Building the New Garden - Fear of Power Tools!

Once Mary and I recovered from jet lag, we began to build the new garden. Our friend, Alex, removed the compost and flattened out the area a few months earlier. Now our task was to build 6 new beds that were 3 feet wide, 10 feet long, and 18 inches high. Thank God for YouTube and this Amish guy who showed us how to brace the corners. We used 12: 2inch 8X10 and 12: 2inch 10X10 boards to build our ten-foot long beds 18 inches high.

On Tuesday I went to Lowe's to get the lumber for our project. Being an office guy I had no idea even how to buy lumber. Luckily, a friend of mine, Dale, works at Lowe's and he told me to "take a few deep breaths and he'd find someone to help me." The next thing I knew a very kind Lowe's employee said he would help me "pull the boards." I'm thinking I've seen people pull taffy but never lumber. This was going to be interesting. He also said he was glad to help me but he was really a driver and didn't know much more than I did about lumber.

We pulled all the lumber and another friendly Lowe's guy cut all the wood for me and then helped me stuff it all into my van. It barely fit! After filling our garage with wood it was time to get to work.

The first order of business was to build our bush workbench.

Our workbench in the backyard

I had two saw horses and a popup workbench I'd inherited from Dad. We put an old piece of 4 X 4 plywood on the sawhorses and then piled up old garden bed wood I'd saved on the workbench. It was ugly but effective.

The first bed took us almost four hours to build. The second took us almost two hours, but Mary almost collapsed under the weight of the finished box when we hauled it into place.

Two beds completed ready to build number 3

It was only then that the thought struck us, "This was not a permanently installed workbench. We could move it." Here you see it in place for bed number three. Note the look of relief on Mary's face. The third bed only took us about an hour to build. Halfway done, we quit for the day.

Halfway to the finish line

The next day we knocked off the other three boxes with each taking about 45 minutes to build. The last one was a bit of trouble because we were left with all of the uneven pieces. So I pulled out the saber saw, also part of my inheritance, and cut three 2X4's. Glad I only cut the wood and not some appendage.

Here's our finished product.

Feelin' good - that monkey is off our backs

The next step is to fill each box with soil and compost and get planting. Let's see how this all works out.

The Wedding and the end - March 22 - 27

We loved every minute of our 31 days on the road here in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. Special thanks to Mary's brother Gerard and sister-in-law Susie who let us use this home while we stayed. We felt like real farmers without any dirt, sweat, or hard work!

Our home in Nathalia

The last big event was the wedding of Mary's niece Rachael and her fiance Troy. It was a destination wedding right on the Murray River. (FYI Americans: The Murray is the Mississippi River of Australia.) We arrived the night before the wedding and I tried my best to stay out of the way of all the preparations, basically avoiding any work. Unfortunately, a very large backdrop that Troy built from local lumber had to be moved into place and desperate for help of any kind, I was called into service. After a lot of heaving and some swearing, the three blokes got the backdrop into place only to discover it was the wrong place. (Three guys heaving a huge and heavy backdrop on their own, without any supervision, who could have guessed we would be WRONG?) Eventually, one of the bridesmaids, Brie, lifted up half the huge lumber construction on her own and ordered us to "MOVE IT!" Which we obediently did.

The three blokes taking credit for the move - before

Three blokes - after

The wedding venue was beautiful.

That's the Murray River in the background

The bridal party taking pics

Mary was very excited that there was a "mob" of kangaroos wandering around the venue looking for photo ops.

Mary and the Roos

The next morning, Mary's brother, Bernie, took over the barbecue breakfast. I offered to give direction and advice and am proud to say that I enjoyed his cooking without lifting a single finger to help.

Bernie's famous pepper ring eggs

As it had been a long time since Mary was together with all of her sisters they took the opportunity for a pic and the next day had a sisters night out on the town. I can only imagine the decibel level of the "cackling" in the restaurant.

