Blog

“A Meteorite or a Flying Saucer?” One night at the homestead, a loud, penetrating noise awakened me. Like a million jet engines covering the entire sky, the noise was unidentifiable and chartless. Unlike a single jet where you can discern … Continued

“Landing on the Backs of Crocodiles…” Our friend, Dieter, knew the history of the Northern Territory, Native Australians, paleolithic cave art, rivers, cattle stations and their owners and managers, and above all, the inhospitable Gulf of Carpentaria. The men of … Continued

“Running Afoul of a Fighting Cock…” In a blog I wrote last year, I mentioned my former brother-in-law’s fighting rooster. He had beautiful feathers and a red crest. We had a dozen hens, but as the only male, he was … Continued

“Making your own toilet paper in the Outback…” In an earlier blog, I mentioned that the isolation on St. Vidgeon’s Station years ago was a lesson in preparedness for the COVID pandemic lockdowns of the past year. COVID also caused … Continued

“Flying Padres Down Under…” On the two way radio one morning, I had an unknown person call St. Vidgeon’s Station. At first I thought it was a prank set up by my ever-kidding brother-in-law. The man introduced himself as the … Continued

On that first Christmas at St. Vigeon’s Station – my first away from home and halfway around the world from my mother and kid brother, I felt lonely and nostalgic. We invited our neighbors from Roper Bar – the policeman, … Continued

Growing up in Mexico, a country of extensive social interaction, where celebrations and boisterous festivities happen for the slightest excuse, turned out to be a total contrast to my married life in the Outback where my closest neighbors were 35 … Continued

“Outrunning a crocodile…” Previously, I’d mentioned that our closest neighbors lived 35 miles away at Roper River Mission on the aboriginal reserve of Arnhem Land. A location not exactly close enough to borrow a cup of sugar in a pinch! … Continued

“Survived potential dangers…” I’d survived the mustering camp. Survived all the potential dangers posed by snakes, crocodiles, feral cattle, and water buffalo. I’d even survived booger bread at dinner that first evening. It felt so good to be safely inside … Continued

“Tailing a bull from a plane…” We took off from a grass strip, and soon my brother-in-law leveled the Piper Cub. Instead of looking for feral cattle hiding in the scrub, he headed east toward the Limmen Bight River, a … Continued