Update

It seems I haven't posted to this site for a while so here's an update.  I spent last week in Mudgee, New South Wales, where we have an ongoing construction project at an existing coal mine.  Mudgee is a little town about 150 kilometers northwest of Sydney.  I flew from Brisbane to Sydney and then Sydney to Mudgee--the second flight was quite interesting.

The flight occurred in a twin turbo-prop plane that held about 18 passengers and reacted violently to every small gust of wind that came our way.  At one time during the flight, I swore I saw a pigeon passing us and though the plane was equipped with a PA system, the pilot need only turn in his seat and announce the descent and request the passengers to buckle up.  Still, except for the constant turbulence to which I grew accustomed, it was a pleasant flight which offered some beautiful scenery.

Unforunately, I left my camera in Brisbane so there are no photos of my experience there.  It was, however, a quaint little town with a population of less than 4000 people.  The jobsite was a 45 minute drive from town along a road that was sometimes paved and sometimes not paved.  This was somewhat surprising since nearly everyone in the small town of Mudgee worked at the jobsite and the road, which is the only road that takes you to the jobsite, is very heavily traveled.  Twice each month a vehicle flips over on that road, usually from driving too fast on its often uneven surface and bouncing their vehicle beyond the soft berm.

Australians seem to take it all in stride--their oft-quoted "no worries, mate" are words by which they live and only failure will come to anyone who tries to instill a sense of urgency in them.  Overall, they are a friendly nation who seem to feel a kindred spirit with Americans--it may have something to do with the fact we speak the same language (almost) and our common past animosity towards the United Kingdom.  For some unknown reason, they seem to love the Eagles and that's fine, but I swear if I hear Hotel California one more time I think I'll scream.

Anyway, I returned to Brisbane on Friday evening and was happy to leave Mudgee, not because I didn't like the town, but because I was at the mercy of those who had a vehicle.  In Brisbane, everything is within walking distance.  In fact, I'm walking so much that my pants are starting to fall from the lack of a fat beer gut holding them in place.

I wish I had more to share, but it's time to go eat dinner so I'll sign off for now.  It's our intention to go to the beach on Sunday if the weather cooperates.  The outlook right now is bleak, but weathermen here are just as apt to be wrong as they are in Pittsburgh.  If I do go to the beach, I'll be sure to take my camera--the Gold Coast is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

And the next time I post, I promise to post pictures.

G'day.