In 28 days we… drove over 4,000 kilometers (about 2,500 miles), stayed at 15 different campsites, and had 2 hot showers, 4 freezing cold showers and plenty of bucket/ocean “showers.” We went through 3 different air mattresses (all which popped), were eaten alive by mosquitoes, hand washed our laundry almost every other day, and ate too much pasta and corn. We also saw amazing landscapes and wildlife, spent tons of time together listening to music and comedy podcasts, reading books to each other, watching movies in our tent and in the back of our truck, laughing a lot, and most importantly… we had an amazing road trip adventure.

While we were backpacking we did not have much access to internet so we weren’t able to blog, however, each day I wrote a few sentences to highlight the journey. Check it out…

3/16: The day was filled with a lot of rain but we didn’t let that ruin our self-guided tour of the Twelve Apostle.

12 Apostles

The rain can’t get us down

Don’t slip and fall and DIE

London Bridge Fell Down

3/17: We ran into Frans at the Sawpit Campground near Portland – what a small world (we met Frans at our Help Exchange at the Tarra Bulga Guest House)! Together we hiked The Seal Colony Lookout and Frans got to see seals in the wild for the first time. After hiking to see the seals we said our goodbyes to Frans and headed to the Grampians. We saw hundreds of beautiful parrots… sadly we had a very close encounter to one as it slammed into our windshield

I love how Frans is bending down so I don’t feel so small

At the Blowhole

Seal Colony

3/18: Ate breakfast and started the day at Reid’s Lookout with stunning views, then trespassed some “Do Not Enter” signs and took pictures on The Balconies. Later we hiked Hollow Mountain and explored a cave, and then headed to our next campsite (only 2 hours away), which turned into an 8 hour drive, stopping at 4 campsites before we found one we liked.

Check out this video of Mike drinking a cup of coffee at Reid’s Lookout… it is hilarious!

The Balconies – You don’t want to fall off this rock

Yes, I know I am trespassing…

We are bad to the bone

Climbing up Hollow Mountain

Glad I was tiny enough to squeeze through this passage

It was thrilling to climb through the cave

A bit scared of how to get down from the other side of the cave

3/19: At Narrung Jetty Campsite we spent the day relaxing. Mike fished and I scrapbooked. We hung out with Pelicans that were 3-4 feet tall. Mike bathed in the nasty lake (I saw a water rat in it) and I bathed using the water tap and a bucket.

At first sight I screamed “HOLY SHIT” (an Aussie within earshot pegged me as a “Yankee” immediately)

Do you see the color of that water

Fly, Fly Away

Mike caught a Carp and ate it … not much meat but he enjoyed it

I played hair dresser… that’s when you know you have lots of time on your hands!

3/20: We drove to Adelaide and spent hours looking for a roof rack so we could sleep in our car. We got the roof rack but no cage or pod for it…so it was useless for the time being.

3/21: Invested in a pod for the top of the car, rain was on and off all day. We spent hours trying to reorganize our stuff to fit in the pod. While organizing, all of our stuff was outside the car and it started to downpour…. Oh the joys!

3/22: Spent a day at the campsite. Tide was out so we walked 20 Mins to get to the ocean, to find it didn’t get deep at all. Mike bathed in the 3 inches of ocean. I opted to stand in my sports bra and shorts and have buckets of freezing cold fresh water poured on me by Mike as I scrubbed my body and hair with Pantene Pro V. Then we spent the afternoon playing Bananagrams.

I won…. haha wait… no I didn’t

3/23: Mike and I went into Adelaide and explored the city. Simply put I miss Melbourne. Adelaide is small and not the most attractive city. We did go to Central Market (a huge market) and got lunch as well as bought cheeses, fruit and bread for dinner… What a feast!

Adelaide Central Market

If you notice the colorful balls behind me – kids were actually in those balls, rolling around and having the time of their lives

3/24: Mike and I walked the longest jetty in Australia (over 1500 meters) and when we got to the end we saw a manta ray

Does it ever end?

Not as big as the 15 foot Manta Ray we swam with in St. John, but still really cool to see

3/25: The flies have been absolutely insane the past 2 days so we got to our new campsite and hung out by the water all day.

3/26: We stopped at some beaches along the way to our next campsite and I saw a dolphin swimming in the ocean. We walked around Port Lincoln and saw huge tuna fishing boats.  We then spent a large part of the day at McDonald’s where I finalized and submitted my video application for the “Best Job In The World” – Lifestyle Photographer. We then spent 2 nights at Farm Beach Campground.

Look towards the middle of the photo, you will see a gray spec that is a dolphin

These boats reminded me of “The Perfect Storm”

Even a fishing boat named Nansi! Miss you mom!

Macca’s ice cream cone. Borrowing McDonald’s internet to upload my Lifestyle Photographer entry

Farm Beach Campground was located next to a beautiful beach

The sun was blazing

A feast fit for a King… or Mike

3/28-29: Relaxed on the pier all day at Haslam campground. It was so peaceful!

