meanwhile back in oz...

somewhere near mary's river, these wallabies came out very early in the morning and were gone by the time most humans were up. they were like miniature kangaroos who behave a bit like rabbits, jumping and scuttling all over the place. ridiculously cute.

ohai!

spider chronicles

of all the scary creepy things that have the ability to kill you in this world [or at least sting badly] i feel most conflicted about spiders. i think one thing that makes it hard to simply step on one or snuff it out in some other fashion even if it has made a home under your bed without invitation is that spiders appear to be quite industrious. they don't just move in and lay eggs and eat your garbage. they spin webs- which upon close inspection can be pretty spectacular. these three were found in and around alice springs, australia. i don't know whether they are poisonous, but they look pretty serious. but did not seem particularly concerned with biting me as they had better things to do. they are quite beautiful.

el bat

spotted near alice springs, australia...

into the night

while it's true that there are all manner of unusual and frightening creatures that dwell in the australian outback, it's also probably the case that they are more afraid of us than vice versa. i was quite concerned about encountering  spiders and crocodiles and yet ultimately, equally disappointed to not run across a single one!

so, off to the territory wildlife park where all the fantastic, creepy, dark  and dangerous specimens dwell.  it's impossible to see them all at once, if ever in the wild. it really is a must-see.

on an unrelated note, this owl in particular reminded me of a recurring image from david lynch's twin peaks. in the show it was a sort of abstract motif for mystery and an unknown darkness unfolding in a small town. when i saw it i remembered this song:

blow out

yellow water

the yellow water billabong in kakadu park is probably one of the most beautiful places to see in the northern territory. the bird watching is great and there are all kinds of fantastic and unusual creatures perched about. starting out for a cruise at sunrise yields misty sunrises and lots of wildlife. sadly, no deadly crocodiles were spotted...

the road

He thought if he lived long enough the world at last would be lost. Like the dying world the newly blind inhabit, all of it slowly fading from memory.    -- "the road", cormac mccarthy

somewhere in litchfield park...

creeping light

even though these pictures were taken at the end of the day, when i look at them it feels like the light is actually creeping up and around the edge of the cliff. more like a beginning than a last hurrah...

the light is waning

i always find the time of day when light is transitioning to be most interesting. perhaps it's the liminality of the moment- as the threshold for a beginning or an end or even something in-between. and the fact that if you don't capture it, the light it will change very quickly, making the image especially unique and ephemeral.

both of these images were taken near the end of the day in the macdonnell ranges near alice springs. within an hour the light went from bright yellow gold to a deep brooding red, revealing the transformative nature of a single space.