bremer bay

albany is a great coastal town, and where much of simon's family still resides. after seperating in the city center for two hours to do our own errands, simon and i headed off for a swim. we were able to park at his brother julian's main house (as opposed to the beach one we spent time at this weekend) and walk to the beach for a swim and then walk the length of middleton beach to EMU point to visit his father and gran, who will turn 92 this year. she's a very spry woman whose vocabulary is in tip-top shape. both of them still posess a strong british accent. i never tire of listening to people around here speak. it seems everyone has a different accent, different dialect, different intonation. i already find myself thinking in the local language, and i hope you'll hear some of the phrases upon my return. simon's mum also lives in albany and we'd planned to see her, but it didnt work out. we walked back to the car at sunset, which you'll see some beach photos when you go to webshots (jana, here's the answer to your question) http://community.webshots.com/user/katystebbins

we trodded off to his sister becky's house where she fed us since we'd gone without dinner. their kids were already in bed, and all of us were tired so we didnt stay up long chatting. the next morning, cleo (4) and devon (1 and a half) were waiting for thier uncle simon to awake. we had a fun morning catching up while they all got ready for work and school and then simon and i headed to explore the national park in the area. we went around to several beaches and even a stopoff at a place called THE GAP, which is similar to thunderhole at Acadia National Park. it was a relatively calm day, but you could still hear the booming of the waves slapping against the rock cove. we probably split the amount of driving, and its exactly as i thought, i do not feel more comfortable on the second (and third) day of driving. the roads are narrow and the shoulder made of gravel is quite trecharous. (spelling i know). it was a full day of touring around and i dont ever tire of the scenery, although to my layman eyes the white-sand beaches with turquoise water do begin to blend in and i cant tell the difference from one to another. so please excuse what you might think to be repetitive photos of the same beach. i want to be sure to capture them in case your eyes are more discerning than mine. especially after hearing about the over-a-foot snowfall you recently had in maine, i think i'll just keep taking reminders so that a year from now i can whisk myself back to the beauty of western australia.

in the evening, we visited with julian and his family again before returning to becky and todd's for a second evening with them. todd cooked up some fish that he'd caught in the ocean and we had a lovely night together. its amazing how comfortable we are all with one another, and how it feels as though we've known each other for much longer than 24 hours or so. you have to appreciate the human spirit in that regard. i find it to be like my health, i take it for granted until its tainted. i've had more than one lonely day since i've been here (feeling homesick a bit, too) and yet, when i take an opportunity to reach out and share, and have a genuine conversation with people, i realize i'm not really alone after all. its easy to forget. so, next time you're down, or tired of your routine in life, mix things up a bit. change your routine. take an adult ed course. go see a local high school sport. go have a coffee at a cafe and watch people, or be bold and go somewhere and have dinner by yourself. you may enjoy that break from your routine and notice your surroundings like never before. major changes not needed.

2/25
this morning we headed to use the spot in a caravan park at bremer bay. becky and todd were gracious enough to let us use thier place for a night, to break up the drive to esperance. again, the driving was a bit annoying, but we have over a four hour drive tomorrow, and its due to rain. oh well. we have already had a swim, but simon had to take care of a few things before we head out into unexplored territory. simon has never been here, or where we are going for a few days. it brings excitement to the journey, both being pioneer explorations for us. we may try to camp on the beach, if weather allows. better there than in the bush where the snakes reside. its my latest focus!