Colorado’s El Niño

What a wonderful Christmas with the family. Emmi’s ballet performance was outstanding, I got to ride my bike in a t-shirt on Christmas Day and our boxing day celebration was just as entertaining as it’s always been. That was on a Tuesday and by Thursday I was restless. I had nearly three weeks before my…

Home for Christmas

I was on a bit of a time limit now. Seven days to drive 24 hours back to Phoenix. If I did four hours a day, I’d make it. It wasn’t just Christmas I had to be home for, it was my eldest niece’s annual ballet performance in the Nutcracker. Having know her nearly six…

Friends of the North West

In Washington Already After leaving my Thanksgiving family, I did some errands around Bend (Amazon package pick-up and refuel) before heading north. I studied my Astro-map a while to make sure I took roads I hadn’t been on before. Since I was keen for some lower elevation (and warmer temperatures), I avoided Mt. Hood. It’s…

Aussie Thanksgiving

Late Arrivals I finished Vegas qualifying then got talking to Jayne on the phone when Ross, Jen, JoJoe and Levi walked through the door. Cleo went defensive, already determined to prevent intruders from entering this new place we were in, but she soon calmed down when she saw Jen. The boys were in bed pretty…

Back to the West

While I’d committed to a month of camphosting in Moab, I only made it to three weeks because I had a better offer. When my friend Jen messaged me in late October inviting me to Bend, Oregon, to spend Thanksgiving with them, I said I couldn’t go because of my commitment. When  I woke up…

Moab Camphosts

Day One I was meant to leave on the Monday. It was October 16, 2023. Nearly seven years to the day since I last ventured out in a van solo, I was at it again. The week before, I found out I’d be having more tooth surgery so had to wait around until Monday to…

The Singapore Grand Prix

To Asia! I had a long, much needed chat with Kev at the airport. He was coming down from the wedding and still having issues with dickheads at work, but I was glad to hear his solution to drown out the needless words directed at him. Whenever I’m on the phone with someone at the…

Home (West)

Mummy & Daddy Bloody hell Australia is a big country. I was happy to have my knitting to keep my company for the 4.5 hour flight time. Having already flown Qantas and Jetstar, I was now with Australia’s third major airline and wow have they put a stop to anything complimentary. I’m glad I had…

Quick Stop in Melbourne

Aussie Synchrotron I landed at 2:30pm and didn’t waste any time. With only two nights in Melbourne, I was straight off to my first meeting. My most expensive Uber ride ever skirted the city which looked the same size as when I’d last seen it (2014) but twice as dense. Every skyscraper that looked familiar…

Home

I hadn’t set foot in Australia since early 2019. Since then, most of my friends had brought children into the world, my best friend was getting married and I hadn’t seen my “home” Brisbane. It was time. I was ready. Getting There My journey started at 1:50am. After a quick shower, I was surprised to…