My random thoughts and reactions to my everyday life. The voices like a forum. |
I do not know quite what happened or when , but my hubby and I now qualify for seniors' discounts at some venues. This creates a quandary; in order to save money, but not face, we have to admit to our age. HMMMM..... We definitely do not consider ourselves to be old. In this day and age ,when people as a whole are living longer and healthier lives why are 'young seniors', those in their fifties, like moi, considered 'old'?? It's so true that age is just a perception! "Maturity" is very objective/subjective, and I object! Whew, a few years have skittered by since I composed this biography block. Those "fifties" are in the rear view mirror and they are distant, fond memories. Oh, I do not plan to stop writing any time soon. |
It is not my habit to greet the dawn. I've always been more of a night owl. For this dawn balloon cruise I made an exception and it was well worth it.Imagine rubbing your eyes and yawning repeatedly in an effort to awaken. Your brain is insisting it's still dark and therefore it cannot possibly be the beginning of a new day. Someone hands you a steaming fresh cup of coffee and the caffeine slowly meanders through your blood stream urging you to greet the coming day. Fires flare up around you and giant silk canopies expand and bulge with hot air. They billow and strain against their anchors raring to go. Singsong voices coax you into a basket and you reflexively grip the edge as your rainbow hued balloon gently rises towards the horizon. The sudden and brilliant sunrise takes your breath away. Only moments ago you noticed a yellow glow that exploded into a burst of gold. The shadows retreat as the light advances to reveal a world of lush, vibrant green. Morning has taken charge and banished the darkness. Soon, you are chasing your balloon's shadow across the landscape.You hear yourself gasp, but that sound is muted. The roar of the flame envelops you. The balloon's structure ripples and dances. You float weightless above throngs of teeming wildlife. Your view is a panorama, unobstructed. Stunning, statuesque giraffe strut, or gallop. Hippos cavort and spray each other with water. Lion cubs roll and wrestle. Zebra kick up their feet. You stare mesmerized unwilling to blink. The word breathtaking is not enough. You are struck speechless in reverence. This more than warranted my rising before the crack of dawn. |
May 6th's walkabout/bush walk is all a blur. I recall stumbling along a creek bed and scattering stones as I disturbed sand. I suppose I was in awe of the Katherine area scenery and I remember gaping at those orange banded beehive formations. Nature is a marvel. I did find the name Bungle Bungle to be amusing. From the moment I went in search of a billabong I lost all track of time. No matter, I am refreshed and ready to tackle a Darwin excursion. Of course, I cannot ever admit to wandering in Australia without checking out at least a few crocodiles. I suppose the equivalent would be for an Aussie to visit Canada and set eyes on a moose, or a beaver, or a polar bear. That creature is iconic. The idea of a jumping crocodile seemed intriguing. I envisioned circus performer crocs jumping through flaming hoops as a ringmaster with that incredible Aussie accent snapped a whip. What I did witness was a handful of crocs thrash their incredible tails and launch themselves skyward in the hopes of snagging a free snack. Their teeth were impressive. I will admit to gasping and oooing. Strange, but no one on the cruise boat was tempted to pet a crocodile. I don't recall that we needed to be warned to keep our hands to ourselves either. When that first massive jaw snapped shut, I thought of Captain Hook and flexed my safe fingers. Lyn's a Witchy Woman quipped that she was considering a crocodile encounter/mishap as the basis for a murder/mystery. Would it be a great method of body disposal? I don't believe she'd consider to test this theory with the disappearance of one of the virtual trippin' bloggers...This worry remote, unthinkable possibility fled my mind when we writers began to imbibe the generous wine proffered aboard the evening catamaran cruise. This exceptional grape elixir worked its magic. Dare I say we were giddy? Sumojo , 💙 Carly , Simply Me , 🌸 pwheeler - love joy peace , Lyn's a Witchy Woman and myself did admit we could see ourselves feeding some of our lesser scribblings to a croc. Eat our words. You know, food for thought and all that. Chew on this. We were not drunk, but mellow. The poor staff just rolled their eyes and pasted those polite smiles on their faces when we mumbled what probably every tourist does at some point. "Can I throw a shrimp on the barbie?"I snickered because all I could think of was a Barbie doll on the grill. Did I mention I was slurping the wine? I may even have requested a straw. |