Well, life has changed a bit recently!
Two weeks ago I packed up my things and moved from Wylie to the Denver area (just in time for the worst storm and coldest temps in decades can I just add).
After getting home from The Trip around the end of August I hung out in Wylie for about 4 months working at a Sprouts Farmers Market, hanging out with my friends and family and getting used to life at a much slower pace.
Then one day I decided to apply for a job in CO. and what do you know, it worked out.
I'm deliriously happy to be here, every time I look west I see mountains. They are wild and beautiful, it's thrilling every time I see them. So far the coldest it's been since I got here is 15 below, wow. Little colder than I'm used to, but new and exciting nonetheless.
Hope you all are well and happy.
love, jewel
Friday, February 4, 2011
Monday, August 9, 2010
a bit of the sea
Well we've been beach bums for two-ish weeks now. The days are pretty relaxed so there's not a whole lot to report. I like lists so I'll just make you a list of good things :)
- swimming in the sea
- eating fresh bananas from the highway stands
- sunbathing and reading
- running around in the sand
- watching tides come in and out and the sun rising and setting
- exploring beach towns
- watching surfers
- snorkeling reef
- napping
- taking it easy
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
the general idea
Well we drove up through the center of Australia with no air conditioning and no radio. By the end of it we were covered in red dirt and crazy eyed but we've seen some beautiful things along the way.
We camped out in the bush the whole way through the center, saw the most amazing stars of my life. There's no light pollution at all. Spent a night camping UNDERGROUND in Coober Pedy, the whole town is underground! Well a lot of it is anyway, it's the opal mining capital of the world and people just burrow underground and live like little rabbits. They come up in the evening when it starts to cool down. That was pretty cool.
We hiked around Ayers Rock but didn't climb it as rain was forcasted. That rock is giant! Almost 10 k around the base, took us a couple hours. We also did some hiking in King's Canyon which is just a bit northeast and that was beautiful country. It had been raining quite a bit and we forded a couple of rivers to get in there. I thought I was going to die in our toy car, the water was about 10 inches deep! Very sketch. After King's Canyon we drove north to the Mcdonnel Ranges and spent a couple nights there. We camped on top of this hill and you could see for miles and miles. It was a good spot.
After all that time in the bush we went into Alice Springs, the only big city in the center and attended the camel races. It was awesome! I will tell you what, watching those camels lope along was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. They are hilarious animals.
From Alice we kept driving north and then east to Cloncurry. We spent about a week camped out at a dam where we met Larry, the ranger who looks after the area. We quickly made good friends with him and eventually his family too. During our week in Cloncurry there was a big event going on called the Stockman's Challenge that we would go and watch in the afternoons. I would wake up, have a run, have a swim, lay around for a while, read some, then head into town and watch some steers get herded around and then go to Larry's for dinner or back to the campsite to cook over our fire. It was a wonderful week.
Now we are on a cattle station about an hour and a half north of Cloncurry called Melinda Downs. We're helping our hosts, Danny and Tara, out mustering and drafting the cattle and also with Emma (16 months) and Matthew (2 weeks) at the house. We went to the Quamby rodeo last weekend with them and watched some bullriding and bronc riding which was very exciting. I'm becoming more and more convinced that maybe I should come back to the area and work on a cattle station. We'll see :)
Next we're off to the Great Barrier Reef to have a look around and then in three weeks or so I'll be home.
We camped out in the bush the whole way through the center, saw the most amazing stars of my life. There's no light pollution at all. Spent a night camping UNDERGROUND in Coober Pedy, the whole town is underground! Well a lot of it is anyway, it's the opal mining capital of the world and people just burrow underground and live like little rabbits. They come up in the evening when it starts to cool down. That was pretty cool.
We hiked around Ayers Rock but didn't climb it as rain was forcasted. That rock is giant! Almost 10 k around the base, took us a couple hours. We also did some hiking in King's Canyon which is just a bit northeast and that was beautiful country. It had been raining quite a bit and we forded a couple of rivers to get in there. I thought I was going to die in our toy car, the water was about 10 inches deep! Very sketch. After King's Canyon we drove north to the Mcdonnel Ranges and spent a couple nights there. We camped on top of this hill and you could see for miles and miles. It was a good spot.
After all that time in the bush we went into Alice Springs, the only big city in the center and attended the camel races. It was awesome! I will tell you what, watching those camels lope along was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. They are hilarious animals.
From Alice we kept driving north and then east to Cloncurry. We spent about a week camped out at a dam where we met Larry, the ranger who looks after the area. We quickly made good friends with him and eventually his family too. During our week in Cloncurry there was a big event going on called the Stockman's Challenge that we would go and watch in the afternoons. I would wake up, have a run, have a swim, lay around for a while, read some, then head into town and watch some steers get herded around and then go to Larry's for dinner or back to the campsite to cook over our fire. It was a wonderful week.
