Just some Aussie cartoonists poking a little fun at New Zealander-talk.
Spring Summer Yarn Tasting Kit!
5 months ago
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
One last thing.
When I get back to Canada and have room for things again I will add one of Katie Henry's shoulder bags to my wardrobe. I just can't get over how talented and creative this girl can be. The problem is the second she loads anything on her etsy shop it is purchased within the following minute or two. I think this is going to become a serious online shopping mission. Luckily, I am totally up for the challenge.
Tracking numbats.
On Tuesday morning I left Albany and headed 300 km east to the Cocanburup Timber Reserve near Ranvensthorpe, Western Australia. I was on a trip with Karen, one of the researchers at the DEC, to track and monitor some little marsupials, the numbats.
DEC estimates that there are less than 1500 numbats left in the wild. They are threatened due to habitat destruction and introduced predators such as foxes and cats. The numbats have always been a icon of Western Australia and up until this point there has been a lot of interest to attempt to protect the remaining population. Unfortunately, support for threatened species has been cut at the federal level here in Australia. Soon DEC won't be able to put any resources towards these projects. The good news is that there is an interested community group, Project Numbat, and I really hope that they will be able to continue raising money to protect these little guys.
We arrived at Cocanburup after a three hour drive down the very straight and long coastal highway. The Timber Reserve is home to an introduced population of numbats. Seven of them wear little collars that transmit a signal so that they can be tracked. The collars need to be changed every 3 months. Five of the seven numbats collars were due for a change this week so we actually needed to capture them. This was all very new to me because I have never worked on a project involving small mammals.
Karen and I met two of the volunteers at the entrance to the reserve, Andy and John. Both are local fellows who are interested in learning more about the numbat project. Both have been trained to help track the numbats, but are still learning how to operate the receiver. The receiver is a big, blue antenna that is attached to a small handheld device. The device gives off a beep that increases in intensity as you come closer to a numbat. Numbats are territorial and stay within fairly small areas. They are also active during the day because they eat termites (and only termites) which are also active during the day. They don't put much effort into foraging, so it's impossible to lure them out with food. They actually need to be cornered and caught. Generally, they run into the hollow log of a fallen salmon gum tree. Then, we put a net on one end and stick a garden hose up the other end and blow on it until they come running out the end that has been netted. Capturing numbats was actually a very stressful activity for me to take part in and I'm really happy that I like to work with plants.
On that note, here are some truly beautiful spider orchids I found on on tramp through the bush (hike through the woods, for my Canadian readers).
Once a numbat was captured (this is Cora) the collar was changed and various morphometric measurements were taken. Karen did all of the handling and measuring. I handed her implements and held onto the numbats when they were safely in their little cotton bags (that's how we carried them around so that they would be less scared?) . I did hold onto their little back paws if they wouldn't be still when she was trying to measure.
We also caught Shy. Shy and Cora both had young. We set up video cameras at the entrance of their burrows and we saw the little ones out playing in the sun.
To find the last numbat, York, we had to hike a few kilometres down the river. Along the way we saw all sorts of interesting things including this native succulent called pigface. I love the way it looks in the sunshine. I wish it had a prettier name.
The last numbat we needed to capture was Rochelle. She kept ending up in the best logs. We knew she was about halfway down this snag, so Chris drove the truck right into the bush so we could get a closer look. The rack on the top of the truck has a little seat that opens up so someone can ride along with the receiver up high as height and speed are assets when tracking numbats.
On the drive out we saw so many emus! The way they run is hilarious. They look so off balance, like they're going to topple over at any second. The dads hang around the nest and keep the eggs warm and once the babies hatch they run around with the dads. This picture was taken out the front of the truck (which is a very powerful 4WD, the only way you can travel on the backroads around here). The father is right in the centre of the picture and the 2 chicks are the tiny things to his right just on the other side of the scrub.
We also came across this little bobtail, another native reptile. He was right under beside the wheel of the truck and I took this picture hanging out the passenger side window.
That night, Karen and I stayed in a cabin in Ravensthorpe. She had brought her computer and she showed me a nature documentary that a Japanese company had made about the numbats. Even though I couldn't understand a word, it was really funny to watch. She thinks the series is called Darwin's Ideas and this is the way they portrayed Darwin. I was a little bit shocked, to say they least.
The next day, two of the guys I had met at the hostel, Nick and Tim, and I drove out to Two People's Bay to catch up with Chris. We decided to go for a hike down along the beaches and look for whales and Waterfall Beach. The boys did a lot of rock scrambling to find the waterfall and I took pictures along the shoreline.
