Airports, Garbage Cans and Bathroom Stalls ...

I can honestly say that I am sick of airports - lounge privileges and all! Flew here to Australia, then headed to Cairns, back from Cairns, then to Melbourne, back from Melbourne today and in two days - the grandaddy of them all - my flight home (with out Gary's privileges - sigh ...).

It is always fun to schlep my bags into Gary's apartment, mainly because I am with, or soon to see ... Gary. When I schlep my bags into our Texas home - I am greeted by a crazed dog, but the house has a depressing, empty feel.

When I am in Gary's apartment, I quickly unpack my bags, and start laundry. In Texas? My bag lays on the floor for days with me stepping over it repeatedly. And the laundry? I do it about the day before Gary arrives!

Melbourne was a blast. Koalas in the wild! Emu in the wild! Kangaroo (singular) in the wild! We went to Mama Mia one afternoon - so I am back on my ABBA kick - appalling Gary to no end!

FUNNIEST STORY ON THE TRIP:

Yesterday (Monday) Gary and I headed to Target to buy a skein of paper. I know, weird - it involves getting home on Tuesday afternoon, Gary teaching institute Tuesday evening and being completely out of paper in the apartment - just getting prepared. I was off buying something in the pharmacy (they have the most wonderful meds ... without a need for a prescription) and he forgot to bring his phone (my fault ... really it was) so I told him I would wait for him outside the pharmacy. After my business was complete - I headed outside of the pharmacy (this is all in an interior mall). There were some small tables and chairs so I sat down.

I was getting bored and noticed that the garbage can in front of me was wooden, with the most adorable flower cut out you will ever see ... on a garbage can. So, ever prepared with a camera in my pocket, I pulled it out, focused on only the flower and snapped a couple of shots. Put my camera back and continued to wait.

A few moments later a beautiful woman and two little girls approached without my noticing. When she said "Were you just taking photos of us?" I looked up startled. I stammered out no, I was taking photos of a garbage can ... which made her look at me a bit askance. I told her I would show her the photos, and explained why I had taken them, also blurting out that I never take photos of people, and if I have to, I get their permission first. She told me it was not necessary to show me the photos - but I did anyway.

She apologised profusely. Said that she was a famous photographer in Melbourne and that lately photos of her and her children were showing up in magazines and the newspaper and she didn't like that photos of her children were being published without her consent. I agreed with her.

We sat and chatted for another 15 minutes about family, photography and all sorts of things, when I started laughing. She asked me what was so funny. I felt comfortable enough to share with her and, well I say what ever comes to mind anyway and said:

"I think it is funny that tonight when you tell your husband about this, you can say that you thought that someone was taking photographs of you and your children, but in reality, they were taking photographs of a garbage can!"

LAST THOUGHT FOR THIS RAMBLING POST:

GREATEST INVENTION EVER MADE IN EUROPE:

This is on a bathroom stall door. No, not my photo - I get enough weird looks, and read the above post - I am a wee bit skittish about taking weird photographs at this moment ...

It is SO nice. All over Europe you can walk into a bathroom and know immediately what stalls are open and what stalls are occupied. WHY CAN'T WE FIGURE THIS OUT IN AMERICA?




Later ...