Having a Whale of a Time

I'm not really putting much thought into these titles am I?

We bought the boat towards the end of last year. I've written about how it helps you to escape the Pilbara Summer and some of our other adventures on the boat. But finally, I managed to go out on the boat to see the whales.

The water is teaming with them at this time of year. It's almost like you can't go out and NOT see any whales.

But talk about precarious situations. Our boat is five meters - so not that big. And I had a two month baby in my arms the whole time. A two month old baby, trying to keep him calm while taking photos of whales with my zoom - meaning you have to keep the camera REALLY still when zoomed - while on a rocking boat. Yeah, it didn't work PARTICULARLY well, but still managed to snap a few.

I ended up using the shutter priority and really ramping it up to about 5000 or so to try and freeze the motion of the whales. The tricky part was getting them in focus. I had the auto focus on which really helped but was not perfect. It got tricky-er when I realised that my replacement camera, the 70D, can film so I decided to try for some footage as well, but needed to turn the autofocus off for that because it kept shifting between the boat, the whales and the water. All in all it was quite ticky, but managed to snap a few. If only we could get a bit closer or I had a bigger zoom...and the baby was old enough to sit on his own. Next time I go out, I'll go out with grandparents who I'm sure wouldn't mind holding bubba for me...

Another example of when a zoom lens REALLY comes in handy...

Springtime Swimming

The first beach trip with bubba was an enormous success. The water was beautiful, the weather perfect.

There is a cove at Point Samson called Honeymoon Cove. It's only a small beach, but one of the best places to go swimming in the area. I took my sister in law there, with bubba, and how great is it to just chill out on the beach?

In truth, this picture could have been taken anywhere, but I love how it has the traditional beach colours - similar to Eco Beach last year.

It's a memory - of the perfect beach day - of sun, sand and swimming.

Lovey Dovey

Yes I know it's a cheesy title.

But while I was having fun taking photos of finches, these doves kind of stole the show. They were pretty adorable sitting in the branches, and even though it was approaching the middle of the day, the sun filtering through the yellow and green leaves made for some beautiful golden light underneath the shady tree.

These guys were preening each other, just chilling in the shade. I love springtime. It's important to recognise that even in the Pilbara, where springtime marks the end of the cool weather and warmer temperatures returning, it also is the time for love and new life.

Birds of a Feather...

There are some things that I would love to have photos of but don't - simply because I don't have a huge zoom lens and I always manage to scare things away. And I'm not the world's most patient person so I very rarely will wait for something to come by.

Finches are one of these things. (FYI they are pretty much all birds of some kind - budgies, jabiru, bee eater...you get the picture). You get flocks of them around the Pilbara - more of that stunning wildlife that you can't understand how it flourishes - but they don't hang around for long. I did manage to snap a few last year while camping in Exmouth but in typical me style, I wasn't real happy with them and I couldn't get close enough to them.

So after the adventure with the Brolgas, my sister in law and I headed into Cossack to sample the coffee at the coffee shop (although it was over 30 degrees, so I actually had an iced coffee...). There is a gorgeous setting in this little cafe - it's set up under a big tree, not sure what kind but any kind that provides shade you can sit under in the Pilbara is big. It was around 10:30am in the morning. Cossack is so peaceful.

We ordered our drinks and went outside and sat down. I noticed a grey nomad with his camera out taking pictures of the branches and thought this could be interesting.

While sitting there we noticed that this grand tree was full of finches building nests. Like FULL of finches. Right above us. I counted at least four nests that I could see. Needless to say that I grabbed my camera and started snapping away. I took 100 photos. Finally, the perfect opportunity for finch photos had come!

The only downer was the midgies - we got hammered. Was it worth it?

A Brolga Blessing

Yay! My first post after having bubs! It only took me two months...Taking photos with a little one, that are not of the little one is much harder than anticipated!

While on our trip around Australia, my husband managed to see some brolgas dancing in Kakadu National Park. I can't remember why I wasn't there - but I wasn't. I missed out and so did my camera.

