After safely arriving in Canberra, I realized that I had looked at the maps, and I'm pretty good with maps, but I was totally unprepared for what I found in this unique city. Lots of open space right around the the government buildings in the ACT--Australian Capital Territory. Very unlike London or Washington D.C.
This shot is looking back at the city from a lookout atop another hill--it is nearing dusk, but the vegetation and open areas are readily noticeable. Hopefully, I'll get some better pictures the fading light really hampered the ability to get a nice "put it on the wall" shot.
But we had gone hunting for kangaroos--right in the ACT region as a park around the lake in the foreground. These are Grey Kangaroos and they were keeping their distance--so I maxed out the zoom on the camera, hence, the shake and bit of fuzz.
There were about six of the kangaroos, but they were a bit shy and were keeping in the shadows along the treeline, making it though to pull them out of the background in photography. OK--I wish I had brought Chris' really good camera no rather than my older less capable camera.
While walking across the open area to get to the kangaroos, we spotted these birds. They are Sulphur-crested Cockatoos. And they were also resting high in the trees.
They were fun to watch and to photograph.
I also spotted this Australian King Parrot (I think, I'm still trying to sort it out) Which was fun to see--but he only kept his back to me.
It has been a fun start to the last portion of my trip. The green forests and open spaces are a contrast to the hustle and bustle of Adelaide and the desert view of Alice springs.
Well a few more days to go on this adventure and I'll be winging my way home. Who knows what other adventures I will have.
OK--so it is a whirlwind visit, only two nights and a couple very busy days. But on first blush this is one fun city. It is alive and full of things to see and do. And as an added bonus, the drive from the airport is mercifully short.This is the view out my hotel window. In the very far distance, if you look hard you can see the ocean.
There is a China Town, where I ate dinner one night. It is was also bustling and full of life.
I was lucky enough to get an abbreviated afternoon in the city on Friday so I was able to walk to two attractions--the National Wine Center and the Botanic Gardens. This was about a mile from my hotel, but the walk through the central business district of the city was fascinating--especially the sculpture I found on the maing walking mall of a pig in the garbage. I'm not too sure what that was all about. But it was cute.
The National Wine Center is a nice museum/educational center spondored by the University of Adelaide. It lays out Australian winemaking history and procedures. The map shows all of the winemaking regions in Australia--and yes there is one intrepid vineyard in Alice Springs in the center of the country.
After my educational romp, I was able to get educated up close and personal with a tasting. Yup--good Australian wines. I would have bought a couple bottles except the walk back was so far. This place though, is a must see on a trip to Adelaide. And, I highly recommend Adelaide as a stop.
As the National Wine Center abuts the Botanic Gardens, I was able to wander around the gardens for a few minutes. As it was getting late, though, I was unable to spend as much time there as I would have liked. But it was a nice stroll.
An elected representative believes they are working for the electorate. They enact legislation and develop bills to bring money and government support to their district. On the surface this seems to be good thinking. The representative wants to get reelected and by showing concern and support for the electorate it would seem that that is why the people elected them in the first place. But wait--if each elected representative is doing the same thing, then who is working for the greater good of the country and the world. It could be postulated that this is one of the problems that our government currently has--the elected representatives are thinking and working at too low a level--hence all of the "pork barrel" projects that plague our budget.
A couple weeks ago as our pastor was finishing a sermon series on Proverbs he posed this question to the congregation. He had discussed a number of important verses in Proverbs about work ethic (Prov 10:4, 6:10-11 and 21:21) and ideas about working first and playing later (Prov 24:27). It was the closing idea of the message and he only briefly addressed it--because the reference isn't from Proverbs at all, but rather Colossians. He referenced Colossians 3:23-24:
3:23 Whatever you are doing, work at it with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not for people, 3:24 because you know that you will receive your inheritancefrom the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ. (NET Bible)
This is an important issue for leaders. So I'm going to dig into the concept a bit deeper.
Knowing who are we working for is important because it is in knowing who we are working for that we will be able to determine what decisions and actions we should be taking.
There are a few answers to the question "Who am I working for?" Some of the answers could be: my boss, my country, myself, the stockholders, the electorate. How leaders answer the question is critical in evaluating success and in providing a context for decision making.
As in the case of the elected representative, the belief of who we are working for influences our on-the-job decision making.
So in answer to the question: "Who are we working for?" we draw from Colossians--we are working for the Lord. That, as they say, changes everything. The whole reason we go to work, the decisions we make at work and in leading our team, even the standards we use to evaluate success are cast in a different view when we accept and understand who we are working for in reality.
This may put us at odds with our earthly bosses as we make morally correct and consistent decisions.
But the up side is--we will be consistent and understandable--by our peers, our subordinates and our earthly bosses. Making decisions consistent with God's values, while not often easy, is why God called us to be in the professions he called each of us to be in. We are there to contribute in the manner God has called us. Sometimes that means we make correct decisions which may be unpopular with those who think they are our bosses.