Fifty Shades and Beautiful Weather

3/30: Drove 550kms and began our journey on the Nullarbor (seeing beautiful lookouts along the way) and took a 10 min hot shower (only $1 per 10 mins – SCORE)!

This pic is of Thor pulled on the side of the road because this massive truck took up both lanes driving right towards us – this was no joke

Sadly we didn’t see any camels but we did see amazing Hawks!

Check out the amazing cliffs behind us

3/31: Continued our drive on the Nullarbor and crossed into Western Australian (after we went through quarantine). We then started our drive on Australia’s longest straightest road. We camped out at one of the rest stops and when it was dark we stared up at the sky, it was absolutely amazing, as if we were in a planetarium.

Welcome to the longest straight road in Oz

We made it to WA

I’ve always wanted to know what it was like in a kangaroos pouch

These men are looking finnnnne

Nullarbor = Treeless Plain …. hmm looks like a lot of trees to me

Town of Eucla

Town of Cocklebiddy

4/1: We re-entered civilization and treated ourselves to a Caravan Park in Esperance and another hot shower. We stopped at a McDonald’s for some internet access, and I learned that my video entry for the Best Job in the World – Outback Adventurer was included in their press release – I am still so psyched about that! I find out April 24 if I have been selected for the top 25.

4/2 – 4/4: Stayed at beautiful Quagi Beach

Our Campsite at Quagi

Always scrapbooking

Making the leap

4/4: Mike’s 31st birthday… woke up to see the sunrise and celebrate!

Happy 31st Birthday Babe!

Don’t forget to cup the sun

Karate Kid in Action

Might as well JUMP

4/5: Explored a few spots in Albany and soaked up the rays on Parry Beach

Checked out The Gap and Natural Bridge on the Albany Coastline

4/6: Went sightseeing around the coast of Denmark

At the Green Pools – Check out Mike standing in between two rocks

Catch me if you can

See the small space behind me, we had to run through there at the perfect time so we didn’t get our feet soaked my the ocean

Elephant Cove – the rocks didn’t look like elephants to me. Still pretty cool though (similar to The Baths in Virgin Gorda)

Waterfall Beach – I have never seen a waterfall on a beach before

Look at the color of that water

Only way to not get wet and get to the other side was to take a running leap

4/7: We spent all day and night reading and I finished a novel in 1 day (I know…Alisa reading…weird, but I love books now)!

R&R by the fire

Thank goodness for headlamps

4/8: Mike attempted to cook us dinner (sausage and mashed potatoes) over the campfire at our next campsite – Conto Campground (near Margaret River)…good thing for our trusty camp stove!

4/9: Went sightseeing on the coast of WA (south of Margaret River). We saw the biggest waves we’ve ever seen.

Look behind Mike at the size of those waves

Read the second line carefully…”Watch for freak waves and swell”

Mike’s being a bit of a risk taker out on that ledge

Always having fun

Enjoying the view

4/10: Celebrated Mike’s bday a week late but the wait was worth it! We went to 2 breweries… Mike was psyched and it was a fun day! After the breweries we walked around town.

Mike found his favorite Australian beer at the Cheeky Monkey – Belgian IPA

Nothing like a paddle – Mike clearly in his element here

Milking the cow. I “udderly” loved it!

4/11: Last day of camping before our road trip ends.

Waking up in our tent

Went for a nice run

4/12: We arrived at our house sitting job in Melville, Western Australia.

Me and Ben (our new family member for the next 3 weeks while house sitting)

Our current house sitting gig ends on May 3rd and after that we hope to settle down in WA for a few months and replenish our traveling fund. Until next time…

We took Jack to the shuttle bus so he could get to the airport and fly home. It’s nice to be back to only David and me. 52 feet of boat isn’t enough room for three people. When David gets mad at the engine I wonder if it’s big enough for two.

And David Works on the Boat

David’s current working-on-the-boat project is hooking up the water maker. It’s a big ‘un, making 40 gallons a minute which is very exciting; it’s powered by the engine. I have heard tales from other people about how their water makers require hand cranking — and how tired their arms get – for a payoff of only a fraction of the volume.

As David was installing the water maker, something broke, so there was much swearing and another excursion to the marine store. There were no suitable parts in Cabo, so David had to order the part online and it’ll be shipped to a friend’s in San Diego and then to the airport here. We’ll take the bus and pick it up.

