World travels ....flying by the seat of my pants, which is situated on an seat in an airplane... there is, for me, nothing more alivening than just ...letting it happen.
It is such a practice to stay awake in familiar surroundings to see that amazing
things are happening.. we are just too... actually I don't know about you.. it may be this is my issue. I get on bikes, into cars, onto planes and stop some place and let it come to me. Alcohol may be a cheaper trip but I just don't have the constitution for it.
Through the conflagration of events that can only happen when one is wiiiidddde open I was getting off a bus in the pitch of pitch darkness dark side streets ... in the little town of Margaret River,Western Australia. You may have heard of it, previous to this. Wine Country. I was to call a number that I had copied onto paper from the last of a total of three emails I had received concerning a house sitting position. Up to this point... flying from Kuala Lampur to Perth, taking the 'milk run' bus to the town through the astounding Australian landscape....
There were all these little stories the bus driver had going with the people traveling.. Ok.Just one really good one..He had the people on the bus cheer hip hip hooray for a little guy taking the bus from his grandma's house to his parent's on his own. Everyone joined in, even the Gothed out teenagers.Even the Canadian that had a babble fish time delay for understanding anything being said!)
..it seemed pretty feasible. But standing on the unlit street with no idea where what who when or why.. These are fleeting thoughts. I started off toward the street with lighting. A Gas Station. I went in and asked if I could use the phone. He pointed to across the street... where, once one know what one is looking at, a couple of pay phone appeared!
I called the number on the crumpled piece of paper.
A Cheery Voice answered.
Ute! This is Elaine! I said
Oh great! she said. Where are you?
By the BP gas station.
Ok.. I'll call Stephan and he'll pick you up.. Your timing is perfect..he is just on his way home.
After a few moments, an energetic cheerful guy leaned out from the passenger side(in Canada/ US/Europe..) of the vehicle asking if I was me. I seemed to be. He leaped out, tossed my luggage into the back of the truck telling me to get
in, and, as I opened the door, said amusedly...I'll drive.
Right. Left. It takes some time to get used to. I have some very,very funny stories about driving in Australia.
And the meeting was perfect. They lived (still do) on an acreage that you can look out the living room window and watch the sun set on the sea. Stephan is a vet. Ute is an artist.
I was to stay for six weeks which became eight, in beautiful, luxurious conditions in return for feeding the pets. Turning the power back on after a storm... you know..
Two dogs, a cat, and... I am not kidding... two kangaroos!
In that time I met the drawing ladies, applied and got the artist in residence position which was in the Town of Margaret River so I stayed for another couple of months, toured Western Australia, the wine houses, vineyards, taught art classes...
Amazing things happen!
The rest of the words are with the pictures of the previous post... see you there!
