settling into life at OBA, ... Bronze Medallion update, ... plus, today we got our GEAR!!

... Teresa's solo day (January 13, 2007) ...
at peace with the world & with the "roos" :)

G'daye my dear friends & family,

This morning we finally got our own gear :)

* backpack, sleeping bag & liner, thermarest/self-inflating thin mattress, groundsheet,
* bivvie (plastic tarp to make a lean-to type of tent),
* CPR mask & first aid kits (one for us as an instructor & one for use with our participants),
* swarmi (nylon, webbing for climbing harness), carabiner,
* compass, water bottles, etc.

We won't be using our gear for a little while yet, since we have just begun the first of two back-to-back Core Modules ... basically self-drected study units that cover today & the next five days.

Equally wonder-full, later on today, I got my computer set up for tapping into the wireless network, YIPPEE!! So this afternoon before & after supper ("tea"), I have been adding pictures to my first OBA posting from January 19 "Teresa's 1st OBA Experience" and I've added a few more details to some of the stories ... so scroll down to that posting & ENJOY!

I'll try to post the pic's & additional stories from my solo day in the next day or two ( I am aware that I still have to posst the remainder of my WA pic's & my return to Sydney & Newie at the beginning of the year) ... but that will have to wait until tomorrow ... adding this last bunch of pic's has taken quite awhile & I need to get some course reading done before the day is over.

streaming sunbeams of light ... sunrise around 6:25 a.m. during our ROMEO Course Experience expedition

My days have typically been starting with my wake-up alarm at 6 a.m. , then by 6:30, I do my breathing exercises and then head down to the dining hall for my breakfast ... which lately has been corn flakes & toast or muesli & toast, ... I am now trying to back off of the daily hot chocolate intake which is a little bit of a challenge since it is right there & the hot water is at our finger tips with the tip of a red handle!!

I got out for about an hour on my bike last night before the sun went down ... it was great to get out on the road & to check out the countryside at my cycling pace ... I think I cycled about 5 km in total between cycling to the Namadgi National Park Visitor's Centre near the base of Mount Tennant and then back past the OBA base to the tiny little town of Tharwa, which includes the General Store & Post Office, a playground which is part of the recently closed public school. There's also the Blue Roof Art Gallery which I will take time to check out sometime while I am here.

Lastly, I survived the two day Bronze Medallion course that we had at the beginning of the week ... of the various things we were tested on, two of the assessments were timed swims ... both of my times came in as NYC :( (Not Yet Competent), ... although I redid my 400m (side stroke, survival backstroke, freestyle, & breast stroke) & timed tow test on the 2nd day and trimmed 1 min. 10 sec. off the 400m and about 12sec. off the timed tow ... I still have a little way to go to get my times deemed competent ... the 400m needs to be less than 13 minutes & the timed tow, less than 3 min. 15 sec.

I have 2 months to get my times down ...

So, I will be figuring out ways to get more swimming practice in at the pool in Tuggeranong (SW suburb of Canberra) ...

I'll keep you posted on my progress ... & on when it is finally time to celebrate passing all of my Bronze Medallion competencies. I am looking forward to getting myself in much better swimming shape & now I have these timed tests to inspire the workouts that I will be doing to get my times down to where they can be deemed acceptable :)

Time for me to get on top of the reading that I alluded to early in this posting. Don't forget to check out the pic's I've added to my 1st OBA posting ... & Nadia, please try to share some of my BLOG pic's with Baba Rasko when you see her for her birthday this week and let her know I am sending her birthday wishes & blessings from Down Unda! As well, Baba Borys, thanks for your e-mail note, I hope to connect with you sometime later this week over the phone or in cyberspace for sure ... just not sure which day that will work out ... hope all is well for you out in Vegreville :) Similarly, thanks for keeping so on top of my BLOG Mom, it's great to see that you are checking in & finding out what I have been up to!

Anyone else that is visiting my blog, please do send me a note or post a comment, to let me know how you are doing, it will be great to hear from you ;)

Be well my dear ones,

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa

(aka Tango Charlie)

Teresa's OBA training schedule ... ROMEO's 2007 schedule

Hello again everyone,

I've pulled the partial schedule that I included in the p.s. of my previous note & added the remainder of the first 6 months, ... so that you will have an idea what I am up to during my ROMEO internship with OBA :)

...& so that some of you can have an idea of when I am likely to have some days off (RDO's) in a row for you to consider planning some time to come visit Down Unda when I would be able to meet up with you ...

This schedule can & likely may change but at this point, there are pockets at the end of March (18-19 and 24-25), ... over Easter (7-9) ...& at the end of April (28-30) (I will likely be in the Snowy River area for these RDO's at the end of April), ... I also have RDO's in the 2nd & 3rd weeks of May (14-16 and 21-23), ... & the 1st 3 days of June plus a couple of days within the following week ...