Yes, I Have Children at Home

On our way back from dropping off Jack, we ran into the crew from a Ha Ha boat skippered by one of the guys who hit on me at the beach party. He was walking around with 2 of his crew, one of whom I hadn’t met. This new fellow was young and adventurous. He was off to Guatemala to study Spanish. I’ve always hoped that my children would get the bug to travel and immerse themselves in another culture but that hasn’t happened yet. It’s possible that’s my dream and not theirs and they’ll never do it. I call my kids regularly and talk with them and for the most part they sound good. My daughter is living with her father. She’s a teenager and hates my guts. It’s perfectly normal at that age and her father feeds her animosity toward me. I can only hope that she’ll figure out the dynamic when she gets older. She suffers from anxiety and is struggling with her course load at school. To help her mood she’s taking a few online classes. She’s been bullied at school so I think this is a good idea. I had been paying for my son to go to boarding school but he got kicked out for drugs, so he’s living with his father as well. I feel I’ve tried my best with him – sending him to rehab and then boarding school. It’s his father’s turn now.

Getting to Know Cabo and the Invention of the Washer/Dryer

David and I have walked around Cabo enough to get a good sense of the layout of the town. We’ve taken buses, found a good store for provisioning, and a few good taco stands. We also went on a quest for the cheapest internet café. Needless to say we’ve hit every marine store in town. While looking for a Laundromat we found the best invention ever – a place that does the laundry for us. Lavandarias are wonderful. For a few pesos someone else washes, dries… and folds (!) your clothes and packages them up. You take home clean, but more importantly dry, sheets, towels, and underwear. Having anything dry on a boat is a luxury. Dryness takes the joy of climbing into a bed made with clean sheets to a new level of yummy. When we’re back on the boat after a lavandaria run I immediately pop everything into zip lock bags in hopes that they won’t get damp before I zip them in.

Habla Espanol

The sun is hot and the water is bright blue. The Mexican people are lovely. No one has made fun of our Spanish and everyone has been helpful. Pedro, who is the guard in the marina, hangs out near the landing and he helps us with our Spanish. We’ve learned the word for garbage, “basura.” “Donde esta la basura?” is a very handy phrase. He also helped us with “It’s hot.” “Hace calor.” Indeed, hace mucho calor.

Tummy Report

We’re anchored in the bay and the swell is pretty big. Again I’m grateful for our keel that is 9’2” with a bulb filled with diesel. We don’t rock and roll as much as the boats near us. My tummy is more settled even though I still have a low-grade nausea with the swell like this.

The Marina

I love taking the dinghy through the marina to the landing. There are hundreds of boats – mostly motor yachts — and even more pelicans. It’s wonderful riding by them all perched on the railings and bows of the boats. You can definitely see the dinosaur legacy of these birds in their profile. There are hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ostentatious boats in Cabo. Most of them stay put year ‘round. I love it that the pelicans poop all over them.

After posting this, I had a recollection of writing something else about Pelicans so I did a search, on my own blog. Considering it is 4/14, at this moment, despite what the time stamp stays on this blog entry,.. it was exactly one year ago today, that I posted something very similar to this. What an interesting coincidence! Life’s patterns. I was on the Snake River canyon rim in 2012 observing the pelicans. The Pelicans referred to above, in 2013, were above the Snake River, but in Burley. My imagination tells me they are all on their way to Niagra Springs.

Pelicans over Siesta Key Beach

Here are a flock of pelicans flying over my head at Siesta Key Beach in FL. There were several flocks all flying away from the beach, which I thought was odd since pelicans are master divers and fisherman. They fly straight into the water like dive bombers, scoop up a fish or two and then float gently on the ocean’s current while they digest (?) I guess that’s what they’re doing. Still, Florida’s west coast has a lot of different birds, animals and interesting life forms you just don’t see anywhere else. I acquaint it to what Australia must look like to a US person and vice versa. I affectionately call the west coast of Florida, “Bedrock,” as in the Flintstones cartoon.  [Click photos to enlarge]

More Pelicans

When I was young, I always said I wanted to come back in my next life as a bird – even as a child I wanted to spread my wings and be free. I’m so blessed to actually get a glimpse of that freedom at this time in my life and I’m so grateful. Hopefully this feeling will last, but even if it takes a detour, I’m totally enjoying the ride.

Stunning Perth

So far we love Australia! We’re currently cruising up the coral coast of Western Australia in our modest little camper van but before this we spent a week in Perth acclimatising to our new home country. What I didn’t really count on when I first set up this blog was the sporadic Internet connection I would have whilst travelling but we’re at a decent campsite tonight with wifi so I thought I would fill you in a bit on our first week. This site is incredible luxury after last night’s stop at an insect-infested run down site that the boy reassuringly described as “something out of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”. More on the adventures of our roadtrip next time, but for now, back to Perth.

We found a place to stay on Airbnb, a website where people can advertise their spare rooms or apartments when they’re not using them for short term holiday lets. We stayed in a lovely guy’s apartment right downtown with a balcony overlooking the city whilst he was away visiting his fiancé in China. It was the perfect base from which to explore.

