Brisbane, Qld - Australia
After getting about 1 hour of sleep, I woke up this moring in Koroit at 1:30am and Paul and I were on the road back to Brisbane before 2am. The drive of about 900 kms took us about 12 hours, including several stops. . . including accidentally hitting and killing a kangaroo just before the sun came up.
Given the fuzzy state of my mind and drooping nature of my eyes, my rapier wit will not be quite so sharp tonight.
In about 12 hours I'll be on the way to the airport for my trip back to the USA. I expect to be nearly fully functional by Saturday.
. . . . In an update, I'll need to mention a few things like: hot temps, bugs, annoying bugs, a friend's spider bite, add some pics of snakes & etc . . ..
Time to sleep. . . .. and dream of soon beholding Dawn in the USA. . ..
.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
- Warm Weather Wonders
Cunnamulla, Qld - Australia
Today we're in Cunnamulla to do the usual things - laundry, groceries, talk with loved ones etc.
This morning we left the mine a bit after 8am for the approximately one hour drive to Cunnamulla. Due to the higher temperatures, many reptiles have become active. Along the way we saw the types of things and critters one sees in southwest Queensland this time of year . . . we passed by a bearded dragon - a lizard a bit over a foot long, but often they're a bit cheeky and will stand with head up and chest out, looking tough and intimidating in the middle of the road when you approach in a car, apparently not realizing the car will not be intimidated.
A few mintues later I saw a snake in the road and turned around to get a closer look. As I was turning around I told Paul very clearly to not roll his window down and not get out of the car. I got to the side of the snake, saw it was a king brown (3-4 ft long) who did not look too healthy, but wasn't squashed, but still was quite deadly. Paul leaned over to see the snake and promptly got out of the car. He picked up his cell phone to get a photo and grabbed a stick to poke the snake. Much to our surprise, once slightly poked, the snake began to move, not much, but enough to earn some respect. We took a few photos and went on our way. After a few more kilometers a few kangaroos hopped out of our way. They soon were followed by an emu which nearly sideswiped the car - emus are very stupid, actually well beyond very stupid.
The rest of the trip included seeing a few more nearded dragons and a shingeback lizard in the road - the shingleback was slow enough and I was quick enough to be able to straddle him and leave him a bit dusty, but relatively unharmed. As we were passing over that lizard 2 emus darted across the road. Less than 5 minutes later a goanna about 2 feet long was running across the road. Unfortunately our timing was not as good this time - it probably provided lunch for a few birds and other lizards.
For the last week, the high temperature almost everyday was well over 100, a few days over 110. This time of year as the temperature increases a miner's thoughts may turn from the usual thoughts of colorful opals and certain bawdy visions involving the opposite sex, to thoughts of colorful opals, something cold to drink, a full-sized and well stocked refrigerator, air conditioning and certain bawdy visions involving the opposite sex.
Yesterday Paul dug out some very nice pieces of opal - bright colors in great ironstone . . . tomorrow morning we'll be after more . . .
I've already shipped home 1 ton of rough already and hope to ship another ton before I leave. I've also shipped home some beautiful Australian hardwood bowls and rough burls.
Even though it is beautiful here, I hope and expect to be back in the USA within about 2 weeks. Dawn is the beginning of more than a new day.
.
Today we're in Cunnamulla to do the usual things - laundry, groceries, talk with loved ones etc.
This morning we left the mine a bit after 8am for the approximately one hour drive to Cunnamulla. Due to the higher temperatures, many reptiles have become active. Along the way we saw the types of things and critters one sees in southwest Queensland this time of year . . . we passed by a bearded dragon - a lizard a bit over a foot long, but often they're a bit cheeky and will stand with head up and chest out, looking tough and intimidating in the middle of the road when you approach in a car, apparently not realizing the car will not be intimidated.
A few mintues later I saw a snake in the road and turned around to get a closer look. As I was turning around I told Paul very clearly to not roll his window down and not get out of the car. I got to the side of the snake, saw it was a king brown (3-4 ft long) who did not look too healthy, but wasn't squashed, but still was quite deadly. Paul leaned over to see the snake and promptly got out of the car. He picked up his cell phone to get a photo and grabbed a stick to poke the snake. Much to our surprise, once slightly poked, the snake began to move, not much, but enough to earn some respect. We took a few photos and went on our way. After a few more kilometers a few kangaroos hopped out of our way. They soon were followed by an emu which nearly sideswiped the car - emus are very stupid, actually well beyond very stupid.
The rest of the trip included seeing a few more nearded dragons and a shingeback lizard in the road - the shingleback was slow enough and I was quick enough to be able to straddle him and leave him a bit dusty, but relatively unharmed. As we were passing over that lizard 2 emus darted across the road. Less than 5 minutes later a goanna about 2 feet long was running across the road. Unfortunately our timing was not as good this time - it probably provided lunch for a few birds and other lizards.