I'm looking forward to hearing of possible flight plans and answering any questions some of you may have as you sort out details for such an adventure to come see me and for you to explore some of the great places Austrlia has to offer and for you to meet some splendid people & critters down here in the merry ol' land of oz :)

JANUARY

Jan. 9-17 ROMEO Course Experience
Jan. 18 RDO (Rostered Day Off)
Jan. 19-21 Induction/Orientation
Jan. 22-23 Bronze Medallion (Water Rescues & CPR)
Jan. 24 RDO
Jan. 25-27 Core Modules 1 & study days
Jan. 28-30 Core Modules 2 & Study days
Jan. 31 RDO

FEBRUARY

Feb. 1-2 Facilitation 1
Feb. 3-5 Climb & Abseil (Rappell) Training 1
Feb. 6-7 RDO's
Feb. 8-14 Leaders Advanced Wilderness First Aid
Feb. 15 RDO
Feb. 16-17 Individual Ropes (half)
Feb. 18-19 Team Ropes (half)
OR
Feb. 16-17 Team Ropes (half)
Feb. 18-19 Individual Ropes (half)
Feb. 20-21 RDO's
Feb. 22-24 Climb & Abseil Training 2
Feb. 25-26 Environmental Management
Feb. 27-28 Flat Water Canoeing Skills Training

MARCH

March 1-2 RDO's
March 3-4 Climbing Wall Assessment/Radios Training or Driver Qualification
Marcy 5-6 Climbing Wall Assessment/Radios Training or Driver Qualification
March 7 RDO
March 8-17 Expedition
March 18-19 RDO's
March 20-21 Search & Rescue
March 22-23 Climb & Abseil Assessment
March 24-25 RDO's
March 26-31 Course Experience 1

APRIL

April 1-6 Course Experience 1 (continued)
April 7-9 RDO's (Easter)
April 10 3 MONTH REVIEW
April 11 Transport Day
April 12-15 River Training
April 16 RDO
April 17-27 Course Experience 2 (Victoria, Snowy River area)
April 28-30 RDO's (Victoria, Snowy River area)

MAY

May 1-12 Course Experience 3(Victoria, Snowy River area)
May 13 Transport Day back to Tharwa, ACT
May 14-16 RDO's
May 17-18 Expedition Assessment
May 19-20 Facilitation 2
May 21-23 RDO's
May 24-31 Safe Leadership

JUNE

June 1-3 RDO's
June 4-5 All Staff Symposium
June 6-7 4WD (4 wheel drive) or RDO
June 8-9 4WD (4 wheel drive) or RDO
June 10 RDO
June 11-12 Transport to Kyogle, northern New South Wales (NSW)
June 13 Touring begins at Kyogle, NSW

plus ... celebrate my 38th birthday
& my greater level of fitness & well-being
... & the half way mark of my OBA ROMEO training

Be well,

Tango Charlie (Romeo #13) ... OUT

Teresa's 1st OBA Experience ... TOTALLY FULL ON!!! ... pictures now added plus a few more details:)

10 days ago, January 9th, ...

I started my OBA (Outward Bound Australia) training ...

... & I have discovered even more about myself, spending time away from fast-paced office activities, being part of an energetic and motivated team, and the fun that I can have as I continue to explore and create my Great Work and ways that I can share it with others :)

... Teresa's 1st "Ropes Course" experience ... 18 metres up & having HEAPS of FUN!!

Jan. 9-17, 2007 turned out to be a pretty FULL ON introduction to OBA & for all of us as interns to learn more about ourselves & just how much we wanted to be a part of this organization!!

After meeting up in Canberra with 14 of the 15 interns, sorting out a riddle & getting to know at least three things about each other, we headed to the OBA base & had dinner/Barbee with the rest of the OBA mob. After dinner, we met up "down below" at the storage area ... where we were shown a bay full of equipment and informed of the list of gear that we all needed to pull together for our individual & group needs for the 9 day course we were going to embark on.

This 9 day course was intended to help us:

1. start to develop a solid understanding of OBA's philosophy,
2. to experience an OB course in the shoes of a participant,
3. to gain a heightened awareness of ourselves & others within our team,
4. to transfer learnings directly into OBA, it's workplace, and the community, as well as to learn ways to be empathetic with our "Papas"/participants

... and that the "bus"/shuttle van would be on site to pick us up at 7:30 a.m. the next morning.

We slept out under the stars & the "bivvies"/clear plastic tarps set up as isosceles triangles overhead, ... with a rectangular ground sheet & my sleeping bag, no pillow provided but I did have my splendid down MEC travel pillow & rolled up some of my clothes to have under my knees. Needless to say ... we all got to bed by midnight or a little while thereafter & the "sleep" I had was not ideal .. I was quite a sore & tired sherpa dog the next morning.

