D’Aguilar National Park, Queensland, Australia The rainforests of Queensland are the largest subtropical rainforests on earth. D’Aguilar National Forest is only a 30 minute drive from Brisbane and yet the forest is an entirely different, wild-jungle world of tropical vines, … Read More
A Poem From My Daughter My youngest daughter, Pippi, presented me with this poem the other day. She wrote it during her much-loved, quiet, alone time during the day. She is usually very creative during these relaxing solo times in … Read More
Snorkelling Bora Bora Copyright Mix Hart, 2017, Snorkelling Bora Bora This is one of my favourite posts to date. I had the time of my life collecting the photographs for this blog. I hope you enjoy the friendly aquatic life … Read More
Blue Lagoon: Bora Bora This is not a pool. This is the lagoon off Matira Beach, Bora Bora The blue lagoon that surrounds Bora Bora is fantasy turquoise, warm and endless. We spend mornings snorkelling off the beach that has … Read More
Bora Bora French Polynesia When Peter and I first met, over a quarter century ago, we decided we wanted to visit Bora Bora together. It’s taken us awhile, but we have arrived! Bora Bora is like a mystery that slowly … Read More
Kondalilla Falls National Park Only 100 km north of Brisbane is a subtropical rainforest filled with eucalyptus trees and waterfalls. Kondalilla Falls rainforest is our first Australian rainforest hike. I’m eager to see how southern, subtropical rainforests compare to the … Read More
Life Down Under: Lady Musgrave Island, Queensland The Great Barrier Reef My family’s adventures at the Great Barrier Reef include a brief visit to Lady Musgrave Island (an uninhabited island in the middle of the Coral Sea). The island is … Read More
Life Down Under: Straddie Island Below: Frenchman’s Beach Life Down Under: Straddie Island, Mix Hart 2017 North Stradbroke “Straddie” Island (Minjerribah) is one of my favourite places on Earth to date. Somehow, it has managed to preserve its wildness and … Read More
Life Down Under: Great Barrier Reef Above: The reef at low tide, with Lady Musgrave Island in the distance: top of coral adapted to withstand air and sun for several hours each day. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR), one of … Read More
Life Down Under: Surf Sisters Cylinder Beach, Mooloomba Minjerribah, Queensland This weekend we took the train from Brisbane to a ferry bound for Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island)—rumoured to have the best surfing in Queensland. *I prefer the aboriginal names for … Read More
Life Down Under: Surfer’s Paradise, Gold Coast We were only in Australia a day and a half before deciding to check out the Gold Coast. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. We took the train and … Read More
Life Down Under: Living in Queensland, Australia We have survived nearly a week in our new home down under. My family is living in Brisbane this fall (spring in North America). Fall in Brisbane is absolutely tropical— temperatures in the … Read More
American Jazz Age Literature American Jazz Age Literature was a favourite of mine when I was in my teens/early twenties. I suppose I was drawn to the Flappers of Nineteen Twenties as they romanticized (and mirrored) the excitement and slight … Read More
Atlanta’s Old Growth Forest Fernbank In the heart of the city of Atlanta is a small section (65 acres) of old growth (up to 300 years old), hard wood forest that has been preserved. Atlanta was officially established in 1839; … Read More
Beachcombing at Pass-A-Grille, Florida Birds The photographs in this post were taken on the beaches near Pass-A-Grille, Shell Key and St. Pete, Florida. The ocean that meet the sands is teaming with wild life, such as dolphins (300 call the … Read More