I’m back! I’ve taken a long hiatus from posting this Spring while Rich was in Australia and the kids were away, but now all is right in my world again. My family is home and once again it’s tomato harvest time.
Tristan seems to think I have some sort of evil plan to grow the most tomatoes in the community garden, based on the bags and bags of fruit I am bringing home. It’s not true! Just a little over-enthusiasm when planting, I guess.
So last night I made a family favorite with my yellow plum tomatoes (a variety named Cream Sausage): Bow ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream Yep, it was delicious, as usual, but my version doesn’t really photograph well because the yellow tomatoes blend into the color of the cream sauce.
Rich has found a use for several pints of the yellow cherry tomatoes. He’s been itching to make some salsas from our bounty so he made Fire-Roasted Cherry Tomato Salsa.
It makes a fairly sweet salsa with a fair kick to it from my jalapeño-serrano hybrid peppers. It reminds me a bit of a mango salsa from the sweetness and color.
I have such a bumper crop of basil too that I told the kids (not really joking) that this week’s dinners will all be some variety of tomatoes, peppers, or basil. This afternoon’s culinary mission is some fresh pesto to store in the refrigerator or freeze.
Here’s my classic pesto recipe:
- 3 cups loosely packed basil leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (I usually like less)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 cup high quality olive oil
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a food processor using enough olive oil to make a thick paste.
Later this week I want to make a pasta dish with a cherry tomato sauce like this.
It’s really amazing how much fruit each plant can produce, and yay, I’ve produced my own food, which is cool. On the other hand, I’m not sure we’re ready to survive the Zombie Apocalypse on tomatoes and peppers alone. Here’s hoping zombies are allergic to the nightshade family…
Monday Rich and I flew up to Cairns in the north of Queensland but before we left we had a couple of fun days in Melbourne. Last Saturday was the end of the Chinese New Year so we wandered the streets of Chinatown which were packed with people lining up at their favorite Chinese restaurants. The night culminated in a fireworks down by the river that we could hear and (kind of) see from our apartment. Sunday morning we explored a new Anglican church (St. James Old Cathedral) which we liked very much. Then we hopped over to the Victoria Market for an afternoon of Brazilian Carnival music, capoeira and food.
In Cairns we actually stayed in Trinity Beach where we rented another Airbnb apartment. At 1300 square feet it was huge – almost as big as our first two houses. Rich was once again tasked with the driving, but at this point he’s quite adapted to driving on the left and crazy roundabouts. Trinity beach is a quiet local beach with a little promenade and a small netted swimming area to protect against jellyfish.
The weather was obnoxiously hot and humid at 91degrees and 70% humidity. Everyone had told us we were going in the wrong season (rainy). We had tropical rainstorms off and on pretty much the whole time we were there.
Wet Tropics Rainforest
After getting settled in Monday, we headed to the rainforest in the Daintree National Park on Tuesday. It was about an hour drive up an amazingly scenic coastal road and then amongst sugar cane plantations to get to Mossman Gorge, the southern section of the park. We took a shuttle bus that carried us from a visitor’s center across aboriginal lands up to the gorge. Here we hiked a few kilometer circuit of the rainforest around the gorge. We were pretty secluded most of the time and the sounds of the rainforest were pretty special, like a meditation recording at times.
Proceeding further north up into cattle country we headed to Daintree village where we, on the spur of the moment, took a crocodile river cruise. The river cruise was fun and we saw some interesting birds, butterflies and bush, but not a single crocodile. Unfortunately, the weather was too hot and all the crocs were well concealed under water cooling off.
The Great Barrier Reef
On the recommendation of our AirBnB host we signed up for a snorkel/dive tour out of Port Douglas, about 40 minutes north of Trinity Beach. The tours out of Port Douglas head out to the Agincourt reefs, a section of ribbon reefs on the outer edge with the reputation of being the world’s best snorkeling and diving site. A couple hour catamaran ride got us out to the reefs and the adventure began.
Given my extreme fear of fish I fully expected to just paddle around the boat and not snorkel but once I got in the water with my wet suit, life preserver AND noodle one of the lifeguards convinced me to borrow a mask and take a look down at the reef. Much to my surprise I did not have a panic attack and was able to swim around using a mask and holding my breath to explore the reef, much like the other snorkelers. It helped a lot that the fish seemed far away and with all the gear on I was able to imagine like they were in an aquarium and not right next to me.
Our boat went to 3 different reef locations, for a variety of opportunities and views. Quite a few of the passengers were scuba divers including folks trying it out for the first time like Rich, below. We got to see amazing corals, giant fish, some sharks(!), a giant clam, fluorescent corals, echinoderms, puffer fish and many, many fish and organisms I don’t know the names for. For the most part we looked at the reefs from the side, not swimming over the top because the water is too shallow and the reef could be damaged. Alas, we have no photos, as the ones the photographer took (of me at least) were epically bad.
