Fraser

Driving onto the ferry to take us across

So deep breath… and catch up! I feel like I have to write really fast to get all this in and therefore metaphorically speak really fast, hence the breath.

This construction stuff is tiring and time consuming and tantalizing/torturous (at times), any other t-words to fit in there?

Todd and I have a few weekends off since I last wrote but we have been doing some travelling which I must tell you about now. To start off, we went to Fraser over a month ago and despite feeling a bit ill, it was really nice. We went with Todd’s parents and Roman and explored this beautiful bit of Australian Island. It was a 4 hour drive or so from Dalby and just north of Double Island Point (an area we had been to many times before). Fraser was beautiful and had an incredible clear water lake with a sandy bottom called Lake MaKenzie. Of course, there was the usual incredible stretch of beach and picture perfect campsite (see pics below).

We only had one full day on the Island and it is over 100k long so we will definitely have to go back. We spent the day exploring and swimming and then retired to our site for some eating while Todd and Roman watched youtube clips and tried to teach themselves how to throw this bait-net-catching-thing of Tony’s (Todd’s father) until the night descended upon us.

Pictures paint a thousand words, and so enjoy these pictures that tell the story between my words.

Lake McKenzie

Lake McKenzie

The fishermen

I'm a yankee!

Since I have been in Australia, I have been called a yankee quite a few times, but never as many times as I have on site. Over the past month or so that I have been working, I have had many conversations with people in which they want to tell me all about their adventures in America and why I have currently settled in Dalby of all places (good question!). The other day we had a practice emergency drill on site and so there was 50-70 of us standing around and apparently it got around quite quick that "there is a yankee standing over there," referring of course, to me. Of course, I am always amused at this nickname because I am sure people from the South would not be so pleased to be called a Yankee. Even as a Californian, not so sure we are Yankees but I figured a little American history lesson wasn't necessary on a construction site. That's another thing, once people find out I have a master's degree, they are shocked that I am working in construction. Most of them, and I quote, "couldn't last longer than six months at uni."

Another funny thing on site is that anytime one of these rough and tumble guys curse in front of me, they automatically apologize to me. I guess they think my delicate lady ears can't handle it, cute, huh? Besides that the boys (and Todd of course) are taking good care of me and I am happy although very tired! Todd and I have a break this weekend of four days and then we are back to the pump for another ten. We are headed to Fraser Island today so I will have lots of beautiful pictures from our road trip on the next posting. Till then, love to you all!