Tourists in Arizona

     

 

3/14/26

          The quilt show is over, and we have caught up on projects near forgotten. Patti and John (Stan) Stanalonis are dear friends from way back.  Phone calls were made and we are scheduled for a visit to Albuquerque, lasting a few days and beginning on Monday the 16^th.

          The shortest route from Ajo to Albuquerque is about 550 miles. The selected path is AZ85 to I-10E to AZ Loop 303 to I-17N to I-40E to Exit 166, Jaun Tabo Blvd. We decided to travel Saturday and Sunday as tourists in Arizona.

          The internet was queried regarding the most popular stops along our highways. Arizona is briming with early Western American history. In two days of travel we didn’t have enough time to but scratch the surface.

          For the Saturday leg, we selected three stops; all are on or just off of I-17. Shortly after leaving the extensive northern suburbs of Phoenix, the Loop 303 took us past several miles of recently built warehouses and factories. The structures were eye pleasing and they were enormous.

          We left the Phoenix desert basin (~1,100 foot elevation) at approximately 10:30am. It wasn’t many miles until we encountered the first of several rugged mountain ranges. Beginning with low desert mountains, the Phoenix and the McDowell ranges. Then into the steeper central Arizona ranges, the Bradshaw and the Mazatzal. At around 5,000 feet, we were on the Hight plateau edge – the Mogollon Rim.

          The first stop was at Sunset Point Rest Area. This was a recommended visit on the High plateau. The selling point of the rest stop was that the location afforded long range views of distant mountains. The plateau was densely covered with grasses that were three to four feet high. This expansive plateau, at sometime in the near past could have been grazing property for herds of bison.

          Once back on I-17N, we came upon a road sign that told us the next seven miles of freeway was at a 6% decent. That is steep and that is for a long way to go before re-apply throttle to the pickup. We had dropped into the Verde river valley, where the city of Camp Verde sits at ~3,100 foot elevation. Anne had reserved a room for us at the Comfort Inn, in Camp Verde. But it was early afternoon and we had sites to see. The first of which was the Montezuma Castle.

          The Montezuma Castle National Monument is one of North America’s best preserved cliff dwellings. The five-story tall, 20 room and roughly 4,000sqft floor space was built of limestone blocks set in mud mortar. It was constructed by the Sinagua people, a pre-Columbian farming culture of the Verde Valley. The build began around A.D.1125. It was built in stages over several generations, continuing through the 1200s.

                                                                         

          The castle housed between 30 – 50 people. Several hundred Sinagua lived in dwellings located lower of the castle, near Beaver creek. By about A.D.1400-1425 the Sinagua people left Verde Valley. The possible reasons vary from prolonged drought, resource depletion, to conflict with incoming groups such as the Apache. Early American settlers marveled at the castle’s structure. They assumed that it was Aztec in origin, hence the name Montezuma Castle.

          The road to the castle passes the entry drive to the Cliff Castle Casino. We had yet to eat lunch and the many diners in the casino would give us options. Right, lunch.

          We agreed to meet at the automated craps machine in one hour. Play, play, win, lose, some craps and some slots. At the meeting time I was down and Anne was up. That meant that she could afford to buy our lunch.

Finished with lunch, we headed to the casino’s exit doors. On the way we passed a slot machine that Anne declared was a Must Play. The slot machine displayed three Alien space crafts. These Aliens were collectors of farm animals. One craft beamed up sheep, one collected Holstein cows and the third craft transported pigs. Now, if a wheel stops with an animal displayed, then that animal gets transported to the respective space craft. Bonus play happens when one of the alien craft gets over loaded, it breaks apart and you get five special dollar earning spins.

          Each space craft had different bonus values. The pig collecting craft was the one to hope for. As my $20 entry fee dwindled, all I had was three cow craft bonuses. To the very end, the pig craft was displaying multiple cracks in its dome but it kept cramming more pigs in. The Alien pilot had his face smeared against the glass dome. The next player will get a nice bonus. We are off to the last stop of the day.

          Adjoining Camp Verde is Fort Verde State Historic Park. The military was present in Arizona Territory from 1865 until 1896. The fort was operational from 1871 to 1891. Unlike movie depictions, none of the 43 forts in the territory had walls around them. Fort Verde was never attacked. The fort was laid out with a large football size parade ground. The ground separated the office. The officer’s quarters on one side and the enlisted quarters on the other side. Corals, hospital shops, commissary and all buildings which supported this fort were on the enlisted side of the parade ground.

          The park headquarters is in the building which had been called Administration. This building has many rooms that contain the history of Fort Verde. Of course, among the many military displays in the museum are displays of various weapons used by the soldiers. One large room was dedicated to the display of Indian tools and of weapons from the period. The Native Americans in this area of Arizona were the Yavapai and the Apache.

          That was it for the day. We drove to the Comfort Inn, checked in and we relaxed for a couple of hours before dinner time.

          The Verde valley has several successful mountain breweries. The inn’s front desk attendant recommended visiting the Verde Brewery, for a lite meal.

          By 8:30am Sunday morning, we were gathering leftovers at Comfort Inn’s breakfast bar. There had been slim pickings.

          Today’s goal was to drive the Red Rock Loop, which goes from Camp Verde, through Sedona and back onto I-17N, south of Flagstaff. The roadside views were greeted by the distant presence of layer chiseled, dark red peaks and long, high carved cliff faces. The highway had its ups and downs but its architecture managed to weave it around and between neighboring red mountain displays.

         Oak creek did not flow in a straight line. Hence, neither did the highway. Traffic was often slowed to a snail’s pace as it navigated the many switch-back curves. A few miles out of Sedona the traffic became bumper-to-bumper. This lasted to the far outskirts of Sedona.

          We pulled into the lot of a very modern roadside business center. For the past several miles, we had looked for a roadside spot to pull over so that we could capture photos of a couple of the red peaks. The business center’s lot worked well. Plus, as I photographed, Anne walked to Bob’s Donut Shop, and she came back with maple bars. Some stops are worth more than others.

         Things changed as the miles drew nearer to Sedona. The highway began to parallel Oak Creek. This small stream was flowing. The creek’s life attracted Sunday shore-walkers and maybe there were even few who brought along some dirty laundry.

         Most of the burgs that we have been through are proud of their use of roundabouts. Traffic doesn’t stop. We discovered, as we entered the highway center of Sedona that roadside space did not permit the use of traffic circles. The delays created by the traffic lights had rippled several miles to the south of the city.

          The population if Sedona is a bit over 9,000. The town’s elevation is 4,360 feet. Homes are built into the hillsides. Many of them were very modern in their high-wall concrete designs.

          Moving slowly through the commercial center of Sedona, one could capture the life and youthfulness of the city. Just because it is, that spirit seems to be a strong visitor attraction.

          Past the last traffic light, the flow picked up. Within a few more curvy miles, we were reconnected with I-17N and we were within sight of Flagstaff. This had been a beautiful morning’s journey. The delays hadn’t been enough to take away from witnessing more of Nature’s marvels.

          From I-17, we took the I-40E on-ramp that highlighted an arrow pointing to Albuquerque. Wow, 65mph sure seems fast. A few miles east of Flagstaff is the Twin Arrow Casino and Resort. Remember, casinos are great places to grab a lunch.

          Historically, Twin Arrows was a highway respite on the old Route 66. Two very large arrows were constructed to look as if they had landed side-by-side and had stuck in the desert ground. This eye grabber had been enough to sustain business at the roadside venues. The freeway, I-40, was not built exactly over Route 66 at this place. The buildings that belonged to the Twin Arrow stop are long gone. The Twin Arrows Casino side stop now is a bit further off of the highway. However, if you look quickly as you pass the old location, you can see the two large arrows rising above the desert waste.

          Twin Arrows Casino is a place of all-business. Upon entering, you can sense a strong feeling of organizational structure and of control. When we rejoined for lunch, we both agreed that the machines in this casino had been very selfish with their rewards.

          The Eagles have landed. They are standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. As we entered the heart of the city, we came to the Kinsley Avenue and East 2^nd Street intersection. On one corner of this crossing is a bronze statue of a man with a guitar. This corner and the town of Winslow were put on the map by the Eagle’s song, “Take it Easy”.

          On the other three corners of this intersection are establishments which cater to the tourist trade: two competing trinket stores and one brewery. This was pretty much Winslow.

          Holbrook is a few dozen miles further east than Winslow, on I-40. This is where we had reserved a night at the Quality Inn. March back a few miles and you find the Petrified Forest National Park. This will be our early Monday morning tourist adventure. And then it will be on to Albuquerque.

          The Petrified Forest National Park contains one of the world’s largest deposits of petrified wood. About 225 million years ago, during the Triassic Period, this area used to be a lush tropical forest environment near the equator. Large flood waters uprooted trees and left them lay in the swamp’s mineralized waters. Over several million years, the log’s fibers were replaced with quartz crystals. This created red, yellow and purple rainbow colors to an end cut view of the timbers.

          The Earth’s plates shifted and Arizona became an arid, wasteland place. Today large chunks of log lay scattered. Each chunk appears to have been sawn from a larger parent log.

          The park’s museum is loaded with information about the Triassic Period, its tropical environment and a considerable amount about the animals which competed for superior positions, amongst the treed wetlands. Facts of Science rule the museum’s many displays. Skeletons of dinosaurs, a host of land and aquatic species are on display. The visit to the park is a must see, if you are traveling I-40. If you like geology, fossils or wildly unusual landscapes, then this will be a memorable half-day adventure.

          Early Monday afternoon we were on our final leg to Albuquerque. We were greeted at their home by Patti and Stan, at 4:30pm that afternoon. It was a wonderful reunion evening. We had a great dinner that was followed by an enjoyable catchup.

          Wake up Tuesday morning and wear your best Saint Patrick’s Day green. Early afternoon, with Euros in our pockets, we drove to Sandia Casino. “Okay, we’ll meet back here in an hour”. The clock hands moved quickly. Anne, Patti and Stan worked the slots and I played craps. There was some grizzle coming from the lady’s experience. Stan collected from a large bonus round, and I came away from the table $24 ahead.

          Patti is preparing a St. Patrick’s Day dinner; cabbage, potatoes, carrots and corned beef, all dished out from an au-jus filled crockpot bowl. There were also thin slices of dark pumpernickel rye bread. The toast to the Irish was great. 

          Wednesday and Thursday held some time for shopping. Yes, there was also some space in these two days for short visits to the casino. Anne came away the big winner on both days. Remember the Aliens and their beam-up space crafts? Anne realized that a space craft with a wildly cracked dome was about to explode with a winning bonus round. She had walked the machine line and had found a couple of slots that had been abandoned.

          This is what Anne was looking for. She invested in one of these slots and she hit a jackpot. The last person had run out of money while trying to get the Alien craft to burst. Anne collected several hundred dollars during Wednesday’s visit. She repeated her play strategy on Thursday and again she came away a winner.