Kuranda
We finished off our visit in Cairns on Thursday by driving up the mountain to the town of Kuranda, which is generally-speaking just a tourist trap. There is a Sky Train cable system that goes up to the village and a historic train, but they are both very expensive so we skipped out on those rides. We did do some shopping of aboriginal art and products while we were there and we did another small hike to the Barron Falls below. Then we caught our plane to Brisbane where Rich is giving a talk at the university and we are spending the next few days.
On Thursday morning we set off on an adventure to the coast. The Great Ocean road is a fabulous coastal route that was hand-built (picks, shovels and horse-drawn carts) by soldiers returned from World War I. Prior to the completion of the road in 1932 the coastal communities were very isolated, with travel by coach inland to railway, or by sea. The route reminds me of the Pacific Coast Highway in California, and at times, some of the routes around the big island in Hawaii.
The coast is very rugged at times and is infamous for shipwrecks. Some of the world’s best surf beaches and the rainforests of the Great Otway National Park are some of the other attractions.
Of course the main apprehension of undertaking this road trip was the fact that Australians drive on the left! Thank goodness Rich was willing to be the driver. The steering wheel is on the right, with the turn signals on the wrong side of wheel where we would expect the windshield wipers. However there are so many tourists in these parts that it’s expected that some folks will end up on the wrong side of the road.
We also got see some really fun geology. The Otway Group rocks are volcanogenic sediments (formed from sediment of ancient eroding volcanoes). The volcanism is probably a result of the rifting of Australia from Antarctica. Some of Rich’s Australian colleagues had sent us off with some field guides and suggested locales to look at.
The Otway Ranges
Friday morning we departed Apollo Bay in light rain toward Cape Otway and the rainforest. There is a walking trail from Apollo Bay, The Great Ocean Walk, that stretches over 100km that I’d been hoping to do. We met two ladies walking the trail and they said it was beautiful. I need to get my foot healed up and see if we could do this walk another trip. Rich noted that, unlike Spain, we’d need all of our rain gear for this walk!
The Otway rain forest was like a step back in time to when Australia was cooler, wetter and closer to Antarctica. The tree ferns are basically unchanged from geologic ages past.
Driving to Cape Otway we entered Koala territory. We did manage to see some up in the trees but you really need a telephoto lens to get a good photo. For some reason this fellow was at the side of the road drinking from a puddle. He was tagged and had a collar and was quite comfortable with people and cars. A black kangaroo hopped across the road in front of us, but was too quick for a photo.
Unfortunately, we were time-boxed by the need to get the rental car returned to the train station in Melbourne by 5pm so had to hurry along the coast to the final must-see locale, The Twelve Apostles, a series of dramatic limestone stacks off a rugged coast near Port Campbell.
And so, much to our relief we made it safely back to Melbourne. Rich was sorry we didn’t have time to visit the town of Timboon on the way back for some famed whiskey and ice cream. Hmmm, I’m sorry too.
Next up we’re heading to the far north, up to Cairns (sounds like “canz”) in Queensland to visit The Great Barrier reef, Daintree rain forest, and hopefully some indigenous culture.
Healesville Native Wildlife Sanctuary
Monday Rich and I took a paid tour to the upper Yarra Valley for two fabulous attractions – the Healesville Sanctuary and winery tours. We started off with a first-class guided tour of Australian marsupials and other unique animals and birds.
The Healesville Sanctuary is part of the Zoos Victoria System, but is situated on part of the former Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve, some of the only remaining acres of native bushlands in the valley. We saw koalas, emus, wombats, dingoes, kookaburra, Tassie Devils, wallabies, kangaroos and platypuses.
The poor little Tassie Devils are apparently very endangered because of a contagious mouth cancer that has reduced their population by 85% since the 1990’s. This one didn’t want to sit still long enough for a good photo of its pink ears that help give it its name.
The kangaroos were pretty much all just lolling about in the grass. This one was the only one that would get up on its feet. “Skippy” they are affectionately called, after a children’s television show. Fun fact, kangaroos can have 3 babies at once – one jumping along, one in the pouch and one in utero. And Mamma kangaroo has the ability to pause development of the embryo until the previous joey has left the pouch (embriyonic diapause).
Foodie Time
After a morning with the wildlife we headed to Yarra Station vineyards for lunch and wine-tasting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir seem to be the grapes of choice in the Yarra Valley. There sure seemed to be vineyards everywhere, and belonging to some very well know outfits too.
Grape vines were originally planted here 180 years ago and the industry thrived during the 19th century by selling to British and European markets. The wineries died out in the 1920’s and weren’t replanted until around the 1970’s. It’s now one of the worlds leading cold climate wine growing regions.
