I am staying with Belinda Lay, her husband Deon (yes, Deon) and their children. It has been weird to be around someone else with my name, but it has been fun, too.
Belinda has just received a very prestigious award (https://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/Pages/McGowan/2019/03/Innovative-Esperance-producer-receives-2019-WA-Rural-Womens-Award.aspx) for introducing an electronic animal collar to Australia. She is testing it on about 100 of their sheep. Belinda can follow each animal's whereabouts or welfare from an app on her phone. For example, if she notes that a sheep hasn't moved for a while, it might be caught in the fence or in labor. She is now up for a national award! I am so excited for her!
A succulent at Stonehenge.
A fig tree at Stonehenge.
Metal art at Stonehenge.
Wait a minute...Stonehenge?????
Isn't Stonehenge in England?????
Yes, Stonehenge is in England, but Esperance, Western Australia has the only full-sized replica in granite. It is unbelievable. But...but...how did a full-sized replica of Stonehenge get into a cow pasture near Esperance? Well, an entrepreneur near the Margaret River (a tourist area on the south-west corner of WA) ordered stones for the replica, but went belly-up before they were all cut. One of the quarry's neighbors decided to take over the project and install it in their cow pasture.
http://esperancestonehenge.com.au/
This is Julie, the lady who gave me a wonderful tour around Stonehenge and the beaches.
It was very cool.
This is an abandoned communication building that shows a typical style of Australian architecture.
Esperance is on the Southern Ocean. The beaches are phenomenal.
It is a tradition for Australians to dip their feet into each of the oceans that surround the country. This is the second one for me!
Thelma, one of the CWA ladies I spoke to at their meeting in Esperance, took me to a glass studio. The artist, Cindy Poole, was one of the artists who created this sculpture.
https://www.cindypoole.com.au/
If you haven't figured out what it is, let me give you a hint: I'm having a whale of a time! I will have a big tail to tell.
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