Salt and sand
Note: the pictures below go with this day, but you have to start bottom-up with the pics.
12 November 2004
Salt on our lips and sand in our hair
So here I am. The trip was relatively uneventful, except for absolutely packed flights. On the LA to Melbourne leg, there were ten empty seats. One of the stewardesses told me you could tell where the empty seats were because the people on either side were grinning. I was not grinning. I slept some in the depths of the night, but pretty much woke up at 4 AM (Melbourne time) and have been awake ever since, granted, with a headache. My sinuses are bothering me, so every time I hang my head down to rifle through my luggage, I come up with a whanging headache.
It took a while to get out of the Melbourne airport. We landed around 9:30 AM, and I breezed through Immigration, but there was a lot of baggage and then a hold up on the conveyor belt, so, half an hour later… And then Quarantine because, of course, I am carrying food (maple syrup, a granola bar, and some Lifesavers). I stumbled out into the airport lobby around 10:30, and was just getting my bearings and looking for the coffee shop where I was to meet Christina (hereafter referred to as Chris), when I heard Tom calling my name. He grabbed my duffel, and we met up with Chris and Dan (two other of the trainers) in the coffee shop. I made a quick stop at the ATM, and we headed for the car.
Dan gave us a quick geography lesson, reciting what he learned from Tom this morning, to show Chris and me the route we’d be taking, generally around the bay, and then south down the coast along Prince’s Highway and then on the Great Ocean Road. Tom gave us a history lesson and pointed out landmarks the entire way. I kept double taking at the “cars without drivers” I saw heading the opposite direction as us. (Of course, this is because Australians drive on the left.) The weather was beautiful, mid-60s, but with hot sun and a stiff breeze. Two hours later, Chris was nodding off – she’d arrived at 6 AM and had to wait for me – and we stopped at a strip mall type place to get groceries and supplies for lunch. Ten minutes later, we were unlocking a gate and four wheeling it to the Richards’ house at Airey’s Inlet. (Roads around here seem to be blacktopped very strangely – much of the time, the pavement just ends, and a dirt road continues.)
The house is lovely, very simple, and seems to be in the middle of nowhere. There’s one house you can see far off in the distance, but the rest of it is low woods and a valley. Gorgeous and secluded. The house itself has much wood, and is built like a beach house in that one look tells you it would never survive a New England winter! It didn’t survive the Ash Wednesday 1983 brush fire either, and has now been rebuilt.
Chris and I sat outside for a while, trying to recover from our flights. “It’s just nice to be somewhere that’s going to be home for a while,” Chris sighed, hitting the nail on the head. We ate outside for lunch, slicing thick slices of a fresh baked, hearty bread, three wonderful cheeses, tomato, and ham for the inclined (and unJewish). Over French pressed coffee, Tom offered options for the afternoon, and even though my body thought it could use a nap, I opted for anything involving a beach. To that end, we changed into swimsuits, lathered up with sunscreen, and headed for Sunny Meade beach. It was low tide, a tremendously low tide, in fact, and we walked along the rocks and sand, taking in gorgeous views, and remarking on the rock formations, sealife, and waves. It was spectacular. Already the long plane flight and my exhaustion were but memories. We meandered for an hour and a half or so to Sandy Gully beach, the vistas of Eagle Rock and the Airey’s lighthouse growing ever closer. We (Chris, Dan, and I) stripped down to our bathing suits, and headed for the surf. Chris and Dan more or less dove right in, whereas I opted for wade-in-to-knees-and-jump-waves. The salinity of the ocean was very high (later my hands felt thick with salt, and after a high splash, I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth for hours), but the water was exceptionally clear, and cold. Within two minutes, I was unable to feel my feet. I stayed in for fifteen minutes or so, and then joined everyone else at our meeting rock higher up on the beach. Tom had taken pictures of the whole event; Chris and Dan huddled in towels. We brushed the sand off as best we were able, and climbed the stairs to the Cliff Walk, heading back to the car, pausing to take even more pictures around every bend while Tom showed off his expertise in history, ornithology, and dendrology (that would be the study of trees, Dan informs me).
On the way home, we stopped at the general store, and I bought my first round of postcards. Then we drove to the lighthouse and wandered around there for a few minutes. Tom then drove us to the actual inlet that is Airey’s Inlet. It was a cute little lagoon, quite protected from the sea. We also saw some kangaroos grazing – my first time seeing kangaroos in the wild.
