More blood and guts

These photos could be considered just gross or totally interesting, depending on your point of view. Thought I'd be sick looking at my own guts, but found it terribly fascinating once I knew what was going on.


The massive blob on the right is the larger of the two fibroids that was removed in a six-hour surgery. According to the surgeon, who described it as a cantalope, the thing weighed almost one full pound (556 grams). You can see blood vessels all over it including the bulging artery? vein? at the bottom that's wrapped around it. If my doc had damaged that thing, say bye-bye to ever saying 'baby.' Scary shit, huh?


The Grand Canyon of stomach cavities where the evil fibroid blob once resided. Too big to stitch closed apparently, so they did the next best thing (see below).



This is the mesh stuff that the surgeon inserted to grow as a cover for the hole. How they were able to do all this garbage-out, repair materials in I'll never know. But they did and it's 10 days later and except for a ridiculously low energy level (for me, at least), I feel pretty good. My surgeon is a magician!

Favor granted

I've been so busy stressing about this fibroid surgery that I hadn't given any thought to a far more important drama that was taking place in Florida recently.
My mother, from whom I have been trying to hide my medical issues, has been in Florida since before Christmas, watching her only sister suffer from cancer.
Obviously, it's much easier to hide a situation from someone who has no geographical proximity to the situation. Hence, my mom hasn't a clue that I had surgery last week.
In a tiny little corner of my self-absorbed brain, I hoped that my aunt would hold on long enough that my mother wouldn't be flying home while I was still in the hospital. Can one person BE so self-centered? Apparently the answer is yes.
Surgery was Wednesday, I was home on Thursday and my aunt passed away on Friday morning. My mother is staying in Florida for a few more days and then flying home on Thursday. By then, I expect to be adequately recuperated to continue our tradition of Saturday morning breakfasts.
Thank you, Aunt D. We'll miss you.

If you're going to have a first surgery, might as well go BIG!

Pre-Op belly..


NOTE: IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH ABOUT BLOOD-AND-GUTS STORIES, DO NOT READ FURTHER.

As of one or two weeks ago, I was facing a minor surgery to remove six, count 'em SIX, fibroids. For those of you who haven't Googled this stuff, a fibroid is a non-cancerous growth that often grows inside women over 35. Sometimes they cause problems, sometimes not. They go away on their own when a woman starts menopause. Lovely, huh?

So, you can imagine my surprise when I woke up after a SIX-HOUR surgery that involved removing just two fibroids. No big deal, right? Two is better than six. When the surgeon used the word 'cantalope' to describe the size of one of the fibroids, that's when I really woke up!

Imagine a small football (15+ cm) lodged between a bunch of...let's call them 'girlie bits.' The issue, it seemed was not only the size of the growth, but the fact that wrapped around this offending blob was a crucial blood vessel and another pretty important ligament.

DaVinci robot to the rescue! This amazing bit of machinery helped my doctor to not only disconnect the vital artery without spraying blood all over the operating room, but also to chop up this blob into tiny bits that he could remove through a tiny incision. My doctor is a magician!

I wondered why I haven't been hungry in, oh, a month or two, but it seems this offending mass was pushing everything else out of its way. Ovaries smoooshed to the side, uterus squished to a tiny mass. It wasn't pretty. I saw some wonderfully graphic photos (which I hope to show here) that were taken by the surgeon during surgery. Cool stuff (if you don't puke looking at it) that showed how HUGE this fibroid was in comparison to the normal size of my uterus, liver, ovaries and other things you read about in eighth grade biology.

While trying to chop up this mass, the doctors were concerned they might not only nick the blood vessel but also might accidently disconnect my urethra (tube that allows pee to flow from the bladder outside the body). So, they did what any concientious doctor would do, they dyed my pee BLUE! You can imagine my surprise when I woke up and discovered Kool-Aid in my catheter.

