Cairns is OVER. i had a good setup in Cairns, but i don't know, something just felt off--awkward. i think my hostess must have sensed the same thing because she asked how soon i'd like to go to the Whitsundays and the next day she had me all setup to catch a ride with her friend down to Airlie Beach where i'd stay with another pair of her friends until i felt like leaving. man that was a long sentence. oh and by the way, i misunderstood her intentions before when i said i'd have her house all to myself with [View Full Entry]

---

---

I left Kangaroo Island on July 12th. You wouldn't believe what happened to me at the airport. i walked up to the Qantas counter, checked my bags, got my boarding pass, went through security, found my gate, waited for my plane, boarded, and flew to Cairns. isn't that crazy? almost as crazy as when i packed my bags, loaded them in the car, ate some cereal, and drove to the airport. amazing, unbelievable stories, i know. On behalf of the entire Qantas family, we'd like to welcome you to Cairns. We hope you enjoy your stay. Oh yeah? do you really? [View Full Entry]

---

---

I remember this past week, my last full week on this isle del kangaroos, dragging on and on like the old, brown Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon we had when i was a kid. the thing just wouldn't die. Now that the week is over, done with, dead, it seems like a blur. I didn't do a whole lot: a bit of grapevine pruning, a bit of gardening, a bit of fencing (the post and wire variety, not the enguard! Touché! have at you! stuff...duh). Some of you may be asking, "does bryan ever do more than a bit of this; [View Full Entry]

---

---

Sunday afternoon I returned from the spear fishing trip tired and sandy (inside and out). I must have eaten enough sand over the course of the weekend to fill a fish bowl. Not that I’m complaining; sand in anything and everything you come into contact with, especially your food, is part of the “fun” of camping on the beach, is it not? The bus was gone when we pulled into the driveway so I deduced that Bob, Lorraine, and Teresa must be in Kingscote. I grabbed my gear off of the truck, thanked Anthony and Rachel for rescuing me from the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Cramming 4 people into the cab of a small pickup truck is DUMB. So, naturally, that's what we did (if you''re just joining us, it's friday afternoon and Rachel, Mary, and Anthony have just picked me up to go camping/spear fishing). we arrived at Western River Cove, a beach on the north coast of Kangaroo Island, gently opened the door, and fell out onto the ground with a collective groan of relief. looking around we could see one camping site at the end of the road next to the foot bridge and...that's all. one site. and it's not even close to [View Full Entry]

---

---

To be a successful farmer--and by that i mean, to be a farmer who doesn't go mad and throw himself in front of a tractor or play hide-and-seek with his cows--you have to possess a fantastical, and often cynical sense of humor. the fire will burn where you don't want it to and will completely avoid the dead tree you've been trying to burn out for the past week. when it finally does burn out, the dead tree will do exactly what you've been trying to get it to do for days; it will fall over...right on top of the fence. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Saturdays are for sleeping in. unless you live in the caravan at the edge of Bob and Lorraine's lawn. In this case, saturdays are for trying to convince your feeble brain (unsuccessfully) that you're still asleep from the time the birds scream at you at the crack of dawn to about 9am when Lorraine comes a-rapping on your door to inform you that Rachel will be picking you up in a half hour. bryan does groaning now. All of my sleep woes and crankiness were washed away when i shuffled my way into the house to find Lorraine feverishly putting together [View Full Entry]

---

---

All this week I've come home covered in soot. i've been very tempted to dance around like an idiot and sing that chimney sweep song from Mary Poppins, but i have refrained for Bob and Lorraine's sake. they'd surely banish me to the caravan for something like that. i suppose i should explain why i come home sooted everyday; man, you people are so demanding. Explanation ready go: Bob has an area of land from the garden to the river covered in scrub (bushes) and dead trees (dead trees). my professional tractor mowing skills (okay really i've knocked over 4 fence [View Full Entry]

---

---

It's tuesday (i think). I left Bainbridge Island, WA on June 7th and, after a 5-hour layover in L.A., a man proudly sporting white, Champion ankle socks with his business attire (good for him and his brash disregard for "acceptable" fashion; i approve), a 13-hour flight across the pacific, the sweet smell of over 200 passengers' fermenting body odor comingling, a $4 custard filled donut, and a relatively short flight from Sydney, I finally arrived in Adelaide. I was going to take a picture of my plane for this entry but i thought most of you have probably seen an airplane [View Full Entry]

---

---

Bryan Does Australia Call it a prologue if you will....or if you won't, call it 'bryan was really excited and wanted to start his FANTASTIC (lame) journal thing already even though he doesn't leave for another month.' (and then say that 5 times fast and tape-record it and send it to me) i'm going to call it: The Slaphappy Beginnings of the Worst Story Ever Told because i own it, so i can, and i like the word 'slaphappy'. this will be a chronicling of my trip to the land down under...I quit two jobs for this trip, so hopefully it [View Full Entry]

---

---