On: The Land of Oz

by Donnie Hayden

Today to you in the west is the 30th of April, 2014. Our last full day in Australia was on the 29th. The day before (4/28/14), we finally made it to the ocean. So for today’s post, even though we are already in Japan, spending the night and leaving for home on May 1st, I wanted to share some last minute OZ’ stuff with you. Most native Aussies pronounce Australia as, OZ- tralia.We have in many ways, felt like we have been in the land of OZ! 🙂

But Australia is not only a country comprised of six states and two territories, it is also, a continent. We have never left the huge state of New South Wales. Not only have we not seen the rest of this beautiful and interesting country, we have not even scratched the surface of New South Wales!

We spent most of our time with family at their home in Camden, NSW, Australia. I personally, fell in love with this wonderful community! We went to Sydney, NSW, a couple of times, went to the Sydney Opera House, the Harbor area, downtown Sydney, the Chinese Friendship Garden, took a ferry boat ride to Toronga Zoo, and went to Sea World. Still, all of this is located in New South Wales. We rented a cottage for the weekend in Katoomba, New South Wales, in the Blue Mountains. On and on and so forth and even though we saw and experienced a lot in just over a month’s time, what do we really know about this wonderful country, not very much! And even though I took probably 1,000’s of pictures, if they all turn out and I shared them all with you, Australia has SO MUCH MORE to offer! And the same can be said of Japan as well!

But we made it to the ocean in Australia. And do you remember a few posts back while in Katoomba, NSW, I said we saw 100 or more sulfur crested cockatoos fly overhead? Perhaps you found that hard to believe, especially since there were no photos or videos to back up that claim.

I'm so pretty! Thanks for looking! HAVE A NICE DAY! :) — I’m so pretty! Thanks for looking! HAVE A NICE DAY! 🙂

Well, at the bottom of this post are two videos. 100 or so cockatoos flew over the home where we have been staying in, Camden, NSW, Australia. It was an early foggy morning with a little light rain. It was on our last full day here on 4/29/14. The videos show these same birds, perched in a couple of gum trees, in front of the house. Incredible, beautiful and NOISY! 🙂

The day before 4/28/14, we set out to see the ocean. The following unexpected road sign was seen while in route.

Road sign to the Ocean — Road sign on the way to the Ocean

We got to the ocean to Susan’s pure joy and delight! If I told you Susan loves the ocean, that would be an understatement, GREATLY UNDER-STATED!! 🙂

It was a nice drive there through some ‘bush’ of eucalyptus forests, past the koala crossing and with a gorgeous view of mountains until, we descended toward the beach. And there, was, a little sand path walk to the shore. It was a lovely cool day and a bit cloudy. It was definitely a remove-your-sandals-and-walk-barefoot-in-the-sand kind of day. There were huge barges and boats in the distance. Several surfers were out trying to, “catch some waves.” Jonathan and baby Felix, Susan and I walked and explored the beautiful beach and walked along the shoreline. But of course we rolled up our pant legs and dipped our feet in the water! It was wonderful! Susan and I collected a few shells to bring home and spied all kinds of washed-ashore plant life and a couple of little live creatures. One was a tiny hermit crab, walking with its shell still attached. There were large black rocks covered with barnacles. But after all is said and done, it’s all about the ocean!

There was some driftwood and a huge chuck of timber that I pretended to be part of some shipreck that really did occur in this area in the late 1800’s. I found a little stick and, but of course, I had to write something in the sand!

With Love from Susan & Dahni on the beach in OZ-tralia :) — With Love from Susan & Dahni on the beach in OZ-tralia , 4/28/14 🙂

As our outing ended, I came back another way, up some stairs to a play area for kids, picnic area and public restrooms. They even had showers that I took advantage of and washed the sand from my feet, before putting my Keen sandals back on (And yes, brother Richard, my Keen’s stood up to sand, shore and salt-ocean-water. Our outing at the beach was short-lived, but WE LIVED! It was an appropriate one ending to our stay in Australia. Why did I use the words, “one ending?” Why, because, the very next morning, those 100 or so cockatoos from the Blue Mountains seemed to show up in Camden, (as if they followed us) and right in front of our house, JUST FOR YOU!!!! 🙂

But before this post ends and you see the little videos, we would like to take this time to thank all the wonderful Aussies, family and all our new friends that made this such a wonderful and memorable experience! Thank you one and all! We will never forget you! Missing you already! Guhday Mates and Maties or Sheilas! 🙂

Dahni in Susan

A Cockatoo Good Morning to You – Youutube video 1

If possible, watch this full screen and crank up the volume! 🙂

A Cockatoo Good Morning to You II – Youutube video 2

If possible, watch this full screen and crank up the volume! 🙂

April 30, 2014 0

On: Pretty & Cool III

by Donnie HAyden

Pretty & Cool or Pretty Cool Part III this

By the time you get this in the west around 10:00 AM there, it is around midnight of April 30th, and in just a few hours we will take a ride by car then catch a train to Sydney International Airport and we will be on our first flight back home, starting first with an overnight in Tokyo, Japan.