          Stan worked from his college years until retirement for Sandia National Laboratories. He began as a draftsman and he was soon to be found out as strong team player and as an idea man. For the length of his satisfying career, Stan’s time was spent contributing to America’s missile defense capability.

          When we returned from our visit to the Sandia Casino, Stan brought two very special tee shirts from storage. One of the tee shirts displayed a picture of Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. The photo had been taken by Buzz Aldrin, the moon landing craft commander.

          The second tee shirt was a Sandia National Laboratory shirt that Stan had been wearing on that special day, some years ago. Unique to both shirts was a large blue signature made by Buzz Aldrin. Astronaut Aldrin was visiting the Sandia Labs and Stan had the good fortune to have an opportunity to chat with Buzz for a few minutes. During their chat, Stan invited Mr. Aldrin to autograph the two shirts. The Sandia Labs shirt got signed while Stan was wearing it. Needless to say, Stan doesn’t wear either tee shirt. They would today be prized collector’s items. What a treasure of pride.

          Friday morning Stan had a doctor appointment, so we said our goodbye’s. Patti made a scrumptious meal for breakfast. We loaded the pickup and we shared some hugs. Patti and Stan had been wonderful and gracious hosts. Anne and Patti had the opportunity to spend time together over many card games at the dining room table. I valued my time spent with Stan. He has a very interesting work history with Sandia. Stan shared several unclassified recalls about events and places he had been involved with. These tales led to great discussions.

          The return route to Ajo was to be south on I-25 to the Hatch exit, visiting Hatch and then on to Deming and I-10W. Hatch, NM was loaded into the truck’s GPS. We were guided to the Tramway, which dumped us onto I-10W. The seven miles to the I-25S entrance ramp was driven in thick morning traffic. Last minute positioning into the correct exit lane is always exciting at 70mph.

          It is 186 miles to Hatch, or a bit over three hours of drive time. Our first stop in Hatch was at a curio store. Anne wanted to buy some Hatch chili. This is some special stuff. Hatch, NM is reputed to be the chili capital of the World. A few blocks deeper into town, we spotted what we had been looking for for our lunch: a reputable Mexican restaurant. It was called Pepper Pot.

          Outside the temperature had already reached the low 90sF. Temperatures this high and this early in the year are rare for this region of New Mexico. Inside the Pepper Pot the temperature was cooler, made possible with low light levels and with ceiling fans. The Pot’s menu had lots of lunch options. We chose, however, to share a single serving of triple stack beef enchilada. The green chili topping was a bit too spicy for Anne, but we made it through.

          Now off I-25S, we were on a highway that leads directly to Deming, NM. Forty eight miles to the south, we arrived at the Comfort Inn at three fifteen. Our plan was to rest for a couple of hours and then find our dinner at the town’s Denny’s Restaurant. All this came together well and after a fine night’s sleep, we were off to seek our own bed an Ajo.

          We had tried to be good tourists in Arizona and we had loved spending time with our good friends, Patti and Stan.

The Javelina

 

It is 6am and I am awakened by Anne telling me that there are Javelinas in the back yard. I thought about Javelinas yesterday, at the end of the day when I looked towards the driveway gate. The gate was swung shut but it was not latched. “Naw, no way. Don’t bother walking up there just to latch it”, I said to myself.

You may look at a javelina and think it’s a hairy pig, a wild boar, or maybe one of those feral razorback hogs running around the United States. But surprisingly, javelinas aren’t pigs at all! They actually branched off from the pig family nearly 40 million years ago.

A javelina is a peccary — specifically, the collared peccary. Peccaries are native to the Americas and the Western Hemisphere, while true pigs originally come from the Old World. Javelinas, are usually about 3 feet long and weigh between 40 and 60 pounds. They have coarse, greyish-brown hair that looks a bit like salt and pepper, with pig-like snouts and small eyes. Unlike true pigs, javelinas have small, rounded ears, tiny tails, and short, straight tusks.

The name “collared peccary” comes from the band of light-colored fur around their necks, which looks like a collar. This collar becomes especially noticeable when a javelina feels threatened because the hair on the back of its neck and shoulders stands up.

Javelinas appeared in North America during the Miocene period. In the U.S. they are native to the Sonoran Desert in the southwest. They are a very social animal. They can be seen pacing in single file in large numbers, called squadrons. A squadron may have as many as 20 Javelinas.

We have chased Javelinas from our yard, in Ajo, AZ, more than once. Javelinas are omnivores. On one visit, they lay waste to several thriving young cacti that Anne had been nursing. On another occasion, they tipped over the garbage container located outside the dining room window, when I was doing some early morning computer work. Each time, I would step outside and shoo them off. They scatter in all directions, making it necessary to circle the back yard to ensure that they have all been shown to the front gate.

The large adult Javelina is not a friendly animal. When angered, the hair on the spine stands up. On one visit, I had a critter refuse to follow my instructions about leaving. It stood ground and glared at me as I was approaching it. Our guest turned at the last moment and jogged toward the front gate.

This morning it took three trips outside to finally rid the yard of all of the Javelinas. To avoid me, they would hide behind the rear workshop. The last animal bolted towards the street. The hair on its back looked like a “Mohican” haircut. It was not happy that the squadron had long since left. 

Dawn had arrived by the time I got to latch the driveway gate for the final time. I walked back under the side carport where the garbage container is kept. The large black rubbish vault had been knocked over, and a huge amount of its contents had been shared by the squadron of Javelinas.

Ajo, early 2026

Ajo was waiting for me when I arrived on October 20^th. The sky was fair and the temperature was in the low 70s. Yes, this is the reason that I abandon Medford in the winter time.

This year I drove to Ajo solo. Anne had several appointments and was going to fly to Phoenix in a couple of weeks. The highway route that I drove was familiar. Listening to a selected mystery story on the radio was a great mental benefit but driving alone was still very tiring. I did a walk-about at every rest stop. The road trip takes two overnights and a half of a day before and after. I could force myself to drive more hours each day but I have had it after 300 – 400 miles.

The home at 565 W Guest House Road had weathered our absence well. The door unlocked, the lights turned on and no creatures scurried in alarm. The limited amount of cold goods that had joined me while riding in the rear seat refrigerator were quickly transferred to the house fridge. I turned water taps back on and went straight to bed.

The first order of business the next morning was to drive to Olsen’s super market, Until Anne arrived I would be cooking for myself and there was nothing in the refrigerator. I embarrassingly admit that I have never solo shopped to stock the fridge and the pantry. I did have a bit of help. The store manager, Maribeth, is also our neighbor on Guest House Road. She was handy with answers each time I interrupted her shelf-stock inventory counting. Her “happy to help” spirit was no doubt stressed by my interruptions.

My shopping cart was occupied, but it was by no means full. I shopped with care and with price awareness. Nothing in the cart was exorbitant. When I pushed the cart with its bagged goods out of Olsen’s front door, I had felt proud of the accomplishment but I felt lighter by over $200.

When we left Ajo last spring brother Dave and I had seen to the finishing of the inside of Anne’s she shed, now to be called by the title of Quilt Studio. The approach to the studio’s door was cement block set in dirt and gravel. Opening the door and stepping in, and the reverse opening and exiting were awkward movements, from and to the block step. The quilt studio needed a front deck. This would make the transitions more comfortable.

The closest full-service hardware/lumber supply store was Lowe’s in Buckeye. Lowe’s, in Buckeye, shared the same I-10 exit as did all of the main “time to stock-up” shopping stores. At Lowe’s I purchased the deck’s foundation timber and hardware. The deck cover was Pergo Decking. I didn’t have the capacity in my GMC Canyon pickup to truck the load home. Within the next couple of days, Lowe’s would deliver the goods to Ajo.

An afternoon measuring and an evening at the dining table sketching had produced the materials list for the quilt studio deck. Dave loaned me his chop-saw and when Lowe’s delivered I was ready. I think that Anne will appreciate the convenience of her new deck.

The Fat Cactus is a restaurant that Anne and I enjoyed visiting. Their main food is pizza, sliders and salads. Once a week, Doug, the owner, would conduct a trivia night. Being a former history teacher, this seemed a comfortable niche. The first time that we played we won and we left $100 to the good.

During the summer the Fat Cactus had moved. A restaurant space had become available at the Ajo Central Plaza. One evening I stopped at the restaurant for dinner. The building had a formal dining side and an adjoining full service pub. That evening there were many guest involve in visiting, eating dinners; and several were sitting on stools at the bar, enjoying a draft while engrossed in one of the big screens presenting a ball game or the trots.

At the rear end of the pub was a pool table. I asked at the bar what the table commitment was to play. “If no one else was using the table, go for it.” So I did. I played against myself a game of 8-ball, more commonly known as stars and stripes.  Well, there can only be one winner, and I was it.

Everything about the Fat Cactus was new and professionally presented. Well everything except the pool table’s amenities. Cues leaned against the wall, there being no cue stand, and the cues were old and in ragged states.  As I said my goodnights, I was thinking that there may be something I could do that would lend to the ambiance of the pub.

I had not yet published my Curley Woodshop Steward commitment time and date. I didn’t feel that I was settled in yet. I was, however, going to use the shop. Over the years the shop has collected a myriad of odd wood pieces; dining table inserts, bed head and foot boards, and just odd stuff. I located a matched pair of large diameter, turned table legs. An idea formed. If the legs were the end pieces, and if there was a top plank and a bottom plank, the legs could make a beefy poolhall cue rack.

After a few minutes doing some dimensional drafting, I set out to collect wood that would be needed. Two short lengths of 1 x 6 inch oak would form the top plate and the bottom plate. I planed and sanded each board and then I drilled six holes in the top board through which cues could be inserted. On the bottom board six holes were also drilled to accept the cue handle tips. The bottom holes were offset a bit towards the front of the future rack so that cues would slant a bit away from the walk path. 

The table legs were not damaged but they had lost a lot of original finish. I had learned long ago that sanding round pieces of wood was easiest done while the wood was turning on the lathe. It took but a couple of minutes to clean each leg down to bare wood. While still on the lathe, each leg was sanded to 400 grit to form a near shiny surface. A walnut stain was applied to each leg and to the two oak pieces.

The project was coming together. I had only one worry. I didn’t know for sure what the diameter of the cue handle was. I selected 1-1/2” and I kept my fingers crossed. When it was completed, I loaded it onto the Club Car and rode to the Fat Cactus restaurant. When there was no management staff present, I carried the new rack to the wall by the pool table. I inserted the daggy old cues into the rack and then I went to the dining room for a meal.

Doug, the owner, stopped to great me. We visited a bit and then I told him that he had a Business Warming gift near the pool table. When Doug returned he was all grin. I hadn’t known it but he had ordered new cues that were due to arrive any day. With his new cues, the rack looked perfect.

The Sonoran Desert is native home to many specie of cacti. Perhaps the most memorable cactus specie is the Saguaro cactus. This plant often grows for a few hundred years and it may form many limbs. The Saguaro stately forms dense populations on the desert floor. On distant hillsides the cactus stands out singularly as the reigning ruler of the neighboring plant kingdom.