The six sisters

The 29-hour flight from Melbourne to Dayton including the ride to Lima was exhausting. I think we'll stop in Hawaii on the way home next time and maybe San Francisco. Five days after we returned the jet lag is just lifting. But our wonderful experiences of Australia and family left us with long term memories that more than made up for this short term inconvenience.

Can't wait for my next trip with this beauty.

The Great Ocean Road March 17 to March 21

Koala we saw at Kennet River

The Great Ocean Road is one of the top 10 road trips in the world and has been on Mary's bucket list since she was a girl. We took off from our little farmhouse in Nathalia on Sunday, March 17 and drove to Lorne, Victoria which is a beautiful town right on the ocean. We found a historic hotel and booked a room. This trip was the first one where we had not preplanned the whole journey. We just drove until we found a great spot and then stopped.

The pier outside of our hotel. Look for the little black arrow that points to it.

We had lovely views from our room and were able to spend the evening on the veranda surrounding the hotel - a little cheese, a little wine.

The Grand Pacific Hotel

The view from our room in the morning

The next day we drove from Lorne to Apollo Bay. The scenery was unbelievable. At every turn, there was a magnificent view. We couldn't stop taking pictures.

As we drove through Apollo Bay we kept looking for the perfect place to stay. We stopped at a place called The Great Ocean View Motel. When the Inn Keeper showed us the room with a view we took it immediately.

The view from our little balcony

Our Little Room with a view

The beach, just outside of our door, was beautiful.

The next day was the big trip to The Apostles. This was the highlight of the trip. Where the ride from Lorne to Apollo Bay was filled with ocean views, the one from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell was through mountains and rainforest. When we left in the morning it was foggy and misty and we were afraid that the views might not be so good. But when we arrived at Gibson Steps just before The Apostles, it all cleared up.

Gibson Steps

We walked down to the beach and the view and experience were breathtaking.

The next stop was The Apostles which was equally as breathtaking. There were a lot of people there, even on a foggy day. It is one of the most visited places in Australia. You can see why.

The Apostles

We ate lunch in Port Campbell and then drove back to Apollo Bay. We loved the place so much that we decided to stay here for three nights. How often can you get such a beautiful view of the ocean from your bed?

We have taken so many photos, I am afraid our phones are filling up. I may need to help Mary a little with her composition and timing.

My photo of Mary

Mary's photo of me.

On Thursday it's back to our little farmhouse in Nathalia, a wedding on the weekend, and then we fly back early next week. This has been our longest vacation together and we've loved every minute.

Love walking the beach

Bush Walking March 13

Our Intrepid Guide, Mary's sister Pauline, pointing out into space!

It wasn't a long walk but it was a bit rugged

The past week or so we have spent many great moments catching up with Mary's family whom we haven't seen in over four years. With 12 siblings, that's been a lot of talking and get-togethers! Everyone has been so welcoming and enthusiastic.


Mary's sister, Elizabeth, was the chauffeur for our trip out to Wangaratta and bushwalking with another sister, Pauline. We walked up to the top of Mt. Pilot and also in an area that preserved Aboriginal rock art, considered a sacred space by the Aboriginal people. The whole area had a rugged beauty. It was quiet and peaceful and really did feel like a sacred space.

At the top of Mt. Pilot

The walk around the rock painting area reminded me a lot of Hocking Hills with its caves and cliffs.

Sacred Aboriginal Spaces

The walks weren't long but the climbs were steep and rocky. Although this seemed a bit wild for us, Pauline told us that she liked walking on kangaroo tracks in the bush finding surprising water holes. That was a little too adventurous for us.


Pauline could see that we were all in need of some refreshment and so suggested that we stop in one of the local establishments to revive and rehydrate.

It turned out to be a unique place in the state; The Smallest Pub in Victoria.

