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Copyright 2002-2005,
Pamela Hennings
9.03.2008
SUMMER OF 2008
Year of the golden rat (1960, the year that I was born).
Summer Olympics began.
On 08/08/08.
Right after the opening ceremonies that Friday night, my daughter and I boarded a 747 for Oz to meet wonderful friends and go to many incredible and amazing places. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD!
part I - Brisbane, Scarborough, Australia Zoo in Beerwa, Moreton Island, and Cairns
part II - Whitehaven Beach, Daintree Rainforest/Cape Tribulation; Magnetic Island, Fraser Island, 1770, airports and Sydney
Well, sort of. These are just a fraction of the hundreds we took. If we could only find them all, some seem to be missing unfortunately and hopefully they will turn up. Anyway, kudos also go to Carol, who took all of these because my cheapie camera I've had five years chose the second day of the trip to cease functioning. I let Carol do the job and she makes me proud. Most of these are really great composition, perspective and focus.
So, I hope you enjoy these snapshots. We enjoyed the incredible whirlwind. And I have to say something nice about Qantas: they were really great.
Gnoite, mite.
Year of the golden rat (1960, the year that I was born).
Summer Olympics began.
On 08/08/08.
Right after the opening ceremonies that Friday night, my daughter and I boarded a 747 for Oz to meet wonderful friends and go to many incredible and amazing places. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD!
part I - Brisbane, Scarborough, Australia Zoo in Beerwa, Moreton Island, and Cairns
part II - Whitehaven Beach, Daintree Rainforest/Cape Tribulation; Magnetic Island, Fraser Island, 1770, airports and Sydney
Well, sort of. These are just a fraction of the hundreds we took. If we could only find them all, some seem to be missing unfortunately and hopefully they will turn up. Anyway, kudos also go to Carol, who took all of these because my cheapie camera I've had five years chose the second day of the trip to cease functioning. I let Carol do the job and she makes me proud. Most of these are really great composition, perspective and focus.
So, I hope you enjoy these snapshots. We enjoyed the incredible whirlwind. And I have to say something nice about Qantas: they were really great.
Gnoite, mite.
We met this little guy on the speedboat trip to Moreton Island, where we snorkeled around the shipwrecks that comprise an artificial reef. It is actually a dolphin, a pun for the title seems appropriate. We also spotted a dugong, known here as a manatee. That was cool.
We met a dear friend of mine for a photo shoot at Lake McKenzie during the trip. This is a freshwater lake accessible only by 4-wheel drive. Pam hired a healthy sized jeep to take us there, and the trip was an adventure all by itself. She truly was one fantastic driver. It was a 10-12 km drive from the resort, along enormous stretching hills of sand, which tossed the jeep around like a real-time roller coaster, with dozens of hidden dingoes lurking in the brush. When we got there, we swam, took a look around, and it was so simple and beautiful to be able relax and let Anastasia work her magic with the camera, capturing all the best light, rather than having to fuss and fumble around with settings, etc., on my own. What she does speaks volumes. This is us, no makeup, no special effects, nothing - just myself, and my beautiful daughter, Carol, enjoying one of the most wonderful times of our lives.
My longtime friend Anastasia Bourke has lived in Australia for almost twenty years, has two grown daughters, a thriving photography business all her own, and a beautiful three-month-old baby granddaughter, Bailee.
My longtime friend Anastasia Bourke has lived in Australia for almost twenty years, has two grown daughters, a thriving photography business all her own, and a beautiful three-month-old baby granddaughter, Bailee.
Hello again, dearest ones. We have returned from our magnificent adventure abroad, to the intriguing, mysterious, beautiful and wondrous land of Australia. I have much to tell.
But before I begin I ask, "How did this all come about? How, and why did this happen to me???" At the conclusion of the first phase of this long awaited journey, the answer is: just because. Just because it's just because, it just happened. Fell out of the sky, and right into the center of my very being. My well-being, I should say. As if Almighty God Himself has some kind of a "rewards" program. The Mileage Plus program. The thought amuses me.
Mileage rewards, perhaps. Miracle, absolutely. An Australian diamond, brilliant and fine, was given to me by sheer fate. A gift to me from Fate itself. And her name is Pam Russell.
But wait a minute. That's my name. It was, although it's changed it still is part of my life record. My former married name, my daughter's given name. What a great name, Russell. And what fine people we are! Mighty people. Mighty women! Together, the combination of our shared minds and collective hearts was powerful, electric, palpable, warm and good.
