Saturday, March 17, 2012

They Can't All Be Gems

The loudest clap of thunder I've ever heard boomed last night, without lightning offering its typical courtesy flash as warning.  Sam, who had been snoring peacefully a minute before, said it sounded like the building next door collapsed.

Needless to say, we didn't wake up to a bright and sunny Saturday.
With all this talk of the weather, I should change the name of this blog to The Adventures of Annie and Her Seasonal Affective Disorder.

I had been dreaming of a nice weekend coffee...when they look like this at the wonderful little cafe Lee and Me, how could you not?  That's a spa day in a cup right there, folks.  It's less about the caffeine and more about the fact that I'm treating myself to something that's just for me.  Okay, although I'd like to think it's not, it's also about the caffeine, but still.  Who's paying attention to the fact that it's raining on another Saturday and that it has now been thirty-seven days since the elevator in our building has been broken (not that I'm counting or anything) when there's a swirly design in my frothed milk and a sprinkling of cocoa powder?  Not this lady.

Unfortunately, the dearth of parking spots in town and my groceries that needed to get in the fridge thwarted me from my side mission for coffee, the image of which was left drifting aimlessly in my brain and souring my mood.  As I opened the door to our condo (after lugging bags of groceries through wet puddles around the building, through three doors that need unlocking, and up flights of stairs), the first thing Sam said to me was "You didn't get yourself coffee".  That's what nearing 10 years of marriage gets you--coffee intake status upon first glance.  He mercifully got some going on the stove, and I made a poor substitute of my dreamy vision at home.  Not worth taking a picture of, that's for damn sure.

We did get outside, despite the rain, and searched for beach glass around the rock pool, known as Old Man's Pool.  We had the pool to ourselves; I'm guessing grey skies and rainy weather don't necessarily make the average person think 'beach!'.

the old man in the pool.  I KID!
 A few years ago, a baby shark was found in the rock pool.  Today, we only saw a sea urchin here and there. 
Not that I'm not complaining about the lack of sharks.


In my eyes, the day was basically a wash, but they can't all be gems.  Tomorrow, there will be beach.  And sun.

And you better believe there will be coffee.

9 comments:

  1. I love that you got an iphone. It's neat to see your pictures in color. Sorry about the rain thwarting your adventures. Can you imagine living in Seattle?

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    1. I did get stuck in a B&W rut, didn't I? I'm having fun with the color. And no, no Seattle for me. Let's keep it our little secret that Denver really does have the best weather out of any other city!

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  2. Spiders, sharks, rain and more rain. Wow, i'm getting really excited about being there!

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  3. Hey Annie, thanks for dropping by my blog!
    Wombeyan is an excellent place for camping, and by the looks of your blog and family it'll be perfect for you. Make sure you leave enough time when you stay there to see some of the caves. The guided tours are the way to go, Figtree cave is alright (it's self guided) but the really cool stuff is down the dripping, limestoney cave ladders, and you need a guide for that!
    There's heaps of wildlife, I've seen a platypus in the creek there before and there are loads of kangaroos and a gnarly old wombat, too.
    Give me a yell if you want any specific info.
    Jen

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    1. Our plans have shifted a bit and I think Murramarang jumped to the top of the list, although Wombeyan will definitely be visited during our year here (along with many others). We'd love to see a platypus in the wild!

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  4. We're headed down to the Gong tomorrow afternoon! In the 7 years I've lived here, I've never made it south of Sydney. Any idea how long it will take to get from the City down to Wollongong tomorrow afternoon (worried about Friday afternoon traffic) and any recommendations for places we have to see, things to do, places to eat? Lee and Me was already on our list so glad to see we are on the right track :)

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    1. Good for you! Except for when we first arrived in Australia (and everything was a blur, really), we have taken the train back and forth from Sydney. I think it's right around an hour, give or take some depending on where you are in Sydney.
      I have only had coffee and muffins at Lee & Me, but their food looks excellent. Swell Coffee, which is in an alley right on the mall, is also good--I'd meet you out for a cup but we're leaving to go camping tomorrow for the weekend. We've got young kids, and I haven't been out for a dinner with just my husband since we've moved here (we're long overdue!), so I'm not much help on nightlife/restaurants. If you're the adventurous sort, we always see people hang gliding over the beach; I prefer watching them with my feet on the ground. :) The beaches are nice, if the weather is better than it is today! That's not much help, but I hope you have a nice time exploring!

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  5. Thanks for the suggestions, Annie. Hope you guys had fun camping; the weather Saturday was gorgeous!! We had to cancel our trip to the Gong as early Friday morning I took Steve to the hospital with a really badly infected finger. So we spent our weekend going back and forth from the hospital and the clinic getting iv drips. He's all better now, but we're now booked solid for the next two months of weekends with family stuff and friends' weddings. I guess we'll be headed down your way in the winter instead!

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