We had a very enjoyable time tasting some of the smoothest Chardonnays and Pinots, some Sauvignon and Cuvée and a number of dessert wines. The second winery we visited, De Bortoli, paired the wine tastings with imported cheeses. Delicious!
For anyone interested in checking out Yarra Valley wines 2015 seems to have been the best year on record. Another interesting thing to note is the lack of corks. Every wine is screw top.
Wow! I’ve been in Melbourne for almost a week now and what a packed week that has been. Melbourne was a surprise in many ways. It is far more populous than I thought it would be with 4.5 million people in the city and suburbs. There are pedestrians EVERYWHERE. But that’s cool because the people are so interesting. It’s a very cosmopolitan city, with China Town, the Greek district, Little Italy, the banking district, huge gardens, Victorian row houses, the docklands, and so on. Asians now make up 8% of the population of Australia and 30% of Australians speak a language other than English as their first tongue. Australia is in the midst of a great immigration experiment and it’s quite evident in the streets.
Like many of my favorite cities Melbourne is located on a river, the Yarra. There are fabulous public spaces all along the banks like the river walk below.
South of the city is Port Phillip Bay. We headed down to Williamstown by metro train one day and explored the local beach and a coastal park. Rich informed me and I soon learned first-hand that UV rays are very strong here.
Garden City
We spent my first two days here exploring the city via the Royal Botanical Gardens and Fitzroy Gardens, also the Carlton gardens and others I can’t recall the names of, all free and immaculately maintained by the federal or local governments. We’ve actually gone to the botanical gardens twice in order to see it all.
City Living
Rich’s airbnb apartment is very centrally located in the middle of the CBD (Central Business District). There are trams running down the center of the street, which are free in this part of town, and there are two metro train stations within a few blocks.
I love Rich’s little bachelor pad. He’s on the 19th floor of a 20-story building with a rooftop terrace. I’m having fun with this little taste of urban living.
Well, I took so long to get my act together and create this post that I can’t possibly share everything I’d like. In addition to already mentioned activities we have visited the Queen Victoria Market (opened 1878), the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. We also lucked out and last Saturday night was the 6th Melbourne “White Night” Festival, a dusk to dawn spectacle of light projections and interactive art installations. It was definitely a cool experience and could have been pretty psychedelic, especially for kids.
Off to bed now. More tomorrow.
There was a certain serendipity when my sister-in-law gave Rich and me a membership to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology this Christmas. In fact, all the gifts from sister Nancy were bird-themed this year, and what a wonderful coincidence because my interest in birding has recently been re-ignited.
We’ve had a bird feeder for years (a present to Tristan when he was a curious pre-schooler), but I have generally been the only one interested in it. For quite a while it had been sitting empty because I got tired of making the squirrels and pigeons fat while not seeing many of the song birds that I was aiming to feed.
A few years back I documented the baby birds that hatched in our mail basket. My daughter Genevieve and I got quite a kick out of watching that momma birdie lay her eggs and then feed her young. This holiday season when I went to a local craft sale my friend Merry was selling her hand-decorated mosaic bird houses so I snatched up my favorite. Isn’t it cute? I love the little ceramic birdie on top. And now Rich doesn’t have to be upset about the mailbox being a bird nest.
The vacancy sign is up and hopefully soon we’ll have some visitors. The hole in the bird house should be just about right for the little Carolina Chickadees.
I am also keeping the bird feeder full again and have put out an additional suet feeder that I hope the Blue Jays, pigeons, grackles and squirrels can’t get. We’ve had visits from many locals including the Cardinals (my favorite – even if not rare), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Black-crested Titmouse, Pine Siskin(?) and of course Blue Jays, House Sparrows, Pigeons and Grackles. One day a flock of Cedar Waxwings came by and ate every berry off the Possumhaw Holly, along with pooping all over the driveway.
This week I’m off to Australia to spend a few weeks with Rich in Melbourne where he is currently spending some of his sabbatical. I hope to see some fascinating things there. Maybe some new birds from down under? I should have some interesting things to post soon!
Yes, I know, Christmas is long over and it’s the new year, 2018. Some folks may already be giving up on their well-intentioned resolutions while I have yet to make any!
I very much enjoyed this holiday season with the kids home and all of the traditions, comforts and fellowship that make our time together special. I am reluctant to move on, I think, so I am once again being very slow and intentional in thinking about goals for 2018.
Last year was kind of a monumental year in many ways:
- I went back to work full-time.
- Both kids are now in college.
- We walked the Camino.
- My husband Rich started his sabbatical.
- We paid off the mortgage!
I really wanted to reflect on the year so I completed a personal year-end reflection workbook from a favorite blogger personal year-end review which I think is really worth sharing. Looking back at the goals I set for myself in 2017, I accomplished some of them, but others turned out to not be very meaningful.
