Buried Bounty

 Flying to our destination - Australia Day 1 to 3 We left on Saturday the 28th and spent quite a bit of time waiting around for flights, both before and after. Airport food is pricey—especially in Los Angeles. Meals there cost anywhere from $10 to $15 more than usual. The flight from LAX to Sydney lasted 15.5 hours—the longest I’ve ever sat still. My legs started to cramp up, and at one point I honestly thought I might fall if I stood up to use the bathroom. But I went anyway. When I got back, I found my wife chatting away with our seatmate—who turned out to be just as much of a talker as she is. Naturally, I joined in. The last three hours of the flight turned into a full-blown life story exchange. Surprisingly, Sydney immigration was quick and well-organized. At first, it looked like we were in for a long wait, but it was mostly electronic—photo scans and all. After grabbing our luggage, though, we hit a bit of a customs maze—go here, then over there. Still, it ended with somethi...

 Adelaide and its Wonders Day 4 After such a long journey, we went to bed early. I hadn’t slept well along the way and was completely exhausted. I ended up sleeping more than 8, maybe even 9 hours. It felt great. Despite that, we woke early. Mornings here begin around 6:30 a.m., and the sun sets by 5:00 p.m., which makes the days feel surprisingly short. After enjoying a delicious breakfast at the restaurant, we headed out for a walk along the boardwalk. The breeze was brisk and a little chilly, but the views were absolutely beautiful. To our surprise, the area was buzzing with people running a 5K marathon. We ended up walking a portion of the race route ourselves. So many runners passed us by. I even recognized one runner who passed us three separate times! Lots of people were out with their dogs, strolling along the beach. We spent a bit of time browsing nearby shops. I noticed several restaurants around, but strangely, many seemed to keep very limited hours. We’d been told to tr...

Wild Companions at the Gorge The roos came near with gentle, watchful eyes, Some pale as drifting clouds, some earthy brown, No fear within their hearts, they gathered round, Their calm a gift beneath the open skies. From birds of multiple colored feathers, To giant bats peaking through covered wings. Cute meerkat fight over food like they're kings. The cassowary and capybara are much part a commoners.  Then from the cage a sudden flash of glee, A tamarin with wild hair leapt to the wire. His spirit sparked with mischief and with fire, He posed for selfies, bold and proud and wee. Then Bert, the koala, heavy, soft, and slow, He clung like sleep… and would not let me go. --- Other lines Like the peacock it in his face like the cassowary. With bats peaking through to see if it was time  feeding With carrots in their mouths, they did not flee, But leaned in close, their noses brushed our hand,     A quiet bond we barely understand Their presence rooted, wild, and wholly free.

 The Ghan Train  Start of our Experience Today began early. I had gone to bed the night before around 8 p.m.—completely exhausted. I remember waking up around 2 a.m. but managed to fall back asleep until about 5. After that, sleep wouldn’t come again, so I used the quiet hours to work on a summary of the previous day. Eventually, we got up and began sorting our luggage in preparation for the train. We had to separate what we couldn’t bring onboard from what would be checked and held until the journey was over. Breakfast was another delicious buffet. We especially enjoyed the fresh watermelon and hearty wheat bread. While eating, I shared with Faby the summary I had written and how I’d started turning it into a poem. It was still too long and needed refining. A man nearby overheard and commented on how meaningful it was to capture our experience that way. After breakfast, we took a final stroll along the beach. To our surprise, we spotted a sea lion swimming on its side. We sus...

 "Friends From Down Under" The first, a daughter and her mother dear, They laughed with Faby, glowing in the light, Though seated far, we felt them by our side, Their warmth was something instantly sincere. From Melbourne came a pair with easy charm, Who shared their tale beneath a starlit dome. Their voices lingered long after we’d flown, Their kindness held us safe and free from harm. A brunch with Kiwis bloomed in sunlight's grace, Their dreams became our own before the end. They spoke of hills and harbors round the bend New lands now call with their familiar face. And Kenny speaks while youth serve with a smile, Each soul we met made all these miles worthwhile.