My surgeon further explained that before they could even try to get to this huge growth, they had to blow me up, balloon-style, with a ton of gas to expand my inside and give them room to work. No big deal, except that my belly looks like a beer-swilling trucker's gut. Apparently, the gas also settles into strange spots like my shoulders and my neck so I really felt like I'd been run over by a truck. Weird. Guess I'll have to wait for the flat stomach that I was counting on.

Once the blob was gone, the surgeons realized that they couldn't just sew closed the remaining hole (too big). So, I have a sheet of some kind of mesh that they attached to the gap. How they were able to move all of these materials into and out of me with only the tiny holes remaining is pretty incredible. Kinda like moving a king-size bed through a car window.
Here...look.

No MJ, just me

We had just arrived at the United Center and found Section 122, Row 5. I couldn't help but think that 10 years ago, I could've sold a kidney and not gotten these great seats. Of course, back then, Michael Jordan was shaking powder off his hands right there at the scorer's desk Ahhh, those were the days!



A few months back, I went to a charity event and bid on a few silent auction items. I love to check out the options and scribble my name and a nominal bid, just to get things started. One item really caught my eye. It was titled 'Sports Lover's Dream' and it included (get ready for this), tickets to the Cubs (baseball), Sox (baseball, I guess), Blackhawks (ice hockey), Wolves (more ice hockey) and Bulls (basketball).

How many women do you know that would drool over a silent auction item like this? Seriously, stop and think about it...I'll wait.

Okay, you know at least ONE! (or, in this case, three)



The Bulls were able to make free throws. It was the shots from the floor (while moving) that gave them a bit of trouble.



I think it's very cool to see how high these guys can jump. Where's he when I need something off the top shelf?


This the greatest toy I think I've EVER seen! And he lives in the rafters of the United Center.

A first time for everything

Turns out, I'm going to be having surgery. Just as an aside, if anyone reading this knows my family, please do NOT tell them. I'll explain why in a few minutes.

First off, it's not major. In fact, it's out-patient (but I don't think the hospital will let ever-independent me take a taxi home, so I'll have to work on that). It's 'a girl thing' and I'll just leave it at that. NO! I'm not pregnant! You have to have sex for that, if I recall the details of Health Class correctly. Trouble is, there's a two-week recovery time.

Oh, did I mention that this will be my FIRST EVER surgery?? Yep, I've survived life on this planet without so much as an appendix scar. No broken bones, no sprained ankles. The worst 'injury' I've ever had is chicken pox. I figured God was saving up all of my aches and pains and then when I turned 50, I'd get hit by a truck!

Anyway, the organized side of me is trying to make sure my job responsibilities are covered. How f'd up is that? Anyway, the woman that filled in for me during my Australia trip said she'll be available. Probably. Since I haven't scheduled this yet, she's not positive.

My regular doctor told me about the recovery time, but I haven't spoken to the surgeon yet. (Geez! How grown-up this all sounds!) I have a few things to ask him since I'm new to this whole 'operation' thing.

Anyhow, one of our new colleagues has offered to pick me up from the hospital and tuck me in at home and even check up on me. She's only been at the company a few weeks, but we've really hit it off, even going to the Bulls game together the other night. And since she's in my age group, single, a Cubs fan and lives about a mile from me, this could be (borrowing from Bogie), 'the beginning of a beautiful friendship.'

So the ride home is covered (and I can take a taxi to the hospital, no worries there).

The Tour Guide suggested I ask my gay neighbors to keep an eye on me while I'm recuperating and I think that's a fab idea. I'll grab a bottle of wine and stop over in the next few days to see if they'll be around.

Even my Mexican friends who work at the neighborhood breakfast joint have offered to go grocery shopping for me while I'm down. How great are these people?

Why am I not letting my mother take over the mom-ing part and just stay at her house for the entire recuperating time? I could be waited on hand-and-foot for two whole weeks! This is the kind of thing my mother LIVES for!

Well, she's been in Florida since pre-Christmas caring for her terminally ill sister (her only sister). Do I really want her to have to choose between her dying younger sister and her temporarily-incapacitated youngest daughter?

Nope.

