Bringing the Mountains Alive

We've been having some gorgeous, clear, rather too summer like weather over the last few days but last weekend was a different matter. Last weekend it rained, and rained and rained. It was record breaking rain that in just a couple of days left us with the wettest May since 1920. It was a bit of treat considering what a flop the wet season was this year. Rain like this is what brings the mountains and waterways alive.

Walsh's Pyramid turned on the water works with multiple waterfalls clearly seen running down the mountain. A couple of days later these were no longer there.

Sis G had come up for the weekend so she got to see first hand mountains shrouded by cloud and water running everywhere. Her reaction was like what my first one was. Come to think of it, I still get excited. We didn't exactly grow up in an area that turned on misty mountains and waterfalls.

On Sunday, she had to head back south and I decided to come part of the way with her so we could look around a little together.

It didn't take long for something to catch my eye, the Pyramid for one and the swollen Mulgrave River for another.

We aimed for Babinda Boulders and were planning on a late lunch at the Bakery. Well that was closed that Sunday and so was pretty much everything else except for the Kool Spot Cafe. Oh, their fish and chips was delicious. Just thinking about it makes me want to head back again.

After our extremely enjoyable lunch we headed to the Boulders. Now, this is when I realise I haven't actually shared my last visit with you so there is nothing to compare it with. Well let me tell you, this time it looked the polar opposite of my last visit. Rushing and raging, Babinda Creek was putting on a show.

We walked along the Devil's Pool track to the lookouts over the creek. 

The best view of all was through a break in the trees looking back up stream at a waterfall. I believe last time I could hardly see any water going over the rocks.

The final lookout over the gorge left us with a view of foaming water raging off into the distant trees.

 We, meaning I, dawdled along watching the mist on the mountains and the flowing water. Well I wasn't the only one, Sis G was aiming for the perfect selfie and was enjoying the natural beauty just as much as me.

There is a legend or dreamtime story about the Babinda Boulders that you can find here. It is an interesting read telling of how the boulders came to be and also possibly giving a bit of a water safety message. 

Last time I was at the Boulders I went swimming here. Knowing how fast the creek was flowing there is no way I would have gotten in this time. Not only that but that water is cold there, and the rain was cooling us off enough.

Unfortunately, then it was time for us to part ways. Sis G needed to seriously head south so she wasn't home too late.  It was so nice to spend the time with her even though, as per usual, it was too short.

On the way home I stopped to take photos of the heavy clouds and smoking mountains. A bit of a joke from the weekend, sometimes that wispy, misty cloud looks like smoke coming off the mountains. I might have started it by blurting out something about 'look, the mountains are smoking!' I am all class.

On the way back I passed Walsh's Pyramid again, this time stopping to check out more of the falls on different sides.

I love seeing how different paces look in different weather and how the beauty of them changes to a different beauty.

Here is a bit more of an idea for you on the differences between my last visit, in March, and this more recent one.

Ross and Locke

Yesterday, I headed out to take some photos I had thought about a bit and to head to a newish spot to look around. It was a great day to get out actually, with a strong breeze and pretty low humidity. I certainly deal with that way better than the humidity.

I headed south and then turned towards the Gillies Highway. There were a couple of spots perfect for seeing a different view of Walsh's Pyramid. It doesn't look so pyramid like from the side.

Then I stopped off ot Ross and Locke.

 Ross and Locke is a picnic area on the Mulgrave River. Of cause there are the usual caution, crocodile signs, but it is actually a pretty popular swimming spot and 4x4 area for locals.

While I was there, a couple of ladies along with their kids and dogs were having a cool off in the shallow water.

I can see why it is popular, it is so pretty with the river rambling through the trees and mountains.

I love that the railway goes over the river. A bit of character added to the area.

I've wanted to go down and take some photos of the railway line for a while but never seemed to get there. Check ... now it has been done.

At the moment the river is nice and low but still running reasonably fast.

When the wet arrives, the river takes on a while new life, turning into a raging torrent.

It goes over roads and railway lines, often cutting off places.

Hard to imagine this pretty river doing that.

While I was there a few went through to do some 4x4ing. Mad buggers. 

Maybe it is the fact that I lived in a remote area where 4x4 was a necessity rather than a sport or maybe that I don't have enough testosterome but I just don't see the point of it. Why to you want to go out and purposly put your car through conditions that wreck it when you don't have to? And why drive across the river when there is a perfectly good bridge there?

Yep, I don't get it.

So this week things have been a little different. I didn't have to work on Monday night. It was so strange, especially as I work every Monday night.

