A Day in the Life

For the past 3 months, I have been basically doing the same thing every single day.  I make it sound mundane, but I have enjoyed all 3 months of it.

The morning walk to the main street

First off I wake up.  During vintage the wake up hour was absurdly early (4:00 am) but outside of the busy time it is around 6:00 to 6:30 am.  Since I don't have a car, I get picked up by coworkers.  Most days it was Quentin in his Snap Test Tag van.  One time it was the winemaker Toby, which I was nervous about since winemakers are intimidating, but it was cool (he made me coffee).  Quentin would have me walk out to the main street (100+ yards/meters).  When we started work at 5am I did not like this.  That 100 meters in the dark was scary and then waiting for some odd minutes (because as vintage went he got later and later) was cold and scary.  Now it is light out (yet not warm) when I get picked up so I don't mind waiting at the street.

Always waiting for Quentin...

The drive to work takes us straight through the heart of Tanunda, right by Foodland, the pubs, and the bottle shop.  St. Hallett is not too far from those.  I have actually ran to St. Hallett to visit the arvo shift a couple times, 3.6ish miles, therefore not far.  

At work, we all drop off our food in the kitchen, and go our own ways.  The cellar crew goes to the cellar desk to have Greg tell them what to do.  I go to the lab, put my work boots on, and wait for Bec to tell me what to do.  Sometimes I calibrate, other times I start to sample right away.  

The work day is hard to put into a pattern.  During vintage we would have juice samples, grape samples, press samples, racking samples…a lot of samples.  Now there are more samples dealing with sulfur levels, malic/RS/VA levels, copper trials, acid trials and post bottling analysis.  We always have the music on in the lab, preferably on blast but not always, sometimes people need to talk on the phone or think.  The winemakers come in and out of the lab: checking the analysis book, saying hi, giving us lollies (the usual).  Often we are searching for the winemakers to give them "urgent" analysis.  It is always fun to see Jez biking by when I need to tell him something and running out to catch him.

Quentin finally arrives

The day wraps up by putting all of our equipment away and to rest.  A lot of times I get a ride back to Tanunda with Brooke (not Quentin) and go to one of two cafes with internet.  She would let me drive her car sometimes too! I don't have internet at home so this is my only way to connect to the outer world: I update my blog and Facebook, email important people, maybe video chat with Will.    Both cafes know me now.  Once I got hooked up with a free salad! 

The cafes close about 5 and I walk home.  I pass Foodland on the way and either pick up some groceries or don't.  A few times I stopped at the Tanunda Bakery and treated myself to a sweet or bread.  The walk is about 2 kilometers so I get to listen to my iPod and try not to sing out loud for 20ish minutes.  

My street :)

When I get home there is always the search for my key in my backpack.  Sometimes I find it and use the front door, other times I give up and use a window to get in.  And because I don't have internet to distract me from productivity, I usually go for a run around the area.  Sometimes I will run towards Nuri, sometimes around a dirt road, rarely towards St. Hallett.  I have improved my long distance running thanks to this habit.  I can run 4 miles in a little over half an hour!! Yay me.  

The rest of my day is just dinner and sleep really.  During harvest I really didn't have that much time after work it seemed.  If I got home around 5, I would run and workout till 6, take a shower, make some dinner and all of a sudden it was 7:30 and my bed time was 8.  Simple yet productive afternoons.  

I am sure if I had a car my days would be a little different.  I wouldn't have to walk in the dark, wait in the cold, or be stranded in the Barossa.  Honestly though, I don't mind that much.  I think I am experiencing a true country life style.  

Cellar Day!

Overhead Lines

I had the day off on Monday and Tuesday.  In this past month I have not had a full work week, so I am running out of ideas to entertain myself.  Since I did go to college for winemaking, I want to learn how to do things in the cellar.  Sooo, on my day off, I went to work.  But instead of working in the lab, I was a cellar rat for a day.  

Greg, the cellar master, had me working with Quentin, the Frenchie.  He was my teacher for the day, I was his shadow.  Our first task, red ferment baume round.  Quentin looked at me, "I don't know how to do that."  But, since I am a lab person, baume rounds are my thang.  Fail on learning something, I became teacher for the first task!!! But everything after that consisted of things I did not know. 

The Chiller

We had to set up lines to cool a tank (stop a fermentation) then we had to set up lines to heat another tank for despatch.  I guess you have to bottle wine at something around 18 degrees celsius, and it started around 14 degrees.  Dragging around the hoses is a bit more difficult than it looks.  Also looking for connections is a bitch.  The connections on the hoses and such are either female or male so you have to make sure they line up correctly.  There are some "double female" and "double male" connections to help out with this situation.  From the stories I heard from the cellar casuals, finding the double females and double males was a close to impossible task during the heart of vintage.  

With the heating and cooling, I learned how to navigate the over head pipes from the tank farm to the cellar to the cooling/heating unit to the red wine area.  They seemed intimidating at first, but after a little bit of thinking, they make sense and are very simple.  

The Heater.

I also got to transfer some malolactic culture to some red ferments using a flow meter.  (NOTE: Things like the "flowmeter" and "sulphotometer" were words that I heard the cellar people saying and never knew what they looked like until I actually worked in the cellar.  It was nice to put an object to a name.)  I had to even use the walkie talkie to communicate (bad ass)!

I also did the super fun task of cleaning a tank.  I set up lines for the tankers coming in the following day.  I even had a blonde moment (which I guess was the theme for the vintage) and accidentally set up a transfer half on one tank and half on another tank…whoops.   

Working in the cellar also made me miss the cellar people more once they left.  I now understand more of their jokes and mistakes and frustrations.  Good times, good times.  

The Tank Farm

Last Day Shenanigans

The first hour or two of our last day all together was productive.  Anytime after that was spent goofing around.  Literally no productivity, other than bonding more with people that are about to leave (sad face).  

The cellar casuals got sent down to "garden" aka pull out sticks and play with them.  There was sword fighting, attempted baseball, and even jousting.  Just things to pass the time, nothing to do with wine.  At one point I was in a water fight with the Kims.  There was a pull up competition, which I definitely won….not.  I think one thing in life is that I will never be able to do a pull up.  It has been my weak spot since elementary school.  

Naturally we had photoshoots to document the last day together…

Don't mess with me Kim.

Brooke and Quentin

I may have cheated.

The last standing interns.

Action shot.

Yet another K.K.K. moment.

Sun!

Barrel shed? 

Jousting for the queen.

A bowl fitting for royalty.   

I am going to miss these people a lot.  I did not cry saying bye to man Kim (he left Friday mid day) but when I left work, I was so close to tears because I knew the end was near.  "The end was near"…that sounds like the world is ending or something, but it is just that the vintage is really over.  I had so much fun with these people the last 3 months.  I laughed so much everyday with and at everyone.  My parents can vouch for me, I was really happy at St. Hallett.  So I think the almost tears were from the idea that this really happy time is coming to an end.  I was on a big high, and now I am coming back to reality.  Don't get me wrong, I am still happy. 

Another thing is that I am staying another month without some of my closest friends.  Being left is way harder than being the one to leave.  But I am coping alright.  I now have things to look forward to like traveling in 2 weeks around Australia and going home to see my family and friends!  

The Show Down

Lets start with this.  There are some abbreviations that are the same in America and Australia that throw me off.  One, ABC.  It is not the American Broadcasting Company, it is the Australian Broadcasting Company.  Then there is AFV, not America but Australian's Funniest Home Videos.  Lastly there is AFL, the Australian Football League.  

Australian football (or footy) is not like American football.  They don't wear pads, they don't stop when someone gets tackled, and they play in an oval.  The first time I saw it TV I thought it was madness and there was no rhyme or reason to it.  O was I wrong.  I actually get the game now, and like it…a lot.  Each quarter (there are 4) is 30 minutes long.  They count up on the clock and I don't think it ever stops, kind of like soccer.  The way you score is to kick or punch the ball through the posts at the end of the field.  There are 4 posts and the gap in the middle is worth 6 points if you kick it through.  The two on the sides is only one point if you kick it through.  Then if you punch it throughout the posts it is only one point no matter which posts you go through.  You can only pass to your teammates by kicking or "hand passing" the ball.  Hand passing is basically punching the ball to them.  There are a lot more rules that are hard to explain unless there is a game going on, but hopefully you get some gist of what is going on…maybe.  

It would not be a footy game without beer and a meat pie. Nom.

The match we got to go to was the Port Adelaide Power vs the Adelaide Crows.  This would be an equivalent Giants vs Dodgers game.  They call it the Show Down.  Port fans are known for being "Farrel" as an Aussie would say it, or just bad.  They try to fight with other people all the time and are just dirty.  So all my Aussie friends told me to root for the Crows who are blue, red and yellow.  Once at the stadium I kept seeing all these people in San Jose Sharks colors.  Port Adelaide has Sharks colors…I was almost torn because my mind says to root for teal.  