... "down below" at the course preparation sheds ... almost ready for the 7:30 a.m. start of our ROMEO Course Experience

We started out the morning with a variety of team building activities, which included my first experience hanging about 18 metres off the ground, with climbing harness, carabiners, and ropes keeping me from harms way :)

I made it to the other side of the swinging ropes ... next the moving tires and rope net ... what a workout!!

There was 'heaps" of hiking to be done with fairly heavy packs that included 5 litres of water, sleeping bag, ground sheet, clothes & personal items, plus some group gear, ... I had the 2 plastic "chopping boards" and the PVC tube with 3 kitchen knives. Despite the two fairly big blisters I acquired (one on the back of each of my heels) over the first couple of days of hiking/trekking ... which was made better by adding another pair of socks to my feet :)

hiking up to Mount Wee Jasper ...


Despite the sore feet & the hot sun, I did enjoy the hiking and making our way along the "tracks". We did some major uphill hiking (I discovered that ploughing up each steep section and resting in the shade and/or flat sections along the way was the best way for me to keep up & not have my energy drained by the seemingly never-ending series of steep slopes to hike up). Many of the descents involved rocks & boulders of various sizes, plus nimble bodies and good concentration to navigate the best placement of feet along the way. Drinking heaps of water & having regular snacks to keep my energy level up are two of the most important things I need to keep on top of, to keep myself in a good frame of mind & body.

... ROMEO's at the summit of Mount Wee Jasper (1,121m) ... "we "bagged another knoll" (translation ... we made it to the summit of another hill/mountain!

I also totally enjoyed seeing the "roos" all over the place as we hiked about! On my solo day, around day #4-5 of our 9 day course, I watched 24 grey kangaroos bounce in & out of the eucalyptus trees along the valley bottom just down from my hilltop perch :) It was great to have them nearby in the trees as well, keeping a watchful eye but staying around as long as I wasn't approaching them too closely, how fun!! I will share more details on the transformative moments I enjoyed on my solo day along with some pic's in my next posting, including the roo that affirmed I was ready to move on along my "Values Journey" ... stay tuned .... :)

... we made it to the top of Mount Tennant (1,384m above sea level) ... which we basically hiked up that much & more & then hiked down at least as much!!

It was on the way down from Mount Tennant, as we were negotiating our way along the trail and steps made of granite rocks & wood, that I made the biggest "stack" of our trek when I somehow lost my footing & tumbled down about 4 steps, landing only on my hand & pack, no scrapes or cuts, & fortunately, not landing on Kate who was ahead of me, PHEW ... when I stopped tumbling, I was facing uphill laying sideways across the steps!! The Romeo's in the back of the pack stuck with me as we had a much needed break, water, bird seed (sunflower & pumkin seeds plus other yummy seeds & dried fruits), and scrogin (trail mix that has chocolate chips in whatever chip or melted state they are in, shredded coconut, dried bananas, and raisins). As much as I would have preferred to have napped for several hours before carrying on, we set out again and eventually made our way to the valley at the base of Mount Tennant & then finally over to the OBA base about 2 km away.

As well, before & after our big treks, we had a chance to get out on the ropes course on three different occasions, great fun up on the wires and balancing as we balanced and clamboured about, between 12 & 18 metres off the ground, on bridges, ropes, cables, tires, or climbing walls ... what a challenge of balance, strength, keeping a steady grip, endurance, and patience :)

Chris & Teresa on the way up & then at the top of the giant ladder ... what a team :)

... we also got to go CAVING & ABSEILLING/RAPPELLING on day #3!!!!

dropping down 25 m by a rope late at night into the womb of Mother Earth a little while after midnight was most excellent indeed, ... what's even more amazing is that we had the energy and spark to do this activity after the full day of hiking/navigating through the bush & rocky terrain which started with yet another 5:30 .m. wake up, breakfast, packing up, then heading out for our bushwalk (after learning about Alex Wood's disappearance and the request for us to alter our navigation plan to check on the location of he was last seen), and a full day of hiking amid temperatures in the mid-high 30's Celsius ... about ~12 hours after we set out on our big trek, & once we had a chance to eat our dinner at about 9 p.m., we headed down to the cave 10 p.m. or so & it took about 2 hours to get all 17 of us down (including our instructors Kizz & Brenno). The cooler temperatures, the lively conversations & antics as people mucked about with their gloves and abseilgear before heading down, plus the little massage line that I had a chance to enjoy & discover exactly which muscles in my shoulder area were the most sore after a full day of backpacking!!