So I was thrilled when my sister in law and I stumbled upon a pair of brolgas near Cossack. They weren't dancing but they were terrific to see!

The Pilbara never ceases to amaze me with the shear amount of wildlife that is here - the birds, the lizards, the skippies...it's incredible that such arid land can support such a range of flora and fauna.

It's not a great photo - it's a bit boring composition, it's more of a snapshot really, but I was thankful to have my camera, and to have my zoom lens on my camera.

So graceful but so noisy!

It's no secret that for as long as I can remember my favourite birds have been black swans. A year ago I was thrilled to be able to capture them with my camera on the Fortescue. This year I had the opportunity again.

The funny thing about swans though, is that they are so beautiful and graceful. They appear pristine and aloof on the water. And then they make a noise that makes you jump and go, really? Something so hideous from the beak of something so beautiful?

I for one am grateful for this noise though. Our last camping trip down the Fortescue, I heard these swans before I saw them. I actually went looking for them. I walked up the riverbed, seven and a half months pregnant, just to see if I could spot the swans.

Fortescue did not disappoint. It's ironic that we have named this pool Pelican Pool. There sure were a lot of swans there that morning.

I didn't get too close. Luckily I had stuck with the 18-200mm lens so had a fairly decent zoom. But as mentioned in a previous post, the mornings on the Fortescue are spectacular and I wanted to share this one photo with you.

It's a reflection of a natural circle, created by the tree and the shadows in the rock face. I waited for the swans to swim into the circle before taking a photo. It's one of my favourite reflection photos.

Still morning reflection

The best thing about camping on the Fortescue is the colours in the morning. You can't always see the sunrise, but once it's up it casts an absolutely beautiful golden light over everything for about an hour. It truly is the golden hour.

To cap it off, the water is still and the birds are many. The colours of the red contrast beautifully with the blue of the sky and the green of the foliage, so much so that even in the dryest of seasons, like this season, you still have some sense of oasis.

Riverbed Friends

One of the great things about the Pilbara is the lifestyle and spending time with friends.

People who live here are generally attracted to the same things - enjoy the outdoor lifestyle of camping, fishing, exploring and the challenges of living remotely.

While on these adventures you can also make friends with some of the native wildlife.

On one such trip we did just that. We went camping down the Fortescue River with some friends. Just a quick, overnight, cook by the campfire, sleep under the stars night.

While gathering firewood, the boys found this little guy. I'd never seen this kind of gecko before, but he was very obliging for my camera. It was a little too dark for fantastic photos but the log that was his home was very textured and made for a perfect background. So much so, I decided to try the photo in black and white and was pleasantly surprised.

Roots and Rocks

The Pilbara is a rocky place.

It's a wonder anything survives.

Consider spinfex and its spines - it makes sense that of the plants that survive in this harsh land, spinafex is the most prolific. It's waxy, and spiny, keeping you at bay, screaming 'back off', working hard to grow in the rocky ground.

So when you see trees, massive trees, fig trees, paperbark trees growing, you know there is the sweet promise of water somewhere close.

But you can't always see it.

The mind boggles at how some of these trees grow and thrive. But grown and thrive they do, sending their roots through the rocks and layers.

Waiting by the Waterfall

We were lucky enough to have my sister in law and her fiance visit us in April. Naturally we wanted to show them the best the Pilbara had to offer and that meant one thing for me - Karijini.

Not to mention, this was probably going to be one of the last opportunities to visit this wondrous place before children become a concern.

But I've got to tell you - at six months pregnant they already are!

There were some severe limits to what I could do and what I couldn't. One gorge a day seemed to be my limit and I contented myself with staying by a waterfall reading while we sent the others off to adventure.

Luckily for me I married a terrific man who stayed by the waterfalls with me. He even walked in and out of Dales Gorge an extra time to go and get me my 18mm-200mm lens when it became obvious that my wide angle lens was broken. (insert sad face...).