And the confusion or weirdness begins. For our long travel back from the future into the past begins. I am not looking forward to the long flights, time changes and the dreaded jet lag from passing back into yesterday, sixteen hours later when we have already lived in your tomorrow. I’d love to click my heels three times and have it over.

As we leave The Land Down Under as many pronounce it here OZ-tralia, it does feel somewhat like we are not in “Kansas anymore,” like Dorothy said to Toto. Our time here has been wonderful, but as Dorothy also said to Toto…

"There's No Place Like Home!" — “There’s No Place Like Home!”

But until we get back to yesterday, today, it’s Pretty & Cool or Pretty Cool Part III! 🙂

PrettyCool30 — Realy Cool Real Plant Arrangement Three Sisters Mall Store at Echo Point, Blue Mountains, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool31 — Beautiful Fruit-Like Berry Blossom, Belgenny Farm, Camden Park Estate, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool32 — Pretty Blue Somewhere in Australia 🙂

PrettyCool33 — Pretty & Poisonous Toadstool under shrub at Entrance to Carrington Hotel, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool34 — Pretty Smiley Face Flower, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool35 — A Bud, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool36 — Delicate Texture, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool37 — Black Swan, Indigenous to Australia, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool38 — Nature’s Fractals (Fern), Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool38b — Closeup of Nature’s Fractal (Fern), Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool39 — Blue-Red, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool39b — Closeup of Blue-Red, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool40 — Peacock, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool40b — Closeup of Peacock, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool41 — Pink Hibiscus, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool42 — Little Flowering Tree, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool43 — Lilly Pad Flower, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool44 — White Gardenia, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool45 — Beautiful Rose, The Memorial Rose Garden, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool47 — Susan, My Beautiful Rose in Front of Waterfall at, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool48 — Beautiful Rose Bud, The Rose Memorial Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool49 — Beautiful Lavender Rose, The Rose Memorial, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool50 — The Money Tree, in a Park Outside of Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool51 — Pretty Little, Lily Pad Pond, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australai

PrettyCool52 — Pretty-Cool Whatever it is, The Blue Mountains, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

Pretty Peaceful, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australia

Pretty Little, Lily Pad Pond, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australai — Pretty Peaceful II, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Austraila

Pretty Peaceful III, The Chinese Friendship Garden, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Austraila

April 29, 2014 2

On: Pretty & Cool II

by Donnie Hayden

Pretty & Cool or Pretty Cool Part II

By 10:00 AM in NY (eastern standard time) today,April 28, 2014 it is midnight of the next day here in Australia (April 29th. Hopefully, I am asleep, for when we arise, it’s packing day, for tomorrow morning we will be leaving the ‘Land Down Under,’ for Japan, and our trip home.

So I, like Tooter Turtle will call upon Mr. Wizard the Lizard to get us safely home.

Tooter Turtle (sometimes spelled Tudor or Tutor) was a cartoon about a turtle that first appeared on TV in 1960, as a segment, along with The Hunter a detective dog, as part of the King Leonardo and His Short Subjects program. “Tooter Turtle” debuted on NBC, on Saturday, October 15, 1960, and ran for 39 original episodes through July 22, 1961. These episodes were later rerun as backups on other cartoon shows,^[1] but no more original episodes were made.

The plots followed the same general format. Tooter (voiced by Allen Swift) calls on his friend Mr. Wizard the Lizard (voiced by Sandy Becker), an anthropomorphic lizard wearing wizard cone hat, robe, and pince-nez eyeglasses. Mr. Wizard lived in a tiny cardboard box at the base of a tall tree. The introductory segment had Tooter knocking on the cardboard box, having “another favor to ask.” From inside the box, Mr. Wizard would shrink Tooter small enough to enter through the box’s front door, and invite him in. Mr. Wizard has the magic to change Tooter’s life to some other destiny, usually sending him back in time and to various locales.

Mr. Wizard sending Tooter Turtle somewhere in the past, present or future

As Tooter is doing his destiny, Mr. Wizard narrates about it. When Tooter’s trip finally became a catastrophe, Tooter would request help with a cry of “Help me Mr. Wizard, I don’t want to be X any more!” where X was whatever destiny Tooter had entered. Mr. Wizard would then rescue Tooter with the incantation, “Twizzle, Twazzle, Twozzle, Twome; time for this one to come home.” Then, Mr. Wizard would always give Tooter the same advice:

“Be just what you is, not what you is not. Those that do this are the happiest lot.”

