Cairns

We flew 2,500 miles north of Sydney back across the Tropic of Capricorn to Cairns in northeastern Australia. It is tropical, laid back and the northern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). I haven't asked an aborigine, but no one else we've spoken to in Cairns is from Cairns. There are parakeets fussing about in the trees along the ocean boardwalk and during the day fruit bats hanging in the trees along the main drag. At sunset, the bats set out by the thousands. Initially, they all swarm above the tree tops waiting for some signal to leave and then in just a matter of minutes they are gone.  It reminds me of the flying monkey scenes in the Wizard of Oz. The process is reversed at sunrise, but the bats are louder and more boisterous. It sounds like a combination of bragging and parents scolding the young, telling them to go to sleep. These are big creatures also known as flying fox. I'm guessing some easily have a 4-foot wingspan and I'm told they will grow bigger than 5 feet. Thankfully, they are principally vegetarian. Don't let small children walk around with fruit in their hands.

Spring has begun (at least technically) for most of you. Autumn is beginning here. The tomatoes are awesome. I'm hoping it is the tomato season. If not, it's just not fair.