Wyreema, Qld, Australia
Wow! It's been a month since I wrote the post below. Life's been busy and I've been taking a well-deserved break. I want to capture all the moments and emotions of my travels, and yet sometimes it seems over-whelming and like a one way street. Facebook is more in the moment (as I'm living my life now) and inter-active. But a dear friend told me that my blog has more details...the in-depth story. Well, it used to. And if I find that the more social I am, the less I write. I need to be alone (maybe even a bit lonely) to create my posts. Add to that I'm finger typing with one letter on a massive keyboard on my ipad. All those typing lessons in jr high have gone to waste. What I wouldn't give for a real keyboard to type away on quickly! Sure just sounds like whining and excuses to me:)
Today I have the whole day to myself and I promise I'll get y'all caught up on the terrific month I've had here in Australia!!! Most of the month has been off the bike staying with friends...a break I dearly needed. So let's go back to last month and see what I've been up to, mates!
June 18, 2015
Surfer's Paradise, Queensland, Australia
I've arrived in a new state, Queensland and at the Gold Coast. This is Miami of Australia! Looks like it. Feels like. They just have a fabulous accent here:)) And they have a town called Miami here...imagine my surprise when I saw a sign, from a car or I'd have gotten a photo, that said Welcome to Miami! Did I take a wrong turn somewhere?
I'm staying here a couple of weeks taking a break with a wonderfully whacky woman I met on the Camino, Isabel. And she loves to cook healthy foods. So this should help things immensely. And I'm wearing her clothes...different clothes after 15 months is amazingly uplifting. Nothing special, just different. Ahhh! And I have my own wing of the house. Crazy, huh. And there's a pool and gardens. Very lovely. But best of all is Isabel is crazy funny and has me in stitches! I love to laugh. And she makes that happen.
The first night here she took me to a club, RSL. There are clubs everywhere here. Something else I learned from Bryson's book. This is a Retired Serviceman's League. Then there are bowling clubs, sailing clubs, nationality-specific clubs. That's their community centers. There's food, gambling, games, etc. so we went for euchre. Now, mind you, I haven't played in forever...years we're talking...and needed Isabel to give me a refresher of the rules of play beforehand. There were 4 tables and we played 20 games. Short ones. Up to 5 points. And I came in 2nd!! Not bad, hey? Sunday we're going to play 30 games. OMG. It's so hard to think fast after a year of going slowly, thinking slowly. They don't even wait for me to bid but fly on by. So I "sandbag" a lot. No time to play aggressively. Interesting, that's all I can say.
Then yesterday we we're suppose to go kayaking with a Wednesday morning group only because of a rain forecast, they cancelled. But us three girls went anyways! And it didn't rain. And we had a blast. I even took the kayak out into the ocean and caught some waves! Ocean kayaking would be great fun. A new way of travel perhaps?
We also went down to the Country Music Festival one evening. Ya, Isabel lives within walking distance of the beach and both Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. Felt like I was back home hearing the foot stomping music!
I joined Isabel in yoga classes and nutrition talks, lots more euchre nights (and I got worse and worse), and the movies at the Casino. So much fun to have a girlfriend to pal around with! And lots of just plain "downtime" which I desperately needed. Thanks, Isabel, for sharing your home and your world with me! Truly a kindred spirit!
Isabel's lovely home. I sat many mornings at this blue soaking up the sun:)
And lots of healthy eating in her kitchen. She's an amazing cook!
Taught me how to make almond milk (so easy) and using the leftover almond meal as "cheese"...the trick is adding spices.
But alas, I had to keep moving. Truly the downside of this life style us all the goodbyes:((
Some final pics from the Gold Coast visit:
Me in Isabel's leather hat and Driza Bone (dry as a bone) trench coat. I look Aussie now!
Wiser words...
City view.
The guys from the bike shop...oh, are they cute or what!! And good bike mechanics too!
Livin' the life,
BagLady
Facebook: Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman
