Where Are We?

We thought we would tell you a little bit about where in the world we are living. Shepparton is a blue collar, agricultural town of 25,000 located about two hours due north of Melbourne by car. It is in the center of a wide flat river valley that reminds us a lot of the Red River Valley and Fargo. The valley is filled with fruit orchards, olive groves, and vineyards. That and fields of sheep and cockatoos. Shepparton is located in the state of Victoria, which is the smallest and southern most state in the country, if you don't count Tasmania. The history of Victoria is colorful and filled with gold rushes, outlaws, brothels, and sheep ranches. The Snowy Mountains (as in The Man from Snowy River) are a two hour drive away as is the ocean and the desert. Sydney and Adelaide are 8-10 hours away by car and the rest of the country requires an airplane, jeep or camel to visit. It is the middle of winter right now but not too cold; occasional frost on the windscreen (i.e., windshield) in the morning. It feels more like fall without the colors. As we sign off, a bright yellow moon is rising in the east with a bunny rabbit on it. Yes, there's a rabbit in the moon instead of a man in the moon down here.

Zach slept well on the plane ride down here!