Time flies on wings of lightning...

This is Dan, guest-blogging for today. Usually Bri and I co-author this thing - I strike the keys on the left-hand side of the keyboard while she takes those on the right-hand side. 

Anyway, it's been a while since we last wrote anything on here, sorry. Here's an update regarding a few things that happened in the second half of 2015 and beginning of this new year.

"Go West, young man" - Horace Greeley



Around mid-2015 we moved to a town named Lithgow in Central-West NSW. It's one of the oldest towns in NSW, and has been known for coal mining for a long time. There's lots of interesting old architecture, it's surrounded by mountains, and the kangaroos here are on steroids (see photo above). In addition to the great people we've met, two things that stand out to me about Lithgow are the flies and the train journey from here to Sydney (which I do once a week).

The flies in Lithgow are rather large, and often come with markings that give observers the impression they are a bee. They also have some mannerisms more akin to those of small mammals than winged insects. One afternoon as I opened the front door, I saw one of these creatures, which looked to weigh about three pounds, sitting on the doorstep. I got the impression he wanted to come inside, but wasn't inclined to permit him to do so. If he did, he was sure to want to stay for a while and cause a racket the whole time with the incessant beating of his wings. More accustomed as I am to city flies, I assumed if I got near him with any part of my body he would perceive a threat, and quickly make a retreat. As my foot approached him, he didn't move. It felt a little like a wild west style showdown in which only one of the gunslingers (me) had a gun. "What's he playing at?", I asked myself. I inched closer, and though I was finally only millimeters away, he did not move. Eventually my foot made contact with his body, and still no reaction. As I slid the fly slowly off the doorstop onto the front porch, he was nonchalant throughout, reminiscent of a lazy dog not making any effort whatsoever to assist an owner attempting to relocate it, and paying no more attention than such a dog would pay to, well, a fly.

If you live in Lithgow and work in Sydney, you likely will be able to enjoy the finest NSW public transport has to offer - the three hour Blue Mountains Line train journey between Lithgow and Central. Not to be confused with the express train, which consists of two long disease incubators - I mean carriages - the BMT from Lithgow to Central is one step down from the Ghan. The seats are a soft bed of what feels like duck down covered in faux leather that feels almost like real leather. 


As you make your way up, over, and then down the mountains, passengers can experience unique views of tree-lined canyons with rocky outcrops, old stone arches, and beautiful old buildings. Before each of eleven tunnels not far out of Lithgow, the driver will honk his horn, alerting any tunnel-dwellers that they're about to be run over.  Another enjoyable aspect of the journey is the sense of cameraderie that seems to immediately exist between those who are sharing this time in their lives together. For example, one evening a bloke on the train asked if I would mind his bag of what appeared to be chicken, chips and a coke while he went to the toilet. Without hesitation I agreed. Later, he belched and apologized, but I pretended not to hear. Acts of service such as this abound on the train. In short, it is as though the universe (or NSW Transport) has conspired to compensate those with one of the longest commutes in the state with a journey many would pay more than $4.10 for. 

"My wife is a very kind and talented woman" - Dan

Everyone already knows this, but Brianna is a talented woman and also likes to do things for others. Last year she made...

...these cute little booties for my cousin's new baby...

...this fantastic apron for my sister-in-law-to-be...

...this cheerful snowman for me when it snowed in our area last winter...

...and lots of delicious cookies, brownies, pretzel salad, and pavlova for anyone who needed some.

She also showed me this sweet tie-skirt and tie-dyed ball gown she made (and wore to prom) in high school:

As if that wasn't enough, she (and her Dad) can also juggle:

She also had a busy second half of the year working three (!) jobs (tutoring, waitressing/reception at a hotel, and aged care nursing). 

So it was at the end of 2015 that we took a well-deserved (more well-deserved for Bri than me) break to go see some more of America and spend time with Brianna's family.

"The happy union of these states is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of liberty throughout the world." - James Madison

I love the United States of America for a number of reasons. These include Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, freedom, democratic government, world war II, southern hospitality, the NBA, national parks, and Chick-Fil-A (and Inn-n-out). Most of all, I love it because that's where Brianna's from. 

When we went there in December we first hired a campervan and drove from LA to San Francisco, then cruised to the United States of Mexico with Bri's family, then drove to Utah, then Idaho, then back to Utah again. Here's some stuff we observed or experienced along the way:

Approximately 28,000 butterflies trying to keep warm at Pismo Beach, CA



Hearst Castle, CA


Cannery Row, CA


Lombard St, San Francisco, CA

Best ice cream sundae, Ghirardelli Square, CA


Rode a tram (the guy running the tram tried to hit on Brianna), San Francisco, CA


Golden Gate Bridge, CA


Rode very far, CA


Disneyland!




Hollywood, CA


Cruise!

I won this piece of art by correctly guessing the price of another piece of art

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico




Zion's National Park, UT


Logan, UT (sorry didn't take too many here, but here are a couple of amusing products we saw at the grocery store (see the required ingredients))

Egin, ID (Grandma & Grandpa Bagley's house, Christmas Day)


The best thing about the trip was getting to catch up with Bri's immediate and extended family. They're good people and I can see how Bri's who she is in large part because of them. 

Now we're back in Lithgow, and using our revitalized sense of adventure we found a secret hiking track that leads to this waterfall (see below). Some guy spend 6 months building it as a private project. Cut stairs into the side of the gully and everything. Really cool.