Like all other living organisms, the Saguaro has at infant stage. It begins as a seed that has been spread by birds, primarily. As one might expect when in the desert, there many bad places to begin life, and there are a few good places. The best place for a Saguaro to start out is under the shade umbrella of a tree. A common shade opportunity is provided by the Creosote bushes; another may be a Palo Verde tree. These trees are often called nursery trees. Their shade and soil coolness assist in the cactus’ earliest growth

Anne’s airplane finally arrived and the meals got better. Last year, Anne was elected President of the Ajo Piece Makers, the quilting club. Every Wednesday morning the club meets in the old Ajo Lions Club building. At the meetings there are demonstrations, show and tells, and sometimes there is sewing for charitable donations.

For the past few decades the Piece Makers have hosted a Quilt Show in the Curley School Auditorium. The show is two days long. Members of the club present quilts to be hung for show and sometimes quilts that they wish to sell. Each year there is a raffle quilt that all members have participated in its creation. Contributions from the raffle benefit the Ajo community.

Each year the quilters challenge themselves to create a quilted table runner, place mat, etc., that follows a specific theme. The member’s finished work is hung with others at the quilt show. The winner of the last year’s contest gets to define the theme for the next year’s contest. This year’s theme was “Stars”. Last year’s contest winner had been Joy Duncan. This year Joy won second place.

The success of the Quilt Show forms the basis for the Piece Makers’ ability to monetarily contribute to the Ajo community. It would seem that Anne had inherited with the year’s leadership position a mountain of information about the quilt show that had never been logically organized.

The quilt club has been a club for a few decades. Past presidents had been long termers in the club, they had participated in many quilt shows. They had learned form exposure what it took to put together the annual show. Anne was a relative newbie. Order of procedures and their documentation are very important for Anne to be comfortable with such a task. She found that that just wasn’t in the files. After many hours of many days, Anne had organized the quilt show files in a manner that she was comfortable passing on to next year’s leader.

Another source of stress for this year’s president was the dwindling population of the Piece Makers club. Without sufficient club members, putting on activities such as the Quilt Show wouldn’t be possible. Recruitment of new club members is important. Anne put together a weekly Copper Newspaper ad aimed at generating interest in the craft. She is also looking at ways to introduce sewing skills to the Ajo High School.

While all of this Piece Makers activity seemed to fill her days, Anne enjoyed her quilting studio. She would disappear for hours while she completed old projects, or while she created new and wonderful gifts for the family, friends or for the community. During one of her periods of studio hibernation, Anne finished a quilt that she titled Twirl.

Twirl is indeed a magnificent, detail oriented work of art. Many hours went into creating its craftmanship. Anne proudly entered Twirl in the quilt show. Each guest to the quilt show is given a ballet that on which they are asked to select their favorite work, and others by rank order. This year’s show was successful. Anne can now relax at her winter home. While she is doing that, she can reflect upon the degree of satisfaction that Twirl brought to her when it was voted “Best of Show”.

You can’t by a used lawn mower in Ajo. Homes in this neighborhood don’t have lawns. A tour down a street will present front yards with some form of growth, however. The most frequent yard motif will be that of native Sonoran Desert. This scene, to a newcomer will resemble the unkept weed patch that the neighbor, four doors down, had in their front yard.

All homes are sealed off from society by a 4 foot high chain-link fence. This tradition didn’t begin as a territorial display as it may have been in other bergs. The perimeter fencing was the only way that the mid-night herds of Javalinas could be kept from eating your young cactus or from foraging in your garbage storage vault.

Less frequent but more enjoyable to look at are the designer yards. These yards will feature a native bush or tree, and perhaps it may host a giant Saguaro cactus. Regardless of the specific yard features the designer homes would all have unused ground covered with crushed gravel.

The fully graveled yards was a tradition which probably began in the late 1800’s with the earliest settlers. All of the new inhabitants would have come from moister climes and they no doubt suffered from lawn separation anxiety. A spouse may have said, “I don’t care what it is, just cover it all so it looks tidy and well kept.” Gravel was handy.

I am pleased to report that we are a designer yard family. Our yard is chain-link enclosed and it has several native trees and bushes scattered about. The unplanted grounds were once covered with ¾” crushed gravel. Over many years the gravel coverage became thinned out and bare desert dirt was exposed. This picture was not in keeping with the yard’s motif. Repairs were called for.

Over a glass of wine and a can of fruit flavored Bubly, Anne and I discussed our yard options. After twelve minutes two things happened; one, my wine glass was empty, and two, we decided to replace the crushed gravel with small river rock. The ½ - ¾” stones were not bare feet bandage promoters, as was the jagged crushed gravel. We felt that the smooth stone would make the yard look better. Plus, the smaller, smooth orbs could make perfect sling-shot ammo.

The area of all of the uncovered yard was calculated. To provide a lasting coverage, it was considered that a two inch layer of river rock would be sufficient. The math created a volume of nine cubic yards of stone. That translated to 11 tons.

A “river rock near me” google search came up with ABC Sand & Rock, in Phoenix. I made the order and I grinned when I heard that the order was large enough that there would be no additional delivery cost. I was assured that the 8 foot wide truck would be able to back through our 10 foot wide gate opening.

The following Monday morning I received a text message from Johnny, the delivery man, that he would arrive within 15 minutes. I could hear the heavy diesel truck slowly making its way to our address. Johnny pulled the enormous Peterbilt dump truck to a long “pshhhh” stop at the front gate. After visitations and load validation Johnny had me hold the gate open wide as he cautiously herded the behemoth between the gate posts.

I signaled a stop when he reached the dump spot on the cement driveway. Slowly the long bed of the dump truck raised and the tail gate flapped open. As Johnny slowly pulled the truck forward, the full nine yards fell to the pad. I signed for the delivery, thanked Johnny, and as he drove away I pulled the gate shut and gasped at what nine yards of river rock looked like.

Anne had told me earlier that I was to hire helpers to load and wheel-barrow the stones across the yard. After finishing their fulltime workday shift, two helpers came to the gate. Cindy was a heavier set, 30ish woman, who looked like she could handle a shovel. Whisper was a younger, 20ish man, who also looked fit enough to shovel and haul the stones. During our welcoming introductions, Cindy shared that she had come to Ajo some 25 years ago; originally from New Jersey. Whisper told me that he was born and raised in the Tohono O’odham Nation, centered in Sells, AZ, a few miles to the east of Ajo.

Cindy and Whisper loaded, I directed, and Whisper dumped. This took place for a couple of hours over the next three days. During the cool of the next day’s morning I raked out the many piles of river rock. I congratulated Whisper for his shoveling and hauling of 11 tons of stone. To that thought he said, “Wow, that’s 11 thousand pounds”. His eyes got larger when I said that it was actually 22 thousand pounds of stones.

When I walked over the newly dressed yard, I too got impressed. The number of stones might have marveled the number of stars in Carl Sagan’s heaven. What if each stone was valued at $1, what would our new yard be worth? That value could be estimated.

I snuck one of Anne’s plastic mixing bowls and with the aid of her sensitive electronic kitchen scales, I carefully and randomly loaded 5.00 pounds of the stone. Then, with tinny in hand, I sat outside and I counted the number of stones in the 5 pounds. I counted 204 stones. There are 200 x 5 pounds in a thousand pounds or, 200 x 204 = 40,800 stones in a half ton. Multiply that by 22, for 11 tons, and you get ~897,600 stones.

Drats! The yard looks like a million bucks but it is just not worth it.

 

 

 

Australia 2024

 

            Australia 2024

 

