My Next To Last Post...

Before I'm on a plane bound for the East Coast of the US of A.

*ALERT. THIS IS AN ALERT. AWESOME CUTENESS OF BEBEH CRITTER AT END OF POST*

I may or may not be able to keep you entertained whilst I'm away. I'll have computer access and be taking shitloads of pics so hopefully if nothing else I'll be able to get some pics up daily. No promises mates!

I'll have twitter and Skype access too. Ain't all these modern gadgets and technologies grand? Anyone remember back to when you didn't even think about going on a 400 mile drive without a mobile phone? Anyone?

Now for today, I'll be quick. I haven't had a chance to finish up the pics from Cave Gardens (with it's CATS and bees) nor go through the ones at Umpherston's Sinkhole.

But I have tweeted a few pics randomly throughout this week so I guess these'll have to do, eh? How does some 12 Apostle pics from The Great Ocean Road sound?

But first, a food pic. This is actually proof that I make my own cheese. This wheel was feta. Emphasis on the "was" as it sure as heck didn't hang about!



Now just doesn't that look tasty? It sure did to myself, Wifey-Poo, and MIL. BIL doesn't eat weird kinds of cheeses and he considers anything that isn't cheddar to be weird. Yes, HE is the weird one!

I am now going to throw up (BLARF) some random pics from The Great Ocean Road. You are very welcome.

First is the standard pic of the 12 Apostles that every Aussie should have. I may have shown you this previously.



Nextly is a nice medium zoom in of the aforementioned 12 hunks of rock.


Somewhere along the road...


Somewhere else along the road...


Watch out for that first step, it's a dooooozy!


Why? Because I can, that is why.


Ahhhh, the wide-eyed excitement of youth in contrast to the tiredness of the parent.


I'll try to get the rest of the Cave Gardens pics done and the start of Umpherston's Sinkhole for you tomorrow.

Blue Lake to Cave Gardens

is only slightly less than 1.5 kilometres than the kookaburra flies.

Yes, Mt. Gambier South Oz is not exactly the hugest nor largest thriving metropolis out there, but at least it is Out There! Not for me though, heck I think Naracoorte is too big. A place just about my size would be Reedy Creek. Heck, it's close enough to that big smoke of Lucindale for me! Can you tell I like small towns? BTW, whilst we drove "thru" Reedy Creek I noticed there was only 1 (one, uno, einz) building visible from the "road".

Yeah, I could handle living there! The fact that the single building was a CFS (Country Fire Service) depot/shack made me feel right at home. Wifey-poo however feels that Naracoorte is more her size. Harumph.

*screech* go the brakes as we shift gears!

Hey look, I can cook. Here's proof:


And if you'd like to make the dish by your very own oneses, I have explained how to do that right here.

The above sentence is highlighted, it's what is called a LINC in the biz. Pardon me for showing off my skillz.

Back to The Limestone Coast and Mt Gambier! Here's some info (in case you were interested about Blue Lake):



And here is a picture PROVING (or proofing depending on the context of course) that whilst it was raining...


... Blue Lake is still really *bleepin'* BLUE!

No, there are no (as is NONE) photo enhancements done to nor on the above picture. Trust me.

Lake water is not supposed to look that colour when it is overcast, rainy, and the angle of the sunlight still only 2 hours after dawn. Oops, who's chasing Dawn????

Next stop: Cave Gardens!

Cave Gardens was the original waterin' hole for this particular area. And when the Europeans got to this area (after killing the original inhabitants of course) they also used it as a water source. The town of Mt. Gambier was built around the water source, hence Cave Gardens is right smack dab in the middle of the hustlin' bustlin' downtown Mt Gambier! Don't worry, rush hour is very short.

See what I mean?



But before we get to the first bit of Cave Gardens, I just have to share with you my not-so-latest 3d stuff. I'm assuming that all my loyal readers will have seen or perhaps at least heard of the second X-Dude movie. You know, the movie based on a comic called "X-MEN" where all the really cool "X-MEN" were not "MEN" but were actually "WOMEN"?

