A Visit to a Family Farm

On Wednesday Marilyn drove us about 15 miles north of her house to show us the family farm where her son and his family now live.

This is the farmhouse and Marilyn has a beautiful daughter-in-law and two grandsons who live here now with her son.

There are a few tanks like this one which is next to the barn.   They collect rainwater from the farm building roofs which is then used to water the sheep.  Water is precious here.

Here is a look inside one of the farm sheds.  Marilyn's son has various hobbies when he is not working at his regular job in town as an electrician.

🐑

Australia Zoo Visit

 On Sunday, with our hostess, Marilyn and host, Dave we took a drive south from their home through Adelaide to an area zoo.

We stopped along the way at a lookout area where the horizon was miles away.

At the zoo we watched this worker feed the dingoes.  He also gave a talk and answered questions from the visitors.  There is a very long fence built across Australia to keep the Dingoes from coming south where they kill the sheep.

At the zoo we could mingle with the animals.  Unlike the scene from "Jurassic Park" this little creature was friendly and enjoyed the food Karen was sharing.

The creature behind us is a Wombat.

The Wombat is an Australian animal, as were all the birds, snakes and other creatures we saw at the zoo.  We had an excellent visit.

🐀  🐉  🐊  🐍  🐗

 

Australia Part 3

 How would a trip to Australia be complete without a trip to the Outback?  So.....

We jumped into Dave's car and headed north with Dave at the "right hand" wheel.

Deep into the Outback we visited the town of Woomera.  It was a secretive town in the wilderness where Australia developed and tested weapons during the Cold War,along with the United States, to keep the USSR in check.

We rented this unit, above, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms for one night that had been converted from old military family housing.

The town museum was very interesting with no admission charge.  Above is a missile displayed to  show how it was loaded with small cluster bombs. These weapons may have been used in Vietnam.

Many of the rockets displayed outside were life size.  That is Karen to the right of the picture.

The town of Woomera was a bit like Los Alamos  in New Mexico where, in the US,  the atomic bomb was developed.  

We all enjoyed our trip into the Outback as a very unique travel experience and we thanked Dave for driving to help us see the countryside and all the sights!

🚀

Australia Part 2

 On our first day of sightseeing in Australia we went to a winery.

At the winery parking lot we met a fellow who gives tours to visitors with his 1966 Mustang.  Above are Francis, Karen and Dave, our host.

Note the location of the steering wheel and dashboard instruments.  The driver said it was a 1966 Mustang and was converted in Australia.

Here is the main headquarter building of the Yalumba Winery in Angiston. 

Three of us got into wine tasting and Karen bought two bottles, and Francis bought one.   Good Stuff!

🍷

Australia Part1

 After a one-hour flight from Grand Rapids to Detroit, a four-hour flight to LA, a 16-hour flight to Sydney, and a 1-1/2-hour flight to Adelaide we arrived.  Dave, Francis' friend, picked us up at the airport.

This is where Marilyn and Dave live near the town of Nauriootpa, north of Adelaide.

Here and where Karen and Bill are staying next to their house while Francis is staying inside.  Francis gets an inside bedroom. We get lots of privacy and a nice kitty outside.

Here are Karen with our hostess, Marilyn.

The leaves are changing as Fall is in the air down here .  We are going to a "football" game tonight.

🏉

April has Come and We Are Traveling Again

 After a successful season in the maple bush, we put up about four gallons of pure maple syrup.  The spotty snow showers have slowly faded and warm weather is here.  Now we are about to embark on another traveling adventure far far away from northern Michigan.

Tomorrow, April 9, 2024 we are flying to Australia from Grand Rapids via Detroit and LA.  Our neighbor, Francis Hummel, has a friend down there with whom he used to work.  His friend, Dave, moved down there about five years ago and married an Australian lady named Marilyn.  They have invited all three of us, Francis, Karen and Bill, down for a visit.

As you probably know, Australia is the world's largest island with almost as much territory as the continental United States.  (See the map above for comparison.)  Communication may be a challenge down there, but we will be updating this blog, occasionally, if we can.  We plan to be gone for almost a month so check back for updates if you need some excitement!  Ha!

✈

We Leave Karen's Baby Behind an Head Home to a Very Warm Michigan

 We left the travel trailer, where it has been parked for the last two months, on Friday March 1 and headed north.  That was the first time we left it in storage at Bentsen Palm Village Resort, as Bill negotiated a good deal and we did not have to pack it up and move it.

We made it only to Cleveland Texas after heavy traffic backups in Houston.  We stayed at a Best Western that was too expensive for what we got,  but Friday nights are busy.  The next day the weather was warm and we drove over 700 miles to Marion, Illinois.  We stayed for the first time at a Drury Inn and found the motel to be excellent.

We made it home on Sunday, March 3rd, just as the sun was setting.  For the first time, after our winter trips, we found the weather to be in the sixties and no snow on the ground.  Bill was up early Monday morning and tapped over a dozen maple trees to collect sap as it was running already.

🍯

Next trip is Australia in April.