Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Before we left today, Debbie and Pete went out for a morning walk to visit the fauna in the area...meaning the bats! These creatures are as big as small cats and have a wing span of @6 feet and were responsible for Heather's messy encounter earlier. Debbie said she would have stayed longer if it weren't for Heather's experience! But, they got some good photos to share with you and they really say it all!

A more laid back day than we’ve had since our arrival. We left the hotel at @11:00 AM for our flight to Brisbane on our way to Tangalooma. We also left behind warmer temperatures as we head south, continuing on to Sydney at the end of the week. The ferry to Moreton Island was uneventful but we learned that the wind was the reaso

n they have cancelled the whale watch on both Wed. and Thursday. And windy it is! We experienced the effects of that as we arrived at the island during the docking of the ferry. The ferry was maneuvered up against the dock with much difficulty yet ultimate success. The gangplank was positioned and we were only able to leave the boat one at a time because it kept losing its somewhat tenuous connection to solid ground in the form of the dock! Upon arrival, we were treated with the feeding of the dolphins that return to the beach each evening. Walking on the dock from the ferry we could clearly see 8-10 dolphins riding the surf as people were standing in the water throwing fish to them. Usually the dolphins come right to the food source and they are hand fed but because of the high winds, it was impossible for people to get closer or the dolphins to come further in as they rode the waves created by the winds. Although high winds are expected to continue, we remain hopeful that we will be able to hand feed them before we leave. I like being in my room listening to the wind churn up the surf into white caps and waves as the palm trees whip back and forth on their trunks. Life is good!

After arriving in our rooms we waited for our luggage so we could dig out our warmer clothing and jackets for the walk to dinner. Dinner was delectable and it was plentiful! Mouthwatering platters of tender steaks, snapper, and chicken kebabs were among heaping plates of salads, including Greek salad, coleslaw, tomatoes and crushed garlic, greens, beets, etc. and it was all good! We also had samosas which were fried sheets of dough stuffed with cheese/maybe?…vegetables?…but they were delicious, as well! I, myself, am wondering why I did not take pictures! Maybe tomorrow?!

On our ferry trip to Tangalooma there were 4 adults and one child making the trip, as well. They were Chinese and it did not appear that any of the adults were the 2 year old’s parent. But the love and care they had for this child was evident, especially one of the men. Typical of the age, this little girl was very busy and nonstop yet the patience and acceptance for this child’s behavior was unending. She was happily exploring as she , periodically stopped to hug this man, whom she obviously trusted and loved as he smiled and hugged her back encouraging her to sit quietly. His efforts were largely unsuccessful yet he continued to smile and treat her with gentle hugs and whispers and joy. I loved watching this exchange between the generations .

It promises to be quite windy again tomorrow so we will have to see what activities we will choose. Apparently there is a cyclone hitting the south island of New Zealand that is expected to work its way east and then make groundfall again further north on the coast. Maybe the winds are part of that storm system? No rain, just wind…let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Oh...Mater is amazing, making friends everywhere he goes! These are four guards at the security check-in at the airport in Cairns, as we prepared to leave for Brisbane. The guard on the left, Ian, recognized Mater "straight away"! Since they could not decide who was going to hold him, they came up with this very cooperative plan. Mater could not have been happier! :)