Helidon Hotel

Doesn't it look like an Old West movie set?

Performing Scotties

These little gals did some AMAZING stunts, like...walking around the stage; sitting; standing still. Cute outfits though.

Scottish country dancing

The dances have names and look remarkably like English country dances.

'Tis but a flesh wound!

Knight school, looking like a scene from Holy Grail.

Dulce et decorum est...

This is the 'learn-to-be-a-knight' tent at the Celtic fest.

why Oz is almost as fat as the US

This was one of the lunch offerings at the Celtic fest. Just your ordinary mega-caloric stuffed baked potato.

Pipe band jammin'

These guys marched down the street and just jammed.

The tartan flag at the Celtic fest

I drove to Helidon, about 60 miles west of Brisbane, to attend the Celtic Festival of Queensland. It had a heavy Scottish flavour as will be seen in many of these photos. This booth had sample books where you could look up your family tartan. There is no Long family tartan, or Hodge either. There is a Craig though!

Another day in paradise

Day after day, sunshine and blue skies...how can I stand it??

More pretty flowers

Self-explanatory.

Walking through campus

It's spring and it's a gorgeous walk through the center of campus back to the road that leads home.

Yes, you CAN buy booze on campus!

This bottle shop is actually located in Staff House, the staff-and-alums-only restaurant opposite Wordie's. Imagine a US college campus selling alcohol in bottles for take-away...I don't think so...

Phil's unofficial office

Here are Phil, another Phil (R) and John (L) having a 'meeting' -- and by that I mean having coffee -- at Wordie's, one of the campus cafes. It's really called Wordsmith's, but this being Australia, one is compelled to shorten it in that amusing way they do here...

Candy at the newsstand

Here's a shot of the candy counter at the campus newsstand. You can also get USB drives, cold drinks, Go cards for public transport, and you can drop off your dry cleaning!

Coot in the muck

This little guy didn't seem to mind all the yucky stuff on the surface of this lake. He just swam right through it.

Lake on campus

I couldn't resist taking this jacaranda-ful photo.

College across the lake

UQ has over 37,000 undergraduates, most of whom live at home while they're going to university. Some Australian students and many international students live in the colleges, which are essentially clusters of dorms. They are situated one after the other along one of the peripheral campus roads, across from this pretty big lake.

Lakes bus stop and Green Bridge

The bridge in the background is open to bikes, pedestrians and buses. Period. It replaced a ferry.

Looks like a baseball field, doesn't it?

I walked over to the lakes/playing fields area of campus and found this field, with a backstop and two dugouts. Nobody playing on it though. Do they have dugouts on cricket pitches?

Another look at the sandstone

This is just a gratuitous sandstone shot. Because I like it.