Gum nuts & Cemetary

Cam & I have been collecting gum nuts and other types of seeds from around Adelaide since about the middle of last year. In January we decided that we probably had enough to make a large image to hang in our living room. So, we set upon a rather large craft project...

First we had to cut the stems off of each nut. Then file those down so we could glue them to a board.

We experimented with different arrangements of the nuts. The canvas we bought was a bit too white, so we painted it green and then a darker green from leftover paint I have around the house. Here's one of the early nut arrangements.

The final product hangs vertically and looks like this...sort of. Blogger has made it IMPOSSIBLE to get a photo vertical now.

There is a sea of nuts with the top on the right in this photo. A stem runs through the image from bottom right towards upper left. Two branches come off of that to the left and right. A random cluster is in the upper right.

The project got me thinking about textures, and that was echoed at the West Terrace Cemetery. We went there on a tour and saw lots of different graves. Its one of Adelaide's oldest cemeteries that had glass on some graves. Check out the sparkle and recycling! This of course has the top of the photo on the right.

Speaking of texture, I really love the way that slate changes as it wears. Check out this stone, also on its side.

Finally I thought I'd include a shot that illustrated the luminosity of marble. Glowing, literally if you get close enough.

Port Augusta and then home (last of Easter - 5 of 5)

The final part of our Easter trip was to the port town of Augusta. Port Augusta is at the tip of Spencer Gulf and was a major town out in the country. There was a turn table right on the water front, but not much of the building was left.





You can imagine all the different repairs that would have happened in this building. It really was quite big.


We headed to an Arid Botanical Garden just outside the city to check out a few walking trails. The amount of plants & variety was really remarkable. Lots of information for "water wise" plantings and for everyone's home garden. A shot of one more colorful flower:


I think the craziest part of Oz veg are those plants that trap water inside & try to make themselves as un-tasty as possible. Check out this spiky plant that would be tasty except that it has lots of spikes.



A visit to Port Augusta wouldn't be complete unless you view it from the air. The water tower converted to a viewing platform is just the place. It may look like an easy climb, but my legs were aching the next day. LOTS of little stairs.

From the top you could easily see the Flinders Ranges in the distance, the port in the foreground, and the town all around. A picture perfect view.


Here's a departing shot of C & E from the top of the tower. Port Augusta's power plant that powers our house way back in Adelaide can be seen just next to the tip of the tree on the right. Yeah industry!