When we got home, Chris and I headed straight for the shower. While I was showering, Lyn arrived with Jarrah, the Richards’ dog, 14 years old, one third dingo, and, according to Lyn, 100 percent deaf.
Lyn poured wine for everyone, said cheers, and we wandered outside to watch the weather roll in. Huge black clouds were headed down the valley, and soon the temperature had dropped a good ten degrees. That lasted all of ten minutes, and then we were forced inside. It is pouring rain right now. An absolute downpour, sheets of rain pounding the ground and the metal roof. Quite the thunderstorm. I’m sitting on the couch writing this, staring at the fire Lyn just started in the woodstove.
A lamb roast is planned for dinner, with fresh herbs stuffed in it, and Lyn keeps refilling my wine glass. I have a feeling tonight is going to be a tipsy and narcolepsy-prone evening. Lyn seems tremendously relaxed and pleased to be here, as opposed to her usual more high strung nature, and Tom said earlier that they absolutely love hosting people here.
This is going to be a great trip. And this weekend, a much much needed pause in the chaos that has been my life for the last few months. Maybe even a chance to breathe. Periodically, I “wake up” and have to remind myself that this is really happening. That I am really here and not dreaming.
I will add here that I am worried that you will all be concerned about me. I arrived here to Airey’s Inlet and was informed that there are no phones nor internet. So this means no posting until we get back to Melbourne on Sunday, which means nothing until then and then a deluge…
Worse, I attempted to connect my camera to my computer just now, and it’s asking for the Canon software CD, which, of course, I left in Boston. Hopefully I can find the file it needs on the web when I get online next.
---
The rest of the night was very nice. The lamb roast was very tasty with berry gravy and homemade savory jam. I understand that the Richards’ have a bit of an orchard in Melbourne. Dessert was fresh-picked cherries off their tree, and Belgian dark chocolate. After dinner, over too much wine, Lyn, Tom, Chris, and I “discussed” several issues surrounding the use of computers in qualitative research, coding, and objectivity for a couple hours. We went to bed around 11, Chris congratulating herself and me for staying up that long; she promptly passed out as soon as she hit the pillow. As tired as I was, I had trouble falling asleep and woke up several times during the night. I’m still nursing some sinus problems, and my back teeth are aching. I hope that goes away soon.
12 November 2004
Salt on our lips and sand in our hair
So here I am. The trip was relatively uneventful, except for absolutely packed flights. On the LA to Melbourne leg, there were ten empty seats. One of the stewardesses told me you could tell where the empty seats were because the people on either side were grinning. I was not grinning. I slept some in the depths of the night, but pretty much woke up at 4 AM (Melbourne time) and have been awake ever since, granted, with a headache. My sinuses are bothering me, so every time I hang my head down to rifle through my luggage, I come up with a whanging headache.
It took a while to get out of the Melbourne airport. We landed around 9:30 AM, and I breezed through Immigration, but there was a lot of baggage and then a hold up on the conveyor belt, so, half an hour later… And then Quarantine because, of course, I am carrying food (maple syrup, a granola bar, and some Lifesavers). I stumbled out into the airport lobby around 10:30, and was just getting my bearings and looking for the coffee shop where I was to meet Christina (hereafter referred to as Chris), when I heard Tom calling my name. He grabbed my duffel, and we met up with Chris and Dan (two other of the trainers) in the coffee shop. I made a quick stop at the ATM, and we headed for the car.
Dan gave us a quick geography lesson, reciting what he learned from Tom this morning, to show Chris and me the route we’d be taking, generally around the bay, and then south down the coast along Prince’s Highway and then on the Great Ocean Road. Tom gave us a history lesson and pointed out landmarks the entire way. I kept double taking at the “cars without drivers” I saw heading the opposite direction as us. (Of course, this is because Australians drive on the left.) The weather was beautiful, mid-60s, but with hot sun and a stiff breeze. Two hours later, Chris was nodding off – she’d arrived at 6 AM and had to wait for me – and we stopped at a strip mall type place to get groceries and supplies for lunch. Ten minutes later, we were unlocking a gate and four wheeling it to the Richards’ house at Airey’s Inlet. (Roads around here seem to be blacktopped very strangely – much of the time, the pavement just ends, and a dirt road continues.)
The house is lovely, very simple, and seems to be in the middle of nowhere. There’s one house you can see far off in the distance, but the rest of it is low woods and a valley. Gorgeous and secluded. The house itself has much wood, and is built like a beach house in that one look tells you it would never survive a New England winter! It didn’t survive the Ash Wednesday 1983 brush fire either, and has now been rebuilt.