Because my Mom might just choose incorrectly and fly home to care for me. And if (while watching me sleep on her sofa) her sister dies, how is she going to feel for not being there to say goodbye?

Getting the picture?

The second choice would naturally be one of my sisters who happens to be a nurse. Yep, she'd be the perfect advocate, talking medical stuff with my surgeon and making sure I'm propery drugged up. Couldn't ask for a more perfect sibling in this situation.

Except that she would rat me out to my mother the first chance she got. Why? Because she's like that.

I've already got books, magazines, cable TV, the internet and new Google phone to keep me busy, but I'll let you know when the big day is. Stay tuned.

The thighs they are a-burnin'

So I move a little more gingerly lately, what's the big deal? And if I use my hands to steady myself as I sit down, so what? Occasionally I might groan when crouching to pick up something. No big deal.
I've started on '30 Day Shred,' the evil, mean-spirited, torture DVD put out by Jillian Michaels, one of the trainers on 'The Biggest Loser.'
I'm not fat by any measure, but I'm bigger than I want to be and that's enough for me.
In all honesty, Level 1 was a TINY bit easier on this second workout. I thought I would pass out the first time I did it, but tonight's efforts didn't make me want to fling the DVD out my window. I actually appreciated Michaels' comments of encouragement (although they were mostly drowned out by my own internal commentary that consisted of stuff like, 'quit bitching and just do it, you cow!')
There are a total of nine of us women at my office doing this workout routine (or maybe just me, most of the others have been on vacation for Christmas and New Years.) If everyone else is walking around like the Tin Man without his oil, then I'll know we're on the right track.
As for the DVD, it's broken down into three levels. You advance whenever you feel ready (which I guess means when you don't feel like puking after the workout). The first level is divided into three parts: 3 minutes strength training, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. Doesn't sound like much, does it?
Having a small clock on my computer screen alongside the exercise demonstrations is quite helpful. The entire workout is 20 minutes (three times the three-part routine plus 2 minutes of warm-up and cool down). There is NO, I repeat, NO stopping during the workout.
A few things I've learned about myself and exercise:

• I can't drink water before I exercise or I want to throw up during jumping jacks
• I need to use the toilet before I start or else....
• I'm not hungry when I finish the workout. Thirsty? Yes, but not hungry. Weird.
• A four-year-old photo of myself in a bikini posted on my refrigerator is a wonderful motivator.
• Writing my level of workout and time exercised on a calendar posted on my wall is showing my level of dedication. To no one but me, but I'm just saying..
• Leaving my hand weights and workout mat in the middle of my living room floor is a not-so-subtle reminder to myself of my obligation.

Once I can walk without impersonating an arthritic senior citizen, I will attempt to do these workouts on a daily basis, rather than every other day. I'll keep you posted.

Payback is wonderful!

A knock on my door had me scrambling for my bathrobe as I had been online shopping in my jammies. My neighbor was standing there holding my Pyrex dish. I had given him and his partner the dish full of the delicious beef stew that I had made almost two weeks ago to ward off the cold of the Chicago winter.
Since I hadn't seen my dish since then, I figured they might have dropped it and were now guiltily searching for a replacement. It seemed heavy in my hands...and cold.
"I made you flan," my neighbor said as I looked down into the creamy dessert goodness.
I LOVE having gay men as neighbors!

A made-for-tv life

After my first week back at work, I was too tired (from the office Christmas party on Friday too!) to go out Saturday night, so I found myself channel surfing. Stopped when the TV screen was full of ocean waves. Yep, images of warm, foamy salt water will usually keep my attention - - if only momentarily.
Travel Channel?
No.
Lifetime. (For my foreign pals, it's a female-oriented cable station that features lots of romantic and dramatic movies.)
Anyway, the made-for-tv film featured a single woman in my age group who goes on vacation alone to Hawaii (thought I was the only woman who goes on vacation alone?!?!) and meets up with a handsome surf instructor who is SEVERAL years her junior.
Of course my thoughts went to Tour Guide and the lovely hot, sunny weather in Darwin.
Is it completely unfair that the lead character--the 'older woman' - -in this show was played by Heather Locklear?