Me at Cottesloe

After a couple of days spent running errands around the city – getting our bank accounts, mobile phones, health cover, tax numbers etc we spent a well-earned day resting on popular Cottesloe beach. Cottesloe is a short train ride out of the main city centre but after navigating the chaotic and foreign train system in Tokyo, the Perth system was a breeze, with only five lines and not many stops. It actually really astounded me just how small Perth is (there is only one stop for central Perth on the train system, the rest of the stops are out of the main city). The only place I’d ever visited in Australia before was Sydney when I spent a month there back in 2002. I knew Perth wasn’t on the same scale as Sydney but I really didn’t expect it to be as compact as it was. I loved it though, friendly people, great multicultural food and right on the water – it actually reminded me a lot of Vancouver.

Little Penguins (Yes that is actually what they’re called…)

Besides Cottesloe, my other highlights during our week in Perth were a trip out to swim with the dolphins (see my last post on that one) and also our visit out to Penguin Island. To get to Penguin Island we had to take a train out of the city to Rockingham then a bus to Shoalwater and finally a small ferry boat over to the island. It took us an hour and a half to get there but it was well worth it. The island has long been known to and used by aboriginals and is a breeding ground and safe haven for a large population of Little Penguins, hence the name. It was one of these little fellas that I saw swimming about during my dolphin swim, when he was out looking for food. At sunset he and his little buddies would have all waddled ashore the island for the night, safe from the predators on the mainland and in the sea. We spent some time visiting the 10 resident rescued penguins who can’t be re-released in their rehabilitation pool. Then after a picnic on the beachfront, looking out to the crystal clear waters, we embarked on a walking tour of the picturesque island, see my 360 degree shot below.

A good mantra I feel

Sea lion at Seal Island

Literally hundreds of pelicans

During our time in Perth we had to really make our minds up about where we want to settle and try and find work once we return from our road trip so we could book our flights before we left. After a lot of thought and research we finally settled on (drumroll please)…Brisbane! The boy likes smaller cities and we both favoured something a bit more unusual so the more obvious choice of Sydney was out. I liked the sound of Melbourne but wanted some guaranteed sunshine as we head into the Australian winter, so maybe we’ll go there after. Perth is a bit remote and doesn’t offer a huge amount more for us to explore once this road trip is complete and so we settled on Brisbane. It’s slightly bigger than Perth, well connected to the Great Barrier Reef, supposedly has amazing whale watching and is close to the Gold Coast and all the sun, sea, sand and fun that goes with that. And so on April 16th once we’re done on the road that’s where we’ll be heading and I for one can’t wait.

Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary

Egrets, Cormorants, Siberian cranes, Pelicans, Darters, Herons, Pintail, Common Teal, Shelduck, Mallard – and you just have to name the variety to be able to spot it in the Park! Starting from the gracious Saras cranes to migratory water fowls to predatory Imperial eagles to some of the most beautiful peacocks you will ever spot – the park has all the varieties to complete the avian food chain.

Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary hosts more than 375 species of birds and is the breeding ground for over 135 species. This is despite the fact that the park itself is just 29sq/km. For bird lovers, the Park is a pilgrim spot since migratory birds from China, Europe, Siberia and Tibet can also be found here. Some animals, too, can be spotted, including the Sambhar, Nigais, Black Buck, Spotted deer and Pythons.

The sanctuary’s existence is traced to the British reign when it was known as one of the ideal duck shooting spots. In 1956, it was turned into a reserve for birds and soon named as a National Park. Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary has also been named as a world heritage site.

Quick Tips for the National Park

• Your visit to the park will last for 5 hours or more. Therefore, it is advisable to carry your sunshades and water bottles. For a very enriching experience of the bird sanctuary, you must carry your binoculars.
• Entry fees is 50/- for Indians and 200/- for foreign nationals.
• The best way to explore the park is either on foot or by bicycles. However, you can even opt for open horse carriages and cycle rickshaws. A horse carriage will charge up to 800/- for a 5-hour trip.
• If you have opted for an Electra Van which is offered by the forest department, your vehicle will be allowed only till the Shanti Kutir.
• There is an accommodation facility inside the Park – Bharatpur Forest Lodge – maintained by the government of Bharatpur.  There is also a lesser expensive Shanti Kutir, maintained by the ITDC.
• Surprisingly, the carriage and rickshaw drivers can double up as guides and prove to be quite a repository of information regarding birds. For those of you looking to save some money can confidently rely on these drivers since they have been trained by the sanctuary management in bird watching.

Quick Tips for Bharatpur

• The best time to visit Bharatpur is between October and March. Summers and monsoons are best avoided. March to June sees the temperature varying from 37°C to 45°C. The monsoon month (July to September) is comparatively cooler at 27°C, but humidity makes sightseeing quite a task.
• Bharatpur is 200kms from Delhi, 270kms from Jaipur and 70kms from Agra.
• Bharatpur has a large number of hotels and guest houses – government and private, forest rest houses, budget motels and dak bunglows. (Check this). The mode of travel within the city is, more often than not, auto-rickshaws. You can even consider booking a jeep.