Striations on the sand, coming down from the cliffs.
Twisted driftwood.
The paperbark forest.
After all the hiking, the weather turned stormy again, so I've been back at the house. Chris made pizza for dinner with pineapple and mushrooms and bacon. We just went out and looked at the stars. It's very clear and cold tonight. We could see the Southern Cross, the Pointer Stars, Jupiter, Scorpio, and the fabulous Milky Way.
Tomorrow I'm probably going to spend my last day hiking around the bay. On Sunday we're going to go see District 9, a new South African sci-fi film. I listened to a podcast review about it today and it sounds incredible. I'll let you know what I think next week. Then I'm about ready to head off to Alice Springs, even though it's going to be very tough to leave this place.
DEC estimates that there are less than 1500 numbats left in the wild. They are threatened due to habitat destruction and introduced predators such as foxes and cats. The numbats have always been a icon of Western Australia and up until this point there has been a lot of interest to attempt to protect the remaining population. Unfortunately, support for threatened species has been cut at the federal level here in Australia. Soon DEC won't be able to put any resources towards these projects. The good news is that there is an interested community group, Project Numbat, and I really hope that they will be able to continue raising money to protect these little guys.
We arrived at Cocanburup after a three hour drive down the very straight and long coastal highway. The Timber Reserve is home to an introduced population of numbats. Seven of them wear little collars that transmit a signal so that they can be tracked. The collars need to be changed every 3 months. Five of the seven numbats collars were due for a change this week so we actually needed to capture them. This was all very new to me because I have never worked on a project involving small mammals.
Karen and I met two of the volunteers at the entrance to the reserve, Andy and John. Both are local fellows who are interested in learning more about the numbat project. Both have been trained to help track the numbats, but are still learning how to operate the receiver. The receiver is a big, blue antenna that is attached to a small handheld device. The device gives off a beep that increases in intensity as you come closer to a numbat. Numbats are territorial and stay within fairly small areas. They are also active during the day because they eat termites (and only termites) which are also active during the day. They don't put much effort into foraging, so it's impossible to lure them out with food. They actually need to be cornered and caught. Generally, they run into the hollow log of a fallen salmon gum tree. Then, we put a net on one end and stick a garden hose up the other end and blow on it until they come running out the end that has been netted. Capturing numbats was actually a very stressful activity for me to take part in and I'm really happy that I like to work with plants.
On that note, here are some truly beautiful spider orchids I found on on tramp through the bush (hike through the woods, for my Canadian readers).
Once a numbat was captured (this is Cora) the collar was changed and various morphometric measurements were taken. Karen did all of the handling and measuring. I handed her implements and held onto the numbats when they were safely in their little cotton bags (that's how we carried them around so that they would be less scared?) . I did hold onto their little back paws if they wouldn't be still when she was trying to measure.
We also caught Shy. Shy and Cora both had young. We set up video cameras at the entrance of their burrows and we saw the little ones out playing in the sun.
To find the last numbat, York, we had to hike a few kilometres down the river. Along the way we saw all sorts of interesting things including this native succulent called pigface. I love the way it looks in the sunshine. I wish it had a prettier name.
The last numbat we needed to capture was Rochelle. She kept ending up in the best logs. We knew she was about halfway down this snag, so Chris drove the truck right into the bush so we could get a closer look. The rack on the top of the truck has a little seat that opens up so someone can ride along with the receiver up high as height and speed are assets when tracking numbats.
On the drive out we saw so many emus! The way they run is hilarious. They look so off balance, like they're going to topple over at any second. The dads hang around the nest and keep the eggs warm and once the babies hatch they run around with the dads. This picture was taken out the front of the truck (which is a very powerful 4WD, the only way you can travel on the backroads around here). The father is right in the centre of the picture and the 2 chicks are the tiny things to his right just on the other side of the scrub.
We also came across this little bobtail, another native reptile. He was right under beside the wheel of the truck and I took this picture hanging out the passenger side window.
That night, Karen and I stayed in a cabin in Ravensthorpe. She had brought her computer and she showed me a nature documentary that a Japanese company had made about the numbats. Even though I couldn't understand a word, it was really funny to watch. She thinks the series is called Darwin's Ideas and this is the way they portrayed Darwin. I was a little bit shocked, to say they least.