For the last week, the high temperature almost everyday was well over 100, a few days over 110. This time of year as the temperature increases a miner's thoughts may turn from the usual thoughts of colorful opals and certain bawdy visions involving the opposite sex, to thoughts of colorful opals, something cold to drink, a full-sized and well stocked refrigerator, air conditioning and certain bawdy visions involving the opposite sex.
Yesterday Paul dug out some very nice pieces of opal - bright colors in great ironstone . . . tomorrow morning we'll be after more . . .
I've already shipped home 1 ton of rough already and hope to ship another ton before I leave. I've also shipped home some beautiful Australian hardwood bowls and rough burls.
Even though it is beautiful here, I hope and expect to be back in the USA within about 2 weeks. Dawn is the beginning of more than a new day.
.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
- A Dead Roo
Cunnamulla, Qld - Australia
This morning while driving from my mine back to Cunnamulla, I drove by a variety of typical southwest Queensland sights - mile after mile (or kilometer after kilometer) of dry red dirt, some scrubby bushes, a few kangaroos, an emu, a variety of birds, including a flock of about 20 sulphur crested cockatoos feeding and being noisy about 50 feet off the road, a few cows and the body of a kangaroo I ran into last night.
I left Cunnamulla to drive back to my mine well after sunset last night. Even though the moon was either full or nearly full, it was quite dark on the dirt road to Koroit. As I was listening to Neil Young sing that rock and roll can never die, a mob of maybe 6 kangaroos seemed to appear out of nowhere, moving from left to right. One was on the right side of the road, the others were on the left. Of course I put my foot on the brakes and slowed down, however, since I was driving on loose dirt, I needed to be careful to not brake too hard and lose control. The roos stopped as my car approached, then at the last moment one hopped in front of my 4wd and, unfortunately, I hit it and ran over it. I turned around to make sure the roo's suffering was over. It was.
This morning when I got back into Cunnamulla, I mentioned I had hit a roo on the drive home. I promptly was scolded for not grabbing the freshly dead roo and bringing it back for a friend's dog to eat.
There are many more kangaroos here than people. Roos are not very intelligent and act unpredictably when being approached by a car or truck, often waiting until the last moment to jump one way or the other. I've had roos wait until after the last moment and jump into the side of my 4wd as I drove past. This roo story might sound a bit harsh or nasty, but it is so common here most rural Australians would not understand why I would even bother to tell it. When driving in a rural area it is very common to see dead roos along the road. On my first trip into the bush, I counted over 100 dead roos before I saw a live one. This is a desert with limited resources. When something dies, its body is quickly consumed by the rest of the desert - maybe a dog, a wedge-tailed eagle, kites, crows, lizards, feral pigs and of course ants.
It's all part of the cycle.
.
This morning while driving from my mine back to Cunnamulla, I drove by a variety of typical southwest Queensland sights - mile after mile (or kilometer after kilometer) of dry red dirt, some scrubby bushes, a few kangaroos, an emu, a variety of birds, including a flock of about 20 sulphur crested cockatoos feeding and being noisy about 50 feet off the road, a few cows and the body of a kangaroo I ran into last night.
I left Cunnamulla to drive back to my mine well after sunset last night. Even though the moon was either full or nearly full, it was quite dark on the dirt road to Koroit. As I was listening to Neil Young sing that rock and roll can never die, a mob of maybe 6 kangaroos seemed to appear out of nowhere, moving from left to right. One was on the right side of the road, the others were on the left. Of course I put my foot on the brakes and slowed down, however, since I was driving on loose dirt, I needed to be careful to not brake too hard and lose control. The roos stopped as my car approached, then at the last moment one hopped in front of my 4wd and, unfortunately, I hit it and ran over it. I turned around to make sure the roo's suffering was over. It was.
This morning when I got back into Cunnamulla, I mentioned I had hit a roo on the drive home. I promptly was scolded for not grabbing the freshly dead roo and bringing it back for a friend's dog to eat.
There are many more kangaroos here than people. Roos are not very intelligent and act unpredictably when being approached by a car or truck, often waiting until the last moment to jump one way or the other. I've had roos wait until after the last moment and jump into the side of my 4wd as I drove past. This roo story might sound a bit harsh or nasty, but it is so common here most rural Australians would not understand why I would even bother to tell it. When driving in a rural area it is very common to see dead roos along the road. On my first trip into the bush, I counted over 100 dead roos before I saw a live one. This is a desert with limited resources. When something dies, its body is quickly consumed by the rest of the desert - maybe a dog, a wedge-tailed eagle, kites, crows, lizards, feral pigs and of course ants.
It's all part of the cycle.
.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
- EPM, Warm Weather, Lizards, Serpents & Pretty Rocks
Cunnamulla, Qld - Australia
Hello - sorry for the lapse. . . I've been busy . . .