            The day after Christmas we had left Medford to spend winter in Ajo, AZ. There was no trailer to tow on this trip. However, we were still riding in a fully loaded pickup.
            Three months in Ajo seemed to fly by. Anne spearheaded the February quilt show, and it was its usual success. The three exterior doors on our house were in horrible shape. We visited Lowe’s in Buckeye and we left after purchasing three fiberglass built doors, three security screen doors, and two cans of paint. Lowe’s delivered the goods a week later.
            The woman who lives next door to us, Margaret, recommended a handyman named Jason, to fit the new doors. Jason and his son drove to the house at 0830 on February 20^th. When they drove away at 1630 all of the new doors had been installed. Within the next two weeks, the doors had been trimmed and painted.
            Now Casa Duncan was ready to receive guests. This year’s first guest was Christina, aka Chrisie, Anne’s cousin. Chrisie lives in Eugene. She flew into Mesa’s Gateway Airport and she rented a car for the two hour drive to and from Ajo. Chrisie and Anne are the best of buds. We all shared a fun week together. It was great to have her
Visit.
            Mid-March found us greeting Paula and her sister, Gerri. They, too, arrived from the airport in a rental car. They were true tourists. When there had been a scheduling conflict with Anne’s day, they would hop in their car and they would discover something wonderfully new to see. After a week at Casa Duncan, the ladies drove to Tucson. Paula’s granddaughter, Peyton, is a freshman student at the university. This week’s visit seemed a bit of a daytime “whirr”, but we had nice visits over dinner and into the evenings. A couple of days after the ladies left Ajo, so did we.
            We needed a couple of days in Medford to prepare for the next Rob and Anne Great Adventure. This journey would be a family trip to Australia.
            Arrangements have been four months in the planning. We asked Chris and Matt to work together to find at least two weeks that they could take time away from their jobs. Of course, they had to be the same couple of weeks. Anne, Rob, Chris, Michel, Matt and Anne’ are going to share a trip Down Under.
            Anne and Rob are taking care of the travel expenses, which include a special tour in Australia. Scheduling and pre-paying for everything was a bit of an international nightmare, but it all got done in time.
            Rob and Anne have returned to Australia a couple of times since their return to America in the late 1970’s. The boys have never been back. It was time to introduce them to their old homeland and friends.
            Anne took on the monster task of securing all of the to and from airline tickets. We each were responsible for receiving the necessary Australia travel visas. The visa application is done on-line. One fills out a form and waits a day or so for the approval notice to arrive. For five of us that is how the process for the visa went.
            The visa application asks if you have had any convictions. On a day long ago, Matt had received a DUI citation. He answered Yes to the question. His entry visa was denied. The only way that he could get a visa was if it was based on compassionate reason, e.g., the death of a close family member who was resident in Australia. Even if approved, it would take a couple of weeks to process the approval exception. There wasn’t time for this form of a request, besides no one had died.
            Matt emailed the Australian Consulate and presented them with a plea based upon the one-time nature of the family trip down-under. The consulate came back with observation that Matt had been born in Australia. They recognized that he was a citizen of the country. He didn’t need a visa, but he did need an Australian passport. Based upon this revelation, the consulate had a temporary passport in the mail within a day. Yea. The trip for six was on again.
            We were all anxious as the departure hour neared. Had all of the pre-planning been done completely? Tucker drove us from Chris’ house to the airport. We passed through security and we waited for the 1:54pm flight to San Francisco (SFO). Then came an announcement that our departure would be delayed due to runway work being done at SFO.
            The delay time was used to sit for a lunch at the airport’s second floor Bar & Grill. In a short while we were called o board the plane. We landed at the San Francisco airport at a little past 5pm. We received a text from Matt that they, too, had just landed. We will meet them at our international departure gate.
            Knowing that my hip would not welcome the long walk from the domestic side of the SFO terminal to its international side, Anne had prearranged a wheelchair service. This was a wonderful thing to have done. We each carried a backpack and we pulled a small suitcase. The path to our departure gate 10G was a good mile away. I wish that Anne had arranged the service for herself as well. This was the way to travel within a large airport.
            While enroute to the gate 10G, Chris and Michel had split away to do some shop visiting. This had put them several minutes behind us. At 10G we created a collection of luggage near our lounge seats. Chris and Michel were off once again.
            Matt and Anne’ finally showed up. Their trek to gate 10G had been even longer than ours. We stopped long enough to hug and greet one another before we received thumbs-up to go forth and seek a Tinny. Anne would stay with the luggage.
            It wasn’’t too long into our ale quest journey that my hip was slowing us down. Anne’ spotted an empty wheelchair near a gate. Matt learned that the chair had been abandoned. Now, it was ours.
            Yankee Pier was the first ale sot that we came onto. We were shown to a table and IPAs were bought for Matt and Rob. Anne’ ordered a white wine. Sadly, the bottle of wine ran out at half of a glass. The barkeep made up for this with a second full glass of a similar wine.
            It was great to begin to learn what has been happening with Matt’s work and with the going-ons at their home. Sweetwater Music, in Fort Wayne, is where he directs the purchase of accessories that will be featured for sale with their product line of guitars. He told me that the company recently acquired a firm which specializes in the manufacturing of items, such as guitar cases, which can be custom designed. His work at the company is going well, and he is remaining very busy.
            Chris and Michel were seen walking past the Pier. Matt leaped up and he flagged them down. We had left Anne alone at the gate too long. We finished our drafts and left.
            The boarding gate opened on time. We were eager to find our seats and to get buckled-in. We sat idle for an hour and a half. The pilot told us that we had a great tailwind. He said that the Aussies frowned on arriving too early. He said that the flight time would be 14 hours and 20 minutes. Was this all fluff? Perhaps.
            We were crossing the Pacific on a Boeing 777. The triple seven is a large, comfortable aircraft. It has two massive engines. Our seats were to the rear of the wings so we got to share in some of the roar of the beasts. Sleep on this flight was done with catnaps. Two meals were served and there were plenty of snacks for in between.
            When I was flying, I picked up a multi-engine certificate by putting in the flight hours in a twin engine piper. One of the significant benefits of having additional engines is for in the event of an engine failure. Part of the training in the Piper was to be able to manage an engine failure happening during the climb-out after takeoff. The task becomes one of creating stable, safe flight on the one engine and then returning to the airport for a single engine landing. The huge 777 may never lose the performance of one of its massive Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines. However, while flying the 7,424 mile wide Pacific Ocean…
            The airport in Sydney, Australia is very large, and it is very busy. Nearly 50 million passengers pass through the airport each year. Almost 1,000 aircraft fly in and out of the Sydney field each day. As it is with all large airports, they are designed to serve the hiking craved sector of the population. At no airport will the departure gate be anywhere nearby the landing gate.
            Carry-on luggage wheels chatter as they are rolled across the unknown lengths of tiled hallways. Rob’s wheelchair rattles as it is being kindly pushed towards the exit gate location by either Chris or Matt. As it turns out, the wheelchairs may have actually been designed to favor the hiker, as well. The unpadded chair seat is made of molded fiberglass. Sitting in the chair for a few minutes leaves the passenger with the feeling that his body’s inability to walk long distances may have been healed.
            The mainland of Australia is divided into seven geographical regions: five of the areas are states, and two are federal territories. The nation has a total of 16 regions. It has six states, three internal territories, and seven external territories.
            West Australia is the largest state, with the Northern Territory (NT) coming in third. Second place goes to the slightly larger northeastern state of Queensland. That is for landmass. Population, however, is a different story. The award for the most dense population goes to Victoria. It has 28.47 people per square kilometer. Queensland has 2.93 people per square kilometer, West Australia shares a square kilometer with 1.08 people, while the Northern Territory has but 0.18 people per square kilometer. Folks in the NT are few and far between. You may have to survey over 5.5 square kilometers before you come across someone to have dinner with.
            The total population of the NT is 252,600 people. Compare that to New South Wale’s population of 8,395,000. Within the NT, its capital city, Darwin, holds the medal with 171,264 people.
            The NT is known around the world for its well established agriculture and its horticultural export products. Livestock, seafood, fruit and vegetables, and forestry products are shipped from Darwin’s ports. The two main industries in the NT are government services, primarily for the Indigenous Aboriginal peoples, construction, and the mining sectors.
            Darwin has Australia’s busiest seaports. The main commodities exported are confidential items (most likely liquified natural gas) (65%), petroleum and related products (15.5%), with ores and metal scrap (7.3%).
            With the entry to, and with the passport and custom exit from the Sydney airport completed, we were loaded onto a Boeing 737 for the four hour flight to Darwin. The 737 is not as well served for the passengers as was the 777. For example, on the back of the seat in front of you in the 777 was a built-in, full service entertainment center. The programmable instrument included live flight data-logging. In order to stretch the feeling that the cross-pacific trip will never end, one can observe where the plane currently is in relation to some island land masses. It displays how many miles have been flown and how many are left to go. The same can be said of the elapsed time in the air and how much time remains.
            Between catnaps the travel logging seemed to slow down. When last observed there were over 9 hours of flight time remaining. Now, after the sleep, there are still more than 9 hours left to go. This is mentioned because as tedious as the observed times were, the information was there for the taking.
            The 737 seats did not come with a package similar to the 777. Travel time between Sydney and Darwin was just four and a half hours. It seemed, however, that without travel logging the time stood still.
            At approximately eleven thirty in the morning, two days after the trip had begun, we had arrived. With carry-on bags in tow, we walked the Darwin corridor to its baggage claim exit doors.
            Anne had arranged the rental of an SUV large enough for six plus luggage from the Dollar Rental company. Matt was named the designated driver for our Northern Territory adventures. So, it was he who got to go outside the terminal into the tropical heat to retrieve the vehicle.
            With seating for seven, there was little space left over for the collective pile of luggage. Chris stepped up as the load master and he soon had all of the travel pieces neatly interwoven to fill all remaining space. He had been trained well.
            OK, Matt, take us to 23/58 Bayview Boulevard, Bayview, NT. Without any difficulty the Subaru’s GPS took us to Bayview Boulevard. Now, where is 23/58? Anne had rented a three

Balcony View

bedroom condominium in Bayview. After several minutes of search confusion, it was realized that 23/58 meant unit 23 at 58 Bayview Boulevard. Now, why wasn’t that obvious?
            The second story condominium has a balcony which overlooks the bay. Directly in front is a yacht passage lock that is used to float from the higher level condominium docking area into the bay. The bay water depth is dependent upon the tide cycle. At sunrise, with a freshly brewed cup, the balcony is comfortable. While still quite humid at this hour the air is cool. The bay’s mangrove forest is alive with awakening birds. The large grove to the west is caped with white flowers. Shortly after sunrise the carpet of white rose away in unison and flew northward. Those hundreds of birds lined the tops of the trees for nighttime roosting.
            Across the bay to the southwest is the prominent skyline of downtown Darwin. Painted with the amber glow cast by the rising sun, the distant city is an impressive sight.                

Condo Sunrise

Matt had been designated our official NT chauffeur. However, he volunteered to be the family’s official chef. After settling into our selected bedrooms, a food store was chosen and a shopping list was drawn up. In the middle of the afternoon, on Saturday, March 30^th the car was loaded and it headed for Woolworth’s, the fresh food people.
            When the crew returned, Anne was still shaken by the amount she had just spent for groceries. The boys calmed her down when they had converted the Australian food bill into American dollars, which meant a much smaller number. It was discovery time for chef Matt. Where were the pots and pans and why are there so many different spray cans of insect and pest repellent in the cupboard with the spices? “Someone tell me how many degrees Celsius that 160 degrees Fahrenheit is?”
            The meals took a bit longer to prepare than what Matt had expected. However, he did a fantastic job and the meals were complete, balanced and refined with trimmings.
            Sunday, March 31^st, is Easter. Following a wonderful breakfast and the memory of the

Condo Exercise w/TV

tropical sunrise, with the resulting cacophony of songs by the awakened wildlife, we headed into the city. The tourist goal for this morning was to experience one of Darwin’s large open air markets.
            Yes, you can Google the address for such things, and we did. An easy, graveled parking lot was nearby. A block’s walk away, we entered the alley that was the market. Dozens of open-front tents offered goods which ranged from foods, to jewelry, to clothing. Booth after booth of ethnic specific foods were being presented. There was a refreshing Mardi Gra spirit emanating from the mass of market goers this Easter morning.
            We were all a little more caught up on our sleep as we began to gather, around 0600, at the coffee pot. Today was going to be our first national park excursion. Monday, April Fools Day, was going to be spent touring Litchfield National Park.
            Litchfield National Park is located approximately ninety miles from Darwin. The park contains Wangi Falls and it is bordered on the western edge by the River Adelaide. We drove the loop which ran inside the park. The loop linked the trip to Wingi Falls, as well as to Tjaetabe Falls, Tolmer Falls and Florence Falls.
            Today’s weather was to be in the mid-to-high eighties, with humidity posted at 99%. Rain was forecast at 70%. We found a covered picnic table at Wingi Falls. Anne had made sandwiches for everyone and we had loaded them into the esky along with water and beer. After lunch, the walk was made to visit the falls. Anne and Rob stayed behind and they watched personal gear that had been left on the table.
            The loop road within the park is very irregular and hilly. Add to those initial conditions a monsoonal down pour and the driving became very scary. The wipers weren’t adequate and the highway became flooded. Then, as soon as it had started the rain fall stopped.
            The main north/south highway in Australia’s outback is the Stuart Highway, aka, A1. This road will take you from Darwin, at the top, to Port Augusta in South Australia. The Stuart Highway has been an economic carotid artery on the continent for many decades. When Anne and Rob lived in South Australia (SA) in the seventies, the Stuart Highway wasn’t much more than a well-worn dirt trek. One needed to drive at over 50 mph before the infinite series of potholes became just a “buzz” underneath. Three and four trailer caravans, popularly known as freight trains, owned this highway. The dust cloud signature of a freight train could be seen across the flat outback for many miles ahead. The freight trains still rule, but their environmental impact has been tamed with white lines and divided pavement roads.
            When you see a name like this on the map you cannot help but wonder what the town must be like. We were going to be taken right past Humpty Doo, so why not stop and have a look. The Humpty Doo shopping center was agead on the right. Hold your comments about the Humpty Doo Hotel. The mall has a Woolworth’s food store. Chicken stir fry is what comes out of the kitchen tonight. Four shoppers were dropped off near the Woolworth’s food store. Chris and Rob drove back to the Center’s entrance. At the lot’s entrance was a petrol station, a drive-up bottle shop, and the Humpty Doo Tavern.
            Chris parked the Subaru and we found our way into the tavern. The tap row had a modest selection, but it did have a pale ale choice. Chris’ choice was a pint of cider. Twenty dollars AU bought us a pint of each. After retreating from the rugged parkland loop road, the ale was the right thing to do.
            The rain had begun again, the shopping was finished and a partial car load was waiting for us. Chris and Rob dashed to the drive-through petrol lanes. Matt drove in from the rain and we loaded up.
            Tuesday morning it is 78F at 0600. The forecast is cloudy, 70% chance of rain, with a high of 90F. The current humidity is 93%. The expectation of today is to drive downtown and do a walkabout. This afternoon we will drive to the WWII War Museum.