The next day, two of the guys I had met at the hostel, Nick and Tim, and I drove out to Two People's Bay to catch up with Chris. We decided to go for a hike down along the beaches and look for whales and Waterfall Beach. The boys did a lot of rock scrambling to find the waterfall and I took pictures along the shoreline.
Striations on the sand, coming down from the cliffs.
Twisted driftwood.
The paperbark forest. 
After all the hiking, the weather turned stormy again, so I've been back at the house. Chris made pizza for dinner with pineapple and mushrooms and bacon. We just went out and looked at the stars. It's very clear and cold tonight. We could see the Southern Cross, the Pointer Stars, Jupiter, Scorpio, and the fabulous Milky Way.
Tomorrow I'm probably going to spend my last day hiking around the bay. On Sunday we're going to go see District 9, a new South African sci-fi film. I listened to a podcast review about it today and it sounds incredible. I'll let you know what I think next week. Then I'm about ready to head off to Alice Springs, even though it's going to be very tough to leave this place.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Stirling Range and Porongurups.
It's Sunday night in Western Australia and I need to get to bed, but I wanted to add a few pictures from the roadtrip Chris and I took this weekend.
Last Thursday we stayed over night in Albany. The next morning we didn't have any work to do, so we packed up and hit the road in a little Nissan rental (hired car, as they like to call them over here). We drove north out of the city on Chester Pass Road. About 100 km out of town we came to the Stirling Range. This is the highest mountain range in Western Australia. The tallest peak is over 1000 m above sea level. We decided to climb it the first day. I was feeling overwhelmed just approaching the mountain, but I knew the view at the top would be worth the 2 hour climb.
Stirling Range from a distance. The peak in the centre that is shaped like a wave is called Bluff Knoll. This was the first, and tallest, mountain we climbed over the course of the weekend.
View from the very top. We were so lucky to have nice enough weather to make this ascent. Any rain or wind makes the granite track too slippery to climb and it rained all weekend in Albany.
The little tiny carpark where we left our car.
Some of the other peaks in the range.
The track back down. Everyone we met on the way up told us that coming down is actually the harder part. No. Going up is much harder. Coming down is tougher than you might imagine, but it is no way near as hard as going up. On the way down I ran into a friend I had met at the SERI conference. She was actually starting the climb a little too close to sunset. I need to send her an e-mail to find out if they made it to the peak.
Bluff Knoll from the bottom.
After our climb we headed back to the campground. We met the Ranger, Eddie. He was a nice old guy and we lent me some wool blankets because I had forgotten ours at the hostel. I'm so glad he had some extras because it would have been one cold night without them. All of the campgrounds have these great BBQ set-ups. They have a flattop grill, two burners, and a stainless steel counter for preparing your meal. The propane is all hooked up and it's free to use. This prevents people from lighting campfires. You can also see the giant blue tent I borrowed from DEC in the background. I could stand up in it. It was great, but really didn't take the wind very well and this was not a sheltered area. The other two vehicles in this shot belong to older couples who are out traveling the country in their little pop-up campers. Once people retire in Australia this is what they do instead of buying cottages. One may refer to them as the Grey Nomads.
The next morning we went searching for wildflowers. The Stirling Range is famous for its brilliant displays of colour once the wildflowers are in bloom. Unfortunately, we visited the range about a month early and most of the shrub flowers were not in bloom. Fortunately, with some effort, we found a lot of little orchids, pea plants, and other wildflowers.
A whole bunch of pretty flowers.
We also came across some more parrots and I got some good pictures. These are ring-necked parrots on the side of the road.
This morning, we were up pretty early. We wanted to head on to visit Porongurups National Park before returning to Two People's Bay. Good thing too because we found some amazing rock structures. This is Balancing Rock. It is estimated to weigh 182 tonnes. I was scared to stand beside it.
Just behind Balancing Rock, Chris spotted two roos. This is a mother and her baby. The kid looked right at us the whole time.
Just past Balancing Rock are the Castle Rocks. We climbed up to the top on a steel ladder. This picture does not come close to conveying how high above the ground these rocks sit. I actually couldn't stand up because we were so high.
The Karri forest that we walked through was absolutely overflowing with this purple native wisteria. Karri is another eucalypt.
Once last shot I took from the top of the Porongurups. Soon after this the rain caught up. It wasn't bad though and we made it back to the carpark for lunch.
Tomorrow I'm heading back to Albany for the day. On Tuesday I'm northbound for three days to work on the numbat project. I'll be back with more next weekend!