Instead I worked an 11 hour shift on Tuesday, from 12-11pm. I survived it, amazingly. A train had derailed and so our load was a day late arriving soooo we had two days of groceries to pack on shelves on Tuesday. That is a lot of groceries.

The groceries arrived late on Tuesday though, so being there from 12pm wasn't really necessary. We did other jobs though and then I got away with doing not much of the actual load before moving over to my job for the night (my original Tuesday night job), changing over all the specials that are displayed on the ends of shelves.

Now on Wednesday I was expecting the normal non enthusiasm at out work but walked into the shop to praise and lots of it. So much so that they supplied us with the new lines of biccies from the bakery to snack on all night. Now that was a mood lifter.

What else has been happening? Nothing much, just washing and such.

Yesterday morning, the computer upstairs which is actually a not so fancy hook up of my old laptop, that has a dead screen, to a desktop screen had the screen saver going. It must have been set to a folder of sepia photos from my station days. I plonked myself down in front of it and just watched. Amazing. People tell me how much they love what I share, the photos I take, but honestly I just do the polite thank you and think to myself 'yeah, they are okay'. Looking at photos with years between viewing really makes me appreciate them and changes my ability to see how good they are. Not to sound conceted but they were pretty awesome and would make an awesome coffee table book. Ideas, ideas.

I must confess I don't have all that much faith in my abilities or talents, obviously.

On that note I have been conned into doing a photography job by a friend who is a photographer. It isn't anything fancy. I'll be doing pet Christmas photos at the end of this month. I was pretty reluctant but she has faith in me and says it is a super easy job where perfection is not going to happen. I'm giving it a go after lots of nervousness, umming and ahhhing along with my fear of doing the unknown. I'm sure it will all be fine.

Another confession I have is that I am back to my dreading Christmas place. You see due to the job above having a black out on holidays over the Christmas period and the lack of another job, I'm pretty sure the likelihood of me making it down to Mum's is pretty low. You think I'd be over that issue by now and able to deal with it but well I still don't deal with it all that well. I guess it is just because it is the two of us and to me Christmas is all about family.

Speaking of Christmas, when do you start decorating or putting up your tree?

(If you do, that is.)

Haha, on a side note, how coincidental that when I a rambling on and start talking about trees, it it the tree photos that are around it.

 

 Anyway, Mr Sparky wanted to put our Christmas tree up a few weeks ago. Secretly, I think maybe he brought it up to rile me up. This was one of those discussions last year. He wanted it up early and I am very much in the put it up on the 1st of December camp. I have a feeling I might have to compromise this year and that the Christmas tree won't stay in its box under the spare bed for much longer. Maybe I should clean up a bit first.

 

Also maybe I should finish that quilt I have for my niece who is now nearly 6 months old.

Oh, I saw previews for the movie The Dressmaker and though that looks okay. It was one of those books I couldn't decide whether I wanted to read or not. So I buckled down and read because I love to read the book before seeing the movie. Well I still want to see the movie but I found the book hard and strange and hard to follow. It took until the end to kind of work out the story and even then it was ... I don't know.

It took me ages to read but then I don't devour books the way I used to. Now I am on to Barra Creek by Di Morrissey and am thoroughly enjoying it. Mind you, still taking forever to read it.

Hmmm, there is something I could do today. Housework or reading, housework or reading ...

Or maybe some job hunting with a side or blog reading and facebooking and catching up on instagram.

So this weekend coming I had a few 'kind of' plans floating around in my head. They involved visiting my sister in Townsville or going to the reef or doing something, somewhere (very specific). Mr Sparky however happens to be on call for work this weekend, the weekend I'm not working, so we are going nowhere and doing nothing. Exciting stuff. Well I could still go somewhere and do something but I probably won't.

Hey, sis ... want to come to me???

So now I have proven nothing exciting has really been happening and done a lot of blah, blahhhing there are still more photos to go.

Now I could just leave you to enjoy them in silence.

But then, often I am pretty chatty when I get familiar with people.

I spend so much time, having quiet time (envy away), that sometimes I am hard to shut up. Even when I am talking about nothing.

But then I like my quiet time and going to quiet places when no one else is around.

Ross and Locke was a nice quiet spot on a Thursday morning. I could though see lots of evidence of people who had been there. Why are people such grots?

On weekends, I've heard, that it is quite a busy place with plenty of people.

I think I liked pretty much having it to myself.

It means I can relax and not worry about what people think of me taking 50 million photos of everything. Mind you they probably don't think much about it anyway.

So what are you up to this weekend?

I think a lot of Aussies are in for some scorching weather at the moment so I image most people are just going to try and stay cool.

Hopefully, whatever you get up to is fun and relaxing.

Stay safe in this crazy world.