Related articles

• Attractions in Bharatpur, Rajasthan: Part 2 (missionsharingknowledge.wordpress.com)
• Attractions in Bharatpur, Rajasthan: Part 1 (missionsharingknowledge.wordpress.com)
• Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (vacationindia.wordpress.com)

We have had pelicans visit us in the past over the years in the spring time, but this year we have had more than usual. We first seen them about three weeks ago off and on. Sometimes they would stay over night and sometimes they would be here for only a short time. They were very shy at first, if we stepped outside they would take off. They are becoming more accustom to us and do not always scamper if they see us, but will stay at the north end of the pond. This evening as the sun went down I had an opportunity to take some pictures I want to share with you. It was hard for me to decide just which ones were the best . You can click on the images to enlarge them.

The are looking for fish, however because of the drought the past two years I do not thing there is very many fish in our pond as of now.

Let’s look at some displaced names.

Utah Jazz – This team is (by far) the biggest offender in this category.  When you think “Utah” or “Salt Lake City” one of the last things that comes to mind is jazz music.  Of course, the team originated in New Orleans, a city well known for their Jazz culture.  But for whatever reason (some say it was the team was so broke it couldn’t afford new uniforms) the Jazz stayed the Jazz after the transfer to Salt Lake City in 1980.

Memphis Grizzlies – True, the World Football League‘s Memphis Southmen were informally known as the Grizzlies, but grizzly bears have never been native to Tennessee.  Presently, the only states that have any real grizzly population are Alaska and Montana (where the University of Montana uses the grizzly mascot).  Again, like the Jazz, the teams name made (way more) sense in their previous market.  The Vancouver Grizzlies made sense, since the bears are commonly found in Western Canada.  As an aside, the Western Interprovincial Football Union (forerunner to today’s CFL West Division), had a team called the Vancouver Grizzlies for the 1941 season.  They finished 1-7.  The basketball team of 1995-2001 would match their ineptness.  Tip to anyone wanting to start a professional team in Vancouver is to not name the team the Grizzlies.

Los Angeles Lakers – After winning winning 11 NBA titles in LA, the name “Los Angeles Lakers” seems natural, but in reality it makes no sense.  True, there are 106 lakes located in Los Angeles County, but who would know that without their friend Google?  Also when one thinks “Los Angeles”; lakes may be the 10 000th thing that crosses the mind.  Speaking of 10 000, the name Lakers originated when the team was the Minneapolis Lakers, located in Minnesota (the land of 10 000 lakes).  When the team packed their bags for LA in 1960, they decided to keep with the teams winning tradition (they won five titles in MN) by keeping the name Lakers.  At least “Los Angeles” and “Lakers” are an alliteration.

New Orleans Hornets – This team made sense as the Charlotte Hornets as during the Revolutionary War, Lord Cornwallis refereed to the city’s resistance as “a veritable nest of hornets”.  In fact two previous teams in the city (World Football League and minor league baseball) used the name prior to the NBA team.  While admittedly this isn’t nearly as bad as Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and even Los Angeles Lakers, the team could do something better and more appropriate for a city based on the Gulf Coast.  In January the franchise corrected their identity disorder by announcing that  starting next season, they will be branded as the New Orleans Pelicans, after the state bird, the Brown Pelican.

As much as the NBA get flack for having teams with these nonsensical names there were two instances where a relocated team’s name made more sense after the move.  They were the Detroit (formally Fort Wayne) Pistons and the Houston (San Diego) Rockets.  Also teams with generic names (see Philadelphia / Golden State Warriors) aren’t as subceptible to this problem.

But what’s the significance?

It appears to be that Charlotte will be getting back their old team name when the Hornets left for New Orleans back in 2001.

The NBA deputy and future commissioner Adam Silver will be meeting with Charlotte Bobcats management and season ticket holders discussing the future of the franchise on Tuesday, August 16th, a day before the launch of the shoes and last home basketball game.  This could definitely mean that everyone will be deciding on whether or not the Hornets name and colors should return, which means highly likely since the launch of Jordan’s shoes and merchandise are the same week.

The die hard Charlotte Hornets fans who created “We Beelieve: Charlotte…Take Back Your Hornets” Fan Group and Petition to get the name back seem to have paid off in their efforts!

The re-branding of the team is estimated at around $3 million, which isn’t too much to have the old team, logos, and color scheme back to the Queen City.  This past season, the Charlotte Bobcats have changed their logos and court appearance to get rid of the bright orange color for the bobcats and focused on a tealish blue color that can easily be changed to resembled the old Hornets teal.

Michael Jordan is going to keep releasing shoes until he can’t release them anymore! Even though this is the third time “His Airness” will be bringing out the #5 “Grape” colorway, it is still expected to be a major sell out. This is no surprise because the Jordan line-up of numbers 1-23 will probably always be a sell out when ever he decides to drop them.

Even though the Hornets have been in New Orleans for the past few years, the Charlotte Hornets merchandise seems to still be one of the NBA’s top sellers in merchandise.