Now we are on a cattle station about an hour and a half north of Cloncurry called Melinda Downs. We're helping our hosts, Danny and Tara, out mustering and drafting the cattle and also with Emma (16 months) and Matthew (2 weeks) at the house. We went to the Quamby rodeo last weekend with them and watched some bullriding and bronc riding which was very exciting. I'm becoming more and more convinced that maybe I should come back to the area and work on a cattle station. We'll see :)
Next we're off to the Great Barrier Reef to have a look around and then in three weeks or so I'll be home.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
happy father's day dad!
Dear Dad,
composed this song for you on this violen I found. Hope you like it!
love, Jewel
sheep and kangaroos!
I am currently in Keith, South Australia WWOOFing on a sheep and mixed crop farm with Dean and Adair, the couple who own it. Lots of exciting things have been happening here! Kristen, Erika and I got here right in the middle of lambing so there are babies everywhere. Every morning we go through all the paddocks and check on the ewes and help the ones who are having trouble give birth. Now, some of you who have spent a lot of time with me may wonder about how I did in those situations as I have a very strong fear of childbirth (or anything giving birth for that matter). I am proud to tell you all that I did quite well and even pulled a lamb out myself one morning. I almost hyperventilated and had several minor heart attacks but I feel like I'm making progress.
After my last update we went to another WWOOF host near Bega and stayed there for a week and then went back north to Sydney, exchanged rental cars, went straight west to Broken Hill and then south to Keith where we have been for the past week. We are heading into Adelaide tomorrow and then north up the center of the country to Alice Springs to see Uluru. From there we are going north a bit and then back east to the Great Barrier Reef and then down the east coast to Sydney where we will fly out late August. Well that's the Grand Plan at least!
After my last update we went to another WWOOF host near Bega and stayed there for a week and then went back north to Sydney, exchanged rental cars, went straight west to Broken Hill and then south to Keith where we have been for the past week. We are heading into Adelaide tomorrow and then north up the center of the country to Alice Springs to see Uluru. From there we are going north a bit and then back east to the Great Barrier Reef and then down the east coast to Sydney where we will fly out late August. Well that's the Grand Plan at least!
I thought this might just be a cliche but there are seriously kangaroos everywhere. Everywhere. You cannot get away from them. There are roughly 60 million or so. We have also seen wallabys (little kangaroos), wombats, emus, parrots, cockotoos, and kookaburas. No sign yet of the elusive koala bear but I am constantly vigilant in hopes of spotting one.
It's really beautiful, the outback. There's nothing there but red dirt and scrub for miles and miles and miles. Open sky and lots of space, I really like it. The closer you get to the coast the bigger the trees get. I have never seen eucalyptus trees like here in Aussie. They are absolutely fantastic.
final note: I'm not sure when I'll be able to write next. We don't have any other farms lined up and we're headed into the middle of nowhere for the next month or so. I will hopefully have many wonderful stories and pictures to share soon though. Love to you all.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
AUSTRALIA
Ok.
So the ENTIRE first week I was in Australia it rained. Erika, Kristen and I lived in a three person tent for 7 days. Wet. It was hellish.
Upon flying into Sydney two weeks ago we proceeded to rent a miniture version of a real car and take off down the coast to Jervis Bay where we camped. In the pouring rain. While an army of possums were invading. Our activities during that time consisted of sleeping, eating sandwiches, reading, railing at Australian weather, sleeping, picking fights with each other, kicking possums, and trying to figure out how to come home early.
After about 4 days in Jervis Bay we moved on to Canberra to see the sights there. Went to the national art gallery, the oldest Anglican church in Australia, and the Parliament building. We got to sit in on the question time in the Parliament and it was AWESOME. Basically what happens is the Senate is sitting in a big room and a person will be called up to a mic to address whatever issue. All the people who agree with the speaker boisterously call out their approval and clap and all the people who disagree heckle the speaker and laugh at them. It was absolutely hilarious and utterly fascinating. I could not believe the madness unfolding before my eyes as American politics are nothing like this. This was not stiff, crusty, or boring. I thought a few times that a fist fight would break out but it didn't quite escalate that far.
We also went to the movies one night in Canberra to escape the rain and saw Prince of Persia. To anyone who has not seen Prince of Persia yet.....go see it. If you like movies with fight scenes go see it. It's awesome. Props to Jake Gyllenhal for that role. It's a little cheesy but in a good way and definitely worthwhile. We snuck into another movie called 'I Love You Too' which turned out to be an adorable Ozzy romantic comedy. So we not only got out of the rain for four hours or so, we saw an epic Persian movie and got an Australian cultural experience.
Shortly after our trip to the Parliament we drove out to our first Ozzy WWOOF hosts, Greg and Sue. Here we've been having a wonderful time ripping tussocks out, helping get ready for the installation of some solar panels, fencing, shifting cattle, and cooking authentic American meals for the family (hamburgers and pumpkin pie which they have never heard of). I've been learning about strawbale house construction, passive solar heating, intensive grazing, and biodynamics, all of which are extremely interesting. I also learned to ride a motorbike and it was possibly the most intensely awesome experience ever. I also learned to drive a stickshift. With my left hand as I was on the other side of the truck! It was odd, but very fun and I am immensely impressed with myself!
Leaving tomorrow morning for our next WWOOF hosts. After that...not quite sure.
Love to you all!
Jewel
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