The "Way" to Euroka Clearing
I'm back from my holidays abroad. It was so nice to be in the US for a bit to visit family and friends. I didn't mind the heat even. It was just nice to be home. It has been a bit of a headache being back with minor cirses needing my attention. I just don't feel like doing anything, which I guess is normal when a person returns from vacation. Here are some miscellaneous photos.
This first shot is of a "guide dog in training" (1). He was at one of our outdoor malls. Though a black lab puppy, it reminded me of my own dog, Joey, a chocolate lab, in his puppyhood. He, too, played with this rubber toy, called a "Kong," trying to get at the treats hidden inside. It made me smile to remember those days. Alas, my "baby" is now all grown up; he just celebrated his 11th birthday in July!
We are coming to the end of our winter in this hemisphere. Still there are flowers in glorious bloom (2-6). In addition, we've been in drought. Not a lot of rain at all. Sadly it is affecting the poor farmers and ranchers. Saint Vincent de Paul has been having special collections to help support these suffering workers.
At the same time, I must admit that I glory in the sunshine and temperatures. We drop into the upper 30's at night and the days hit around 70-75. It is heavenly for me and makes me want to be outside all the time.
A priest friend of mine recently moved to a parish in "Emu Plains!" (Isn't that a lovely name? Can you imagine sharing that you live in Emu Plains?) The town sits at the foot of the Blue Mountains, about a 40 minute drive from Kellyville, where I live. As I wanted to reconnect with Australia, I decided to pay Fr. Reggie a visit, see his church and give him a tour of one of my favorite sites: Euroka Clearing.
The skies here always look so very different than in the States. Is it that it's cleaner here? Is it that it's purified air here, being so far south and close to Antartica? I don't know. It just seems bluer. More intense colors. Clouds look different to me, too. Here are some clouds on my visit to Emu Plains (7-8). They look to me like they were drawn with a white ballpoint pen using cross-hatching.
Euroka Clearing is the site closest to my home that you'd have the best chance of spotting wild kangaroos. They're the smaller grey variety, but they still inspire. In my last visit a couple years back, I spied a herd. This time the roos were pretty much solitary. (I wonder if the drought is affecting their number?) Fr. Reggie and I did see this mom, with a joey in her pouch (9-17). At first the Joey just had its legs out. Later it popped out it's head (12-14; close up in 15). How cute! The roo seemed pretty tame and let us get close for selfies (16). I love to see them hop, though it can be difficult to capture well on camera (17).
Later we spied this kookaburra (18-19) and then a male roo (20-22). And here are some photos of the sky and its clouds closer to sunset (23-24). Amazing how the light changes things.
Finally, here are some photos of the church, Our Lady of the Way, where Fr. Reggie now pastors: a view from the entrance down the main aisle (25); some of the liturgical furniture (26-27); a piece of aboriginal art (28) and some details (29-30); some of the Stations of the Cross in wood inlay (31-36); the baptismal font (37) and the Tabernacle (38). The Stations don't really work as you have to be up close to see them, but I think they are well done as close up works. Overall, I've seen better churches here and I've seen worse. This is a pretty nice "modern" Aussie worship space.
Hope things are cooling down in the States. Here, we ready for spring. However, I hope the heat doesn't come too soon and we get a few more months of fine weather. Perhaps with a little bit of rain. Ta, ta, for now!