Working Girl

As of Monday, July 30 the Klamers of Oz are a double income family.  The reason for this is that today Nadia landed herself a job.  Not only did she find a job but it's almost the perfect job.  She will be working at a medical audiology service where she will be doing some basic accounting, filing, office admin, customer service and dealing with hearing aid and cochlear impants.  For the first 6 weeks she will go through training and an evaluation period and as a result it is a full time position.  After 6 weeks it moves to 3 days a week (Wednesday to Friday).  Her office is located in West Perth which is outside of the core but still relatively central.  Her office location is actually very good as it's a metropolitan area but not plagued with traffic and parking issues.  The Calgary equivalent would be working on 17th Avenue or Kensington.  Not only does Nadia get to take advantage of her experience at the hearing clinic in Calgary but this will also allow her to get some office experience and will broadly expand her marketability.

The process of getting this job was interesting if not a little stressful.  Nadia has been actively looking for 2 months.  In many cases she was applying for positions that she was perfectly capable of but she didn't even get a call back.  In some cases, the employment ad specified that only Australian residents were to apply.  She applied for many jobs and was lucky if she even got a rejection notice.  In the case of this particular position, she only saw the job ad the day after the posting closed.  However, she took the initiative to call the number provided anyways and as a result got an interview yesterday.  Very fortunate since they were about to hire someone that they selected during the interviews. This morning they called and informed her that she was the succesful candidate and she starts work on Monday.  It's almost like it was meant to be, if you were inclined to believe in that fatalistic type of nonsense.

It will mean that the rest of us will have to make some minor sacrifices but I'm willing for the kids to do that.

Hello Kalbarri

Recently we took a trip about 600 km north of Perth to a National Park called Kalbarri.  The following is a run-down of that trip. 

***WARNING: there are many pictures and, as usual, I'm a little wordy. You've been warned.***

Thursday, 12 July

We left early in the morning and drove north. We stopped breifly in Geraldton which is about 400 km north of Perth. Geraldton has recently been in the news due to the two spear-fishers that had a close-up encounter with a Great White shark.  All we saw was the petrol station.  No sharks there but the gas prices sure took a bite out of our wallets *drum roll*

  After Geraldton we stopped at an interesting natural phenomenon known as the "Pink Lake".  It is a lake that literally turns pink at certain times of year due to the minerals in the soils.  In the picture above it's just starting to turn pink and apparently it gets much pinker.  And I promise this is the last time I will use the word "pink" in this blog.  Pink.

 As we arrived near the town of Kalbarri we stopped at the coastal cliffs.  We were greeted by a spectacular site in all directions including the one above.  It is also whale migration season in the area where Humpback and Southern Right Whales are moving from the south into their breading areas further north.  Unfortunately we didn't spot any whales from the cliffs.  Nonetheless, the view was breathtaking.

Friday, 13 July (Friday the 13th)

We had booked a "canoe safari" for the afternoon.  So, until the afternoon arrived we were trying to kill a little time.  We heard that every morning at 8:45 there is a pelican feeding basically across the street from our hotel.  The story goes that a local was hanging out on one of the park benches and starting feeding the local pelicans.  A fun thing to do became a habit.  The habit became a tradition.  The tradition became an obsession.  The obsession turned into an addiction.  The addiction spawned a tourist trap.  The original "Pelican Whisperer" is gone.  Or at the very least he's been muscled aside by the local entrepeneurs.  The park bench has been replaced by a shaded mini-amphitheatre.  And the whisperer has been replaced by a local boisterous know-it-all huckster complete with the "who's from out of town" type of line and the occasional semi-racist comment.  On this particular morning it was too cold for the pelicans so they didn't show for their (almost) daily feeding.  But it worked out for the best for us.  We walked to the beach hut where we booked our canoe safari and they mentioned that there was a whale with a calf in the harbour.  We took the 30 second boat ride across the river to a beach and there we started searching for the whales.

