Coral Bay & the Exmouth Gulf

 If I was better about sending along these life updates, I would remember what information I've told you. But I'm not, so I don't. Today's thing I can't remember sharing or not is about Gisela, my former housemate from Perth! She and I split up when I came to Exmouth and she was headed to Newman, the mining town in the middle of nowhere, to do her regional work. Well girlfriend lasted less than 24 hours in Newman before realizing it was NOT where she wanted to live for three months, hopped in her car and drove to meet me in Exmouth! She decided this place wasn't quite what she wanted either, so she ended up staying in the area, but in the next town over - an hour and a half south of Exy in a town called Coral Bay. She got a job bar tending and has come up twice for visits. A few weeks back I finally returned the favor and made it down there for a visit. I meant to wake up around 6:30 to get an early start, do the day trip, and get back to Exmouth before sunset (kangaroos and dingos on the road make nighttime driving up here dangerous, even with a bull bar on the front of Tessie). Good plan, but my body clock decided that 5:20am was a better idea. So up I got up, fueled up, and watched the sunrise til the roads were bright enough to see. 

 

I got to Coral Bay pretty darned early, so I took advantage of the early hour and free moment to call my friend Megan back home for a catch up. I only made her a teensy bit jealous by showing her the beach I was calling from.

Gisela and I spent the whole day hanging out on the beach with her friends and it was so so good. After all the days of working, a veg day by the sea was perfect. Her friends are so warm and welcoming, and kept asking if I was spending the night. I told them I hadn't planned to but we would see - so obviously I stayed. It was locals night at the bar and there would be live music! Who was I to say no to that? My early morning, plus the long hours in the sun, plus the cozy atmosphere meant that I fell asleep on the couch in the middle of the after party, but, bless them, G's friends just snuggled me into some blankets and left me to it. I keep finding good people wherever I go. 

I had an 11:30am start at work the next day, so I was up and to the bakery pretty early. Got myself some yummy breakfast pies, an apple cream tart, and popped myself back on the road to Exmouth. As I was driving, I saw this majestic Wedge Tailed Eagle hanging out on a termite mound. 

Since I assume Pop lives on in every hawk I see back home, I assume this is just Australian Pop.

Before the recent bad turn of weather (meaning wind. That's all that "bad" weather means around here), Dave, Sandra and I all had a morning off from work and went out fishing in the Gulf. I told them it was my first time going out since I was about 8 years old with Uncle Jim (and the doormat flounder I caught that day!), but I think perhaps going and NOT catching fish is even more fun. You literally just get to float along in the sunshine, watching humpback whales and their calves playing, and every once in a while you jiggle your fishing rod to pretend you're doing something with it. Or that's what I did, anyway. Davo was busy catching tuna. 

David

Mural next to Bundegi Boat Ramp

It's Friday morning, August 28th, and I'm at the start of a few days off work so I can spend time with friends who are coming up for a visit from Perth! Nat & Mick are coming in a camper van they've hired, and Wiebke and Weronika are driving up in a rental car, and I can't WAIT TO SEE THEM!!! I'm going to cook up some dinner for us all tonight, Nat and I are supposed to dive the Navy Pier tomorrow (used to be a Top 10 shore dive site in the world - fingers crossed it happens! The wind reports don't look great though), and Sunday I've told everyone I know in town to stop by the Potshot Pool Bar because I'm going to be celebrating there! It might just end up being me and my crew of regulars from the pub (all men in their 50s and 60s, naturally), but I can't wait!! It's gonna be a good weekend, y'all! 

29 has been a good year, here's to turning 30 :)