I did go to Australia and I have proof!

Low Isles, about 30 minutes off the coast of Australia near Port Douglas. You can snorkel right off the beach. Several tour groups anchor off the coast and send their charges via glass-bottomed boat to the beach where we don equipment and hit the reef - - not literally!



So many fish, so little time to see and snap them all! Went snorkeling at the Low Isles on my birthday. How fun!



Raise your hand if you spotted the GIANT clam in the upper right corner of this somewhat hazy underwater photo.



Breaky with a view. Does it get any better than this? 9am Monday at the Soul 'n' Pepper in Port Douglas.




Not the average souvenirs at Market Day in Port Douglas, no sir!



Aboriginal paintings at Nourlangie Rock. Very interesting tour all around.



What a beautiful little instrument of death, huh?



Sunset at the Wharf in Darwin. I watched the sun rise in Port Douglas and it setting in the Northern Territory. Life's pretty good.



If you don't know this building, you seriously need to get out more.



This was my view from my apartment at the Archipelago in Port Douglas. Is there any question as to why I abandoned the crappy weather in Sydney to go back there?



Despite the loud screeching and 100-mile-an-hour rocketing past my balcony, I really loved these guys.



Market Day in Port Douglas brings out vendors in all shapes and sizes, even those bearing no trinkets to sell. If you have hands, you're a customer.



I'm taking my row boat and going home!



You can keep your drive-through liquor stores, I'll take the belly-up-to-the-counter type.



Can't get much fresher than buying the just-picked produce at Market Day.

If you want to see more photos, go to www.mjs.smugmug.com

First awkward steps back into reality

I walked out of the elevator and tried to remember which key fits the deadbolt on the door of the condo I've owned in Chicago for more than six years. It felt weird coming home after almost a month in Australia. I'd really immersed myself into life there and now I didn't know what to expect.
Dropping my bags in my living room, I walked to the kitchen and tentatively open the refrigerator like you would after a friendly host tells you to "just make yourself at home." Nothing much to eat.
Where to start? Since Thanksgiving is a postal holiday, I knew I wouldn't have mail waiting for at least a day or two and laundry could wait.
Too tired to think about getting anything done, I got ready for bed. Couldn't for the life of me remember how to turn on the bedside lamp and thank God I didn't have to set an alarm.
Woke up in the middle of the night and knew I had to pee. Muscle memory took me to the bathroom, but I really wasn't surprised to find myself fumbling around on the top of the toilet tank for the half-button to flush. (We have a lever on the side.)
This is home, huh?

Going 'home'

SYDNEY, AU - -I've got a little bit of time before the shuttle comes to take me to the airport to fly back to Chicago. I should say 'back home', but it's getting harder and harder to leave Australia because it feels so much like home to me. I guess seven visits in as many years will do that, huh?
Of course, in a bit of finger-wagging, Mother Nature has given me a very beautiful day to leave. Jeez! Couldn't it rain or be windy or something like that? Even the infamous Australian flies aren't bothering me today.
I must say, I did have a nice sendoff last night with two German colleagues who are doing business in Sydney this week. We had a nice dinner and then moved up to the Horizon bar on the 36th floor of the Shangri-La hotel for drinks. What was really the perfect ending for the evening was when we downshifted to the Observer Hotel (really casual local place) and heard some nice live music. My colleagues saw a bottle of whiskey that looked interesting and decided to try it. Turns out, Slate whiskey is from Chicago!