... Kizz (Kirily), our female instructor was totally excited to be taking us out caving, & as she about half way down the 25 metre descent/abseil/rappell, ... I led the Romeos in greeting her in song with "Oh Mahlay", one of the African songs I learned with my Seed Mates. Kizz told us later how much she enjoyed coming down to hear us singing like that. I could only imagine the delight to be had in such a gloriously resonant cave with my Seed Mates and other musical friends ... Laurelie, Trudy, Christie, Tracey, Mrs. Chalmers, Kristin, Claudette, Kelsey ... to mention just a few of you :)

ROMEO's in the Wee Jasper Dip Cave ... 25 metres below ground :)
... Brenno (Brendon) our other amazing & wacky instructor :)

It was a truly magical experience to be in & sing in this deep cave (& explore it a little as I had done a little while earlier, when I saw one tiny micro bat that hadn't figured out it was time to head out into the night for dinner :) After about 10 minutes & a couple of group photos later ... the magical & exciting cave time morphed into a mock rescue/first aid scene where we had to figure out a way to rescue "Alex Wood", ... the lost diabetic that we had been calling out to all day (a scenario that led to us learning a few different search & rescue practices along the hike as we also had practice with navigating using compasses, topographical maps, and landscape features such as hills/knolls, gullies, and saddles) out of this cave that was 25 metres into the Earth ...

I went with 3 other Romeos to find the other way out as we scrambled up the rocks and had to watch out for sharp debris and pull ourselves up into the cool, night air to get the stretcher from the OBA vehicle nearby. Our mob of Romeos managed to get Alex (the stuffed hiker) out without dropping him and then proceeded to have to walk/jog with him along the gravel road 2 km to our campsite, where the "ambulance" would arrive to take him to the hospital. All this around 1 a.m. in the morning ... oh, the fun that you get to have when you don't have to fuss with regular office hours, etc. I must say that the first 4 days of this experiential course we were up at 5:30 a.m. and despite the tiredness in our bodies & minds, as a group, we got ourselves up, ate breakfast (muesli & powdered milk), packed our backpacks, and headed out for another day of unknown adventures ... most of us quite enjoyed our chance to catch up on sleep on our "solo day" which went from early afternoon of day #4 to 24 hours later on day #5.

All in all, our intern group which is known as the "Romeos" (since the OBA intern group naming has come to the letter "R" & according to the phonetic alphabet, which is used in the radio communication we are also learning about) is quite a great group, 10 womyn & 5 guys ... I am the most senior, as I anticipated, and Chris, my ropes course climbing partner/the monkey is the most junior with his 19 years ...

We had yesterday off, but that was also our moving in day, following the 9 day OBA philosophy & "empathy" course that kicked us in gear, in full OBA fashion! Now we have a bunch of Induction ... HR/orientation type of stuff to cover over the next couple of days before our Bronze Medallion training & testing, yikes!! This will involve lots of swimming & expectations of times being less than 15 or 13 minutes to do 400 metres of a few different lifesaving types of swimming strokes!! Today was a "cooler" day, only 33-35 Celsius & this week-end is supposed to be around 38, YIKES!!! We actually had rain & thunder the past two nights, which made things quite humid, and has increased the "mozzies"/mosquitoes that are now bugging me as I type ... but I suspect that there will be no more rain for some time.

I believe one of my biggest challenges will be surviving the big heat and another will be finding a balance with the age difference between myself & the rest of the Romeos (mostly how that affects any of the major physical challenges we undertake, which I have been handling quite well so far but also in the social/entertainment side of things). I think there are a few young womyn that are 28 and the rest of the Romeos are younger than that. All in all, we're a pretty decent and happy "mob" and I am looking forward to experiencing the adventures that I have with all the Romeos & the OBA mob here in Tharwa and discovering all that I do within me and with the Romeos as a team. There's already been some great personal learning and there's definitely more to come :)

Be well my friends & family & do consider sending me some snail mail, it will be great to hear from you ...

Teresa Chilkowich (ROMEO #13)
Outward Bound Australia
Naas Road
Tharwa, ACT 2620
Australia

I am not going to be as readily able to plug into cyberspace now that the internship training is in full swing ... pictures from you & chocolate or other tiny treats for me are always quite welcome ;)

Hugs 'n' Bugs,

Teresa L. Chilkowich (aka Tango Lima Charlie)
& Sherpa Dog (aka Sierra Delta)

ONLY one more sleep until my OBA internship starts ... :)

Fumi & Teresa at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

Hello my dear friends & family,

Oh, how TIME over the past few weeks & months has wonderfully passed ...

... some TIMES in a "full on", ... action packed, ... how the heck did I think I could do so much packing/moving out in so little time :)

I am ever grateful to all my friends (Colette, Laurelie, Jilly Peanut, the Chalmers sisters, Maureen the potluck phenom, and Maureen down near Okotoks, I need to mention Colette and Laurelie again, and my family who helped me with my moving out from my house & giving my larger furniture & books a home while I am away :)... Many thanks as well to Laurelie & Ollie for all they did to help me in my winding things down at Environment Canada :)

... friendly TIMES in a completely joyful & heartfelt manner ... as was the case during the many bon voyage get-togethers ... it was soooooo great to see all of you that came to my farewell gathering at Garneau United Place a few days before I headed "Down Unda" :)

Laurelie, Maureen, Colette, Mair, Neela & Ella, Stephanie, Cheryl, Jim & Carol & your little one, Colleen, Dick, Mary-Frances & Alasdair, Zoe, Shelley, David & Diane Chalmers, Bill & Marj, Jill & Ethan, Steve, Eva, & Gavin, Evon/Yvonne and Raymond, Kelly & Carl ... and anyone else who I may have missed in my recollection of our time together over tasty treats and great company!