I took many photos though. Some with the offending lens (which was crooked - I must have accidentally hit it on a rock) some with the 18-200mm.

But I reiterate - waterfalls are the happiest places on earth.

Fortescue falls - broken lens and all.

Fortescue Falls again

Ta-ta Ta Ta!

There are these lizards in northern Australia. In the Pilbara we call them Ta Tas.

They have speed stripes on the side of their body, strong powerful back legs, long noses and they are FAST. Super fast.

And did I mention that they run on their hind legs?

These guys are super cool but hard to photograph because they like to run away.

They are particularly hard to photograph with a wide angle lens. Particularly when the wide angle lens is broken. And particularly when you are climbing out of Hancock Gorge in Karijini while six months pregnant...

That's how I got this shot though. This ta ta happily obliged and sat literally right next to the path, elevated on a rock slightly so I didn't have to crouch too awkwardly to get a good shot. He even stayed put as I got in closer with the wide angle. What a good egg. Thanks buddy!

Always look behind you

One thing I have had to learn when taking photos is how to use my eyes.

Human eyes are the most powerful cameras and such an important piece of equipment for photography. Try as you might, you will never capture an image the way your eye will. You will never see the composition your eye sees, or the colours your eye can identify.

But you can train yourself to use your eyes to know what will work in photography land - when you flatten the scene in front of you to fit your camera screen.

One tip that I have learned is this: to always look behind you. Don't think that just because something is in front of you it is the most interesting thing.

This is normally true for sunsets. But while out at Cliff Springs, running around while five months pregnant, in bare feet, with a storm rolling in and a 4WD track to travel back along I was taking photos of the rain and the clouds, because hey, it happens so rarely. The sun was lighting up the spinafex in front of the dark clouds producing magnificent colours with only a little amount of contrast to deal with. I was happy as larry just snapping away.

While travelling back I turned around and there I saw the eye watching me.

As the clouds were rolling in and being reflected in the waterhole they created a giant eye, staring at me, watching me taking photos of the rain. So I starred back at it, and told my camera to stare at it too.

Rain in the Pilbara

When the average rainfall for a month is listed as something ridiculous like '2mm' you know you are likely to have a lot of dry times.

During our five years in the Pilbara we have seen great Summers - always a couple of cyclones and rain events to keep the hills green and the wildflowers coming.

This year however, has not been the case.

One measly cyclone that went up north and had no impact here, and a few measley sprinkles of rain and that's it.

I've never longed for rain for so long in my life.

You just...want it....to rain.

And I'm not even a farmer or station owner. I'm a town person, just wanting to do the Karratha rain dance, splash in a few puddles and use the windscreen wipers for a change.

You get so used to it not raining though, that you just go and do anything and you never listen to the forecast.

One weekend in March, we went on a road trip to find a waterhole we had heard of but never visited called Cliff Springs on Karratha Station.

We found the waterhole and luckily it still had water in it, although you could tell that it too was suffering in the dry. Levels were low and it was kind of like swimming in a bath...

...but then lo and behold a short spurt of thunder and rain whipped up!

There is not a feeling like it. Longing for rain for so long and all of a sudden, the wind whips up and you can feel it rolling in on the breeze. Thunder claps and sends dutchmen running for cover (literally) and for no reason at all you just start laughing.

If you're me you run around like a mad pregnant woman and take photos of clouds because clouds are so rare.

And then you jump in the car to escape the lightning and the rain starts. Big old fat rain. The windscreen wipers get a gurnsey but you end up rolling down the windows to enjoy the sensation of water falling from the sky and the smell of wet spinafex.

There is nothing like wet spinafex - it's like freshly cut grass only less manicured and more earthy. It's the smell of the Pilbara.

But the thunderstorm doesn't last long. After 15 minutes it has passed on.

Driving back into town, they clearly didn't even have a whiff of rain. Still dry as anything.

Hopefully there are wildflowers this year.