Last day in paradise

PORT DOUGLAS,AU - - I've just finished my last breakfast at the Soul 'n' Pepper. Okay, you caught me, I ordered a strawberry smoothie as dessert after brekky simply because I didn't want to leave yet. Nothing like a 2-hour breakfast to start your last day off right.
There was something about the bright orange flowers on a nearby tree set up against the backdrop of a fresh green coconut palm and a baby blue sky that made me want to pack a bag and move right in.
As you may have guessed, now the melancholy has started to set in.
My flight to Cairns leaves tomorrow morning at the ungodly hour of 5am! On Wednesday, I fly back to Chicago. Back to a reality that has nothing I want in my life (okay, maybe my family...and the Cubs, but that's about it).
As abrupt as the hemispheric change will be, I guess it's a good thing that I'm spending one day in Sydney before leaving for Chicago. I don't expect it to be warm, but it certainly won't be freezing like my home. Long pants? Yes. Gloves? No.
When I get home, I think I'll start planning my next trip. How many days till Spring Training starts?

Back where I belong

PORT DOUGLAS, AU - -Yep, I did it. I flew back up to Cairns and shuttled back to PD. I couldn't help it. Here I was in Sydney, one of my favorite cities in the world, but I was absolutely miserable. Granted, it could have been the weather (chilly, windy, rainy) or it could have been the traffic (I wasn't driving, but I couldn't sleep for the car noise).
It was raining when I flew out of Sydney and raining when I landed at Cairns, but in Mother Nature's wonderful way of agreeing with my choice, the rain in Queensland provided about a half a dozen waterfalls for me to enjoy on the ride up to Port Douglas. And it stopped raining just as we pulled into the Archipelago (my hotel). Take THAT! Sydney!
While it has rained a few brief times since I've been here, the temperature is averaging about 10-12 degrees C warmer than Sydney so I don't really care about precip! Today, it's crazy hot with a scalding blue sky so I'm quite happy. I may even book another trip out to the Great Barrier Reef or maybe up to the Daintree Rainforest, I can't decide.
As for TG, I considered going back to Darwin, but decided against it because 1) it's terribly expensive and 2) it could be considered stalking since we only knew each other a short time. BUT, he did invite me to be a friend on Facebook (so I've got that going for me!)
The Central Hotel (tavern and hotel) had a free screening of "Fool's Gold" last night in its backyard garden patio. The movie was filmed in Port Douglas last year when I was here (but I sure as hell didn't see any movie stars ;-((. I almost cheered when Matthew McConaughey's(sp?) character walked into the front door of the Central Hotel to get a drink. Later on, he was on a speed boat that shot past the waterfront restaurant Soul N' Pepper and it really made me proud to be here. Guess I'll have to buy the DVD so I can look for more locations.
Too beautiful outside to be indoors on a computer, so I'm outta here!!!

Tour guide

SYDNEY,AU- - I'm writing this from Sydney, but my mind is still in Darwin (even my cell phone refuses to change timezones).
When I called Tour Guide, I got his cell phone voicemail so I told him that I'd love to have drinks with him and he should call me. After I hung up, I realized that he might have trouble calling me internationally and he might not remember what hotel I am staying in and he might not know my last name! Yeesh!
This guy is smart. Not only did he keep the tour manifest from my trip (so he had my last name and my hotel), but he saved money by just calling me at the hotel!
We met at my hotel (he said if he met me at a bar, there would definitely be 'some other bloke' already sitting with me) and walked about a block in the hot Darwin night.
Great conversation filled the evening with talk of the Cubs (yes, he'd LOVE to see a professional game as he's played softball in Australia); travel (he's only been to the US one time and that was as a camp counselor in upstate NY); rugby (he told me the basic rules and the difference between rugby union and rugby league...can't remember now, though); and how much he loves his job.
What made the evening so wonderful (for me, at least) was the amazing fact that this was finally a guy who ENJOYED CONVERSATION with a woman! I didn't have to ramble on like an idiot just to fill the void. TG was very attentive, keeping eye contact with me all evening. (Of course, I found out later that he didn't want to let me see him checking me out!) This was by far the most comfortable evening I'd spent with a man in...I don't know how long!
Since we traded turns buying a round of drinks, I wasn't sure if this was, in fact, a date. I guess I'm old-fashioned in American ways where the man pays for everything. But when he walked me back to my hotel (after both of us admitted we didn't want the evening to end) and asked if I didn't mind getting 'picked up' by a bus driver, I knew there was definitely interest beyond casual conversation.
Since I consider this a 'family' blog, I won't tell you how the date ended (or when), but I got an email from TG and it definitely made me smile. Did I mention that TG is 28 years old?!?!?!
Oh, one more thing: I've been in Sydney for less than 24 hours and I've heard the name of an Australian town that TG mentioned (new to me), heard an old song from the Blues Brothers movie (exact song that TG and I talked about) and the Jetstar customer support person who helped me book my flight to Port Douglas had the same name as TG.
Strange, huh?

