Truly, I had to pinch myself several times to believe that I was traveling to Australia to teach at Creative Soul Retreat!! The top slot on my bucket list, along with New Zealand, and I am on my way to a dream come true!! The night before I left, I was on pins and needles, sitting on my living room floor, weighing every item I put in my two check-in bags with my bathroom scale to be sure I came in under the 50 lb. per bag limit. When I arrived at the airport, I had less than 2 pounds to spare. But I check through with all of my supplies to teach in Judy Wise's place, who could not go due to health problems. My heart went out to Judy for her missed adventure, but I am so thankful to be going in her stead and I know I will be bringing her presents and stories and photos galore.
The first leg of the trip is Portland, OR to San Francisco, CA, leaving in the evening in hopes of getting a good sleep on the planes. It's a flight I have done many times before, but have never boarded in the International area of the San Fran airport. On the wall above the check in is the most beautiful mural of the ancestral origins of the people that settled this area, bordered by wood carvings of native fowl and wildlife. The colors are vibrant and the artwork amazing.
Then on to the 747 double decker. There is less leg room in couch on these huge planes than on the smaller planes that ply the skies of America. Thankfully I am short enough to fit behind the seat in front of me. I gather my blindfold and cover, put away the baggage and settle in for a long nap...with a flight time of 14 hours, and not much ability to move around, napping will pass the time more quickly. I am amazed to be fed three times on the flight...it's been awhile since I have had much more than the peanuts and pretzels on Southwest. And the food was good. Between sleep, a good book and a little journaling, the trip passed quickly and before I knew it, I was landing in Sydney, Australia. Looking out the window, I see quaint homes, red tiled roofs and gum trees everywhere and for a moment, I think I have flown to San Diego, CA instead. But then you see the beautiful bay and meandering river and the traffic on the wrong side of the road, and you know you have reached Oz...an hour late.....I am off the plane in a flash and running for the next gate with 15 minutes to spare. As I round the corner, I see a secondary security checkpoint come into focus and, yes, it's me they motion over for an additional check. By now, I know I look like a panicked herd of buffalo rushing for the cliff and I am talking before I get there about missed flights and planes taking off without me when the security man looks at me and tells me "no worries - take a breath - you'll be there in time." No worries? But I do as he says, put down my bags to be checked and find my place. And realized how much of my life has been caught up in needless worrying. Really, the worst that could happen is that I spend a night in one of the most beautiful cities on earth while I wait for the next plane. Once I'm through the check, I move towards the gate to find the next flight was also late and indeed, there were "no worries".
The two sayings I heard most frequently during my time in this wonderful country were "no worries" and "no drama". And truly that is the beauty of this country. They take the time to appreciate life and and don't seem to worry the small stuff. I sit and chat with an American artist from San Francisco who relocated here 8 years ago. He loves it here. He needs no car. There are trams, trains and buses to take you where you need to go. He says it's relaxed here. People reach out to each other. There's little pretense and a greater acceptance for differences and he says he will never go home to the US. Before we can talk more, we are herded on the plane for the last leg of the journey.
Upon landing in Melbourne, I experience Australian customs. We get in line (queue up, they say) and wait to check through the initial stage of customs with our declaration slips. Large black labs with chocolate eyes sniff gently at bags and people alike for illegal drugs. Then off to pick up our check in luggage. Luggage carts are free here, unlike Portland where they are $4. Since I have almost 150 lbs. of luggage, this is a blessing. Then on to the next line, where we are told to put our handbags on the floor next to our luggage, where they are thoroughly inspected by cute little beagle dogs, to ensure no spare fruit, nut, vegetable or mineral slips through. Finally through the final passport check, I exit under the sign, "Way Out" to find my hostess, Eva. And there she is waving at me and off we go to her home in the hills.
Upon landing in Melbourne, I experience Australian customs. We get in line (queue up, they say) and wait to check through the initial stage of customs with our declaration slips. Large black labs with chocolate eyes sniff gently at bags and people alike for illegal drugs. Then off to pick up our check in luggage. Luggage carts are free here, unlike Portland where they are $4. Since I have almost 150 lbs. of luggage, this is a blessing. Then on to the next line, where we are told to put our handbags on the floor next to our luggage, where they are thoroughly inspected by cute little beagle dogs, to ensure no spare fruit, nut, vegetable or mineral slips through. Finally through the final passport check, I exit under the sign, "Way Out" to find my hostess, Eva. And there she is waving at me and off we go to her home in the hills.