The smallest pub in Victoria

 An older gentleman who looked to be the proprietor of McEvoy's didn't seem particularly happy about the raucous behavior of the three ladies below who he thought might be disturbing the peaceful enjoyment of other patrons. The only problem was that we were the ONLY patrons inside the pub at the time.



I suggested we drink up and move on - which we did. Apparently, like the Aboriginals who lived in this area thousands of years earlier. This was his SACRED SPACE and he wanted it to be quiet.

Three Rowdy Ruffians

It must have been the Kombucha Pauline was drinking that got everyone riled up.















GREAT OCEAN ROAD March 17 to March 21

My lovely companion on the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road has been on Mary's wish list for a long time. We decided to take a leisurely ride and enjoy the experience. Stay tuned for the next posting.

The Family Gathering March 10

The Family Gathering

The drive from Mt. Dandenong to Nathalia took us a little over three hours. We went from the highlands and hills around Melbourne to the flatlands of farming and dairy around Nathalia. Halfway from Melbourne, we took the traditional lunch stop at Nagambie which Daniel family members have been stopping at for 60 years. Of course when they started stopping there it was halfway into an eight-hour ride. On this day we’d only been on the road for a little over an hour when the car was magnetically attracted to the off ramp. We found a beautiful place for a pot of “frothy” and a meal. “Frothy” is a local brew that is quite refreshing. Then it was on to Nathalia.

By now we had been driving on the left side of the road for a couple of days. The turn signal and the wipers were on different sides of the steering column. Yours truly had mastered the switcheroo but our intrepid Aussie, Mary kept turning on the wipers every time she wanted to turn left or right. I thought a little incentive might help so I began to charge her AUD$1.00 every time the wipers went on and there was no precipitation. By the time we reached Nathalia, I was up AUD$7.00.

Mary’s brother and sister-in-law (Gerard and Susie) offered us one of their farmhouses while we stayed locally. We checked into the place and felt like real farmers except that we didn’t do any work – we just looked like farmers – except that we didn’t have any gumboots or hats.

THE SQUABBLE

We drove to the IGA in Nathalia to pick up some food and drink for the evening and also for the next family party the next day. I suggested that we should bring a little extra to share. At this point, Mary began a lecture right in the produce department of the IGA assuring me that there would be no sharing at this upcoming party and that we only needed to feed ourselves. I said, “But darling, remember our visit to Uncle Hec and Aunt Elaine the day before. We were told to bring what we wanted to eat because Hec and Elaine don’t eat much. And when we arrived with our food, the table was laden with food and Hec and Elaine were tucking in like a couple of racehorses. I’ve never been to a Daniel Family event where there wasn’t enough food to feed half the town.”

I’ve spoken to my sister, Elizabeth,” Mary said her index finger jammed into my chest, “and she has assured me that there will be NO SHARING of food at this party.”

“I am so sure that there will be sharing of food,” I said, slowly backing out of the finger buried in my chest, “that I am will to go double or nothing with the $7.00 I’ve won so far.”

Nothing more was said until we arrived at Elizabeth’s house the next day. We’d been walking along the creek and stopped in for a toilet break. I could hear Mary and her sister cackling in the next room assuring each other that I was about to lose $7.00 on this foolhardy bet.

We rested that afternoon, knowing that the event that was to begin at 5:30 might last well into the wee hours of the morning. The Nathalia Lawn Tennis Club was the perfect place for the gathering as it gave plenty of space for the old folks to talk and the young kids to run around.

We found a place to sit and opening our little lunch bag to eat the sandwiches we’d made for ourselves. No sooner had we taken a bite of our chicken sandwich than a table few of nieces at the next table began to share their chips (French fries) with us. Without thinking Mary plunged a hand into the chips and I had my phone at the ready – incontrovertible photo evidence. Then her brother Chris brought around a tray full of antipasto items to share. Pizza, cakes, and more were passed around and shared. It was a rare moment for me that I milked to the hilt – like a man who’d traveled through the desert of “wrong” for so long – it was an oasis, a temporary respite knowing full well that the payback would be swift and unrelenting.

