It's the end of April, meaning we have just 5 weeks left in Brisbane. Time is running fast Down Under!
We returned two days ago from 12 days away over a very long Easter holiday. Officially, it starts with Good Friday, then comes Easter Monday, then the following Friday is ANZAC (Australia-New Zealand Army Corps) day, so many people just take off for the duration.
The first part of our travels during this time involved a 7-hour, one-way road trip to Wee Waa, across the border in New South Wales, to visit some somewhat distant relatives of Kate's … I can't get my head fully around the connection, but it's by way of Kate's sister, Ginny's in-laws.
Clinton and Robin were our gracious hosts in Australia's cotton country. Now, who knew, but Oz is one of the world's leading exporters of cotton. In the 1950s and 1960s, the country aggressively recruited people to farm this area, offering cheap land and generous financing, and Clinton's father and wife took the opportunity and moved from California. They amassed a lot of land, building a reputation as community and farming leaders. And have built a lovely oasis for themselves complete with pool, steam bath, tennis courts, aviary, and beautiful gardens.
Clinton and Robin (an Aussie) and his sister and husband (both Americans) took over the cotton business from the parents; the latter have recently retired, but C & R still farm about 3000 acres of mostly cotton. It's a beautiful farm … the cotton itself glows in the light of dusk and dawn.
We had a great time, especially because it was harvest time. So, Clinton gave us a tour of his various fields and types of cotton, during which we also saw various critters like this pair of emus:
We got to see how cotton is picked nowadays … not the fields of bent backs I have in my mind from US history, but a highly mechanized process (Clinton owns millions of dollars of vehicles and heavy equipment). Here, Kate takes a photo from the cab of the cotton picker as it navigates the laser-straight rows:
The cotton is collected in the back the picker, dumped into a baler, and then compressed into either long rectangular cubes or cylindrical rolls. Those bales then get trucked to the local coop cotton gin, where the cotton is combed, cleaned, and compressed into very tight, 500-pound bales for shipping. Here, the cotton is entering the gin - you can see both shapes of bales:
Besides learning bout the cotton business, we got to meet Clinton and Robin's three adult kids and their partners, two having come in from Sydney and one who teaches at a local public school. It was fun hanging around and having great meals with them.
So that was Leg #1 of our 12-day adventure … Leg #2, the Red Centre, is next...
We returned two days ago from 12 days away over a very long Easter holiday. Officially, it starts with Good Friday, then comes Easter Monday, then the following Friday is ANZAC (Australia-New Zealand Army Corps) day, so many people just take off for the duration.
The first part of our travels during this time involved a 7-hour, one-way road trip to Wee Waa, across the border in New South Wales, to visit some somewhat distant relatives of Kate's … I can't get my head fully around the connection, but it's by way of Kate's sister, Ginny's in-laws.
Clinton and Robin were our gracious hosts in Australia's cotton country. Now, who knew, but Oz is one of the world's leading exporters of cotton. In the 1950s and 1960s, the country aggressively recruited people to farm this area, offering cheap land and generous financing, and Clinton's father and wife took the opportunity and moved from California. They amassed a lot of land, building a reputation as community and farming leaders. And have built a lovely oasis for themselves complete with pool, steam bath, tennis courts, aviary, and beautiful gardens.Clinton and Robin (an Aussie) and his sister and husband (both Americans) took over the cotton business from the parents; the latter have recently retired, but C & R still farm about 3000 acres of mostly cotton. It's a beautiful farm … the cotton itself glows in the light of dusk and dawn.We had a great time, especially because it was harvest time. So, Clinton gave us a tour of his various fields and types of cotton, during which we also saw various critters like this pair of emus:
We got to see how cotton is picked nowadays … not the fields of bent backs I have in my mind from US history, but a highly mechanized process (Clinton owns millions of dollars of vehicles and heavy equipment). Here, Kate takes a photo from the cab of the cotton picker as it navigates the laser-straight rows:
The cotton is collected in the back the picker, dumped into a baler, and then compressed into either long rectangular cubes or cylindrical rolls. Those bales then get trucked to the local coop cotton gin, where the cotton is combed, cleaned, and compressed into very tight, 500-pound bales for shipping. Here, the cotton is entering the gin - you can see both shapes of bales:
Besides learning bout the cotton business, we got to meet Clinton and Robin's three adult kids and their partners, two having come in from Sydney and one who teaches at a local public school. It was fun hanging around and having great meals with them.
So that was Leg #1 of our 12-day adventure … Leg #2, the Red Centre, is next...
Nice! Thanks.
ReplyDelete