... as well the TIME I enjoyed reconnecting with all my west coast friends & family during my hops from Victoria (Laura Christie, Ginger, & your new black cat whose name escapes me this moment), to Vancouver (Antonia, Kezia, Izaak, & Juneau), to Seattle (Basha, Andrew, & Xenia, WInston & Jasper), to Santa Cruz (Kristin, Claudette, Isabelle, Gabrielle & Therese, Joan, Margaret & Jesse, K & C's Gratitude Gathering Friends), Berkeley (Joanna, Fran, Gregoire, Peggy, & Julian) & back up to Portland (Rhea, Scarlett, & Hazel and Melany & Duncan) before finally heading up to Calgary for my day & a half "Work that Reconnects" workshop that Cheryl, Laurelie, & Colette participated in along with 9 other folks from Pincher Creek

... family TIME ... it was great to meet up with my Baba Borys out in Vegreville and the Chilkowich & Rasko clan back at my folks home ... plus my Uncle Bille who popped in (sorry I missed seeing you Auntie Shirley, Matthew & Simon ... Happy Birthday as well!!) at Fort Saskatchewan my last night in Alberta & to be able to meet up for a visit with Gail over tea before getting out to the Fort ... I am also quite grateful for the couple of visits I had out to Maryland earlier in 2006 to see my Mom, Doug, & Katrina and Tammie, Jeffrey, Roo, Boo, & Loo adn Inky too ... and my visits in/near Seattle with Xenia & Andrew :)

... a little out of sorts TIME, amid the packing & repacking during my final couple of days while I was at Laurelie's, awaiting for Dec. 11th to arrive ... many thanks for having me over Laurelie & for taking me to the airport and for your generosity in helping me make my way back "down unda" again!

phew! ... I must say, it could seem like kind of crazy TIMES when I list these things off ... but it didn't feel very crazy, it actually felt quite RIGHT to be with all my friends & family where we met up & to enjoy the visits we had the places we were :) :) :) Thank you, thank you, ... merci beaucoup, ... mahsi cho (Dene) ... ari gato (Japanese)

(I will try to add some pic's from these gatherings with my dear ones back in Canada & the U.S. but now that I am about to leap into my Outward Bound mode ... I am not sure how readily I will be able to do this.)

... recent TIMES over the past few weeks, time has moved along in quite a wonderfully "suspended" manner ... which has been quite delightful for being in the moment and enjoying the visits with my many, splendid Seed Mates as I bounced about down here in the "merry ol' land of oz"

As for the past week or so since kt & I headed down to the south coast (& really all the places I have met up with my dear friends & family around this amazingly beauty-filled planet), ...

some of the great experiences I have been enjoying are ...

HEAPS of loving kindness from everyone I met up with,
... HEAPS of great food,

COUNTLESS waves that have welcomed me each time to Gaia's (the Earth's) bounty of salt water, rhythms, peace & vigor,
...a few SURPRISE encounters with one red bellied black snake & a metre long goanna (pic's of the goanna, large lizard, to follow),

ENDLESS opportunities to recharge my being as we heve welcomed gorgeous sunsets over the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and as I have explored heaps of delightfully beautiful forests and mountains in all seasons of the year!


No Name Bay near Apple Bay at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

This new year of 2007 holds all kinds of new adventures for me and the new friends I am about to spend this Outward Bound Australia internship with. It will be great to ... explore new places within myself as well as elsewhere in Australia, ... to grow & test my limits physically, spiritually, and emotionally, ... and to increase my level of fitness & competency in the various outdoor leadership activities and disciplines that I am going to be immersed in ... backpacking, wilderness survival, rock climbing, abseilling (rappelling), ropes course, and canoeing, & kayaking (white water!), plus coaching, mentoring, facilitation, & experiential education, topped off with 4 wheel drive (4WD) driving on the left-hand side of the road and on tracks that only 4WD vehicles can go on ... YIKES!!

It's going to be one heck of an exciting ride & I look forward to sharing it with you ... so hang on, we'll see how things go ... I'll do my best to muster up a few updates at least on a weekly basis ...

