USA

Hands across time – a Moorhouse Totem

Anne3 Comments

I’m drawn to the tall bold totem poles found in many indigenous cultures. Seeing the ornately carved and painted ones in Alaska and Canada in 2024 inspired me to make totems for my suburban Brisbane garden. My totems couldn’t just be artistic; like all totems, they would have to represent history, values, spirit and community.

Can’t carve, draw or sculpt!

Only one problem prevented me from creating my first totem—I can’t carve, draw, or sculpt, but why let a lack of artistic skills get in the way of creativity or a grand project?

Preparing for the Moorhouse Totem

My first totem would be an homage to the Moorhouse family. I decided Christmas Day 2024 would be the perfect day to create my totem as I would have both the oldest and youngest members of the Moorhouse family present. Arthur, at 92, is the patriarch of the family. Leo, not yet two, is the youngest of his nine great-grandchildren. With them and 11 other family members present, I would have a captive audience to help me create my totem.

Preparing the totem

In preparation, I painted a PVC pipe (100 mm in diameter and 3 meters long). I needed a variety of colored paints for my project, but I only needed a handful of each color. As I was reluctant to buy 13 tins of paint, I requested leftover paint from my local Buy Nothing Facebook group. This generous group gifted me the paint I needed.

Hands across time

After lunch on Christmas day, I herded the family to my totem site and started painting hands, the youngest first, the oldest last. All chose a colour. One by one we placed our painted hands around the painted pipe, creating our Moorhouse totem. At the top were Arthur and Rhonda, 92 and 90 years old. Next, were Steven and me. How rapidly the years have passed, now we are close to the top of the family tree.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 20241225_1509221-1-rotated.jpg

The totem handprints include one of Arthur and Rhonda’s children, three of their grandchildren, four of their great-grandchildren and three extraordinary daughters-in-law who have birthed and cared for this tribe.

A friend who was with us on Christmas day is a calligrapher and added the finishing touches.

A perfectly imperfect totem now graces my garden.

After our 2025 trip back to New Zealand, I’m planning my next totem, though it’s been suggested I use the Māori name Pouwhenua or pou whenua. 

The cost of an accident in the USA – the final chapter

Steve3 Comments

P1120560I know you have all been wondering………..who won the bet?  How much is the cost of an accident in the USA? How much did it cost to receive treatment after my water skiing accident in the U.S.?  Well wait no more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

P1120565 (2)We arrived home last week, and there to greet us was a mountain of mail. Amongst the letters was ‘the invoice’ from Lakes Regional Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa. For those who missed the excitement of my accident, you can relive it with me, by clicking here. In brief, my mind was younger than my body and I thought I could still do a deep water start on one ski, despite Continue reading →

Slash the trash

Anne2 Comments

we need to slash the trashWhen I travel, part of the fascination is seeing the different ways we all live our lives, both good and bad.  As we travelled in America I became disturbed at the amount of trash we seemed to be leaving in our wake. I know that when travelling, and buying food on the run, you increase your consumption of disposable products and convenience foods, but I started to feel guilty about the large amount of garbage we were creating each day.  Then I realised that most times when we ate, even in restaurants, we were given items that ended up in the rubbish bins.  We needed to slash the trash!

At a motel Continental breakfast, the entire crockery and cutlery was disposable.  So just to eat cereal and juice we binned two plastic spoons, two plastic bowls, two plastic glasses, two paper coffee cups, one plastic stirrer (we shared) along with the usual waste of serviettes, sugar packets and yoghurt containers.  That’s a lot of trash!

At another cute café where we ate, we still received paper coffee cups, plastic stirrers, and sauce in individual disposable containers.  When we bought popcorn for the train trip it was already packaged in a paper bag but was placed in a plastic bag, inside a paper carrier bag. In our hotel rooms the drinking glasses have been plastic and individually wrapped in plastic.

It got me thinking about Continue reading →

My Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival

SteveLeave a comment

Rock 'n' Roll Clear Lake's Surf Ballroom.Where were you on the 3rd of February, 1959?

I wasn’t even born, but the date will forever remain etched in my memory. In his song, American Pie, Don McLean put it so eloquently……this was “the day the music died”. At about 1.00am on this date, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson lost their lives in a plane crash just outside of Clear Lake, Iowa, after headlining their Winter Dance Party at Clear Lake’s Surf Ballroom.

