The final entry for 2006

May 23
Alice Springs
Sunny, mild, clear

(and May 24 an 25 in Sydney)

We're in our room at Elkes Hostel waiting for the Mulga bus to take us back to the airport for our flight to Sydney, so I thought I'd close the journal by writing about some of the smaller anecdotes from the trip. These are in no particular order. It is possible that I wrote about some of these in my other entries, so please be patient if I am repeating myself in some of these.

1. When we arrived in Australia, the big story in the news was the mining accident in Beaconsfield, Tasmania. Three miners were trapped about a kilometer underground; one was dead, but two were still alive. The rescue efforts were agonizingly slow, and the miners digging the rescue shaft were in constant danger of another collapse. But they got those two out alive, and they are recuperating in hospital right now.
   
2. In Central Australia, the time after sunrise seems to be a little colder and windier. I suspect that there's a strong downdraft after sunrise, as the air to the east heats and rises, initiating a connection roll.
   
3. I am now sitting in a laundromat in Sydney, on Wednesday morning. We leave on Friday. I have used this laundry for years, and it does not change much at all, although all the places around it are closing up. The Potts Point / Kings Cross area is changing, and not for the better, I fear. Today, we will purchase day passes for the students for the mass transit. I really do not know how I'll spend the day.
   
4. As we pulled into the McDonald's at Innisfail for lunch, our coach driver referred to it as "the American Embassy." There is a move down here to ban toys in the children's meals -- small parts can choke.
   
5. While walking about, I saw some school childre4n performing a dance concert at a band shell at Hides Corner, a mall in central Cairns. They were clearly having fun, and a few showed some genuine talent. Since both of my sons have been involved in competitive dance, I always appreciate it when I see a group of boys dancing -- I don't know about Australia, but I do know that American boys can get teased a bit if they dance.
   
6. I had my very favorite meal in Australia twice this year. The coral trout, blackened, at Barnacle Bill's, on the esplanade in Cairns.
   
7. When I return home, I think I'll put some Cecil B. de Mille movies on the NetFlix list. There was a documentary of his career shown on TV down here, and I think I now know where Ed Wood (Plan Nine from Outer Space) got his inspiration.
   
8. One of the issues facing the tropical rainforest is the impending extinction of the cassowary. Many species of rainforest trees require that their seed pass through a cassowary before germination. Among the threats to the cassowary, one of the biggest is the introduced feral pigs. These animals also inhabit the rainforest, have no natural predators and are only checked by crocodiles and human culling. When we were walking in the Daintree rainforest, we saw plenty of evidence of the pigs rooting in the undergrowth. The problem is that the pigs will get at the cassowary eggs. The cassowary is an aggressive bird, and is capable of killing a person, using a jumping attack and tearing with its leg claws, like a raptor. But they can only do so much against the invaders.
   
9. My colleague is a train buff, and so it made the trip for him when we saw a cane train motoring up the tracks alongside the highway.
   
10. It is now Wednesday evening. After a meal at a German restaurant (to my lovely wife: wiener schnitzel and red cabbage!), we are now watching the first game in the State of Origin series. This is a sort of an all-star game of the NRL, the National Rugby League. If you've watched rugby played, this game is slightly different, though I am unfamiliar enough with either form that it really does not matter. The game has now ended, with the Blues hanging on to win 17-16.
    
11. As I walked through Hyde Park yesterday, just after visiting the very solemn ANZAC War memorial at the south end, I saw ahead, near the fountain, hundreds of school children at play, having a day off from school. To the east, the bells of St. Mary’s cathedral were ringing gaily, as though for a wedding. The sun was shining through the trees, from a clear blue sky. You probably have those perfect moments in your life from time to time, too.
    

I’ll think I’ll just leave it like that. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this year’s journal. Thank you for your comments and suggestions. We are already thinking about the 2007 course, so please check back next year for our new stories.