If you don't see anything from me for awhile, don't panic, perhaps just send me some snail mail to:

Teresa L. Chilkowich
Outward Bound Australia
Naas Road
Tharwa, ACT
2620

AUSTRALIA

(I'll post whatever phone number I might be more directly reachable at once I know it)

I am really looking forward to reconnecting with our dear planet & the elements of the wind, sun/fire, water, and the earth in all kinds of new (and actually previously known) ways. I've already been tracking the moon more closely and will be thinking of all the great beings and loving kindness in my life, which I am soooooo very grateful for.

... Time to say "goodnight" so that I can get some important rest for my 1st day tomorrow ... it will get going as follows:

6 a.m. waking up to do my 15 minutes of greeting the day, doing my breathing exercises, & getting breakfast in my belly

7 a.m. heading off to the Greyhound bus station with Fumi after saying goodbye to John & & Julia

9 a.m. my bus leaves for Canberra from Sydney

12:30 p.m. arrive in Canberra & wait for pick-up at 1:30 p.m.

1:30 - 6:00 p.m. get together with the other 14 interns at a park in Canberra to get to know each other and solve a few riddles, plus any other interesting things we decide to do to learn at least 3 things about each other plus everyone's names ...

6:30 p.m. we are to arrive at the OBA camp ~30-40 km south of Canberra for the more structured part of our first day to follow ...

I'm not sure when I'll be able to post up another update but in the mean time, please know how very grateful I am for having each & every one of you in my life.

Fumi, & John & their lovely daughter Julia here in Sydney have been so splendidly gracious & welcoming for my stay with them this past week ...

"ari gato" my dear new friends, I am deely grateful for your loving kindness, comfortable bed, taking me 'to & fro' and for the hike with Fumi at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park (where we saw the red-bellied black snake & the goanna), plus the absolutely delicious meals & baked treats (thanks Julia!!).


As well, dear, sweet, Claire & Noel, it was great to reconnect up in "Newwie" (Newcastle) and with you again Pheebs, here in Sydney :) Many thanks for having me up your way and for sharing your part of this sweet planet with me. It's great to know more about your home land and to have seen you in it! Also great to meet Marnie, Bethany, and the duck residents in your backyard ... Puddles and Gemima :) The concert last night was quite fun too!

Please know how very much I hold dear ALL of my family ties

... my family of origin (Chilkowich, Borys, Rasko, Tucker, ... in Canada & the U.S. incl. all the German 'au peres' of my nieces)

and

... my family of friends (Band Geeks, Bodhi Buddies, Seed Mates, Environment Canada, Health Canada (& other Gov't dept's (RTAB, NRCan, ...) friends & community groups all over Canada, Potluck Pals, participants of past workshops I have facilitated, Marilyn's Drum Circle, ... so many more ... I know there are even wider circles that I draw upon in my life but the lateness of the day (it's now midnight) & my need to get some rest forces me to add onto this list (to make it more complete) in the near future.

With that, I will close with one of Rilke's poems that Joanna Macy & Anita Barrows have translated from German (with a slight alteration added in by me :):

... Teresa's Seeds art "Widening Circles" ('spiral with a twist')

I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.

I may not ever complete the last one,
But I give myself to it.

I circle around Gaia,
her primordial womb.

I have been circling
for thousands of years,
and I still don't know:
am I a falcon,
a storm,
or a great song?

Rainier Maria Rilke
(translated by Joanna Macy & Anita Barrows,
altered slightly by Teresa L. Chilkowich)

Be well my dear, sweet loved ones,

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa & Sherpa Dog

aka "Sparkles with the Sun" & Plays like the Wind"

WA pt. 2 (Dec. 23-26, 2006) ... finally ready to post :)

Hi again everyone,

Yesterday, I made my way on the train to Newcastle (2 hours north of Sydney). I am in the process of more great Mac learning ... following a phone call, then iChat with my brother-in-law Jeffrey who also just got a MacBook.

Soooo, once I figure out how to publish the wegpage that I have updated for my latest blog entry, I will add a link to it from my SherpaDogInOz blog ...

In the meantime, here is my next blog update courtesy of blogspot ... but soon, I hope to have these posted through my new blog that I will try to set up through my Mac provider. I kind of understand what I need to do but I need to wait until I have successfully published/posted my blog pages onto the world wide web ...

Anyhow, I now have the capability to do iChat (web chats) with anyone who is set up on iChat through a Mac & I am not sure just how easily it will be to do the same with PC users, but I will try to sort that out with my Mom, who has used her PC to do webchats in the past.

So, keep your eye on my blog, there's bound to be some new discoveries coming along that enable me to connect even mor crazily with many of your, through this cyberspace we call the Internet. Well, I just got an error message telling me that iMac doesn't have enough storage space (in the free space it offers) to post my blog pages ... so it looks like I will have to add in all the pictures to my Sherpa Dog site a little later today ... darn, just when I thought I might be able to post my updates even more quickly ... I'll see what it takes to "buy" more space but likely, I will stick with the free blogspot access for now ...