Pam is still a kid, but she is grown up, smart, organized, simple, easygoing and kind. Pam is in great shape - of course, she's a semi-retired registered nurse; who now, with her partner Peter, aka Red, runs a large and busy farm with horses, dogs and sheep, and she's headed in the right direction with a keen interest in developing real estate and other projects, including artistic ones. That is what I mean by brilliant. She is perceptive, intuitive and communicative, an effective listener with a strong determination to meet long-range goals using good sense and deep respect for humanity and her country. What great influence - exactly the kind that should be demonstrated to the young women who were there along with us, Carol Anne and Emily. I'll fill you in on that and other details as we go along.
THE TRIP
Carol and I departed SFO at 4:10 p.m. aboard Qantas Flight 3232 on August 9, 2008 and arrived in Brisbane at 6:05 a.m. on Monday, August 11, a long, uneventful flight. The fun began when we got off the plane as the warm Australian sun was just arising that day, when Pam and I met for the first time, and it was just wonderful. This woman, this brilliant Australian diamond, arranged for a stretch limousine to take us to our first destination. She actually choreographed the entire trip for us down to the finest detail. We first landed at the Pearl of the Bay Bed and Breakfast, at Oyster Point in Scarborough, near Red Cliff if you know the area. There, proprietor, designer and owner Rosemarie saw to it that our needs were extremely well taken care of. On the way there, the first thing we noticed were the traffic signs, and that we were driving on the left side of the road. We picked up on the lay of the land, the largeness of space, and the crisp cleanness of the air once we got away from Brizzy airport.
[more to come! stay tuned!]
But before I begin I ask, "How did this all come about? How, and why did this happen to me???" At the conclusion of the first phase of this long awaited journey, the answer is: just because. Just because it's just because, it just happened. Fell out of the sky, and right into the center of my very being. My well-being, I should say. As if Almighty God Himself has some kind of a "rewards" program. The Mileage Plus program. The thought amuses me.
Mileage rewards, perhaps. Miracle, absolutely. An Australian diamond, brilliant and fine, was given to me by sheer fate. A gift to me from Fate itself. And her name is Pam Russell.
But wait a minute. That's my name. It was, although it's changed it still is part of my life record. My former married name, my daughter's given name. What a great name, Russell. And what fine people we are! Mighty people. Mighty women! Together, the combination of our shared minds and collective hearts was powerful, electric, palpable, warm and good.
Pam is still a kid, but she is grown up, smart, organized, simple, easygoing and kind. Pam is in great shape - of course, she's a semi-retired registered nurse; who now, with her partner Peter, aka Red, runs a large and busy farm with horses, dogs and sheep, and she's headed in the right direction with a keen interest in developing real estate and other projects, including artistic ones. That is what I mean by brilliant. She is perceptive, intuitive and communicative, an effective listener with a strong determination to meet long-range goals using good sense and deep respect for humanity and her country. What great influence - exactly the kind that should be demonstrated to the young women who were there along with us, Carol Anne and Emily. I'll fill you in on that and other details as we go along.
THE TRIP
Carol and I departed SFO at 4:10 p.m. aboard Qantas Flight 3232 on August 9, 2008 and arrived in Brisbane at 6:05 a.m. on Monday, August 11, a long, uneventful flight. The fun began when we got off the plane as the warm Australian sun was just arising that day, when Pam and I met for the first time, and it was just wonderful. This woman, this brilliant Australian diamond, arranged for a stretch limousine to take us to our first destination. She actually choreographed the entire trip for us down to the finest detail. We first landed at the Pearl of the Bay Bed and Breakfast, at Oyster Point in Scarborough, near Red Cliff if you know the area. There, proprietor, designer and owner Rosemarie saw to it that our needs were extremely well taken care of. On the way there, the first thing we noticed were the traffic signs, and that we were driving on the left side of the road. We picked up on the lay of the land, the largeness of space, and the crisp cleanness of the air once we got away from Brizzy airport.
[more to come! stay tuned!]
8.17.2008
Having fun now!
8.08.2008
Correction: The below is a beautiful poem. THIS is the Australian National Anthem:
'Australians All Let Us Rejoice'
Australians let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
to Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN! WOOHOO!
I have been using it so much, I finally had to add the word "WOOHOO" to all of my spell-check dictionaries! Here is a poem Pam sent me -- not sure if it's the National Anthem or just a poem, but here it is, and it surely evokes longing in the heart:
The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded Lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens,
Is running in your veins;
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies -
I know but cannot share it,
My Love is otherwise.
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains,
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me.