Road trip....

I love fake, tacky stuff like this photo at Innisfail.

The giant gumboot at Tully. It usually has the highest rainfall in the area and I think you will agree, like the fake fluorescent orange palm trees above, it is a thing of beauty.
Tully, along with Mission Beach was one of the towns that had the shite kicked out of it in February this year when Cat 5 tropical cyclone Yasi paid us a visit.

Mission Beach...not a soul on it. Made me a tad suspicious...

Mission Beach a deux...This area is known as the Cassowary Coast. Cassowaries are endangered birds. http://amarindajones.blogspot.com/2010/08/on-road.html The speed limit is low around this area due to the number of birds that cross the road - and I saw an actual cassowary do just that. No, I don't have a photo as I was too surprised to see one but I do have a nifty shot of the car seat when I was startled by it's appearance . Sure, there are signs everywhere telling you to watch out when you're driving but I never expected to see one. But, in saying that, the cassowary I saw could have been a tame one that wanders out on cue - "Hey Carl, it's 1pm - time to cross the road and bedazzle the tourists..." Consider me bedazzled....

Here today…

…back tomorrow. Just off answering a call of the wild…sans snow and dogs of course...

http://www.missionbeach.com.au/

'Went for an early morning…

…beach walk along Trinity Beach at 6am (today-Sunday). It’s about 10 mins from where I live in Cairns. I have been tossing up where to buy a house. As much as I like beach walks, I believe my heart is in the mountains. But, with being 10 mins away from beach to the mountains – it’s perfect.

Trinity Beach is like a lot of the Far North Qld beaches – it’s simple and unspoiled. There is no glitz or tacky tourist shops. I did come across one American gentleman who I said ‘G’day’ to and I believe I made his day by speaking Aussie.

The picture with the palm trees is when I was leaning my arse against Patrick, my car, and drinking coffee. Patrick is very stoic.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book

I'm not much of a writer...

…because I can’t decide if I really want to go to a romance writer/reader convention thingy in Sydney in March next year. I have 8 days to register and get the cheap early bird rate. Meh…I don’t know. I’ll be honest, I find conventions boring. While I like talking to readers, I dislike all the formality of these shindigs and the authors I have never heard of before telling me how wonderful they are. No doubt you are honey but you don’t have to sell me. I will admit the main reason I want to go is to use it as a tax deduction. The thing is with tax deductions you sometimes pay more than you get back so is that really just defeating the purpose? What to do…what to do? I have been thinking what I spend in Sydney for one weekend I could spend half of in pissing off up to Cooktown - maybe 4 hours north of Cairns – or Mission Beach to the south and go walkabout there for the weekend.

I don’t know. If I was any sort of a writer I would be on the convention bandwagon ready to go. I think I have the wrong DNA for this gig.

Why the picture of the pool at the apartments where I am in temp living mode? Mainly ‘cause I was too lazy to find another picture. This was taken in the arvo just before a monsoonal downpour. I still got wet either way. Some things are just meant to be…I’m just not sure conventions are.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
Be daring...read an Amarinda book