Aussie Tank

            On February 19, 1942, the Japanese air forces lay siege on Darwin. Plane after plane flew over the harbor city dropping bombs and strafing surviving motion with 50mm machine gun fire. Rich with oil reserves and Empire sustaining minerals and metals, Australia was to be a must have conquest.
            The northern, West Australian city of Broome was also attacked by air a number of times. Sydney harbor was attacked by two midget submarines. After the February fall of Singapore, the Australian government, military and the people were seriously concerned about a Japanese invasion. This fear led to a rapid expansion of Australia’s war economy. It also brought closer ties with the United States.
            A ground invasion of Australia had been hotly argued between the Japanese army and naval forces. The army felt that as many as ten divisions, up to 250,000 men would be required to secure Australia’s far north central and western coastal areas. The transportation of a force of that size would require up to two million tons of shipping.
            The Japanese navy wanted to limit an invasion to securing the northern enclave. The army argued that given the allied counter offensive, anything short of the conquering of the

Rest Stop

entire Australian continent should not be considered. A continental invasion was beyond Japan’s abilities. An invasion of Australia was laid to rest.
            The subsequent attacks on northern Australia’s ports were not precursors to an invasion. The February 19^th attack on Darwin and the March 3^rd attack on Broome were conducted to prevent he use of these cities by the allies as bases to contest Japan’s invasion of the Dutch East Indies. The attack on Sydney harbor, in May 1942, had the intent of diverting allied attention away from Japan’s attempt to capture Midway Island.
            The Darwin Military Museum, located in East Point, NT, was the museum we chose to visit. The East Point Reserve was an actual Australian defensive location. Huge 9 inch cannon structures were still in place and the collection and display of military history seem natural for the location. The museum presented a griping history of the war years for the Australian’s. Indeed, during those years of the 1940’s, Darwin was Australia.
            The Sundancer’s Sunset Dinner Cruise of the Darwin harbor was our treat for Tuesday evening. After a short, refreshing stop at the condominium, we set out for the harbor dock yards. The Sundancer was berthed at Dock #1. The three-hour long harbor cruise was slow and easy. The large forty-foot catamaran was fitted with a single mast, and it was stocked with

On the Net

chests of chilled, sparkling Brut wine. Once deck seating spots had been chosen by the twenty plus guests, a beautifully tanned and suggestively dressed deckhand began issuing glasses of the refreshing wine.
            After a few minutes into the cruise, a second young woman deckhand began circling the large deck with offerings of hor d’oeuvres. The captain had a CD player on the foredeck, beneath the mast. Hit songs from the 60’s broke the dominant presence of the sound of the bows advancing through the waves. The large front gap between the two bows was covered with netting. The net held beanbags which set around the cable walled perimeter. The younger of our party walked across the net and found the bags to their socializing satisfaction. There was, however, no way that this old man was going to put his weight on the thin black netting that formed a border between comfort and an unwelcomed bath.
            There was no sightseeing purpose of the harbor cruise, other than to be able to capture an unobstructed view of the fabled saltwater sunset. More wine and more dishes kept coming from the kitchen below deck. Soon, the socializing on deck became the ships dominate noise source. The champagne glasses were refilled and new dishes were presented.
            The western skies were cloud dominant and they were preparing to present a remarkable sunset. This was to be some many minutes away. The active socializing between newly acquainted friends prevented the visual awareness of the nature of the clouds overhead. There were a couple of very dark and heavily ladened cumulus mixed among the otherwise tranquil mass of fluffy white.
            Gaiety on the newly painted, gray textured deck was replaced with shock and with bursts of panic as the Sundancer passed through a heavy curtain that separated hot humid air from instant body drenching wetness. Lightening flashed and thunder exploded. A fortunate

Cruise Enjoyment

few had found early refuge in the limited space below deck. The heavy rainfall subsided. The air held a high damp humidity. A light mist greeted the guests as many climbed back onto the deck. The soft black pillows that had been used for sitting directly on the deck had all been stacked in a corner of the cabin. They were too wet to be of further use.
            Dusk was ebbing at the bows. The Sundancer’s captain maintained a constant crawl eastward towards the port. Deckside socializing had regained its former strength. As the sky grew darker, there appeared a narrow window of scarlet blushed gold light forming on the western horizon. The much highlighted feature of the cruise failed to develop. The captain maintained an eastward crawl. Perhaps a handful of guests glanced to the west to view what they had paid for.
            The Asian chef had turned out the advertised ten courses of a meal. There had been no main entree, it was just one tray of something snaky after another. The bubbly never stopped. Below deck there were to large round rubbish bins filled to near overflow with glass carcasses of the once lively Brut Champagne.
            The distant red and blue channel markers were growing slightly brighter. The large catamaran was skillfully guided to its earlier abandoned ropes. They would be reused to secure the Sundancer to its Dock #1 berth. The captain had completed the three hour cruise of Darwin’s harbor. The Sundancer was put to bed for another day.
            Wednesday morning saw the Duncan party gathering slowly around the dining room table. Matt had mapped out a plan for the day’s adventures in Darwin. The car was cooled down inside, loaded, and it was ready to leave parking spot twenty-three. By 10 o’clock we had left the underground parking lot and we were headed towards the Aboriginal art center that had been briefly visited yesterday. Re-exposure to the hundreds of painted and unframed works awaited us. Yesterday’s critique of the art center seemed to be spot on. There were hundreds of rapidly painted canvases. Some featured desirable themes, but all of them screamed mass production. One large, floor rug size painting was posted for sale at $100,000.
            A walking stick, or perhaps a ceremonial wand, was tagged for $900. The dowel-like stick was approximately three feet long. The dowel had been wrapped to within five inches of each end with a hemp-like string. In six inch segments, the wound string had been painted in different colors. The colorfully banded stick was of value if all of the string was removed. Other than for that, it was just plain $900 ugly. 
            Thursday morning the house was alive by 0600. Matt and Anne’ wanted to visit the botanical gardens, while the air was still on the cool end of the thermometer. They had set

Lock Entry

departure time for 7am. The sun was on the horizon at 0652. A few minutes prior, the harbor master had driven in with his Toyota utility flatbed truck. Far back in the upper boat parking lot there were ripples coming from the hidden docks. Both ends of the lock had closed gates. From his elevated control center, the harbor master directed the filling of his monstrous bathtub.
            When the lock was filled to the level of the boat garage the harbor master opened the inner gate. Lights at each side of the enormous barrier flashed. Slowly the gate folded down into the stale green water. After a few minutes, green lights flashed and the large boat slowly entered the lock. She was followed immediately by a small outboard motored craft. Once both vehicles had entered, the rear gate was raised to seal the lock once again.
            The boats began to lower. In a very short amount of time the roof mounted air conditioner units on the large boat disappeared. The harbor gate began to open. The small boat was the first to exit. Slowly, the large craft began to appear beneath the limbs of the

Lock Exit

bankside tree. Its limbs couldn’t fully shadow the huge white craft.
            It was decided, Chris, Michel, Matt and Anne’ were going out to find some sandy beaches. Their first choice was Mindle Beach, but maybe there are others. Meanwhile, the more elderly, beach experienced couple stayed behind in the cool condominium. The experience at the beach, from Matt’s report, was that the water was too hot to have enjoyed, even if they had wanted to jump in. Saltwater crocodiles and stingrays are a couple of the reasons why they didn’t want to go for a swim.
            After showers and clothes changes, we were ready for a stop at one of the neighborhood bars. Today’s choice is the Zen Rooftop Lounge. The Zen is on the 16^th floor of Darwin’s Ramada Suites Zen Quarters. Stairs were an option, but the vote went to the non-ventilated inside of the hotel’s elevator.

Zen Lounge

            We were emptied at the lounge entrance. A tab was opened for drinks and we stepped onto the open air rooftop, where one could find a table and chairs. We chose a table that featured some shade. The weather today was clear, hot and humid.
            At the chest high roof wall, you could walk 360 degrees around the Ramada’s rooftop. Pause at the Zen wall with a cool drink in the hand and look at the near-city composition. The views were spectacular. On the tiptoes it was possible to look straight down. The first thing that caught the eyes was a hotel fresh-water swimming pool. Two men sat on the water bound pool steps. One of the men was wearing a dark, long sleeve shirt. Or, perhaps it was the top half of more formal dress which had been worn to an earlier hotel function.
            We enjoyed our relaxed evening. Matt shared experiences that he had had with more famous musician visitors to the Sweetwater shops. These celebrities were at the Sweetwater

City from the Zen

venue to purchase equipment directly from the country’s greatest resource. This led to table talk about popular, and not so favorite performers who had been seen on the Jacksonville Britt Stage. The Britt is a hometown, open air stage that provides a popular hillside Saturday evening musical outing.
            On the drive back to the condominium, we stopped at a Best Foods store for some dinner menu items. Open face quarters of tortillas were served. They were topped wih last night’s chicken stir-fry. Sprawled in seating spots around the living room, we enjoyed the simple dinner while we watched an Adelaide vs Melbourne footy match. I heard the Telly being turned off as Anne was waking me to ask if I wanted to stay up and watch more TV. It was past 9 o’clock. Bed was chosen. 
            Four thirty came early on Saturday morning. Clean up and go. We had to be at the Doubletree Hotel by six o’clock. Buses would take us from there to the Darwin Convention Center. At the center we could indulge in a complimentary breakfast. All of this so that we could be bused to the Darwin Rail Station. 
            It was early, but now we were running on the Ghan Expedition train line. Matt had returned the rental car and he and Anne’ had walked the couple of blocks to meet the center buses. The twenty-minute bus ride to the rail station was a chance to catch a nap. We had been assigned cabins 1,2 and 3 on the Gold Service carriage “O”. We boarded the train between carriages M and L. Carriage L is the Parlor Car.
            The walk down the narrow, windowed carriage halls, while carrying a backpack and pulling a squirrely bag wasn’t fun. The doors between the train cars pushed open hard and they wanted to slam closed. Two cars later, we were at our rooms. We were home for four days. Time to begin relaxing.

