The 'mad-hatters' was how I referred to them later. Indeed, I had no sooner clambered onto the truck, than I knew Abbott & Costello were in charge! Glen had been at O'Reillys for 26 years, and Michael had been born here, son of Luke, in 1936. They knew the stories every-which-way, and the topography like the back of their hand. They knew the botany; they knew the geology. They knew where the Stinson crashed in 1937 and how Bernard had calculated its flight path and why it crashed where it did!!
The three hours with these two old codgers was worth its weight in gold. Glen was fluent in Japanese. Michael had a swag of old photographs to illustrate his tales of the 'good old, tough old days'. Then when they were waiting for the billy to boil they played harmony on the harmonica to keep us entertained: Daisy, something Scottish, and Bach's first Prelude.
As if that wasn't enough, Glen stirred the tea in the billy in a gob-smacking way!
15 comments:
I had not checked your blog for a week or so, Julie, but I really like the visit to this park you are sharing with us. Nothing like a pair of old harmonica-playing coots who do folk and Bach. If they included Lady Gaga, push them over the cliff.
It is wonderful to run into characters like them. They have so much history and tales to share. Your images of the park are wonderful!
A couple of cool guys you've presented today. Wonderful portrait, Julie.
We shall be lucky having people like yours, they are their weights worth in gold ;-)
I wish you and your family all best in 2011!
Gorgeous scenery, and what a fun time for you, Julie. With a real billy boiling, and tea stirred in a gob-smacking way! Wonderful. So happy for you.
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
That landscape shot in the middle is fabulous!!!
They sound like real characters!
I really like those scenic views.
I had been hesitanty to go on the bus, not being one for 'organise' things. Glad I did though. Today the sky is blue and the sun golden. I will nip over to the walk way to rustle up the lyre-birds and then hike off down to the waterfall. I can feel another treat of the day coming on.
All the while, I am reading Hemingway's 'Moveable Feast' - quite incongruous.
I could do with some old codgers to explain the plants on our block right now. Summer has arrived here too ... hurrah.
Meant to also say we read O'Reilly's book "Green Mountains" about the crash and it's discovery of the site when when we were at school. There is so much about Queensland that I love because of it's association with my childhood but I can never get over the overwhelming steamy heat.
Love the light on your shot of the green mountains.
Looks like fun! As does the canopy walk below - would love to do that with a zip line someday!
There is a zipline here, but we call it a flying-fox. It is 180m long and 25m above the ground. Not for me, I hasten to add.
When I was little I was taken on outdoorsy-camping activities all the time. My parents liked that sort of thing.
If I were to roll all the happy snippits from those times into one day, it would look something like this. Thanks for calling up those memories.
what a great day!
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