Romance fans, gothic and otherwise . . . Paul proposed . . . she said yes (her answer was not a surprise). They are very cute together and seem to be in love. I'm very happy for them.
. . . and there's more for you romance fans, gothic, bodice ripper and otherwise . . . yours truly is very happy for himself as well. It appears cupid has been firing a few arrows. Yes, I am smitten, more later - she's an American in the USA, so I'm eager to get back home and . . . .
An EPM is an exploration permit for minerals . . . it's an official Dept of Mines bit of paperwork that gives its holder the sole rights for expoling for minerals (opals) and for pegging leases (registering new opal mines) in a particular area. A few days ago I drove up to Quilpie to the regional Dept of Mines office to lodge an EPM application. When it is granted I will have the rights to a very interesting feeling 4 square mile patch of outback a few kilometers north of my current mine. I'm very excited about it. . . think it has quite a bit of potential.
While driving to Quilpie I encountered a rather striking creature in the middle of the road. . . a king brown snake, about 5 or 6 feet long . . . I believe it's the 3rd most deadly snake slithering along the surface of the earth. My friend Len was with me in my 4wd as we approached the snake. I asked him what kind of snake it was, he said, "a f***ing deadly one!". After repeating that a few times, he said it was a king brown. He also told me that if it bit me he wouldn't even tell me to relax or bother with a bandage or tourniquet because I'd be dead well before we got to medical help and there'd be no sense in prolonging my agony as I was dying. Yes, I rolled down the window and took a few photos.
The warm weather (it hit 111 a feew days ago) has been waking up many formerly napping critters. I've seen more lizards and a wider variety of lizards than I've ever seen before. I was able to get a few pretty good photos and videos. On the way to town today I saw 2 goannas (a type of lizard) which were about 4 feet long.
Oh yes, there have been more opals . . . I've been very lucky in many ways this season.
Thanks to Kim for dinner and to Len for their hospitality and help.
Of course thanks to Dawn . . . for so much.
.
Hello - sorry for the lapse. . . I've been busy . . .
Romance fans, gothic and otherwise . . . Paul proposed . . . she said yes (her answer was not a surprise). They are very cute together and seem to be in love. I'm very happy for them.
. . . and there's more for you romance fans, gothic, bodice ripper and otherwise . . . yours truly is very happy for himself as well. It appears cupid has been firing a few arrows. Yes, I am smitten, more later - she's an American in the USA, so I'm eager to get back home and . . . .
An EPM is an exploration permit for minerals . . . it's an official Dept of Mines bit of paperwork that gives its holder the sole rights for expoling for minerals (opals) and for pegging leases (registering new opal mines) in a particular area. A few days ago I drove up to Quilpie to the regional Dept of Mines office to lodge an EPM application. When it is granted I will have the rights to a very interesting feeling 4 square mile patch of outback a few kilometers north of my current mine. I'm very excited about it. . . think it has quite a bit of potential.
While driving to Quilpie I encountered a rather striking creature in the middle of the road. . . a king brown snake, about 5 or 6 feet long . . . I believe it's the 3rd most deadly snake slithering along the surface of the earth. My friend Len was with me in my 4wd as we approached the snake. I asked him what kind of snake it was, he said, "a f***ing deadly one!". After repeating that a few times, he said it was a king brown. He also told me that if it bit me he wouldn't even tell me to relax or bother with a bandage or tourniquet because I'd be dead well before we got to medical help and there'd be no sense in prolonging my agony as I was dying. Yes, I rolled down the window and took a few photos.
The warm weather (it hit 111 a feew days ago) has been waking up many formerly napping critters. I've seen more lizards and a wider variety of lizards than I've ever seen before. I was able to get a few pretty good photos and videos. On the way to town today I saw 2 goannas (a type of lizard) which were about 4 feet long.
Oh yes, there have been more opals . . . I've been very lucky in many ways this season.
Thanks to Kim for dinner and to Len for their hospitality and help.
Of course thanks to Dawn . . . for so much.
.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
- Back in Koroit
Cunnamulla, QLD - Australia
This morning in Koroit, before dawn (actually, perhaps, due to Dawn) as consciousness was returning to me, I thought of a phrase from the opening line of The Metamorphosis which mentioned that the protagonist "awoke one morning from uneasy dreams". . . yes, last night my dreams were rather tumultuous, although not entirely uneasy . . . visions of sugarplums etc etc.
After a quick review of the high points of the previously mentioned dreams, I got up from my comfy cot in my little garden shed with its dirt floor, opened the door, answered nature's call, and sat down to watch the sunrise.
