas. I was hoping to go up to Sydney for the weekend but school for me is hectic. I finished one course completely and have two others really close to be done. The last one just involves me writing up my methodology for my research project. I have a lot of it written up for my ethics application but need to take all the little bits and throw them together into a coherent single piece of writing. All that by the end of the month.
Lastly, our landlords came by today for a 6-month inspection of our place. Landlords have more rights here in Oz than tenants do. So of course we had to really do a "spring cleaning" of the place before they came over. It was the last thing we really needed to be doing with our precious time together. Nothing brings a couple together though like scrubbing a toilet bowl. They basically walked through the place and told us how we should be living in our place. They did not like the power cords and network cables for our computers. Pev said that fires start from computers and I about lost it as I calmly tried to explain that was bullshit! So I guess the electrician will be coming over to see if we are drawing to much power and causing a fire hazard. YEAH!

Hey Jim, I went and played nine holes of golf the other day. It was great. I still suck but we had the course to ourselves and the green fees were only 10 bucks!

Well I guess I'll sign off for now. Stay tuned for the next blog entry... Killer Bunnies!

I got offered a job!

The good news is that I was offered a teaching job here at the University of Tasmania. I guess since they saw me in my office working I was a warm body and could teach two sections of science methods. Basically I will be showing pre-service primary grade teachers how to teach science using an interactive method of teaching. That is using student generated questions to formulate investigations that may lead to deeper understanding of science content.

The bad news is that it starts in three weeks and conflicts with my original plans of coming back to Cali and Utah in July. So that means you guys will not see me next month. I'm especially bummed about missing Chris and Amy's wedding. Chris was the first person I called but as an academic he understood that this was a great opportunity for me. I was also planning on meeting up with Baldy in the Tetons and doing some climbing and getting into some trouble in beautiful Jackson Hole. Sorry buddy! Lastly, all you other folks that I had made tentative plans with well... we'll just have to do it over here. I guess a second trip down the Middle Fork of the Kings is out too. Super bummed!

As always I wish you all the best and both Lora and I really miss you all. I can't tell you how many times a day I think of at least one of you. Keep in touch with us. We'll be back before you know it. It's already going on 10 months.

Tim

Seakayaking trip

A map of our route last week

Greetings everyone. I'm putting a link to a video I made of a trip of 10 tenth graders that I guided around Tasmania on a seakayaking trip last week. The trip took 5 days and we had a great time. The video isn't the most exciting but it shows a little bit of Tasmania. The highlight was staying on Snake Island just off the coast of Bruny Island. I collected a bunch of oysters and some mussels and shucked the oysters and steamed the mussels for the kids. All in all a great trip... and I got paid for it too! Lora even joined us for the last day and a half. She's been working so hard and needed a little break. By the way you should see her now. She looks GOOOOD!

Cheeseburger in Paradise... not quite

So this was just too good of a synapses of what life over here is like to pass up.

I decided to walk down from my uni office to the cafe here on campus to get some lunch. I asked the woman behind the "Burger Bar" for a cheeseburger. She walked to the kitchen and put in my order. However, when she returned I was told that they "didn't do cheeseburgers". I couldn't believe it. She asked if I wanted a regular pre-made burger and I said sure. Just then a bloke from the back walked out and said he would make me one. I was stoked, because as we all know a regular hamburger just isn't the same. More on this story later.

Now let me take you back in time to an earlier episode. This happened up in Queensland a few months ago. I decided I wanted a chicken sandwich from KFC and promptly ordered one. The high school girl, maybe younger because they don't seem to have a minimum age for workers over here, looked at me like I was the dumbest person in Australia. She then told me they didn't have chicken sandwiches. I pointed to the BIG picture on their menu and she said in a very dumbfounded tone that what I was pointing at was a chicken burger. So lesson learned. If something has a burger bun then it is a burger. If it has white sliced bread then it is a sandwich.

Now back to my story of lunch today. You probably already know where this is heading. So after waiting for a while my burger was brought out to me with some chips(fries). I paid for it and went to sit down to enjoy it. Well, after looking at it and thinking, "my they have thin patties here," I opened it to find that on my burger was about two drops of ketchup and one slice of cheese... no meat pattie! I had been given a cheese burger. Of course I went to sort it all out and in the end got my chesseburger with an actual meat pattie. I couldn't figure out if the woman thought it was as ridiculous as I did or if she just thought I was ridiculous.

The moral of the story is even here, where they supposedly speak the same language, what I intend on saying is often lost in translation. I'm just glad I didn't order a garlic burger.

Tim