Gahn Sunrise

            The train isn’t anything like I had expected. It is better. Our room is small. It has twin beds. The top bed requires a ladder which attaches to the outside wall. The room has a shallow wall closet and a full service bathroom. The stateroom has two windows, one is in the room and the other is across the narrow hall if the door is open.
            The train will make three excursion stops, however, the tracks between Darwin and Adelaide are there primarily for freight train service. This means that if a freighter needs to get by, then the Ghan will seek the closest pullover tracks and await the freight train’s passage. The waits may be quite long.
            Our first off-train adventure is for a stop at Katherine. Flowing past Katherine is the River Katherine. This river is noted for its tourist attraction on a section called the River Gorge. The gorge is a couple of miles long. It is contained by high walls of fractured and season stained sedimentary rock. This deep, slow moving part of the River Katherine is trapped at each end by wide, shallow rapids. Tour buses ferried us from the Katherine rail station to the gorge entry point. There we were loaded onto large, flat bottomed river boats.
            The Northern Territory has two seasons, wet and dry. March into early April is the end of the wet season. There are often monsoonal rains for a few minutes each day. There are pools of water in roadside attendance everywhere. For a resident tourist from one of the four

Fig Tree

season states of Australia, the 150 foot width of the river and its depth through the gorge section must seem amazing in this water starved continent. For tourists from America’s Northwest, who have lived by the Rogue River gorge, have been to eastern Oregon’s Snake River gorge, and who have toured the Grand Canyon, the River Katherine gorge tour is a relaxing get-away.
            The tour boat’s skipper did a marvelous job of narrating the history of Katherine and of this region of the NT. The value of the river trip was spoiled, however, because the boat’s PA system had a very nasty buzz from the speakers. Few of the words could be understood.
            The town of Katherine marks the point where the traditional tribal lands of the Jawayn, Dogomaniard, Wordoman and the Alonginal people converge. It is where the outback meets the tropics. It is often called the crossroads of the north.
            On Sunday morning, half of cabin O-1 was up and dressed by 0530. The train had been still on a side track for a couple of hours. It regained a speed of over 65mph just before sunrise. We were traveling due south. From the cabin’s window the scene brought one of a dawning day with dark, flatland bush rushing past.
            I quietly exited the room and I raised the hallway window’s internal blind. To the east there was magic on the horizon. With no left or right interruptions, the bright orange and yellow pallet filled the view from the window.
            Breakfast was unscheduled this morning. Between 7am and 9am, it was first come first served. While waiting for others to arrive, time was spent in the lounge enjoying morning latte and watching the changing landscape speed past.
            At 11 am we are due to stop at Allice Springs. We selected a tour of Alice. We would be provided a box lunch. At 4 o’clock we will be returned to the train to freshen up for a 5:30 dinner under the stars.
            Alice Springs is one of the most densely populated areas for Aboriginal sacred sites. The Aboriginal Arrente people are the traditional custodians of Alice Springs. About 25% of Alice Springs’ population speak Arrente as their first language.
            Early in the 20^th century, the telegraph was brought to Alice Springs. A cable was laid between Adelaide and Darwin. An intermediary relay station was located in Alice Springs. A cluster of stone block buildings was built on a knoll. The main attraction to the knoll was the telegraph station. The telegraph station served also as the post office. There was built a black smith shop and a barracks. The station was a vital link between industrial Australia, to the south, and the shipping link to the rest of the world through the ports of Darwin. The stone buildings on the knoll have been beautifully maintained. They are guarded by large, manicured gum trees. The telegraph station was run jointly by the NT and the SA governments until 1932. That year the property was returned to the Arrente Aboriginal people.
 

Original Equipment

           In the early 1950’s the world saw an education evolution born in Alice Springs. The education resources for children living in the outback, in small settlements or on cattle stations was limited. The student’s family could purchase textbooks, but there was no adherence to a curriculum and the student never saw a teacher. This was recognized as being unacceptable.
            Wireless radio was first used and integrated into the central Australian education system by a woman who knew that there was a better way. Textbooks had been available. Now, with a ham radio transceiver, the outback youth could receive one-on-one attention and assistance with lessons. The methods developed in Alice have been adopted worldwide. With the advent of satellite communication, and with the arrival of the internet, interactive teaching capabilities have been much refined. A full, curriculum based primary and secondary education is now available.
            On its surface, Australia presents a wholesome, picturesque setting. Stately gum trees shade homesites and they provide an opportunity for comfort from the often oppressive sun.

Lizard

On the flip side of the picture is found the most death threatening country in the world. Perhaps it was through continental isolation. Or maybe because Australia is such a nice place to live. For whatever reason, the country harbors the greatest collection of venomous animals in the world.
            Snakes of all wiggling sizes and colors, a large array of lizards, and the huge salt water crocodile can cloud the safety of a country stroll. Those are some of the animals that will hear you coming, and if not threatened may avoid contact. On the smaller, squishable size are the assortment of crawling bugs. The redback spider likes darkened hiding spots. It is the wise user who lifts the seat in a dunny to rest assured that there is nothing present that may wish an early morning bare skin bite.
            A visit to the capitol city of central Australia won’t be complete without a visit to the reptile museum. At this Alice Springs facility one is educated by a trained, knowledgeable and highly spirited reptilian expert. Tell me now. Who doesn’t want to know all that they can about these horrible creatures.
            Sunday ended with a bus trip from the Alice Springs’ train station to the telegraph station. The purpose of the visit was to enjoy a dinner under the stars. The choice of locations seemed curious for this type of an event, until the unique setting was seen. The actual telegraph station was open for inspection. Two men were working in the blacksmith’s building. They plied their trade with hammer, anvil and fiery hot metal. From square rod stock they were demonstrating the steps involved in creating a bottle cap remover.

Telegraph Station

            With the darkening skies, illumination at the bases of the majestic, bare skinned gum trees brought a gift of artistic light to the grounds. A small field of tables had been set up nearby. Each table was lighted with a small lantern. We found a table and we parked for the evening’s activity. A large catering firm had set up serving tables and ovens. Each of the four courses was brought to the table during the next hour. A four piece band played through the dinner hour. After desert, the rural sky had blackened. The milky way and familiar constellations became visible. The band retired to applause. It was replaced at the microphone by an astronomer. The host had a bright sky-penetrating laser beam. With the beam, he could point to individual stars or constellations. He provided us the origin of names and the navigational interest that a given star may provide. The Southern Cross shone brightly above the foliage of a huge gum tree. He spoke in depth about the Crux constellation. Crux is one of the best known constellations in the southern hemisphere. It is easily recognizable for the cross-shaped asterism, the Southern Cross, formed by its five brightest stars. The constellation is associated with a number of stories and it figures prominently in different mythologies in the southern hemisphere. It holds special importance in Australia and New Zealand, where it is circumpolar and can be seen throughout the year. Composed of five stars that form the pattern of a diamond, the Southern Cross is the most distinctive feature of the constellation Crux, the smallest constellation in the sky. It gives the constellation its English name, the Southern Cross.
            In a lower field of the telegraph hill-complex there were several half-barrel, open flame cookers. Each had significant fires burning. Near the end of the barrel row was a table with bowls of marshmallows and a bowl that held a pile of six inch slips of pointed wood, the kind one might use to stab an olive with. Each half barrel of fire had several folks trying to roast a marshmallow using the short stick. If one could balance the stick and marshmallow on the edge of the barrel, then it was possible to achieve a roast. Otherwise, it was the fingers that got roasted. This had been a wonderfully different kind of an evening adventure. In short order, the bus returned us to the train.
            The Ghan traveled through the night. Early Monday morning it was announced that we would arrive at the Manquri siding around 0830. The breakfast was rushed and the buses were loaded. Our train coach, and two others were assigned to ride on bus #2.
            John was the driver of bus #2. We have ridden with him before. John drove from the Manquri Crossing to Coober Pedy. The twenty some miles between the two stops was

Cave Shopping

traveled over the old Sturt Highway. The dirt road was a trip on a jiggle bus the entire way. Our breakfast meal had been turned to mush, by the time we arrived in Coober Pedy.
            Opal was accidently discovered in 1915 during a gold mining expedition. The opal production in the Coober Pedy mines is the world’s largest. Since the early discovery, there have been restrictions added on to what a single person may do with a mine. Each individual can dig one mine shaft. The estimates are that there have been over one and a half million shafts dug to date.
            Our tour of the town included visits to underground home sites, both older and newer styles. Because of the oppressive heat conditions during the center’s summer, a large number of Coober Pedy’s residents live underground. With the aid of six foot diameter rock borers, an entry tunnel is dug into the sedimentary wall of a knoll. This tunnel is then enlarged and side room branches are dug. Routes are carved into the walls, ceilings, and floors for pipes and wiring. The grooves are then cemented over. These residents are provided with year-round comfort and with nearly constant room temperatures.
            In the 1990’s, John Mignone and I made a visit to Coober Pedy. Remembrance was

Older Cave Kitchen

that back then the community was pretty sparce. We camped out in an early underground motel. That particular unit had been bored out with a 12 foot diameter borer for the main shaft. Side rooms that were used for sleeping were dug with a smaller shaft. The rooms were perhaps ten feet deep. There were no cement floors, and there were no beds. We slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Wow! A lot has changed.
            Once covered by an inland sea, the opal was created from millions of years of skeletal remains being staked and converted into stone. The vast size of this rich piece of Australia has become a noodler’s dream. The township, however, is not an idyllic city. Nearly every backyard is cluttered with hardware or broken down machinery, the parts from which may one day come in handy. Some of the labeled streets have been paved, most are not. Dirt prevails in Coober Pedy. It seems like the town’s growth may be limited by the mine digs which surround it. Long time residents are none-the-less proud of what they have created and in the fact that this isolated population has a worldwide reputation.
            At about the scheduled time of 11:30am, the Ghan Expedition train pulled to a stop at the Adelaide railyards terminal. Tuesday morning in the city was cloudy and the air was brisk. We were met by Cherri Lange and her son, Michael. Two vehicles were required to carry the

Cave Luncheon

six travelers and their luggage. The ride from the terminal was directly to the Lange home, in the suburb of Marden, where Roger awaited us. We unloaded the cars and temporarily parked our luggage in the garage. Michael needed to return to work, so we said our thanks and our goodbye’s. After an initial welcoming visit, Roger drove Anne, Matt and Rob to the airport to pick up our reserved rental car.
            As consumer’s can more often expect today, when an item is reserved for future use, it ends up being unavailable when called for. This was our seven passenger SUV example. We ended up with an eight passenger KIA vehicle. The price quoted for the unavailable car was applied to the KIA rental. This was OK. Both cars drove back to the Langes. Luggage was loaded into both cars and Roger led the way to the Levi Adelaide Holiday Park.
            The Levi park is first a caravan park. It also has a couple of rows of new, one bedroom cabins. We were booked into cabins 3, 5 and 6. Each cabin had all of the normal motel room features. They also had full size freezer/fridge, ovens, burner top, kitchen sink and a table with chairs. The front porch had chairs, a side table and a small BBQ. Anne and I were booked in the park through Thursday night. We will then move into the Lange’s guest room. Chris, Michel, Anne’ and Matt will stay through Friday night. They will fly from Adelaide to the States early Saturday morning.
            After getting setup in each of our cabins, we drove to the Lange’s for the afternoon and

