Surprise trip

Sorry to be gone so long.  For my large reading audience, all three of you, let me explain.  It went like this.  Bart had a business trip to the outback planned.  I was supposed to take him to meet the others driving out only, oops, he was late so we decided to go with him!  After 5 crazy minutes of grabbing what you thought you might need for doing who knows what at who knows where, we were off.!!

What a difference in scenery along the way.  Here in Redland Bay it's obviously coastal so think breezes off the ocean and lots of palm trees, thick vegetation along the roadside, meadows sparsley filled with Eaucalyptus trees.  Naturally, sites for ethanol plants are off in the middle of nowhere, which, turns out to be somewhere after all.  We drove 4 hours west to drier and higher ground.  The sky was a huge universe filled with rolling clouds.  There were fields and fields of sorghum and corn and a green leafy mystery crop.  Some of it was hilly.   Seeing it for the first time was all magical.  Even the whining in the back seat didn't bother me.  

I wish could give you the flavor of it all.  My photo ops leave a bit to be desired.  I promise to do better for the next time.  It was a great trip.  

Our farthest stop was in a little town called Miles to see a potential site with a potential customer interested in building a fuel grade ethanol plant next to a power plant.  Somehow it's a symbiotic relationship with the ethanol plant using water resulting from the power plant's process.  I am not sure what it, the power plant, gets in return.  Maybe free gas?  Hee, hee.

It was hot.  We went along on the truck with the rest of the guys but only lasted till our skin began to charbroil.  Then we went looking at ants to distract ourselves until Bart was finished.  We ended up staying in this darling hotel eating chocolate (me, can you believe they make a chocolate bar with brownie inside as well as a wonderful bar with different filling in each square?!!) and watching old movies on the one movie channel available.  If you have a chance to see The Last Starfighter again.  Please miss it.

The next day we stopped in Dalby, a name I have been hearing for the past 10 months.  Finally the place has a face!  It's a cute town and the planned plant is  a small one.  Right now it's just people in hard hats and flourescent orange vests scurrying around what looks like a foundation while others meet in air conditioned trailers to work out the kinks and deal with lenders.  Soon it will be a plant processing ethanol  at about 20 million gallons a day.  Cool.

There is an American woman named Julie who is married to Kevin, a South African and also working on the project, who is living in Dalby.  Their family has been in Australia for more than 5 months now.   They have two little boys, 5 and 7.  Michael and Jonathon.   Bart has wanted me to meet her for awhile now.  She is a lovely woman and next time I go to see her I'll take her picture for you.  They met in Malowi Africa and have lived in many different countries and states, including about 6 months in Williamsburg, VA.  I look forward to getting to know her better and meeting her boys.  R and J were just that age when we were in Russia.  Has it been that long?  Anyways, I am sure she'll have lots to teach me even though she is 1 1/2 hours away.

Next stop was Toowoomba.  A wonderful city at the top of wide flat mountain range.  That makes no sense but that's exactly what it was.  The drive from the bottom of the valley takes a good 10 minutes and seemingly takes you straight up 2000 feet.  From  there it was mostly flat with a few small hills in the distance.  At the bottom of the range is a town called Withco where we stopped for traditional lunch of meat pies and delicious deserts.  I think I am still full from that.

O.K. time for bed.  More to blab about later.  One last thing that I hesitate to share.  It's gross.  Are you ready?  I mean, don't let this stop you from buying your plane tickets to visit us.  You promise?  Cockroaches.  Not many, but enough to turn my stomach and make me think twice about walking into the kitchen in the dark.  The first "visitor" walked right up my foot while I was at the sink.  We just found two in the box of donuts I cleverly had hidden in the oven.  Needless to say we are not thrilled with the company.  Those buggars are fast!  Blahhhkkkk, and the sound of their little feet on the cardboard.  EWWWWWW!

My love to all.  Don't have roach-mares tonight!