An evening at Bojangles in Alice Springs, Australia is a great way to relax and unwind. You should check out their website and if you like log into their in saloon cameras to enjoy the nightlife vicariously.While at the saloon/restaurant call friends and have them log in an monitor your activity. Could be interesting.
They say it is authentic Australian, and the interior is a visually stimulating and rustic place to enjoy just looking around at the displays on the walls and some which even coming out of the ceiling. Don't miss the big snake in the Bat Out of Hell display case. Also--the restrooms are not to be missed. If you've been drinking a bit much, the placement of handles and knobs could become a problem.
Ah the food. Well, the portions are big and filling--just as you would expect from authentic Australian. The food was cooked very well. I had the mixed grill which featured five Australian meats: buffalo medallion, emu sausage, kangaroo fillet, camel kabobs, and crocodile rissoles. Each of the meats has a different texture and taste and was cooked very nicely. The only one I didn't enjoy was the croc, as it was mushy and somewhat tasteless. I don't think it cooked quite long enough. No, it didn't taste like chicken. The other diners, some who had eaten at Bo's before relayed that everything on the menu was good except for the barramundi fillet. Seems they tend to overcook fish a bit. However, the barramundi fish and chips, enjoyed by one of the other diners in my group, was excellent.
The service was extremely quick and the food was served piping hot. Everyone in our party of six got served at the same time and the orders were correct.
The restaurant has an adequate wine selection, but I enjoyed a Victoria Bitter (a/k/a/ VB) beer with my meal.
Recommendation: A must visit and enjoy while in Alice Springs. Check out the website to get a feel for the rustic interior of the saloon. The food is tasty and not expensive. Bojangles is located at one end of the town and is easy to find as it is right off the Todd Mall. Bo's is an icon in Alice Springs and with good reason.
In terms of trip highlights, feeding the ragged group of Wallaby's near a resort ranks up there as a unique aspect of my trip. They are small and cute marsupials who have very soft fur--yup. I got to pet a couple.
They do have some social issues, however, as there was some fighting over the food that I was feeding a couple of them. Seems the dominate males like to remind others who is in charge.
They were very friendly and the resort sold bags of special Wallaby food--some dietary formulated stuff I guess, for crazy tourists to feed to the animals.
One of the Wallaby's has a Joey in her pouch--and I was able to get some pictures of them together.
As it was nearing dusk and the area was a bit dark, the flash wanted to go off--but it made their eyes red. Turning the flash off though meant that that I was unable to freeze motion --so here are the two extremes in pictures.
For the purists in the crowd--these are Rock Wallaby's, that is according to the sign at near where I had the opportunity to feed them. I guess, according to Wikipedia, there are some 30 species of Wallaby's. In Wikipedia they are listed as the Short-eared Rock Wallaby.
And yes--some of them are really scruffy. These are animals living in the wild--not in cages. Sadly, I forgot to image the hillside where they are living so you could see their preferred environment. It was a vert steep, rocky, arid area.
Enjoy the pictures though--and it's OK--they are cute!
I listened to a song on the plane the other day which made me stop. I listened to it many times and really had a Jesus moment right there in the middle of a 747 at 38,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean some 15 hours from home.
The song is: You Never Let Go by David Crowder Band. The lyrics were written by Mike Hogan, David Crowder, and Mike Dodson. According to GodTube.com"this song was written when the United States and world were watching the news after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA on August 29, 2005. In response to seeing those images and in prayer of thanks to God, David wrote these words because 'Ever faithful, ever true... in joy and pain, in sun and rain, [God's] the same. Oh, [He] never let[s] go.'"
I've added a You Tube clip so you can listen to the lyrics--but they really hit me square between the eyes as I was winging above the earth.
When clouds veil sun And disaster comes Oh, my soul Oh, my soul When waters rise And hope takes flight Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Oh, my soul
Ever faithful Ever true You I know You never let go You never let go You never let go You never let go
And I realized that even though these words were written about a natural disaster they also applied to the disasters in my life. I was comforted and humbled realizing that no matter how hard I may try to let go of Christ and to hide in something else, or blame someone else for whatever is happening, that Jesus never lets me go. His grip on me is tighter than I ever could imagine. He knows my weakness and even before I start to release my grip on Him, He is tightening His hold on me. So that I will not fall.
When I rebel--Jesus never lets go. And despite my rebellion, when I try to separate myself from Him, when I try to hide or drown in the rising waters--He never lets me go. Nothing can make Him let go of me--no matter how hard I try.
The words of Paul written to the Romans comes to mind:
8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will trouble, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?8:36 As it is written, “For your sake we encounter death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”8:37 No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us! 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NET Bible)
And so, as the song ends--it remains and so does His love for me.