Chris and I sat outside for a while, trying to recover from our flights. “It’s just nice to be somewhere that’s going to be home for a while,” Chris sighed, hitting the nail on the head. We ate outside for lunch, slicing thick slices of a fresh baked, hearty bread, three wonderful cheeses, tomato, and ham for the inclined (and unJewish). Over French pressed coffee, Tom offered options for the afternoon, and even though my body thought it could use a nap, I opted for anything involving a beach. To that end, we changed into swimsuits, lathered up with sunscreen, and headed for Sunny Meade beach. It was low tide, a tremendously low tide, in fact, and we walked along the rocks and sand, taking in gorgeous views, and remarking on the rock formations, sealife, and waves. It was spectacular. Already the long plane flight and my exhaustion were but memories. We meandered for an hour and a half or so to Sandy Gully beach, the vistas of Eagle Rock and the Airey’s lighthouse growing ever closer. We (Chris, Dan, and I) stripped down to our bathing suits, and headed for the surf. Chris and Dan more or less dove right in, whereas I opted for wade-in-to-knees-and-jump-waves. The salinity of the ocean was very high (later my hands felt thick with salt, and after a high splash, I couldn’t get the taste out of my mouth for hours), but the water was exceptionally clear, and cold. Within two minutes, I was unable to feel my feet. I stayed in for fifteen minutes or so, and then joined everyone else at our meeting rock higher up on the beach. Tom had taken pictures of the whole event; Chris and Dan huddled in towels. We brushed the sand off as best we were able, and climbed the stairs to the Cliff Walk, heading back to the car, pausing to take even more pictures around every bend while Tom showed off his expertise in history, ornithology, and dendrology (that would be the study of trees, Dan informs me).
On the way home, we stopped at the general store, and I bought my first round of postcards. Then we drove to the lighthouse and wandered around there for a few minutes. Tom then drove us to the actual inlet that is Airey’s Inlet. It was a cute little lagoon, quite protected from the sea. We also saw some kangaroos grazing – my first time seeing kangaroos in the wild.
When we got home, Chris and I headed straight for the shower. While I was showering, Lyn arrived with Jarrah, the Richards’ dog, 14 years old, one third dingo, and, according to Lyn, 100 percent deaf.
Lyn poured wine for everyone, said cheers, and we wandered outside to watch the weather roll in. Huge black clouds were headed down the valley, and soon the temperature had dropped a good ten degrees. That lasted all of ten minutes, and then we were forced inside. It is pouring rain right now. An absolute downpour, sheets of rain pounding the ground and the metal roof. Quite the thunderstorm. I’m sitting on the couch writing this, staring at the fire Lyn just started in the woodstove.
A lamb roast is planned for dinner, with fresh herbs stuffed in it, and Lyn keeps refilling my wine glass. I have a feeling tonight is going to be a tipsy and narcolepsy-prone evening. Lyn seems tremendously relaxed and pleased to be here, as opposed to her usual more high strung nature, and Tom said earlier that they absolutely love hosting people here.
This is going to be a great trip. And this weekend, a much much needed pause in the chaos that has been my life for the last few months. Maybe even a chance to breathe. Periodically, I “wake up” and have to remind myself that this is really happening. That I am really here and not dreaming.
I will add here that I am worried that you will all be concerned about me. I arrived here to Airey’s Inlet and was informed that there are no phones nor internet. So this means no posting until we get back to Melbourne on Sunday, which means nothing until then and then a deluge…
Worse, I attempted to connect my camera to my computer just now, and it’s asking for the Canon software CD, which, of course, I left in Boston. Hopefully I can find the file it needs on the web when I get online next.
---
The rest of the night was very nice. The lamb roast was very tasty with berry gravy and homemade savory jam. I understand that the Richards’ have a bit of an orchard in Melbourne. Dessert was fresh-picked cherries off their tree, and Belgian dark chocolate. After dinner, over too much wine, Lyn, Tom, Chris, and I “discussed” several issues surrounding the use of computers in qualitative research, coding, and objectivity for a couple hours. We went to bed around 11, Chris congratulating herself and me for staying up that long; she promptly passed out as soon as she hit the pillow. As tired as I was, I had trouble falling asleep and woke up several times during the night. I’m still nursing some sinus problems, and my back teeth are aching. I hope that goes away soon.
posted by Jen at 6:36 PM
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