Anyhows, did anyone of you think that the inky-poof teleporting-in effect for Nightcrawler was nifty? I did. So I quite naturally did what anyone who thought that Calvin (from the comic strip) was just not using his imagination enough would do.

Hereupon I humbly present to you (dear reader) an here-to-fore unknown gem from the master of imagination (that'd be Calvin, from the comic strip) of... well... something...



I shall now take a bow. And I shall take that bow and shoot an arrow with it.


Alrighty, enuff stupidness and sillytude from me. It is far past time to let Momma Nature (who has had so much more practice than myself) show off her beautiful work!

Cave Gardens, Mt Gambier.














And what would life be like without a video?




Did any of you notice a particular critter in some of those pictures or a part of that video? Something that was perhaps not bipedal and non-hairy?

Perhaps this will help refresh your mammaries...



Next up: The Birds and The Bees of Cave Gardens!
don't worry, it'll be safe for work. maybe

Blue Lake is really BLUE!

Yes, the next morning Blue Lake in Mt. Gambier was still BLUE! We didn't hallucinate the night before. Well, we did, but not about the lake colour :-}

But let me start off this post with a picture from my youth. My waaaaaaay back when youth! I do believe this'd be 1967 or 1968. We were still in the trailer (yes, I grew up in a trailer but we wuzn't trash!) and I'll have you know that my dad (Superman) built this entire addition to the trailer along with of course all the shelving and storage.

Here's proof (180!) that I was young once.



Go'an, guess which one is me!

Shall we get back to Blue Lake? Why yes, yes we shall.



If you'll be so kind as to notice, it is still a cloudy sky the next morning! And the lake is still of course a vibrant blue.

Did you know that the residents of Mt Gambier all got together one day and built a hugely wonderful (and huge) lookout and retaining wall along the edge of Blue Lake. Yep. It's true. Hey now, would I lie to you? The retaining wall itself is over 200 metres long! And the Rook Tower is awesome!

How did they do it all in one day? Lotsa muscle and know-how!



Yeah, that woulda been a sight to watch!

And just what does this neat Rook Lookout look like? Glad you asked mates!


Don't forget it stretches around 180 metres along up the slope to the right of the picture.

As you may be able to tell from this next shot, it was raining!





The main stairs leading up aren't steep at all.




Especially if you have nicely cut calves like this bloke! Cool shirt, eh?



The view from the top of Rook Tower is nice. Don't need to add a frame to the shot in photoshop, that's for sure!



Shall we just zoom in a bit on the lake as to not have the framing? Yes, we shall.






At this point I just can't resist posting a piece of 3D artwork down by Yours Truly --don't swoon ladies, I'm human!






Oops, it looks much more better at full size!




And let us not forget the whole reason for the trip: Da 12 Ahhhh-Pistols!



No, this is not a stock Interwebs photo. It's a pic by Yours Truly. Go ahead and swoon.

But before we head along The Great Ocean Road (there are only 50 kilometres that are great, trust me!) we need to explore Mt. Gambier a bit. Such as Cave Gardens right smack dab in the centre of hustlin' n bustlin' downtown Mt Gambier!




More soon mates!

Ooo it's bwue, it's Bwue, it's weawwy BWUE!

Ah yes mates! How many of you can guess what actress I am paying homage to with the title of this post?

Go'an, GUESS! No hints, so there.

On to the main subject (sorta) of this post:

Blue Lake, Mt Gambier, South Oz

Yes, it's twue, it is weawwy Bwue! Not just blue, but BLUE! Don't get me wrong, I ain't some naive hick that's never seen blue water before.

I remember once crossing the Gulf Of Alaska in a 32 foot sailboat. Not a hint of breeze, bright blue sky. During the crossing there was a stretch of 5 days in a row of those clear skies and calm waters. Those of you who know the Gulf probably think I'm lying, but I'm not.

Anyways, the ocean was blue. Really BLUE! And clear. In fact one day I was watching some sharks swimming around the boat through the very clear, blue water. I'm guessing they were either salmon sharks or spiny dogfish. Either way, it was the first time I'd seen a live shark in the ocean.

