Monty

One of our current charges is Monty. He's an energetic and playful puppy that seems to be everywhere at once. He's always glad to see you and eager to play.

The Evening Mirror

When the wind dies down and the sun begins to set on sky filled with broken clouds, the river turns to a sheet of glass and the sky to an impressionist painting.

Fog on the River

The clearing of the morning fog from the Huon River is often quite beautiful. On this particular morning, there were some soft scenes to enjoy.

The Tench

On a morning filled with fog along the river, but sun above, we drove into Hobart for some sightseeing and a movie. Along the way, we paused for a view of the Huon river and the lifting fog bank.

Instagram

For those of you out there that are instagram-ers, I have finally joined you. There's not much on there as yet, but I'm working on getting more as we go along. Here's where I'll be putting iphone images that are just snaps of interesting or curious things I find along they way. The 'good stuff' will still go on the blog, but you will see some lighter things on the 'gram.

My name on instagram is Steve.Whisnant. Come join me.

Hartz Mountains

After lunch in Geeveston where we had a very nice pide at the local Turkish restaurant (also know as the Geeveston One Stop Supermarket and Takeaway), we headed for the Hartz Mountains. Of course, just out of town, there was another rainbow. There are cemeteries here and you will see them in the blog, but I can't resist a constant stream of rainbows. They make me smile.

Franklin Market

On Sunday we popped in on the monthly Franklin market held at the Palais Theater this week. The logo for the market seems to be a Tasmanian Tiger. in the photo above you see the food cart of the local pasty maker.

Sunrise

As we settle into the life in Tasmania and establish our routines, we been hanging around the house a lot and resting between fits of dog and chook feeding and laundry. We haven't had a chance to do laundry since leaving Virginia and we are bit behind. This means I spend a little time each morning looking at the sun rise.

Morning has Broken

Our first morning in Port Huon brought a glorious morning filled with light, scattered clouds, and rainbows. I went with our host Rob to the marina to pick up his boat after repairs. It is not often you see a double rainbow.

Mid-Winder Celebration

After a bit of getting to know our hosts for our house/pet sit, we helped them carry things a few doors down to a party on the shore of the Huon river. This was the annual neighborhood celebration of the winter solstice with food and bonfire.

Driving Across Tasmania

After about an 30 minutes or so after we got of the ferry, the sun began to rise revealing a beautiful land enshrouded by clouds and in the throes of winter. We stopped in Elizabeth Town for breakfast. In the village of Elizabeth Town, there is no town, only a very nice bakery. We had a great brekkie.

To Tasmania!

Finally, after what seems like days on the plane (oh, wait...it was) we arrived in Melbourne. Our friend Campbell picked us up at the airport in our recently repaired ute and we spent the night with him and Janeen. The next day, we headed into the Melbourne to kill some time at the movies (saw My Cousin Rachel...very good; worth a look) and board the Spirit of Tasmania for the 10.5 hour crossing to Devonport, Tasmania.

Back in OZ

This morning we arrived back in OZ to see the sun rise. Winter time and the trees are bare. We've spend most of the day resting, hydrating and repacking all our clothes. You see, we had shifted to our summer-time wardrobe and "stored" our winter duds in one suitcase we never opened in Virginia or Arkansas. Now, we had to flip this and pack away the summer stuff. We are started the shift back to living out of the back of our ute rather than out of three suitcases.

Anyway, here we are. Tomorrow we drive to Melbourne to do a bit of shopping and board the ferry to Tasmania. I really do promise that pictures will resume soon.

LAX

We've made it, finally, to the gate at LAX to catch our flight to Melbourne. The flight from Fayetteville, AR was pleasant enough but the crazies hit when we landed.

American Eagle took us to some place near San Diego  (not literally, it just felt that way) to a small terminal connected to the rest of the US by bus. After waiting for the bus for 10 minutes and then riding for 10 minutes, we arrive at Terminal 5 to collect our bags. No big deal here, they were waiting on us. Funny how our bags made the trip faster than we did.

Our flight information tells us we want terminal B. So I ask where it is. Well, we were at terminal 5, next to that is terminal 4, and after that is terminal B. Perfectly sensible, right? So we walk. it really wasn't far. We get in line to check in at Qantas and all goes smoothly.

Security took a little time, but went about as well as you can imagine in such a large airport. Then we went to look for something to eat. It had been about 10 hours since we ate last. The first place we stopped at had a young woman who just stood at the check out to season her food after taking 10 minutes to buy. WE got pissed and left.

The next place had a shorter line but wasn't any quickly really. We stuck with it this time and got an Umami Burger that was pretty good.

So now we are at the gate and the sky is dimming after sunset. there is every indication that we are on time, but there is no plane at the gate yet. There's time. No worries.

Next report from down under!

Father's Day!

Here is a short video from Seamus with his first gift to his 'Papa' on Father's Day. It is a bit dark, but absolutely perfect. While the str of this production is Seamus, the voice-over is done by Seth who gets the true fatherhood joy of 'post-production' recovery.