I'll do my best to post my OBA itinerary before I head to Canberra in a couple of days as well :)

Be well my friends & family,

Teresa

~~~

Teresa along the beach at Guilderton, on the Indian Ocean (Dec. 23, 2006)

G’daye everyone,

Welcome to my new iWeb blog site (well not just yet :( ... how great that I can now post these pages that I have been creating on my Mac!!! Thanks Jeffrey for getting me set up on the .Mac account ... it was also great to see all of you through the iChat webcast set-up after I connected with you the phone for Alexis’ birthday :) Looking forward to connecting with you on the iChat site in about 5 minutes :) :) :)

Now ... for the continuation of my WA adventures ...

After lunch and some hiding out from the midday sun, Phoebe & I went for a swim in the Indian Ocean (& then the Moore River), while Jo enjoyed an afternoon nap. The afternoon waves were much more alive and I mustered up the courage to get myself in there a little while after Phoebe sauntered in ever so non-chalantly.

It’s quite interesting, how growing up in the Canadian prairies/boreal parkland forests, ... so far removed from the any of the 3 oceans that envelope it ... to see how this has impacted such things as my ability to go striding into the ocean as waves come rolling ashore ... it’s really my “healthy respect” for the power and ever-shifting currents of our mighty oceans :) Especially given how much I truly love coastal ecosystems and the constantly churning, crashing, and rolling of the waves as they hit the intertidal zone. I guess I have been much more an observer and researcher, not one of the beings readily immersing myself in the surf and knowing how to roll with the shifting of the seas :) All in all, I did quite well jumping up and floating about in the waves, something that I am getting more comfortable with, especially once I have pushed myself to get into the colder, deeper waters, to then be furthered removed from the zone where the waves do their crashing and surging. Once there, I am quite content to hop about as the waves come along and to allow myself to be carried up with the water as the waves pass by to the shore.

Shortly after returning to Rangimarie, we packed up Phoebe’s car & headed back to Perth ... with a stop at Yanchep National Park around twilight :) What a great time to visit the park as we were first greeted by a couple of wallabies (small kangaroos) and then a couple of kangaroos. MOST excellently, we were able to visit the koalas in their reserve at Yanchep as well, and as we entered their space, we were welcomed by the sound of what I can only describe as a small lion growling/roaring ... it turned out to be one of the koalas revealing the incredible sound they can make. Phoebe figured that this fairly big koala was expressing its displeasure with one of the other koalas for whatever reason it was on the ground & the other ones were up in their trees.

Grazing koala at dusk in Yanchep National Park (1 hour north of Perth) (December 23, 2006)

It was great to see the koalas moving about the way they were as night time was arriving! We watched some of them as they munched on eucalyptus leaves made available to them in a quiver like PVC tube (you can see one in the picture below), something needed at this reserve since the eucalyptus trees the koalas rely upon for their food source are not native to Western Australia. Similarly, koalas are only native to eastern Australia, hence their home at Yanchep National Park in this koala reserve ...

I apologized to the koalas after I took the few pictures I did that needed the flash, these are the times when I really need to have a better understanding of photography so that I could adjust my camera accordingly to adapt to the current light conditions. Perhaps I can work on this during my time Down Unda” ... I’ll keep you posted ;)

I believe the folks at Yanchep may be helping to keep some of the diversity of the gene pool alive by having these koalas living so far removed from their native habitat. I am grateful that the koalas are here at Yanchep since they are the only ones I have had the occasion to see here in the Merry ol’ Land of Oz so far ...

Once back in Perth, Phoebe & I stopped for a veggie kabob that had egg and veggies in it instead of falafels or donair meet (it was pretty tasty & hit the spot) and then we went to The Funk Club, to hear kt perform with one of her old bands called Funk JunKtion, that got together for a few weeks for a reunion concert & CD recording. There were about 15 musicians on stage either singing, playing various junk percussion instruments, such as plastic drums and other auxillary sounds ... guitar, trumpet, flute (kt), saxophone, & clarinet, plus a drum set. It was a pretty groovin’ sound and it was totally great to see & hear kt perform with her Funk Junktion mates.

Here again, I am challenged by lighting conditions but these 2 pic’s managed to turn out reasonably well ... kt is the musician in the middle who is playing the flute.

December 24th, back in Perth, I was quite pleased to have Phoebe give me a much needed haircut before we headed out to check out a few of the big sales at the outdoor recreational equipment stores. Khatmandu had everything for 50 % off & I decided to get a pack (quick drying) towel and 2 litre water pouch, plus a plug-ing for using Down Unda, and a pair of gaiters.

We ran into Phoebe’s friend and work mate Ken and before dropping him off at home, we stopped in the City Farm www.cityfarmperth.org.au near the downtown area of Perth. What a great place for folks to come connect with each other & the land and its critters.