Michel's Wallaby

for the evening. Roger maintains a large three car garage. Over the years he has rebuilt several classic autos. Today the garage is home to an Audi, a Triumph roadster and a Triumph sedan. Between the second and third cars, Roger has built a large slot-car track table. He has collected many slot cars. There are over a dozen 128^th scale model cars. There are models of classic street and track vehicles.
            Roger briefed all gathered about how to use the track system. Chris and Matt were both eager to begin racing. During the next few hours there must have been dozens of crashes. Both boys had to learn how not to over-drive their vehicles. We drove from the Langes talking about how well certain cars performed on the track.
            Wednesday was loaded with activity. It began with a drive deep into the neighboring Adelaide hills. There, we checked into the Gorge Animal Reserve. Built on a gentle hillside, the Gorge reserve is several acres of natural flora woven with graveled paths. The paths take one past dozens of wire enclosures that have become the home for different species of mammal or bird. Large open areas in the reserve are occupied by wallabies of different breeds, and by many species of uncaged birds. The Gorge is staffed with younger adults. Some were tending to the special dietary needs of the animals, while others minded to the continuous need for maintenance of the tidiness of the

The Guy's best Friends

homes of their animal friends. All of the Gorge staff were dressed in a casual safari look.
            At 1130 the koalas were presented to children, and to adults, to pet and to hold. As partners, Chris and Michel, and Matt and Anne’ took advantage of the unique opportunity to cuddle the warm, soft and docile animals. The tour of the Gorge Animal Reserve had been a wonderful way to spend the Aussie morning.
            Hahndorf is a small town located in the Adelaide hills. The town was settled in the 19^th century by Lutheran migrants. Hahndorf is known for its original German style architecture and for its artisan foods. The shops along main street in Hahndorf are very popular tourist attractions.
            Matt found a place to park our KIA. We were going to walk a few blocks further to find the Haus, a highly rated German restaurant. Liter steins of ale were poured. Schnitzel, salad, fish & chips and hot dogs were ordered for our lunches. We ate on an open air balcony. We enjoyed the festive spirit of passing visitors. We walked through a few of the shops and we came away with some favored candies. The beauty of this visit to Hahndorf was in the town’s buildings, in the festive spirit of the visitors on the sidewalks, and in the Alpian-like location and the road it took to get there. If you travel to Adelaide, visit Hahndorf.
            A request was made that a visit to the beach should be included. So, on Thursday we

Pier at Port Elliot

loaded into two cars and we headed to the sands. On the way to the beach, we once again fished through the neighboring hills. We were being taken to Port Elliot. The mission at the port was twofold. First it was to find a place to eat, and second it was to have a stroll on the beach.
            Two cars had been taken on the beach trip. There were too many of us for one car. With Roger driving one car, and with Cherri in the second car we were guaranteed travel commentary. Roger led us directly to a large parking lot that bordered the beach. At one end of the lot were changing rooms, showers and toilets. At the other end was a fish fry restaurant. We ordered our lunch meals and we ate them at an outside table.
            After lunch, Matt and Anne’ walked the length of the beach on one edge of the

Lunch at Port Elliot

enclosed bay. The rest of us watched the waves pound the amber sands, or walked to the point of the pier which marked the other end of the crescent bay’s beach. This had been an active afternoon.
            Earlier in the day Roger had led us to Beafield road in the northern suburb of Para Hills. Beafield, from Main North road, takes us past Para Hills High School. This is where Rob taught maths, in the early 1970s. Para Hills had been the first “Open Space” school in South Australia. The school had just been built. Rob was one of the school's original teachers. There is generally always some small way that a complex process can be performed differently. This is certainly true with how one is educated. However, there may be a positive correlation between the number of degrees an education administrator holds and how badly their directives can screw up the process that they profess to improve.
            It is this former educator’s opinion that classroom education should include doors that close and walls that define the classroom space. The open space approach had neither of these. That had been an interesting experiment. A drive through the parking lot presented a campus complex of buildings that was greatly different. 
            Returning to the city via Main North highway, Roger made a diversion as we entered the Enfield suburb. A left-hand turn led us to Sattler Terrace. We stopped a few moments to gaze at the front yard of our former home at Number 10, Sattler Terrace. The lack of front yard upkeep presented a disappointing scene. However, it had been 45 years since it had been ours. The main point of the visit was to show the boy where we had called home.
            Home after a busy day, it was decided that we should treat ourselves to some carry-out for dinner. Cherri and Anne came up with a wonderful selection of Asian prepared chicken and beef dishes. Following dinner, Roger and Rob challenged Cherri and Anne to pinochle. The evening finished in a two-for-two tie. More games were needed.
            Friday morning was special. This was Rob and Anne’s check-our day at the Levi park. With their room cleaned and bags repacked, the team drove to the Lange’s. Following a wonderful breakfast, the men and women went separate directions. Cherri and Anne found

The SL-C

their way to the shops, Michel wanted to explore central Adelaide, and the guys, with Anne’, drove to Plympton to visit John Mignone.
            Several years ago, John constructed a Superlite SL-C car. Manufactured as a kit, the track ready vehicle was distributed by a firm in Queensland. New to such a venture, John had received assistance at the Queensland plant. He spent a month at the plant, during the initial part of the build. John constructed a large garage at the rear of his Plympton home property. John moved the SL-C into the garage so that he could complete the enormous amount of detail work that needed to be done. He had the body painted a rich black. The seats which sat side by side in the tight cockpit were upholstered red.
            A 5-Liter Chevy V8 was installed behind the seats. The motor was coupled to an Audi transaxle. The powerful V8 pounds its exhaust through un-muffled pipes to the rapidly passing

John & the GT-40 

curbside. Forward lifting doors reveal a low footwell into what one must climb. John’s new car quickly passed registration and safety inspections. He was issued a Street Worthy Certificate for the SL-C.
            The finished SL-C appears to be flawless in its construction. John had given Rob a ride in the car, shortly following its completion. The surrounding fit of the seats and the secure snug of the three point harness leaves one feeling like they may be ready for takeoff in a fighter jet. The engine roars and the upper body is jammed against the rear of the seat. This gorgeous track ready street car is everything and more. The SL-C wasn’t taken from the garage today but John fired it up for all to enjoy. We were rattled.
            John took much enjoyment in what he had built. He was no longer a novice. John knew, instinctively, that he possessed a gift for craftmanship. He had space in his garage. John wasn’t though yet. John un-shelved his wrenches and he invested in a second kit vehicle. This one would be more complex in its construction demands. When completed, the car will be a replica of the Ford GT-40 that was used in the Ford vs Ferrari movie. 
            The build-time on the GT moved slowly. This was for two main reasons, firstly because

The Boys & Their Cars

the detail involved had dictated this would happen, and secondly because receipt of critical components was delayed by the resources of the kit distributor. After eight years in its building, the GT-40 was ready for the South Australian State safety inspection process and ultimately the issuance of a road worthy certification. Like John’s SL-C, the GT-40 has been marvelously built. All eyes in the garage lit up when he ignited the fuel feeding the big Ford V8. Through straight pipe exhaust ports, the roar of the engine signaled power to all nearby structures. This level of strength may be unchallenged.
            John signaled for Chris to climb in. He then slowly backed the car from the garage. He turned in around on the large cement pad that he had built with the garage. He slowly loped through his carport to the street. First gear and then second, the GT rapidly reached the corner. Now out of view, the GT’s signature echoed

"Climb in Chris"

from all directions in the Plympton suburb. Matt had the next turn and Rob had the last. The seat level is at, or just below that of the door jam. Getting into the car was a matter of finding the way to extend your legs down and into the deep body-well that is between the center console and the side wall. One needs to scrunch low so that the top of the door extension does not smash your head. The harness is snapped and snugged. The passenger is loaded. The gear shifter is on the right, just inside the driver’s doorway. The polished rods connected to the steel shifter are unupholstered and they tighten on their assembly as John pulls with strength from first gear into second. It had been perhaps no more that two seconds from idle that the engine had wound up tight. The body was shaken as we drove around the city blocks. In a normal vehicle the body shake would have been attributed to road noise. This morning, however, the engine was the source.  
            We returned to the house with several new things to talk about. The trip to John’s had been a treat. Later today the extended Lange family visited. Elise, Andy and Jayden were greeted. They were joined by Michael, Stephany and their two sons, Sebastion and Nate. Elise and her younger brother, Michael, are original Lange property. Our two families first met through the association that Chris and Elise had in their shared Kindergarten classroom. Friendships between the two families was quickly re-established. The afternoon became conversationally very active. It was great to see the two families bond once again. Should the paths of our youngsters cross again in the future, their juncture will be a spot recognized by its warmth and its friendship.
            Anne and Rob said goodbye to their four travel mates. They were to be up before dawn to link up with their return flights to the United States. Unsupported levels of confidence that all would go well were expressed by them as we hugged our “See you later”.
            Saturday Cherri and Anne were to spend the afternoon playing games with a clutch of Cherri’s lady friends. Roger took on some maintenance tasks around the home. The goldfish pond received needed cleaning with the power washer. Later that evening the wall behind the fish pond sparkled with reflected highlights of activity within the lighted pool. Following the evening dinner, which featured some leftovers from Friday’s large spread, it was the guys vs the gals at the pinochle table. After a handful of games, we retired. The to-be revisited score was left as boys ahead and girls behind.
            Sunday afternoon was scheduled to be busy. Roger and Cherri had planned a reunion of Rob’s former high school teacher mates. Included would be John Mignone, Chris Basset, and Pat Van dersomen. Chris’ wife, Rosie and Patrick’s wife Michelle were welcomed as well. As founding members of the Thursday night poker club, the five men had formed tight friendship bonds. The ladies had also been involved in support of the weekly games. They, too, had formed lasting friendships. Each had brought a contribution to the late afternoon lunch.
            We talked and we reminisced on our past Adelaide lives together. The evening bell tolled. It was time to pack up and leave. It was anxious to say goodbye to the old friends. The opportunity may not be there again to be able to hug a hello.
            The lights at the Lange home were finally turned off after a re-match of pinochle was battled. Scared and slightly re-wounded, the ladies excused themselves near eleven pm.
            Monday was fun. Around noon, Roger and I drove to Port Adelaide. The purpose was to visit Pirate Life Brewery. Located on Baker Street, Pirate Life is in a large old warehouse