But the water was clear and BLUE!

I've also seen deep lakes on clear days being a bright blue, but a slightly different shade from the deep ocean blue.

Blue Lake in Mt Gambier is blue. It is a completely different kind of blue from anything I've seen live or on a nature show on the telly. It's often described as turquoise blue. That's wrong. It's much more of a cobalt blue. Or like lapis lazuli polished jewels but without any inclusions, mottling, or veins. I've never seen water that colour before.

What's interesting is that there is another lake in the same volcanic crater that does NOT turn Blue from late November to early March as Blue Lake does. Yes, during the Aussie winter (HA!) Blue Lake waters look like any ordinary lake water colour-wise. Riddle me that, batman!

Just use Ma Google and do an image search on Blue Lake Mt Gambier. Or you could see a picture or 2 that myself or Wifey-Poo took.

We arrived as the sun was an hour or so off setting (low sun angle), it was totally overcast, and it was raining! We thought that since we had to drive around the rim of Blue Lake to get to the Blue Lake Holiday Park where we had a cottage booked for 3 nights, that we may as well pull off to an overlook and have a squizz at Blue Lake.

Keep in mind the sun was at a low angle already, it was cloudy and raining. We certainly didn't expect much in the way of blueness from the waters of Blue Lake in those conditions.

We wuz wrong! Here's our first view of the lake. No enhancing or colouring was done to this pic, I SWEAR!



Cloudy, low light, intermittent rain. And it was still this Blue!

The next morning the clouds had lifted slightly. It was only 8:30AM so, again, low light. Yeah, this is BLUE!



Notice the trees on the far shore are getting that "washed out colour" look and yet the lake water at the far shore is still this wonderful shade of Blue. Yeah, cool.

*********************insert sound of gears shifting****************************

Naturally, I decided that once we got back to the ole homestead I'd play around with Vue10 and see if I could perhaps come up with a 3D piece that does justice to this wonderful lake that Mother Nature provided us.

I couldn't. Well, maybe with a years' practice in Vue, shitloads more RAM (hint to Wifey-Poo), and an ecosystem module (another hint to Wifey-Poo) I might be able to. But I did come up with something rather neat at the end of an arvo.




Dang mates, Momma Nature is soooo much more better at this than I! Maybe it's those extra few billion years of practice She's had?

And I figured that since I already had the 3D terrain made and populated with plants, that I may as well draw the camera back "just a wee bit", change the at-moose-fear a bit, and make meself a nice piece of artwork.

I'm sure you're all just all a-tingle to see the finished piece of art. Right?




I'm pleased with it. Obviously, else I wouldn't have shown in to ya! What are your thoughts?

I'm sure that my Mom would be pleased with it as well. I imagine she'd be smiling this big:



Yep, grew up in a trailer. But even back then Mom made sure we were surrounded by BOOKS! Notice the  chair? I was only 4 at the time but that chair was one of me favs! I remember it well mates.

More soon. Many pics from South Oz's Limestone Coast and, of course, more 3D stuff from Yours Truly.

Confibrulating Conflaburations!

And Just what the heck does that mean? I really, truly have no idea mates! Butt as that's the title of this particulate post then I suppose we are stucked with it.

Perhaps it means I have just given meself licence to ramble along points that I had no plan of traversing when I firstly started typing? Yeah.

Yup, that's me story an' I is stickin' to it mates!

Why am I like this today? No, I AM sober (sorta, butt not for long). This post has to do with Yours Truly (don't swoon ladies, I'm human!) missing both of his parents and lamenting the fact that I never had the chance to show either of them around me new stomping ground of South Oz.

Shit, why is this so hard? I shoulda been done with this post yonks ago mates. Heck, I've gots 3 different meal plans to plan and cook for this evening.

Time flies, doesn't it?

Did I tell you I have some wonderful new shoes? Yup, I luvs me me new Diadora's!

