The Bible was written by fallible men. I believe in the science of evolution. I bet people in your church couldn’t name one native plant of Maryland. John Dolphin, 1999 These were some things John would often say when we first met and he found out I was a Christian....
I started my planning while still in Australia. This was an occasion I wanted to be a part of. My first born, the child who made me a mother, was turning 40. This milestone called for a celebration and the element of surprise. I was hoping he thought enough fuss...
Cousins are both Family and Friends. They are the best of both worlds.
{Could be subtitled, “Our Vacation and What We Came Home To“} The content of this post and its title are not going to appear to match, that is, unless you read it all of the way to the end. Most of the content will be about a quick trip to...
Line Rider is an internet game, with versions available for Microsoft Silverlight, Javascript, Windows, and Flash. It was originally created in September 2006 by Boštjan ?adež, a Slovenian student. Soon after its initial appearance on DeviantArt, Line Rider became an internet phenomenon. Wikipedia What do you do after a two...
The title isn’t completely accurate. I have two homes. As confusing as it can be living in two countries, two continents even, one thing is clear – one of the homes is where I grew up, where I was raised by adoring parents, where my children live, and where my...
The terms “State forest” and “timber reserve” refer to areas of Crown land set aside for uses including timber production, conservation and recreation. They include Crown land reserved as a State forest or timber reserve and used to grow non-native plantation species. State forests and timber reserves are managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation (“DEC”), and are the only areas where timber harvestingcan occur on DEC managed land. Timber reserves and State forests are managed identically.
With water even. You are saying, all lakes have water, right?Well, not in Western Australia. So on my newsfeed on Facebook, I see a headline about Tooliban Lake, the first time it’s been filled to its highest heights in 20 years, I took notice. And since we are often looking...
Our visit to Cunderdin Hill was breathtaking, a sea of pink everlasting daisies.
After our visit to Depot Hill, we decided to go back to Eneabba to see if the Queen of Sheba orchids were open.
Our next stop was Depot Hill, Cow Slips were the stars of the show.
Sometimes, the most pleasant activities you encounter on a road trip are the ones you didn’t even plan. I really enjoyed that.
Because of record-setting rains in Western Australia, the wildflowers have been predicted to have a promising spring. Even though we are still in winter, it was very much looking like spring our four-hour drive north…
We’ve had over a month of rain and I think we’ve come to the conclusion there are only so many errands, shopping, and gardening between the raindrops one can do before you just have to take off to the country. But where should we go? There was more wind and...
Got a good reasonFor taking the easy way out From lockdowns, restrictions, not being well, rain, and only being able to go to church if we wore a mask, John and I decided to get out of town, and head to the country. Since it wasn’t really planned, and because...
Hyde Park in Perth, that is. (formerly Third Swamp Reserve) In a continuing effort to make autumn look and feel like autumn, I suggested a visit to Hyde Park when John took me near his work to see some fall-looking trees near his work. Hyde Park, I knew was close....
Since being in Australia longer than expected because of Covid, we find ourselves still together, and a whole year has passed and here we are – our second autumn, and once again to see the Golden Valley Tree Park. When you come from the east coast of the USA, you...
After spending the day at the Golden Valley Tree Farm, John at the last minute decided to make a quick stop at the Wellington Dam Mural. I am so glad he did, this was a real treat to see. Since it wasn’t a planned trip, I had little knowledge of...
Thanks to an ad on Facebook, I have discovered an app that enhances photos, but the main feature that attracted me was the face animator. The examples given were of old photos bringing past presidents or famous people in the past, to life, with smiles and the eyes blinking. I...
It’s been told to me several times, that among Chrissy’s close friends I am likely the person who has known her the longest. I met Chrissy Wray when we were about 7 or 8 years old.To be honest, when we were introduced, she was a bit scary. I don’t think...