 It didn't take long.  Before we knew it we were 20 meters away from a Southern Right whale and her calf.  I could immediately tell that it was a Southern Right whale by the distinctive pectoral placement.  Actually, I had no idea- someone told us.  You can see Keva above on the beach looking at the dark line in the water.  That's momma.  I've never seen anything like it before.  We could have literally swam out to them if it wasn't so cold (about 10C at the time).  We were told that the mother and calf come every year to this bay for about 5 weeks.  They basically just go up and down about a 100 meter stretch of shore and never much further than 30 or 40 meters off shore.  Occasionally, in the afternoons, they'll go for a swim further north for a little exercise.  (insert fat/whale joke here)

 This is a closer picture of mom.  While we were watching, the calf got a little boisterous and was breaching (jumping out of the water).  Unfortunatley, we didn't get good pictures of it.  Bertha and Bruce (mom and calf) were at the same spot basically our entire trip and we could even see them from our hotel.  It was awesome and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, unless, of course, we do it again.

 That afternoon we went on a canoe 3 hour tour (a 3 hour tour).  Fortunately, the weather did not start getting rough and the tiny ships weren't tossed.  It was a lovely afternoon on the river.  To be honest, it was a little reminiscent of the Bow river in Calgary.  There was the occasional red rocky outcrop but otherwise it was just like the Bow.  Sure, there was the odd flock of pelicans and cormorants, but other than that it was the spitting image of the Bow.  Besides the fact that it was in the outback and emptied into the Indian Ocean it was exactly like the Bow.  We had a good time on the river and they even fed us.  There were no boats capsized although we did have to drag our ships over some sand banks where it got very shallow.  And don't worry, just like the Bow there were no crocs in this river.

 

After the canoe safari Nadia and I went for a walk along the coastal cliffs.  We were walking along the coast, on top of and within multi-coloured rock layers from different eras in geological time.  On top of it was red rock.  It was a little like walking on Mars, but with oxygen and a nice sunset over the ocean.

 

During our walk we stumbled upon another mom/baby combo.  This time it was a red kangaroo with her Joey.  In Perth and surrounds there are plenty of grey kangaroos but no reds.  The reds are much bigger and more iconic.  It was our first time seeing red kangaroos.  Seeing kangaroos in Australia is akin to seeing a deer in Canada.  It's common but no so common that it still isn't neat every time.

Saturday, 14 July

Early Saturday morning we packed up the crew and prepared to go abseiling.  Abseiling is where you propel yourself backwards down a cliff with only a rope to keep you from plummeting to your doom.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Here are the children getting geared up for abseiling in front of the bus that picked us up and drove us for about an hour to our destination.

Cyrus beginning his decent.

Nadia on the way down with the river gorge in the background.

Zaren hanging out and enjoying the view.

Keva getting ready to go over the edge.

After the 25 meter wall we graduated to the 40 meter wall known as Big Bertha.  Besides being higher the main difference is that after about the first 5 meters the rest is overhang and you slide down for a long way.  Here's Nadia on the top section.

 
After abseiling we hiked down the canyon a short ways to relax in the river gorge and do a little exploring.  On a hot day many people go for a swim.  All we could muster up on this particular day was to wade in up to our knees.  And in case you're wondering, there are no crocs in this part of Australia.  The really dangerous Saltwater crocs are up north.  The most dangerous thing in this river is a hungry teenager.

 Along the coast coming approaching the town of Kalbarri to the south are the coastal cliffs.  Not only are there some lovely views (2nd picture from the top) but there are plenty of other things to do.  You can walk along a martian landscape and see millions of years of sedimentary rock, you can and see kangaroos and you can experience the Blue Holes.  About 20 meters from shore there is a natural shallow rock formation that acts as a sea break.  Beyond the sea break there is shallow, calm, clear water. Above you can see Keva and Nadia walking on a rock ledge in the water.  You could look over the edge and see all sorts of stuff. Within the water is coral, crabs, fish and other marine life.