In the stadium they had a table where people were placing bets.  This is something I do not see everyday at a Sharks or Giants game.  The guy who took us, Hayden, asked if Carissa and I wanted to bet just to make things exciting.  But honestly we would not even know where to begin.  Like what is a normal score for a footy game?  How hard is it to get points?  Who is the better team? So instead Carissa and I just bet with each other on what team would win.  She dubbed the Crows so fast (even though she accidentally wore Port colors) so I had to semi root for Port the rest of the day.  

Those are the "goal" posts.

The game started super quick; there was no anthem or anything, just a ball getting bounced into the air and the boys were off tackling each other and doing what footy boys do.  About a minute or two into it, Port scored a goal (6 points!).  YAY!…? I only rooted because of the bet, not because of anything else.  

The first quarter went super fast.  The second quarter also flew by, and at this point the Crows were kicking some serious ass.  The bet was looking like it was going into Carissa's favor, which we both really wanted because I don't like supporting evil teams. But then, somehow, Port came back.  It became a really exciting game.  It technically was a Port home game, even though they share the same stadium (like the Lakers and Clippers), so the crowed was getting super into it.  All the Port fans started waving their signs and cheering a lot louder; They kept chanting "Power", they started to talk shit to the Crows fans.  It was fun.  And though I secretly wanted the Crows to win, it was nice to see a comeback.  Port tied it up at the end of the 3rd quarter 85-85 after being down like 25ish points.  

One quarter to go.  Port with the momentum.  What was going to happen?!?!

The Crows basically rolled over and died.  It was sad.  Port went with the momentum and stuffed it the the Crows faces.  I was a little upset that Port won, a little happy to see the home fans be so happy, and a little relieved that I won a bet.  In the end I had a great time at the game. I am very happy I was able to find a way to get there.

Winner!

The guy that was nice enough to take Carissa and I to the game, Hayden, also decided that we needed to see more Aussie things.  So after the game he took us to North Adelaide and we had an AB pack.  AB stands for abortion.  Sorry if that offends anyone, but it gets its name from how it looks.  It is french fries with meat, garlic sauce, sweet chili sauce and tomato sauce (ketchup) on top.  So so so nom.  It is apparently a good drunchie food and on weekend nights all the drunk people are scarfing them down.

We got back to Tanunda about 11 and I forgot my phone in Hayden's car.  FAIL.  I have no way of contacting people now and it is my day off! Extra fail. O well. The fun weekend makes up for my blondeness in forgetting my phone.

O yea...and I think footy should come to America.  It would be better than American Football...sorry not sorry.

Unexpected Great Day

(pictures to be posted later...)

[Note: This was the most unexpected productive day ever.  And when I say productive I don't mean that I had a list of things to do and got to check them off, but everything I did do seemed purposeful and worth it.  There was no wasted time.]

Saturday, after the End of Vintage party, I woke up expecting to have a slow day, fighting of a hang over.  To my surprise, there was no hang over to be had! Yea, I have some unidentified party bruises, but nothing that could stop me from doing things.  I decided to walk to Nuri to hang out with Carissa; there really is not much else to do with out a car.  

We decided to go get lunch at the Chicken Shop.  I was not that hungry so I just got a Coke.  And let me tell you that the Cokes here are shit.  They lose their fizz within 5 minutes of opening.  I have had it from a can and a bottle, and both have been rather disappointing.  They need some more DCO2 (dissolved carbon dioxide) for sure.  Anyway, in small town fashion, we ran into a fellow coworker of ours, Justin.  We chatted about the night before, putting together bits and pieces of events and details; always fun to do after a big night.  

Next, Carissa and I decided to go to Foodland, because one lunch was just not going to suffice.  More like I did get hungry and I didn't want anything from the Chicken Shop.  Over at Foodland we ran into another coworker of ours, Rose (small town).  She was not able to make it to the party, so we just filled her in on some events: lawn balls, dancing and karaoke.  we tried not to make the party sound too fun so she was not upset that she didn't get to go…so we stuck to talking about lawn balls.  So not a fun sport…very slow…very very very slow.

I ended up getting a smoothy (nommmage) and we headed back home.  But first I wanted to stop into the sports store and look for a ball.  I miss playing sports and every time there is a ball around I try to rally with it or just throw it around.  So, though I should have bought this 3 months ago when I got here, I bought a volleyball!! It is a super cheap volleyball but it gets the job done.  I have barely stopped setting it around since I got it.  

