Tooting Todd's Horn!

With each passing day I am learning more about the complex, frustrating, but truly remarkable world of construction. Although natural landscape can not be rivaled, the human ability to design and construct is mind-blowing.

The spillway and dam wall

Standing on top of the wall looking at the intake tower 

 I first saw the dam two years ago on a family day. The usual strictly guarded gates are opened up to the workers’ family and friends for a casual day of bbq-ing and tours around the site. I remember piling into the bus and bumping along dirt roads flanked by piles of more dirt and clay. Over the hum of other families, the rumble of the bus, and the designated tour guide trying in vain to explain what was outside the dusty windows, Todd explained how the clay had to be kept to a specific moisture content in order to be fit for the clay core of the dam wall. The weather dictated the work flow as the clay would have to be dried or wetted down by huge sprinklers depending on the day and its use. We passed the quarry where the rock for the wall was “harvested,” aka, “taken off “the mountain side next to the reservoir and the temporary office spaces and caravans scattered over the grounds like little base stations.

The main embankment looking at the intake tower

Seeing this same space two years later was astonishing. Gone were the piles of dirt and rock and in their place: perfectly manicured lawns, sculpture gardens and roads of newly laid asphalt. Todd’s main projects throughout the dam were, being in charge of the quarry, "Todd's road", the road built up over the dam wall to give park rangers’ access to the spillway in order to monitor the wall and ensure that it holds and does not cause seepage, and the main embankment, 70 million cubic feet of rock that holds in the water  and was the main earthwork project.  Additionally, Todd is a little bit of a tech genius (or so I think) and so he was in charge of all the gps machine guidance, which are basically computer systems installed on the big construction machines that allow the controller to follow the plans more closely. Todd is such a big shot in fact that you can read an article he contributed to in Technology and More Magazine (http://www.trimble.com/technologyandmore/i1-2009/ - page 8).  Cool, huh?

Other awesome facts about the dam: 

The 20 million dollar capture building!

-      - They spent $20 million constructing a fish capture station that sorts and saves fish that are native and critical to the dam’s ecosystem. 

-      - This stage of the dam (second major upgrade) raised the dam wall by 49 ft and increased the water capacity by 82,000 million gallons!

The dam is now a complete site for sore eyes, complete with a beautifully designed visitor’s center, many recreational areas for the hundreds of visitors expected every weekend, complete with the picturesque backdrop of the Gold Coast Hinterland.  I could not be prouder of him! 

Visitor's Center

View from beyond the Visitor's Center

The beautiful landscape (Todd's workplace!)

My fairly routine life

Big salad (check), Mac (check), LOTS of textbooks (check)!

Most days look like this:



But occasionally, my day looks like this:

Roman after a surf at Currumbin

People playing with a "footy" ball at Currumbin 

Surfer's Paradise in the distance

Todd on the phone to his other half (Russ) :)

The Elephant Rock surf club - can you see
 the elephant's head peaking up behind the building? 

I have been really busy doing exactly what picture A illustrates so i haven't had time to write about... well, anything, but I am planning on writing the blog about Todd's dam this weekend! Hold me to it :)

Also, look what I got on Saturday :)

AND, the surprise was complete with a mini (thank G-d) box of chocolates that contained gluten. ie. Todd couldn't eat them! Is that true love or what... ;-)

Date Night

At the Q1, Todd needs smiling lessons :)

True to his word, Todd has been keeping my life interesting so that I have something to occupy you all with. I think I am just going to have to blog forever because I love when he gets this proactive! This week we had a date night. The last time I was here, he promised he would take me to the top of the Q1, and this can now be checked off my list. The Q1 was the tallest residential building in the Southern Hemisphere (until that monstrosity in Dubai), but the view from the Skypoint Bar (over 700 feet in the air) is truly phenomenal. We walked around the building soaking up the view, while reading the facts and advertising plastered to the floor. Todd used to live in this impressive chick-magnet with his friend Russell, so he showed me the view they had and this experience completely solidified the fact that I never want to live in a building over 10 stories high. Hitchcock wrote that movie about a very real thing… yah, no thanks!

Dinner with the herbs under heat lambs

From vertigo central, we went to the Italian restaurant Vapianos, which was a very unique dining experience. When you enter, you are given a swipe card and all your food and drink purchases are put on the card. This is probably the way of the future, and although it didn’t really affect our one bill meal, if we would have been there with a group, this system would have been a G-d send. We looked at the menu, ordered drinks from the bar, and then walked up to the pasta station and the chef made our food in front of us. Despite the semi-fast-food feel, the quality and taste was superior.  Perhaps the best part of all was that every ledge, table and shelf, had different potted herbs so that you could go around the restaurant and add basil, rosemary, cilantro, mint, etc. to your hearts content. I can definitely see why this restaurant is opening chains all across Australia, and the night, like the restaurant, was an overwhelming success! 