Fun on the Road!

Some of you may have heard about the latest adventure: kidney stones!

Leaving Staunton and driving north towards Dulles, we planned to say a couple nights in a hotel so we could have space for organizing. On Sunday night, I starting getting the typical pains from kidney stones. This episode was bad enough to warrant a visit to the emergency room for pain control. We got back to the hotel about 2:00 AM for a bit of sleep before moving to the hotel located at the airport for our final night. The comparison is always made between kidney stones and childbirth. I'm pretty sure this one is at least 6 pounds.

After a couple days sleeping on morphine, I somehow ended up in northwest Arkansas. This morning we went to the a GP to consider getting more pain meds to be sure that I'm not on a 15 hour flight or 12 ferry ride writhing in pain. She recommend that I also get an ultrasound to be sure we know what is going on. Well, what is going on is kidney stones...everywhere. Just got to knock this episode down and make for another 6-8 months and I'll get friendly with a urologist in Seattle and get these things taken care of.

Now I need to just be careful that the airlines don't charge for extra baggage or carrying illegal items on board with me.

The most fun has been explaining to the medical profession that we don't really live anywhere, that we don't have a GP, that the emergency room on Sunday was in a different state and that the next one will be Australia.

Mary Baldwin

Since we've had a good bit of sun here in Staunton, I thought I'd share a walk that Raven and I had the other day. We walked up to the top of Cannon Hill to catch a few rays and see the city clothed in its leafy green splendor.

Springtime

Springtime in Staunton is always a burst of flowers and newness. The soft rounded greenness of the trees on the hills and mountains tell us that it is time to enjoy the outdoors.

Home Again

The trip from Seattle went well until we got to Charlotte. It seems that the east coast had some "weather" and schedules were all akimbo. Our flight was delayed, so I go to check on other options. Since we had planned to drive from DC to Staunton and stay in a motel there, E got busy finding a new place closer to Dulles and shifting the car.

In the Air

Today we are headed east to Virginia to see friends on the East Coast. We've had fun exploring Seattle and getting to know Seamus. This week, we had some sun for a few consecutive days (!) and could see all the mountains arounds. This is a beautiful place filled with friendly people. We're going to have a great time living here after our travels to Australia are over. Which is not to say we are going to come back and just sit. We will continue to travel and house sit, but having a "base of operation" here will keep coming back to experience the best Seattle has to offer. (Looking forward to the opera and the symphony.)

A Peek at Seamus

Seamus wa sitting on Dilly's lap with his feet towards her. She started playing with his left foot with her right hand and out came the camera.

La Conner

We drove about an hour north to the small historic settlement of La Conner. It is near where one can drive to the northern end of Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island without requiring a ferry. It is in the Sagit Valley. As you can see above, the farmland gives way to the Cascade Mountains. In the distance on the left hand side, you can the white peak of Mt. Baker towering above the rest at about 10,000 feet.

A Celebration of Fatherhood

I began mentally planning an all-male family to-do to celebrate Seth's recent entry into the land of fatherhood. Last Saturday it finally happened. We had a collection of McDonaghs, near-McDonaghs, and honorary McDonaghs on hand to smoke a cigar, lift a glass of fine scotch or bourbon, eat, and tell stories on Seth.

Picnic Point Beach

I wandered down to Picnic Point Beach the other day just to have a look about. I arrived at something like low tide and was able to walk out pretty far on the seaweed covered rocks.

Dilly reporting in from downtown Victoria, BC. Anyone up for a beaver tail?

Syttende Mai

Norwegian Constitution Day, the 17th of May, is a celebration of the signing of the constitution declaring (among other things) the independent country of Norway in 1814. This separated it from Denmark to avoid being ceded to Sweden after Denmark-Norway was defeated in the Napoleonic wars. This celebration in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle claims to be the largest celebration outside Oslo. We stood in the street at the turn in the parade to enjoy the people and the show of Norwegian pride.

Mother's Day

Mother's day really has to start with a child and in this household, there is on one that counts this year. Seamus started the day all bright eyed and happy. then came a busy round of photos.

Callie

I was finally able to get some photos of Callie, the resident dog at the McDonagh home. She was rapt in the deliciousness of a bone.

A Visit to Seattle

Jeanne came to visit and, of course, we had to take her downtown for a bit of the city. Second stop was Pike Place Market. On the way into town we had to make a stop at the REI mother ship. That's a place we'll have to visit regularly.

Out for Lunch

We headed out for lunch in Woodinville today with Anna, Seamus and Kathleen, a friend from DC. We went to the tavern at the Woodinville Whiskey Company for a sandwich (and a good one it was). After lunch, we stopped in the tasting room of the distillery so that Kathleen could buy a bottle of their find American Whiskey to take home.

Today was sunny (imagine that!) and warm and we ate outside. A wonderful time. Sorry there is no photo today, we were too busy having a great time together.

More Seamus

Seamus is growing and we spent some time with him while his mom and dad did some shopping.

Planning for the Future

We are shifting into planning and preparation mode as we think about our upcoming travels. Soon we'll be heading to the Shenandoah Valley for a visit, but then we are off to Australia again in June.

Live Long and Prosper

Here's a shock: it rained here last night and today we are going to visit Seamus. Seamus is not Vulcan, but he probably knows one or two of them. I expect him to be doing the Time Warp soon.

Bald Eagle

Seth and I went for a walk down the beach in the afternoon. To our surprise we found a Bald Eagle perched on a low branch in a tree. To our even greater surprise, he was perfectly happy to sit on the limb while I shot away and walked all around him.

The Main Attraction

Of course, while we are Lummi Island we are also enjoying the company of our beautiful grandson. As he grows, he tolerates having his feet uncovered better and I can finally get a few photos.

The Blue Heron in Breeding Plumage

As the sun shines and warms Lummi Island, the wildlife some out for the usual spring time activities.

Out and About

Shortly after the sun came up on Lummi Island, we caught a few glimpses of sun in the east. Yet, we could still not really see anything of the mountains. So we left the island to explore the old town in Fairhaven.

And the Sun Comes out

What a difference a day makes! In spite of the predictions of constant rain all week, the sun came out to grace the day with a warm sun in the presence of a cool wind from the water. What we see is clearing over the water and clouds building over the land.

Seth and Anna took advantage of the warm day to sit by the water for a while and enjoy having Dilly on baby sitting duties.

To our left, looking south, things cleared out nicely and a sailboat cruised past.

But later in the afternoon when the sky went rosy in the evening sun, we were treated to a glimpse of Mount Baker.

As we reached the shank of the day, the colors of the sunset took over and gave the water a golden glow.

We are out by the water on an island filled with farmers, fishermen, and bearded men. I learned while here that I need to let my beard grow out. I really don't fit in here with short-cropped facial hair.

But I can sure enjoy the laid-back lifestyle.

Lummi Island

We've been silent for a week because, we've been on Lummi Island. We decided to not take our computers for a few days of (mostly) isolation. Ok, we had our phones, but it wasn't the same. We took Anna, Seth and Seamus (more pics coming soon!) and had a family vacation on an island with almost no amenities. There is a small general store and a couple restaurants that only open a few days a week in the off-season. There were birds in the sound.

Science March

Today in Cal Anderson park, we gathered with several thousand other like minded souls to express our support for science, both as an intrinsic good and as an essential part of of the policy making process.

Pike Place Market

Another trip to the Pike Place Market on a sunny day. Here you see the Starbuck mothership. This is the original store. As you can see, there is a line of people queued to taste that fine elixir. You know, that coffee you just can't get two block away at Starbucks.

This visit was the first public outing for Seamus. And since is spring break, Hanna also joined us. A nice day at the market.

Terracotta Warriors

We visited the Pacific Science Center to see the Terracotta Warriors. There is a traveling exhibit from China. We saw this great IMAX movie describing how the warriors were found, who the first emperor was, and the extent and significance of the find.

Seattle Symphony

The Seattle Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall. We went to a concert of Rachmaninov music on the 13th. The hall is a beautiful place. I would like some time to hear the great organ in the back. But on this night we heard on of the great piano masters, Stephen Hough, play Variation on a Theme by Paganini. It was real treat.

Laurence Krauss

I'm behind on blogging about what we have done, so here begins some catching up. On the 12th we went to Town Hall to hear a lecture by Laurence Krauss. He gave an entertaining presentation tying big ideas in physics together very nicely.

Tax Day March

We turned out with about 3500 other folks today to demand that the Orange One in the white house release his taxes. He was here in person. That's him in the center with the golden hair.

The curious things was meeting Seth's Father, Captain in the Seattle Police, when we arrived. He introduced us to the other officers there with him. Everyone was very friendly. All along the march route, people repeatedly thanked the police for being out today to monitor the event. This is a great city.

Why we are Blogging Less Frequently

Back in Australia, we were diligent about keeping daily posts on the blog and intend to be so again once we return. However, while we are here in Seattle, our attention keeps being redirected elsewhere.

Whidbey Island

Today, for our 35th anniversary, we drove out to Whidbey Island. At low tide there is a beach to see all this part of the shore.

A Growing Boy

Just a little update on Seamus. He's growing and turning into our little man. Here's a couple photos of him sitting in Dilly's lap to keep those who need a flow of baby pictures to keep their life meaningful.

Handsome boy, eh?

Mount Rainier in B&W

I went back through my shots of Mount Rainier from Bainbridge Island and decided that a few would benefit from conversion to black and white.

Pike Place Market

Today, we took the bus downtown to the Pike Place Market to see what was for sale.

A New House sit, a New Pet

We have, regretfully, left Bainbridge Island and are now in another wonderful place, Madison Park. This puts us in the city limits of Seattle in a delightful community where everything is within walking distance. And the walks nearly always include Shamy.