Moments later a rather prominent squawk broke the silence and drew my attention to a Major Mitchell (a variety of cockatoo with pink arm pits & comb highlights) who circled and perched in a nearby tree. He or she continued to squawk and bob their head raising and lowering their comb a few times, then dropped down to the ground to peck at something, while continuing to perform. I whistled and squawked at it a few times. It flew toward me and landed at the top of a nearby tree where it really began to perform - making a variety of noises, moving its comb up and down (which really is rather funny looking) and flipping upside down while spinning around a branch and uttering a laughing like sound. At the end of this act, it circled around and flew off to the south making a racket as it exited. . . . . and some of you get to wake up in a fancy bed with high count cotton sheets in a house with indoor plumbing and watch the Today show.
Life in Koroit is, as Thomas Mann said about art, a form of heightened living. Yes, you can feel it when you are here. It is a special place with a rarefied atmosphere. To be fair, as my friend Lenny just said after he leaned over and peeked at what I had just written about the glorious life in Koroit while watching the sunrise on a cockatoo's performance, "be sure to tell them about all the damn mice and how they're running and s***ting all over every damn thing". Life here is a mixture of experiences.
As long as I've quoted Len once, I feel compelled to share a pearl he bestowed upon these humble ears a day or two ago. He was referring to doing some exploration with an auger drill in an area where there might be opal and said that the area should be "drilled like the a**hole out of a Christmas tree". I don't really know what that means, but there is a beautiful and elegant rhythm to it that makes me smile. . . . and that my friends sums up much of the nature of this life itself - I don't really know what it means, but there is a beautiful and elegant rhythm to it that makes me smile.
Yes, we are finding some more gorgeous rocks. It is getting warmer here - the highs have been nearly 100, however last night's low was very comfortably in the low 50s. I've been slicing and expect to be doing more slicing tomorrow. . . and preparing a few parcels of rough for some of you. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me directly and be aware I might only be able to check my email once a week.
Good luck to Miss Sugar Ray Sammi at her doctor's appointment - thinking good and healing thoughts about your ankle.
Thank you to Len and Kim for their friendship and continued hospitality.
Regarding thanks, I am particularly grateful for being able to witness the sun rising here in Koroit and for being able to experience the beauty and splendor of the Dawn.
.
This morning in Koroit, before dawn (actually, perhaps, due to Dawn) as consciousness was returning to me, I thought of a phrase from the opening line of The Metamorphosis which mentioned that the protagonist "awoke one morning from uneasy dreams". . . yes, last night my dreams were rather tumultuous, although not entirely uneasy . . . visions of sugarplums etc etc.
After a quick review of the high points of the previously mentioned dreams, I got up from my comfy cot in my little garden shed with its dirt floor, opened the door, answered nature's call, and sat down to watch the sunrise.
Moments later a rather prominent squawk broke the silence and drew my attention to a Major Mitchell (a variety of cockatoo with pink arm pits & comb highlights) who circled and perched in a nearby tree. He or she continued to squawk and bob their head raising and lowering their comb a few times, then dropped down to the ground to peck at something, while continuing to perform. I whistled and squawked at it a few times. It flew toward me and landed at the top of a nearby tree where it really began to perform - making a variety of noises, moving its comb up and down (which really is rather funny looking) and flipping upside down while spinning around a branch and uttering a laughing like sound. At the end of this act, it circled around and flew off to the south making a racket as it exited. . . . . and some of you get to wake up in a fancy bed with high count cotton sheets in a house with indoor plumbing and watch the Today show.
Life in Koroit is, as Thomas Mann said about art, a form of heightened living. Yes, you can feel it when you are here. It is a special place with a rarefied atmosphere. To be fair, as my friend Lenny just said after he leaned over and peeked at what I had just written about the glorious life in Koroit while watching the sunrise on a cockatoo's performance, "be sure to tell them about all the damn mice and how they're running and s***ting all over every damn thing". Life here is a mixture of experiences.
As long as I've quoted Len once, I feel compelled to share a pearl he bestowed upon these humble ears a day or two ago. He was referring to doing some exploration with an auger drill in an area where there might be opal and said that the area should be "drilled like the a**hole out of a Christmas tree". I don't really know what that means, but there is a beautiful and elegant rhythm to it that makes me smile. . . . and that my friends sums up much of the nature of this life itself - I don't really know what it means, but there is a beautiful and elegant rhythm to it that makes me smile.
Yes, we are finding some more gorgeous rocks. It is getting warmer here - the highs have been nearly 100, however last night's low was very comfortably in the low 50s. I've been slicing and expect to be doing more slicing tomorrow. . . and preparing a few parcels of rough for some of you. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me directly and be aware I might only be able to check my email once a week.
Good luck to Miss Sugar Ray Sammi at her doctor's appointment - thinking good and healing thoughts about your ankle.
Thank you to Len and Kim for their friendship and continued hospitality.
Regarding thanks, I am particularly grateful for being able to witness the sun rising here in Koroit and for being able to experience the beauty and splendor of the Dawn.
.
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