Mannum Hotel on the Murray

building. Inside it is spacious and clean. A long bar presents a wall of information regarding current brews. To the sides are glassed-in views of some of the brewery tanks. Perhaps unique is the outside courtyard. One needs to walk through the yard to reach the front doors. The yard is expansive and it has many high and low seated picnic-like tables. Each is covered overhead with a fabric sunshield.
            At the inside service counter, we studied the list of brews being presented on the tap wall. There were too many to choose from. We each settled on a tray that held four, one-cup glasses. Each selected what he was going to sample. We carried our trays to an outside table where we sipped while we visited. This was a very nice way to spend time with a friend.
            While we were at the brewery, Anne was preparing a pulled pork dinner. This she served over open face hamburger buns. On the plate next to the meal was a ladle’s worth of beans with tomato sauce and a side pile of sole slaw. The meal was great. A blueberry muffin was enjoyed for desert. Now it was time for pinochle.
            Some things are truly upside down, the Aussies put the adjectives first on some things. For example, where we would refer to the Mississippi River, the Aussies would say the River Mississippi. Today, Tuesday we are going to drive to the River Murray. The Murray has its origin in the Snowy mountains of New South Wales. This mountain range is in the southeastern region of Australia. It is the highest mountain range with Mount Kosciuszko, at 7,310 feet, being Australia’s tallest peak. The Snowies are part of the Great Dividing Range on the continent. The mouth of the River Murray is at the ocean, in Goolwa, South Australia. It is the largest river that runs through South Australia. On its way to the ocean, the River Murray has left a rich field of soil. Vineyards flourish on its imported nutrients.
            We weren’t visiting the Murray for wine today. We drove to Mannum because it is a beachhead for activity on the river. Arriving at lunchtime, Roger parked curbside at the Pretoria Hotel. We were shown to a table, and we enjoyed Aussie beef pies for lunch. The pie was flushed with a dark Toothy ale.
                River cruises are popular in Mannum. We didn’t want to do a cruise, but we did want to take the ferry across the river. Regular ferry service is available, all day each day. The cable drawn ferry costs nothing for the trip. It is viewed as an extension of the highway which continues on the other side. Loading six cars onto the ferry was quick. It took no more than a few minutes and we were driving on the other side. We stopped in the parkland, into which the vehicles were unloaded. Large willow trees were popular along the banks of the river. The return ferry carried only four cars. We drove off and turned right onto the highway towards Adelaide.
                While Roger and I had waited for our Aussie Pies at lunchtime, Anne had found the hotel rooms which housed the “pokies”. She pulled her ticked when Roger fetched her. With lunch finished, Anne reinserted the credit ticket. A few pulls later the poky had finished its lunch.
            With the poky left behind, we walked the main street of Mannum. A couple of years ago there had been strong rains in the Snowy mountains. This had caused the River Murray to rise above its banks to a flood stage. While walking the far side of the highway from the river, we could see the high water marks on the sides of the stone buildings. On the sidewalk near these buildings, one looked down ten or more feet to the river’s surface. The water marks were at shoulder height. At Mannum the river is about 50 yards wide. It flows slow and it is deep. To raise the surface of the river over 10 feet vertically meant that it was carrying an astonishing amount of rain water. Feats of nature are often very hard for a lay person to comprehend. Yes, it had rained hard for a few days well to the east of Mannum. That rain had fallen over a finite catchment area for the River Murry. How does nature keep such moisture burdened clouds airborne?
          Roger and Cherri are avid bridge players. They belong to a club which meets Wednesday afternoons. This Wednesday they are to have the third match of four which will determine the year’s champion team. Based on scores from the preceding months, Cherri and her partner are in strong contention for the win. Roger and his teammate are not far behind with their third place standing. John has stepped forward to relieve our hosts of their escorting role for the day. He has planned a lunch stop at a popular French bakery, followed b a visit to the home of George Smith. George is a former biology teacher mate of Rob and John. After this visit, we will conclude with a sushi dinner.
                John arrived at 84 Battams at the scheduled time of 11am. He drove his everyday car, a five-year-old Suzuki. It is a comfortable, zippy four-seater. The bakery is called Boulangerie. It is in the Goodwood suburb. The bakery offers a large variety of pastries. It features outside seating. We each chose a pastry treat, a cup of Latee coffee and we picked a comfortable outside table. We visited as we enjoyed the late morning treat.
                George Smith lives in the Adelaide hills community of Bridgewater. John piloted his car onto the M1, or the South Eastern Freeway. The M1 is the primary route leading to Victoria to the east. Off of the freeway at the Bridgewater exit, we were once more driving on the narrow, curvy mountain roads. George and his wife, Sharon, live on the side of a hill. They have a tiered property with the single story, log sided home nested among well dressed shrubbery and trees. We were warmly greeted by a comfortably aging couple. Now white haired, George’s jocularity quickly took me back to our few years together at Para Hills High School. George taught biology, while I taught math.
                Sharon had prepared a lunch for us, but it waited while George showed us some of the work he has done in the lower sited garage. He is near the completion of a tear-drop shaped caravan. Starting from scratch with a new trailer chassie, George has fashioned a beautiful veneer covered trailer. He is currently finishing the build by constructing a kitchen located inside the lift-up tail of the camper. George earlier built a very fine lathed-wood 16 foot canoe. He has a good eye for quality work. Sharon’s luncheon was light sandwiches and wine. We enjoyed a small amount while we visited the past.
                While in the caron the way down the hill, John received a call from his friend, Jeff. Jeff is a gifted man with wires. He was responsible for installing the circuits in the GT-40. They arranged to meet this afternoon at John’s place. While we were so near, John opened his garage and showed Anne his works. John started the motor on the GT-40. We were all impressed with the body shaking power it presented. Jeff was interested in visiting with me about flying. He owns a couple of lightweight flying machines. A pilot for a couple of decades, Jeff has never sought a pilot’s license.
                John invited Jeff to join us for dinner at the Sushi diner. The name of the eatery is the Sushi Train. We were quickly shown to a booth. A waitress took our orders for hors d’oeuvres. The booth had one end butting a low-profile interior wall. The wall was no higher than the booth seat backs. The wall was six inches wide. On top of the wall was a continuous loop of sushi dishes. The dishes passed by the booth riding atop a moving track. Every few dishes there would be a small sign the said what was immediately following. The idea is that one simply lifts away the sushi dish of their desire. None of this selecting involves the server. The hors d’oeuvres that we ordered arrived at the booth on a robot server. We lifted the dishes and then pushed the ‘Go’ button. The robot backed away from the table, turned and returned to the kitchen.
                When we were finished with our meals, the waitress came by to give us a bill. Evey different serving of food had been served on its own color of plate. The waitress simply counted each color and added the prices for individual plates. This afternoon and evening with John had been very special. It had been fun to meet up with George and Sharon. Jeff, having had a couple of trips to the U.S. with his corvette club, was keen to hear everyone’s thoughts about the current political field. We were returned to 84 Battams where we hugged our farewells.
                Cherri and Anne set aside Thursday afternoon to visit the David Roche Foundation Museum. The museum is the former home of Roche. He had inherited considerable money and he spent abundantly. The home and its contents had been donated to Adelaid as a foundation. The main draw for today’s visit was the rand collection of quilts which Roche had acquired. The ladies spent several hours viewing the opulent collection of excessiveness that David Roche had spent his fortune on.
                On the return trip from dropping the ladies off, Roger discovered an event was going on at the archery range. The range is a large piece of the parkland that has been set aside for this use. It has a dozen large target butts mounted on stands. Behind the butts is a wooden fence that runs in front of a forest. Safety warnings flags are posted when the archery range is in use. Roger hurried home to collect me. We drove straight to the range. There we found that the event had finished. The field was bare. Shucks! That would have been fun to watch.
                The Audi Quattro that Roger has been using had been borrowed from a friend called Tim. Roger had called Tim and he had arranged the return of the car. With some of Roger’s help, Tim is restoring a 1967 Alpha Romero. The car has been stripped and repainted. They are currently working to fit an air-conditioning unit in the engine compartment. The Audi has a long way to go before it is road worthy. Tim drove the two of us back to the house. We had just finished ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch when Cherri called. They were ready to be picked up.
                Cherri made reservations for six o’clock for dinner at the Star of Siam, on Gouger Street. Adelaide has a dense city center population of Asian restaurants. We are having Chinese for dinner, to be followed by a night at Her Majesty’s Theatre. Reading menus in foreign restaurants is somewhat akin to picking up the special words that are associated with a new field of physics. Once one has mastered the specialized vocabulary, then the meaning of the paper can be read and understood. I didn’t try to decode the long Star of Siam menu. I searched for words that I knew. My plate would be deep fried chicken with cashew nuts. Yes, and a glass of chardonnay, too, please. The meal turned out wonderful. Some white rice was tossed in, and it was topped with soy sauce.
                As one observed the number of people seated in the Star of Siam, as well as the population occupying the entire Asian food strip, you may come away with the impression that this was the only place to eat in Adelaide. The place was packed, and the noise of the people was stunning.
                Roger and Cherri knew the way to the theatre. Earlier, as we approached the Star of Siam, it began to rain. Roger dropped us off and he left to find a spot to park. This was to be important later, as the walk to the theatre was long enough.
           We had bought tickets to be part of tonight’s performance of Elvis: A Musical Revolution. Her Majesty’s Theatre, at 58 Grote Street is hard to miss. For a quarter of a block, the sidewalk is overhung with a dazzling lighted canopy. With preprinted tickets, we were presented directly to the red carpeted stairs. These took us to the top of the seating bowl that captured the performance stage. Our seating was perfect. About half of the way down into the bowl and we had above the head views of the stage. The show would begin at 7:30 pm. We had about five more minutes.

Elvis: A Musical Revolution

                The Elvis story began in his pre-teen youth. He was seen being attentive to the music and religious activities of the mixed black and white neighborhood that he was raised in. A guitar came early. Elvis soon became old enough to form a band. His teen years was a struggle to gain notoriety and to be able to be heard on the radio. Through rapid set changes, the song and dance performance followed Elvis’ life through the Army and onto become, aptly labeled, the King of Rock and Roll.
                The choreography was flawless. Performers in the leading roles didn’t miss a que. Actor Ian Stenlake played the part of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ career directing manager. Rob Mallett secured the lead role as Elvis Presley from more than 700 hopeful applicants for the part. The musical play shows Colonel Parker driving hard on Elvis. This was throughout Elvis’ professional career. The life-spirit of Elvis had taken a toll from the high public demands placed on him. At the play’s close, Elvis is seen walking into the blackness at the rear of the stage.  All lights faded out.
                It was time for us to exit stage right. Anne and I were chosen to stay behind at the theatre’s entrance. Roger and Cherri walked from under the weather shielding lighted canopy into the misty night air. They arrived at curbside about a half hour later. The day and the evening had been perfect. We were all ready for bed.
                Four am came at four am on Saturday. We are headed for the Adelaide airport. This drive takes about twenty minutes. The city is quiet. Taxis dominate the streets. Roger and Cherri take us as far as the check-in security lines. There we say our sad goodbye’s. They have been the most gracious hosts. Sadly, though, the girls won eighteen games to the boys fourteen, They will be missed.