Cliff Springs with rain clouds rolling in...

Sunset

Continuing on my pontificating in the last post, I also have this photo of the sunset at Cable Beach. And I thought I'd be all deep and meaningful and talk about how the sun is going down on one stage of my life, but once the night time is over the sun will rise again.

Hopefully I'll still be in bed asleep though that's not likely.

Anyway, enjoy the sunset.

Celebrating Maternity Leave with Time

Today is my first official day of maternity leave. My due date is in exactly five weeks.

Leaving work on Friday was slightly surreal. I'm currently in a transition period - I know that the relative calm (and well, boredom) of being at home alone will wear off as soon as the bump turns into a baby, but there's nothing I can do to make it happen any faster - in fact, I don't want to make it happen any faster!

But I do feel strange leaving work. Like a part of my identity has been removed. Which is ridiculous because I've never identified myself as a 'marketer' or even as 'someone who works at the TAFE'. My satisfaction was not found in my work. I would definately say I am someone who works to live - although I do yearn for a position that I can use as part of my identity. To be proud of.

I was blessed to have two positions in the Pilbara in marketing and communications. Roles such as these are few and far between in regional areas so I count myself blessed to be able to have had four and a half years after finishing my study working in the sector.

Now, my life consists of getting ready for baby - but it does give me a chance to do things I have previously neglected - such as this blog!

No, the number of photos is not huge, but there are a couple I will endeavor to post up before baby arrives (and things likely get hectic again).

So I will start with the one below. We had a babymoon up in Broome in April and spent a glorious week just chilling. We didn't really have a lot of energy for much else, we managed to score some great off-peak rates at a lovely place and just...relaxed. We did however walk along the famed cable beach at sunset and devour a mandatory serving of fish and chips. I wanted a silhouette of my bump, which at this stage was about 26 weeks along. Hubby didn't do so bad taking this photo for me.

A Bump in the Road

I have been somewhat distracted this year, away from publishing on my blog. I simply have not had the energy for much in the way of taking photos. There is a good reason for this. In July, we are expecting our first baby!

So the last two months of 2015 were pretty full on for me - I was sick and tired pretty much every day. Now that I'm in the second trimester though, I am fairing somewhat better but still exhausted at the end of every day.

We did however find out the gender of the baby. My husband really wanted to know, to be as prepared as possible, and I didn't mind either way so I thought if we were going to find out, we might as well tell people and make it fun.

I invited my friend over to take the photos below. We sent the first photo out to family and friends the morning of the 20 week scan. The second we sent out to them afterwards as our way of announcing it.

Enjoy!

Rio Red

This photo isn't much. We climbed a hill and it was really incredible - it's the only place I've been so far that you could see an ENTIRE iron ore train. But I couldn't fit it all into the photo.

So here's this photo. A different view of a train.

We succumbed to the Pilbara Tradition

The Pilbara tradition of buying a boat.

Ever since moving here we have toyed with the idea. We bought the kayaks to explore. But we weren't sure we wanted the added expense of owning a boat.

Then I went out on a friends boat. And realised how much fun a boat in the Pilbara is.

My Dad has had a boat on holidays. We go out fishing and snorkeling which is always really fun. But I always get sea sick. It kind of takes the shine off it. Even when we go diving, it's a huge thing for me to juggle seasickness and seeing cool stuff while diving. (With diving however, you are compensated by the fact that going down below 5m is one of the best cures for seasickness - it literally disappears. It's the boat time between dives you have to worry about!)

So I've never really been too fond of spending every weekend out on a boat fishing. But the thing is, just off Dampier is an amazing array of islands known as the Dampier Archipelago. This provides a lot of shelter from choppy-ness. Add to the fact that compared to many places on the east coast it's not fished out, it makes for a pretty fun day out with friends.

So we bought a boat. So far, we haven't looked back. Just forward to the wider circle now open to us for exploration.

Here are some photos I took from our maiden voyage.