Rock 'n' RollI think I was born about 16 years too late. I just love the late 1950’s and early 60’s Rock ‘n’ Roll music. If I could find myself an old Juke Box fully loaded with old 45’s, I’d be a happy chap. My fantasy is reliving the times of American Graffiti, but without the onset of the Vietnam War. If you haven’t seen the movie, or heard the sound track, you’re missing something special. American Graffiti, released in 1973, is a movie set in California in 1962, and is a study of the cruising and rock and roll music cultures popular among Continue reading →

Abbie and the Amish

Anne2 Comments

Spirit Lake
Spirit Lake

I never dreamed I would end up in an Amish community. I love how this holiday has evolved, right from the beginning it has been driven by our desire to connect with friends and family outside of Australia, and of course see the world!  This led us to Frank and Marilyn, who we had met on a bike and barge trip in France three years ago, and their wonderfully relaxing home at Spirit Lake, Iowa.  For the first few days I literally had no idea where we were. We arrived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and quickly crossed into Iowa, leaving the big cities behind, through prairies planted with lush green corn as far as the eye could see.  I had a very poor understanding of the geographical layout of the Midwest states, initially didn’t have a map, and with no internet connection, I was simply somewhere with complete faith that Marilyn and Frank would lead me to wherever I needed to be.

Okoboji, where we visited Abbie Gardner’s cabinAfter Steven’s accident we needed to change our activities from biking and boating to Continue reading →

The cost of an accident in the USA?

Anne27 Comments

Accident Bruised leg. Spirit Lake ParamedicsIt’s been a week since Steven’s water skiing accident in Spirit Lake, Iowa, see the blog The Spirit Lake Paramedics – a welcome sight.  His buttock and leg is sore and yesterday the bruising appeared. Now the back of his thigh is an interesting pattern of mottled black, blue and yellow and he has an intriguing bright blue spider web bruise on his buttock.

accident Spirit LakeHe has graduated from crutches to an old man, collapsible walking stick and with the help of analgesics and muscle relaxants is managing to get around quite well. We are back on the road again with minimal changes to our travel plans. My fury at him contracting “I’m really a young man” disease and attempting to water ski after 20 years, with no preparation, is dissipating and I am treating him with kindness…. Mostly!

*

*

I'm not really angry at having to manage ALL the bags! after the accident
I’m not really angry at having to manage ALL the bags!

We were able to stay and enjoy the tranquility of Spirit Lake for a few days longer, thanks to the generosity of our hosts Marilyn and Frank and we will always remember the kindness of their neighbours who provided Continue reading →

The Spirit Lake Paramedics – a welcome sight

Steve13 Comments

You’d think I was old enough to know better, but no….of course not. I can still water ski on one ski after 20 years….it’s like riding a bike, isn’t it?  Spirit Lake, Iowa, looked inviting.
Spirit Lake Iowa

We travelled to Spirit Lake, Iowa, after visiting New York, to spend a relaxing 5 days with friends Frank and Marilyn, who we had met on a bike and boat tour along the Moselle River 3 years ago. When they heard of our plans to take this six month adventure, they offered Continue reading →

On the run in New York City

Steve4 Comments

Looking back, the amount of ground you can cover on the run in New York City with a $31, seven day unlimited Metro pass, a sun hat, a good pair of walking shoes and an adventurous spirit, is amazing. It would be a mistake to think you could see it all in five days, and I think you would struggle to accomplish it in five years.

on the run in New York City

What we did manage to capture was a flavour of the culture, the recreation, the vista and the culinary. New York is such a culturally diverse city. I guess it’s the ultimate Continue reading →

Hitting NYC – the MOMA, the MET and a couple of Broadway shows

Anne4 Comments

New York is a city of culture. Of museums and art galleries so we started at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). The MOMA states it is dedicated to being the foremost museum of contemporary art in the world so we gorged ourselves on the likes of Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Henry Matisse until we Continue reading →

The Net Fairy – our very own genie in a bottle

Steve2 Comments

I love the internet! Without it, I don’t know how I would have planned our six month adventure. Before the internet, if you wanted to travel, you needed the help of a specialist (a licensed travel agent) to make your bookings and guide you in your planning, but not anymore.

Nepal - the earthquake derailed our six month adventure
Nepal – before and after the Quake (Telegraph/Alamy/Barcroft)

Well, at least that’s what I thought, until on the 25th April, and then again on the 12th May, severe earthquakes hit Nepal and threw our plans into chaos. At the time, we were in China, and our internet contact with the rest of the world was restricted, thanks to the “Great Firewall of China”.

Before leaving Australia I had locked down our itinerary, which included Continue reading →