Gibb River Road Trip - on the way home

had a great trip up the gibb. saw some wonderful places and met some lovely people.  on the way home saw a big bush fire and a beautiful sunset. can't wait to go back again someday. see all the photos of the trip here Gibb River Road Trip 2011

Gibb River Road Trip - the amazing Bell Gorge

 

went to amazing bell gorge and had a ball crawling around on the rocks there.  a few parts were incredibly steep and slippery and were more like rock climbing which was cool. it was stunning there. i'd love to go back when i have more time that's for sure.  saw another beautiful lizard sunning himself.  see all photos here Gibb River Road Trip 2011

Gibb River Road Trip - Mt Elizabeth Station

after a long day of work in mt barnett (kupingarri) we headed off for mt elizabeth station where we were to stay that evening (in a room this time).  when we got there, dusty, hot, and weary, we were met with an incredible oasis.  it was heaven.  we were greeted by wallabies, provided with hot tea and hummingbird cake (pineapple and banana bread with cream cheese frosting!), had beautiful hot showers, relaxed in the garden, played with the wallabies, patted the horses. yeah it was awesome. didn't have time to view the gorges which was too bad but maybe next time.  i was enthralled by the pet wallabies!  we had a lovely dinner there, met some nice people, and slept very well. see all the photos here Gibb River Road Trip 2011

Gibb River Road Trip - Manning Gorge

talk about heaven. we camped at mt barnett camp ground, right outside the manning gorge walk entrance.  the campsite was nice and quiet and well spaced out.  we slept really well and enjoyed the beautiful stars.  next morning got up at 5am and started on the walk to manning gorge.  it ended up taking about 2 1/2 hours round trip and was worth every step. in fact, i wish this walk was in derby because i would definitely go every day. this i what i've been missing.  it had sandy beaches, beautiful river, craggy rocks, and a beautiful gorge at the end.  we also spotted wallaroo's on the way!  saw the sunrise.  the gorge and it's waterfall was heavenly. next time i plan to swim when there :) see more photos here at Gibb River Road Trip 2011

Gibb River Road Trip - Galvan's Gorge

stopped quickly at a very accessible gorge on the way to our camping spot - galvan's gorge. it was very beautiful but extremely crowded. we did see a really pretty lizard on the way, munching fish in a little waterfall.  people were swimming and enjoying the waterfall but we were pressed for time so we just took a peek and left again.

Gibb River Road Remote Trip - Imintji and Adcock Gorge

last week for work, a co-worker and i set off up the gibb river road to see some clients up there.  first stop was imintji, a small community about 2 1/2 or so hours up the road. we met some lovely people there, saw some clients, and had some lunch. went to adcock gorge after that, typically thought of as a spooky one.  it was beautiful, peaceful and totally deserted except for us.  i went wading in the water. you can swim there but we didn't really have time for that. see all the photos here at GRR Remote Trip 2011

highly commended photo in a local contest...yay!

i entered a few photos from the boab festival in a photo contest recently. i was surprised when someone came up to me and congratulated me on one of my photos getting "highly commended" and being printed in the broome paper.  that was news to me.  though i didn't win, and it wasn't one of my favorite photos, it is still really exciting.  gives me hope for my new found hobby!  and what better place to learn than up here with so many wonderful things to capture.

joonjoo trail walk

after saying goodbye to my mom, hannah and i drove back to derby. we were both exhausted. i felt homesick like i've never felt before. jose and i had a quiet evening and then the next morning we got up very early to go to the joonjoo trail walk put on by the healthy eating promotion group in town. we were taken on the trail by one of the men who founded the creation of said trail. he explained a lot of the plants and history along the way. it was a lovely event. it's one of the only places left in the kimberley that hasn't had a fire - in over 40 years! so the underbrush is remarkable and the variety of plants more prolific and diverse. it was interesting to imagine what the kimberley used to look like before white people came and did scheduled burnings. we saw beautiful flowers. the one above is kimberley heather. below is a bush banana.  very cute. after the walk we had a yummy breakfast and then wiled our sunday away inside because it was so beastly hot.  the buildup is already upon us i fear.

mom in oz...dinner, markets, and saying adios for now

after our sunset viewing we went to azuki for dinner, one of my favorite spots.  we had a great dinner, nice wine, and it was a lovely balmy evening.  we were pretty exhausted after all our fun so we had an early night and then went to the broome markets the next day. i got my birthday present from mom there - a beautiful zebra stone pendant! something i've been coveting for a while now.  said goodbye to her at the "international" airport in broome.  it was really hard to watch her go.  i feel more homesick now than i have in my entire year away from home.  but, we'll see each other again for christmas and that's not so far away :)  all photos of mom's visit can be seen here

mom in oz...exploring cable beach

after her last night in derby i took my mom down to broome to enjoy one more day there before she left oz.  we had a lovely lunch at 12 mile cafe and then did a bit of shopping. i took her down to cable beach for sunset and we were treated to one of the best ones i've seen.  especially in the dry season. must be care of all the bush fires we've had lately.  the light was spectacular.  mom really enjoyed the soft sand and the warm indian ocean water.  very uplifting. more photos of her visit here

marsh party! mom's last night in derby

to celebrate mom's visit and her departure from derby (sniff) we held a marsh party. it was miski's first as well.  went out with good friends and set up a lovely fire, cooked up some good food, had some wine and beer and enjoyed the absolutely beautiful weather.  so close to home (only 5 min walk or so) and yet you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. it's fabulous. i tried my hand at night shots. i have a lot to learn but some were ok. see all the photos of mom's visit here

romping on the marsh and relaxing at home

 

we took misky for a walk again on the marsh and this time she got to play with her new soccer ball and her new frisbee!  she of course was in heaven and provided entertainment for us all.  then we relaxed around the house and cooked and miski, mom and i lounged in bed. except miski wasn't really invited.  it's been so fun having mom here. i wish she didn't have to leave

one year anniversary

i can't believe it's already been a year.  one year since we got married, one year since i've seen my mom. we've had so many adventures in that year. and it was so great to have mom here to celebrate with us and a few days after the actual anniversary we all went out to jila for dinner. and had fabulous food, wine, and conversation.  i wonder where we'll be next year!

mom in oz...derby rodeo

we walked down to get sam and ayesha and then headed to the rodeo from there. not far from the house really...30 min walk? it was a hot one though and we were tired when we got there. the rodeo was great!  there were station competitions, barrel racing, bucking bronc riding, bull riding, etc.  i was in heaven taking shots of the events.  got some pretty good ones but i'm still learning. we came home that evening and claire and hannah stopped by to have some wine and pizze from a local restaurant.  had a blast chatting, drinking and then watching movies.  had a lazy sunday morning the next day and saw claire for coffee before she headed out of town again.  see all the shots here in Mom's visit in Derby 2011 album

mom in oz...sunday brunch, derby market, didgeridoo music, and brownies!

after a restful friday (full of cooking, baking, reading, napping, and resting) we had an insanely busy saturday. up early for garage sales (where we got our first jaffle iron!), sunday brunch with friends, sampling my prune brownies, then to the derby markets for fun, food, crafts, and (lucky us!) didgeridoo playing. the guy playing the didgeridoo was incredible. my favorite so far.  then we took photos outside derby or bust, a tradition now with visitors.  walked home and rested before heading off to the derby rodeo!  see photos here in the Mom's visit in derby 2011 album