Once back at Carissa's we decided to watch a movie.  She somehow has a copy of "The Silver Linings Playbook" with Bradley Cooper.  How can one say no to a movie with Bradley Cooper in it? For the first 3/4 of the movie, I was confused.  The two main characters are basically crazy but not thaaatt crazy.  I don't know.  But in the end I did like the movie a lot and felt it was not a waste of time.  

Next, we decided to go pick up our bikes from Bec's house.  A couple weeks ago when we tried to bike to Angaston and ended up getting stranded because Carissa's bike tire popped, Bec's boyfriend, Hilly, picked up our bikes and stored them and their house.  FINALLY, we decided to retrieve them.  It was fun too because this was another coworker that we could reminisce about the night with. We got her stories, she got ours, good gossip time.  

Now, with bikes at our disposal, we went on an adventure and biked down a back road just to try and get a good view of the sun setting.  The sky was too cloudy to have a magnificent sunset but it was still really nice.  It was not too cold or too hot and we just leisurely biked along the road.  To make mattered even better we found on the road a sign that just said "BAROSSA" in big yellow letters.  Literally painted on the road.  Photo OP! We set our bikes aside and took a bunch of pictures with this word.  It is the little things that excite us the most I guess because we felt we had found gold!

The sun had set now and so we had to start heading home so we would not get in trouble for not having headlights on our bikes.  We did not quite time that right, because we hopped off our bikes a little bit away from Foodland, and walked.  What we did do right was accidentally run into an old car parade of some sort.  There were like 20 Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs rolling down the street, honking and waving at people.  The cars looked so cool! They looked super roomy too, like way more comfy than some cars today.  

At this point, Carissa and I decided that this was a really solid day.  Nothing was planned but everything was great! We ran into people we knew and things that we really wanted to see (but did know until we saw it).  On a sad note, this was the last Saturday for Carissa in the Barossa.  She leaves next week!!!!!! How did this time go so fast?!?!?!?

End of Vintage Party

These past few weekends have been filled with g
reat activities.  There is no better way to end the string of fun events with a huge party with all your coworkers.  I have always heard crazy things about end of vintage parties but all the ones I have been to disappoint.  And by disappoint, I mean I expected too much.  I have had fun at all of them, but nothing crazy.  So for St. Hallett I went in not expecting much.  We did get to dress up because it was prom themed.  I tried to go 80s punk-esque but it didn't look as ridiculous as planned.  I looked normal.  Thankfully other people went all out and looked fantastic in their thrift shop dresses.  

The first event of the day was Lawn Balls.  It is kind of like Bocci Ball or Batonque (french and spelling?) but the balls are bigger and weighted on one side.  This means that when you roll the ball it veers one way.  This adds a whole new challenge to the game, but not much excitement.  It was fun to be drinking beers and hanging out with everyone but the game was so slow!! The slower you rolled the ball the more the ball would curve and if you threw it too hard it would end up in the gutter so slow was the way to go… SLLOOOWWW. And I think I have a little less interest in it because I was not very good.  I am not good at bowling, and not good at lawn balls, I just don't have the skill to roll balls to set areas.  I like to throw or hit them, not roll.  Fortunately, my team was fun, it was man Kim, Kat and me (K.K.K….whoops).  Fun did not equal wins. O well.  We still think we are bad asses.

Failed Jumping Picture...We Are Still Awesome.

Next stop, St. Hallett! We got to hang out outside with hors d'oeuvres; some sushi rolls and cold rolls made by yours truly Brooke and myself.  There was also champagne and punch going
around.  Someone brought out a footie ball and a soccer ball…I instantly went and played with it.  I am not very good as soccer but I was way better at it than lawn balls.  We just juggled the ball in a circle for what might have been an hour or so.  The boys were getting sweaty.  Peoples clothes were ripping from being so into it.  I loved it! Like I keep saying, I love sports.  I was so happy to just be handling a ball of some sort, it didn't have to be a volleyball.  I was also happy with my executive decision to wear spandex under my dress.  This allowed for me to do as I pleased and not worry about showing any goods, if you know what I'm saying.  

Prom King and Queen!

The sun did set, and we could no see the ball anymore so we called it quits.  It was now time for dinner so I was not too upset that I couldn't play soccer anymore.  There were tables set up for everyone and it truly did remind be of a prom, a small prom.  Also, Shelley and Jez dressed up as teachers so that was even more of a factor making it feel like prom.  They had to make sure we kept room for Jesus.  We even had a Prom Queen and King.  Girl Kim and Quentin were the lucky winners of this, and they rightfully won it.  They looked the most thrift shop prom out of all the interns.