Last Thursday we stayed over night in Albany. The next morning we didn't have any work to do, so we packed up and hit the road in a little Nissan rental (hired car, as they like to call them over here). We drove north out of the city on Chester Pass Road. About 100 km out of town we came to the Stirling Range. This is the highest mountain range in Western Australia. The tallest peak is over 1000 m above sea level. We decided to climb it the first day. I was feeling overwhelmed just approaching the mountain, but I knew the view at the top would be worth the 2 hour climb.
Stirling Range from a distance. The peak in the centre that is shaped like a wave is called Bluff Knoll. This was the first, and tallest, mountain we climbed over the course of the weekend.
View from the very top. We were so lucky to have nice enough weather to make this ascent. Any rain or wind makes the granite track too slippery to climb and it rained all weekend in Albany.
The little tiny carpark where we left our car.
Some of the other peaks in the range.
The track back down. Everyone we met on the way up told us that coming down is actually the harder part. No. Going up is much harder. Coming down is tougher than you might imagine, but it is no way near as hard as going up. On the way down I ran into a friend I had met at the SERI conference. She was actually starting the climb a little too close to sunset. I need to send her an e-mail to find out if they made it to the peak.
Bluff Knoll from the bottom.
After our climb we headed back to the campground. We met the Ranger, Eddie. He was a nice old guy and we lent me some wool blankets because I had forgotten ours at the hostel. I'm so glad he had some extras because it would have been one cold night without them. All of the campgrounds have these great BBQ set-ups. They have a flattop grill, two burners, and a stainless steel counter for preparing your meal. The propane is all hooked up and it's free to use. This prevents people from lighting campfires. You can also see the giant blue tent I borrowed from DEC in the background. I could stand up in it. It was great, but really didn't take the wind very well and this was not a sheltered area. The other two vehicles in this shot belong to older couples who are out traveling the country in their little pop-up campers. Once people retire in Australia this is what they do instead of buying cottages. One may refer to them as the Grey Nomads.
The next morning we went searching for wildflowers. The Stirling Range is famous for its brilliant displays of colour once the wildflowers are in bloom. Unfortunately, we visited the range about a month early and most of the shrub flowers were not in bloom. Fortunately, with some effort, we found a lot of little orchids, pea plants, and other wildflowers.
A whole bunch of pretty flowers.
We also came across some more parrots and I got some good pictures. These are ring-necked parrots on the side of the road.
This morning, we were up pretty early. We wanted to head on to visit Porongurups National Park before returning to Two People's Bay. Good thing too because we found some amazing rock structures. This is Balancing Rock. It is estimated to weigh 182 tonnes. I was scared to stand beside it.
Just behind Balancing Rock, Chris spotted two roos. This is a mother and her baby. The kid looked right at us the whole time.
Just past Balancing Rock are the Castle Rocks. We climbed up to the top on a steel ladder. This picture does not come close to conveying how high above the ground these rocks sit. I actually couldn't stand up because we were so high.
The Karri forest that we walked through was absolutely overflowing with this purple native wisteria. Karri is another eucalypt.
Once last shot I took from the top of the Porongurups. Soon after this the rain caught up. It wasn't bad though and we made it back to the carpark for lunch.
Tomorrow I'm heading back to Albany for the day. On Tuesday I'm northbound for three days to work on the numbat project. I'll be back with more next weekend!
Polaris posters!
Canada just got a little prettier. The annual Polaris Music Prize (which I've mentioned a few times) just released the short list posters. Not only does this super-cool organization celebrate independent Canadian music it also brings a lot of attention to the visual artists who work with these musicians. Instead of awarding the short list nominees with an award or trophy, the Polaris Prize finds an artist in the band's hometown and commissions the design of a limited-edition poster. The poster must include the name of the band or artist, the year, and the words Polaris Music Prize. After that, the design of the poster is up to the individual artist.
Patrick Watson's poster. (You can see the rest of them on the Polaris Music Prize site)
Patrick Watson's poster. (You can see the rest of them on the Polaris Music Prize site)
Art in ruins.
I just came across the work of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre. Both are photographers who study societal change by capturing images of the buildings we create, abandon, and forget. Three exhibits are mentioned on their website: The Ruins of Detroit, Eastern Industries, and Theatres. The way they use colour and light, focusing on various aspects of the architecture in their subjects really brings out the best in these run-down landmarks.
Projector from Richmond Hill Theatre, New York.
Projector from Richmond Hill Theatre, New York.
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