Small world

SYDNEY, AU - - Here I am in one of my favorite cities in the world and I'm depressed. Okay, it could be because it's overcast, cool and windy here. But I know that's not it. I feel like there's a great party going on somewhere nearby but I can't go. Or at least I thought I couldn't.
I've just booked my return flight to Port Douglas TOMORROW! I didn't bring enough springlike attire to stay in Sydney with this definitely-not-beach weather, so I'm outta here. Also, I have friends there (and also in Darwin, which I'll get to later), so I'd rather be there.
As I walked into this internet cafe to download my flight confirmation, I saw a work colleague from our home office in Frankfurt! Small damned world! He said another colleague will be here next week so we made tentative plans for the three of us to meet for dinner the evening before I leave for Chicago. Nice to see him, but I really didn't want to think about work yet.

Kakadu...or however you spell it

DARWIN, AU - -No, I did not get eaten by a crocodile but I did see HEAPS of them! In addition to being scary as shit, they're really beautiful (even from 3 feet away!) I took a boat tour and was in the midst of about half a dozen (that we could actually see in the murky water) of the man-eating creatures. Fabulous!
Things I learned today:

• This area is called The Top End, the NT or the Northern Territory (which is pronounced by EVERYBODY as 'Northern Territree')
• A billabong is a pond. But I really don't think the creators of "On Golden Pond" ever considered adding crocodiles, adders and poisonous snakes to their movie.
• Kakadu National Park should be spelled Gangaju but some stupid European spelled it wrong. Figures!
• When an Aboriginal person dies, his/her name and or likeness are not to be used for a period of time. Apparently, doing so prevents his/her spirit from moving on from this world.
• The white-breasted eagle (another beautiful creature!) is the animal that the Aboriginal people believes carries the dead person's spirit to the next world. Therefore, these are highly respected and valued animals.
• Another Aboriginal bit: in their lore, evil spirits have four fingers, good spirits have three. Just so ya know!
• Termites know how to live right. They build fabulous cathedral mounds.
• Electrical lines are strung not on wood poles, but on steel ladder-type poles because 1) aforementioned termites, and 2) when the annual burning is conducted according to Aboriginal tradition...um, oops! wooden light towers go bye-bye!
• How can you NOT love a country with a city (a small one) named Humpty Doo.

Oh, did I mention the tour guide wants to talk sports with me? Apparently, he'd love to go to a baseball game. I have his number.

The Top End

DARWIN, AU - - Tomorrow I'm off to Kakadu National Park. Wish I could tell you what I expect to see but I haven't the faintest idea. Which is a very much how I feel about Darwin so far. Haven't the faintest idea.
It does remind me of Perth (which I visited a few years ago). It's a small town with not much tourism and pretty much no sophistication whatsoever. Not to say it's a bad place. I mean, how can you dislike a place that has a bar called "Duck's Nuts"?
It seems most of the tourism here revolves around crocodiles (which are apparently all over the place despite the fact that I haven't seen one). I did see a fantastic shirt with fake blood all over it and read "I survived a croc attack in Darwin." Just lovely!
Oh, did I mention that it's hot here? Yes, it was hot in Port Douglas, but Darwin is missing the lovely tradewinds that kept things wonderfully pleasant and liveable in PD. Darwin is drink-tons-of-water and don't-worry-about-a-shower kind of hot and sticky. Deodorant manufacturers must make a mint here!
Oh, speaking of Port Douglas, it seems I'll be making a return trip. I've been checking the weather in Sydney (my next planned city) and it will be CRAPPY! We're talking about cloudy and cool pretty much EVERY day! I certainly didn't fly all this way to bundle up in long sleeves and jeans. No sir! I've been checking the flights and I can skip town (back to Port Douglas) for about $140 USD.
I'm soooo there!

