Author : Teresa Diehl

Broadband in the Bush

I have been missing my Aussie mates and here is a sample why. Thank you to Elizabeth for sending this to me and giving me a good laugh to start my day! Aussie Computer Terminology Getting ready for Broadband in the bush!!  Just A little bit of Aussie culcha. LOGON: Adding wood to make the barbie hotter. LOG OFF: Not adding any more wood to the barbie. MONITOR: Keeping an eye on the barbie. DOWNLOAD: Getting the firewood off the ute. HARD DRIVE: Making the trip back home without any cold tinnies. KEYBOARD: Where you hang the ute keys. WINDOWS: What you shut when the weather’s cold. SCREEN: What you shut in the mozzie season.. BYTE: What mozzies do MEGABYTE: What Townsville mozzies do. CHIP: A pub snack. MICROCHIP: What’s left in the bag after you’ve eaten the chips. MODEM: What you did to the lawns. LAPTOP: Where the cat sleeps. SOFTWARE: Plastic knives and forks you get at Red Rooster. HARDWARE: Stainless steel knives and forks – from K-Mart. MOUSE: The small rodent that eats the grain in the shed. MAINFRAME: What holds the shed up. WEB: What spiders make. WEBSITE: Usually in the shed or under the veranda. SEARCH ENGINE: What you do when the ute won’t go. CURSOR: What you say when the ute won’t go. YAHOO: What you say when the ute does go. UPGRADE: A steep hill. SERVER: The person at the pub who brings out the counter lunch. MAIL SERVER: The bloke at the pub who brings out the counter lunch. USER: The neighbour who keeps borrowing things. NETWORK: What you do when you need to repair the fishing net. INTERNET: Where you want the fish to go. NETSCAPE: What the fish do when they discover a hole in the net. ONLINE: Where you hang the washing. OFFLINE: Where the washing ends up when the pegs aren’t strong enough.

JIMMY JOHNSON, GIANT SHARK, and WATERTRIBE FINISH

  Thank you to Jimmy Johnson for taking the time to listen to my goal setting presentation outline. That was very kind of you. I launched from his back yard and headed through Florida Bay to The Pelican Cottages for the WaterTribe Everglade Challenge finish. It was actually the nicest paddle I had in weeks. Paddling in the Bay knocked down the four to five foot waves at 1 second intervals. I am cruising along in a deeper area of the Bay, and thirty feet off my port side was an eighteen inch fin. It was very close and I could not see the body of the shark. It must have been at least a twenty-four inch fin, minimally. Figure out those dimensions and it was probably close to the length of my kayak and three to four times as big. I felt zero panic, only excitement, but that was the only glimpse I got of the magnificent creature. I kept up a scan, especially behind me in case it decided to trail me. Nothing. I did not look like anything to eat, smell like anything to eat, and it did not bother to determine if I felt like anything to eat. I kept up a steady relaxed paddle pace just as when I happened upon the shark. Probably because I would have liked to see it again, it went on its merry way. It was likely a Great Hammerhead, but I am no shark expert. The fin shape and size the shark can get up to match pretty well. Thank you to the WaterTribe participants and staff.   I felt so welcomed and enjoyed talking with everyone. I gleaned so much information on how to solve problems with my kayak. The finish of the WaterTribe race was hosted by the Pelican Cottages. I already had wonderful experiences with the Pelican assisting me in my travels from Key Largo to Key West and back. They did a great job again this year providing the venue for the event. It was a really nice day, interesting break from all the chaos!!! Teresa

30 Knots, Gusting to 60-Spot On!

It was an event even getting to this location last night.  I knew the winds were against me and I wasn’t going anywhere today. I hoped I might be able to catch up with my blog or luxury of luxuries read. It was not to be! The day was spent watching the weather increase in velocity, and determining countermeasures to keep my gear intact. TIME TO MOVE THE TENT 30 KNOTS GUSTING TO 60

Tavernier

Many thanks to Catherine in Tavernier for her kindness and assistance in helping me pick up packages at the Key Largo post office, supplements at Remedy’s Nutrition. I am so glad to have the supplements back to enhance my performance! We also located white gas for my stove at Backcountry Outfitters. Kristi and JC were very helpful as well as Tom Dolinski who was working on the computers for the shop.

Florida Expedition

  One thing I have learned, there is never a dull moment with the CastawaysAgainstCancer.com group. As we went out for our morning paddle, we spied this poor soul’s boat that had run aground in the last few hours. Poor luck for him, photo op for us! I am back in Florida. Cuba to USA for Education is still on! Paddling the Keys for conditioning and to search for someone who would like the opportunity to LEGALLY travel to Cuba. The paperwork I have from the US government is NOT easy to come by. I am hoping to find a 40 foot Catamaran or the like that will transport me and my small crew and kayak to Marina Hemingway. We will visit Havana, prep for the return paddle, and then set out to return to Key West. Nothing for them to do on the way back except to verify that I completed the paddle. Piece of Cake, right!                

Foster City Kayak Launch Site

It started out as a gorgeous day, but became cold, drizzly, and windy. I got my training in and pulled the kayak out of the water just as it started to rain. Beautiful houses, restaurants, and businesses line the lagoon. At night, lovely lights illuminate the water and surrounding area if one can brave the cold.     Kayak Launch Site     

Kayaking for Change

When you read a byline like “World adventurer and educator circumnavigating Oz for education” in a kayak solo no less, one can’t help but be curious about the woman behind the headline. So we tracked down Teresa Diehl to find out more about her inspiring kayaking adventure. Kayaking for Change Thank you to TRAVEL PLAY LIVE, Australia’s number one women’s adventure and travel magazine, article by Amy Heague, Chief Editor and Creative Director, for bringing attention to my efforts to empower students in goal setting, life skills, community awareness, and personal achievement.  

Day of the Dead Paddle

Day of the Dead Paddle. I am the party-pooper with no face paint. Rebeca is two from my left and was in character from late morning on. She just CREEPED ME OUT!
Day of the Dead Paddle. I am the party-pooper with no face paint, but at least I have devil red-eye from the flash. Rebeca is two from my left and was in character from late morning on. She just CREEPED ME OUT!

Miami Expedition Training for Cuba to Key West, and Working with Students

Arriving in Miami in August during a threat of a hurricane, I began the arduous task of getting permission from the United States Government to legally travel by boat to Cuba. I had hoped that if I were poised and ready to go, perhaps the US government would speed up its decision. It was a good plan, but of course it did not go that way…

WILDERNESS WEAR IN ACTION

It is getting a bit cool in the mornings and the best solution for me is to don my WildernessWear Light Merino 170 Long Sleeve Crew Top under my paddling top. It is 100% Merino Wool, 200% Australian, and feels great next to my skin as a base layer. It is moisture wicking and after washing is always the first garment to dry in my gear. LIGHT MERINO 170 LONG SLEEVE CREW TOP Here is a photo of me with my Merino Wool top, just before the sun came up and my amazing Dolphin encounter. Great footage of Cavorting Dolphins I captured on a morning paddle. Just about to set out on a paddle in the beautiful Key Largo, Florida sporting my Merino top. WildernessWear is the perfect tool for the job! Thanks again to Jon and the crew at WildernessWear. Their efforts and customer service are outstanding!

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