Oil Changes and Flowers

I awoke this morning to the freshening, gray light and the drumming of rain on the skylights. I do not mind rising early, I prefer it. I also love an
afternoon nap, a restart of the day that became a habit when I toured fulltime. I’d arrive in town, check in to the motel and grab a “restart” before heading to the venue.  I am grateful for naps when I can get them, and grateful for days that are too filled to allow time for them. Either way, I am grateful.

Yesterday began with a rainy drive to Wanchese to take the Prius in for maintenance and then waiting for it. I am grateful that we have (at least what seems to be) a good local mechanic. I do tend to put the miles on a vehicle and I have sat there by their drag racing trophies many a morning and waited while the oil was changed.

Later in the day, there was a clearing in the rain and I had a lovely brisk walk around the harbor in Manteo. When I returned, I picked a few Hydrangeas from our yard for Lynn. They are my favorite flower. I am grateful.

 As most of you know, I have begun to blog these Living Gratitudes. I will be recording the trip around Oz that we begin in August and I will probably continue to cross post on the facebook as well. I am doing that with this post. I am just learning how to work Blogspot and the Blogo offline writing app. I do enjoy communicating and sharing the things for which I am grateful and I am most grateful for y’all with whom I get to share them.

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music.

Tassie Endemics

As Lynn and I prepare, plan and arrange to spend almost a year traveling and birding in Australia, I have taken this step into blogging. I will blog our travels and my gratitudes along the journey. It is what I have been doing on facebook, but in a more permanent form I suppose. It seems pretty easy so far, however I am just learning and experimenting and battling with the non-intuitiveness of technology. I have been "working" on getting this to post properly for over an hour now. We will see. Regardless, I am grateful for this next step in communication and sharing.

As I mentioned just a few days ago, we have booked a pelagic out of Eaglehawk Neck in Tasmania for 5 December and I am thrilled and grateful. We will be spending about two weeks in the wondrous Land Down-under the Land Down-under. We went there for a week in early December 2012 and it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited. We will spend some time again on one of our favorite places, Bruny Island. It is gorgeous and it’s a location where one can get all twelve of Tasmania’s endemic birds. I have seen the twelve (with a bit of luck, this can be done in a day or less of birding) but Lynn has only seen a few, so we will be finding these birds again… together. I am grateful.

“Endemic” is a lovely word to a birder. It means the bird can only be seen in this specific place making it necessary to go there, and most birders like “to go there.” So I thought I would post the photos of my twelve Tassie endemics. All the shots except the Thornbill were taken on Bruny Island and mostly they are just recording shots (especially the Scrubwren) but they are special to me and I am grateful to have seen them and to have managed to get any sort of photo. 

Strong-billed honeyeater 

Dusky Robin

Black-headed Honeyeater

                                       Yellow-throated Honeyeater

Yellow Wattlebird

Black Currawong

Tasmanian Scrubwren

Green Rosella

Tasmanian Thornbill

Forty-spotted Pardalote

Tasmanian Native-hen

Scrubtit 

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music. 

Iron Range Plans

It is not a big year. It is a big adventure. Our routes around Australia will be based on birds (and weather… hot south, cold north). We are letting the birds lead us around Oz. They have wanted to lead me to the Iron Range for many years now. There are twenty some birds up there that are found nowhere else in Australia. I have longed to behold the Palm Cockatoo and Eclectus Parrot among many others. So, as is so often the case, I am grateful for the birds.

Yesterday, after several emails and waiting for about a week to hear back, we have confirmed our room at Greenhoose (that is how it is spelled) in Lockhart, FNQ. That’s Far North Queensland, pronounced Effin’-Q. This is the last thing I needed booked for our week in the Iron Range in early October. Yes, a birding dream for me is officially scheduled. We will be going to Australia’s little version of Papua New Guinea, flying in on 6 October and out on 13 October. I am so grateful and so very excited! See the Iron Range Bird List...

 And on a different note, Lynn ordered these plates and glasses for Matilda. They are hard plastic, but not too heavy to pack to carry back. I love these! I am grateful.

Birds. Peace. Love. Earth. Laughter. Music.