Donnybrook is a town situated between Boyanup and Kirup on the South Western Highway, 210 kilometres (130 mi) south of Perth, Western Australia. The town is the centre of apple production in Western Australia. The town is also known for its picturesque abundance of English Oak trees, as well as...
Normally when we go to see a sunset at the ocean, we just head west from our house to the nearest beach but this particular day, we thought it might be more interesting from Fremantle, and it was a good choice. There weren’t a lot of clouds in the sky,...
“Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.”~ Johann Sebastian Bach So, being our first Christmas apart, ever, Miquel and Jenny wasn’t sure what to get me for a present. I hinted that music is never a wrong present for me and...
Of course, there is a Bosley -Boyce connection in the family. My Grandfather, Raymond Vaughn Bosley (know as “Red” to his friends) married my Grandmom, Ethel Lee Boyce. I have a list of the family on my Grandmom’s side, and she came from a large family. Mostly sisters, who I...
According to my ever-changing 23andMe results, my ancestry is mostly European. Mostly British and I have found a lot of German, so when France, Belgium, Italy, and recently found Norwegian heritage pops up on my Ancestry, (Hopefully, I learn more about the Norwegian later) I like to investigate deeper. One...
As typical in summer here in Western Australia, there are bushfires that sprout up all around us. In fact, one was big and near. When the evening cools, we like to sit on our veranda and watch the sunset. The smoke, however, gives the sky and sunset a different look....
When we go down south, I think it goes without saying we should have lunch at the Berry Farm Café. I go there for the birds, but the food isn’t bad either. The Berry Farm is one of Western Australia’s best places in the Southwest to have lunch or even...
So our rather confusing back and forth on the map, we made it to Redgate Beach, however we were quite cautious, I mean “Lives have been lost” was now in the back of our minds, if not the front. One of those vessels was the sail/steamer SS Georgette , which sunk in...
Hamelin Bay is a bay and a locality on the south-west coast of Western Australia between Cape Leeuwin and Cape Naturaliste. It is named after French explorer Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin who sailed through the area in about 1801. It is south of Cape Freycinet. To the north, the beach...
So back home in the USA, if it’s too hot a lot of people will head north to cool off, so here in Australia, it has to be the opposite. One goes south. It’s a little hard to wrap my head around this concept, nevertheless, after weeks of 90 degrees...
Before Christmas, we went to one of the Perth Christmas Light trails, and a few days after Christmas we decided to go see another. A chance to see the tunnel in video.
At some point in my stay here in Perth, I started to concede that I would not be going home for Laura’s birthday, Thanksgiving, nor for Christmas. I had resigned to open up the internet and shop for my family the best way I could. Gradually, I got used to...
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ~ Plato For all of its faults, Facebook can be a load of information, and I was excited to read an announcement about Christmas Light Trails...
Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Latin America and the Caribbean. It has been planted widely in Asia especially in Nepal. Wikipedia It’s also been planted in Australia. I’ve had flights take off and in...
Even though John and I like to go all around Western Australia and have our little adventures, sometimes we can be like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz: …if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Well there is...
With gladness to get out of the house and hopes to see birds, orchids, Western Australia’s natural beauty, and whatever else it had to offer, we went for a day’s outing to Foxes Lair via Boddington. It wasn’t long we found ourselves in Boddington. The town owns its name to...
Fresh off of making a few watercolors for his wife’s, Camarie’s lovely story, “Embers of Faith,” Anthony asked me to if I would be interested to help him with his story as well. A long time ago I teamed up with a friend illustrating stories about a little girl named...
We’ve been to Coalseam Conservation Park a handful of times before, but we read that the flowers were ready to burst open up there and after about 5 rainy days straight in Perth, it was very enticing to go 4 hours north just to escape the wet and windy conditions...
John introduced me to Western Australia’s orchids over 20 years ago with the Pink Fairy Orchid. (Which still remains a favorite, and now we own one!) What he didn’t count on after we were married, that in his life partner he had created an orchid hunting monster. And why not?...
and...