After dinner there was dancing.  We had a jukebox which doubled as a karaoke machine.  And once you have had a bit of wine and beer in you, the karaoke machine always seems like a good idea.  We were singing and dancing the night away!! I didn't leave the party until about 2.  I had so much fun with everyone.  It is bittersweet in a way though because it is one of the last hoorays.  Everyone except Brooke, Andrea and I are done this Friday.  They all leave Saturday the 20th! I am going to miss them so much and I like to say that I will see them again someday but you never know.  Everyone is scattered so far around the world that the chances are slim to see them.  Hopefully we have made strong enough friendships were we do try and visit each other in our homes. 

The Winemakers Told Her To! 

Oooo Boys....

Good Ol' Beau

Getting Into The Karaoke

That Helium Brought So Much Entertainment

Semaphore- Take Two

What is better for a recuperation day than a beach day! I have not been to the beach since February, almost 2 full months.  This is unacceptable.  The beaches here are so amazing, I need to go whenever I get the chance.  The chance was finally given again, and I took advantage of it.  I ended up going with Carissa, Quentin, his lady friend Auror, another frenchie Shimon (?), and the Swiss couple, Valentina and Pierre.  The issue (not really an issue) with hanging out with thos groups is that the most common, native language, is french.  They spoke french the majority of the time.  Sometimes with a mix of Italian and then when Carissa and I were involved in the congo, English snuck in there.  

Despite the language confusion, it was a lot of fun.  Pierre had a kite that he was flying but he made it look really difficult.  The kite was dragging him across the beach! He was using so much muscle to control it.  Then I could look to my right and see a little lady flying a similar kite with no effort at all.  Comedic contrast…until I realized the kites were very very different.  Then the crazy Europeans started to play leap frog, do flips off of a san dune, and a bunch of hyper active things.  Carissa and I just sat their laughing at them because it was pretty entertaining.  Finally, we joined in when they started to build a human pyramid.  Which then lead to a wheel-barrow race.  Which lead to hand stands.  Which lead to playing with a football and if you couldn't catch it you had to do either push-ups, sit-ups, or squats.  I felt I was at a fitness camp, but I didn't drop the ball, so I did not have to do the punishments.  Then, the sun started to set and of course it was beautiful.  Cameras came out, jumping started to happen, and so there are about a million pictures of us jumping in the sunset.  Every one of the pictures is great though.  The sky turned fushia before it was dark.  I have never seen such a true pink color in the sky!! When I leave Australia, I think on my list of things that I miss most will be the sky.  I am such a hippie! 

Vintage Festival!!

Looking Scary!

Every two years the Barossa Valley has a Vintage Festival Parade.  St. Hallett had a spot in the parade, float 24.  Our theme was Hallett-ween, so the float was spooky.  We had evil noises playing and everyone dressed up as scary things.  I was some sort of zombie devil prom queen thing.  I never decided on what I was, I just looked creepy-ish.  Then there was a dead bride and groom, a couple devils, skeletons, chain saw people, princesses, vampires…the usual.  

So the day started early…like we had to leave the house at 8:30 (a.m.) on a Saturday.  It really was not that bad.  Getting ready was a little stressful since I somehow blew up a converter while curling my hair; I was not too stoked on the smoke coming out of the outlet.  Everyone met at the float and the drinks started pouring.  We had some Riesling, Rose and Frivola for everyone to drink. 9:30 is not too early to start, is it? But to make sure nothing went too crazy, breakfast was supplied also: donuts, pasties, savory pies, quiches.  

The float was an old fashion truck with the St. Hallett logo on it and it was towing a flat bed trailer.  On the trailer was a porter potty (disguised), a barrel acting as a cauldron, and an umbrella.  The porter potty was a smart idea on the coordinators part.  The walk was about 7 kilometers (4.38 miles) so it took about two hours at the parade pace.  We all know drinking fluids leads to peeing, therefore to avoid any inappropriate bathroom breaks on the side of the road, there was the porter potty! I never used it, but I think the people who did use it were very grateful.  

