Tallangatta to Melbourne, the Scenic Route

I crept out of bed at 6 a.m. to the sound of kookaburras’ wild laughter, and then back into bed, since darkness had not yet given up its hold on Tallangatta. An hour later, I strolled the streets ne...

Maremmas, Sheep, and Wild Dogs

Brilliant sunlight lasered through the sheer curtains of our hotel room at 8 a.m., waking Vilis and me after only four hours of rest following fitful dozing on a flight that eventually departed from T...

Airport Poetry

Today’s sky was a hodgepodge of sun, cloud, and rain as Vilis and I completed a jumble of tasks before leaving for Melbourne. Our taxi arrived at 5:30 p.m. to ferry us to the airport. Its young driv...

The Old Gum Tree

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree, I sang as a child in school, and sang to my sons when they were young. At some point, I learned that ‘the old gum tree’ was a eucalypt, but then I had no idea ...