Uncategorized

The calla lilies are in bloom

/ one2travelfar / Leave a comment

We are exploring Launceston on foot and the gardens and parks are lush. It is spring and there are huge rhododendrons, wisteria trees and flowers. A guide in a park, pointed out a 175 year old wisteria tree at the site of an old garrison. There was a hothouse full of orchids and indeed, the calla lilies are in bloom.

CIMG0569

CIMG0571

CIMG0575

CIMG0577

I think we have set up internet for our time o Deal Island and purchased the modem and cables we need. I found a local beer brewing and yogurt fermenting? supplier. So it looks like our basic needs have been met. Today I hope to complete and send my main shopping list to the supermarket on Flinders Island. Then I’ll have time to fill in gaps here before we head out on some camping trips.

CIMG0572

Too much or not enough

/ one2travelfar / 1 Comment

I’m not sure if we over or under-packed. Tim can never find anything but the airlines keep losing our bags. At least we didn’t have to carry them to our hotels. On our last flight, they had to fly standby and missed the plane. We’ve been reunited once again. I’m not used to hearing remarks about how much stuff I have because I pride myself on packing light.

CIMG0569.jpg

We are settled in for a few days in a hotel which used to be a hospital. Apparently we are staying on the surgical floor. We’ve begun scoping out food items. The one thing we packed was whole fat powdered milk because it is never in grocery stores in the states and we ordered it online from REI. Well they sell it here for a quarter the price in the grocery stores. I won’t be packing any vegemite though. It’s not for me.

CIMG0570.jpg

Most importantly, I met a couple who raise merino sheep and promised me a fleece and a glass of chardonnay. I’m set. I want to spin it on the island and bring it home as yarn or maybe even a sweater!!! I’ll use a turkish drop spindle which will keep me busy for a while.

Almost there

/ one2travelfar / 1 Comment

Well we left NYC Monday and arrived in Melbourne, AU Wednesday. We only encountered two delayed planes, one missed flight and one lost bag. We have all been reunited and fly to Tasmania today. Sometime during the flight to Sydney, I finally became excited. The work of closing up and leaving is behind us and now we can focus on travel and provisioning.

This morning we are in a large city where I hear sheep bleating ouside my window. I have arrived.

Crossing t’s and dotting i’s

/ one2travelfar / 1 Comment

The past two weeks have been all about the details: making sure all the bills get paid, the house stays warm, the cats are cared for and my spinning wheel gets spun.  Final dentist, doctor, vet appointments,  and vaccines…for all of us. What if we don’t have internet?  Download all the recipes and knitting patterns I need to my kindle.  Will 167 books on the kindle be enough??
While I am at it, upload recipes into a Google Document so they are accessible to all.  Load movies onto a hard drive since netflix won’t deliver to a remote island. Will 167 movies be enough?

Then philosophical questions such as,  should we bring our camping gear or not? (yes) Do we have too much stuff? (probably)  Can I carry my stuff? (not really)  It begins.

First I’m traveling for hugs before I leave.  Last night  we went to a roller derby tournament in Providence.  It was way less violent than I remembered and much louder.  Today it’s ultimate frisbee and Thanksgiving on Long Island.

Next a flight itinerary which gets us where we want to be three days after we begin.  Ooh boy, I hope the TSA is looking kindly upon knitting needles these days.  The TSA has a blog???

Remember my little yellow bird?

/ one2travelfar / Leave a comment

I posted about it on October 21 Well it made it to the New York Times and I was there right at the beginning without even knowing it.  I just thought there was this amazing little yellow bird.

I am spending a lot of time thinking about packing without actually packing . I have to get my fiber fixes in before I leave.  I’m knitting a sweater for a friend which I would love to be able to ship before we get to Deal Island (which means I may mail it from mainland Taz), hooking a rug and trying to spin dog hair into a yarn for a friend. It’s not quite like spinning straw into gold.   I did the first batch without washing it and the yarn is nice but it smells like dog and the cats were going wild while I spun.  I will wash the next batch first.

I traveled to West Point to watch Chelsea play rugby against Army, where MP’s searched my car before they let me in.  They loved my license, which had a piece of white tape stuck on it with my new address…before I washed and dried it with my AMEX card.  Now there’s just a piece of blank white tape on my license.  Very suspicious.  The AMEX card works fine, even though it’s slightly warped.

Are we too early for dinner?

/ one2travelfar / Leave a comment

I will be the proud parent of a graduate next May. Apparently it’s never too early to book the dinner reservation for graduation night ( I’ve had my room booked for several months already). During my stay in Providence I took photos of places that looked interesting. This was one of them. I like how the name’s shadow curves but the sign doesn’t. How did that happen? It must mean the food is good.

DSCN0146.JPG

Reluctant Paddler

/ one2travelfar / Leave a comment

Tim wanted to take advantage of beautiful warm weather today and go kayaking on Lake Champlain. I’ve been something of a couch potato since I returned home and was reluctant to uproot myself. Reason prevailed and we had a great day. Tim tried out his new (to him) kayak, which was a birthday present and I got to try a new (to me) neoprene skirt. It was choppy at first, with waves breaking over the bow and skirt kept me dry. I was prepared to mutiny and lobbied for a trip in the lee of the land. We found smooth water, mountain landscapes and loons.

PA260042.JPG

PA260037.JPG

I always wanted to drive a zamboni

/ one2travelfar / Leave a comment

First of all, I just love to say it, Zamboni. I think my summer working on the rider mower should qualify me. I’m out watching late night hockey.

Zamboni
My bird sighting yesterday was special, and has been reported by other on the NY Birding list.
It was a Prothonotary Warbler; an uncommon visitor to NYC.

Blurry Prothonotary Warbler, midtown Manhattan NYC 10/21

A tourist in my town

/ one2travelfar / 2 Comments

On the road again… This trip began with a train ride. Amtrak arrived an hour late but the stationmaster made popcorn while we waited, so I was happy.

Westport depot
I made it to NYC after meeting someone who knows someone I know on the train. We hugged and said goodbye when we reached Penn Station. Small world, big city.
NY Public Library
I spent the night with my friend, Anne, and got to see her adorable girls in the sweaters I knit them on Baker’s Island. They wore them to school!!

Camo bird
I sat and knit on the porch at the library in the company of this bright yellow bird, which was the same color as the leaves. Then I found a quilt exhibit at the American Museum of Folk Art. Beautiful.

Log Cabin