As with many of the other great community spaces that I have had the pleasure to visit along my travels, mural and tile mosaic art have factored in beautifully to give people a way of contributing to and connecting with their community spaces.

Ken & Phoebe at City Farm (great mural in behind made by City Farm visitors) ... note the teal coloured sun-shade ... these are quite common around Aussie land & MUCH needed to protect folks from the more intense sunlight here.

City Farm Permaculture mural on side of building near entrance (note the grape leaves/vines in the foreground ...

After returning to Gaia House briefly& enjoying the very yummy stirfry that kt whipped up (with many garden veggies from the back of Gaia House) ...

... Phoebe & I headed into Fremantle (suburb south of Perth), where I visited the Dharmapala Buddhist Centre and joined in on the chanted prayers (puja) they had that night & Pheebs visited with her family after dropping me off.

Phoebe headed to Sydney late that night to meet up with a bunch of our Seed Mates north of Sydney, at the Peats Ridge Festival. I had hoped to do the exact same thing but was not able to get a reasonably priced airfare when I had made my booking back in October or whenever that was ... alas, I was not meant to reconnect with the small mob of my Seed Mates that gathered at Peats Ridge but I sure did enjoy ringing in the new year as I did ... more on that after I tell you of my road trip with the carefree and almost always barefooted kt ....

Phoebe & her brother Ben at Gaia House (Dec. 24, 2006)

December 25th - given all the coming & going I had been doing up until Christmas Day, I opted to spend a quiet day at Gaia House while kt met up with her family on the north side of Perth. I made some phone calls during the 3 hours was away from the house & searched out a store that was open and got an ice cream bar ... one of those mango/passion fruit creamsicle kind :) Then, back at Gaia House, I had the great success of figuring out posting pictures onto my BLOG :) This turned out to be a bit of a detrimental success, since I hen spent much too much time mucking about on the ‘puter and was fighting off quite a nasty headache at the time I finally posted my first entry with pictures. I think this also was a big reminder for me that I need to be drinking much, much more water ... especially on days when I have spent quite a lot of time outside and in/out of the sun.

Boxing Day - it worked out that I did get to visit with kt & her family since kt realized she had left behind her “swimmers/bathers” (aka swimsuit) back at her folks home. Soooo, I joined kt for that errand, which we had a great visit and we had the most excellent fortune to have lunch with kt’s Mom (Helen) & Dad (Peter) & her grandmother ... we enjoyed a feast of leftovers from their Christmas dinner the day before ... how truly delicious it was! As well, Peter perservered with his efforts to help kt get the hood (aka “bonnet”) open of the Jackaroo (4 wheel drive vehicle that kt & I were going to drive down to the south coast of Western Australia).

 kt & her folks ( Helen, & Peter), after the hood was successfully wrangled with ... courtesy of WD40 (Helen’s “cure-all” for any mechanical problems) and the “enforcer”, Peter’s tool of choice for dealing with stubborn mechanical challenges :)

kt & I stopped at the beach near her folks place on our way home ... the waves were quite welcoming and the water wasn’t too cold, but it did take me a little while to acclimatize to the hot ambient temperature while immersing my body in the cooler temperature of the ocean water :)

Delightfully, after kt & I got back to Gaia House, it worked out for Jarrod, another one of my Seed Mates from Perth, to come over for a visit. Even though it would have been great to have a longer visit, it was great to see Jarrod and hear Jarrod his voice again ... We had some fun out in the Gaia House garden ...

Jarrod & I in Vivienne’s wishing well at Gaia House

kt, Jarrod, & I ... so happy to reconnect with each other again :)

Time for me to finally post this latest entry.

I’ll be in touch hopefully later today with part 3 of my WA adventures. I am in Newcastle (2 hour train ride north of Sydney) & have a wireless network to tap into, so I will try to make the most of it & get things up-to-date as much as I can ... :)

Hugs ‘n’ Bugs,

Teresa

Western Australia pt. 2 ... coming soon :)

Happy New Year Everyone!

It's been an adventure filled week & I meant to add a notation to my BLOG that I would be down along the south coast of Western Australia for the last week of 2006 ... & therefore not able to post any updates out through cyberspace until the new year ...

I will add a more fulsome update tomorrow morning to share all the fun I had since my stay out at Rangimarie north of Perth. After I get my BLOG up-to-date, I will also post my OBA training schedule so that you have an idea of what I will be up to over the next 6 months.

Yesterday, I bid farewell to Gaia House and my dear friends in Western Australia. I am back over on the east coast in Sydney. I am staying with Fumi & John again (freinds of my Auntie Evelyn) and their daughter Julia is back home as well. So I have been enjoying their very welcoming hospitality and the visits we have been having.

Wishing all of you a year filled with peace, loving kindness, and heaps of love & laughter with all those you hold dear to your hearts (both 2 legged & 4 legged and any other kinds of critters and special places that mean a great deal to you).

Be well my dear ones,

Hugs 'n' Bugs, love,

Teresa