Signs of Humor

I collect photos of signs, ads and even product labels as we travel around. From time to time, we like to share them. Signmakers and ad creators have a great sense of humor and they're not afraid to share it. Sometimes, the intent is not humor at all, but we still find them funny. See what you think.

Found in the Ladies Room at South Australian Maritime Museum

Not quite an FBI Most Wanted poster, but when you're wanted, you're wanted. Of course, you'd have to know what a goanna is in the first place.

I think they mean tennis court, but it probably applies elsewhere, too.

This sign used to sit in front of Building 19 in Walpole, Massachusetts. There were lots of car honks heard as people passed by … including ours.

Makes you want to eat Chinese, doesn't it?

Great name for a bakery.

That would be a “wild, untamed pick-up truck” in the States.

There are lots of “right side of the road” drivers visiting Australia. The Aussies don't take any chances.

This sign was on a ute (pick-up truck). Wonder if he uses it en route?

Our thoughts exactly sometimes.

9 Eclectic Photos of Streaky Bay

We're still here, waiting for a weather window to cross the Bight. It's quite lovely here. There are definitely worse places to wait, let me tell you. We've been writing, doing chores and repairs. We're all fueled and watered up. We've provisioned and done laundry, but if we stay too much longer, we'll have to do it all over again. The salt water foot pump broke and David's repaired it along with unclogging the intake for the watermaker (grass). The repair on engine required taking apart the day tank and repairing the controller. All done and now we wait. In the meantime, I've taken some photos around town that didn't necessarily fit in with a specific blog post or I found them after the blog was posted. Thought you'd enjoy a little eclecticism while you're visiting Streaky Bay with us.

1. The cormorants and gulls seem to line up on the swimming enclosure rails and spend their days sunning themselves.

2. This “Frogs of Eyre Peninsula” poster reminded us of the “Bridges of Madison County”, but no Meryl Streep or Clint Eastwood. Who could have known there'd be so many different frogs here?

3. The Powerhouse Museum – it's right across the street from the great white shark replica. It's a huge shed of restored, working engines on display that have been working in varied "occupations" over the last 100 years. We gave it a miss though I begged to go. (not!)

4. Crab measurements on display. We keep our measuring tape handy.

5. We've been quite lucky here catching blue swimmers … and eating them, too. (crabs in net)

6. A lone, wooden dinghy anchored on the shore with just a seagull for crew. Can you see the “streaks” in Streaky Bay?

7. These decorated pole sculptures stand in a foreshore park near the jetty. They reminded us of totem poles or native art, but we could find no information about them.

8. Nullabor Crossing … a reminder that the Nullabor Plain is the huge expansive arid country that lies north of the Great Australian Bight. We'd like to drive across this plain at some point if we have the time.

9. Couldn't resist … 50th Anniversary of TimTams … Australia's favorite cookie (I'm an Anzac girl myself.)

Birdz in the Hood

 

I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy watching and identifying birds we encounter along our way. I didn't think we'd see any new birds just here in the marina, but we've been able to tick off two more new bird sightings on our bird list in the last week just walking down the dock. Of course, my memory is so bad after a year away, they're pretty much all new to me.

On land near the condos that surround us, there are the usual sparrows, swallows, blackbirds, mynas, pigeons and doves that seem to be ubiquitous, irrespective of our location. The Australian magpies, though they can be pests, have an interesting, complicated song and they're very vocal from the tops of masts in the early morning. Give a listen.

I've already mentioned the silver gulls that inundate the docks on a regular basis, but I never mentioned the singular pied cormorant (they call them shags here) that regularly sits at the end of the dock sometimes alone, but more frequently amongst the chattering gulls. He seems to have no issues being the only one of his kind there. He's obviously quite self-confident and doesn't let the noisy gulls bother him in the least.

I haven't seen Australian pelicans here in the marina, but we've seen them when we cross the river on the way to Port Adelaide, as well as several waders like ibis and egrets.

There's a small family of hoary-headed grebes that cruise around the marina and usually spend time in the empty berth beside us, when it's not full of moon jellies. Though we've seen grebes before, a further check in our bird book confirmed that this particular species was new for us.

We also spotted a Nankeen night heron aka rufous night heron the other day sitting on the dock rail watching a fisherman. The second new species sighting this week.

Depending upon the time of day we walk to the supermarket, little corellas, white and raucous, are in great numbers. The distinctive-looking grey and pink galahs are always enjoyable to see and they seem to congregate in the vacant fields en route to the train station and near the golf course.

We're anxious to get out more into the countryside to see what we can see, but for the moment we're content with the birdz in the hood.