Zip-a-di-do-dah and Splish Splash

Knitting took a back seat this weekend to outdoor adventure. The SigO and I went to West Virginia (Paddle Faster, I hear banjo's!) and spent the weekend at the Ace Adventure Resort (their idea for a name - not mine - don't get me wrong - I absolutely loved it there, but if there's not a manicure/pedicure and hot rocks massage center, then in my book, it ain't a resort - but that's just me). It's the "Grand Canyon of the East" (again - their billing, not mine - although it really is very lovely). The New River and the Gauley River cut through this area and provide for some pretty intense whitewater rafting, but before we shot the rapids, we first did some evening rappelling.The SigO accidentally got some video of me - which I would normally have deleted, but I actually like this one, so thought I'd share:

It was a great time - we went off the cliff five times each - we would have gone many more times, but to get back to the top was a slight climb and after five of those, my fun meter was pegged.

The next day we got up nice and early and headed out to the rapids. We shot the New River. The Gauley isn't at its peak until October when the Army Corps of Engineers releases the dams and floods the Gauley - so yes - we'll be back in October.

For this trip, we had, in my opinion, the best river guide out there. While other rafts were tipping over and spilling out their occupants, we maneuvered through class fours and class fives with great expertise - in my humble opinion. Whether we were expert or not, the simple truth is we never got tipped out of our boat - I'm just sayin'.

Of course, I didn't leave the knitting behind altogether. In fact, I got plenty done on the way down there and on the way back and got some done after the rafting trip. I got a few double takes whenever people who saw me out on the river saw me peacefully knitting away on my cardigan, but that's just because they don't understand the adventures of knitting!
Anyway, I've finished a sleeve on my cardigan, and just have the second sleeve (and a serious case of second sleeve syndrome) and the button band to knit.

A weekend of adventure - knitting, rafting and rappelling - what more can a girl ask for?

Notes from Down Under

Well, I'm back in the good ole USofA. Australia was pretty great - I could definitely envision retiring down there. It's a nice mix of US and European mentalities. They have the openess of the US, but the pace of Europe.

Traveling there and back was brutally long, but we flew business class, so the flights and the airport lounges definitely alleviated some of the travel pains. Business class on Cathay Pacific provided us with our very own cubicle to lounge in.
I'm wearing a top I finished the night before we left. Every time I've traveled in the past, I've been way too cold - in the airports and on the plane. On this trip, however, I thought I was going to die of heat in this sweater - which is made from Noro Silk Garden. By the time we got to Hong Kong (layover 2 of 4), I was drenched in sweat. Thankfully, the business class lounge in Hong Kong had showers.
Awesome showers.

We arrived in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and were given a quick tour of the area. We spent our week working in this building.
At the end of the week, Carmen - the best hostess you could ever hope for - took us to a local yarn shop where I bought a locally dyed Merino/Possum blend. She also took us to the Parliament building:
And then to the golf course to check out the roo's:
If you look at her pouch, you can see a slight bulge - that's her baby. I could totally see it moving around in there, but never actually saw the joey itself.

After she took us to see live roo's, she then took us to her house and fed us roo meat. Taste's like a cross between steak and deer meat, but not very gamey. Kinda sweet.

The next morning we headed to Namadgi National park which has some rock paintings presumably 3700 years old.
We saw lots more roo's out there - and some dingos - and the results when dingos and roo's meet:
Sunday, we headed up to Sydney.
Opera season was over and all ballets were completely sold out, but we did get a chance to hear Rita - Isreal's Diva.

Monday we headed across the harbor to the Taronga Zoo, which was definitely one of the best zoo experiences of my life. You know the typical zoo - if you see an animal at all, it's lying at the back of the cage looking bored. These animals were all quite active. The koala's were definitely the highlight. This young lady obviously has a thing for red heads.
Tuesday morning, I took a train out to the suburbs and met up with Jane Slicer-Smith. I took a Fair Isle class from her at Stitches East last year and was seriously in love with her designs, but when I tried to check anything out at the booth representing her, I could barely squeeze in. Going out to her studio was much nicer - I got to see all of her designs unencumbered by any other customers. It was also sheer luck that I got to hook up with her while I was in town as she had just gotten back from a show and was leaving for another the next day. The knitting gods must love me. They ought to - I sacrifice a great deal of my income on the knitting altar.

Other highlights of the trip include the Aquarium where I saw the biggest sting ray I've ever seen:
The Sydney Tower:
Hyde Park:
And a great treat, right at the end, totally unplanned, The Australian Museum. Lot's of aboriginal art:
And a quirky sense of humor. You can see he's reading a book, with his pet dog on a leash, a bird in the bird cage, and just behind him you can see a little of the cat
Which is chasing a mouse into a mouse hole.
Only in Australia!

Land Down Below

Well, here I am in the Australian Capital Territory and so far I haven't seen any women rolling nor have I witnessed any men thundering. I have seen some Vegemite, if not in the packaging of a sandwich though. I've not had the guts to taste it yet. Every non-Aussie (pronounced Ozzie - and don't you DARE forget it, let me tell you!) tells me Vegemite is disgusting and every Aussie I've spoken to thus far assures me it's quite tasty. So, you can see my reluctance.
Despite all the hype and hoopla, they are not a crazy, rowdy bunch of ruffians. In fact, most times I have to strain to hear them since with their accents and typical soft-spoken natures, it's not at all easy to understand them. They all keep assuring me it's because I haven't gotten them drunk enough. One man actually encouraged me to show him some jugs and he'd be more voluble. Since this was in front of everyone, and during work, I stood there and sputtered for a moment before he finished his sentence -he wanted me to show him some jugs of beer...that was his story anyway.
As I'm here on business and the days have been rather long, I've not had the chance to do much knitting, much less go shopping for yarn, but I do expect that to be remedied tomorrow or sometime this weekend.
I've not seen any kangaroos yet. Also to be remedied this weekend. I did see quite a lot of wild birds here - birds that many Americans pay a small fortune for - like cockatiels, parakeets, etc. The state bird is the Magpie that makes a nice trilling sound in the morning, but the crows here are very odd - they look the same, but they sound like an infant with an evil laugh. I assure you, if I can get a good recording of it, I'll post it here.
I've gotten a few good shots on my camera, but as I was too dimwitted to bring along the cord that connects it to the laptop, all pictoral proof that I'm alive and well down here will have to wait for a bit.
Anyway, that's my post from Down Under. To be continued later as the opportunity presents itself.
BTW, I LOVE morning and afternoon tea. Yes - we do breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner - I'm going to need two seats on the flight back home.
Until then, G'day mate!