I realise that some of you won't believe me when I type you that this pic is of my dad from 1973 --or it could be 1974... my memory from then is a wee bit hazy. Yup, this is me Pappy; beard, leather hat, knife, glasses and all! Dang... I could so very well easily look like him!



And the wonderful bloke above spawned Yours Truly! Complete with long hair, beard, and a really really really cool shirt!




Yes, that is my traveling shirt. Get used it!

Didja'll notice that both my dad and I look at the world through rose-tinted glasses? It's true.

Speaking of glasses and optics... I was able to spot this whilst on our drive to Somewhere South Of Here:




I'm all ears! What are YOUR thoughts?

Do you want to know what I was doing during the summer of my 4th year alive? Why, I was of course straddling the fuel tank of my mom's Triumph motorcycle whilst she zipped along the the streets of the trailer park that I grew up on which was located at the base of the Chugach Mountains off Muldoon Road!




Yeah, my mom was a badass!

Well, I'm off to make dinner for Wifey-Poo (The Most Wonderful Woman In The Entire World), BIL (that's now DOCTOR Mike, PHD!!!!) and MIL (I still gots a mum an I'm taking care of her!!!)

Stay tuned for pictures of a Blue Lake. No really. It's like REALLY F*CKING BLUE!

Oh crud, I just noticed I've neglected to show all my 3D followers (are there any?) my latest "piece of work". I know, I've been accused of being a "piece of work" so you may dispense with the jokes.




Oh crud, that certainly doesn't show the exquisite detailing of the ashen claws and hands of the dragon, try this link instead as I do believe it just might be slightly larger.

No, I'm not being pretentious. Someone *cough cough Wifey-Poo* thought I should start signing my artwork. Butt please feel free to use it as wallpaper, no worries mates.

Long Vacation Is Over Mates!

Yes indeedaleedy, those whole, long, wonderful four DAYS down on the Limestone Coast sure did fly by mates! Which is of course the reason why I'm only just now starting to tell y'all abouts it!

*cough cough*

*bullshit!*

Right, well the Wifey-Poo and I have been back for 18 days so I suppose I should throw up (blarf) some pics of the trip. I would have done this sooner except for the fact that I've been very busy playing around with 3D stuff.

No you perverts, I mean 3D software! Sheesh, get your minds outta the gutter and back into the sewers where they belong.

I mean seriously mates, just how much photo-shopping do you think it takes to shove a pole up a land rover and erect the whole thing 20 feet into the air in all it's glory? No, wait... don't answer that, just lemme show ya!



Oh heck, here it is full sized!



But of course the time taken for that totally-not-photoshopped actual-REAL photograph was nothing compared to the time it tooked me to rocket across to Mars, land, set up base camp with all it's accouterments, and then wait patiently for months till the Martian patrol ships flew over!

What? You don't believe me? Harumph. Here's some totally NON-photoshopped proof (180 thankyouverymuch) of the Martian patrol ship:




Whoopsie daisy! That little teeny tiny thingy-ma-bob sure doesn't cap-shore the essence of what I really saw whilst I was on Mars.

Perhaps this real photograph of a Martian ship will look just slightly more better...


Yeah, that's what I thought too! Pretty bloody-well cool mates, eh?

Full disclosure: I didn't really go to Mars. The car rental broke down at the secret Aussie MoonBase and we had to be towed back. But I'm SURE it woulda looked just like the above, 100% original by dave -thankyouverymuch, piece of 3D artwork.

Back to the trip...

As we were nearing our destination for the first (and all) evening, we came across a field. A field with CRITTERS! And they wuz just the CUTEST critters you ever did see!



Awwwwwwwww!

What's not to love about that! Just how can anyone not love that?

Hmmmm, I just can't remember what was on the menu for later that evening...



Yes, I'm sure I'm going to Hell... But don't worry cuz I'll keep the light on for ya mates!

And as a side note, BBQing the lamb chops over searingly hot lava from the tips of your wingclaws is THE BEST way to grill lamb!


I know, you've already told me where I'm going (I have very explicit directions for piloting that thar handbasket too, thankyouverymuch) and that's why I'm keeping the fires warm for all me mates who come and join me!