The temperature was 45 degrees Celsius, 115F, as our old Ford slowed to a halt in the Outback near Ayers Rock, December 31, 2004. Vapor lock in the middle of nowhere, when "BEV555" stopped to see if we needed help. Turned out we were OK, just one of those things that happens, but Len and Bev kept an eye on us as we leap-frogged all the way up to Alice Springs and back to Coober Pedy. So friends are made in the "Back of Beyond."
We met up with them again a few years ago in Monument Valley, AZ when they were touring the US. Seemed like the thing to do, if only for dinner. Now they returned the favor, flying from Adelaide to Brisbane just to keep the friendship alive. Distances are irrelevant in Australia. We explored a bit of Brisbane, ate good food, drank too much wine and a good time was had by all!
Rachael and Stephen, on the other hand, had never met us before. In fact Rachael hadn't even met her aunt, Gordana, our Serbian cruise buddy, who arranged the introduction. What could have - and should have - been an awkward time (Rachael was only hours out of hospital for hip surgery) turned out to be a warm family experience in their beautiful home in suburban Brisbane. Stephen and Rachael had visited Serbia and met Jelena, who we saw (Gordana, again!) in Kakinda last fall.
Connie and the Twins
Three kids, including Lyla=Jayne and Levi, the twins, a cat and dog, and Rachael's mom and stepdad helped keep things moving. Stephen and I did the cooking, while Connie deflected the kids' boundless energy. Lyla is as cute as a bunny (I'm a sucker for little girls) and Levi is one of the most interesting human critters I have ever met. But we're exhausted. We're much too old to keep up with that on a regular basis.
My Guy, Levi
So now we are at a campground close to the airport, cleaning up the van and organizing our things for our flight at noon tomorrow. Time does fly when you're having fun and we've had a wonderful four months in Oz.