Here's Keva holding some "other marine life" aka a Sea Star, aka Starfish.  On a warm day this is a popular snorkelling area.  Even on a cooler day it was tempting to jump in.

 

Sunday, 15 July

After checking out of our hotel we headed to another area of the national park.  We started at the most iconic spot in the park called "Nature's Window".

 

Following the trail from Nature's Window we went on a 9km hike down the hills into the river gorge.  There were a couple of slightly challenging spots but nothing to riske.

 

When we started our hike from the top of the canyon we could see many kangaroos and birds near the river below.  However, once we got going we saw one a bit closer.  It's hard to see it in the picture above but the Wallabee (like a small kangaroo) is near the small tree just to the right of center.  It didn't seem bothered by us at all.  We later saw another one.

 

Here's a closer look at the wallabee.  At one point we were about 10 meters away from it.

After the canyon hike we hit the road to go home.  On the way we stopped to take the photo above.  There are many leaning trees just like this in the area due to the strong prevailing southerly winds.  Unfortunately, most of our drive home was in the dark so we didn't get to see too much of the countryside.  However, we did see plenty on the road.  Dusk and dawn are the most dangerous times to drive in most of Australia because that is the time when the kangaroos inexplicably gather near, and sometimes on, the road.  Despite seeing many live and wild kangaroos on this trip I actually saw more dead ones on the road. 

Pink.

Christmas in July

A couple days ago we received an unexpected surprise in the mail.  Delivered to us was a large box from Canada Post.  Upon seeing a Canada Post box I was immediately excited without even knowing the contents.  Then, after opening the box I was even more excited.  Buried within the glorious cube were two large tins of Tim Hortons coffee.  I actually received the box at work so when my co-workers came over to see what I was so excited about it was difficult to describe: 

Me: It's Tim Hortons coffee.
Them: Is that like a really good coffee in Canada?
Me: No.  Actually, it's junk but everyone drinks it.  It's addictive like heroine.
Them: Is it betta than the coffee in Australia?
Me: No.  But it's what I'm used to.
Them: So-er, if it's not any good why do you drink it, mate?
Me: Because it's Tim Hortons!!!
Them: You said that.
Me: Double-double!!!  Always time for Tim Hortons!  TIMMAYS!!!  HA HA HA!!!  No doot aboot it, eh?!
Them: *shake head, slowly back away with slightly less respect for me*
Me: *continue with big grin on my face*

In any case, once I got home with the sweet Canadian coffee crack we made a cup right away.  It certainly is better than what we've been drinking and it definately reminds us of home.  The package was sent by my friend, former collegue and new hero Tara Wilson.  It was a very kind and thoughtful gesture and it wasn't cheap.  The postage of the package cost just a little more than the contents of the package.  Thanks Tara!  Believe me when I say it is not going to waste and very appreciated.

 Nadia and I with our prized possessions.  In addition to the coffee Tara also sent us some Canadian stickers, pens, magnets and flags.  It looks like she cleaned out an entire Dollar Store.

The CDN magnet didn't go to waste either.  It went straight onto our vehicle for our trip the next day to Kalbarri (next blog).

Again, thanks a bunch Tara.  By no means should anyone else feel obliged, out of guilt or other equally effective emotion, to show a little human compansion and decency and send us stuff.  In all seriousness, it's really expensive to mail anything here.  A better idea would be to carry it on a plane.  It's only a little more expensive and we get the added benefit of thanking you personally.

Independence Day

Happy 4th of July to our American friends.  As is our custom in Australia, we do everything at least a day before people in North America.  However, in this particular case we actually celebrated the 4th of July on July 1, aka, Canada Day.

