Shadow on the Wall

When's the last time you went dancing?

"Colors of the Desert" by Mother Nature

Just when I’ve had enough of the heat, the flies, the red sand everywhere and the missing beach, I’ll catch a sunset and all of my woes are instantly frozen in time. The sun never fails to transform the sky and the distant horizon into hues of amazing color. The sun itself is typically an intense orange as a mist of red and pink permeate and accentuate the blues and purples of the evening sky. When the clouds are plentiful, the colors swirl together into a techni-color blanket that stretches from Uluru to Kata Tjuta. The twilight hour remains as magical, if not more, when a layer of peachy orange is sandwiched between the dark landscape and the violet night clouds. It's as though my window is a perpetually changing painting for the sun always varies but never forgets to set…

Desert Holidays

A red Christmas and paper Christmas trees...

Kata Tjuta, meaning "heads", is another natural wonder that sits just 50 kilometers from Yulara. Also known as the Olgas (named by explorer Ernest Giles after Queen Olga), Kata Tjuta is an arrangement of large rocks formed from millions of years of geological crunching and faulting. Its highest point, Mount Olga, is 500 meters and its symbolism is rooted deeply in Aboriginal culture. Serving as another primary meeting point, it is reserved primarily for men to conclude various rites of passage. Crushed stone powder is used to draw on the red stones as messages to those coming to the “heads"

A Giant Rock in the Middle of Nowhere

Uluru, meaning “meeting place,” traditionally served as a gathering point for various Aboriginal tribes in the Northern Territory. Because of its enormous stature, the rock is easily viewed from far distances making it a facile destination for many to find and reach. Around the rock, separate quarters were appointed for men and women with one central eating site where women left the berries and bush picked during the day, while the men would leave the meat they hunted. These specific areas are regarded as sacred today and tourists are not allowed to take photographs. In saying that, the rock itself still serves as a very sacred and culturally revered structure, and although it is currently open to the public for climbing, the Aboriginals and supporters urge visitors not to do so. Climbing the rock has become an ongoing controversy in Australia as Aboriginal support groups are working to get the climb permanently closed. Recent news announced, however, the state government’s decision to keep the climb open for at least the next few years…

Lyrical Wisdom

"Everlasting daisies and a beautiful desert rose
Where does their beauty come from heaven knows.
I could ask the wedge-tail but he's away too high,
I wonder if he understands it's wonderful to fly.

And it's raining on the Rock,
In a beautiful country,
And I'm proud to travel this big land,
As an Aborigine.
And it's raining on the Rock
What an almighty sight to see,
And I'm wishing and I'm dreaming that you were here with me."

~John Williamson (The John Denver of Australia)

From the middle of one country, to the middle of another...

It seems I am more Nebraskan than I thought. Growing up among cattle pastures and cornfields, miles from any sort of coastline, I always assumed I would spend the rest of my days making up for lost beach time by residing as close as possible to the sand and sun. Yet, after six months in Australia of morning beach strolls and splashing in the salty waves, I have found myself back in-land, right smack in the middle of the Aussie Outback. Perhaps growing up in the Midwest has ingrained itself in my subconscious, an intrinsic pull to the center. As in yoga, we are told to find our core in order to balance ourselves, and in the hectic days that have passed with all the issues afloat in this world, it doesn't seem far fetched that I would need to find some balance of my own. And, as crazy as it may sound (particularly when said aloud), a balance is presenting itself to me one blazing hot day at a time...

So here I am in Yulara, Northern Territory, just 20 kilometers from the infamous Ayers Rock (a.k.a. Uluru) and I am quickly learning that the middle of Australia has little in common with that of the US. Nebraska's sprawling fields of beans and corn are replaced with uninhabited red dirt and dried desert shrubs that stretch as far as the eye can see. Raccoons and skunks are replaced with venomous snakes and scaly lizards, while the sticky humidity is swapped for a dry, moisture sucking, heat. With temperatures regularly reaching 45 degrees Celsius and a lack of clouds to cover the fiery orange sun, there is little one can do to beat the heat. Although Nebraska is far less dangerous than the rugged desert life, I must admit that I feel well equipped to battle its extremities. After all, you never know what to expect in the Midwest...does anyone remember the 1997 October storm?