Jackie and Pauline confirming the "win" in the background. 

The event broke up around midnight and only because the sprinkler system of the lawn tennis club showered all of the partiers and we had to leave.

Three Dudes

The next morning Paddy and Veronica invited everyone for breakfast and a sendoff to family heading back to Melbourne.

We rested back at our house and I enjoyed my first taste of Vegemite in four years.

We love catching up with everyone. 

The Dandenong Ranges - Mount Dandenong - March 7 to March 9

WiFi is very sketchy out here on the farms of Nathalia, so I haven't been able to post anything in a while. Here's what's been happening.

March 7 - Our visit with Aunt Elaine, Uncle Hec and other members of the Opray family was enlightening as we looked at over 500 scanned pictures from Auntie Carmel’s estate covering the last century. Aunt Elaine, almost 93, was able to name the people and places of 90% of the pictures. It was almost like watching an old newsreel with color commentary from someone who had lived through it all. It was absolutely fascinating. I was so glad we’d made the effort to visit these two lovely people. Aunt Elaine assured us she would still be here the next time we came. I hope so as she made sure I had plenty of the scones with jam and cream.

We left at 3:30 with me taking the wheel for the first time on the left side. It was a tiny bit nerve-racking as everyone, including Elaine and Hec who were leaning on their canes, came out to see us off. We made our way from the hill country of Gippsland to the Dandenong Ranges. I drove through roundabouts and around tight curving roads up Mount Dandenong until we finally reached the mountain retreat called the Arnica Manor. We arrived while it was still light and felt like we were walking into a wealthy family’s holiday cottage, which it was in the 1930s.

After we unpacked we headed back down the mountain to the village of Mount Dandenong where we found an IGA. We picked up a few supplies and then across the street to a pub called Kelly’s where we enjoyed two “pots” of beer and a beautiful steak.

We’d left Melbourne at 8:30, drove about two and a half hours out to Dumbalk, spent four hours with the family, and then another two and a half hours to Mount Dandenong. It was a long day and we turned in early.

March 8 - The next morning we set out to explore the mountain. It was a short walk from our “retreat” to the top of the mountain where we could just see the outlines of the city of Melbourne. The day was so beautiful we thought a nice walk in the woods around the mountain would be just the thing. The tall gum trees were thick in the forest and the trail was hilly but wide and even. We'd planned this to be a "rest day" to recover from all of the sightseeing we did in Sydney and Cairns. But the trail and the forest seduced us further and further into its depths.

We passed by Burke’s Lookout and the site of a terrible plane crash on the mountain in the 1940s. We kept walking on trail after trail thinking surely one would lead us to a road. We plunged down the mountain unwittingly on trails that felt like we were just winding around. After two hours of walking, we stopped to consult a map.

Where are we?

We couldn’t tell where we were or which way was out. So our intrepid guide, the only Aussie on our team of two, made the only reasonable decision available, “Let’s walk back the way we’ve come.” When we turned around and I realized that for the past forty-five minutes we’d been walking down the mountain and not around it, my heart sank. But I quietly said to myself, “buck up bucko,” and began the reverse march up the mountain. Our little walk in the woods turned into a three-hour odyssey.

When we arrived back at our retreat, we were both We ready to eat. We drove down to the little town of Olinda where we shared a salad and a wood-fired pizza at Dudley’s. After a stroll around the shops, we finished off the day with a cup of coffee and a pastry. I liked the looks of the passion fruit sponge and ordered one along with a flat white (coffee with cream). 

Olinda Cafe

Mary asked me if I was going to share it. I told her as gently as I could muster, “Get. Your. Own. Sweetie!” And she did.

March 9 and beyond. We are in the homeland of Nathalia now. And this evening is the huge gathering of three families all converging on the Nathalia Lawn Tennis Club in downtown Nathalia. There could be hundreds there. Stay tuned.