Coming of Age in Victor Harbor

Sometimes life brings you lemons. Sometimes it brings beautifully cut, flawless diamonds. Lately, I've been overwhelmed by the latter.

Being distracted with work, trip plans, and losing the Chardonnay gig, it took me a while to remember that I have a friend from Australia. Not only is she from Australia, but she is a second-generation anthropologist whose mother is a professor of anthropology and women's studies at George Washington University and has written about aboriginal women. On top of all that, her mother will be near one of my stops in Australia while I am there and wants to go on a whale watch.
I was amazed when my friend reacted to me saying I was going to visit Victor Harbor by saying that her family has land near there. It's a very small, off-the-beaten track place that just got its first car rental agency. Genevieve, who is very respected throughout Intel and will likely be our only female Fellow soon (a very big deal), also gave me lots of history and other information about the area.

Unlike the other parts of Australia I'll be visiting, the South Australia coast was settled by New England whalers. The continued presence of right whales in the area makes it understandable that Ishmael and friends would be there. The presence of the whalers makes the continued presence of the whales somewhat miraculous. That the settlers were American rather than the British explains why there's no "u" in Harbor. That they were from New England explains why the place is pronounced Victah Hahbah. These are the kinds of things I might never have realized without Genevieve although the pronunciation will likely make me feel right at home.

A couple of other minor updates. I'm now set to go on a whale watch on my very first day in Australia. It seemed like the right way to kick things off. The next day is my behind-the-scenes tour at the world-famous Taronga Zoo. The rest of my time in Sydney will be unstructured while I take advantage of my prepaid SeeSydney card that gets me tours, cruises, museum and aquarium entries and a bunch of other goodies.

The other change is that I'm taking an earlier flight from Adelaide to Brisbane than originally scheduled. This will allow me to take up an offer for a FOC (my favorite acronym- free of charge) visit to Australia Zoo. Doubt Steve and Terri will be there, but that might be a blessing.

The countdown is to just over three months now. Based on Genevieve's input, I need to buy a hat. That's about the only thing I have to do until it's time to pack. Then again, hats generally don't travel well. Maybe I'll pick one up over there.

Thumb Twiddling

Everything is done but the packing. Cars are rented. Rooms reserved. Tours that need advance reservations (and even some that don't) booked. These include some more freebies like a full day cruise to the outer reef and day and evening aboriginal experiences. My document folder is complete with receipts, confirmations, maps, schedules, and the odd optional activity (camel ride anyone?) This trip is way too organized. I keep checking to make sure I've left enough time for spontaneity so I don't make the same mistakes I made in England. On that wonderful trip, I had to run through medieval fairs and pass up visiting with some cute doggies.

Speaking of doggies, one of the places I'm going to lets visitors pet a dingo. (Yes, I'll wash my hands, before and after.) These are animals I was happy just to see. Petting one will be a thrill. This is at the Koala Sanctuary near Sydney. Before booking a tour I double-checked the SeeSydney pass I bought. Good thing I did because entry to the Sanctuary was one of the many benefits listed. This card is almost as good as the "magic" card I had in France. Doubt it will get me the special treatment that card did, but it is an awfully good value. All my Sydney sightseeing and harbor cruising is covered including entrance to the Aquarium, museums, and a tour of the Opera House. There are also discounts on food and shopping, not that 10% off at the National Opal Center will make anything affordable. Opals may not be expensive, but the settings sure are. I do hope to pick up at least one opal and one sapphire with which to make a piece of jewelry.

Speaking of jewelry, I've been very productive lately and my repertoire has expanded. The pieces I've made for myself I could never afford at retail, especially those with pearls and sapphires. Inventory is building for the November Intel craft fair at which I'll be sharing a booth with my friend Susan who got me into this whole thing. Strange that I was introduced to 2 of my passions by women named Susan. In any case, I'll have necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and sets to sell in a variety of price ranges. Susan does wonderful lanyards and her style is very different from mine. It will be a good combination.

A sad update on the whale watching scene. I'm no longer working for Chardonnay. Not sure of why, but I got a rather curt letter the day before I was supposed to work a couple of weeks ago saying they didn't need me anymore. It's highly likely I'll find a new gig by next season, but there are no other boats around here as nice as the Chardonnay II. In the meantime, I have more time to clean the apartment, make jewelry, and dream about the trip.