Not only are we members of the Canadian Club of Western Australia but, because we are so desperate for friends, we also joined the American Women's Club of Western Australia.  Although it's called "American" it's actually open to Canadians also and there are quite a few Canadian members that belong to both clubs.  As a matter of fact, we were told about the American club at a Canadian club gathering.  Also, despite it being the "Women's" club me and the kids were also allowed to join.

Anyways, on July 1 the American club held their annual 4th of July celebration.  While I've spent quite a bit of time in the US I've never lived there.  But this event to me seemed very 'typical' American, although, having never participated in a 4th of July celebration in the US I can't say for certain.

There were some games for kids to play, a temporary tattoo booth, a hot dog vendor and a beer garden where they served American beer.  Why anyone would choose to drink American beer over Australian beer (or Canadian for that matter) is beyond me.  Also, they had a hall where they were selling American products which are difficult to come by in Oz, they were selling Barack Obama t-shirts and they had a raffle for the typical raffle-type junk.  Also, in the hall they had most of the state flags, a confederate flag and even a Tea Party flag, ironically situated directly above where the Obama merchandise was being sold.

Here's some other 'Americana' that we experienced:

 There were several US flags which was expected.  What I didn't expect to see were at least two Confederate flags.

 There were plenty of classic American cars on display including some muscle cars.  Also, there were a lot of Harley Davidson motorcycles.  Unfortunately, the cars and bikes brought their owners with them.

 In addition to the muscle cars and Harleys, they had several restored military vehicles on display.  One of which had three machine guns installed.  Each of the cars had a little placard with the vehicles history in front of it.  It was kinda cool in a "I'm glad that's not my hobby" sort-of-way.

 There was lots of American food for sale.  We tried to buy a pumpkin pie filling but it was $9 for one can so we passed.  One of the novelties on sale were the donuts.  In every major city in Australia there is a Krispy Kreme shop.  Krispy Kreme is the American donut equivalent to Tim Hortons, for those that don't keep close tabs on the donut market.  However, there is no Krispy Kreme place in Perth (or Western Australia).  As a result, these "heart attack rings" are quite the novelty here.  In fact, whenever someone from my office goes to Sydney or Melbourne they always bring back a couple boxes of Krispy Kreme, and it's quite the hit.  Bloody arse-kissers.  In this particular case they were selling a single glazed donut for $2.50 and a dozen for $25.00!  I don't know if that's the regular price elsewhere or if it was the Perth American 'special', but either way it's highway robbery.  There are many cheaper ways to have a coronary.

 There was a band that was playing some American standards in front of another American standard: the biggest flag that could fit in a given spot.  I'm pretty sure the band was composed completely of Australians and many of them weren't that keen about it.  Australia has a love/hate relationship with the US.  They love American culture like movies and TV but they generally don't speak highly of Americans.  They rely on a US military presence in the region and participate in every US war but complain about the US empirialism with regularity.  However, for a buck I'm guessing they swallowed their pride, parked "Waltzing Matilda" in the music case and did their best rendition of "Stars and Stripes Forever".

After a song or two and an auction a contest was held to determine the most patriotic-dressed attendee.  I have no idea who won the contest as we'd had enough by that time. 

So, to those that are so inclined Happy Independence Day!  Keep your guns holstered, your beers cold and your fireworks at a safe distance!

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Minor point of interest:  This is our 100th blog post.  It doesn't mean much and it has no real significance.  Just thought I'd share.  If you've managed to read all 100 all I can say is "wow, thanks mom!"

Dear Canada

Dear Canada,

I can't believe that it's your birthday again, already.  It seems like just yesterday you were 130 and, by the way, you don't look a day over 120.

As you know this is the first time in a long time that we've missed your big day.  Every year we celebrate with you and your 30 million friends (almost as many as Justin Bieber has on Facebook).    However, as you know, this year we can't be there for you. This year is the first year in a long time that we've missed your special day.   So, while I can't be there to sing your praises in person (Oh! Canada) I'll share a couple thoughts from a long distance away.

