Bright in the sunshine

It was just like old times on the road, waking up them up with impatience and then directing them to pack everything up in an orderly manner. I got to ignore a rabbit sunning itself across the road whilst Dad had breaky whilst contemplating how smoothly everything was going. It didn't go quite as well as planned today though as Dad almost blew a pffooherr valve when the tail gate on the car refused to rise according to instruction. This meant all sorts of stuffing around trying to reset the beasts thinking, reading manuals, getting annoyed that nothing worked as he wished. Eventually (following the instructions in the manual) he called the nearest dealer with the intent of speaking to someone to help him work it through. That ended up in a booking for the beast in Wanga on Friday ... Four days away, so that didn't really help get the fold-ups into the back, the kennel hitched and get to our destination.

I dragged Mum down to reception to tell them that were were going to miss our checkout time. It's off-peak, no-one coming in, the place is about 1/4 full so they didn't care. Dad sucked it up and took Mums advice and loaded the boot via the back seats, so much stress due to one faulty tail gate. I didn't care though as I'd found a stick and Mum was willing to try and take it off me amidst the whirlwind of the pack up. I consider my help invaluable.

So we exited the park an hour later than expected, No complaints really, the sun was shining and the glowing trees waved their goodbyes in the still brisk westerly blowing up the valley. Didn't even get to explore the weirdly placed bubbling creek which goes around the the top of the lake instead of naturally flowing into it. This was creating a uncomfortable sense of universal displacement to my inbuilt Kelpie space/time kineses, however I let it go - Mum had shopping to do. We parked the rig 2 blocks from the main street and wandered up with me on the lead making sure that I could be annoying as possible stopping at every interesting smell and adding my own if it meets the correct criteria to do so. This is tricky and I really do get the feeling sometimes that not everyone around fully understands the complex set of equations that need to be worked through in order to make a decision on this. It's a fine balance - especially when so many peers have been to exactly the same spot and have undoubtedly gone through the same thought provoking process. Sometime I get yanked away before I even get to decide, decision made for me - but who is to say that lost opportunity may have had huge implications in the future of the universe? All for the sake of trying on a dress. Which didn't even fit. At least sheep do what kelpies decree is correct in the world.

Armed with our extraordinarily expensive pre-purchased pie we drove away and down off the Beechworth  escarpment with Dad saying he was really pleased we didn't have to go up that long steep winding road and drifted our way through very picturesque valleys to the town that literally does glow in the sunshine and is thus called Bright. Stopping along the way at roadside stop that specifically said - "No Caravans to enter here" - Dad did anyway because he wanted to pee. Go figure - he didn't even bother to check out who'd been peeing there before (like I do), there was a sign tugging on his lead saying "don't pee here" and yet he did anyway. Honestly, sometimes the power imbalance here is simply mind blowing. Anyway, he did get to suffer the indignity of having to do a multi-turn reversing maneuver in front of some head shaking incredulous tourists (sans vans) to get the rig out of there without causing any damage to anything (Mum helped brilliantly). 

Our new kennel location is on top of a steep bank with a swift creek running below. Ducks go by swimming the rapids with what looks like a lot of fun. Curiously the tailgate on the beast now works - so all that stress was for naught (I could've told him that - except I was too busy contemplating that creek scenario at the time). 

It's a short bike ride into town and so we did that, checked out the blanket shops (there are a few options in this place) and landed in the brewery in order to relax and decide what to do about blankets. Seems to me it's harder for them to decide about a blanket than it is for me to add to a post of collected pee's. Anyway - the pending forecast and the cost of two drinks pretty much sealed the decision.

Back to the kennel on the bank, dropped the goods and then we had a serious run around the famed Canyon Walk. Why walk when you can run (me) and ride (them). It was a very pleasant adventure with the sun making all the old imported trees glow in a fabulous palette , there was even one section which was literally frothing in some sort of blossomy bloom - didn't look too healthy but was impressive in afternoon sun. Apparently that excursion was purely performed to wear me out, that it did. So when we all wandered back down to the brewery for dinner I did as expected and crashed on the floor at their feet whilst they consumed some pretty boring fare. Limited menu options - can't have pizzas two nights in a row - and we had to head out now as tomorrow the weather turns (I nose this - my kelpie senses are telling me so).

Back up to home on the bank, whilst Mum went to experience the different shower block, Dad and I went down to the flats across the creek to show off how well we do the frisbee thing. I was pretty excited about all of that - even though I was previously exhausted - just say that "F" word and I'm on.

Needless to say - now that it's down time, it's a bit hard to hear that inevitable clacking of the keyboard over the sound of the rushing waters below.