Michael Jordan supposedly will do the smart thing: release a shoe and new team name with same color patterns in order to sell out shoes, jerseys, hats, and more at retailers all over the world. Be sure to pick up your pair of the Jordan 5 Grape in stores next Wednesday!

@studio20seven on Twitter

@studio20seven on Instagram

An Australian Pelican gliding with its large wings extended (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost

These are the things that terrify me the most

No aliens, psychopaths or MTV hosts

Scares me like vampires, mummies and the Holy Ghost

Had a dream last night

Took a time traveling ride

Back to my childhood

Where those monsters reside

They snack on innocence

And dine on self-esteem

But I like to be in touch with what makes me scream

Jimmy Buffet just has a way of explaining it all in his lyrics, “Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost.” Yes, I have this hang up on focusing on fears now so indulge me as I explore. In my past post, I mentioned fears begin created from past experiences especially from childhood. What fears have traveled the years with you from way back then?

Did you wake screaming and no one came to ease your fears from a nightmare? Were you cornered by a dog barking and growling and now you won’t get near a dog? Did a pelican flying overhead at the beach drop a load of poop on your head causing a fear of birds? While eating a fresh blackberry pie your father had made from the berries he spent all day gathering and “cleaning” to find you bit into a June bug not a berry creating a fear of eating any berry cobbler or pie? While running in a pasture bare foot as a child did you slide in a fresh cow patty creating a fear of being barefoot? Those might sound strange but believe me I know people who have developed fears from such events during childhood.

What are the odds that the same situation would happen again? Take the blackberry pie incident as an example. The biggest issue is being made fun of during the discovery the crunch was not a blackberry but a June bug. The reality is the fear of being embarrassed more than actually consuming a June bug. The fear of a bird pooping on your head again is so rare but once again, it can be connected to the laughter and taunting that occurred after the fact more so than the event itself. Step back for a moment in time, what would your reaction have been if it had happened to someone else. Chances are you would have laughed and taunted the victim unmercifully for years about the poop on the head or part of a June bug hanging out of their mouth.

Take a moment to revisit some of your fears. What makes them so scary? Is it a true fear or related to the reaction of being embarrassed.

Related articles

• C-PTSD:..Are we afraid of a Ghost? Our own fear mechanism!!!!!!L (ptsdawayout.com)
• What are you afraid of? (shakabukunow.wordpress.com)
• Scars caused by a Bipolar dad. (thinkimspeakingtomyself.wordpress.com)
• Childhood (machinaaparatus.wordpress.com)
• It was an anomaly (svethun.wordpress.com)
• “Mummy, keep the lights on” (observinglifeanddeath.wordpress.com)
• Fear Can Be Useful… Sometimes (ratanphamber.wordpress.com)
• Trauma fear is irrational!!! It fools us!!!!! (ptsdawayout.com)
• Learning to swim, heal my fear of the water (and love myself in the process!) (dancingmyrhythm.com)
• The Root of Fear and How to Overcome It (robertjrgraham.com)

In an article in Florida Today, Kevin Baxter of Fish and Wildlife Research Institute reports twenty five of these manatees have died between March 10 and March 21 alone.  They are drowning with signs of shock and intestinal problems.  Digestive tracts are filled with macroalgae and show little sign of their usual seagrass diet.

Seagrass has almost vanished after a phytoplankton “superbloom” in 2011 followed by a brown algae bloom.  Excess algae grows when too many nutrients from fertilizer runoff or septic tanks enter the estuary.

Tests run in February by US Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, WI for botulism in pelicans came back negative.

Biologists have not been able to identify any pathogen, algae toxin or other substance killing the manatees and pelicans.  At this point they are not even sure if the deaths are related.  The lab is culturing samples to test for bacteria and viruses, which should take a few weeks.

NOAA is examining whether the manatee and dolphin deaths are linked.  Blair Mase, NOAA’s southeast regional marine mammal stranding coordinator, stated, “Right now, we have a correlation in location, but we’re not seeing much else.  We’re monitoring the area very close”.   The dolphins are reported to by very skinny and were mainly adult females.  A few had shark bites, but it is not clear whether the bites came before or after death.  Tissue samples have been sent to veterinary pathologist for testing to look for heavy metals, contaminants and toxins.

Typically 600-700 dolphins live in Indian River Lagoon.

In Mexico, color is a feast for the eyes, a celebration…absorbed through all the senses.

From the jungle parfait…

..to the pink cotton candy clouds.

We could hear colors in the music.

We saw it in the art…

…and in their traditional dress.

We tasted it in the wine…

…and felt it in the colorful characters we were fortunate enough to meet.

…including some we will never forget.

I’ve never seen water so intensely blue.

Or skin so intensely red…

…flora so purple…

…leaves so green…

Colors were hiding everywhere, just below the surface…

…ready to burst out and surprise us.

And everywhere we turned, there were rainbows.