As we chat and get to know each other, we realize we have much in common. Single, working girls with a mutual love for art, how could we not get along!!! After dropping off the luggage, I am determined to remain awake until proper bedtime to overcome my jet lag quickly. We head for the Dandenongs to have a look at the view from the top. More hills than mountains when compared with the Cascades, we stop at the top at the Lookout and see a view of distant, downtown Melbourne. The air is alive with strange bird sounds, the astringent fragrance of eucalyptus tree and a multitude of exotic flowers. After enjoying the view, we are off to a nearby picnic area, where I see black cockatoos, crimson rosellas and a kookaburra laughing at me from a distant tree. And as we leave to go home, we turn the corner to see a small wallaby sitting the the road. Who could ask for more on the first day?
I feel at home here. There are major differences, such as the wrong way driving (to us), sensible signs we could use such as "way out" instead of exit, "aged" signs to caution driver to slow for pedestrians near retirement homes, "give way", instead of yield and "take away" instead of take out food. But the people are friendly, the culture relaxed and common sense has a place here.
We slowly make it back down the mountain, where we stop for a Souvlaki at a local eatery, to take home and savor. After 20 hours of travel and the exhilarating trip up the mountain, it is finally time for bed. 
When we arrived in Seattle, sweet Gwen was there to guide us to our destination. After a few photos of the Seattle station architecture and the tiled floors, still surviving from the original construction, we were off to the market, via the underground tram. A few stops later, we walked out into the bright sunlight to see the Seattle Art Museum right in front of us. A beautiful building that I longed to go in and visit, but no time for that today. We walked down the street, taking in the Hammering Man, whose hammer had been stilled by the removal of his hand for maintenance. 
A few blocks later, we gazed at the Seattle Market, ringed by daffodils along the roof edge and full to the brim of folks out to enjoy the day. Here, we found Dawn and now the four of us set out to explore. The distant Sound was a sapphire blue and the cherry blossoms filled the trees with pink lacy frills. The market itself was filled with the color of fresh fruit and vegetables, the fragrance of lavender countered by the smell of newly caught seafood.
We watched the vendors toss fish in the air and hawk their goods. We took photos of the multitude of neon signs that are throughout the market, but rare to find outside the old parts of towns now. And the flowers....there were so many of every color in the rainbow...bulbs, perrenials, tree limbs and ornamentals. An amazing array that filled the eyes and nose, almost overwhelming our senses. 
We stopped to have humbows for lunch, a dumpling filled with deliciously spiced pork from a streetside vendor, before moving on to find a coffee shop to sit and journal the day. Along the way, we stepped into Fran's Chocolates, and sample a bit of heaven in the form of a smoke salt chocolate caramel and bought small Easter chicks of chocolate and caramel, wrapped in foil in hues of purple and green. Of course, some of these begged to come home with me and how could I resist? Now filled with good food and equipped with photos of our explorations, we settled down to enjoy our day and journal.
We printed out photos to share on our PoGo printers to preserve the day for all of us. Gwen provided us all with a small journal made from newspaper and gesso and a clever fold and cut method and we set down to cut, glue, collage and write while we enjoyed our coffee. Too soon, though, it was time for Paula and I to catch the train back home. After visiting the Medici paper store and scoring some unique collage packets I can take to Australia for the students, we said our goodbyes to Dawn and headed off to the train station, walking this time so that we could continue to take photos of the day. We said our goodbyes to Gwen at the station and settled in for the long trainride home. Paula and I chatted on about the day and how wonderful it is to spend time in the company of our friends in the pursuit of art. It just does not get much better than that! 
And don't forget my encaustic class in Virginia! We had so much fun in Las Vegas playing with wax. And the encaustics created in class were amazing. I look forward to sharing similar techniques with you in Hampton, including the basics of creating wax and colored wax, fusing, surface decoration, inclusions and more! You can read more about the encaustic class 
While there are dozens of reasons I consider this one of my best purchases, the one use I did not feel would be beneficial was the camera option. After all, I have been a photographer since winning an award in high school left me hooked and have a digital SLR with all the bells and whistles - what would I use a camera phone for other than to record the sometimes unexpected.
Then I discovered the world of apps - photography apps - apps that will turn out photos that resemble my Holga's odd toy camera photos, act as a "flash" without flashing, crop and even a mini Photoshop app. Who could resist? But a couple of days ago, I discovered the Hipstamatic app and I am in love. I have been snapping shots of everything, seeing what this app will produce as a finished product. Each photo is squared, framed and treated to a retro toy camera effect and each photo is a bit different than the photo before. I've just started exploring, but thought I would share these first attempts.
At long last, March 1....although there will be a few more frosts and a lot more rain, the winter draws to a close for me when March arrives. The trees are alive with the song of birds...they celebrate too. The willows are fuzzy with buds and the frogs serenade the night. And in the air, the unmistakable scent of new life. The leaves are peeking out of winter set buds and fruit trees curtsy and sway, dressed in the softest of pink and white lace flowers. And the geese fly north. Change flies to us on small feathered wings of a new season. 