We all miss you.  Nadia and I especially miss you.  Don't get me wrong, the kids miss you too but you know how kids are.  They are far more adaptable than us.  Yeah, Perth is lovely too.  She has beautiful beaches, lovely rivers, interesting deserts, picturesque hills and a wonderful climate.   But she's still foreign to us.  When we think of you we will probably always think of home.  We also think of those that are still with you and miss them terribly.  We can't wait for some of them to visit us.  But who knows, maybe we'll come back to visit them and you in a couple of years.

To us your big day means a lot of things.  Quite often we look around and see the problems elsewhere and think: "boy, sure am glad I don't have those issues with Canada..."  I guess you could say that we really grew to love and appreciate you.  Even though we are really far away from you we still appreaciate you.  As a matter of fact, the (great) distance may have caused us to appreciate you even more.
 
This day means freedom.  Usually on July 1 the kids are finished school for the year, Nadia is finished work for the season, it's a day off of work for me and the weather is finally turning warm. Often this is the weekend that we go camping and have a nice quiet celebration for you.   However, this year, for us, the weather has actually gotten colder, the kids are still in school, there's no day off of work and this is the coldest and wettest time of the year to go camping.  This year is the first year in a long time that we've missed being there with you on your special day. 

This day also means the beginning of the NHL free agency period where inevitably I get my hopes up that the Flames will finally do something to help the team only to come away disappointed.  But hey, that's not your fault.  Those are my own hang-ups.  Speaking of hockey did you know that you share a birthday with Jarome Iginla?  Some other notable July 1 birthdays (although none as notable as Jarome) are:

-Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (physicist)
-Charles Laughton (actor)
-Estee Lauder (makeup mogul)
-Willie Dixon (Blues Legend)
-Olivia de Havilland (actress)
-Jamie Farr (Klinger from MASH)
-Sydney Pollack (film director)
-Debbie Harry (musician)
-Dan Aykroyd (Canadian)
-Carl Lewis (steroid-riddled athlete)
-The late Princess Diana
-Pamela Anderson (Canadian/Plastic)
-Liv Tyler (actress)

It's really too bad we couldn't be there for you this year.  But that didn't stop us from celebrating.  Did you know that there is a club in Western Australia that's formed in your honour?  It's called the Canadian Club of Western Australia and it's made up of people just like us who left you, either temporarily or permenantly, but never really forgot you.  We are now members of the CCWA.  So this past Friday (June 29) a bunch of Canadian ex-pats went to an Irish pub where we drank home-made Caesars and ate Australian pub food.  How very Canadian.  The only thing missing was Scottish bagpipes, British beer, Chinese food and American sports.  We even sang your song.  At it's height, at least at the time that we left the event, there were probably about 70-80 people there just to celebrate your big day!  It was a little uncomfortable just because we didn't really know anybody and they all generally seemed to know each other.  We managed to talk to a few people but didn't really make any new friends yet.  Hopefully that will come with time.  To be honest I found it a little weird hearing your accent coming from everyones mouth.  I guess I got used to hearing the British and Australian accents.  There were even a couple times I giggled on the inside when someone finished their sentence with "eh?"  Ah Canada, I love your quirks, especially in small doses.

You know one of your best qualities Canada?  It's your modesty.  I love that about you.  While America makes sure the entire world knows how special her birthday is, you go about your business with an air of quiet confidence.  I bet most people in the world don't even know it's your birthday today.  For many of them July 1 is instead associated with:

-Beginning of the battle of Gettysburg
-Opening of the first zoo in the US (Philadelphia)
-SOS becoming the standard radio distress signal
-Independence day for Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi and American Samoa
-The establishment of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
-Dissolving of the Warsaw Pact

But to me this will always be your day.  Sure, Australia is nice.  She's warm, fun, young and prosperous but she's no Canada.

So on this day I raise my Pilsner stubby in your honour and remove my touque.  Happy Birthday Hoser!  Hope you have a great day, eh?  No doot aboot it!