We love Seattle, our silver city by the sea, but long after we had flown back north….

…Long after our footprints had been washed away in the sand…

…to tide us over on those cold and gray Seattle days, we carried a bit of the Mexican rainbow home in our hearts.

Click here for more interpretations of   The Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Color.

All words and images c2013NaomiBaltuck

no pelicans but …

Suzanne, over at Write by the Sea, Live by the Sea, posted a writing prompt concerning Brown Pelicans and asked for responses.  Mine, I figure, was a bit too long for the Comments Box and decided to share it here:

When my husband and I were on our honeymoon in the Vero Beach area, we went up to Wabaso to the Disney timeshare to have a look.  While we were meeting with one of the staff, I noticed the shadow of three pelicans, flying in perfect formation, going past in perfect timing as well — every 16 minutes they flew by.

I made a joke and asked it they were real or Disney Animatronics.  They went south to north only and were so perfectly regular in their timing, they just didn’t seem real.  The gal who worked there was shocked.  “What pelicans?”

She had NO IDEA that these birds flew by at all.  “No idea at all?” I wondered and was shocked.

<><   ><>   <><   ><>   <><   ><>

Back in 2005, when we were house hunting, I drove around and looked at places from the outside to see whether it would be worth rustling up our RE Agent and my husband to go have a closer look at properties.  I found lots of places I liked from the outside, but hubby had some reason to not bother going back.

One was a building currently being used as a house but had been a hotel and still had its license.  It has 2 1/2 acres, so hubby could have had his garden(s).  It has a summer kitchen, so I could have preserved the produce from his vegetable garden.

And it was across the street from the town park overlooking the Mississippi with the trains running in between.

He said it was too far to commute and that was the end of that dream location.

My favorite part — a very well kept secret.  PELICANS!  White pelicans migrate through the area and come to rest in the area for a short time every year.  There is not one single mention of them on the Department of Natural Resources website, the River Road website or the town website as being in the area at all.  I can understand — the town has a population barely over 100 and other than that park there is no real parking in the area.  No one wants a huge influx of gawkers.  (Except the town has an annual arts fair and I cannot imagine where people park for that!)

We went looking for the pelicans on Sunday, sure that we were getting close to the time when they would be continuing their journey away from the Mississippi into the West toward their nesting and summer stomping grounds.  We found noisy gulls (mostly laughing gulls and terns) but no pelicans.  Still too much ice on the River for them.  Once we found someone who knew anything and was willing to admit it, we were told that most of the ice needs to be gone before they show up — another two to three weeks, probably …

I plan to go back in two weeks …

Or PLANNED on it …

But the forecast for the next week to ten days is for a nasty four letter word beginning with “S” …

BAH!

I realized today that my recent work has largely focused on critiquing particular players, and as the Hornets aren’t very good right now, it hasn’t painted a beautiful picture.   Truthfully, I am very excited for the future of New Orleans basketball.  Benson has been a gift of an owner for a franchise that had to endure years of George Shinn’s financial struggles.  Here are some of the reasons that you should be thrilled to be a budding Pelicans fan.

1. Anthony Davis is going to be a special, special player, and despite his great rookie season, he has managed to stay out of the spotlight.  He is learning to use his quickness and athleticism to compensate for his lack of size, and he’s only going to get stronger.  Although he doesn’t possess the explosive athleticism of Dwight Howard or Blake Griffin, his skill level and basketball intelligence are light years ahead of what those guys had at his age.  Big men tend to adjust less quickly to the NBA game than guards, but Davis is already impacting the game in transition, off of the ball (on both ends of the floor), and also in the pick and roll/pop game.  His jump shot has good form and he has an excellent touch near the rim.  He knows how to maneuver the baseline and make himself available to the guards.  He has great hands and catches everything thrown his way.  He has remarkable potential and will be working closely with Monty Williams over the summer to improve his game.

2. Dell Demps has shown his merit.  It is pivotal for general managers of small teams to have the ability to pluck cheap talent from other places.  Stars and big-time scorers require cumbersome contracts, which leaves little financial room to fill gaps.  Great GMs like Oklahoma’s Sam Presti and San Antonio’s RC Buford have found creative ways to surround their stars with valuable role players without breaking the bank.  Dell acquired Ryan Anderson for a very reasonable price last summer, found an adequate backup guard overseas (Brian Roberts), drafted Darius Miller (who should serve as a very good backup for years to come), and did all of this without giving up anything valuable.  The Gordon contract seems questionable at the moment, but it should be moved this offseason, so I will reserve judgment until then.  Dell also unloaded Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor’s huge contracts for a year of Rashard Lewis’s expiring contract.

3. The Pelicans have financial flexibility.  This is of utmost importance.  The Pelicans only have 33 million in guaranteed contracts on the books for next year, which affords Dell the ability to sign key pieces in free agency or the space to swing a big trade.  Teams desperate to make a splash often tie themselves down by overpaying players, thereby restricting their ability to improve later.  The Pelicans are overpaying Gordon, but have tons of room to improve and solid players on cheap contracts.