Cooking station

View of the ocean when we arrived at twilight

Night view of Surfers Paradise

Short and Sweet

The other night Todd calls me on the way home from work and asks if I need anything from the supermarket. I responded that we needed rice and then he asked if he could get a “Whitman's Sample Pack” from the store. “It is all gluten free!,” he explained excitedly. Of course, I am a very silly girl and so I was thinking it was going to be one of those small little sample packs… because samples equals small. Right?

Well instead, Todd came home with the hugest box of candy I have ever seen. He explained that it was a “present” for me. I swear, that boy has all his excuses down pat. He also protested that he is just trying to bring me interesting things that I can blog about so I don’t bore you, my poor chocolate-less readers. Believe me, I would share but Todd might make up another excuse about how the chocolate might melt/get detained/ not get through quarantine… whatever. J Man, he sure does keep me on my toes. My life will never be boring with him! J  

Chinchilla is nothing like Gilmore Girls

One of my favorite shows as a kid, actually one of my favorite shows to date, is Gilmore Girls. I love the dialogue, the wit, and most importantly, the small town feel. I have something to tell you all. Maybe that sort of small town exists in Connecticut, but they sure breed ‘em different down under.

What they are known for... they raise 25% of
Australia's watermelons! 

Todd and I went to Chinchilla last weekend to look at the construction site and small town where he will probably be working his next job. His old boss from the dam is working on the Chinchilla job and he is in desperate need of more surveyors. The logistics are fuzzy at best at the moment so I will leave that out until contracts are signed and dated, but I can give my impressions of the town itself. 

Downtown area

Turns out that middle America and slightly middle Australia (3 hours from the coast) are almost exactly the same. I would have sworn I stepped into Kansas if it wasn’t for the accents and the distinctive weathered brick architecture that is common throughout Australia. We were only there for 20 hours or so but our impressions were good. Apparently it is astronomically better than most towns that are flanked by a construction site. The town has all the basic amenities along with 4WD tracks and a weir that permits water sports; although only 4 boats are allowed at a time, which tells you something about its size.

The pub

The most memorable experience was when we went out to the local pub, one of two. When we walked in, the room seemed to go silent for a few seconds while everyone looked up to see who was entering. I am sure if we were locals, we would have been greeted by some words and backslaps, but instead, everyone returned to their beers. The feeling that we were actually in a movie scene only grew, as I felt several eyes follow our movements throughout the room. The food was overpriced and “meh” but typical bar food. Definitely not a place I would frequent for their cuisine.

It was really good for Todd and I to go and get a feel for the place, and I told my mom she should be really happy because it is definitely not some place I would want to settle down in forever!

The camps where the construction workers live...
definitely not a place I would want to live!

My plans for global domination are going well. In actuality, I have been looking a lot into doing freelance work and telecommuting work that could supplement a business idea that I have had for some time. I am working incessantly with Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver to get to know the programs and once my plans are complete, you all will be the first to know.

PS. And most importantly: Happy Birthday Jan and Mark! J Sep 23 babies! xox

Fishing and some etc...s

My ability to stay on task at the moment is, to put it frankly, pathetic. I should be writing so many blogs that you all should be screaming (via email, phone, carrier pigeon, whatever it takes) to tell me to desist. In any case, my point, is that I have enough free time that I should be talking your ear off.

Some of the things I should have mentioned:

• -       Todd showed up to the airport to pick me up in a dress shirt, nice slacks and formal shoes. I looked pretty nice myself but he really outdid himself (loved it) J.
• -      I LOVE my herb garden. It is quite small, and yes I know it is probably not good farming etiquette because the plants will probably grow into each other, but for now, for my purposes… perfection! 
• -       Todd took Al, Caitlin (Al’s gf) and myself to the dam last weekend to show the progress that has been made. It was so amazing to see and I am so incredibly proud of him that I promise I will write a detailed description in a blog to follow. I just want to fact check some things with him so it sounds as impressive as possible J
• -       While Al was in town we went to Montezuma’s, the only “Mexican” restaurant in town and I was once again blown away by the expensiveness and inauthenticity of the food. Sorta led me to think that I should open a restaurant here because most Australians need a serious education in good food.

