Australia

The end of February and first half of March were spent in Australia visiting family, with a little bit of painting tucked in.

All the paintings out of their boxes while I cleaned sand off of all my gear.

On our first full day there, we went to Wellington Point. We waited awhile for the tide to go out, and when it was low enough for us to easily wade through, following the sand bar, we headed out to King Island. Stopping to collect shells and watch hermit crabs on the way.

 Then time to throw some paint, while watching the clouds change and the tide continue to go out. Coming back, walking all the way on the sand this time, we saw soldier crabs and other creatures.

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Hellooooo, Noosa! It's been awhile! You're as beautiful as ever.

Watched a glorious sunset over the main beach as the kids played in the surf and ran on the sand.

The next day we visited these rock pools, paddling in the deeper ones and being pushed by the waves as they crashed in and refilled the pools nearest them. 

I haven't quite got the hang of this umbrella yet, but it really came in handy on this day, and the wind wasn't too much for it.

This next one was a sprint, as the sun set and the clouds rolled in over the Sunshine Coast and I knew I didn't have much time before dark. The light went faster than I'd even expected, as the weather moved in and the rain began to fall. I'd left my umbrella, and so got pretty wet, but my sisters came to my rescue and helped me get moved up under a tree to watch the clouds as I finished up.

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Another place I wanted to see again: The Glasshouse Mountains. I'd love to have more time to explore this area some day. But I got to take a little bit of it home with me in painting it. This was also a special time because my niece and oldest nephew joined in and worked on their own paintings. It was messy, but so good. They both have a good eye, and it was fun to see what and how they painted.

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Another day we visited the Daisy Hill Koala Center. Lots of gum trees and wildlife, and grills to cook on for a picnic. My niece and I did some watercolor painting as well.

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Byron Bay, New South Wales. I had not been here before, but I'm glad that's changed. It's a beautiful place, and there was some great scenery just on the drive there. I loved being up on the ridge near the lighthouse, looking down at the waves rolling in and crashing against the rocks. Great views. Also very windy. My hat was no match for it, and getting my brush strokes to fall where I wanted was tricky!

Painting like this requires staying put for a length of time. You may miss out on seeing some of the sights, and exploring more places. But on the other hand, you get to really take in something in a very intentional way. I noticed in much greater detail the layout of the land, and the structure of the lighthouse and the way the sunshine hit it than I would have only passing by. And I appreciate it that much more now.

After I was done and thoroughly windblown, we took a tour of the lighthouse, which I would definitely recommend.

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This last one was done at The Spit on the Gold Coast. Waves, dunes, and skyscrapers. And on this sunny day, hot, foot-burning sand! But such fun waves, and the sandy, shallower area went out pretty far, perfect for landlubbers such as myself to enjoy and not get swept away. There were also an abundance of dogs! This place is a favorite on weekends for people and their pooches.

So much sand had to be cleaned from my gear! And so many good memories to take home with me. A huge thank-you to my family both here and there who made this trip possible.

Till next time, Australia!

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