South Australia photos

Here's a few photos from South Australia--except for the first one which is from our 4WD tour in the Blue Mountains--a roadside cave we were looking at when we heard a lyre bird calling. The guide recognized it because after its initial call the lyre bird imitates all the other birds around--kookaburras, lorikeets, cockatoos, the warble of the magpie--all in sequence. Marvellous to hear, and amazing when you think about it. The lyre birds are very shy so although we trekked down the road to try to see it it quickly headed through the brush and over the hill.

The other photos are from Port Elliot--the bird and seal-covered rocks in the bay, and an old building in Strathalbyn, the Black Chook (chicken) brand winery in McLaren Vale (sorry, the black chooks got lost a bit in the intense shade!), and a beautiful old gum tree at sunset in Gawler.

Now the last week of my Aussie Walkabout is on and it's a time for reflection. Soon I'll be back in North America and settling into my other life. As I get older I find I need the spaces for transition to be more conscious and they take more time...or is that just all in my mind?

I'm gearing myself up for the long journey and the 19 hour time change. Of course, I wouldn't want to get up any earlier each day although that is the recommended plan! I am so lucky I don't have to get right back to work as some people do. Loving my sleep as I do, the life of leisure suits me very well! I had a great day painting on Sunday and will squeeze in some more before I pack up all my painting gear later in the week.

I'm also hoping to hear my cousin's daughter Bec Watts and her partner Seb play at an RSPCA benefit on Sunday night. She's an amazing singer and they are great as a jazz/blues duo, so squeezing that event in would be wonderful.

And then, on to the rest of the year! One of my goals is to get a website up and running so I've been picking some people's brains and looking for ways to get started, on my own and in a professional and creative manner. If you have any suggestions for me drop a line--and soon! I have some time this week to do some research. I'm very much a rookie at this, starting with the terminology.

Getting the right key-words in is important, I understand, for the search engines to find you. Choosing them alone is an adventure! Should I go out on a limb and include "magic" and "fairies"? Or stay traditional and focus on "watercolour", "watercolor", "ärt", "painting", "landscapes", and the like? How do I incorporate this blog into the website? How to get my art images out there without risking Asian knockoffs? How do I make it visually stunning and encourage return traffic? All the technical stuff is learning in itself, so if you have advice let me know.

Until we meet again, take care.