Ok, now that the little things are covered, on to the main event: deep sea fishing! Todd had a cousin in town last weekend who loves to fish and as a result, Todd, Danny (the cousin), Roman, Pete, and I went deep sea fishing on Sunday. We rolled out of bed at 5:30am and headed to the docks passing Surfers where there were many a group stumbling home after a long night out. The captain of the boat is a one-man show. He is the owner/receptionist/captain/supervisor of the small fishing company and as Todd put it “a real fisherman.” He certainly wasn’t kidding as this gnarled toothed, wizened, wrinkled man was probably in his fifties but looked like he was pushing 70. Not that his age detracted from his fishing ability AT ALL. We went four miles off shore, stopped at several places, and each time, he would lower his bait and lure into the water and within 3 minutes, would pull out the largest fish that anyone was catching by far.

Pete and Danny

The group of us kept watching him closely and joked several times that he must be putting a large fish on the end of his line and then pulling it in for show, but in truth, he was just showing how experience really does matter.

I did fairly well myself managing to pull in four fish, of which two were keepers and quite tasty later on in the day when we had a big feed with Danny’s wife and kids. While Todd and Roman were quite bored with the sport after a few hours, I definitely enjoyed myself and found that this contemplative, yet communal, activity is definitely something that is in my blood (thanks Dad.) 

They look dinky but they sure were tasty :)

Just when you think you know a place…

Returning to Australia has been a wonderfully comfortable and familiar experience with more than a dash of new surprises. Living here for 13 months previously, I thought that nothing would surprise me on my return. Turns out I was wrong. Shops have closed and new ones have replaced them, bathrooms have been remodeled (yes, I notice this stuff), friends have gone and it turns out that I still have a great deal to learn about the Australian culture. Todd has a whole new group of friends that I must introduce you all to  - sorry Mom for the new names. 

-      Vivi - Todd’s last housemate; an engineer from Columbia

-      Sonja- Vivi’s friend; from Germany

-      Pete – Sonja’s housemate; electrician from England

-      Jason – Todd’s new housemate

They are all incredibly nice people and I am looking forward to getting to know them, although I can’t help but get a bit nostalgic.

On the new experiences front: I went to the doctor with Todd the other day and it was so incredibly different.  We sat in a waiting room with doors all around.  There were names and numbers on each door and Todd was told to wait for door number three. We waiting for around thirty minutes before he was hurried in… and hurried out 3.5 min later, prescription and referral documentation in his hand. I felt like Todd just went to a vending machine, put in some money, and out popped a prescription. I don’t know why it was so unsettling; maybe because this rushed atmosphere seems out of place in laid-back Australia.

Of course the important things are still the same: the beach is even more beautiful than I remember and Todd and I are having a blast together J

In other news, I have a little herb garden out on the patio, I am cooking up a storm again, and I already feel like these months are going to fly by.

This weekend Al (old friend- yay!) is coming to visit the Goldie and we are going deep sea fishing on Sunday so I will definitely have lots to jabber on about. Till then… xox. 

Stating the obvious: I love to cook

I love to cook. I am not quite sure where it started. My dad is certainly not the chef he likes to pretend he is (sorry dad, your pasta is still fantastic) and it is not like I grew up in households focused on preparing complex meals. My mom’s house was focused on healthy, quick, food and I have learned some of my best cooking lessons from her: specifically, not following a recipe and improvising with whatever was currently living in the refrigerator. So I wouldn’t really say I was “taught to cook” but I have certainly picked up some fantastic tips and unbeatable family recipes along the way.

My grandmother (mom’s mom) is a fabulous entertainer. She is probably the classiest woman I have ever met and I remember how much I used to dislike being told how to speak, sit up, set the table etc. Now as I look back, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I remember countless family parties and get togethers; the table dressed with the finest china and silver and a perfectly dressed table that groaned under the weight of food. I have always felt and continue to feel that when I visit my grandparents, I am taking a glimpse into their past and into the culture of middle class Americans from fifty years ago.

I love the historical past. In high school, I once told my mom that if she bought me gowns like the ones women wore in the 1890s that I would wear them every day to school. I have to say that I was almost entirely serious albeit a little relieved when she said no. In any case, whether it is silly or not, I always feel like my time in Connecticut is a step into a cultural past and more importantly, into the past of my family. 

My trips are always filled with family, food, and culture.  We always see at least one play/ musical/ ballet/ or concert and I without fail I still dress up when I am going to theater because that is what my grandparents taught me.  Even if everyone else in the theater is wearing jeans and a t-shirt, I will forever follow the lessons of my grandmother and I hope that one day I will be as fabulous an entertainer and teacher as she has been to me.