Source, Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooter_Turtle

Anyway, back to your present and ‘Pretty & Cool’ or Pretty Cool Part II

PrettyCool14 — A Pretty ibis in an habitat reserve nearby

PrettyCool15 — Another Pretty, Belgenny Farm, Camden Estate Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool16 — Pretty Cool flowers, Belgenny Farm, Camden Estate Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool16b — Closeup of prety cool flower, Belgenny Farm, Camden Estate Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool17 — Pretty Pink, Belgenny Farm, Camden Estate Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool18 — This pretty white flower looks like the tips of its petal were airbrushed pink., Belgenny Farm, Camden Estate Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool19 — Lime Tree, Belgenny Farm, Camden Estate Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool19b — Closeup of Limes, Belgenny Farm, Camden Estate Park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool20 — Pretty Ducks, Habitat & Reserve in park, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool21 — Pretty Cool Window Display, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool22 — Pretty Cool Advice, on street outside store, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool23 — Pretty Cool Display and sculpture made out of wood, inside store, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool24 — Beautiful delicate little fragrant flower, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool25 — Bee and Yellow Flower, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool25b — Closeup of Yellow Flower, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool26 — Pretty Pink Flowers on Fence Line, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool26b — Closeup of Pretty Pink Flowers, Katoomba, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool27 — Beautiful, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool27b — Closeup of Beautiful, Downtown Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool28 — Another Beautiful, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

April 28, 2014 0

On: Pretty & Cool

by Donnie Hayden

Pretty & Cool or Pretty Cool Part I

As you are waxing on your Sunday, our is waning in Australia. Soon it will be Monday here. We have only two days left until we leave early Wednesday for our flight to Tokyo, Japan on April 30th. After an overnight night there, we will take a flight to Chicago, IL, U.S.A. on May 1st, fly through yesterday and still arrive on May 1st, catch another plane and be in Rochester, NY around 2:15 PM est, on May 1st. Then it is about a 45 minute drive and we will be home!

This has been an incredible trip to Japan & Australia! There is so much from both countries I still want to share with you.

While still in Australia there was so much more I wanted to share, but the time fails me. I have taken thousands of pictures and many of them are acceptable to my very critical eye. But with the laptop I have been using, problems with my camera, lack of software and other issues, I have been severely limited.

But there are places we went and things we did that I want to share and will, somehow in the future. Here is just a partial list of content I have not posted yet:

• Belgenny Farm (the birthplace of Australian agriculture)

• Out N’ About Sydney, Australia

• Beautiful sunrises and sunset

• Paddy’s Market (downtown Sydney shopping district

• More about Camden, Australia

• Our ferry boat ride in Darling Harbor, past the Sydney Opera House and underneath Harbor Bridge

• Susan’s & Caitlin’s High Tea

• Sea Life Sydney Aquarium

• Taronga Zoo (truly a world class zoo in Sydney. I have so many pictures of animals and we proabably only saw 1/3 of the zoo)

• And so much more!

So, I have loaded over 60 pictures of just what I call in the post, Pretty & Cool or you could also just think of these as pretty cool! 🙂 But these are pictures taken over the month that we have been in Australia. The are pictures of flowers and plants mostly found here. Most of these I do not not know their names are really much about them other than, there are just to me, Pretty & Cool! 🙂

So I will pre-schedule 3 posts for the next three days (including today) and post about 20 or so pictures for each day with some simple captions with descriptions.

If I get an opportunity to post anymore before we get home to The Gathering Place, I may? I will try and continue posting about our trip when we get home ASAP. But, we have much to do when we get home for the month of may and June, but I will do the best that I can, when I can.

Thank You for your patience and understanding.

Dahni

A neighbor's tree on Little St., Camden, NSW, Australia — A neighbor’s tree on Little St., Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool1 — A rose of many The Rose Cottage, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool4 — Bottle Brush Tree, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool4b — Closeup of Bottle Brush Tree, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool5 — Even after the colors fade, the Bottle Brush Tree is still interesting, Belgenny Farm, Camden Park Estate, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool5b — Closeup of faded Bottle Brush Tree, Belgenny Farm, Camden Park Estate, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool6 — Just another ‘Pretty,’ in Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool7 — Gorgeous Rose, Somewhere in Australia

PrettyCool8 — Another ‘Pretty’ Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool9 — Bird of Paradise, Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool10 — Interesting hangy-downy-thingies somewhere on an Australian tree 🙂

PrettyCool11 — A pretty lorikeet eating pretty red petals, right outside our living room window on Little Street, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool12 — Closeup of pretty lorikeet eating pretty red petals, right outside our living room window on Little Street, Camden, NSW, Australia

PrettyCool13 — This cactus at the end of the street, budded shortly after we got here. There must have been over a 100 buds. Only 1-2 blooms

PrettyCool13b — Closeup of bloom and buds

PrettyCool13c — The blooms only bloom once and only two buds blossomed and as of 4/26/14 this is how the cactus now looks

PrettyCool13e — All the buds and 2 blooms disappeared. This little red I saw the morning of 4/26/14

April 27, 2014 0

On: A Cockatoo Good Morning to You

by Donnie Hayden

On Friday April 11, 2014, after we checked in at our cottage in Katoomba, NSW, Australia in the Blue Mountains, Susan and Jonathan and I went to town to find some food for super. Caitlin, baby Felix and Fritz the dog stayed behind at the cottage.