When clouds brought rain And disaster came Oh, my soul Oh, my soul When waters rose And hope had flown Oh, my soul Oh, my soul Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul Overflows Oh, what love, oh, what love Oh, my soul Fills hope Perfect love that never lets go
Oh, what love, oh, what love Oh, what love, oh, what love In joy and pain In sun and rain You're the same Oh, You never let go
Chris and I, accompanied by friends biked part of the B&A Trail, twice, within a couple days over Labor Day weekend. It is a beautiful trail as it follows and old railroad roadbed--it is also relatively flat allowing for a very enjoyable ride.
The section we have been riding is seven miles long. Since we ride out and back it is a 14 mile round trip. Although the ride is relatively easy--its length adds a real workout to the entire endeavor. So it is not easy. But it is fun and at times relaxing.
I have been amazed at the number of different people we find along the trail. All kinds of people take advantage of this trail--and not just bikers either.
We have also learned that biking is not about how fast or how far you ride--it is all about the experience and especially the experience of being together. We have seen teams of riders riding together, and they stay together in a pack. Or maybe in a school like fish.
Similarly, when we ride together we stay together and enjoy each others company. It is nice to be able to comment on the small animals along the side of the trail--or even the suicidal rabbits who like to dart directly in out path to see if we will crash trying to avoid them. Of course, it is a little worrisome to ride along the trail and have the turkey vultures circling overhead. Kinda makes you wonder who the next road kill will be.
But the biking is good and company is great. It is definitely something to do and to look forward to.
Half a world away—in a far off land with strange but familiar sights. That is where Bob is right now. He is spending Sunday decompressing after flying for almost 20 hours. And yes—the correct answer is Sydney, Australia.
The flights are long and tedious--what after all do you do on a 747 for 14 hours? Sleep and watch movies. Although I did some Suduko, too.
We took today to try and get acclimated to the 14 hour time change. Yeah--think about it. I'm getting ready to go to bed and you're just getting up. And the Sunday football games will still be being played when I get up tomorrow.
But each day is new with its own challenges. It is hard to be separated form our loved ones, but this time we are at least connecting via the magic of webcams! Which has been a cool treat.
That said, and I'm getting ready to go to bed a 9 PM and struggling to stay awake.
I saw the Bird of Paradise and had to take a picture to compliment the other pictures.
Monday evening last week, amidst the business of life, Chris and I took and evening out to sit and enjoy watching night fall from the comfort of our back yard.
We have an awesome yard--complete with pool and deck and now a fire pit. We enjoyed a bottle of wine, listened and watched a Neil Diamond concert from 1976 on the laptop and lit many candles and as well as the fire pit to set the mood and to drive away the bugs.
It was an awesome experience it, to just take a timeout to reconnect about life. We listened to the night sounds and watched bats skim the pool for water.
Did life stop? No. But we connected on levels that we hadn't connected on in some time. We were able to discuss at length some things which we have only been touching the surface of due to our rat race lives--and it was good.
God provided a perfect evening, and we were able to enjoy it.
I highly recommend timeout evenings. We find time for so many things--it was really great to find time for each other.
Sunday's which form the middle day of a three day weekend are a lot of fin. Usually, I wind up lamenting the end/loss of the weekend, but as the middle day of a three day weekend, Sundays are fantastic. Why? I guess it's mental because I know my time off from work isn't over yet. This Labor Day weekend, Sunday was no exception.
The day began in church where we were accompanied by our daughter and our two grandsons--E and Jax. They both love singing the praise songs with the band. Ethan brought a bucket into church with his--a standard beach bucket. We couldn't figure out why, but I offered that he wanted to fill it with God's grace and that seemed to work.
The real fun of the day though came while we were sitting around the pool during the late afternoon--after nap. OK--as an aside, how do you get a three-year old who doesn't want to take a nap to sleep and nap? Answer--you don't. They will outlast and outwit you (sounds like a commercial for Survivor doesn't it?)
Ethan was playing with the hose--taking it to the far side of the pool and pulling it back to him. The good part of this was we had already been swimming and were warming up after jumping in the frigid 75 degree water. As E became more comfortable with the hose he decided to get people wet with it--whereupon I kinked the hose to stop the flow of water. To the best we can remember, he never figured out I had done this.
And now the fun begins. Literally. As E looked into the end of the hose, I unkinked and quickly re-kinked it so water would shoot out--just a shot, not a steady stream. And the laughter began. Full deep belly laughter. We repeated this many times and in many situations--always with laughs. Of course some of the innocent bystanders (Chris) did get wet, mostly it was E who would look into the end of the hose and try to figure out how the water knew when he was looking to shoot out only at him. Never when he pointed the hose at anyone else. A picture would be graeat at this point, but we were all having so much fun playing and laughing with E that no cameras appeared to record the event for posterity.
E repeated looking into the hose in anticipation of that shot of water coming out many, many times. It was truly a highlight to be remembered.
Posts