A sermon at church on a recent Sunday struck a chord with me when our priest mentioned Epiphany is a season for listening… listening for God, or for understanding, or to hear one another. It is exactly how I am feeling right now.
I know this year will seemingly speed by in with an onslaught of news streams, deadlines and todo lists, but I hope to take time to really listen to discover where God is speaking to me and what I am meant to be doing. So my one and only goal for 2018 is to listen.
Home Again
It’s been a month now since we got home from Spain and I am still processing what the experience meant to me.
I wasn’t able to ease back into my regular life. Instead I went straight back to work. Then the kids both came home for a visit the following week and I was caught up with their activities. We couldn’t even really unpack because of the threat of bringing bedbugs into the house (we rotated batches of our gear into the freezer for 3-day stints to kill any possible tag-a-longs). So, it took a while for life to seem to settle.
Still, as I start to process the experience I find myself thinking about the Camino and missing aspects of it.
- I really appreciate how simple and yet unique each day was. I am envious of the uncomplicated days. Our concerns and chores were so few: wake up, pack, walk, find a bed, eat, shower, wash our clothes and read up in the guide book for the next day. This could have been monotonous, but, of course it wasn’t because each day brought new sights, diverse geography, different towns and new people.
- I find myself resenting that I can’t walk more in my daily life. I miss the feeling of accomplishment and strength that came from walking all those miles everyday. I miss being able to eat whatever I want because I know I’ve burned enough calories!
- I am restless because I don’t know what my next goal is. The goals on the Camino were so immediate – make it to the next town…finish the stage…reach Santiago. What am I working towards every day?
- Strangely, I miss carrying my life in a pack. I miss the minimalist life of having the totality of my belongings on my back — the only things I needed to keep track of and take care of were in my 46 liter Osprey back pack.
- I feel like I don’t have enough time. After a day with my thoughts on work, I feel like I don’t have time or energy for contemplation. Walking the Camino provides lots of time for processing whatever is going on in your head.
- I’m too connected to the news and other distractions. It was healthier to be somewhat disconnected from politics and the internet.
Would I walk the Camino again?
Definitely! I would do it, especially the first third of it. Rich says he feels no need to do it again. I feel like I would be able to be more mindful of my surroundings and feelings if I did it again because I would know what to expect and know the routine. I hope I would be more prepared for a spiritual journey, knowing what the physical journey would be like. And I would love to share the adventure again with someone.
Contemplating the Camino brings me back to thinking about the reason I started this blog in the first place – that desire for a simpler existence. Work takes up too much of our life. Our belongings and commitments constantly need our time and money. Relationships are perhaps too self-serving. I feel like briefly, as a Pilgrim, I was leading a life that was a step in the right direction.
Finisterre, Muxia and the Costa de la Muerte (Coast of Death)
Tuesday we took an excursion to the Galician coast to reach the final pilgrim towns that we didn’t have time to walk to. It takes an extra 3 or 4 days to walk to Muxia (where legend says the Virgen of the Boat appeared to Santiago and convinced him to stay in Galicia) and Finisterre, the “edge of the world”. The picturesque and rocky coast with its history of deadly and catastrophic wrecks gives rise to the Costa de la Muerte title.
Back Home Again
And so, after 6 weeks away we are home again. Bella, our dog, was ecstatic to see us yesterday evening. The cat Mickey is quite angry with me.
The Camino was an amazing experience, but it is wonderful to be back. While we were gone life kept moving and now it’s time to re-integrate. There have been changes — my job was eliminated, a colleague is very ill, a friend unexpectedly moved out of state, and an extended family member has experienced the death of someone close to them.
…But the echo of “Buen Camino” and the friends we made will always be with us.
Today we are treating ourselves to a stay in the grand Parador Hotel – Hostal Reis Catolicos, built in the 15th century as a pilgrim shelter. It has 4 cloisters, beautiful vaulted ceilings, tapestries (and bathtubs).
We attended the Pilgrim Mass at noon, a very special event for all pilgrims. I wish I could have understood the mass, but it was entirely in Spanish (maybe some Latin thrown in). Still it was not to be missed. They even used the giant incense censer Botafumeiro, which is swung from giant cables anchored to the ceiling. I do not have great photos from inside the church as we were not permitted to use a flash and we were seated pretty far away, despite coming an hour early.
After the mass we encountered many of our most treasured pilgrim friends and congratulations and goodbyes were shared.
Tomorrow we leave for a day trip by minibus to Finisterre ( the end of the world) which many pilgrims walk on to after Santiago. We didn’t plan enough extra days to make the extra trek so we’ll have to cheat, but as Rich says we may never get back here again.