Something to be said for presentation

PORT DOUGLAS, AU - - "Eggs and toast" was the listing on the menu at the Soul 'n' Pepper restaurant. Simple, but just what I wanted this morning after my birthday.
What arrived was much more than the basic greasy-spoon dish. A huge pile of fluffy yellow scrambled eggs decorated with a touch of fresh chopped parsley sat aside two inch-thick squares of raisin toast. Nearby was a tiny grape tomato split in two and a sprig of dill (?) for decoration. In the corners of my square white plate were dustings of paprika that illuminated the shape of the dish and drew attention to the food within its boundaries.
Maybe it wasn't the food so much as the view just past my plate (sorry, no picture yet). As I looked past the eggs, toast and my flat white (a mix of expresso and silky smooth creamy foam), I saw that what was just a few individual rocks dotting the beach a few minutes before became a rock-filled bay as the tide roared out. No crocodiles in sight, despite the sign warning of their presence (in English and German). A tour boat heading out to the Great Barrier Reef sent a fresh froth of wave into the tiny bay that formerly featured a tiny beach.
Sitting under the multitude of coconut palm trees and sail canopies that make up the eating area of this establishment and enjoying the plumeria-scented tradewinds, I felt no reason to leave...ever.
That is brekky as brought to you by the Soul 'n' Pepper restaurant in Port Douglas, AU.

Australia - -beautiful country and more ways to kill you than anywhere else!

PORT DOUGLAS, AU - - Christel (who, along with her husband, Wolfgang, owns the lovely little hotel where I'm staying) and Bronwyn (the housekeeper - -yes, they only have one) and I were sitting around discussing travel in Australia.
During a tiny break from her usual online work, Christel looked up the hotel where I'll be staying in Darwin when I leave Port Douglas on Thursday. "Very nice," was Christel's comment. She had traveled to Darwin years before ever meeting Wolfgang and has always wanted to go back.
"You know you can't swim up in Darwin," mentioned Bronwyn, very matter-of-factly. "Because of the crocodiles."
Ya gotta love Australia! Always something to keep you on your toes!
And, yes, the hotel does have a swimming pool.

Potential stowaway

PORT DOUGLAS, AU - - Okay, now I'm in one of my favorite towns in the world (even though it's changed some since Hollywood discovered it last year while filming "Fool's Gold.") It's been an unusual trip so far, I must say.
I'm having a harder time than usual down-shifting from 'work mode.' I still walk entirely too fast for a beach stroll and I can't help but think of what's happening at my office.
Another odd occurence will happen tomorrow. Okay, it's not odd that its my birthday. I've grown accustomed to that. What's strange is that for the past three or four years, I've been fortunate enough to be able to spend my special day snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef and I might not be able to do that this year. I must say, though, that visiting the lovely rainbow-hued fishes doesn't suck. In fact, there aren't many better ways to spend one's birthday. Not in my humble opinion anyway.
The Wavedancer, the boat that usually transports me and about 50 other people out to the Low Isles, is out of commission (maintenance) until well after I leave Port Douglas. Strike one.
Sailaway, another tour offering to the Low Isles, is booked up with a private party. Strike two.
Tallahook, a third tour operator with a lovely 25-person maximum party size, accepted my booking this morning and confirmed that I would be picked up at 8:45 tomorrow morning. And then, at 4:15 this afternoon, they called to say that since they didn't have enough people (I guess it would've been a VERY private tour), they were cancelling my trip. Strike three...
Or is it?
I've decided that I'm going to pack a bag for a boat tour, stroll down to the marina, and jump aboard any boat heading toward the reef.
Wish me luck!