As I said, the parade was 7K.  With in the first kilometer I found myself walking too close to the trailer and it ran over my foot! I don't know anyone noticed who I was walking with, and I don't know if anyone in the crowd noticed either, but I sure did.  I just stepped too close trying to get something off the trailer then there was a tire, rolling over my foot.  For the split second the tire was going over my limb, I thought to myself how people break feet getting ran over. So when the tire let me free, I stood there assessing the situation.  I was still walking.  I was not in too much pain.  There was no blood or crunching.  WOW, I am alright, but for the fact my foot was throbbing and I still had the majority of the parade to walk.  The next morning my foot was very sore and a bruise developed so I did not escape unscathed.  

Porter Potty on the Left. 

The highlight of our float was probably one of the interns, Kim, scaring all the people watching the parade.  He was dressed as the scream character and would walk up to, what it seemed, either small children or old people, and yell at them.  I think he made a few children cry and I was seriously worried that an old person was going to have a heart attack.  Thankfully, no old people were reported to have had a heart attack, but I can not say that the children were not crying and having nightmares.  

Though, he may have been the entertainment for the crowed (and his co-workers, we couldn't stop laughing), everyone else had some dance moves up their sleeves.  Every so often we would play either Michael Jackson's "Thriller" or a Rocky Horror Picture song.  We had choreographed dances to these that looked pretty alright for non-dancers.  And to put into account that we had to do these dances (meant for stationary stages) on the move was pretty impressive.  

I think I now have a new respect for Halloween.  It was never really my favorite holiday, but being scary looking and scaring people is kind of fun.  

The end of the parade came a lot quicker that I thought.  The two hours flew by! But just because the parade was over does not mean that the party was over.  A bunch of us walked (in costume and make up) to the brewery in Tanunda and hung out a little more.  We had to take advantage of the beautiful day and the tiny, sleepy town of Tanunda being alive! 

Finally done!! 

Clare Easter Races

Sophie, my house mate's sister, invited Carissa and I up to Clare for the Easter Horse Races.  It is Sophie's favorite day of the year, so it has to be fun!

The races were on Saturday but prep began Thursday night with shopping in Elizabeth.  We all had to get the perfect dresses and accessories.  Everyone dresses up for the races, so Carissa and I were not that prepared with the clothes we brought from America.  Luckily we both found great dresses and accessories for reasonable prices.  All the stored were having massive sales.  As my father says "If it is meant to be, it is meant to be."

The Group

On a side note, this Easter weekend is a BIG weekend.  Good Friday is a public holiday where no one works.  Nothing is open.  Then, everyone gets Easter Monday off too, which I am not sure is an actual day, or just a made up holiday to make a 4 day weekend.  Don't think I am complaining, I just don't get how Easter is so huge here.  Maybe it was just my upbringing and Easter always ended up people a volleyball tournament, but it is not that important of a holiday (sorry Jesus).  I mean, I was never one to believe in the Easter Bunny.  

Back to the weekend.  On Friday, Sophie came and picked up Carissa and I to spend the night at her parents place in Kapunda.  They live in the country, out on a dirt road, with minimal neighbors.  It was adorable and old fashion.  Then Saturday was the big day.  We woke up around 8 and began to get ready with jewelry, dresses, curling our hair, it was almost like a homecoming or prom type deal.  All ready to go, and now we had to drive an hour to Clare; oh the suspense.  

Finally, in Clare.  Tahlia, Sophie's friend, was kind enough to let us crash at her house after the races and have us over from brunch before the races.  Brunch was full of savory muffins, easter cookies and Mimosas.  All the girls looked gorgeous in their dresses and up-dos.  I could not wait to get to the actual races!

The weather was not very kind to us, but it could not ruin the day one bit.  The sun never peaked through the clouds, and rain did threaten us all day.  Still, the races were a lot of fun.  I have never seen a horse race, and I really only paid attention to one race, which I didn't bet on, so it really meant nothing.  Some of the girls I went with made $50 on a $2.50 bet though, I wish I had put something on that horse!  The day went on, the sun set, the DJ came around, and the party continued down at the pubs in Clare.  The pubs were packed with guys in suits and girls in heels and dresses from the races. A super classy looking Clare if I do say so myself.  There was a live band at the bar we ended up at, The Taminga, so we just danced around for ages.  My body was so tired by the end of the night but I was having so much fun.  All the people were being really nice to Carissa and me.  We ran into people who hosted some other interns that Carissa and I know (small world).  At the end of the night, we decided this was our best day in Australia yet!

To be honest, Sunday was not enough time to rest up, so I was happy to remember that we got Monday off too.  You know, to truly recuperate.   

Americans doing the races