4. The Pelicans will be building a state-of-the-art practice facility that will house both the Saints and the Hornets.  This is something that will be unique to New Orleans sports and can sway potential free agents.  The facilities are going to be THE BOMB.

5. Dell Demps and Monty Williams have hinted at an active offseason numerous times.  Whether it’s by trading, signing a marquee free agent, or drafting a high-caliber rookie, change is coming.  Williams said that opposing players have been coming up to him this season and telling him to remember them this summer in free agency.  The team is certainly not stacked now, but opponents know that a good core is in place.  This is a young team with plenty of room for improvement within and the means to bring in impact players.

*Photo Credit: Jan Ševčík

Pelican – Charcoal on Craft paper

Egret – Charcoal on Craft paper

Tern – Charcoal on Craft paper

Now, do you get the title? The next is NOT a bird, but an flower. The first is just a sketch of an orchid, the next jpg is an Inktense sketch on canvas. I am always excited when I start a new canvas, and a little scared. Inktense pencils and sticks help me cover large areas with vivid color. The canvas is 9 x 12 and I hope to get painting on it at class this week!

Orchid – Charcoal on Craft paper

Orchid 9 x 12, Inktense on Canvas

One last thing, as you know, I have been working on some small Oil Stick paintings. I DID gesso up some canvases this weekend, and here is a 5 x 7 that I reworked this weekend. Take a look, it sure did photograph BLUE! Have a great week! Hope to catch up with you next week!

Dunes – 5 x 7 Oil Bar on Canvas

Dunes – 5 x 7 Oil Bar on Canvas

FUNNY ANIMAL MOMENTS

WHEN A LOAF OF BREAD ACQUIRES… LIFE!

WHEN THERE IS A TEMPORARY CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY

WHEN IT IS HARD TO TELL

SYNCHRONISED SINGING FROM SYNCHRONISED FEEDING

WHEN PLAYING ‘DEAD’ IS …LETHALLY CUTE!

WHEN AFTER A SATISFYING MEAL…

THE DINER LOOKS LIKE A DYING CHARACTER…

…IN A SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY

WHEN A ‘PIGGY BACK’ GETS A WHOLE NEW MEANING…

…AND LOOK!…

WHEN AVOIDING WATER CAN END UP…

…BEING STUCK IN AWKWARD SPOTS

WHEN PLAYING LOOKS LIKE HAVING HAD TOO MUCH TO DRINK

WHEN AN ACTION LOOKS LIKE BEING ON STEROIDS

WHEN THE STATEMENT ‘I CAN SLEEP ANYWHERE’

IS OVER THE TOP … LITERALLY!…

WHEN A DECLARATION OF ‘I CAN’T TAKE IT ANY MORE’

… IS WAY OVER-DRAMATIC…

*

* CHECK ‘Tigress Eyes’ OTHER BLOGS *

http://naturesbeautifulthings.wordpress.com/

http://delightfulfun.wordpress.com/

http://0rionsattic.wordpress.com/

http://tigress00eyes.wordpress.com/

http://www.ceephotography.com/2013/04/01/share-your-world-2013-week-14-15-2/

This week I’m combining two weeks into one week. So instead of the normal four questions, I’m only posing three questions. It is your choice to split your answers up into two weeks or combine them both in one week. ENJOY!!

Week 14

If a movie was made based on your life, what actor/actress would play you?
Kirstie Alley

Show us a couple of your favorites photographs? If you are not a photographer, think of a favorite scene in your life and tell us about them.
My favorite scene is right outside my living room’s triple pane window. The sun rises over the lake with a beautiful array of colors ranging from the deepest blue, deepest purple, to bright yellow to a white-yellow. Birds flock over the water in the lake. Fish must be plentiful this morning. I see seagulls, pelicans, and loons. It is strange to see these birds on Weiss Lake, but I’ve gotten used to them over the years. There is no wind this morning, but there is a lot of green.

What do you like most about home?
The peace and quiet that is mine for awhile. It is suppose to be a sunshiny weekend with mild temperatures. I don’t expect to see many jet skiers this weekend, but there will be a lot of fishermen out.

Week 15

What is one of your quirky traits?
Quirky? Hmm….that’s a hard one. I guess I would have to say, (skip this part if you do not want to read it), the fact that I have to use a wet washcloth or moist towelettes to wipe with after the toilet paper. Wiping with toilet paper just doesn’t leave me feeling clean.

What has surprised you about blogging?
It is harder and takes more time than I thought it would.

Which do you prefer sweet or salty? Or both at the same time?
I like both but am not supposed to have either, so I’m learning to do without.

Read other ‘Share Your Worlds’ at: http://mauldinfamily1.wordpress.com/category/share-your-world/

This was most likely a ‘Brown Pelican’, Pelecanus occidentalis.