diNNER pARty.

a few nights ago i went to the bosses house for dinner

i brought vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce & teddybear cookies

a sure way to win any boys heart

!look i am being maternal!

!cha cha (charley)!

!tOm!

!niCk!

they love me now

gaLLery update...

i made my first sale at the gallery. a woman came in with her 3 lady friends yesterday & found something she loved claiming to buy it when she achieved her goal (weight). then today she came back in & bought it. women!

i have declared this job a research in human studies, including a study on how i interact with other people. remember how i told the owner i would be a good sales person, i was wrong. i didn't take into account my social anxiety. every time i hear someone coming down the driveway a sense of doom comes over me. and i've been secretly hoping no one buys anything because i don't know how to use the credit card machine. but once i get to talking with people i calm down & my true personality comes out. it was that forced monologue about the gallery which i was told to give to the customers which made things uncomfortable for everyone. fortunately francois (the owner) cut that out of the script & now people seem to be sticking around longer.

also, apparently francois has warmed up to me. he has crossed the threshold of politeness & now openly teases me. he saw me vacuuming yesterday & said i need a "L" plate for learner (this is something they put on cars here for new drivers). he thought it was the funniest thing ever & told someone today what a good experience the gallery is for me; that i am learning how to vacuum & use windex properly... once again he found his own comment very humorous.

the truth is... i can't disagree with him, this a good experience for me. btw, i do know how to vacuum. i just didn't know that the arm was expandable, i thought i was for shorter people.

EAgle SPirit .....

After many lonely nights in the caravan park I was adopted by a biker gang.

When they first mobbed in - four couples deep - dudes driving & mama's on the back, I was both scared of them & longing to be in their tight knit community. The first couple of nights I just watched them from inside my station wagon. But yesterday I was approached by one of the mama's & she asked if I wanted to go on a ride with them after work. I think they felt bad for me. Of course I said yes, not only because i didn't want to offend them, but because I am truly a sucker for a good motorcycle ride. I am so happy I did because we had a blast. Oh the looks we got with our rumbling engines, I felt like such a badass (but I was kinda happy I had a helmet to disguise my identity). After the ride they insisted that I stay for dinner. They gave me all the bourbon & steak I wanted. We sat around for hours talking about life. Helmet's off they were some seriously good people - though one of the guys did ask me if I had bed sores from going to getting to sleep so early. I explained to him that I was actually watching movies.

I have to say I really admire their self expression. They don't care that parents gawk at them and hide their children. They are just old friends going for a ride.

!Live to RIde!

!this is a Trike - three wheels with a VW engine!

!leader of the PAck - Vroom vroom!

i will miss you friends

tHE spAce ...

i started at the gallery today, i learned so much/loved it. here are some images of tHe space
(not quite finished yet)

!exterior!

!entry!

!window!

!free standing jewelry displays!

!lunch spot!
---
(me gusta)

kisMet dreams ...

Greetings from Margaret RIver,
After much apprehension I made it to Cape Lodge Winery for my debut as a waitress. I will admit to you that I didn't last three days as hoped. I worked from 5pm -11pm & that was enough for me. It isn't waitressing itself that bothers me, rather the uber-posh environment I was in. They put me in a white button up shirt (that I had to button up all the way to the top), black pants, black shoes, black apron & I had to pull my hair back. Then I would go to tables & say things like, "Madame, a complimentary hors d'oeuvre from the chef; a seared sea scallop with a chilled cucumber soup." I felt so awkward. And each time I would serve a course announcing it's long list of components or ask the guest if they wanted still or sparkling, I would walk away laughing at myself/cursing myself because it was so not me. Furthermore, I must have forgotten to mention how clumsy I am in the interview because they expected me to balance multiple plates & cutlery while clearing the table. Needless to say I barely rescued a plate of knives from dropping on an innocent bystander.

GOOD NEws is that I am now working at an art gallery/jewelry workshop on an amazing piece of land in Margaret River. The owners have just finished building the natural/modern space (think walnut slats at the entry from the floor curving up to ceiling, frameless glass corner overlooking the land) & it will open tomorrow. I am to help design a few things for them, create interesting displays & meet with the guests. The best part is that the family who owns this gallery & another in town are very down to earth. When I met with Francoise he outlined the position as someone who could instantly connect with people as they walk in & make them feel comfortable. I would learn all about the artists & jewelry making process while learning the business side of running a gallery. When he asked if I had any sales experience, I explained that while I have never sold merchandise, I have had a lot of experience selling my ideas in design, art & fashion. He loved it.

! IMAges from Redgate Beach !
xxx

as the aussie's would say, f*ck me.

http://capelodge.com.au/restaurant/

if you need me, i will be at the "magnificent Cape Lodge Restaurant".
i decided to take a break from fruit picking & head to where the real $$$ is, waitressing...?

have i ever waitressed in my life? no.
is it a 5 star restaurant? yes.

will i be fired in 3 days? we will see.

to be continued....

LittLe noMAd crosses staTe lines

G'day! i have reached my final destination, MArgaret River, WA (wine capital of Australia). It is exactly what I hoped for and more. Picture St. HElena near the beach/forest with a river running into the ocean, tons of surf spots, over priced orgAnic cafe's, hippy art galleries & a soup kitchen in the community center that has $3 vegetarian meals on Mon/Wed nights! Dreamy, huh?! Tomorrow I will find me a job. I am really excited about this because I would liKE to settle down, a.k.a. keep my tent open for more than one night. anyways, here are some imaGES i captured on the road from South Australia to Western Australia. i hope it will give you a good visual of where i have been over the last couple weeks.

i made up a rhyme while i was driving:
"if you want to win my heart...take me to a caravan park"
i think i might turn it into a t-shirt.

i love sand dunes.
this is Port Lincoln, Eyre Peninsula, SA.

WReck beach, Port Lincoln

this is Me looking at WReck BEach.

now I am in Coffin BAy national PArk, SA.
(much to my dismay it was named after Sir Isaac Coffin)

i like how my goLd station wagon compliments the landscape...and how i only have 3 hub caps

I think AUstralia must have the most random signs of any place in the world. I will have a special entry to prove my theory but here is a mild example (camel/kangaroo/wombat).

Eucla, first Telegraph STation that connected South Australia to WEst.

COcklebiddy is the lovely town I had the pleasure of spending the day in when my car broke down.

! SA/WA border !

Now I am in WEstern Australia!
(OCean BEach, Denmark)

My heart reached new peaks when I experienced the estuary at OCean Beach.

(Good OMen #1)
It even had a rope swing my most favorite thing in the entire world.
I made lots of new friends that day, this is Jake.

EVerything about WEstern Australia is Love.
Even the horses & sheep are friends!!!
(my camp ground in Denmark)

(Good omen # 2)
swing hanging from tree, campground in Denmark

soon to be eaten cow fRiend on Berry Farm

big rocks to jump off
(Green Pools, Walpole)

Tingle FOrest

ANd now I am one of those [creepy] people who walks around town with a Parrot on their shoulder. From this angle you can't see the leash but it's there.