through the plane window
Finally! A post about my trip to beautiful Australia!
Ellinjaa Falls
I feel so bad that it's taken me so long to post about my incredible trip to Australia last month. I knew it would be wonderful, but everything - absolutely EVERYTHING - far exceeded what I had hoped for. 
Teaching was so wonderful, with an amazing group of women attending workshops. As excited as I was to head up north to Queensland for a photo safari with my friend and workshop coordinator, Bevlea after classes were over, I was sad when they ended. 
Some of the gals signed up for all of the classes, and it was especially nice to see the progress in their work, as well as get to know them better. My students were such sweet, sweet ladies... every one of them. It was a very special time. I told my sweet husband that if it weren't for him, family, and Tulla, I'm not sure I would have returned. :-) 
Good news though! I'm SO excited that we're planning another adventure in 2015! Not sure of the details yet, but we're thinking about organizing something in Perth. It's not even close to definite yet, but I would love to see that side of the country! If so, I think I would offer one, 3 or 4 day workshop. Not sure what I would teach ... hopefully I'll be doing new things by then. 
While in Melbourne teaching, I stayed with my Aussie friend, Lucy, for around 10 days. That's a long time to visit and I felt like I was bordering on becoming a freeloader instead of a guest, and wanted to do some dishes, or vacuum, or something... but Lucy wouldn't let me lift a finger. Such generous hospitality. Thank you for your friendship Lucy (and John too!), and for sharing sweet little Otis. It was so good to have doggy fixes while away so I didn't miss Tulla so much. Isn't he adorable?
Otis
I taught 4 separate classes while in Melbourne; one 4 day workshop, and 3, one day classes. The 4 day included making a journal using painted photos, beginning with a photo shoot day to capture images that would later be used in the journal. What fun it was!
talented ladies in the 4 day workshop
For our photo day, Bevlea scouted out the best places to shoot a variety of photos and decided on Montsalvat. It's an amazing place, and is Australia’s oldest working artists’ colony. It's filled with photo ops and beautiful character everywhere you turn. I couldn't get enough of the dreamy old historic buildings, including charming mud brick cottages filled with texture, grunge, whimsy, and gorgeous peeling paint.

After an inspiring day at Montsalvat, we spent the following 3 days of class at a great venue where all 4 of my workshops were held. The classroom had fabulous lighting, and even a lake outside, complete with Black Swans!
I think there are some students missing in my photos, and I apologize to anyone not shown here. I get so busy teaching that it's difficult to remember who I've taken photos of. I was so inspired by the talent in all the workshops-even with one broken arm, and a bad virus or possibly food poisoning! Both gals were SUCH troopers and didn't give up! Many of the photos shown below are WIP. Instead of trying to separate the classes, I'll add them all together.


After the 4 day workshop, Bevlea, Lucy, and I took a short holiday to Phillip Island to watch the Penguin Parade, visit the Koala Conservation Center, and see Churchill Island Heritage Farm. 
DJ, Lucy, and Bevlea
There's no photography allowed at the Penguin Parade, so I purchased postcards. The penguins were so wonderful to watch as they come out of the sea after fishing all day. What an incredible little animal. It was fun to also visit adorable Koalas at the Koala Conservation Center while on the island. I'm not sure there is anything cuter than a Koala! Well, maybe puppies, but it's close...
Churchill Island Heritage Farm was amazing as well. Churchill Island sits just off the Phillip Island coast and is bridge accessed. The farm gives visitors a glimpse of the bygone pioneering spirit of Australia. The island is only 57 hectares (almost 141 acres) and is open to the public as an historic working farm. It was a very enjoyable visit, but I think my favorite part were the rose-red Galahs! These incredible cockatoos had nothing to do with the wonderful farm other than being there, but I was so taken by them, it was hard to focus on anything else. They are the sweetest birds! They are highly social and mate for life. If their mate dies, Galahs have been known to become quite depressed, though they usually will eventually find a new mate. They show affection by preening each other's facial feathers and heads. Love these birds!
I also captured a few shots of the cute Willie Wagtail while at the farm. They're almost always on the move and rarely sit still for more than a few moments during daylight hours. Even while perching, it will wag its tail from side to side, twisting about looking for prey. So fun to watch.
Another interesting native bird around the farm is the Masked Lapwing. They're common and found many places, but wow, what a great face! Love the yellow wattles and huge eyes.

Whoops... this post was much longer, but when I published it, a lot was cut off. Not sure if it was too long, or what. Sorry! I'll post another chapter as soon as I can!