The cottage had a large open space for the living, dining and breakfast area, with a high cathedral ceiling. The west wall was all glass and outside was a large wooden deck. Two large cedar trees were on each side of the deck.

The view of the Blue Mountains towards the frot of the deck or due west was incredible! It was the perfect place to view the sunrise, sunset, moon-rise, moon-fall and the many coolabah (eucalyptus or gum) trees rising mysteriously in the distance. These trees hosted many cockatoos and other birds. Throughout our weekend, we could see them fly over and sunset and sunrise and perch in the trees. And, outside on the deck was a wonderful place to hear the cacophony of sounds and breathe the fresh clean mountain air and reflect on life, chill or just be at peace.

But as we three, on our first evening here, crossed the street from our cottage, at least 100 cockatoos flew overhead, just around sunset. We we brought food home for Caitlin and told her about this, she let us know that she saw the same group of birds fly overhead and land in the trees, in front of the deck of our cottage!

Personally, I’ve only ever seen any of these beautiful birds in zoos and as pets back home in the United States, but and never so many and flying-living free in Australia!!! 🙂

Although I was not able to capture this extraordinary sight with my camera, four cockatoos showed up the morning we left for home. One in particular, seemed more than willing to pose just for you! So I share this ‘Cockatoo Good Morning with You!’

Good Morning from our cottage deck in the Blue Mountains

Four Cockatoos

Sure I'll pose for you! — Sure I’ll pose for you!

April 24, 2014 0

On: Bell Birds

by Donnie Hayden

I only thought we were in the country until we actually went into the country. It was a nice ride from Camden to Picton, New South Wales, Australia about 16 miles. We saw rolling hills and cows and sheep much like anyplace I have ever seen. If not for driving on the right side of the car and on the left side of the road, it all looked similar to anything I’ve ever seen. On occasion there would be a sign that read, “Stay in line unless overtaking,” meaning the center lane was for passing ONLY. Somehow, before we leave, I will snap a picture of the road sign for Kangaroo Crossing. But again, everything seemed quite the same. WOW, was I about to be surprised!

Our destination was the Razorback Inn, a quaint out-of-the-way place to eat that was established in 1849.

Menu from 'Common Gound' — Menu from ‘Common Gound’

The eatery is now run by a Christian Commune called, ‘Common Ground.’ They make their own clothes, live in the area, and run the restaurant including making all the food from scratch and natural and wholesome ingredients. A s delicious as the food was and as charming as the place was, this was not the most memorable experience, of this experience to me. It was in fact, the Bell Birds. Yes, that is what you read, what I wrote and what was meant! And as the name implies, the birds have some association with bells because, however they make this sound, they sound exactly like bells!!!!!!

The Bell Bird or the Bell Miner (Manorina melanophrys), commonly known as the Bellbird, is a colonial honeyeater found in southeastern Australia. The common name refers to their bell-like call. “Miner” is an old alternative spelling of the word “myna” and is shared with other members of the genus Manerina. The birds feed almost exclusively on the dome-like coverings of certain psyllid bugs, referred to as “bell lerps,” that feed on ucalyptus sap from the leaves. The “bell lerps” make these domes from their own honeydew secretions in order to protect themselves from predators and the environment.

Bell miners live in large, complex social groups. Within each group there are subgroups consisting of several breeding pairs, but also including a number of birds who are not currently breeding. The non-breeders help in providing food for the young in all the nests in the subgroup, even though they are not necessarily closely related to them. The birds defend their colony area communally aggressively, excluding most other passerine species. They do this in order to protect their territory from other insect-eating birds that would eat the bell lerps on which they feed. Whenever the local forests die back due to increased lerp psyllid infestations, bell miners undergo a population boom.

The sound is beautiful and quite enchanting. It is difficult to believe that you are hearing these sounds and that they are made by birds. Adding to this difficulty is their size. They are so small and so fast, it is almost next to impossible to see them in the trees and capture them with a camera. The following pictures of the Bellbird are not mine. I was able to capture their unimaginable and unbelievable sound, but I found a wonderful video on Youtube, so I will use this to share with you.